Summary: A secret is revealed. But not the one Sheriff Carter had wanted to learn...

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"Dinner is ready," SARAH informed the assembled group.

The Jacks got up off the couch, having just finished and thoroughly enjoyed the game, the beers and the conversation. Zoë came downstairs from her room and Sam shut down her laptop, clearing it from the dining room table as she walked towards the kitchen.

"The meal looks wonderful, SARAH," Sam told the house. There were plates already prepared with chicken parmesan, fettuccine alfredo and garlic bread. Next to each plate was a small house salad, complete with each person's preferred dressing.

"Thank you, Colonel Carter," came the non-corporeal voice.

"So, when were you planning on letting us in on your little secret?" Sheriff Carter probed.

General O'Neill and Sam exchanged a quick, surprised look. "What secret is that?" Jack asked, playing dumb as he was wont to do.

"What you do for a living, of course!" Zoë cried out.

"After dinner. I've uploaded some visual aids to SARAH, so after we're done with our meal, we can move to the couches and discuss in comfort," Sam explained.

"And believe me, you're going to want to be sitting down for this!" the General interjected.

"Ah, Sam! Come on, already! You're killing me with the waiting!" the Sheriff complained.

"What else would you expect from your little sister?" Sam teased.

As everyone gathered their plates and drinks and moved to the dining room, the General turned to look at Sam. After a few moments of silent conversation and an agreeing nod, he refocused his attention on Jack and Zoë. "Well, we do have one piece of information to give you now. Last week, Sam agreed to marry me."

"Oh, Aunt Sam! I'm so happy for you!" Zoë squealed, setting her plate down before running over and giving her a big hug.

"Married? I didn't even know you were dating!" the Sheriff exploded, going into over-protective father mode. "I mean, congratulations, of course, but I need some more details. How long have you been dating? When are you --"

"Do you have the ring? Let me see it!" Zoë demanded, interrupting her father's inquisition.

Sam reached into her shirt and pulled out her dog tags. Attached to the chain was a beautiful princess cut diamond in a silvery setting. She disconnected the chain, removing the ring and handing it to Zoë.

"What kind of metal is this ring, Aunt Sam? I've never seen anything like it before," Zoë stated as she admired the craftsmanship.

"It's a very special, very rare element not found in nature," O'Neill quickly explained.

"It's not radioactive, is it?" the Sheriff nervously asked, glancing at the item still in his daughter's hand.

"Yeah, Jack, my fiancé gave me a toxic ring to tell me just how he feels about me," Sam snarked. "Of course it's safe!"

"Wait a second. I thought all the synthetic elements had short half-lives and were extremely unstable," Zoë queried as she handed the ring back to her Aunt.

Sam put it on her finger instead of reattaching it to her dog tag chain before giving her niece an impressed smile. "Someone's been studying their chemistry. While that's true for most unnatural elements, we have managed to discover a few that are stable enough for practical use."

"Ack, Carter, you're giving me a headache," the General complained.

"Oh, stop playing dumb, Jack. You're not as dense as you pretend, and we all know it," she shot back.

Both men had matching surprised looks. Sam belatedly realized the comment had applied to both of them. Not bothering to disambiguate the statement, she decided a change of subjects was in order. "Let's forget about it for now and enjoy the meal, shall we?"

No sooner had the statement left Sam's mouth than the aroma of their dinner wafted up, causing everyone to realize just how hungry they were.

After everyone had taken a seat and started their meals, the Sheriff reopened his earlier interrogation. "So, how long have you two been together?"

"Well, that's a very simple question with a very complex answer," O'Neill responded.

"We've been a couple for about 3 years, though it hasn't ever been public knowledge. Before that, Jack was my commanding officer for 8 years," Sam explained.

"What's so complicated about that?" the Sheriff wondered aloud.

"Zoë, how much do you understand about parallel universes?" Sam asked.

Zoë was thrown by the question for a moment but quickly answered. "Well, the general theory is that there are an infinite number of alternate realities because one is created by every decision."

"At least one, since in some cases it's not a simple choice. Well, in the first year we knew each other, we were confronted with a parallel universe in which we were engaged. In the third year, we had an encounter with one where we were married. In the fourth year, we had to admit to having feelings for each other that were much more than were allowed," Sam elaborated.

"Why weren't they allowed? I mean, if you cared so much about each other, what took you so long to get together?" Zoë pressed.

"We had to keep saving the world," the General quipped.

Zoë and the Sheriff laughed. O'Neill and Sam didn't.

"Wait, you're serious, aren't you?" the Sheriff asked when he noticed the looks of reflection on their faces. At their answering nods, he added another question. "How many times?"

"I've lost track," the General admitted. "Murray would know for sure. Last I checked, we were well over a dozen, I think."

"Why couldn't you be together and still do your job?" a befuddled Zoë asked.

"The Air Force has very strict regulations on 'Unprofessional Conduct' and would have never let us continue working on the same team if we were dating or married," Sam replied. "Our job was so important that they couldn't split us apart, either. And even for the last 3 years, though we've been off of the same team and officially dating, we haven't been able to spend much time with each other. One of us has pretty much always been out of contact or on assignment."

"So, you've been in love since I was in, like, second grade and you're just now able to get together? That's so tragic!" Zoë opined.

"Does Dad know?" the Sheriff asked his sister.

"Are you kidding? He won like $1,000 in the betting pool on when I would finally ask," the General butted in. "Jake loves me! Almost as much as --"

"Dad was the first one, after our team, to find out," Sam interrupted, cutting Jack off from spilling anything yet without thinking.

"Almost as much as whom?" Zoë pressed, curious about what the General was going to say.

"One of Dad's closest friends. Good ol' 'Mak," O'Neill remarked, earning a roll of the eyes as well as a wry grin from Sam.

"So, when is the wedding going to be?" the Sheriff asked.

"We aren't entirely certain when it will be yet," Sam answered. "With Jack's work schedule and me just coming back from my extended assignment and waiting for my next posting, we haven't really had much time to think about it. We'd like it to be soon, and we have an idea for where, but we haven't reached many final decisions about it yet."

"We have decided a few things, though. We would like to have both of you stand up in the wedding," O'Neill added. "Jack, I'd like to have you as a groomsman."

"I'd be honored," the Sheriff said.

"Zoë, I'd like you to be a bridesmaid," Sam told her.

"Really? That'd be awesome!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Have you decided who else is going to be in the wedding?" the Sheriff wondered aloud.

"Yes, we have," Sam responded. "My bridesmaids will be my teammate Vala, Cassandra Frasier, and Zoë. My maid of honor will be Janet Frasier. Jack's groomsmen, besides you, will be Dr. Daniel Jackson and General Hammond. His best man will be Murray. You met all of them when you came to visit me in Colorado a couple years ago."

"What are your colors going to be? Have you picked the dresses yet?" Zoë inquired.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, I haven't had much time to think about it, but I'm hoping to get much of it done this week. Would you like to help me out?" Sam returned.

"Would I ever!" Zoë enthused. "This is going to be great! Eureka has some great little shops where I'm sure we can find everything you'll want."

Sam shot a conspiratorial grin at her brother. "Do you think Allison would like to join us?"

The Sheriff looked shocked and alarmed for a second. "Sam!" he reproached her. He quickly glanced at his daughter and was shocked for the second time in as many seconds as she didn't appear surprised with the question.

"Oh, come on, Dad," Zoë expounded. "You've been all googly-eyed over her since practically the minute you met her! I think it's time you did something about it, and I think Aunt Sam agrees, too."

"Let's talk about this later. I want to enjoy my meal without having to think about the machinations my daughter and little sister are making towards my love life, or lack thereof," he grumbled as he squirmed in his seat, dropping his gaze and focusing on his plate.

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Published 04-24-09