Chapter 1

Sam Carter stood in old stained jeans and a ragged t-shirt with a paint roller in hand looking at her handiwork. The pink paint was still wet and starting to dry slightly. She nodded in approval.

Janet Frasier walked into the room holding two glasses of lemonade. She also wore old ragged clothes for the work was messy. She grinned, "Here Sam!"

She put down the roller and took the drink, "Thanks."

Janet looked about, "Cassie will love it. Thank you for helping me paint her room."

"She deserves it," she told her. She took a sip as her mind seemed to wander in thought.

"I can't believe I'm suddenly a mom," Janet confessed. "I never thought I would adopt a child much less one from another planet."

"I'm glad you did adopt her," Sam replied. "You would make a great mom."

"So would you," Janet assured her.

Sam just looked at the floor for a moment.

"What?" she found the reaction odd.

"I am," she told her and then looked at her for a reaction.

"You're a mom?" she asked confused. "You don't have kids."

"I had one," Sam confessed. "My mother had just died and I was a wreck. I was mad at my father and mad at the world. I didn't listen to my father. I had a boyfriend. He tried to help me through it but we were both kids and I got pregnant. My father said that keeping the baby would ruin my life, my career and my chances at getting into a good college. He arranged for the baby to be adopted. I know it was a girl and she had a thick head of hair when she born but I never got to hold her. The nurses immediately took her away in fear I would bond with her. I never saw her and I have no idea who adopted her."

"How old where you?" Janet gasped.

"Sixteen," she told her. "I put it behind me and went on. It's just with adopting Cassie, I just wonder where she is and what she is doing."

"You ever think of trying to find her?" she asked.

Sam shook her head, "Nah…She was adopted and has a family. I don't want to come in and mess her life up. I was a troubled teen who just lost my mom and got in a mess. I don't want to dig all that up again."

"I can understand," she sympathized. "Maybe someone day you will meet her."

Sam laughed a little to herself in doubt, "Maybe." She then looked at the room, "I sure hope Cassie likes pink."

Janet informed, "If she doesn't she will learn to because we are not painting this again."

Sam chuckled, "Right!"

Few Years Later

She sat down on her cot looking at the file before her. She was tall for a woman and had dark brown hair and blue eyes. She sported green battle dress with the rank of senior airman and a badge for medical technician. Her name badge read "Carter" in bold letters.

Another woman walked into the women's barrack on the base. She had light brown hair and hazel eyes and sported the same uniform with a M.P. badge. She gave her friend a smile, "What ya got there, June?"

"My birth certificate," she told her.

"What cha' need it for?" she wondered.

"To pass the background checks," she told her. "My mother's name was Samantha." she mentioned offhand.

"You don't know your mother's name?" she cocked an eyebrow.

"I never met her," she informed. "I was supposed to have been adopted and that fell through. I went into foster care after that. My records were kept from me but never sealed. My father is not listed and according to the report she was a minor."

"You don't have any parents!" her friend gasped.

"Nope," she shook her head. "You're lucky to have your parents, Sophia. Foster care isn't the same."

"My folks are divorced and don't talk to one another," she replied.

"But they talk to you," she countered. "Count that as a big plus."

"But all they do is bitch about each other to me," she told her. "Maybe not having folks is a good thing. You can be your own boss and not have to worry about it."

She shook her head, "Until mother's day rolls around and all the kids in school are making cards for their moms and you are there making a card for someone lady you just met who collects money off of you."

"How many foster homes did you have?" she wondered.

"Dozens," she sighed. "A few were good but no one ever wanted to adopt me. Some said they did but never filed paper work." She closed up the file with her records. "Are you getting transferred?"

"Yup," she nodded and grinned, "I got Area 51 detail."

"Ah' man," she winced. "I got the NORAD site in Colorado. Wish I got Area 51."

"Why you want Area 51?" she asked knowing.

"Because I want to see if E.T. is real," June cheered.

Sophia lay down on her cot and placed her tired feet up, "Me too! If I see an E.T. I'll let ya know."

"Promise?" she pleaded.

"I promise," she pledged. "So, you figure out what colleges you are going to apply for once you get out?"

"Not sure," she sighed. "I'm debating between medical school or going into a field in physics."

Sophia stated, "You should go into criminal justice and become a private detective. You could be the next Sherlock Holmes. It amazes me how you can look at a problem and figure it so fast." She sat up and leaned to her side, "You know research suggest you get up to 80% of your intelligence from your mother. If that's true then your mom is a genius because you are freaky smart."

June rebutted, "I'm 20% dumber."

Sophia asked, "You ever think of finding her?"

June didn't answer.

She squinted, "You did find her?"

"I tracked down my ancestors on her side on a website. Her father is a retired general. I think she might be military." she figured. "She's listed having a PhD."

"See," she wagged her finger. "You get it from your birth mother."

"I'm not that smart," she shook her head.

Sophia lay on her back and picked up a crossword puzzle. She chuckled, "Sure you're not. Hey, what's the longest river in Spain?"

"Tagus," she replied.

Sophia stated, "See! I wouldn't have known that. How do you know that? You're a walking encyclopedia."

"I have a photographic memory," she informed. "I memorize maps." She pondered, "Maybe I'll become a Forest Ranger when I get out?"

Sophia looked over, "Forest Ranger? Why?"

"I know all the maps and I like to explore things," she figured.

"Yo! Earth to Dora the Explorer! Forest Rangers do not make shit." She shook her head, "If I had 1/10th your brain I would be a brain surgeon."

June miffed, "I like the outdoors."

"Whatever," Sophia went back to her puzzle.

Few Weeks Later

Senior Airman June Carter stood in the elevator in her dress blues as she reported to duty in the mountain base. The elevator came to a stop early and the door slid open. Major Samantha Carter stood with a hand truck and a stack of boxes to roll onto the elevator.

"Can you get the door?" Sam asked.

June held the button as Sam gently walked the hand truck onto the elevator. She placed the truck down and stood behind the stack of boxes that blocked most of her view. She looked over at the new face, "New here airman?"

"Yes ma'am," she nodded.

"What's your department?" she asked.

"Medical," she told her. "I'm a medic. What's your department, ma'am?"

"Physics," she told her.

"Really?" she perked up for that one of the fields she debated going to college for. "I was thinking of going into that field with the G.I. bill once I get out."

Sam beamed, "You are?"

"That or medicine," she confessed as they rode the elevator down.

"Well, if you have any questions you can always ask me." she told her.

"I appreciate that," June told her.

"It's Major Carter," Sam informed. "I figured you can't see my name with all these boxes."

June asked, "Your name is Carter?"

"Yes," she nodded. "And you are?"

"Senior Airman June Carter." she told her.

Sam grinned, "Your last name is Carter?" She figured it was coincidence.

She nodded, "It is." She gulped wondering if she just came face-to-face with her birth mother. She prayed Major Carter's first name wasn't Samantha.

The door opened early once more as Daniel stepped onto the lift. He spotted Sam with a stack of boxes and trying to maneuver. He stated, "Let me help you with that, Sam." he took control of the hand truck.

She wiped her hands, "Thanks Daniel."

June stood looking rather pale and staring at Sam.

Sam asked her, "You look into colleges yet?"

She shook her head.

"Once you are settled in come to my office and I can tell you about a few I attended." she suggested.

She stated, "Sounds good."

Daniel looked baffled.

Sam explained, "She's thinking about going into a field in physics with her G.I. bill."

"Ah," he gave a nod, "Not sure what college to go to huh?"

She shook her head, "I might just become a Forest Ranger." she determined at that point.

Sam asked, "Why would you do that? You just told me you were interested in medicine and physics."

"I have a photographic memory and I memorize maps," she explained.

"Photographic memory?" Sam asked surprised.

June nodded.

The door opened and Daniel rolled the hand truck off carrying the stack of boxes to Sam's office. Sam walked beside June for a moment.

"Well," Sam began "obviously I can't tell you want to do but if you do have questions about the field you can find me in this office." she pointed.

"Thanks," June told her as they reached her office.

Curiously Sam asked, "Do I know your folks? I mean our last names are the same."

June replied, "I grew up in foster care." She shook her head, "I don't have folks."

"What do you mean you don't have parents? Even in foster care you have parents." she figured.

June explained, "I was given up for adoption but it fell through. I never met my parents." She then continued, "Thanks for the invitation, Major. I have to report for duty now." She then continued down the hall trying to get Sam out of her mind.

Sam stood pondering.

Daniel set the truck down inside the office and asked, "You okay?"

Sam shook herself, "I'm okay."

"You looked a little pale," he told her.

"It's nothing," she replied wondering if she just met her daughter that she gave up so long ago.

"Seems like a nice kid," Daniel mentioned ready to leave.

"You went into foster care a few times, right Daniel?" she asked.

"After my parents died and my grandpa had to go out of the country he would drop me in foster care." he stated.

"What was that like?" she asked him.

"Some of the homes were great and others you just felt like a cash cow," he admitted. "Usually, there were other foster kids. Some adopted the kids and other just used it as income…Depends on the family. I was never promised adoption because for me it was temporary but I saw kids get real attached to the foster parents, promised adoption and then get moved on to another family or go back to their abusive parents. It was heart breaking. I'm glad I had my parents as a little kid. Some kids never really knew their parents." He noticed her distraught face. "You okay, Sam? You look like you've just seen a ghost." He pushed the hand truck with boxes into her office as Sam followed.

"What happens to a baby if an adoption falls through and that baby ends up in foster care with no parents?" she wondered.

Daniel figured, "If the baby isn't adopted by a foster family it would just go from family to family until adulthood I suppose…I'm not really sure to be honest."

"So she would have no family," Sam figured.

Daniel nodded, "Could happen. You okay?"

"I'm fine," she sighed. She then went to the boxes. "I have work to do."

"Okay," he figured she wanted to be alone. "Need some help just call me."

"Thanks," she replied opening the first box.

He lingered for a moment and then slowly walked out the door worried for Sam seemed upset to him and he wasn't sure why.