A/N

No I haven't given up on this story. I'm really sorry that it's taken so long to update. I had the first little part written for quite a while and then I kind of got sidetracked by life - and Jon :-)

Thanks so much for all the reviews for the first two chapters and all the follows and favs - hopefully I haven't lost too many people's interest while I've been procrastinating.

I hope you enjoy and I've put in a 'previously' for a reminder of where we were at.

Thanks for the beta read by TamaraJagellovsk :-)

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Previously...

'She opened her eyes and looked at him. "I understand why you did what you did..." He smiled and she continued. "It still doesn't mean I agree with it." And she watched his face fall.

"So we're not okay?" he asked.

The tone of his voice sent a spike through her and God help her if she wasn't still in love with him. But right now she still couldn't bring herself to completely forgive him. But for the sake of this mission, she had to at least try.

"Not yet," she replied truthfully. "But...well, maybe we will be." His face lit up, his eyes full of hope and she had the sudden urge to go to him, to hold him, kiss him, love him. But she knew she wasn't ready for that yet so she gripped the arm of the couch and kept her seat.

"I should go," she said finally.

He got up and followed her to the door, wanting desperately to touch her, pull her to him, hold her, but he didn't dare. Not yet. And any direct chain of command issues they were going to face when he did? Well they weren't even on the radar right now.

"Well I guess I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning Captain," he said as she opened the door.

She turned back to him and gave him a faint smile. "Yes sir!" she replied before she turned and walked to her sporty little Volvo.

He watched her all the way up the street before he closed his front door. As he walked back to his kitchen he thought about that small smile she had given him and hoped it was because she was thinking about the prospect of seeing him again. He snorted. "Who am I kidding?" he mumbled aloud. I'm not the love of her life anymore, he thought picturing the big shimmering puddle of the event horizon.'

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The next morning they entered the gate room in their desert BDU's, then they got the go ahead from Hammond and Jack gave the order to move out. He glanced sideways at her and couldn't help but smirk at how cute she looked all kitted out in her desert gear, the pack looking huge strapped to her back. He successfully fought the urge to check her weapons and go through her pack like he was sending her off on her first day of school...just. But he did stay next to her.

"Captain?" he asked when she hadn't moved.

"Oh, don't worry Colonel, I won't let you down," she replied looking at him.

He stared at her a moment, "Good. I was going to say ladies first," he said as he moved to walk up the ramp.

"You know you really will like me when you get to know me," she said as she followed behind him.

He turned towards her slightly not knowing what had possessed her to say it, perhaps it was for the benefit of anyone she thought may be listening. He didn't try to mask his own feelings when he answered her all too truthfully. "Oh, I adore you already Captain."

She hung back and stared at the shimmering vertical pool of light, mesmerised by not only the wonder but the science of it.

He remembered a time she used to look at him like that and wondered briefly if it was at all normal to be jealous of a wormhole. Then he gave her a look as she began to expound on the wonders of the...fluctuations of the event horizon?

Jack really wanted to take her hand and make that first journey through with her, but he decided that it probably wouldn't be classed as standard commanding officer-subordinate behaviour, so he settled for placing his hand on her back, pausing briefly, savouring the first contact they'd had in over two years, before he pushed her through. He came out the other side half frozen just like he remembered, to see her sitting bent forward on the steps.

"Oh I think I'm gonna be sick," she said.

He walked over to her. "Maybe you shouldn't have had that big lunch huh?" he asked as he patted her arm on the way past. Up to second contact already, he thought. Things were looking up.

Then all of a sudden there were a lot of guns pointed at them. Jack was just starting to get concerned that someone may get hurt when Daniel showed up seemingly out of nowhere to calm the young gate guards.

When the guns were lowered and Jack could breath again he realised he'd somehow ended up right next to Carter without even realising he'd moved. Deciding to push that away for analysis at a more fitting time he turned to look past the archaeologist. He knew Danny would be a little pissed that he'd acknowledged Skaara first...but hey...he'd missed the kid.

Before he'd even really had a chance to say a proper hello to Daniel his attention was drawn by Carter...and her somewhat loud declaration of adoration for the device they used to dial home. He managed to suppress the smile that threatened. He hated scientists...so it really wouldn't look good to be mooning all over one as she geeked out over a piece of alien tech. No matter how cool the alien tech. Or how hot the scientist...

It took him a couple of tries but he finally got her attention away from the device long enough to indicate that there was someone she really should meet.

"Doctor Jackson I presume," she said with a killer smile. "I'm Doctor Samantha Carter."

Jack looked at her. Is she kidding here...or is she trying to piss me off!?

"I thought you wanted to be called Captain," he reminded her and she sent him a look that would have earned any other Captain under his command a swift reprimand accompanied by a swift kick in the ass. Another thing he'd have to store away to be analysed at a later date as Daniel claimed his attention once again.

Jack told him what happened at the SGC and to his surprise Daniel was adamant that the hostiles could not have come through the Abydos gate. Jack was skeptical to say the least, but could really think of no reason the younger man would have to lie to him about it. When Kawalsky said that one of them looked like Ra, Daniel seemed to have a thought and announced that he thought he could help them figure out who it was?! As keen as Jack was to find out what was going on he could tell, even from inside, that there was one hell of a storm brewing outside, so he didn't argue when Daniel suggested they partake in their evening meal until the storm had passed.

They sat around a fire, bodies filling the room almost to capacity as food was shared around. Jack tried not to pay particular attention to the fact that out of the many people in the room, Carter ended up sitting right next to him. Very close to him. He tried not to pay attention, but it sure as hell had to mean something. Right? And then Skaara brought the drink. If you could call the strongest moonshine Jack had ever tasted 'drink'.

He exaggerated his reaction to the liquid and when he turned to pass the cup to her...God it feels good to be able to make her laugh again...

And then a few minutes later Daniel dropped his little bomb.

"So this man that looked like Ra, he must have come through another gate," he said oh so nonchalantly.

Annnnddd didn't that get Carters attention, Jack thought as he expressed his own disbelief at Daniels statement.

"The Stargate only goes here," she said.

Daniel smiled. "I think you're wrong about that."

"I was there, we ran hundreds of permutations," she argued.

"But you didn't have what you need..."

Jacks eyes flicked from Daniel to Sha're and he didn't miss the woman's unease at hearing her husband talk in such a way, but he wasn't here to worry about Daniels wife's feelings. "Daniel what are you talking about?"

When Skaara reappeared to tell him the storm had passed, Daniel stood. "I'll show you."

Jack watched as he told Sha're what was happening. Then he frowned slightly at the woman's seemingly way over the top reaction to being told they were effectively going next door. Right before he stood Jack glanced back at Carter, and taking into account the conversation she and Daniel had been having, Jack realised that maybe the woman was simply staking her claim on her man, thinking that Carter was some kind of threat. Sha're was certainly beautiful, but looking at Carter, he could understand any insecurity she may have had.

Daniel led them to another room and showed them...well Jack wasn't really sure what it was he was looking at. He rolled his eyes slightly as Carter started to geek out and was thankful that Daniel didn't follow. Well not right away. He listened as Daniel explained his theory on what the symbols on the walls meant, then he listened as Carter argued against it. Both arguments seemed to have merit to him, but if Carter said they'd tried a crap load of symbols and no other combinations worked...

And then...he listened as the archaeologist suggested to the astrophysicist that stellar drift may be the cause of the gate addresses not working...and wow! Ouch that had to hurt. Jack smiled though as, to her credit, she completely skipped over that fact and took on board everything Daniel had to say. And then he was astounded as, in what seemed like seconds, between them they had postulated not only a theory about where the Ra look-a-like could have come from, and why other gate addresses weren't working, but how to actually compensate for why they weren't working. They'd just opened up a whole galaxy. A galaxy of possible wonders, and possible threats. Jack shook his head in wonder at his two scientists. He'd always thought they'd get along...and he was suddenly very glad that Daniel had a wife!

The probability of that threat became so much more apparent when they arrived back in the Stargate chamber to death and destruction, Ferretti badly wounded. And Sha're and Skaara taken. He would brook no argument from Daniel now. There was no time to waste. The threat was real, and it was here. He felt sorry for Daniel that his wife was taken, he really really did. But God help him if he wasn't relieved that Carter had been with him. That it was Sha're that was taken and not Sam.

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A/N

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I promise it won't take me as long to update as it did last time :-)

As always - lemme know what you think :-)