Dawn Always Comes in the Morning

General Jack O'Neill sat in the church not fully believing that he was sitting here, waiting for the woman he loved to walk down the aisle and marry another man. He really didn't want to be here. But she expected him there.

What would his excuse have been? 'Oh sorry Carter I can't come to your wedding because I'm in love with you.' Yeah like that would have gone over so well. He'd been her friend for years, he had to be here. Friends he thought bitterly. What he felt for her was not what a friend should feel. With the feelings that he had he should be the one standing up there at the alter, not some cop.

The piano player started the wedding march and the whole congregation got on their feet.

Colonel Samantha Carter was on an ordinary day the most beautiful woman that Jack had meet. But on this day she was the very essence of drop dead gorgeous. In her white dress with her short blonde hair in curls around her face, she looked like an angel. Jack's heart was full of longing for this woman.

The woman in question though only had eyes for the man standing at the aisle. Jack really hoped the Cop knew how lucky he was. If Jack would have been in his shoes, he would cherish that woman for the rest of his life.

"Dearly Beloved we are gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony. If anyone has a just cause for why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." The minister said.

He sure had just cause. His whole heart belonged to her for crying out loud! He wanted to stand up and tell her all the things that he felt for her. That he loved her, had loved her for years, and that he wanted her in his life for always in every sense of the word. He wanted her to be the woman that he fell asleep in his arms with at night and who he woke to every morning. He wanted to kiss her lips and run his fingers through her blonde hair. He wanted her to be the mother of his children. But he remained silent, and his last chance came and went.

"Do you Pete…" Jack blocked out the rest of what the Pastor was saying. It was too hard. He had known this was coming when he heard her humming in the elevator. She had found someone else. That hadn't stopped his love for her. No he was pretty sure nothing ever would. His love for her was as constant as the air that he breathed.

His heart right now, felt like it was getting crushed piece by piece. He should have talked to her sooner, he should have asked her to wait. But he hadn't. He didn't like talking about his feelings but maybe, just once if he had, this situation wouldn't have occurred. He'd been a fool. A dumb idiotic fool. And so here he was, in a situation that couldn't possibly be any worse.

He wasn't sure exactly when she had stopped caring for him. Obviously she had stopped at some point. She wouldn't be marrying another man if she still loved him.

Somehow though through the years she had been everything to him. She was the person he went to when he needed a laugh, or a smile. He'd gone to her when he had been bored. He'd teased her about everything and anything. She was always the first person he thought of each morning and the person he thought of last before he went to sleep. His dreams were filled with her. And all that was shattered to pieces.

No more teasing, no more flirting, no more anything. Just polite conversation from now on. God help him he had no idea what he was going to do with her in his life.

"I now pronounce Mr. and Mrs. Pete Shanahan, you may kiss your bride."

Jack looked away the pain in his heart was unbearable.

The wedding, or my own personal version of Hell Jack thought, was finally over.

Everyone was finally filing down to the happy marry couple and Jack decided to put it off as long as possible.

"Nice wedding." Jack told them, hoping he kept the sarcasm out of his voice.

Pete wrapped his arm around Sam's waist and Jack didn't miss the smug look in Pete's eyes. The look that seemed to taunt him with the words, I got the girl and you didn't.

"Thanks. Are you staying for cake sir?" She asked him.

He loved cake but after this whole thing, he was pretty damn sure it was going to be his least favorite food.

"Nah. I can't stay, I have things…" Jack trailed off as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor.

"Alright. Thanks for coming General."

"Yup." Jack said as he walked away from them.

It was finally over. And Jack knew he wouldn't be the same again.

*****

Jack groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He felt like his whole heart had been ripped out of his chest.

His eyes landed on the beautiful blonde at his side. Sam.

Jack let out a sigh of relief. It was a nightmare that was all, nothing more then a nightmare. She hadn't married Pete. She was with him.

He gazed lovingly at the woman beside him. His nightmare could have been his reality. If she had gone through with it…Jack didn't let his thoughts dwell there. She hadn't gone through with it and that's what mattered.

Jack watched her sleep, content to be right there by her side, just watching her. She was the most beautiful thing in the world to him. There had been some rough patches getting to this moment in time, but no matter how long the night lasted in a persons life, dawn always comes in the morning.

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Author's Note- Thanks for reading! Hope I didn't scare you all too much! I sort of imagine though that that kind of thing may be Jack's worse nightmare. Let me know if you liked it!