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Chapter 4 - Another Carter
Jack looked at Janet, as she was leaving to return to her laboratory. She wanted to analyze the samples she collected. O'Neill took a deep breath and entered the room . When he opened the door , he saw the women's movement in the room. She stood up to attention , ready to talk. However, she froze when she recognized him. If Jack was prepared to see her, she did not know he was coming . He noticed her sad look. He had never hated any Samantha Carter he had met or known, in any alternate universe. But, this one, in front of him... He realized more clearly what he'd lost.
" Colonel O'N... Sorry, General O'Neill, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter to report ! " she said, trying not to cry.
" At ease, Colonel " Jack said with a small gesture with his hand.
His voice was hard on her. Colonel Carter obeyed and stared at him.
" Is there a problem , Colonel ? "
"Col... Excuse me , sir. "
The woman turned and put her hands on her mouth. Jack saw that she was trying to calm her breathing, he noticed her shoulders moving. As he was dealing with his own feelings, he gave her some time to calm down. She was trained and she calmed down quickly and faced General O'Neill .
" I'm sorry , sir. "
" Let's have a sit , Colonel " Jack invited her with a gentle gesture.
He ignored why, but since he had learned about her arriving late at night, he felt as if he blamed her for his pain. Except that seeing this Carter, so unhappy and so miserable , softened its own anger towards her. It seemed to him that this woman was also suffering and it was hard to blame her for her presence. She tried to save her life.
Colonel Carter moved , also noticing the change of tone and attitude. He was not so openly hostile anymore.
" Colonel, I saw your interview and I'm sorry for your loss, if you had lost beloved ones . "
Sam cleared her throat before speaking.
" Thank you, Sir. I'm sorry for messing up your base like that , it was not my intention. "
" You have followed George's orders , there is no harm . "
" How is he? "
" Good shape, he's at the Pentagon. He watches over us from afar . "
" At home, he was also gone , but some events had called him back in Colorado. "
" What happened ? "
Sam hesitated but decided to be honest with her new CO - well, if he decided to keep them both.
" When Colonel O'Neill , once again , downloaded into his brain the Ancients' knowledge , we were not able to save him. He should have taken over command, after Hammond's departure. "
Jack noted the sadness of the colonel, at the mention of his alter ego .
" Did you lose the Battle of Antarctica? "
" No, we won. But the stasis box, where Colonel O'Neill was kept, had been destroyed during the final assault. "
" Oh I see. Here, Thor rescued me . "
Sam said nothing.
"Well, I 'm glad to ear for you. The SGC was not the same after his death. "
" I know exactly what you mean. And, reviewing Kawalsky, also, gave me a shock. "
Sam noted for her the use of " also " but didn't mention it.
"Sir, I 'd like to meet Samantha Carter to discuss some details with her. "
Jack stood up suddenly and turned his back to Carter. For him to dominate his feelings. He slowly turned to the woman . She could see sadness and pain on his face. Sam instantly recognized mourning. He lost his own Carter.
" Dr. Carter is not available, I'm afraid. "
"I'm sorry , sir. "
Sam noticed something she had not seen before. When general O'Neill had put his left hand on his hip , his ring sent a ray of light. Given the hostile attitude of the general first , followed by the control of his feelings , Sam understood fast enough that Dr Carter was dead - or maybe was she Dr O'Neill ?
"When did she die ? " she asked softly.
Jack , staring at his feet since he was standing , looked up in a quick movement . He looked at Carter.
"Six months ago. How did you guess ? "
" First of all, because she should have been one of the first people to come and see me, in order to check my comments and ask me to explain the process - If she had not already discovered herself. Then I served with Colonel O'Neill for seven years. I am - I was - one of the people to know him quite well. "
Jack nodded, he understood where she was going. This Sam also knew and lost a Jack, in her own world.
" You both were - a couple ? " Jack asked .
"No, sir" she only answered .
Jack realized that Carter no longer wanted to speak about her relationship with another O'Neill , because even if they were not a couple, they were close. Close enough to make her terribly sad because of the loss. They both lost their lover and were in front of any alternate person.
I hope it's readable. I've made some changes to make things clearer, from French into English.
Feel free to ask or say if there is a big mistake, I'll try to do my best to correct ;) Thanks