Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are not my property. No copyright infringement is intended.
Sam felt as if her stomach was tied in knots after spending last night staring into the darkness as she lay in bed, talking herself into showing up today for her wedding.
Jacob looked at Sam, standing beside him in her wedding dress, her hand gripping his arm. She looked beautiful but he could also see the stress on her face as she stared straight ahead.
"Are you positive about this, Sam? It isn't too late to change your mind" Jacob whispered as they stood at the entrance of the church as the organist began to play.
Cassie entered first as Sam's maid of honor and as the music changed, everyone turned to watch Sam and Jacob.
"I can't back out now, Dad."
"Yes, you can."
"No, I can't. Let's go."
Jacob felt the urge to shake some sense into Sam as they started walking.
As they passed General Hammond and Teal'c, Sam could see the look on their faces that told her that they really didn't want to be here.
Daniel stared at her for a few seconds but turned his head and looked away as she remembered the day he had told her that her engagement was breaking Jack's heart, and he thought she was making a mistake if she went through with this wedding.
As they came closer to Pete, Sam could see the happy smile on his face.
Mark stood beside Pete as his best man and he stared at his sister, thinking that she looked like she was about to bolt.
Sam's heart beat faster. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life but she felt as though she was about to face a firing squad.
Jack's face suddenly appeared in Sam's mind. She had hoped he would come to her wedding, but deep inside she knew that would be asking too much of him.
The music ended as Jacob took Sam's hand and placed it in Pete's and he gave Sam a light kiss on her cheek before going to his seat.
The guests sat down and the minister spoke for a few minutes about the meaning of marriage and love and commitment between a husband and wife.
He asked Pete and Sam to face each other and join hands so Sam gave her bridal bouquet to Cassie.
The minister asked Pete to repeat after him and as Pete finished his vows, he asked Sam to do the same.
"I Samantha take thee Peter" the minister began.
Sam swallowed the lump in her throat "I Samantha take thee . . ."
Sam stopped and Pete frowned as she glanced at the minister and back at him.
She began again. "I Samantha take thee . . ."
Tears came to Sam's eyes.
"Sam?" Pete whispered.
"I'm so sorry, Pete. I can't do this."
Sam let go of his hands and hurried back down the aisle.
People began to chatter as Jacob quickly stood and he and Cassie followed Sam.
Pete turned and looked at Mark, neither one knowing what to do.
Sam ran back to where she had changed into her wedding dress.
Jacob and Cassie entered the room and came to a halt as they watched Sam frantically searching for something.
"Where is it?"
"Where is what, Sam?" Cassie asked. "What are you looking for?"
"My purse! I need my car keys!"
Lifting a large bag off a chair, she found her purse.
"Where are you going?" Jacob asked as she turned to face them and they could see tears in her eyes.
"I have to see Jack. You're right, Dad, I can't deny it any longer. I'm in love with him. I only hope that Pete can forgive me."
Cassie put her hand on Sam's arm. "You're doing the right thing, Sam."
Jacob quickly hugged his daughter. "Everything will be okay, honey. Go."
As he and Cassie watched Sam run down the hallway, they looked at each other and smiled.
Cassie squeezed Jacob's hand. "I'm so happy I could burst!"
Jacob chuckled as he put his arm around Cassie. "Me too."
As Sam came outside, raindrops began to fall.
Opening the car door, she threw her purse on the passenger seat and gathered the bottom of her dress around her legs. She sat down and closed the door. The dress covered her feet so she pulled the skirt up to her knees so she could drive.
Her hands shook and she fumbled with the keys as she quickly wiped tears from her cheeks.
Starting the car, she turned on the windshield wipers and drove onto the road.
Glancing back at the church, she saw Jacob and Mark standing at the door watching her.
"Where is she going, Dad? I thought this was what she wanted."
"No, it isn't what she wants. She finally admitted to herself that she would be making a mistake if she married Pete because she's been in love with someone else for a long time."
"Who is he?"
"Jack O'Neill, her commanding officer."
Mark frowned. "Wouldn't it be against Air Force regulations for them to be together?"
"It would, but they'll work it out."
"Do you know him?"
"Yes, I do. He's a good man."
"But what about Pete? He loves Sam."
Jacob glared at his son. "Do you really want your sister to marry someone she isn't in love with?"
Mark glanced outside at the rain and back at Jacob. "No, I guess not."
"I know you and Pete are friends but getting married to Pete is not right for Sam. You'll meet Jack eventually and when you do, give him a chance. He's one of the finest men I've ever known. I think he has loved Sam for a long time and has always treated her with respect. Even though he's a little older than her, they're perfect for each other in my opinion."
Mark sighed as he turned around. "I guess I better go see how Pete is holding up."
~oOo~
Jack stood at his back door staring into the yard. Glancing at his watch, he realized that Sam was probably married by now.
His mind wandered back to the day he had received the wedding invitation in the mail. He quickly read it and stared at Sam's name for a few seconds before dropping the invitation in the trash. There was no way he could watch Jacob escort Sam down the aisle to marry a man he thought was unworthy of her. It would tear his heart to shreds to hear her take marriage vows to become someone else's wife and to see how beautiful she would be in a wedding dress.
He watched the rain as he put his hands in his pockets, wishing this day was over.
Sam turned onto Jack's street and talked out loud to herself. "What if he won't forgive me for what I almost did? I know I hurt him but I have to make him understand that I love him and not Pete."
Fearing that Jack had gone to his cabin, Sam drove down Jack's driveway and breathed a sigh of relief to see that his truck was beside his house.
Parking the car, she turned off the motor, opened the door and stood up, not caring if she got wet. Hearing thunder, she looked at the house and slowly walked up the sidewalk. Lifting the skirt of her dress so she wouldn't fall, she climbed the steps and started to knock on the door but suddenly lost her confidence, so she sat down on the steps and began to cry again.
For a few minutes, Jack watched the rain come down harder.
Turning to go in the kitchen, he looked out the front window and suddenly stopped. Standing there for several seconds, he stared at Sam's car.
"I must be imagining things" he mumbled.
Stepping closer to the window, he saw Sam sitting on his steps and wondered how long she had been there.
He stared at her, not quite believing that Samantha Carter, the woman he loved more than anyone in the universe, the woman who was supposed to marry another man today, really was sitting on his steps in the pouring rain in her wedding dress. He smiled as he realized that Sam had apparently not gone through with the wedding.
Hesitating for a few moments, he slowly opened the door. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the doorframe and grinned as he watched the rain drip off Sam's hair.
Sam had heard the door open and knew Jack was standing behind her but she didn't move.
Several seconds ticked by until Jack finally spoke.
"So . . . Carter . . . think it'll rain?"
Sam could feel her face turning red as she slowly looked up at Jack.
"It just might, sir."
Hearing another loud clap of thunder directly overhead, Jack quickly held out his hands to Sam.
"Get in here before you're struck by lightning."
She placed her hands in Jack's, he helped her stand up and she came inside.
Closing the door, he tried not to laugh as he looked her up and down. Her hair was stuck to her head, mascara ran down her cheeks and her eyes were red from crying. Sam was wet from head to toe, her wedding dress was soaked and dripping water on his floor but he thought she looked adorable.
Sam wrapped her arms around herself, feeling very self-conscious.
Jack could see how uncomfortable she was. "Stay right here."
Sam touched her hair, thinking how awful she must look.
Jack returned and handed Sam a hand towel and he placed a bath towel on the floor for her to stand on.
Jack watched as she blotted the water from her face.
Sam lifted the skirt of her dress and they looked at her white satin shoes that were now totally ruined. She removed her shoes and dropped them on the towel on the floor.
"How long had you been sitting out there?"
Sam stared at the floor. "About five minutes I guess."
Jack bent over a little and tried to look into her eyes. "So . . . what happened?"
She clutched the towel to her chest but couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I didn't marry Pete" she whispered.
Jack stood up straight. "Yeah, I kinda got that. Why not?"
"Uh . . . before I tell you, do you have something else I can wear?"
"Oh, sure. Go in the bathroom and I'll bring you some clothes. Feel free to use whatever is in the linen closet."
Jack watched as Sam headed to the bathroom and he noticed how the wedding dress fit her perfectly. It was strapless with delicate embroidery in the fabric of the top and it complimented Sam's neck and toned arms and fit snugly to the curve of her breasts and down to her slim waist. The skirt had several layers and he could just imagine how beautiful Sam had looked before getting soaked with rain. He rarely got to see Sam in anything but BDU's or her Air Force uniform and he smiled, knowing that if he had his way, he would get to see her in another wedding dress . . . one that would fit her just as beautifully as this one . . . on his and Sam's wedding day.
Sam stepped into the bathroom, closed the door and sighed deeply as she stared at herself in the mirror.
Realizing she didn't want to be in the dress any longer that reminded her of what she had done, she reached around to the back, unzipped it and stepped out of it, leaving her in her underwear. She threw the dress over the shower curtain rod to dry, wondering what she would do with it now that she had no use for it. She remembered going shopping with Cassie and looking at so many wedding dresses while wishing it was Jack that she was going to marry instead of Pete.
Finding a wash cloth in the linen closet, she washed the make-up off her face.
Removing the teardrop diamond earrings that had belonged to her mother, she laid them on the counter. The tears came quietly again as she wished her mom was here now to help her get through this.
Cassie had meticulously placed a few tiny flowers in her hair before the ceremony. She remembered Cassie stepping back and smiling when she had finished, telling her she looked beautiful. Choking back tears, she removed the wet flowers and threw them in the trash can beside the sink.
Not seeing a hair dryer, she tried to dry her hair as best she could with a towel.
Finding a comb in the closet, she combed her hair back from her face and shivered as she stood in her wet underwear.
Hearing a knock, she stepped behind the door and opened it. As she peeked around the door, Jack handed her some clothes.
"Thank you, sir."
"Sam, quit calling me 'sir'."
Sam smiled shyly. "Yes sir."
"For cryin' out loud" Jack mumbled as he closed the door.
Suddenly realizing how strange this situation was, Sam burst into giggles.
"No giggling!" he yelled through the door.
"Yes sir!" she yelled back as she giggled again.
Jack shook his head and chuckled.
Sam took off her strapless bra and bikini panties and looked around the bathroom, wondering what to do with them. She finally hung them across the shower rod beside the wedding dress to dry. Staring at them, a grin came to her face, wondering what Jack would think if he saw them.
She dried her body and put the towel in the laundry basket.
Jack had given her a sweatshirt, sweatpants, a pair of boxers and a pair of thick socks.
Sam hurriedly pulled the sweatshirt over her head. It was naturally too big and she had to roll up the sleeves but it felt warm against her skin.
She stepped into the shorts, knowing they would be too large but they would serve the purpose for now.
Slipping into the sweatpants, she pulled the drawstring snugly around her waist and rolled them up at the ankles since they were a little too long.
Quickly pulling on the socks, she realized how cold her feet were.
Jack stood at the kitchen counter making coffee as he waited for Sam to get dressed. He was finding it hard to believe that she was really here in his house when he had expected to spend this day alone, trying to forget that this was Sam's wedding day and Pete would become her husband.
His cell phone rang so he got it from his pocket and answered.
"Hello."
"Jack."
"Daniel."
"Jacob, Cassie and I were wondering if Sam is there."
"Yeah, she's here."
"Is she okay?"
"I'm not sure. Looks like she's been crying a lot."
"Hold on, Jack. Jacob wants to speak with you."
Jack could hear people talking in the background as he waited.
"Jack?"
"Hey Jake."
"Is Sam all right?"
"I think so but I haven't had a chance to talk with her yet. She's in the bathroom changing clothes."
"Okay. She was upset when she left the church so I wanted to be sure she arrived safely."
"How did you know she was coming here?"
"She told me she had to see you."
Jack smiled.
"Take care of her, Jack."
"I promise, Jacob. Bye."
Just as Jack ended the call, he heard Sam coming so he turned around to face her.
She came into the kitchen and stopped.
"Looking good there, Sam" he grinned.
"Perfect fit" she joked as she fisted her hands and flapped her arms by her sides, feeling self-conscious again.
"You warm enough?"
Sam nodded her head.
"Want some coffee?"
"Okay."
"Are you hungry?"
"No."
He handed her a cup of coffee and she followed him into the living room.
Jack sat down on the sofa as Sam wandered over to the door and looked out on the deck.
Jack stared at her as she watched the rain. Although he was curious to know what had happened at the church, he wasn't going to rush her into telling him. He would give her all the time she needed until she was ready to explain why she was here.
Sam took a sip of coffee before sitting down at the end of the sofa. She wrapped her fingers around the cup and stared at the hot coffee as tears filled her eyes. "I made a fool of myself today. I left Pete standing at the altar. I almost made the biggest mistake of my life, Jack."
"When did you realize it was a mistake?"
Sam gripped the cup tightly. "I've known for a while now but Pete was so happy and all the wedding plans had been made so I didn't think I could back out. When Dad and I were about to walk down the aisle, he tried to tell me I could still change my mind but I wouldn't listen."
Sam paused and took a deep breath.
"And when I was finally standing in front of all those people, about to take those vows that would change my life forever, I knew that I couldn't make that commitment to Pete, to be married to him for the rest of my life."
"That was cutting it a little close."
Sam nodded her head. "General Hammond, Teal'c and Daniel didn't look very happy to be there."
Sam stopped and Jack waited as she wiped her eyes once more.
"When Dad and I reached the front, your face popped into my head."
Sam quickly put the cup on the coffee table, stood up, went back to the door and looked outside.
Setting down his cup, Jack stood and walked up behind her. Putting his hand on her shoulder, he turned her around and looked into her eyes as he took her hands in his.
"Picturing me was what caused you to stop what you were about to do?"
Sam nodded her head and burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Jack."
Jack wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest.
Putting his hand to the back of her head, he held her and let her cry.
Sam hugged him tighter. "I had to come here to tell you something."
"Which is?"
"I couldn't marry Pete because I'm not in love with him. I'm in love with you. I didn't mean to hurt you and I know I don't deserve you but please don't be upset with me."
"If I were upset with you, Sam, do you think I'd be hugging you right now?"
"No, I guess not."
He let go and looked into her watery eyes. "I'm in love with you too."
They hugged again and stood in silence for a few moments until finally letting go and they sat back down.
Jack held both her hands in his. "I should have stopped you that day you first showed me the engagement ring but I guess I thought you had made up your mind and I felt it was too late for me to say anything."
Sam tried not to cry. "I've been so foolish. I should have never accepted Pete's proposal. I let things go too far and I should have had enough sense to know it would never work between Pete and me. He must have felt so humiliated when I left him standing at the altar in front of Dad and Mark and his family and all our friends. It wasn't my most brilliant moment."
Jack squeezed her hand. "Stop blaming yourself. You realized you were making a mistake and stopped before it went too far."
"You're being so understanding about all this, I'm surprised you're not a little angry."
"I was hurt, Sam, but not angry. I just want you to be happy."
As they gazed into each other's eyes, Jack leaned over and gently kissed her. She lay her head on his shoulder and put her arm around his waist. Jack propped up his feet on the coffee table and hugged her close.
"This feels right" she said softly as she closed her eyes.
"It certainly does, Sam."
Neither felt the need to talk as they held each other.
Several minutes later, Jack could feel Sam relaxing in his arms and realized that she had fallen asleep. These last several weeks had been stressful for her, trying to do her job at the Mountain and planning a wedding that she didn't really want to go through with, had made her emotionally and physically tired. He was so happy that the wedding had not taken place and that she was here with him now, feeling loved, safe and secure in his arms.
He watched the rain, knowing they had to make some important decisions together about their future. At this very moment though, there was no other place he would rather be than holding Sam in his arms, the only woman in the world that he wanted to share his life with.
This day had certainly not turned out the way he had thought it would. He had awakened this morning feeling depressed but this had turned out to be one of the happiest days of his life.
Sam snuggled closer and he realized she might be cold. Slowly letting go of Sam, he eased off the sofa and laid her down gently. Going to his bedroom, he grabbed a blanket and came back.
He stared at the woman he deeply loved, looking so peaceful and beautiful as she slept. After covering Sam with the blanket, he kissed her forehead, picked up the coffee cups and took them to the kitchen.
Needing to use the bathroom, he went through the door and came to a sudden stop as he noticed Sam's bra and panties, drying on the shower rod beside her wedding dress. As he stared at them, a smile came to his face, knowing that sometime in the near future, he would be the man that Sam would marry and it was a very safe bet that she would not leave him standing at the altar.
The End