Chapter 9

"Sleeping beauty," a voice called through the haze of sleep, one that Sam was intent on ignoring, except it kept talking.

"Samantha," it said this time, and still Sam ignored it, perfectly content to stay in the warm cocoon of sleep that she was enjoying.

"Go away," she tried to say, though she wasn't sure if the voice could understand that from the mumbling that came out.

"Carter," the voice said this time, slightly more recognizable than before.

Sam opened one eye and raised her head slightly, took in her surroundings enough to wiggle towards the back of the couch, allowing the body under her to do its own wiggling and get out from under her. Sam clutched the blanket and let sleep claim her again.

The next thing Sam knew, she was being picked up and carried, and it took all of her military training not to use her defense training and attack the person, but considering the care the man was using to move her, Sam was reasonably convinced that she was still in her house and quick glimpses through barely cracked eyelids confirmed that she was still in her house. So she let the person carry her and then settle her into her own bed, pulling the covers up tight to tuck her in.

What surprised her though was the way the man sat down on the bed as she faced away from him. The man moved several pieces of hair out of her face and sighed.

"I'm so sorry Sam that you have to go through this. You of all people deserve a little happiness in life," Jack O'Neill whispered at what he thought was a sleeping Sam.

"I hoped that there would be a time when we would both find that happiness together, but I don't think it was meant to be. I want you to be happy more than anything else and I'll always be there for you Samantha, no matter what," he finished and leaned down to place a kiss into her hair.

Then he was gone, never realizing that a half-awake Sam had become a fully awake Sam and heard every single word.

Sam knew that the last thing she should do was run after Jack and tell him that she had heard every word. Not only would that put them both in awkward position, because she wasn't quite sure what she would say after that, but Sam was pretty sure that Jack had never intended for her to hear those words, even if he had taken the time to say them out loud in her presence.

None of this meant that Sam didn't want to run after him-just that she wouldn't. She had never let her heart rule her decisions before, and she wasn't about to start right now.

As tired as she was, she couldn't seem to quit running the words Jack had said over and over in her head. So instead of sleeping, she ended up staring at the ceiling and out the window trying to figure out what she was going to do with her new knowledge, accidently imparted as it was, and make it look as innocent as possible.

All her brain power went to good use as a plan began to form in her mind. Only when Sam had an Option A, Option B, and the start of an Option C was she able to let her brain kick off and allow her to go to sleep.

----

Sam woke up the next morning to an empty house, not that she was expecting anything different, but just like the previous morning, she once again found a note. Though this time, it was on her kitchen counter, rather than her bedside table.

Sam-

Thank for sharing your past with me. It's really hard to do, but one of the best things that you can do.

I know that you think you're weak because you cried over some pictures, but I wish that I had been able to look at Charlie's things and cry over them.

The pain will never go away completely Sam, but someday you'll be able to remember the good more often than the bad.

You're strong Sam and you're surrounded by people that care about you. Don't be afraid to lean on them when you need to, they won't think less of you for it.

I'm planning to have a going away BBQ for Teal'c tomorrow at my place 1200 hours. Be there Carter, that's an order.

Jack

P.S. I already ordered your lab locked, barring any planetary emergencies, so don't even think about trying to use that as an excuse for missing the party!

Sam had to smile at the end of the note. She really hadn't been thinking about going into her lab, especially considering this was Teal'c last weekend on Earth, at least for a while. And no matter what else was going on in her life, she wasn't going to miss the opportunity to spend time with her closest friends. She was just thankful that Cassie had gotten to come to the cabin to see him. While Cassie had never been particularly close with Teal'c, at least compared to Jack or Sam, she had no doubt that the younger girl would miss his presence only slightly less than Sam would.

Which was why when Teal'c left, Sam would be looking at Option A. Daniel had already requested some time off world with Teal'c as he helped the Free Jaffa setup their new government, so Sam knew that he wouldn't be there to keep her from missing Teal'c.

But right now, Sam was going to focus on the people that were there with her, rather than the fact that they were leaving.

----

In the end, the BBQ was a great success. As it had happened many times before, the friends had spent time enjoying each other's company from the early afternoon into the wee hours of the morning. They had all ended up sleeping in various spots in Jack's living room, almost like they wanted to have one last time of sleeping around the campfire off world together, though without the chance of being attacked this time.

So rather than feel Teal'c's absence and have a taste of what would soon be a lack of Daniel's presence, Sam decided to get a good look at Option A. So she had a long conversation with Cassie Sunday evening, and the girl readily agreed with Sam's idea for the summer.

On Monday morning, Sam wore her dress blues to work. Not just to honor Teal'c in the gate room, but so that she could officially make her request for a transfer in a respectful manner to the General.

Sam had already said her tearful good-byes to Teal'c before leaving the General's house, though she knew that there would be a few more words to exchange and one last hug to give before Teal'c left.

So Sam stood at the base of the ramp, side by side with the General who hadn't complained once about wearing his dress blues, and Daniel, who was already packed and ready to go. Together the three of them waited for Teal'c to enter the room that was crowded with as many SGC personnel as could be fit into the room and still leave room for Teal'c to enter and for the gate to activate.

Sam had been surprised to hear that there had been a battle by the team leaders to decide which teams would be in the gate room for the planned send off. She wasn't shocked though. After all Teal'c was respected by many of the teams, but probably not as well liked as the other members of SG-1 simply because he was harder to get to know. Still though, every team leader who was on planet, was standing in the gate room, along with as many of the higher ranking military officers, as could be crammed in, along with the few civilians who had somehow managed to squeeze a spot.

When the door opened, everyone in the room snapped to attention, giving the Jaffa that entered the amount of respect normally reserved for a General. Teal'c was dressed in his Jaffa robes, and carried his staff weapon. Yet it seemed that Teal'c didn't see anyone else in the room but his teammates.

With his back to the gate, which had begun to dial, Teal'c offered Jack the traditional Jaffa handshake, before hugging the man while Daniel held the staff weapon. Sam could tell that there were a few whispered words exchanged, but over the din created by the dialing gate, was unable to hear what was said.

Teal'c then turned to her and despite the uniform she was wearing, fully embraced her in his one of a kind hugs, and whispered, "I hope that Rya'c is blessed with a daughter who shows the same skill of a warrior and cunning of a woman as you possess Samantha Carter. I am proud to call you my sister Colonel Carter."

Sam fought back tears at his praise, and whispered, "I'll miss you Teal'c. Look out for our little brother would you Teal'c?"

"I shall," he promised as he pulled back, just in time for as the wormhole formed. Daniel was already up the ramp, having said his good-byes while they waited on Teal'c and now stood next to the shimmering blue surface, waiting on Teal'c to join him.

Teal'c took several large steps up the ramp and turned to face Jack and Sam who had snapped to attention, to match the rest of the gate room personnel. It was then that Jack gave the ordered which resulted in every person in the gate room and in the control room giving Teal'c a military perfect salute. Teal'c accepted the honor with his customary silence, but bowed his head in return. Rather than speaking, he turned and continued up the ramp and together with Daniel, stepped through the wormhole.

A few seconds later, the glow from the wormhole was gone, and the room began to clear as the SGC personnel went to change from their dress uniforms into BDUs and return to whatever they were doing before the short ceremony.

Sam too escaped the room, knowing if she stood there too long, she might never do what she needed to do. She headed to her lab to pick up the documents she had prepared that morning and waited long enough for the General to change clothes because she knew he wouldn't stay in his dress blues any longer than he had to be. She tried concentrating on some equations for the new X-303, but found herself staring at the clock, waiting for Walter to call and inform her that the General was ready for her.

Sam had to wonder when she began to be able to distinguish Jack from the General. She knew that they were the same person, yet Jack was the one she wanted around more often. The General was strong and unemotional while Jack was comforting and calm. She loved both of them separately, but she wasn't sure if she could handle loving them as one. Jack the General wasn't someone she had ever spent time with.

Sam's silent musings ended when the phone in her lab rang. It was Walter telling her that the General was in his office and ready for a meeting.

----

Sam knocked on the door, just like she always did. The General was hunched over one of the piles of paperwork that littered his desk.

"Ah Carter, come to rescue me?" the General asked as he motioned her into the room, indicating the spread of papers on his desk.

Sam shook her head and closed the door behind her, not wanting their conversation to be overheard. "I'm afraid I've come to add to it," Sam admitted.

"Oh," Jack said, getting up from his desk to come around to other side. He maneuvered the two chairs so that they faced each other and gestured towards one of the chairs for Sam to sit in it. She did, only after Jack was already seated though, something which she was sure he noticed.

Without any precursor, Sam forked over the folder in her lap and waited while Jack glanced through. But he didn't just glance at it; he read the entire thing word for word. Once he reached the end of the first page, he flipped through the rest of the pages to see the completed transfer forms.

"Personal reasons?" Jack asked, reading from the form.

"Yes sir," Sam answered.

Jack put the folder down on his desk, and rubbed a hand through his hair and across his face. "I promised you I would back your decision, but you have to convince me that I'm doing the right thing by letting you go," he finally said.

Sam opened her mouth to speak, only to have Jack cut her off.

"Not right now," he ordered, looking even more distraught at the idea of her transfer the longer time went by. "I have a briefing. Later. Just use words that I'll understand," he suggested.

Sam smiled on reflex, knowing that she had dealt him a blow that he didn't deserve. He handed the folder back to her and dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

Her hand was on the doorknob when she turned around and found his eyes on her. She met his gaze and stated, "Don't over think things okay? It has nothing to do with you."

Jack smiled in a boyish fashion. "Me over think things? Carter, we might need to have your head examined, I think you're loosing it!" he exclaimed as he filed behind her out the door and into the briefing room.

Sam laughed. "I'll go work on finding it sir," she offered allowing a little humor to fill into her voice despite the fact they now had an audience.

"You do that Colonel," Jack ordered in his General's voice. Sam's laughter was music to his ears as he sat down to see just what SG-9 had for him this time.

Sam made her way to the emptying SG-1 locker room. Teal'c locker was now empty, though his name was still taped to the door. Daniel's locker would soon be empty, but before that, she would have to empty her own locker. The locker next to her still bore the tag for "J. O'Neill" mostly because they hadn't bothered to take it off-and the three of them didn't need the extra locker.

What would become of SG-1 when they all left? Right now, she couldn't worry about that, she needed to look at what new technology could be incorporated into the new X-303. Even without the transfer, she would have spent a large chunk of the coming summer months working on the new ship, now she could wrap up the remainder of her projects here and throw herself full force into the new ship.

----

Sam worked long into the night, skipping lunch and having just a granola bar for supper, though she didn't notice being hungry. Her only interruption had been a slow, yet steady stream of people that came and went from her lab requesting assistance on their various projects.

It was at that late, or rather early hour, depending on how you look at it that Sam caught General Jack O'Neill standing in the doorway of her lab watching her.

"Carter, didn't I order you to get a life?" Jack reprimanded.

"Several times sir. I'm sure Teal'c could tell you the exact number," Sam answered, once more turning her attention back to the experiment currently underway.

"Then why haven't you done it?" Jack asked, slightly exasperated.

Sam threw her arms up in the air in frustration. "This is my life," she exclaimed indicating her lab, "And every time you've ordered me to get a life, I've gotten pulled back here sir."

Jack considered her words before asking, "Is that why you want to leave?"

"It's one of the reasons," Sam answered.

Jack raised an eyebrow in a Teal'c-like fashion and took a seat on the stool that Sam kept in her lab just for him.

Sam took that to mean that she should continue. "There's the fact that I'm going to be there anyways for the next few months. I'd rather be the one in charge, making sure that it gets done right then having to go down and fix someone else's mess once a week."

Jack nodded, agreeing with that statement, remembering the past instances she had been called to Area 51.

"There's the fact that it looks good for my career and doesn't look so good that I keep turning the position down. I mean, I could rationalize it when we were fighting a war, but now? I can't really turn it down without people asking questions, even if I stay the leader of SG-1, which with Teal'c having already left and Daniel leaving is not something I'm sure I want to do. I'm not sure I can imagine a team without the two of them." It was left unsaid that not having him on the team was hard, that fact had already been expressed some time before.

Again Jack nodded. "And?"

"And I talked to Cassie over the weekend."

"Oh," Jack said before motioning for her to continue.

"She has summer vacation coming up and she already said that she didn't want to come back to Colorado Springs for it. So, I asked her if she'd be interested in living with me over the summer if I took the transfer. Cassie was almost jumping up and down at the idea. She needs me right now sir, and if I can be there for her, I'm going to do it," Sam finished.

"Get some sleep Carter, that's an order," Jack said dejectedly and stalked from the room.

Sam just hung her head. She had disappointed him with her decision to leave and she didn't know how to fix it without making the gap that was between them grow wider.

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