AN: I've been going through a bit of a Stargate phase, so here's yet another Stargate story, once again, it's a SJ... well, have a read, enjoy and tell me what you think ;)

Novus Orsa

Samantha Carter slid her fluffy pink sweater over her head and stuffed it in her locker pulling a freshly laundered black t-shirt from her locker she shrugged it on before throwing her jeans and boots into her locker pulling on her bright blue BDU pants before lacing her combat boots carefully. She grabbed her jacket, though she knew she probably wouldn't need it and headed to her nine am briefing with the one man she most certainly did not want to see. To make matters worse it was not an SG1 briefing but a science department gathering. Sam anticipated hours of Dr's Lee and Felger presenting boring information about interesting artefacts to General O'Neill who would pay no attention instead waiting for her to give him a brief synopsis later, though he often reiterated the meaning of brief.

Things with the General had been strange since her break-up with Pete, and although it was only a week ago Sam knew they needed to fix things, he meant too much to her to leave things the way they were. They hadn't talked about the breakup though she knew Daniel had told him. She wondered if she should tell him why, after all they were heading up to his cabin in three days. She knew she wouldn't be able to relax if she didn't sort things out with him.

"Sir, could we talk?" she asked having reached the briefing room, the other scientists not there yet. She gestured to his office and he nodded, aware that this was not going to be a work related talk.

"So..." he began as they sat opposite each other.

"So" she agreed fiddling with the jacket that lay across her lap, aware of Jack's eyes upon her. "Well this is awkward" she stated finally.

"Yep" he affirmed, waiting for Sam to get to the point. Finally she spoke again.

"Do you remember, last year when I was stranded on the Prometheus?" He nodded, urging her to continue, wondering where the conversation was going. "Something happened out there that you don't know about. Well actually, I don't think it really happened, but I had a revelation of sorts. With your help"

"General, Colonel" Dr Lee began knocking on Jack's office door, Jack let his gaze fall to Sam assuring her that they would finish their conversation later before turning to the scientist and barely containing his groan as he saw Felger waving at him from a seat at the briefing room table. Sam fiddled nervously with her jacket for a moment before following Jack reluctantly to the table.

Sam was only half listening as Felger enthusiastically explained that he wanted to make a hybrid weapon using both Ancient and Goa'uld technology. Felger had accosted her in the hallway several times wanting to discuss his idea, knowing that she could convince Jack to sign off on the development. Despite this Sam was sure it was a bad idea and knew she would not have to convince Jack of that, who was naturally distrustful of the incompetent scientist. Sam was painfully aware that Jack's eyes had not left her back since Felger had begun talking, she fidgeted under his intense stare.

The moment Jack declared the briefing over with a groan she bolted back to her lab, having lost the determination she felt earlier towards the situation with Jack. Safely ensconced in her lab she flipped her laptop on and began looking over the tests she had run the previous day on an artefact 

recovered by SG6 three days earlier. So far all she knew was that it had a low level electro-magnetic field and occasionally emitted an almost undetectable amount of radiation. She had yet to determine its origin or purpose.

Half an hour later Sam was still staring at the same results, no longer attempting to analyse the data, but her own feelings. She knew she'd hurt Pete when she broke up with him, she also knew that pretending a love she didn't feel would be wrong. When her thoughts strayed to her father she sniffed back a tear, what would he have thought about her decision? She knew he wasn't fond of Pete, and she was sorry he wasn't around to see her make such a decision, to know that she would be okay. Her thoughts turned to the man who had long stood by her. Things had changed significantly in the past year she noted, the System Lords had fallen the replicators had been destroyed, finally she had allowed herself to consider transferring to research and development, knowing that Jack too would be moving. To Washington, she smiled at the irony of that, knowing how he would hate the position, she longed to beg him to stay with her, though she knew it was something she could never do.

Sighing, she slid from her stool, deciding it must be lunch time. She waved at Daniel who sat in the far corner of the commissary laden down plate in front of him. Picking up a tray she stared disgustedly at the plates pretending to be lasagne and picked up a piece of pie and a cup of blue jello. Slipping into the seat opposite Daniel she grabbed his unused spoon from his tray and dug it into her jello.

"How was the briefing?" he asked smirking, knowing very well that approaching Jack for the rest of the day would be a bad idea, he always got cranky after spending the morning with Lee and Felger.

"Hmm" she considered "It's lucky weapons aren't allowed in briefings" she told him laughing. Daniel agreed, he'd been on the end of many of Jack's anti scientist rants throughout the years.

Sam dug her spoon into her jello several times before either of them spoke again. "How are you doing with the break up and stuff?" Daniel asked not daring to mention Sam's father for fear of upsetting her.

"You know, I'm doing okay. Pete came to pick a few things up the other day and it was fine. I am sorry I hurt him though. And Daniel, it's okay to talk about Dad, I don't mind. In fact, I want you to, I don't want to forget. " she ended sadly. Daniel nodded.

"It will get easier. Teal'c, Jack and I are here for you" he promised pressing his hand over hers.

"Thanks" she told him smiling, though it didn't reach her eyes, he nodded "You guys have been great"

"We all care about you" he confirmed "some more than others" he muttered.

"I know"

"Well, I should be getting back" Daniel told her standing from the table.

"Yeah, you're right. I should be getting back too" Sam agreed eating the last of her jello, having decided she no longer felt like pie. The idea of taking it to Jack would normally be appealing, 

however in her current situation she decided to take it back to her lab, for later. The two friends parted ways at the elevator, Sam disembarking on sub level 19 and Daniel continuing up to 18. Once in her lab Sam placed her pie onto her workbench and turned again to the analysis of the tests she had performed the previous day. As her eyes fell on the results she noted that they didn't tell her anything she didn't already know. The radiation was emitted, on average once every twenty minutes, it was nor harmful as was the electromagnetic field generated. As Sam began going over the results for a third time a knock on her open door caused her to look up.

"Hey Carter. You left this in the briefing room earlier, you ran out pretty fast, everything okay?" he asked handing her forgotten jacket to her and picking up the plate of pie "My favourite" he told her digging his fork in "You knew I was coming" he accused lightly.

"Nope, just felt like some pie" she smiled, when his face fell.

"Sorry"

"It's okay, I changed my mind."

"Cool" he said picking up the plate again "I would've been by earlier but I had a briefing with SG-12"

"So" Sam said, staring awkwardly at her CO.

"Yeah. You busy?" he asked.

"Just going over some test results" she told him gesturing to the laptop on her bench.

"Oh... Do you have time to finish our little chat?" Sam's breath caught, she wanted to tell him she didn't have time, but part of her screamed that it was now or never. Gulping in some air, Sam decided it was, now.

"Yeah. I do."

"So... You were saying something about being trapped on the Prometheus before?"

"Yeah. I had some hallucinations" she told him embarrassed. Jack raised his eyebrows curiously. "Um, there was Daniel wanting me to talk to the nebulus, then Teal'c telling me to stay on guard, then this little girl, wanting me to have fun. My father" she said her voice catching slightly, bracing herself against the bench she continued "he asked me if I was happy, and told me that I could have everything I wanted. Then when I'd given up, you showed up. You told me I had to keep going, then we were talking about that thing between us. You said you were a safe bet and I realised that I was using my feelings and your unattainability as an excuse to not have any relationships." Jack nodded, not entirely sure he knew what she was saying.

"A couple of weeks after I got back, I was talking to Mark, my brother on the phone and he told me that a friend of his who I had met once before was in town on business. A cop, and would I like to go out to dinner with him. Having decided that I should give a proper relationship a shot I agreed. He was a nice guy and I did like him, so we kept seeing one another." Jack cringed, Pete was not a subject he wanted to talk about.



"He proposed, we hadn't been together that long and I hadn't been in a relationship for so long before that, but I loved him, I liked being with him, it was good to have a break from all this, you know?" Jack nodded mutely "I knew it wouldn't be easy, even with him knowing about the Stargate and you were still at the back of my mind, but I had to try. It was almost too late when I realised that I couldn't. Being with Pete I realised that I wasn't using you as an excuse not to have other relationships, subconsciously I guess I knew that you were the only one I wanted to have a relationship with. When Pete was showing me the house he bought, all I could think about was sharing that house with you. I'm so sorry I didn't realise sooner." She finished slumping against the bench not daring to look into the eyes of the man next to her, knowing she had just given him plenty enough to warrant a court martial, but doubted he would ever do that.

"Sam?" he said slowly stepping closer to her, and waiting until her head turned to face his "I wasn't going to tell you this until we were at the cabin but I put in for retirement" Sam stared at him shocked, opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water. "They didn't go for it" he told her "They're transferring me to Washington, Hammond's retiring."

"Wow. There's something I need to tell you too. I'm putting in for the position at R&D" at Jack's surprised look she continued "You know Cass has been having a rough time, right?" he nodded "She's gonna take a semester off and get things back on track, I told her I'd be there for her. I just don't know how to do that if I'm off world all the time."

"Oh. So, where does that leave us?" he asked.

"I'll still be in your direct chain of command"

"Yeah... Maybe I'll have a chat to the President, he owes us a few favours." He said smiling and turning back to the door.

"Um, Carter?" he asked stopping at the doorway. "You sure this is what you want?"

"Yeah sure you betcha" she replied, coining his own phrase.

"Sweet" He replied sauntering from her lab, to have a little talk with President Hayes.