A/N: 'Grace' bugs the hell outa me. Here's my alternate ending.

Always Always

After arriving back home to Earth it took a few hours for night to fall over the plains of Nevada in order to land the Prometheus for checks and repairs. Sam slept soundly in the on-board infirmary until she woke to the groaning of engines as they fought against gravity to lower the large ship slowly beneath the surface of the Earth.

The young medical officer was reluctant to allow her to walk off the ship, a wheelchair was ready and waiting but Sam was insistent. And stubborn.

And had something she needed to do.

As she made her way through the ship occasionally gripping the cold metal walls for support, the crew members she passed nodded their thanks and regarded her with more reverence than before. At the start of the mission they had only known her by reputation, very few of them having served with her under the mountain. But now she'd saved the entire crew and ship single-handedly, whist suffering from a severe concussion, she'd gone from a good solider to a bona fide hero in the few hours it had taken them to reach home.

Sam took little notice of their freshly wide-eyed expressions, so intent on reaching a small control room near the bridge. Stepping over the threshold she was mildly surprised when she saw the familiar curve of his back against the console on the right. Exactly where she had left him.

'Ma'am.' Greeted a young captain, a woman who's name she'd yet to remember.

'Captain.' she acknowledged tearing her eyes away from the figure of her imagination but keeping him in her periphery. 'I know you probably have some checks to do but would you mind giving me the room a moment?'

'Of course, Ma'am.' the woman said vacating her chair with an almost imperceptible bow then hurrying from the room in double quick time happy to repay her saviour in any way possible.

She waited until the officer had left before slowly making her way to the back of the room and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor opposite him.

'You're still here.' she stated.

'Always. I did say always. You must have hit your head pretty hard.' he shot back with a smirk.

'Yes, you did and, yes, I did.' she said with a soft sigh but still she couldn't help but smile at him.

'So.' he started, 'Why did you come back?'

'I don't know.'

'Samantha.' he drawled in a way that sent shivers down her neck. 'You know you came here for a reason.'

She bit her lip nervously before proceeding with a thought that had been bugging her ever since she'd left him.

'You didn't leave me. Everyone else, every other apparition disappeared half way through a conversation. You didn't.'

He just smiled.

'Always again?' she enquired.

'Always always.' he murmured with a tilt of his head.

She watched him carefully. 'If you're always going to be there for me, then I can't expect anything less of myself.'

'What about what Jacob said? You deserve more.'

'I can wait. And you deserve nothing less.'

He didn't say anything, just cocked his head in a knowing way and smirked.

'I'm not going to give up.' she announced.

'And I wouldn't expect you to.'

His voice sounded but the apparition in front of her didn't move. Glancing up she saw the real figure of Jack O'Neill in plain black BDU's, hands deep in his pockets and gently rocking on his heals.

'Sir!' Sam exclaimed.

'Carter.' he greeted before making a show of looking around the room and asking, 'Who you talking to?'

She looked at the console across from her, focusing on those smiling brown eyes until the figment of her imagination disappeared leaving her with the real thing

'Just myself.'

'I'm sure it was a highly intelligent and riveting conversation.'

'Of course.' she replied with a grin.

He smiled and nodded, glancing around the room a moment before stating, 'What's say we get you home?'

She nodded and moved to stand.

Jack was at her side in an instant helping her to her feet.

Still feeling the effects of the concussion, she wavered and found herself in his arms, her head resting on his chest and tucked under his chin.

'I am home.' she whispered.

Leaning back to look her in the eye, but careful to keep his arms around her, he murmured. 'Yes, you are.'

She breathed a soft sigh and rested her head back down on his chest, relishing in being alive, being home and in his arms.

Everything else could wait because he would be there when she needed him, like she would be there when he needed her.

Always always.