"When I come back here," Sam addressed General O'Neill. "How will we know for sure that I get back to the right reality?"
"I'll wait for you," Daniel volunteered. "In front of our mirror. She'll be able to see me there, right?" he asked Jack.
Jack nodded.
"Then we should agree on a day and time," Sam suggested logically. "Unless you wanted to stand there all day every day until I show up again," she added lightly to Daniel.
"How long do you think it will take to figure out their device?" Hammond asked her.
"Hard to say, sir," she answered. "A few days? Maybe a week?"
Hammond nodded. "Give it a week, just to be sure."
"Yes, sir."
Daniel quickly counted ahead. "Then I guess we'll see you again next Thursday."
"High noon?" Jack quipped.
Daniel shrugged. "Sure."
"And this thing controls the mirror?" Sam examined the piece that Jack had singled out from the other artifacts laid out on Daniel's tables. "How does it work?"
"I'll show you," Jack replied, stepping a little closer to her. "Just think of it like a TV remote, with less buttons."
He took one of her hands and held it palm-up, placing the remote in the middle. "Touch that part," he instructed, pointing a finger at one small panel.
Sam glanced up at him briefly before looking at the object again and touching the surface.
The mirror came to life with a low, brief sound.
Startled, Sam's glance darted briefly to Jack and then back to the mirror.
She stepped closer to get a better look. "That's incredible," she murmured in awe, stretching her fingers toward the image that was not a mere reflection.
"Ah!" Jack grabbed her wrist before she could touch the surface. "Not so fast, Major," he chided gently. "We have to find the right place first."
"Of course. Sorry, sir," Sam apologized, drawing her hand back.
"Quite alright, Carter." He released her wrist. Still standing close beside her, he placed a hand under hers again, lifting the remote to a comfortable level.
"That's your channel-changer," he said, touching the small disc on the remote's other panel.
His shoulder brushed lightly against hers, and Sam's breath caught in her throat. He was standing awfully close, and her traitorous skin was tingling at his touch. But this wasn't her Jack and it just wasn't fair!
She had to put some distance between them. "Daniel, you want to try it?" she offered, taking a step forward and holding out the remote device to him.
"Yeah," Daniel accepted eagerly, stepping up to the mirror.
Jack cleared his throat and shuffled back a few feet, giving Daniel—and Sam, too—plenty of space.
She felt almost chilled now without the natural warmth of his being nearby. She shivered slightly, but covered by crossing her arms and shifting on her heels.
Daniel slowly scrolled through the different worlds in the mirror, and Jack took a moment to study Sam as she watched in fascination.
This was kind of weird, his teaching Sam Carter about the quantum mirror when Sam Carter was the one who'd shown him how to use it the first time.
He turned his attention back to the mirror which was changing realities faster now than before. "Whoa, Danny," he said, catching a quick glimpse of one that flashed by. "Go back one."
Daniel complied.
"Nope, one more. Ah…keep going."
With another tiny turn of the disc, Daniel had it.
"That's where we're going," Jack said confidently.
Daniel squinted at it. "How can you be sure? It looks like other ones I passed up."
"Trust me, I just know," Jack replied vaguely, trying to maintain a vain appearance of intelligence above the other man.
"But how?" Daniel pressed, wanting the logical explanation.
Jack sighed, letting go of his air of superiority. "Siler slopped paint on ours," he revealed simply, pointing to a small spot of white just barely visible on the surface near the bottom of the mirror. "It was turned off at the time, so the paint just dried there."
Sam knelt down to get a better look. There was paint, and she was looking at the back side of it through the mirror as though it was just a clear pane of glass.
She turned to look up at Jack, curiosity evident on her face. "How come it doesn't get transferred to the other side when the mirror comes on? Since it is touching the surface?"
Jack shrugged. "Don't know, Carter. But it makes a nifty little landmark, if you know what I mean."
"It must be because paint's not an organic life-form," Sam murmured to herself thoughtfully, straightening up again.
He didn't want to hear any theories she might start babbling about that. He turned to address General Hammond. "George, it's been great to see you but time's a-wasting."
Hammond nodded solemnly. "Likewise, Jack." To Sam, he said, "Major, you have a go."
"You sure you want to come?" Jack gave her one more chance to back out.
"Um, no," she answered while actually nodding her head 'yes'. She picked up the small knapsack she'd packed at home and slung it over her shoulder.
Daniel grinned at her encouragingly. "Good luck."
"Thanks."
Jack stood before the mirror, one hand held just in front of the surface as he waited for Sam to do the same. Together, they touched the mirror and were immediately transported to the other side.
Daniel's eyebrows raised in the air. "Cool."
On the other side, Jack gave one wave goodbye. Then he picked up his own remote device from a table and the mirror went blank.