Sam stood in the lobby next to her mother, waiting for the elevator to arrive to take them to their suite. The elevator opened and Sam carried the bags onto the elevator. Her mother told the man what floor to take them to. Sam stared at the corner, blocking everything out of thoughts. "Here we are." The man said, opening the elevator gate to let them off. "Thank you sir." Her mother said, handing money to the gentleman, "Come, come Samantha." Sam's attention broke and she followed her mother off the elevator.
Once at the room, Sam rummaged through her coat, looking for the key to the door. When she found it, she unlocked the door for her mother. Sam picked up the luggage and stepped into the room. She placed her mother's on her bed and began unpacking. "I am going to get freshened up. When you are finished, I suggest you do the same." Sam nodded and continued the place the clothes into the dresser that the hotel provided them.
After they were freshened up, they proceeded downstairs to the dining room for tea and cookies. "Your dress is already wrinkled. What were you doing while you were wearing it Samantha?" Sam put her head down in shame. "I am sorry mother." She said, smoothing out as many of the wrinkles as she could. "This room is quite lovely Samantha. Do you not agree? I do mean it is not as nice as the ones near home though." her mother said, wiping the cups rim then taking a sip. "It is very lovely."
After tea, Sam and her mother headed to the lounge. They sat beside another group of people chatting aimlessly with each other. "Over there that is General George Hammond, he served in The Great War. That is his wife Lucinda Hammond, but now she prefers to be called Lucy since her house has gotten bigger." Sam's mother whispered, pointing to the couple on the sofa across from them. "To their left are Dr. Daniel Jackson and his wife Janet Frasier. She refused to change her last name and he just accepted it. What a prosperous thing to do if I may say so." Sam's mother continued to speak of everyone she knew there. She spoke of the scum trying to be class and the high class women being harlots and cheating on their husbands behind their backs.
Her mother suddenly stopped speaking and grabbed her wrist. "Now, darling there he is." She whispered, leaning in towards her daughter. Sam turned her head to see the most handsome man she had ever seen. His brown eyes were distant and his mouth was pressed into a severe line. "Mother, who is that man?" she asked. "That, my dear Samantha, is Jack O'Neill. He is a well-known Irishman. His wife had died from some extreme sickness. It is quite sad, that is, that he continues to live his life as a widow. I shall introduce you to him." Sam was now being lead towards the silver haired man.
"It is a pleasure to see you Mrs. Carter." Jack said, glancing from her to Sam. "It is always a pleasure to see you as well Mr. O'Neill. This is my daughter, Samantha." Jack bowed his head and Samantha couldn't breathe. To Sam, it felt as if the room was spinning and she could not get back a grasp on realty. "If she going to be alright? She looks faint." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist for balance. "She does seem quite unwell; I think I should take her back to the room. Would you help me? I do not believe I can do it on my own." Debra asked. Jack nodded, picking her up with one arm under her knees and one behind her back.
"Thank you ever so much Mr. O'Neill for helping her. I appreciate greatly." Debra gushed, sitting beside her daughter on the bed. "I do not mind Mrs. Carter. You have quite a lovely daughter, I just hope I am not the cause of her fainting." He joked sitting on the chair beside the bed. "I should get her a cold cloth for her face." Just as her mother stood up, Samantha began to move. "What happened?" she whispered. Jack let out a small laugh. "You looked terribly ill suddenly so I brought you to your room." Sam tried to also let out a small laugh but failed. "I believe it to be this heat. It could have been the long ride on the train. They are quite warm. Thank you Mr. O'Neill, I am in your debt." She added her eyes never breaking away from his. "Please, call me Jack, and I do not mind helping a beautiful woman in distress, Miss. Carter."
Sam sat up to see her mother bring her a glass of water. "Drink, we cannot have more of these instances. For next time, the good Mr. O'Neill may not be there to come to your rescue." Jack stood from his chair and kneeled beside the bed, taking Samantha's hands in his own. "When she feels better, may I take her for a stroll around the park? It is quite lovely this time of year." Debra nodded at his request. "You may, but stop by the room no later than 7 o'clock to pick her up." Jack agreed to her request and bid them both farewells.
At 7 o'clock on the dot, Debra and Sam heard a knock at the door. "It is him." Sam whispered. Her mother shushed her and directed her to sit on the bed and to look preoccupied by something else. "Well good evening Mr. O'Neill." Her mother said, opening the door, "Samantha, your presence is required." Sam stood from the chair and walked to the door. He held out his harm for her to take. "I will bring her back to you in the same condition I have taken her from you."
Jack and Sam stepped into the garden; the sun was setting behind the flowers. "Samantha, you are quite lovely. When I first laid eyes upon you I could not think of words. I saw you and I knew in the very moment that I wanted to marry you. I am sure you know about my late wife." Sam nodded her head. "We are strangers but I am sure we should be married. Marry me Samantha Carter. Take my hand in marriage and we can be happy together forever. It can just be us, Samantha. I will get you a ring; I will get you the biggest one that money can buy." He dropped down to one knee and kissed her ring finger. "Your wife was so much more than me but I can be her now."
Samantha opened the door to the hotel room she shared with her mother. "Back so soon Samantha?" she asked, placing her tea cup down. Jack followed in close behind Sam. "Mrs. Carter, I would like to marry your daughter. I have never seen a woman as lovely as she. Please, do not make me beg. My heart cannot stand you to say no." Her mother was quiet for what felt like forever to them. "You may marry my daughter. I do trust you to be a good man for her." Samantha let out a small squeal and jumped into Jack's arms. "Thank you mother, you are wonderful!" Debra laughed and shook her head. "Yes I am aware of this. May I have a moment alone with my daughter Mr. O'Neill? I feel we need a moment to talk. Jack nodded and dismissed himself; telling the women that he would be downstairs awaiting his beloved's arrival.
"Are you sure this is something that you want to do?" her mother asked. "Yes mother! I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life. It is love, I am sure of it." Sam declared, twirling around. "You are almost half his age, my dearest." Her mother said, causing her to stop twirling. "I do not care mother. I want to be with this man." Debra sighed "Then I shall ring your father and tell him of the news." A smile plastered it's self across her face and she ran out of the room. She rushed down the stairs to Jack. She leaped into his arms and he spun her around. "My dearest Jack." She said kissing his lips. She was young and scared, but with Jack standing there she knew could take those steps.
x.x.x
Sam woke up with a smile on her face. She blinked a few times and stared into big brown eyes. Happiness swept across her. "What the hell are you smiling about Major?" Jack said, breaking her out of her daze. "Nothing sir, I had a nice dream." Sam said, lifting her head off of her desk. "It was obviously something, because I have never seen you that happy Carter." Sam cleared her throat and smoothed her hair. "Nothing sir. It was just about my mother. Even if it was a dream, it was nice to know I still remember what her face looks like." Jack nodded and stretched. "Major, you are a terrible liar. I just hope you are fully aware of that. It wasn't just about your mother." Sam choked on the coffee she was taking a sip of. "Why do you say that, sir?" Jack let out a laugh then a smirk appeared on his face. "Well your 'dearest Jack' told me otherwise." He said, walking out the door. A struck stupid look slammed its self onto Sam's face. "Sir! Wait! It wasn't what you think! Sir!" She chased after him, but he was gone. All she had left was the sound of his laughing down the SGC hallway.