A/N: I thought that by the end, they were back to their own characters… I hope you did too! Enjoy the story, and thanks for reading =)

Sam Carter had been off field duty and on desk work for two months, 1 week and 6 days. She was slowly losing her sanity. Sam had always been ambitious. She liked to get her hands dirty, so to speak. Even as a child she had been too active to sit still, she'd stand at her desk, or pace the floors as she discovered a new artifact, which was no wonder then that she itched to go through the stargate again, to be out there with her team, another world, light years away, fighting enemies and saving the world. There was only so much she could do on base.

Sam had resolved to speak to Colonel Jack O'Neill, who since "desk duty" been the reason she hadn't been discovering new planets. Their relationship had progressed through the many, many months, at the Stargate program, but one dire situation had forced everything to come to a head. Sam and Jack had agreed to give things a go, to see where their relationship could go if given the opportunity. So far it had been more than perfect, it had been everything she wanted from him, he had been attentive, when he could, and thoughtful, he had dropped his sarcasm whenever they were alone together. He was simply Jack.

But now Sam was at a loss, it wasn't that her love for Jack had plummeted, on the contrary, she had gained immense respect for him over the course of their new-found romance. But Sam's heart ached to be out in the field. She'd held off as long as she could, but she knew if she didn't discuss her feelings with him, resentment would soon follow.

It was only 2 hours later when Jack returned from his latest mission on PX3789, after his debrief he made his way to Sam's quarters. She was already waiting.

He enveloped her in a hug and for a moment, the two seized the opportunity to hold onto the moment, the relief of being together, however short their time was, before the next stargate mission.

"God, I missed you, Carter," he whispered softly in her ear. Sam closed her eyes imprinting his voice in her mind. "I hate leaving you," he confessed lifting his chin to her index finger. She smiled adoringly at him, her eyes sharing her every emotion. He gently kissed her and smiled tucking her short-blonde hair behind her ears.

"Then don't leave me," she whispered nervously. Sam didn't want to lose him, but her heart yearned for him too often they were apart. She saw him more frequently when they were out on missions.

Jack stepped back, slight confusion evident on his face. "Captain…" despite her resignation from his team, he still called her by her rank, and on rare occasions Sam found herself whispering the name… Sir.

"I miss being out there, Jack. I've never been tied down. I like playing with dirt… I like being out there," she gestured to the door. "I miss the missions," she confessed.

"I know," he nodded thoughtfully. "It hasn't been the same without you." He pulled his arms around her waist and brought her forward. "Do you want to rejoin the stargate program?" he asked with a gentle voice.

"How can we do that?" she shrugged sadly. "I don't want to give this up… you and me."

"I want you to be happy," he admitted.

Sam smiled. Jack made her happy, but she was beginning to see that it wasn't even for her in this life. She needed more. She needed to explore all the possibilities.

"I'd like to be on missions with you," she confessed.

"You know that means we can't…" he didn't need to finish his sentence; they both knew how it ended.

Sam nodded. "How would you feel if-"

"You know how I feel about you, Sam," he confirmed. "If you'd be happy, well… I want that for you Carter, you know that."

Again Sam nodded. Jack hugged her again, she clung to him, knowing that once she let go, all the rules changed. Before either of them pulled away, Jack lowered his head brushing his lips against hers as a final attempt to savor the moment that would soon come to an abrupt end.

"I do care about you, Jack," she murmured.

Jack nodded. "I know. Look at the upside though… you'll be back with me, and Teal'c and Daniel, saving the world. And what could be better than that," he smiled.

Sam beamed at the prospect of being back with the team. "I should talk to General Hammond," she said.

"Yeah, okay."

Sam had to pry herself away, and as she moved passed him; pausing her eyes as she brushed his shoulder. An ache washed over her. It actually dawned on her that she had to give him up. While she gained more time with him in the field, what she lost was the intimacy of his affection. He would no longer embrace her in a hug, or come into her quarters after a mission to press his lips to hers and tell her he missed her. There would be no future talk of the future, plans to share their lives together, no marriage, no children. She would lose the playful, emotional, affection Jack O'Neill, and replacing him would be the protective, too-serious, slightly sarcastic, all-business Colonel Jack O'Neill, Sir.

She imprinted what little moment she had left of loving him openly, and in that slight pause as their shoulders brushed, he seemed to understand her hesitation. "Remember," he smiled cheekily. "I'll be thinking about you on every mission, every after mission debrief, every time I have to sit across the table from you while we discuss our next tactic. Every moment we're together, every moment we're apart… I'll want to kiss you. You'll see it on my face, very clearly. Every time I watch the Simpsons and Homer makes one of his oh-so-dumb comments, I'll be loving you."

Sam wondered then if she was making a mistake, had she given up too easily? It must have been evident on her face because Jack spoke accordingly.

"It'll seem worth it when we rid the world of an alien take-over. Remind yourself from time to time, we're saving the world," a sadness clouded his eyes. "And I'll do the same… Sam," he sighed.

Sam stood still, her eyes locked on his, and as she stepped away, he was quick to pull her back, pulling her tightly against him. "I might not get a chance to do that again," he whispered.

Sam narrowed her eyes. "I understand… Sir," it took effort to speak the title this time, both of them knowing it meant the end of their romance, an unspoken ending to the still blossoming love and respect that was enveloped in both their hearts.

"I'll be seeing you, Captain," Jack gave one slight nod of the head, and with a final smile, he exited the room, leaving Sam watching after him, a tear forming in the corner of her eyes.

But Sam Carter knew, that this was not the end for Sam and Jack… time would be on their side again, someday… and until then somewhere in the universe, in another reality, Sam and Jack already had their happily ever after.

I changed the ending slightly, cause I originally had her in Hammonds office asking to rejoin the program, but it seemed unnecessary. This way is better I think… how do you feel? All comments are welcome! =)