After nearly a week in the alternate reality, during which Sam had single-handedly saved earth from an Ori attack by cloaking the entire planet, she was becoming very perturbed by the martial law and lack of freedom that seemed to have become the norm in that reality. There were many similarities with her own world, but the differences were becoming ever more apparent. This world seemed harsher, more reactionary, more .. scared. She knew she couldn't cope with living there long term, and determined to do what she could to get back home.
Sam couldn't believe that this had happened to her. She had been supposed to be on light duties, following the terrible injuries she had suffered when trying to shield P9C-882 from an Ori attack. Ultimately, they had been successful, but not before she had been shot in the side by an Ori soldier. She had suffered an enormous trauma, and was barely alive when they had brought her back through the 'gate. After many surgeries, she was much improved, but was still benefiting from sessions with Vala and the healing device every few days. Finally the scarring on her back had gone, but her stomach was still a mess, and she often suffered sharp pains from the scar tissue. There was also a small residual infection which Vala was attempting to combat, but the original injury had been so severe that it was a slow business, requiring patience on all their parts. And now she had been swept up into a whole new world, and just wanted to get back, to get away from these harsher versions of the people she knew and loved.
This was not as easy as she'd hoped, however. Her 'celebrity' in this new world meant that the establishment was loath to let her go. She was the new 'poster girl' for the administration, and she knew that President Landry and his cohorts were prepared to exploit her to the full.
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So Sam screwed up her courage and went to visit Rodney McKay. Yes, she knew he was a difficult man at the best of times, but she also had to admit that he was a certifiable genius, and more likely than anybody else she knew to be able to help her get her life back.
She stood in his plush apartment, waiting for him. He had sure done well for himself in this reality, this apartment indicated a man of wealth, power. She looked up, and saw a sleeker, bespectacled McKay enter. "Thank you for seeing me," she said.
"Oh...why wouldn't I?" said McKay. "I mean, we're still friends, aren't we? Saw you on TV. Well, recorded you actually. Not that I-I watched it more than once. I mean I recorded it in order...to watch you once. How can I help you?"
Sam swallowed. "Well," she said, "This is gonna come as a bit of a shock, but...I'm not who you think I am."
"Oh my God," said Rodney. "You're a lesbian."
"What I'm trying to tell you," snapped Sam, "is that I'm from an alternate universe. My sexuality has nothing to do with this. Your Samantha Carter was working on an experiment when she inadvertently pulled me in."
"Is this some kind of a joke?" he asked, "It's very funny. Who put you up to this?"
Sam slowly and patiently explained what had happened in the accident, and saw his face fall when she told him that his Samantha Carter must have died. "I'm sorry," she said, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "I know you cared about her."
"So are we still together in your world?" he asked, hopefully. "Or did we divorce there too?"
Sam shook her head. "You were right about one thing. I am gay. We were never together. Though we do know each other. And I'm fond of you, though you drive me nuts on occasion."
Rodney looked shocked. "So it really is an alternate universe, then," he joked, feebly.
"It's not as strange as it sounds," Sam explained. "I've come across quite a few versions of myself, and about half of them are straight. Another of those forks in the road, I guess." She smiled.
"Okay, you need to slow down," said Rodney. "You're telling me my ex-wife is dead, even though you look exactly like her. Except for the hair, which is nice, by the way. On top of that you're from another universe and you need me to help you get back? And you're living with a woman?"
"In my reality, you successfully designed and built a bridge between parallel universes. With a little help from your sister," replied Sam. "And no, I live on my own." She looked him straight in the eye. "I did live with a woman for nearly seven years. A wonderful woman. A beautiful woman, who gave my life meaning, and whom I loved with all my heart. But she died. So now it's just me, and our daughter who is working overseas for a year. But I still need to get back. Our world is facing terrible dangers. And I need your help. I've been trying my best to recreate your calculations, but I keep coming up short. That's why I'm here."
"I have not done a lot of theoretical physics lately, okay?, Rodney baulked. "I mean, these days I tend to do a little more of the buying and selling of companies!" He looked up at Sam's pleading face. "Oh okay, I'll help you."
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Later that day, Sam returned to the SGC. She was exhausted, and the pain in her side was getting worse. The sooner she got back to her world, and Vala and the healing device, the better. So she was appalled to see that her equipment had not been returned to her lab. When she confronted President Landry, she learned that they had no intention of letting her go until it suited them. And they were prepared to blackmail McKay into refusing to help her.
A plebiscite was planned, and Landry needed his 'golden girl' to give him the necessary political punch to ensure an outright victory. "You're a member of my team," he told her. "The woman who saved the world. Do you have any idea what kind of political capital that's worth?"
"I won't help you subvert democracy," replied Sam icily, stalking out of his office. She had no idea what to do next. So she did the only thing she could think of; she went to see Cameron Mitchell.
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Mitchell was a very different man to the Mitchell she had left behind. Apart from his obvious disability, he was embittered, and he had clearly given up. But he hadn't given up his principles, Sam learned, and this inspired her to maintain her stance against a regime that was so wrong.
"I gave my legs for the freedoms we now enjoy," Mitchell told her bitterly. "It's a hell of a deal, ain't it? You're in the press a lot lately. Hey! You wanna see something funny?" he showed her a photograph of himself, in full dress blues, standing next to Landry. "Hero of the moment," he said. "Poster child for the administration."
"You were walking," Sam gasped.
"Yeah well, I had a little setback in my therapy," he said. "After Antarctica...they flew me to Washington. Pinned a medal on my chest. Next thing I knew I was being trotted out to state dinners, political rallies. I think...yeah...I think I even opened a few malls. Mr President said 'It would be good for moral, son!' Help soften the blow for keeping the Stargate secret for so long. What a...a lot of BS. And then I called him on it and they dropped me...like a rock. No more fancy dinners. No more expensive doctors. Anyway, walking is overrated. I've got everything I need right here... and I do not have to deal with curfews or military checkpoints or being detained without charge. Life is sweet."
"So you can't even afford medical care?" Sam was horrified. This man had virtually given his life in the service of his country.
"Nope," he replied. "Had a bit of luck there, though. An old friend who used to work at the SGC comes over to check on me every couple of weeks. She's due tonight in fact. She left the Stargate program before I did. You may even know her. She was a good friend of our Carter, until her daughter died, that is. Then she couldn't bear to see anyone from the SGC again."
Sam paled, and lowered herself into a chair. "Dr Fraiser?" she whispered.
"That's her. You did know her then?"
Sam nodded. "What you said.. about her daughter. Was that Cassandra?"
"Cassie, that's right," agreed Mitchell. "Sweet kid. Terrible what happened to her. Fraiser never forgave Hammond."
"What happened? Was it Nirrti?" Sam asked, dreading the answer. Her Cassie had come close to dying when Nirrti experimented on her, and it was only Hammond's agreement that Nirrti would be freed in exchange for healing her that saved her life. Mitchell told her the full story, and also how Janet had tried to take matters into her own hands, threatening Nirrti with a gun.
"Court-martialed?" Sam asked, in horror. "They court-martialed her for trying to save her own daughter?"
"Nah, it didn't come to that in the end," he said, "but she had to leave. Not that she would have stayed after that anyway, with no support from anybody except Carter. Our Carter that is. She made formal complaints, taking them to the highest level. Nearly got kicked out herself, only thing that saved her was the fact she was needed for the fight against the Ori. Fraiser's been working at the local emergency room since then. And of course making the odd house call. She won't take any money for it either, she makes sure I get all the drugs I need. She's a good friend."
Sam didn't know what to do with this information. It was all too much to take in. Janet alive? Cassie dead? And Mitchell crippled and bitter, Vala in prison, Daniel still missing, Teal'c back on Chulak.
"I'm sorry," she said, standing up and putting her hand on his shoulder. "I shouldn't have come. I'll go now, and..."
At that moment, the doorbell rang. "It's only me," called a too-familiar voice. "I'm letting myself in."
Panicked, Sam tried to disappear into herself. In seconds, the door was open and.. Janet was standing there. Sam couldn't speak. "Sam", said Janet quietly. "You're the last person I expected to see. You look different."
"That's because she is different, Janet," said Mitchell. "She's from an alternate universe. She's not our Carter. Our Carter's dead."
"What?" cried Janet, a look of pain flashing across her eyes. "How can she be dead?"
"It's true," said Sam, quietly. "I'm sorry, Janet, more than you can know." And she tried to excuse herself. However, as she headed toward the door, another spasm of pain twisted her side, and involuntarily she reached out to the wall for support.
"What's wrong?" demanded Janet.
Sam pulled herself together. "Nothing," she said, "just an old injury. Bit of scar tissue playing up. I'm fine." And she straightened up.
"Wait," called Mitchell. "Take this. You never know if you might need it." He handed Sam a cellphone. "It's unregistered. In case you need to make any calls you don't want them to know about." Sam nodded her thanks.
"Sam," called Janet. "I don't know what's going on. I don't even know who you really are. Cam'll explain to me. But if you need me for anything, call me." She passed her a card. "I can be with you, any time of the day or night. If that injury needs attention, you know where I am. Be kind to yourself," she pleaded, looking into Sam's blue eyes.
Sam nodded, and left. Out in the corridor, she had to take several deep breaths before going outside. She called Landry's aide. "I'll do it. The interviews, the TV appearances. I'll play ball."
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Of course, the TV interview with Julia Donovan from 'Inside Access' did not go the way the administration had planned. Sam used the opportunity to beg the American people to stand up against the loss of democracy, and to fight for freedom once more. Unfortunately for Sam, the plug was pulled before the interview went out, so her attempts were in vain.
She went home, despondent and depressed. She was tired, and the pain in her side was worse than ever. She could really do with some heavy-duty painkillers, but she had nothing stronger than Tylenol. She took a couple and went to bed, there was nothing more she could do today.
By 1am, she had to admit to herself that she wasn't going to be able to get to sleep with the pain now a constant. Reluctantly, she pulled out Cameron's cellphone, and dialled the number on Janet's card. The phone was answered almost immediately. "You did say any time," she tried to joke.
"Sam?" asked Janet. "You okay?"
"Not really," admitted Sam. "Just wondering if I could get some painkillers from you? It won't go, I just need something to dull it. I'm sorry to ask you. I just won't want any of 'them' to find out. They can't know I've got a weakness, it'll make it harder for me to get back."
"I'll be right there," replied Janet.
"You don't have to come," Sam panicked. "Could you just send them in a cab, get the driver to drop them off with Joe in the parking garage? I can trust him, he'll bring them up to me."
Janet took down Sam's address, but ignored her instructions about getting a cab. She collected her bag, and made her way to Sam's apartment. She entered the building via the parking garage, with the avuncular Joe showing her up the back staircase. There was no need to alert the authorities to her visit.
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It was 1.30am when she knocked on Sam's apartment door, and the door was answered by Sam in her robe, looking pale and exhausted.
"I told you not to come," said Sam.
"I know," replied Janet. "But I'm not in the habit of handing out strong narcotics without even examining the patient. So let me have a look, huh?" She put her hand gently on Sam's arm, to try and reassure her that she was on her side.
Sam nodded. "So what happened to cause this injury?" asked Janet. "It'll help if I've got some background."
Sam told her about P9C-882, and how she had nearly died. "Thought my number was up," she told Janet. "I thought Cassie was going to be an orphan." Janet nodded. Cameron Mitchell had told her about the death of Janet in Sam's reality.
"We're going to get you back there, safe and sound, Sam," Janet reassured her. "One way or another, we're going to get you back there. Now lie back for me so I can have a look."
Sam laid down uneasily on the couch, and tried not to notice Janet's hands on her as she lifted her pajama top to expose the mosaic of scars on her stomach. It had been three years since she had felt Janet's touch, and it was too much for her; a single tear tracked down her cheek.
"That hurt?" Janet misunderstood. Sam shook her head. Janet looked down, and was horrified to see what Sam must have suffered, especially if this was after weeks of healing. She gently palpated the area, and could feel the mass of scar tissue beneath the skin. As she moved to the bottom right of the area, she was worried to feel the skin too warm under her fingers.
"Yeah, bit of an infection there," Sam admitted. "Vala's working on it, but it's taking its sweet time."
Janet nodded, and put her hand to Sam's forehead. She frowned when she realized Sam was running a fever. "You're feeling really lousy, right?" Sam nodded, miserably. "Antibiotics and morphine for tonight," she said. "And we'll have another look tomorrow. Once you've slept properly, I can give you some strong painkillers that won't knock you out during the day."
"No morphine," pleaded Sam. "I can't think straight with morphine."
"Only a small dose," promised Janet. "You've got to get some rest. You'll never find a way back until you're stronger. I know you're worried about nightmares," Janet knew that her Sam hated losing control, even when she was asleep, and assumed, correctly, that this Sam was the same. "I''m staying over tonight," she saw Sam about to object, "no arguments. And you'll be much better in the morning."
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Janet made herself up a bed on the couch, though she spent most of the night checking on Sam, and reassuring her when she became restless and distressed. Janet's mind was in a turmoil. She had been in love with Samantha Carter since she had first brought Cassie back from Hanka. But she knew that the young captain, as she was then, was straight and would not be interested in a relationship with her. So the women had just remained friends, with her Sam never realizing that Janet harboured deeper feelings for her.
When Cassie had died, Janet just shut down. She left the SGC, and only rarely responded to Sam's attempts to contact her. They had seen each other occasionally, but Janet's bitterness over the loss of her daughter, and Sam's guilt for remaining at an SGC that had let her friend down, meant that their meetings were rare and lacked the warm intimacy of before.
But now this new Sam had appeared, and needed her help. And Janet was a sucker for anybody in need.
Sam mumbled, and turned over. She felt blindly for Janet's hand, and pulled it to her, resting it alongside her cheek. Janet remembered that Mitchell had said that she and Sam had been together in her reality, and judging by the way Sam was gently stroking her fingers in her sleep, it looked like he was right.
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The next morning, Sam woke to the smell of coffee. She shrugged on her robe, and stumbled through to the kitchen. She was surprised to see it was nearly 1000hrs.
"Hey sleepyhead," smiled Janet. "Feeling better?"
"Much," replied Sam. "I can't thank you enough. I can hardly feel it now."
Janet went over and checked Sam's forehead with the back of her hand. "Fever's way down too," she smiled. "If we can get you back to your reality soon, Vala can deal with the remnants of the infection."
"Janet," Sam was serious. "What do you have in this reality? I know you've got no family, what have you got in the way of friends? Is there anybody here who really cares about you?"
Janet shrugged. "I had a friend. A good friend. But she died. Though we hadn't seen much of each other recently. Things happened. Nothing's really been right since Cassie died." She swallowed and looked away.
"Then come back with me," Sam took her hand. "I don't mean as my lover," she realized Cameron would have told her about their history. "I mean just as my friend. You were so loved, and needed, in our reality. And you are badly missed. Even now. I know you aren't the same Janet that I knew, just as I'm not the same Sam that you knew. But there are enough similarities. And this world is not right for you. You aren't hard enough to survive here. We need you back with us. Apart from anything, Dr Warner's about to retire, and Landry's having a hell of a job finding a replacement for him. What d'you think?"
Janet shook her head. "It wouldn't work Sam. What about Cassie?" Janet had often wondered how Cassie would have grown up. This could be her chance to find out. "She's already lost two mothers," Janet went on. "I can't expect her to accept me all over again. And I'm not sure that I could see her... after all that happened with my Cassie. It would seem too much like I'm trying to replace her."
Sam took her hand. "You can't see it like that," she said, gently. "It wouldn't be you replacing our Janet, or Cassie replacing your Cassie. You're different people. But you'd still be loved and wanted in our reality. Can you really say that about this world? Can you really say you're happy here Janet? Don't you think it's worth a try?"
Janet looked up at her, tears in her eyes. "Well, I've not got much to lose, have I? Why not?" She looked scared and small.
Sam drew her into a bear hug, causing her to wince as she caught her side unexpectedly. "Now we've just to got to persuade them to let us go."
"They won't miss me," replied Janet, ruefully. "I've been a thorn in their sides for too long. And talking of sides, let me check you over again, give you something for that."
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Sam went to 'her' lab later that day, and was startled to see McKay in there.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him, rather more sharply than she had intended.
He blushed. "Ah, it's the uh... first day on a new job. Your old job actually. Special advisor to the President. Bit of a pay cut, but...uh...well... lets just say they were uh...persuasive?"
Sam felt terrible, knowing that it was her interference that had made them think of him in the first place. "I'm so sorry," she said.
"Yeah, me too," he said. "Well, the first order of business is to create an inter-universal bridge. Something that I've done in another reality, apparently."
Sam couldn't believe her ears. They were really going to let her go. "Wow," she said, "I guess they must have realized I'm more trouble than I'm worth."
"I remember I said the same thing the day we got divorced," Rodney joked.
"Just one thing," Sam pleaded. "Give me some warning when it'll be ready. There's somebody I want to bring along with me. No," she reassured, "the administration won't mind one bit, I'm sure. In fact, I'll go and see Landry now and get it cleared."
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Sam knocked on the door of Janet's apartment. When she opened it, Sam smiled at her. "Looks like we're going home."
"Your home," Janet smiled sadly.
"It'll be your home before you know it," Sam reassured her. "And none of us knows what the future holds, but you'll be among friends. That much I can promise you."