After a long journey they arrived at the ranch set next to a large wood on the other side was a fast moving river that rounded and passed through the wood, the ranch itself was one storey made of red brick with a brown slate roof. Around the large front door there were 2 white pillars the same as round the 2 bay windows, 2 more large windows on the front of the house had no pillars, next door was a stable that they were informed by Sam that it wasn't owned by Hammond but they were close friends.
Going inside it was like Sam remembered the front door opening to a large open plan living room only a half wall stopped entry to the kitchen, a large brick fireplace was the centre piece, on top were 3 moose head mounted with names beneath Sam walked past the 2 red sofas and red armchair reading the plaque, Jack followed
"S. Carter, M. Carter, J. Carter G. Hammond and W. Hammond 1979" he read out looking to Sam for answers, Sam smiled recalling the day
"I was 11, our families had come here on holiday as dad and Hammond were both on leave it was winter and dad and Hammond took us hunting" Jack looked shocked
"He has known me for a long time" Sam revealed watching her friends process the information adding another bombshell, "After all he is my god father" Jack did a gold fish impression, Teal'c rose and eyebrow while Janet and Daniel settled on just standing there in silence,
"Why didn't you say anything?" Jack asked finally
"Favouritism" Sam replied simply the others nodding in agreement understanding her reasons and honoured she now trusted them,
"So Uncle Hammond" Jack said impressed that they had hid they're relationship so well for so long.
"Now the rest of the house" Sam walked down the narrow wooden corridor that had the door to the kitchen then 5 others
"Here is the boys room, it use to be mine, Marks and Michaels" she said opening the door, inside was a bunk bed and a single bed with a patio window leading onto a deck, the furniture was wooden and the bed spreads were red, Jack dumped his duffle on the bottom bunk,
"Danny on top, Teal'c you have the single" he ordered Daniel opened his mouth to protest but Jack cut him off,
"Aah, Teal'c has to meditate and can't sit comfy in that space if we put him on top the bed will break, my knees aren't what they use to which means you on top" he ordered shutting Daniel up.
Sam watched them in amusement before using there distraction to eye up the 2 rooms left both caused there own problems, shutting the door to the master bedroom she went to the other that her parents had stayed in fingering the fabric on her mum's bed allowing her tears to run down her face as she remembered the last time they were there, a noise at the doorway, Sam wiped away the tears looking at the 2 single beds.
Janet came in seeing Sam crying she knew whose room this had been just patiently waiting until Sam had a slightly better control on herself
"Who slept here?" She asked referring to past trips up Sam took a breath steadying her emotions.
"My parents, they would push the bed together" Sam looked out the window where she could just make out a figure riding a horse round a ring. She felt a hand on her shoulder
"I'm sorry Sam" Janet said
"Don't be this place has good memories one of the places in my childhood that was always perfect, always happy"
"So this is your room?" Janet asked thinking that Sam would still be mad at her, Sam turned round slightly embarrassed
"Well the room across the hall is a double bed and you can have it if you want but that's where Hammond and his wife slept" Sam blushed at what she was implying, Janet too blushed, Sam looked between the beds
"I'll take left if that's ok" she dumped her stuff on the bed nearest the window, Janet nodded putting her stuff on the right
"You sure sharing a room with me is ok?" she checked not wanting to put pressure on Sam to sleep near the woman who had nearly killed her, Sam looked at her puzzled
"Why do you snore?" Sam asked pretending to be worried, but Janet just looked upset, Sam stopped the joking preparing herself for girl talk
"I tried to kill you" Janet said beginning to cry, Sam sat her down on the bed
"Who told you? I didn't think you knew" Sam said
"Gossip" Janet sobbed out; Sam wrapped her arms around her best friend
"You didn't try to kill me Jan, just smacked me around a bit, gave me this lovely Complexion" Sam indicated the bruises on her face, and Janet laughed which was the reaction Sam had been hoping for
"Plus you were right Janet I don't spend enough time with Cassie I do ignore her, I did dump on you after promising to help and never really helping" Sam said feeling guilty and letting go at Janet so she could study the floor. Immediately Janet was there lifting her chin up so Sam was forced to make eye contact.
"Sam when I first got Cass you were a God send, you didn't dump her on me you gave me a daughter and for that I can never thank you enough" Janet said sincerely, Sam nodded
"But I still don't see her enough, I let my work stop me" Sam said ignoring Janet's protests, "I'm like my dad was" Sam stood up again going to the window turning her back away from her friend so she couldn't see Janet agree with her,
Janet knew from prior conversations and vague hints that Sam hadn't really seen her father as a child, this was made worst when her mum died and her dad mourned her by burring himself in his work and pushing Sam as far as he could. For Sam to be comparing herself to her dad was a really bad thing Janet's word must have struck home, Janet walked over spinning Sam to face her
"Sam first, the work you do is important and yes you work far to much but you are not like your father and I am sorry for ever making you think like you were" Sam nodded accepting it after all Janet could lie but she wasn't Sam could tell
"Ok forgive me and I will forgive you" she bargained with a smile, Janet looked away
"How can you forgive me when I almost killed you?" Janet asked her friend
"A, it wasn't you it was an alien organism that made you say those thing, B, I'm kind of glad you did say it you may not have been thinking it but I think this chat has done us good, and c, you're the bestest friend I ever had and I don't want to lose that ever" Sam said sincerely ticking off each reason against her fingers, Janet hugged her speechless
"Ok Friends" Janet agreed with a grin
"Great" Sam said taking Janet's hand and dragging her out the door
"Now horse riding or swimming" Sam asked
"Tea, I'm starving" Janet replied laughing seeing Sam's disappointed face she added
"We can go horse riding tomorrow if your ribs are up to it" she promised, then with an evil grin
"Can you imagine Teal'c horse riding" Janet giggled, Sam laughed too
"Or Daniel it's a good job you're here Janet" Sam giggled as Janet groaned at the thought of the accident prone archaeologist doing something really active
"Maybe we should just stay in" She said teasing Sam
"Stay in where" Jack asked walking in overhearing the end of the conversation, he didn't notice Sam and Janet tense up, he himself was pretty tense at seeing them remembering the hurtful words they had said,
"We were thinking of going horse riding tomorrow" Sam said
"Cool I'll ask the guys of they want to come" Jack said leaving the room, Janet turned to Sam
"Well that was awkward" she muttered
"He hates me for I said to him" Sam guessed, plopping herself onto the sofa
"Why what did you say?" Janet asked, Sam shook her head shrugging
"I don't know but they found the same stuff in my blood as they did you guys, the only time I can't recall I was with the Colonel so I must have been infected but I have nobody to tell me what I said" Sam explained knowing the Colonel would be very reluctant to reveal it, Janet nodded in sympathy,
"What did he say to you, before we got there?" She saw Sam hesitate then begin
"He blamed me for not getting us out of Antarctica quick enough, he said I attracted the psychos and deserved what I got" Sam tried to hide the tears by wiping them away, but Janet saw them taking her friend outside for some more privacy sitting on a bench halfway down the garden,
"Sam" Janet began but Sam interrupted her
"All the guys I love hurt me, hit me maybe I do deserve it, maybe I ask for it" Sam mused, Janet grabbed her wrist firmly
"NO, Sam there is never a good reason for a man to hit a woman never do you hear me, you have had bad luck that is it, Sam please promise me you will never let a man hit you, leave him if he can hit you once it can happen again" Sam looked at her friend who was freaking out at the thought
"Jan?" She questioned trying to fathom the reason for her friend's behaviour
"Please Sam" Janet begged "You don't ask for it, you never deserve it"
"Ok Jan I promise, why has this got you so riled?" Janet relaxed straightening her shirt,
"My ex husband beat me up, I wasn't strong enough to leave I thought it was my fault because there was something wrong with me, can you believe I was grateful to him for putting up with me, he once beat me to an inch of my life that's when I decided with a young doctors help to leave, join the Airforce and train to become a doctor" Sam sat there trying to absorb the information, speechless that she had never known this about her friend prior to today
"How old were you?" she finally managed to say
"17 when we married, 19 when we divorced" Janet told her, Sam gasped
"So young" She replied,
"He was my child hood sweetheart" Janet sadly thinking of how much would be different if he had been a decent guy, then with that thought cheering up.
"Shall we get tea started?" Janet asked, Sam nodded hauling her friend to her feet going inside to raid the cupboards finding very little, Sam looked at Janet
"I know I can't cook but with these ingredients can you?" Sam asked hopefully, Janet shook her head, Sam sighed
"I'll drive into town" she offered, Janet looked round the kitchen
"In what?" Sam just smiled walking outside leaving Janet no option but to follow going to the small garage next door Sam whipped off a cover sheet where there was a motorbike
"See I'll be fine" Janet shook her head
"No way am I letting you on that bike, you're not wearing the proper gear, it properly hasn't been serviced in years and lastly, what makes you think you won't crash this thing I know you. You'll go far too fast and with your ribs do you think they will with stand the journey" Janet smiled "Which is why it is a good job I have a motorbike licence" Sam looked at her in total shock
"Really" Janet nodded to busy laughing to reply
"First I will go and tell the guys I am leaving and get some money while you find me a helmet" Sam nodded heading to the back of the barn where she knew she had left it somewhere.
She found it on an old shelves covered in years of dust, wiping the dust away she could see the flames painted on her helmet appear, she smiled at the memories it brought back the last summer of her childhood, hearing a noise at the door she left the back making a mental note to sort through the rest of the junk back there now that her dad and General Hammond rarely came, her brother and Michael Hammond never did now that the families had broken apart it was only used by people who were riding at the stables, they let them use it in return for them doing basis maintenance on it a deal that worked well for both parties.
"Here you go Janet" Sam gave her the helmet watching as Janet's sceptical face came up
"Hot stuff" She read off the front, Sam blushed
"I was 15" Sam said whilst still blushing,
"And hot stuff apparently" Janet teased watching Sam go redder and redder, then deciding to let her off she took the helmet
"Right I will be back shortly…I hope" she whispered kicking off a riding into the distance. Shouting over her shoulder "You may want to see what the guys are doing" Now worried Sam practically ran inside.
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