Authors Notes: There was a challenge to write a story about what would have happened if the events of 2010 were different. This was my response.

Authors Notes 2: This story takes place in the year 2011, however most of it is a flashback.

This is a day that is supposed to be hectic. It's usually not spent on quiet
reflection, but you know what, I've had enough chaos for ten lifetimes. My life
didn't turn out how everyone expected, least of all me, although I am happy now.

If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have said that I would marry Jackwhen one or both of us left the SGC. I also would have been wrong. Jack and Inever married, in fact I married someone else. I would have married Jack then and he would have married me as well. Instead we were forced out of not only the SGC, but also the Air Force, and then the hatred began. So we separated, and I married Joe, but I was never truly happy. I think it's because I never loved Joe the way I loved Jack, the way I still love Jack. Joe was always second best when it came to my heart. I think he always knew that, but I believe he thought he would one day win complete domination over my heart. I guess I always thought he might too, but he never did.

Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing, if I did I might not be where I am today. Things, may not have worked out how I though they would, but everything works out for the best. I know that now.

I wonder how I got here today. Was it chance, or was it fate, and then I remember.

The beginning of the end; we were at downtime at Jacks' and Cassie's birthday was the next day...

/ "Hey guys what are we going to do for Cassie's birthday? Got any ideas
Danny-boy?"

"Jack I don't have a clue. Personally I was never an eight year old girl, were
you?"

"Very funny, Space Monkey, very funny. Sam honey, could you please bring me a beer." He calls out to me. I'm just glad he didn't think we should hide our
relationship from our friends. I reach into the refrigerator and pull out a beer
for Jack, myself, and Daniel, and a coke for Teal'c. I go back into the living
room and hand Daniel and Teal'c their drinks, but decide to play keep away with
Jack's. I sit down next to him, and we end up in a faux wrestling match over the
beer.

He soon has me pinned and begins to kiss me. Unfortunately, Daniel and his
spectacular sense of timing, decides to interrupt just as it's getting
passionate. So we settle for me stretched out with my head in Jack's lap.

"Guys we need to think of something in the next," he checks his watch, "fourteen hours, and I don't know about the two of you" he says pointing to Jack and I,

"but I'M planning on getting at least eight hours of sleep. Eight year olds have
energy oozing out of every pore in their bodies."

"Okay, I have a suggestion." I say, "Jack do you remember when we werebabysitting my nephews? We took them to Odyssey Fun World. We could take Cassie there too."

"Yasureyabetcha. It can even be a learning experience for Teal'c. Danny call
Janet, and then we can play poker or something till we go to bed. I'm assuming
you guys are crashing here."

And we did. If it wasn't for my suggestion, our relationship wouldn't have ended
how or when it did. On the other hand, if it didn't end how it did, I wouldn't
be happy today. And I know it would have ended, It just wasn't the right time.

We didn't wait long enough.

I wake up to someone kissing my neck. "Good morning." His voice is still husky
from sleep. He pins me underneath him, and steals my lips in a passionate kiss.
Through my desire fogged brain, I manage to remember who's in the next room.

"Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are in the next room."

"So, if they here us, Danny will blush and Teal'c will be Teal'c."

"Jack as much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day, we have to get up and go to Janet's." He groans and rolls off of me.

He had fun waking up Daniel and Teal'c though. We stood in the doorway with him whispering

"Danny, time to get up Danny." So then he walked up next to the bed,
leaned down and screamed "Space Monkey" in Daniel's ear louder than a drill
sergeant with hemorrhoids. The only sign that Teal'c was even awake was his
raised eyebrow.

"Come on you two, hit the showers while we start breakfast, then
we'll switch. We have to be at Janet's by 1100 hours, and it's already 0930."

We start breakfast while Daniel and Teal'c shower, then we switch. Jack and I share a shower to 'conserve water' yeah that was it. At least this way we didn't have to wash the sheets. We shower, eat breakfast, and we manage to get to Janet's a few minutes early.

The six of us all pack into Jack's jeep, and it's off toOdyssey. When we get there, Cassie wants to play games, so we play games for a couple of hours. We must look supremely idiotic-five adults and one child-playing like children here, but it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because we're having fun. That's one of the things I love most about Jack, he's willing to let go and have fun. We eat pizza for lunch, and then we decide to play in the tubes/ball pit.

After chasing each other around the tubes for ours we all end up collapsing in the ball pit. We lounge around for about twenty minutes until Jack keeps tossing ball after ball at me. This means war. With Teal'c covering me, I make my way across the ball pit, and tackle Jack. We end up wrestling around, and that eventually leads to Jack pinning me.

"Concede?" He asks me.

"I'll never concede to you, you underhanded, slimy, snakehead!" I answer him
good-naturedly, he knows that I'm only kidding.

"Now I know that you'd never have sex with, let alone be in love with one of
those pompous sons of bitches." He says it with smile, and I can tell where this
conversation is headed.

"Yeah but I do love your snake..." but I'm interrupted before I can finish the
statement.

"What?" We all turn around to look at the owner of the voice, it's familiar, but
I can't quite place the voice.

"Simmons, what are you doing here?" Jack says to him. Oh shit, I can tell this
is not going to turn out well.