This is a short 5 chapter story, which is done. I am proof reading and will put up the other 4 chapters over the next couple of days.

This story does contain spoilers for One Hundred Days (Season 3), Threads (Season 8), Ethon (Season 9), 200 (Season 10), and I think all other references are pretty vague. There is a JS element, but this is really a Sam story.

Don't worry, just taking a very short break while editing Chapter 18 of Where's Anna, which should be done soon. Enjoy….

1…One of One Hundred

She knew immediately that she had made a mistake, the schematics for the primitive particle beam accelerator under her head were a dead give away. This was not the Sam Carter she was looking for. She should have suspected it would be trickier than it seemed. These things usually were. For now she was stuck here, and if the last time was any indication it would be about six hours. Oh well, she decided to make the best of it. After all what else could she do? She couldn't hide. She couldn't leave, so…all that was left was to make the best of it.

She looked around to try and gain a sense of the timing. Which was funny and ironic given that the only things she could be certain of from that particular time period were the sleeping Sam Carter in front of her and the plans under her head. She looked around the room at the instruments, marveling at the power of the mind. The scene was an amalgamation of many memories of the room. Her mind was filling in the blanks from numerous time periods, for there were instruments in the room that she was certain never occupied this space at the same time. She wondered what vision of the room the sleeping Sam would have when she woke and how her mind would fill in the blanks.

Major Carter woke from her sleep, embarrassed that she had fallen asleep at her desk again. If Janet found out she would certainly have her banned from the base. As hard as she was working she was treading a fine line here and needed to be more careful. She stretched her arms, and then pulled them down quickly when she saw that she was not alone. Now she was really embarrassed; caught. How long had she been here? Oh no, were those stars on her shoulders? The woman still had her back to her, so Sam straightened up, ran her hands through her hair and over her face to make sure she was as presentable as possible before she cleared her throat.

"Oh don't worry about it, go back to sleep," the General dismissed her.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked as politely as she could at the odd remark, but it trailed off a bit as the General turned and she recognized her to be her own self. She looked more closely at the familiar face and noticed the lines; she seemed older. Tomorrow she would definitely start using that wrinkle cream Janet recommended.

"This will be a bit hard to explain and I am thinking it's probably best if I don't but then again, knowing you it may not be an option. So what are you working on?"

"I'm hallucinating?" Sam asked hopeful.

"Okay, sure. Anything you want to discuss?"

"With a hallucination?"

"Sure it can be revealing to speak to your subconscious, sometimes it can anyway."

"Do I feel that old?"

"Excuse me?!" the General asked quite offended. But, yes it would be quite a shock if she were in her shoes. "Oh, well let's just go with an older, wiser self."

"Two-star General self? A bit optimistic aren't we?"

"Aren't we?" Major Carter shrugged her shoulders; sure she was. "So what is the current project?"

"Don't you already know? Wait a minute. You're not a hallucination are you? What are you?" Major Carter went on the defensive. The General saw her tense and she realized this was getting more complicated. She needed to diffuse the situation.

"You're exhausted, Sam," the Major relaxed a little, of course she was. Seeing as the most obvious answer usually was the correct answer, she decided it was most likely a dream. "Certainly it would be difficult for my future self to determine exactly which project had me sleeping in the lab this time?" The General was hopeful this young Major Carter's experiences with alien deceptions were somewhat limited based on the primitive piece of equipment she was working on.

The Major ran her hand through her hair, "Just trying to figure out a way to get Colonel O'Neill home."

"You will. Relax."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Older, wiser…it's in here." She tapped her head.

"Any advice? If you are my subconscious and if it's in here, tell me where it is."

The General winced, her approach was backfiring. How much longer was she stuck here? She looked at her watch. It was stuck. Well, of course it was. Vague couldn't hurt though, right? "Try the impossible."

"Oh, that's so very helpful."

"Sam, you are dismissing ideas because you think they are impossible. It won't be easy, but you have the ability to go beyond what is and create what could be. You know I'm right."

"Well if I had any doubt that you were an apparition, your lack of help has certainly cleared things up for me."

The General sat at a stool across from the Major. She clasped her hands and closed her eyes. She looked as though she was praying, but she was trying to think of what she did wrong and how to correct for it the next time. She had to get the hang of this and get to the right time.

Major Carter watched her from the stool on the other side of the table. She scrutinized her counter-part. The self-proclaimed hallucination/apparition/General. She really didn't look that bad for someone she would imagine to be a General. Things had shifted a bit here and there, there were a few more laugh-lines, but over-all she thought the General version of herself was distinguished and respectable. She had an admirable sense of peace and contentment and carried herself in a way that spoke of someone with more confidence and rank than her current station. She wasn't certain if she should question the experience or admire her imagination.

"What?'

"Just thinking."

The General looked at the young Major. Was she really ever that young? She was exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. She really had a way of pushing herself to the limits; certainly bringing her CO home was a good reason to push. How she wished she could reassure her and let her know it would be alright. That she would experience so many amazing things, and that although there may be times when things got really rough, she would succeed and she would even find the happiness her father wanted for her.

The General tried to remember exactly what she was going through at this point. Thinking back she could remember the helplessness, the fear….the realizations. This was a difficult time and it was not going to be any easier once he got home. "You should go home, get a hot shower and a good nights rest."

"No time."

"There's time. You'll think clearer if you do. Trust me."

"Alright, Mom."

"I am not old enough to be your mother…oh well, I guess I am."

"You're not a hallucination or a dream, are you?" The General just smiled. "What do you want?"

"It's not important, Sam. You don't have it."

"Don't have what?"

"The information I need."

"What are you? Are you my future self?"

"It doesn't matter, Sam. It's irrelevant. I could spend time trying to convince you who I am, but in the end it won't matter."

"It won't matter, because you have to come back to see me in another time to get what you're looking for. Wouldn't it make sense to lay some sort of foundation, while you're here?"

"It won't matter."

"Because I won't remember?" But still the General just smiled. She was hoping her time would be up soon. As the Major was getting quite inquisitive. "How will you convince me when you do get to the right time?"

"Don't know yet."

"Will I find this more plausible?"

"Probably not."

"Why don't you practice on me?"

"You haven't experienced the things I can refer to and I can't bring them up or I'm interfering."

"Grandfather Paradox?"

"Something like that."

"You really aren't going to tell me anything, are you? Any advice?"

"You'll figure it out. Trust yourself. You're doing fine, Major."

"I'll save him?"

"It isn't the first time and I can assure you it won't be the last time." The General smiled. Jack once tallied up for her how many times she saved him. Major Carter looked into the General's eyes for confirmation that she was serious. Sure there was a good chance this was a hallucination or dream, but something told her the General was exactly what she appeared to be.

Major Carter woke up in the infirmary with a start. Janet placed her hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Sam. Relax, lay back." Janet pointed the beam of light into Sam's eyes to check her pupil reaction.

"Janet, what am I doing here?" she looked around the infirmary frantic for confirmation of reality.

"You're not taking care of yourself; you're exhausted Sam. You've lost a lot of weight. I checked and you haven't left the base since you came back from Edora. I'm ordering rest and three meals a day.

"How long have I been here?"

"About five hours. Teal'c found you unconscious in your lab, and brought you in. You're going home, Sam."

"Please, Janet, just for one night. I promise I'll rest and eat. Just let me come back in the morning. I think I'm close."

Janet couldn't help but give in to the look of hope in Sam's eyes, "Alright. But not until morning, and not before 0800. I'll drive you home and pick you up in the morning, alright?"

"Thanks Janet." Sam knew if she was going to be able to continue working she had to compromise with Janet, or she might keep her off base longer.

One impossible feat later and she had him home, although for the life of her she wasn't certain why she put all of that effort into bringing someone home who didn't seem all that happy to be home.