Summary: What would you do if you found yourself back where you started?

Rating: G/PG

Disclaimer: I still own nothing...but the bunnies in my head.

Thanks to my awesome Beta Wendy! You are the best!

Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill woke with a start. Frantically, he started patting around the bed for something before stopping and lying down again with a sigh.

He hated when that happened. This was the third time this week he fell asleep while reading briefings in bed. This would be fine since he was on leave, but not so good for his snuggle buddy- his daughter, Emma. She was the light of his life and the cure all to a bad day being the 'man'. She had a head full of black fuzzy hair and piercing blue eyes.

Thankfully, it only took him a few seconds this time to remember that Colonel Samantha "Sam Carter" O'Neill, his wife, had scooped Emma up off his chest before he completely dozed off.

As he laid in bed, he thought about how truly wonderful everything was right now: the Ori were gone, the Goa'uld had been dealt with, he had a wonderful wife of 3 years, and a beautiful daughter that all the doctors said wouldn't be possible.

Yes, life was good for this old, beaten up General. Emma and Sam made everyday perfect. Hearing it so quiet in the room, he figured Sam must have Emma down in the living room to let him rest in peace.

Figuring it was time to see how he could help, he reached over and turned on the light. Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he waited a second to allow his eyes to adjust to the light. He blinked a few times and then a few more, but couldn't believe what he was seeing. Across from him on his dresser, he was expecting to see an old General in the mirror and pictures of Emma, instead he saw a young Colonel and a lone picture of Charlie.

Standing up, he made his way quickly down the hall to the first room on the right. Throwing open the door, his hopes were dashed; instead of the light purple and green painted nursery, there was a wall of boxes in a white room with a mattress on the floor.

Frantically searching around for more clues he ran to the kitchen, looking for anything, any sign of what was going on. On the table he found his only clue, a newspaper, looking down at it he realized what the date was. "Oh fer crying out loud! This had better be a dream, Toto."

Everything was happening just the way it did last time: Samuels showed up at his house while he was on the roof, and he went to the SGC and threw a box of tissues through the gate to Daniel. Not too surprisingly the box came back, asking for more. Everything was happening just the way it was supposed to which was good, he thought. Since he was pretty sure if he had been sent back into the past somehow, Sam would be telling him not to change anything. He was trying really hard not to, but it had been eleven years ago that all of this happened; he just couldn't remember everything down to the last detail.

Now he was standing there in his itchy dress uniform, knowing that the meeting that would send him back to Abydos had just finished. How could he go back to Abydos and not make any changes? How could he let Skaara and Sha're be taken again knowing what was going to happen to them? He wished he knew what was going on, but more than anything he wanted to be back home with Sam and Emma.

Then it hit him.

The meeting was different. Playing it back in his mind, he didn't think he had done anything to make it different, but he knew that things were different.

Thinking fast he called out, "Captain Carter?"

She stopped and turned around, looking nervous, not as cocky and confident as the spunky Captain Carter he met all those years ago. "Sir?"

"I'm surprised you didn't try to prove your point that women are equal to men, it is just reproductive organ placement after all."

Seeing the tear trying to escape her eye, he knew his hunch was right. "You want to grab some coffee from the commissary before we head out?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Sam whispered.

Jack placed his tray, laden with pie and coffee, next to Sam's tray of Jell-o and coffee.

Not wasting any time, Jack asked the pressing question. "Sam," he started, seeing her look up at him he could tell that this was his Sam. The one that he had been happily married to for three years and was still trying to reel in her hormones after having a beautiful baby one month ago. "Do you know what happened?"

"No," she shook her head. "I was feeding Emma one second, and the next I was sitting in a plane on my way here," she paused, trying to regain her composure. "I miss Emma," those words hit right at home: he missed his baby, but he knew Sam missed Emma more. She had not left Emma since she was born. At that moment, he wished he could comfort her, but being that the roles were Captain and Colonel not husband and wife, he just grabbed her hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

"I don't think I can do this, Jack," Sam whispered. He knew what she meant, and he didn't know if he could go through all of it again either.

Jack ran the events of the past few weeks through his mind. Daniel stayed at his place – just like last time, he watched Sha're appear next to Apophis as his queen – just like last time. Jack watched Skaara being taken away from him to be snaked – just like last time, he watched Teal'c be held as a prisoner – just like last time, he watched his friend Kalawlski being halfway controlled by an infant Goa'uld – just like last time, he helped Daniel move into his new apartment today – just like last time.

Now he sat in his house alone, just like last time, except this time was different. Last time he mourned the loss of a friend, he was also excited about all the adventures he had been on since and was looking forward to the one tomorrow, though he would never tell anyone that, he had a reputation to protect and all.

This go around, however, it was a different story; tomorrow scared him more than he was willing to admit.

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud," Jack mumbled as he got up from his chair and walked towards the door. Peaking out the side panes of glass, he was surprised to see Sam standing there.

"You have a key you know," Jack said, once he opened the door.

"I also know you don't lock it, but it's not my house," Sam quipped back.

"Sam, it will always be your house now and 8 damn years from now," Jack stated, a little more heated than he intended.

"I know that, Jack, but for sake of appearances," she said as she nodded her head towards Mrs William's house next door, where the curtains were pulled just a little revealing a face. "I believe I should knock."

Jack shrugged his shoulders before deciding he'd had enough with that and opened the door wider to let her in. Sam walked in and wasted no time to tell Jack why she was there.

"Promise me you won't change things tomorrow," Sam started.

"I don't think I can, Sam," Jack said, softly.

"Jack," she pleaded.

"No, I still think this is a bad idea," he explained, getting riled up. "Who's to say we haven't already screwed things up?"

"We haven't," she stated with as much calm as she could muster.

"Sam, look around you, things are already different," Jack said while waving his arms around.

"What's different?" She questioned, her temper starting to flare.

"We are different for one," Jack stated as he ran a hand through his hair. "You can't honestly tell me you are the same naïve captain that I met 11 years ago. You have changed since then, for the better, you handle yourself differently. You know for a fact that our first 'meeting' was different this go around."

"Jack..." she tried to break in.

"No, Sam, I have seen enough already. I can't let you be taken away by Turghan and hope that he doesn't do anything worse than last time. I can't let him take you, knowing that I can stop it. I have already had enough taken from me," Jack finished with authority and intense feeling.

"Jack," she whispered. "Emma was taken from me, too."

Jack dropped his head and felt Sam's warm hand on his shoulder. "I want her back, Jack. And since I can't figure out how to get us back, I don't want to screw up our chances of seeing her again."

"I think we already have, Sam," Jack started.

"You don't know that," Sam said with her own authority.

"Sam, we already have changed things! We could follow everything to a tee and 11 years from now we still won't be holding a little black haired blue eyed baby girl, but a bald brown eyed little boy instead." Seeing Sam's exterior strength start to crumble, Jack took her in his arms and continued. "We have already changed things," he whispered.

"I can't stand the thought of losing her," she sniffled. "She's our baby, Jack, and I want her back. If it means living through all the hard times again, then so be it."

"Sam..." Jack started.

"No. If in 11 years we are holding a bald baby boy, then at least we'll know we didn't give up on Emma." Jack knew right then that he had lost the battle.

Jack walked down the hallway towards his favorite place at the SGC.

Rounding the corner, he walked into Sam's lab to see her hunched over another complicated doohickey.

"Carter, I'm not going to have to drag you out of here again, am I?" he asked with a hint of a joke in his voice.

"Sam?" he asked, after he didn't get the response he expected. Still not getting anything from her, he walked over and spun her around so she was facing him. "Sam?" he repeated.

It took just one look at Sam before Jack pulled her into a hug. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

Sniffling, Sam answered, "I can't figure it out."

"The doohickey? Shouldn't this be easier the second time around?" Jack questioned, getting the giggle from Sam he hoped for.

"No," she stopped to take a calming breath. "I can't figure out why we're here and how to get us home."

"Ah."

"It doesn't make since, Jack," she said as she pulled away from him and started pacing. "We were doing different things; the only commonality was that we were in the same house. I hadn't been in the SGC or near anything alien for over a month. You hadn't done anything but push papers around for the last year," she said as she waved her hand towards him. "Sorry, Jack." She added, looking guilty.

"Its okay, Sam, I was flying a desk." He rebutted and then waved at her to continue.

"I can't get us home because I can't figure out how we got here," she said in frustration. "I have no idea, I've got nothing! It's like the powers that be just decided we needed a fresh start."

"Okay so time for plan B?" Jack asked.

"Plan B?" Sam parroted.

"Get help, you know ask our allies," Jack said, simply.

"No! We can't do that, Jack," she stated, firmly.

"Why not? You said you were out of ideas," he questioned.

"That would change the future and I can't risk that, not if we are stuck here for good," she finished.

"So, what now?" Jack asked. "Continue like we have?"

"Yes," was all Sam said and Jack knew they would continue like they were, in the hopes that Sam would figure it out or that everything would return to normal once they were holding baby Emma in their arms.

Things continued like they did the first time yet there were subtle differences. Jack knew where the bad guys were shooting from this time, he knew what to expect when things hit the fan, and more importantly knew to step around the pothole that screwed his knee up really good last time.

There were also big changes: when they were in Antarctica they talked about how much they loved each other, and how they hoped Daniel would hurry it up. There was also the fact that Sam would show up at his place after every bad mission they had. They never got past the need to hug each other, and he couldn't wait for the time loop so he could kiss his wife again, and again, and again. Everything was going along smoothly, until they found themselves in the distant future after leaving 1969.

Jack looked up from his position on the floor, jumping through the Stargate to the future hurt just as much as last time. He gave himself a quick check; nope, didn't get hit by any bullets. He stood up and dusted himself off a bit as he looked around.

This moment was going to be telling of the future to come. If Cassie walked through those doors, the possibility for Emma was still there, if not, he couldn't think about it now.

The first good sign was, as Jack scanned the room, that everything looked the same as last time; a dark, closed down SGC.

"Auntie Em? Auntie Em?" Why not? Jack mused, it had been a while since he had made an Oz reference.

Sam rolled her eyes before asking, "Where is everyone?" She knew they were just waiting for one person. As if on cue, the doors to the Gateroom opened and an elderly woman walked in. This is when Jack knew that something had changed.

"Hello," the older woman spoke with a kind voice. Jack took one look at her, and he saw an older version of Sam with graying hair but with his smile.

"Emma?" Jack questioned, quietly. She gave a soft giggle.

"No," she answered, "But you and mom did tell me about her."

"So no Emma?" Sam asked, quietly.

"You, more than anyone, know I can't answer that question," the woman replied.

"Who are you?" Daniel jumped in, quizzically.

"I can't tell you, Daniel, but I can say it is good seeing you with a full head of hair," she said with a giggle. "Now if I remember correctly, you have entered the Stargate too soon. I've come to send you back." She said with a lop-sided grin that was all O'Neill.

"How did you know we'd come here?" Daniel questioned.

"Dad explained it all to me when I was old enough; he said I would have to send you home."

"Self-fulfilling prophecy," Sam whispered.

"Ya betcha," the woman replied. "Now as much as I would love to catch up, you have to go." The woman lifted her hand and touched the device. The puddle of blue water magically appeared with no kawoosh or chevron-locking. Sam punched in the code for the GDO.

"I can tell you, your journey is just beginning," the woman said, excitedly. "Now go before it's to late!"

SG-1 started walking up the ramp, Daniel and Teal'c stepped through the wormhole.

"Mom," the woman called out just before Sam and Jack stepped through. They looked back to see the woman standing nervously behind them. "I may not be Emma, but I wouldn't be here if you waited. The future is wonderful, changes and all." With that she waved goodbye. Jack grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her through the 'gate.

The End