From the Mixed-up Files of Mr and Mrs Jack O'Neill

by hilandncr

What could make ten seasons of SG-1 even better? How about ten seasons of shippy drabbles that explore all stages of Sam and Jack's relationship from their first meeting to "Always" and beyond? Read how Sam and Jack's relationship undergirds the entire series with one stand alone ficlet for every single episode. Even when you don't realize it, The Ship is there.

Disclaimer: None of the characters from Stargate: SG1 are mine; I just enjoy playing with them. No remuneration of any kind has been exchanged in relation to this work of fiction. All rights are retained by the legal owners of the Stargate franchise, its subsidiaries, licensees and assigns.

Summary: What could make ten seasons of SG-1 even better? How about ten seasons of shippy drabbles that explore all stages of Sam and Jack's relationship from their first meeting to "Always" and beyond? Read how Sam and Jack's relationship undergirds the entire series with one ficlet for every single episode. Even when you don't realize it, The Ship is there.

Author's Note: I'm writing this series of ficlets to go along with the S/J Shipper Rewatch on the GateWorld Forum. Come check it out and join the discussion! And I'd be interested in knowing which story you liked best.

The title is a riff on the fabulous and highly recommended children's book, "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler." I suppose one could come up with a number of labored metaphors relating that story to this compilation, but really I just like the title.

From the Mixed-up Files of Mr. and Mrs. Jack O'Neill

Season 1

Children of the Gods

Jack sat on his couch nursing a cold beer and a sore arm.

She had come to him in the mess hall sometime after the debriefing for the Chulak mission, annoyed that he had tried to make her think Daniel would take a wife against her will as a gift from the elders of her people. She had apparently talked it all over with Daniel and learned that he wasn't such a cad after all and Jack knew it.

When she expressed her concern about him disrespecting her, and by extension all women he supposed, Jack made the mistake of asking if she still wanted to arm wrestle. To his dismay, she accepted the challenge. Since he didn't want to back down in front of his men (and he was sure she would have something to say about male egos at that) they sat down at a table and threw down.

It took him a lot longer to vanquish her than he expected. Then she stood up crisply, said "Thank you, Sir," and left.

He had to admit he was a little bit impressed. She didn't have much of a sense of humor yet, but she had a hell of a grip. Jack smiled to himself as he put down the beer and reached for his remote. Then with a groan he sat back and rubbed his arm. He was definitely going to have to be careful about under estimating this new scientist of his.

The Enemy Within

Sam was humiliated.

She had been taken hostage by Kawalsky, knocked senseless in the elevator, and rescued by the Colonel. Yes, Kawalsky was being controlled by an infant Goa'uld that gave him an enormous boost of strength, and Sam had done her best to stop him, but she still hated how the whole thing made her look weak and ineffective.

Sam sat in the briefing room staring straight ahead, trying not to look at the Colonel beside her while they waited for the briefing to begin. She could just imagine what he must be thinking. When she first entered this room she had challenged him and insisted that she could handle anything he could handle. Now she was concerned he might use this incident as an excuse to pull her off his team.

Everyone around the table stood when General Hammond entered the room. As Sam resumed her seat, she felt the Colonel's hand on her arm. Turning toward him he whispered, "Good to have you back, Captain." He smiled and she saw the sincerity in his eyes. She smiled lightly and turning her attention back to the General she considered that perhaps there was more to this new CO then she had previously considered and she just might like knowing him better.

Emancipation

He had referred to her by many names and titles over the years.

The first time he addressed her as "Doctor," to which she promptly corrected him. "It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation. You should call me 'Captain', not 'Doctor'."

As they developed a healthy respect for one another as teammates and even adopted a cordial yet professional friendship he interspersed an occasional "Sam" with his more usual "Captain" when speaking to her.

Time passed and they grew closer. Forbidden feelings began to surface and informal forms of address gradually submerged until it faded from their vocabulary altogether. He had not called her Sam in many years.

He was the first to give voice to her advancements. Standing on the ramp leading to the Stargate, presenting a proper salute—so rare for him—with a crisp, "Well done, Major," and later looking upon her with unconcealed adoration as he presented her to the entire command as "Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter."

Mostly she was just "Carter" to him. That formal yet familiar address carried with it all they were to one another, all they wished they could be. She loved it when he called her "Carter," whether it was to solicit her knowledge, cut off her ramblings, call for back up or just let her know he was there.

But there was one name she had only heard him give voice to once. He threw it at her teasingly early on in their adventures when she stood in the center of a yurt wearing an exotic blue dress. Yet, there was something in the way those syllables had rolled from his tongue, combined with the look in his tawny eyes that had sealed it in her memory and impressed it upon her fantasies.

Eight years later, with all enemies vanquished and all barriers demolished she heard him say it once again. This time he whispered it to her, slow and breathless as he caressed her bare skin. Filled with overwhelming passion and pure love she opened herself to him fully and they became one as never before with her name falling from his lips.

"Samantha."

The Broca Divide

Sam was going just a little bit crazy with all that needed to be done before leaving to take command of Atlantis. She had decided to rent out her house and had to get it all packed up tonight so she could spend her last few days on earth at the cabin with Jack. They both knew that it could be a while before they might be together again.

Her team, as usual, had come to her aid. She was going to miss their ready support in Pegasus.

The guys were loading furniture on the truck while Sam packed up the books in her office and Vala sorted through her closet and drawers in the bedroom.

When Sam went to check on her progress, Vala made it very clear that she was not impressed with Sam's less than exciting wardrobe. There were large piles of old comfy clothes Vala insisted would have to go.

A ratty olive green tank top crumpled at the base of one pile immediately caught Sam's eye. She hadn't seen it years—didn't even realize she had kept it. Absently fingering the fabric her mind wandered toward a distant memory. Steam . . . heat . . . ardent kisses . . . ferocious, irrepressible desire.

Sam rescued the shirt from the other Goodwill bound apparel and immediately placed it in her open suitcase. Jack would be greeted by a sweet little surprise when he arrived at the cabin the next day.

Seeing the mysterious look on Sam's face as she singled out this garment for special treatment, Vala attempted to wheedle the story out of her. But Sam was largely immune to Vala's pestering. She just smiled and insisted it was time for lunch.

The First Commandment

Sam and Daniel sat at the briefing room table with their heads together excitedly discussing the initial survey report for the next planet SG-1 was scheduled to visit when Jack entered enthusiastically trying to explain hockey to a baffled Teal'c. As Jack took his seat across from the two ebullient scientists he was glad to see that Sam had apparently put the disappointments and self-recriminations of the last mission behind her.

For all her bluster when she first walked into this room, Jack knew she was still so untarnished. There were so many things she had not yet seen or experienced, thankfully. He was doubtful given their job it would remain so for long. Eventually she was going to have to make the choice to kill. At some point it was going to become a necessity to protect herself, or her team, maybe even to save earth. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her take that step past innocence, and he would do everything in his power keep her from it for as long as possible.

Cold Lazarus

The weathered gray stone lay apart upon the grassy hill. Sara had chosen the spot. Jack had not seen it until nearly two years after it was placed. He couldn't face the reality the cold marble slab represented; the reality that his son was dead and it was his fault. When an alien encounter helped him realize that it was better to remember Charlie than hide from the pain he had come.

That first time he barely spoke a word. He imagined Charlie standing in the outfield with a glove on his hand and a smile on his face. He returned the following year on Charlie's birthday and every year thereafter, unless his visit was delayed by an untimely gate malfunction, emergency lockdown, or off world confinement. As the years passed Charlie, or this remembrance of Charlie, became the receptacle of Jack's confidences. He had shared much of his life, his hopes, and his fears before this stone.

Despite the dulling of the years, Jack's heart still ached for his lost boy. He never spoke to anyone about his son. He always came alone.

When Jack finally married the companion of his heart he knew he could not surround his past with an impenetrable wall displaying a giant "Keep Out" sign. And he wanted to let her in. She already knew him so well, understood him almost completely. Almost. So the night before his annual pilgrimage he took a deep breath and began to talk about Charlie. They talked all night.

The next day they stood together on that same grassy hill. The cool morning breeze ruffled Jack's short gray hair. He wrapped his wife's chilly fingers in his hand and she gave him an encouraging smile. Love and understanding illuminated her clear blue eyes.

"Charlie," he said, gently squeezing her hand, "this is Sam."

The Nox

Sam couldn't believe how badly they'd messed up. The whole mission was a disaster. Not only had they failed to acquire the needed technology, every member of their team had died. It was only because of the miraculous healing powers of the Nox she was alive to bemoan her own performance.

Sam approached the Colonel's office with trepidation, but he immediately caught sight of her hovering outside and invited her in. "What can I do for you, Captain?"

"Sir, I just wanted to apologize for my performance on the last mission and submit myself for any discipline or remedial training you might consider necessary."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Carter and frankly I'm too tired even to try and figure it out. We all made our share of mistakes on this mission, but from what I can tell you preformed to your usual high standards."

"I appreciate the compliment, Sir, but you'll see from my report I left my position while engaging the enemy. When I saw you go down I left cover and got myself killed. It showed inexcusably poor judgment on my part."

"Yeah, I read that, and I agree you made a bad call."

Sam waited for the inevitable reprimand.

"My hide is not worth losing your brain." Sam tried to protest his making light of the situation but the Colonel cut her off. "Rookie mistake Carter. Just remember to keep your head down next time."

"Now," he continued rising from his chair, "I think I'm ready to get out of here and get a drink. You go find Daniel and I'll get Teal'c. Meet us up top in twenty."

Sam watched the Colonel disappear around the corner. She felt a little better. At least she hadn't disappointed him. It amazed her how much that mattered to her.

Brief Candle

Jack was finally feeling more like himself after several days in the infirmary. The doc had given him the OK to go home now that he had largely regressed to his own age. But first he had a stop to make.

Coming around the corner Jack ambled up to the open door to Captain Carter's lab. She was sitting at a central workbench bent over a computer screen. Jack allowed himself a few moments to admire her before letting his presence be known.

"Sir. You're looking?" Sam searched for the right description.

Jack supplied some options, "Youthful, vigorous, boyishly handsome?"

Sam smirked and ducked her chin to hide her reaction. Jack always considered it a triumph when he got the usually serious Captain to crack a smile, even just a small one she didn't want anyone to see.

"So. I just stopped by to say thanks, for coming to my rescue."

"Actually, Sir, you saved yourself. We wouldn't have found the key to deactivating the nanites without you."

"Well, don't worry, Carter; I won't take your job if you promise not to take mine."

"No worries there, Sir."

Jack wasn't so sure. His decisions during the last mission were reckless at best and led to several unhappy consequences to himself. Fortunately, Carter had kept it together and no one else on the team suffered from his poor judgment.

"I heard about the confrontation you had with General Hammond."

"We don't leave people behind, Sir. You taught me that."

"Yeah, well the next lesson is, don't eat alien cake."

"I'll keep that in mind."

They stared at one another for a few moments. Not knowing where to take the conversation next, Jack decided it was time for a strategic withdrawal.

Before he could exit Sam stopped him with a question. "How do you feel about cake from the mess hall? My treat."

"I like the way you think, Captain."

Thor's Hammer

SG-1 sat around a table in the mess hall enjoying one another's company over a mostly acceptable meal. Everyone was in high spirits except Daniel. Of course he was glad to have Jack and Teal'c back, but it didn't take away the sting of losing the only means they had discovered that could have saved Sha're.

Sam had been pretty upset the whole time and very impatient. It's the first time they hadn't seen eye to eye and it bothered him that she was being so unsympathetic. He knew she felt the weight of losing her commanding officer, again. And Daniel had to admit he was more focused on learning about Kendra's experiences than finding his teammates. But didn't Sam realize how desperate he was to get his wife back?

It took until this moment for Daniel to realize that maybe Sam had been just as desperate as he was, only she didn't know why. He watched the way she smiled at Jack as he teased her. The way they bantered back and forth. Maybe Sam's concern for her lost commander was a little more than professional.

Sha're meant everything to Daniel. He loved her with his entire soul. But he had made the choice to save his friend because it was the right thing to do. He hoped Sam never had to make a similar choice, but looking at her with Jack he worried that one day perhaps she might.

The Torment of Tantalus

Understanding the special bond Daniel had with Catherine Langford, the team had hung back at the funeral to give him the space he needed to grieve. Now they were gathered with friends and family at her home.

Sam reviewed the photographs lined up on the mantel. She noted a faded picture of a studious looking young man with his arm around a lovely young woman. Both were smiling broadly as they looked at one another. Next to it was an image of the Ernst Littlefield Sam remembered: bald, wrinkled and a little hunched, with his arm around a silver haired Catherine. This time they were both staring into the camera with contented smiles.

Sam thought back on the happy couple's first reunion so many years ago now. She remembered how surprised Catherine had been to realize that she still felt like that young girl in love when she laid eyes on Ernst after nearly fifty years of separation. Sam had told Catherine, "I don't believe the heart ever grows old." Of course Sam was awfully young at the time.

Sam spotted Jack over by the buffet. Her own heart skipped a beat. They had faced their own years of separation and heartache, and there were likely many more times of separation to come. She wondered if her heart would always race when she thought of him, like it did now. Sam thought it might. Catherine had showed her that love can abide a lifetime.

Sam left the fireplace and moved toward Jack. She wanted to be near him.

Bloodlines

Jack sat in the commissary picking out grounds from his coffee that weren't actually there. He swirled his index finger around in the tepid brown liquid and shook it out. He didn't really plan to drink it.

He was feeling heavy after their mission to Chulak. Seeing Teal'c with his son had stirred up too many memories for Jack.

Carter walked into the room. She looked very determined. Jack winced inwardly. He really wasn't in the mood for whatever scientific discovery she would surely want to share with him.

Sam had noticed Jack's grim mood ever since the team had returned. She suspected the origins of his dourness and made it her mission to find a way to snap him out of it. After all, what was a second in command for if she couldn't buoy up the spirits of her commanding officer when they faltered?

Sam had a plan.

She found him in the mess hall and placed a plain folder in front of him.

"Carter, can't this wait. There is a time for paperwork and this is not it." Jack protested while glancing at the sheet she had thrust at him. It was a reservation for one of the base workout rooms every morning from 0600 to 0700 for the next month.

Jack gave his subordinate a confused stare.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the General," Sam explained, "but you did get your butt kicked by a 130 year old man. That's sure to come up on your next fit rep. I thought you might want to get ahead of that; so I made us a reservation to get in some extra PT . . . Sir." Sam finished with a twinkle of mischief in her eye.

"You know Carter, for that, I might just have to kick your butt." Jack tried to sound threatening.

"I'll see you in the gym tomorrow morning, Sir." Sam walked away looking completely unconcerned.

Mission accomplished.

Wrestling with Carter? That was much more the kind of thought Jack wanted to dwell on. She was so going to kick his butt.

Fire and Water

Sam was avoiding the Colonel. She hoped he hadn't noticed. She still attended assigned briefings; although she would sit on the other side of Daniel instead of taking her usual place next to the Colonel. She sent memos on whatever project she was working on that she knew he would not read rather than track him down to detail her findings in person. She timed her meals so they wouldn't be together in the mess hall.

When they first got Daniel back after believing he had been killed on their mission to "The Fish Alien Planet" as Colonel O'Neill had named it, Sam felt closer to her team than ever. It was being with the Colonel and Teal'c that had helped her through the ordeal of losing Daniel. Finding her friend gone had been more painful than she had ever expected. She was so grateful to have him back. She hoped she would never have to go through the pain of losing him again.

But something happened while Daniel was gone. It hadn't made much of an impact on her at the time, getting Daniel back was far more urgent. But now that she had some time to think there was only one moment of the whole terrible experience her mind was constantly drawn back to—the hug.

When Sam had become hysterical with the realization that Daniel was alive and they had left him behind the Colonel had taken her into his arms. He had cradle her so tenderly. She felt safe and loved. And that scared the heck out her because he was her commanding officer.

And she couldn't stop thinking about it! All she had to do was look at the Colonel and she would feel his hands stroking her hair. She would smell his cologne as he dipped his face into her neck. She would hear his soothing whispers in her ear.

She had to stay away from him until she could get a grip.

A knot twisted in the pit of her stomach. Sam was afraid that she was like a bird that had discovered her wings. Now that she knew what it felt to fly, how could she ever be content on the ground?

Hathor

Jack had not been sleeping well since the girl goa'uld with the freaky breath had invaded the base several days ago. Everyone thought it was nightmares from being turned into a Jaffa, and Jack was not about to dissuade anyone of that notion. Jack was troubled by his dreams. But they were not dreams of Hathor; they were dreams of Sam.

After he revived from his stint in the sarcophagus Sam had asked to "check his wound." Jack tried to hide his discomfort with her intense examination of his abdomen by making a clever quip. He didn't dwell on the event at the time; they had work to do retaking the base. However, the event seemed to have lodged itself in Jack's subconscious. Whenever he closed his eyes he would see Sam standing before him, opening his shirt, running her eyes up and down his exposed torso. Then feeling her fingers caressing his skin over and over again. Her lips working their way across his belly.

Needless to say, Jack did not awake well rested. And he did not have an easy time looking at Sam across the briefing room table. Jack certainly hoped these visions and longings would fade soon and he could go back to enjoying his blissful self-denial about the strong attraction he felt towards Captain Samantha Carter.

Years later Sam couldn't say why dragging her nails lightly across Jack's stomach always put him in the mood, but she took full advantage of this sensitivity on the rare occasions they could be together. Though Jack didn't get much sleep on these visits, he didn't mind in the least.

Singularity

Sam was surprised this park was still here and looking much the same as it had the first time SG-1 brought Cassie here many years ago. Not surprisingly, Cassie had married into the Air Force and her husband, a doctor, had just been transferred to the medical group at Peterson. Cassie was going to teach science at one of the local high schools starting in the fall. And of course she always had her hands full raising their twin boys, Jonathan and Tyler, who were now five and would be starting school themselves.

Jack and Sam had retired to Colorado Springs. They both still assisted with the Stargate program, now public and based in Washington D.C., but mostly they spent their time enjoying one another and spoiling their "grandchildren." They were both thrilled to have them so nearby.

On this beautiful spring afternoon Sam and Cassie were arranging the picnic lunch they had brought to the familiar park when they saw a dog come bounding round the trees being chased by two rambunctious boys. An older man in a beaten olive green cap ambled along in their wake. The boys managed to heel the speeding canine before it trampled all over the food.

"Boys, where did you get this dog?" Cassie took in her two trouble makers who were trying to keep control of the excited animal.

"Grandpa Jack!" They answered in unison.

Sam suppressed a laugh at Cassie's look of consternation and disbelief. Jack stood behind the children, hands in pockets, beaming like he was every bit as much the little boy as Cassie's twin terrors. Sam had a picture of that look she carried with her whenever she and Jack were separated by duty assignments; it was one of her fondest early memories of him. It reminded her of the crazy quilt family they began piecing together right here in this park.

"Every kid has got to have a dog. You know that." Jack supplied his familiar explanation.

"Jack, we're living in temporary base housing right now. Where are we supposed to keep a dog?" Cassie retorted.

"Now you know how Janet felt." Sam whispered under her breath.

"Guess we'll have to find you a house. One with a nice big yard." Seeing that his proffered solution was not mollifying Cassie in the least he turned to the children. "C'mon boys, let's go get Homer something to drink."

They all dashed away before mom could nix the plan to keep their new best friend. Cassie glared at Jack's retreating back. She would be having words with him later.

Sam laughed. He never changed. He was just one big kid, and Sam found it as endearing now as she had when he first presented Cassie with her dog all those years ago.

Cor-ai

Jack watched Sam's face fall as she reported leaving the 302 pilots behind. It was the right decision, but it was another one of those damned distasteful things that had to be done for the sake of the mission and the greater good.

Jack was reminded of a scene so many years ago when Sam stood beside him as he lay his own haunted past bare in defense of Teal'c. She didn't flinch or shy away from the truth of who he was or what he might have done. She held steady for him and for Teal'c. He was proud to have her by his side then and was strengthened by her loyalty and compassion.

Unfortunately, their years in the stargate program had given Sam more insight into these things than he ever would have wished for her.

She steadied him then. He would brace her up now. It didn't matter that he was standing in the middle of a full command center as he spoke to her over the communications screen.

The words were simple, but they conveyed all the love and understanding between them.

"I'm sorry, Sam." Jack said gently, and he saw her troubled face relax.

Enigma

There is often enormous significance placed on one's first kiss.

The first time Sam kissed a boy she was fourteen years old. His name was Kevin Mercer. Under pressure from her friends Sam had allowed him to take her into a dark corner during a school dance. The kiss was all lips and saliva. It was awkward and kind of icky. Sam couldn't understand why this was such a preoccupation among her peers. But then, none of them could understand what was so fascinating about quantum mechanics. Their loss.

When Kevin Mercer decided to take things further and tried to reach his hand under Sam's blouse she decked him.

Her father was furious when he had to pick her up at the principal's office that night and was informed of her three day suspension. When Sam finally got over her embarrassment and told him the whole story he took those days off from work and they spent the time at home playing board games, eating ice cream and watching movies together. It was one of Sam's favorite memories.

The first time Sam kissed an alien she was coming up on her first year in the stargate program. His name was Narim. Under pressure from General Hammond Sam had befriended him in order to learn more about his people, the Tollan, and their technology. He had not been circumspect about his admiration for her. When he presented her with a recorder that allowed her to feel his emotions for her she was moved. They shared an awkward kiss that thankfully was interrupted by Daniel. It was one of Sam's more interesting memories.

The first time Sam kissed Jack was just after her transfer to Area 51 had come through. The pressure of remaining apart had finally become too great and they knew it was time for their lives to change. Unwilling to let this limited opportunity slip by they hurriedly gathered their closest friends together at Jack's cabin for their long awaited and much desired union.

Surprisingly the kiss was not the least bit awkward. A little hesitant at first but soon warm and ardent, the intimate touch was one of sweetness and fulfillment. It was the perfect first kiss.

Solitudes

Teal'c sat in Colonel O'Neill's living room impatient for his teammates to settle in so he could begin the movie. Daniel Jackson was seated on the floor beside the coffee table reading a book. O'Neill had his casted leg propped up on a pillow on that same coffee table with a blanket over his torso. He was complaining loudly about not being allowed to have a beer. Captain Samantha Carter placed a bowl of popcorn between herself and the Colonel as she took up position on the other end of the couch.

Teal'c was pleased to be gathered with his teammates, all looking well and in good spirits; although, it would still be several more weeks before O'Neill recovered sufficiently for them to one again travel together through the stargate. It had been a long and difficult recovery from their ordeal trapped under the ice of Antarctica.

As the movie played Daniel continued reading his book oblivious to the drama on the screen or the little scene being played out on the couch behind him. Teal'c, however, noticed all.

He could see Captain Carter had begun shivering slightly. Not surprisingly, she had demonstrated a heightened sensitivity to cold in recent weeks. O'Neill, who had developed a heightened sensitivity to Captain Carter, also noticed the shivering and offered to share his blanket with her. Reluctant at first, with some gentle coxing she gave in to his wishes and moved closer to him. He placed the blanket around them both and said something about a sidearm, a remark Teal'c did not understand, but one that elicited a giggle from the Captain. As the movie continued, Teal'c noted Captain Carter's head as is it drifted down onto O'Neill's shoulder and how O'Neill unconsciously leaned in toward her.

Teal'c had observed an attraction between his two military teammates from the very beginning. But since being stranded together, he sensed a bond of true caring had formed between them that went far beyond mere physical allure. That they were meant for one another seemed obvious to Teal'c, but no one spoke of it or even seemed to acknowledge this fact in any way. Teal'c decided it must be some kind of custom among the Tau'ri to pretend not to notice the mating overtures between couples until the pair formally acknowledged their union. Until that time, which Teal'c was certain would eventually come, he would continue to silently observe and support his friends.

Satisfied in this resolve, Teal'c returned his full attention to the movie.

Tin Man

The first time they made love it was frenzied and intense as the desire they held at bay for so many years broke upon them in a torrent of all-consuming passion that left them spent and breathless.

The second time they made love it was slow and careful, almost reverent. With each tender caress they expressed their devotion and adoration for one another.

The third time they made love it was spirited and playful. They teased and tantalized one another. It was free and joyous in a way they had never been together.

"Found it!" Jack cried out as he came upon a particularly sensitive spot.

"Found what?" Sam giggled as Jack tickled and continued to explore her body with exceptional concentration.

"The mole." Jack looked at Sam with a delighted smirk.

"I know you've been busy, but I'm sure you've noticed I have a few," Sam pointed out.

"I know," Jack replied, "but I've been thinking about this one for years."

Noting Sam's confusion he explained further. "You know, the mole you didn't want your robot double talking about."

"That was seven years ago." Sam exclaimed.

"Mmmm, yes. Seven long years." Jack began kissing and caressing the hidden mark causing Sam to moan with pleasure.

"I can't believe," she gasped and tried to catch her breath as Jack continued his work, "you … remembered … that."

"Jack," Sam tried to get his attention.

"Hmmm?" he responded distractedly.

"There's another." She began to maneuver their bodies into another position.

"Don't tell me," he arrested her movement. "I'll find it," he said with delight.

There but for the Grace of God

General Jack O'Neill had often been told that at his last moments he would see his life pass before his eyes. But as he looked down the barrel of a laser cannon aimed by an enemy Jaffa named Teal'c who had led the forces of Apophis that had just decimated his world Jack saw only one image—the face of his beloved fiancé, Dr. Samantha Carter. His life would have been over more than a year ago if it hadn't been for her determination to open the Stargate and drag him on a mission to another world. She gave him a reason to live again, and he loved her for that and so much more.

When they had said goodbye he had held back, knowing that if he held on too tight, kissed her lips, spoke his love above a whisper he would never be able to walk away. He knew it would be the last time. Their world was gone and they would soon be gone with it.

Jack hoped he had given the earnest young man with the glasses and the floppy hair the time he needed to get back through the gate and warn his world. It meant somewhere in the vast and mysterious universe there was another Samantha Carter who could still be saved and maybe that other Jack O'Neill would be smart enough to love her and lucky enough to have her love him back.

As the fire from the cannon lanced into Jack's chest he whispered just one word, "Sam."

In the briefing room surrounded by enemy Jaffa, Dr. Samantha Carter had no reservations about pulling the pin from the grenade and blowing them all to hell. Earth was lost. Jack was most certainly already dead. Her last act of defiance toward the goa'uld would serve to save another world, a mirror universe very much like her own. It was the best outcome she could hope for now.

She had seen another version of herself on the tape Dr. Jackson had brought with him through this quantum mirror he had touched to arrive in their universe. She was military. And Jack was still Jack. She hoped the other Samantha Carter wouldn't let the strictures of her chosen career deprive her of the amazing love Sam had experienced in this all too short time she had with her own Jack O'Neill. She knew it would be worth the sacrifice.

As the fire from the explosion consumed her, Sam sent her best wishes for a happy life to her doppelganger and with her last breath spoke the name of the man Sam Carter was always destined to love, "Jack!"

Politics

Sam stood in her lab in her dress uniform going over some calculations based on the information Daniel had given them about this supposed alternate reality he had visited while she waited to be called up to the briefing room for this hearing Colonel Samuels had sprung on them. Jack watched her brow furrow in concentration from his vantage point leaning against the door jamb half in and half out of the room. He tried not to dwell on how adorable she looked when she was thinking, and she was always thinking.

Jack shook himself from his reverie and walked fully into the room, commanding her attention. Sam noted that her CO was also dressed for the hearing although slightly more rumpled than she, and she momentarily wondered how he could look so disheveled and so damn hot at the same time. Quickly disembarking her mind from that speeding locomotive she addressed her superior officer.

"What can I do for you, Sir?"

"I need you to help me understand something about this alternate reality thing Daniel was prattling on about." He reached for a piece of equipment on Sam's lab table, but she unobtrusively moved it away before he could take hold of it.

"I'll do my best, Sir. What is it you'd like to understand?"

Jack paused as he took a moment to place his hands in his pockets and roll back and forth on his toes. Sam waited patiently.

"How is it theoretically possible that we could be engaged?"

Sam resisted rolling her eyes at the inquiry. The Colonel seemed particularly hung up on that detail of Daniel's report from his alternate reality experience and Sam didn't know whether to be flattered or offended. But she chose to approach the question in the way that was most comfortable for her, the scientific perspective.

Sam stepped over to a whiteboard at the back of her lab and began drawing lines branching off from one another as she explained.

"One way to look at this is to think of the multiverse as a tree. At every point where a decision is made a new universe, or alternate reality if you will, is created and branches off in the direction of each possible outcome. As each new choice is confronted new realities identical to the old reality until that point of divergence grow out from the tree, and the number of potential realities increases exponentially ad infinitum to encompass every possible permutation of particle interaction; thus, resulting in an infinite number of separate and distinct branches of the multiverse."

Sam completed her explanation and turned away from the board to find the Colonel standing before her, very much in her personal space, with a puzzled expression causing a crease in his forehead. He held up his hands as if to stop the torrent of information flowing from her and licked his lips as he fought to comprehend.

"So," he began speaking slowly, two fingers framing his face, "theoretically, if I were to decide to say kiss you right now . . .?" Sam's eyes widened. Undeterred by the rising alarm in Sam's face, he continued, "That would create a different reality than if I just stood here, thinking about it . . . I mean talking about it," he began erratically gesturing between them, "We're talking and I'm not kissing you. Just standing here."

He dropped his hands to his side and Sam found herself biting her lower lip to hold back the smile that was seeking to escape at his discomfort.

"Yes, Sir." Sam spoke, trying to sound nonplussed. "Theoretically it would."

Jack moved almost imperceptibly closer. The toes of their shoes were nearly touching. He looked down on her with a mesmerizing intensity. His voice was low and gruff, "So somewhere in one of these branches I'm kissing you right now?"

It almost wasn't a question and Sam stood before him speechless swinging her gaze from his eyes to his lips and back again. Slowly she nodded her head once. "Yes, Sir. That is theoretically possible."

Another moment passed and then suddenly Jack jumped back as if the electric charge between them had finally reached an intensity to push them apart like dueling poles of two magnets.

The Colonel quickly moved away and turned to leave. "Thanks for the physics lesson, Carter." Jack threw back at her as he tapped on the doorframe and exited the lab, quickly disappeared down the hall.

Sam took in a deep breath and began to erase the haphazard drawing from the whiteboard. All the while the words from the taunting schoolyard rhyme scrolled through her mind.

Jack and Sam sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G . . .

Within the Serpent's Grasp

Gearing up for their insane mission through the gate to the coordinates Daniel brought back from an alternate reality Jack looked over at Captain Samantha Carter and couldn't help noting that she was not the same person who first stepped into the briefing room a year ago with an enormous chip on her shoulder and something to prove to the every male in range.

Then again he wasn't at all the same either. Back then Jack was beyond reluctant to have a scientist on his team, especially a green as grass Captain with a stick up her butt. A year ago if General Hammond had given him the option to take the mission without her there was no question in his mind what decision he would make.

Thirty minutes ago he sat in the control room giving her the option to let her team take this suicide mission based on dubious intel without her and there was a question in his mind as to what decision he would have her make. He couldn't order her to go. A part of him wanted to beg her to stay. When she agreed to join them on their hail Mary play to save earth he was both elated and distraught. He was likely leading them all to their deaths, but at least they would go out together, and they would make it count.