A/N - I know what you're thinking. Mostly because several of you told me. Not a shy group, this fandom. Yep, this took for freaking ever. And I'm so sorry. But the good news is that this is the last chapter, and I went ahead and included the epilogue, because you all so deserved it for your patience. Thanks for hanging in there, and I hope you enjoy!
And finally, thanks to BethanyActually as always for her wicked beta skills.
Chapter 10
Jack stood behind Teal'c at the helm and watched as Luna grew larger in the viewscreen. Within the space of just a few minutes, he was able to spot several mining outposts spread across its surface, as well as a handful of transport ships and other, smaller craft in geosynchronous orbit. The moon's primary base of operations, a cluster of several industrial-looking buildings that spanned at least a hundred square miles, sat squarely in the middle of the Sea of Tranquility. Even though the structures weren't built with aesthetics in mind, with all their twinkling lights, it was still an amazing sight—one Jack never thought he'd see in person as an earthbound Gray.
He had little time to appreciate the view, however, as Teal'c piloted them past the moon with startling speed only to turn sharply back toward it again without warning. This time, though, there wasn't much to see, as they were clearly making their way toward some unknown point on the dark side.
"We're landing on Luna?" Sam asked, and when Vala hummed in confirmation, Jack could see that Sam was both excited and nervous at the thought of returning home. "But why the dark side?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "There's not much there."
Vala gave her an enigmatic smile. "There's more there than you think."
But Jack had other concerns. Although they were nearing the surface, Teal'c hadn't slowed their speed at all. Covertly, he looked for something to hold onto and tried his best to sound nonchalant.
"So, um, do you always come in this hot?" he asked.
"We must move quickly to avoid detection," was the Obsidian's only response.
Given the intensity with which Teal'c was concentrating, Jack decided it would be better to let that lie. Once he realized that they appeared to be heading directly into the side of a fairly large mountain, however, he couldn't contain himself any longer. He grabbed the back of the pilot's chair and prepared for impact.
"Uh, Teal'c? Buddy?"
Suddenly, Teal'c flipped the craft so that it missed the top of the mountain and began skimming down its side. Jack watched in fascination as a small opening seemingly appeared out of nowhere about half-way down. If they hadn't been barreling right toward it, he would never have suspected it was anything more than a crack between two layers of rock.
With expert skill, Teal'c flew right into the opening and only then began to slow their speed as they traveled a narrow tunnel that appeared to lead deep within the mountain. Still, Jack didn't let go of the chair until the tunnel finally opened into a vast cavern, large enough to hold at least ten other ships their size. Only then did he begin to relax.
Teal'c settled their craft on a raised landing platform, and Vala immediately hit a button on the console. With a whoosh of depressurization, the back hatch opened. She practically bounced out of the exit, motioning for Sam and Jack to follow her. They exchanged a look.
"Are you going to tell us what this place is?" Jack asked.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," she replied with a wink.
As Jack moved to follow, he couldn't help but wince. Though Teal'c had helped him reset his dislocated shoulder, his broken ribs were making themselves known, and to his dismay his pain hadn't gone unnoticed. Sam was at his side in a heartbeat.
She touched his arm gently. "Are you okay?" Without waiting for him to answer, she called out to Vala. "We need medical attention!"
"I'll be fine," he muttered.
"We will have someone attend to your injuries once we have taken you to the Commander," Teal'c told him.
Jack wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but without any other options, he carefully began walking out of the spacecraft, at some distance behind Vala, who was already disappearing down a rough-hewn corridor off the landing bay.
Wherever they were, the powers-that-be weren't much on decoration, Jack thought. Though it seemed like they walked for at least a mile, the view never changed. It was always the same gray, dimly-lit walls of the tunnel that looked like it'd been hacked through the mountain with a pick axe. Finally, after several twists and turns, they came to a lone sentry, another Obsidian like Teal'c, who was standing at attention outside a metal doorway. With a nod to Vala, he opened the door, allowing them to pass.
Inside Jack was shocked to find several people milling around a large room filled with state-of-the-art computer equipment, as well as multiple holo screens, most of which displayed either mathematical equations or some sort of complex 3-D mapping system. More surprising than the equipment, though, was the fact that the people were the most diverse mix of classes Jack had ever seen in one place, and all of them appeared to be working together.
All around them Obsidians were mingling with Yellows in their lab coats, as well as some Reds and Oranges, who were distinguishable by the color of their jumpsuits. There was even another Pink and a few Grays, Jack noted with some surprise. But it was the older man with the Gold bearing and serious demeanor walking straight toward them who commanded his attention. Almost immediately, he realized that the Gold only had eyes for Sam and that she had suddenly gone very pale.
Jack inched closer to her, his protective instincts kicking in, when suddenly the man's face broke into a broad grin. "Sammie," he said with obvious relief, then enveloped her in a bear hug.
"Dad?" she questioned, bringing her arms around him much more slowly, as though she couldn't believe it was really him.
Jack was shocked. This man was her father? He relaxed a little but determined to stay close, just in case.
"Thank god you're safe," the man exclaimed. He turned to address Jack. "I understand I have you to thank for that."
Before Jack could say anything, though, Sam recovered from her initial shock. "Dad, what are you doing here? What is this place?" Jack was relieved she asked, because that was exactly what he wanted to know.
Sam's father simply shrugged and managed to look both proud and somewhat apologetic. "Welcome to the Rebellion."
"What?" Jack and Sam said together in clear disbelief.
He grimaced. "You probably better sit down."
Vala and Teal'c took that as their cue to leave, and with a quick nod of acknowledgment, they were gone. It was only then that Jack realized he hadn't properly thanked them for saving his sorry ass.
He made a mental note to find them both later, as Sam's father ushered them into small conference room off of the command center. They settled at a long table in the center, with Jack and Sam seated next to each other and her father at the head. With a deep sigh, he began.
"I think you know that your mother and I were always critical of the caste system," he said to Sam. "Your mother, especially, was a rather vocal opponent." He paused for a long while. "What you don't know is that her death was no accident."
She gasped, and Jack's eyebrows climbed to the top of his head. During their stay at his apartment, Sam had told him that her mother had died several years ago, but it was clear from her expression that she'd never known she was murdered.
Her father covered her hand with his. "When the Golds took her from me, I vowed to fight them the best way I knew how. So I secretly began helping the Rebellion establish a base on Luna. My mining operation provided the perfect cover. But I was worried about you. After what they did to your mother, well, I decided I wasn't going to take any chances." He paused again. "I arranged your marriage to a man from a well-respected family far away from here."
"Jonas was a monster," Sam replied in a low voice, quickly averting her eyes from her father's intense gaze.
Jack saw the pain plainly written on her father's face, and he suddenly recognized that he was intruding on an intensely private family conversation. He shifted uneasily. The whole situation was making him exceedingly uncomfortable. "Maybe I should go," he offered.
He began to stand, but Sam immediately grasped his arm and pulled him back down. "No, Jack. I want you to stay." Seeing as how he had no desire to upset her further, he dutifully complied. He shifted closer to her in a show of support.
If her father noticed him, he gave no indication. "Sam I'm so sorry," he continued. "I thought I was doing the right thing, that I was keeping you safe. You have to believe I had no idea what kind of man Jonas was."
Before Sam could respond, another door opened, and a portly man, a Gray, by the look of his uniform, entered. "Jacob, we've got some new reports coming in from Mars. And the doctor is ready to do another test run." He paused and looked around the table, apparently aware that he had interrupted something important. "My apologies. I didn't know you had guests."
"It's alright, George," Sam's father responded. "I want you to meet my daughter, Samantha Carter. Sam, this is George Hammond, our Chief of Operations." Jack noted the use of her maiden name and wasn't the least bit surprised when she didn't bother to correct him. He had to agree that "Carter" had a nice ring to it.
"Ma'am," the portly man said, with a nod toward Sam. Both she and Jack stood.
"And this is Jack O'Neill," Jacob added, looking at him for the first time since they'd entered the conference room. Jack wondered how he knew his name. Wincing inwardly, he also wondered what else he knew.
"Good to meet you, son," Hammond said as he firmly clasped his hand, and Jack knew instantly this was a man he could grow to like and respect.
A commotion in the hallway outside the conference room suddenly drew his attention to the door. He wasn't sure what was happening, but there were definitely raised voices, one of which sounded vaguely familiar. Jack stifled the urge to reach for the disrupter that was no longer at his side, but when he saw the cause of the disturbance, he couldn't help the wide grin that crept over his features. In a flurry of flying papers, floppy hair, and crooked glasses, the friend he was certain had died in a fiery explosion burst into the room.
"Daniel!" Sam exclaimed, as she hurled herself into the archaeologist's arms, sending even more papers into the air.
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Hi, Sam," he said before looking over her head at Jack. "Hi, Jack."
"Daniel," Jack replied, somewhat astonished at the relief he felt at finding the man alive and apparently well. He cracked a grin. "Uh, no offense, but we thought you died."
"Well, that was sort of the plan," Jacob interrupted, drawing confused looks from both Jack and Sam.
Daniel shrugged. "They staged my death," he said, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.
Jacob hastened to explain. "We couldn't have his research – or him, for that matter – falling into the wrong hands. We planned to tell you, of course," he added quickly. "In fact, we planned to take you with us the same day we took Dr. Jackson, but somehow you escaped. Even Vala was impressed with your skills, Jack. She was lucky you didn't take her out in the process."
Now that Jack thought over the events of that fateful day, he remembered winging one of their pursuers and wondering if he might be a she. Based on what Jacob had told them, the person must have been Vala, though she certainly never mentioned the fact that he'd tried to kill her during their short trip to Luna. Apparently, she didn't hold it against him. All the more reason to thank her later, he supposed.
Of course, even though he now knew their pursuers wouldn't have harmed them, they both could easily have been killed by the explosion at the University. In fact, he assumed several others actually were, and that thought did not sit well with him at all.
"What about the other people on campus?" he asked.
Jacob was contrite. "A calculated risk, unfortunately. We did activate the fire alarm in the Humanities building before we blew it up. A few people were injured, but as far as we know, no one - other than Dr. Jackson, supposedly - was killed."
Before Jack could respond, Sam wisely interjected. "You said you needed Daniel's research. Do you mean his research on the Stargate?"
"Exactly," Jacob replied.
Sam's brows drew together. "But for what? All we had were just theories."
Her father gave Sam a broad smile before turning to address Daniel. "Dr. Jackson, would you like to do the honors?"
"You're not going to believe this, Sam," the archeologist replied, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
He pulled Sam over to a steel wall that dominated one side of the conference room. Now that he really looked at it, Jack could plainly see that it was a shield of some sort. That fact was confirmed the moment Daniel pressed a button, causing the entire thing to lift into the ceiling, revealing a large picture window that looked down into a room as big as a warehouse. On the ground floor even more people of various castes were milling around, taking readings and doing other official-looking duties. But the thing that truly captured Jack's attention was the huge metallic ring in the back of the room that was circled by several now-familiar symbols.
Sam moved closer to the window, placing her hands on the glass. "Oh my god," she started, clearly stunned. "Is that -?"
"Yep," Daniel grinned. "It's a Stargate."
"But where did you find it?" she asked after a moment, without taking her eyes off the device.
It was Hammond who answered. "We discovered it in a warehouse in the Capital, where it had been mothballed."
"Apparently, there was a top secret experiment with it sometime in the mid-1900s that went awry," Jacob added. "The government of Old Earth thought it was too dangerous for further study, so they crated it up and forgot about it. When we stumbled across it, we thought it might be a weapon, something we could use to help the Rebellion, so we brought it here."
"You brought it all the way here from Earth?" Sam asked, finally turning to look at her father, and Jack's mind boggled at the effort they must have expended to transport such a large device out of a heavily populated city in secret. Clearly the Rebellion was much better organized - and funded - than anyone suspected.
Jacob gave her a nod. "Getting it here was the easy part. Finding out what it did and how it worked was the problem." He inclined his head in Daniel's direction. "That is, until we heard about Dr. Jackson's research."
"Wait a minute." Jack held up his hands. "Are you saying that this thing, this Stargate…it actually works?"
Sam's father and Hammond exchanged a knowing look. "As luck would have it, you're just in time. Watch."
Hammond tapped the communication device in his ear and said. "Start the dialing sequence."
A few seconds later, the entire facility shook as the 'gate began to spin. Jack joined Sam, who was glued to the observation window, and watched with her as the first symbol on the device locked into place with a loud thunk. Within a few seconds, the remaining six symbols locked as well, and with a startling whooshing sound, a vortex of what appeared to be water exploded from the ring. Both Jack and Sam took an involuntary step backwards. Only after the vortex settled into a rippling blue plane did Jack let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"It's an event horizon," Sam whispered to no one in particular, her voice filled with awe.
"Sam, there's more," Daniel said gently. "We've already made contact with people - humans – who live on the planet the 'gate is connected to, a planet called Abydos, which we've figured out is located more than halfway across the galaxy. Can you believe it?"
If any of what Daniel had just said registered with Sam, she didn't give any indication. She simply continued to stare at the Stargate. But Jack could hardly believe what he was hearing.
"You've sent people through it?" he asked, incredulous.
"Only robots, so far," Jacob replied. "But we're actually in the process of assembling a team to travel there now. Teal'c is organizing a small contingent of former Obsidians, along with a handful of Grays, to conduct some initial recon." He paused and looked thoughtfully at Jack. "Actually, we could use someone with your skills on the team. That is, if you're interested."
In the blink of an eye the potential ramifications of such a mission flew through his mind. Maybe these people on the other planet could help them with the Rebellion. Or maybe they would just shoot him and everyone else the moment they walked through the big, metal ring. And maybe they had problems of their own. But for whatever reason, Jack felt optimistic for the first time in a very long while. The whole concept sounded crazy and dangerous and exciting - and exactly the type of thing that could give him the purpose he'd been missing the past few years.
He grinned. "I think I just might be."
"I'm going, too, of course," Daniel volunteered. At the surprised look on Jacob's face, he immediately became defiant. "What? I'm the only one who can bring everyone home."
Before anyone could respond, Sam finally spoke. "Well, there's no way the two of you are leaving me behind." She pinned her father with a steely glare and added, "You owe me this, Dad."
Apparently Jacob knew when he was outnumbered. "I guess it's decided then," he sighed. A small smile crept up the corners of his mouth. "Something tells me this may be the beginning of something big."
oOoOoOo
Epilogue
Eight months later
Sam was sleeping so deeply, she didn't even wake up until Jack was slipping into the bed beside her in the tiny room they shared on Luna base. As he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, she smiled before turning to face him. She ran her hands over his bare chest.
"You're back," she mumbled sleepily.
"Mmm hmm," he hummed into her hair, his hands beginning to wander under her sleep shirt.
Though Sam always accompanied Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c on their missions through the Stargate, she'd had to sit this last one out, having gotten quite sick the morning of their departure. Jack had suggested scrapping the entire mission, but she'd insisted that they go ahead without her; they were scouting locations for a Beta site, something that was becoming increasingly necessary as more people, and especially more families, joined the Rebellion.
He kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better," she replied with a smile. In fact, she had some good news to share with him, but she decided it could wait until after she gave him a proper homecoming. She slipped a hand beneath his waistband to find him half hard and began to stroke him slowly. "Missed you."
He chuckled. "I can tell."
With that, he rolled her onto her back and settled between her thighs, his hard length pressing firmly against the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex. Kissing her first behind her ear, he began working his way down her neck toward her chest. When he finally took one taut nipple in his mouth, she groaned with pleasure as a spike of desire shot from his lips to her core. She felt herself grow damp in anticipation of what was to come.
"Good?" he asked when he finally released her breast.
"Yes," she sighed, even though he already knew it was.
He was just about to turn his attention to her other breast, when she surprised him by flipping him over and straddling him in a single move she'd borrowed from the self-defense lessons he'd taught her all those months ago. With an enigmatic smile, she pulled her nightshirt over her head, then pushed his boxers down his thighs and settled on top of him, leaving only the thin, lacy fabric of her panties between them.
Shamelessly, she cupped her own breasts and began to slide against him, causing the rough material to catch on her increasingly sensitized flesh every time she moved. She continued in that fashion, arching her back and squeezing her breasts harder, until she was soon moaning with desire and so slick she barely felt the lace anymore. Jack watched her with rapt attention, clearly enjoying the show.
Over the past several months, she'd grown quite bold in bed, so much so that Jack had teased her about spending too much time with Vala. Not that he'd really been complaining, of course. Far from it. Which was good, because despite their differences Sam was truly enjoying her new-found friendship with the free-spirited woman, especially since she'd never had any girlfriends on Earth. Yes, Vala had shared some of her secrets with Sam, including how she'd fooled Jonas into thinking they'd slept together when she'd actually just drugged him. That had made Sam laugh out loud. And yes, Vala might have taught her some other things as well. But judging by the look on Jack's face now, he clearly didn't mind.
As Sam continued to move, her belly grew tighter, every movement taking her that much closer to the edge. Suddenly, she needed him inside her. Without bothering to remove her panties, she simply pushed the fabric to one side and guided him to her entrance, gasping as she impaled herself on his cock ever so slowly, feeling every inch of him as she took him all the way in.
"Don't move," she instructed breathlessly, once he was fully seated inside her. She knew if he so much as flinched at that moment, she was going to lose it.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied roughly, though he must have been close as well because his eyelids were heavy and his movements uncoordinated. He grunted with restraint as she tightened around his shaft and finally began to ride him.
Sam knew she had to take things slowly if she had any chance of making it last, and so she did just that, moving on top of him at an seductively languid pace. Before long, though, Jack had placed his hands on her hips in a vain attempt to guide her movements. She gave him a slightly evil smile. It was obvious that he wanted her to speed up, but he was out of luck, because she was the one in control and she was enjoying every minute of driving them both crazy with her slow and steady rhythm. Still, she had to give him credit when he tried to get a thumb on her clit. Unfortunately, he was so distracted, he couldn't stay with her, so she batted his hand away and did it herself.
"God, Sam," he groaned, his eyes glued to the sight of her fingers on her own sex as she slid up and down his rigid shaft.
Knowing that he was watching her quickly pushed her right to the edge, and suddenly she was no longer in control after all. The orgasm that she'd been holding at bay unexpectedly built to the point of no return and her entire body shuddered once in anticipation before her release utterly consumed her. She cried out as she came, her pleasure washing over her in a series of undulating waves.
Just as she started to come down, Jack began to buck against her, so she took him all the way in once more and squeezed him hard, letting him thrust into her tight channel for several long seconds. She gasped when his movements unexpectedly triggered more aftershocks, the involuntary spasms causing spikes of pleasure to radiate from her core. He was good, of that there was no doubt. But she was pretty sure it was the look of pure ecstasy on his face that still had her ramped up, and she couldn't help but feel powerful knowing she'd put it there.
Once he was completely spent, he relaxed back into the mattress and pulled her down onto his chest where she could hear his rapid heartbeat beginning to slow. They lay there for several minutes, with his fingers moving through her hair and his half hard cock still deep inside her. She was pretty sure she never wanted to move.
"I'm really, really glad to be home," he whispered, and she murmured her agreement. After that, he was quiet for a long time, and she'd just started to doze off when he said softly, "Hammond's asked me to command the Beta site."
"I think you should do it," she replied immediately.
"Really?" He said, gently rolling her to one side and turning to face her. He furrowed his brow. "You'd come with me, right?
"Of course." She gave him a soft smile, and he visibly relaxed.
"And you'd be okay with that? There wouldn't be much 'gate travel from there."
She shrugged. "I know, but things are changing."
"What do you mean?"
She waited several beats before replying. "Jonas was infertile."
"What?" he said, and she was amused to see that her apparent non-sequitur had triggered the return of his furrowed brow.
"Janet accessed Earth's medical database," she explained patiently. "She was able to pull Jonas' records." She sighed. "All those years he blamed me for not giving him an heir...but he was the one who couldn't have children."
"But why did Janet look at Hanson's medical records?" he asked, still confused.
Her eyes danced, and her smile grew brighter. "Because I'm pregnant, Jack."
He stared at her for a long while, and Sam thought her heart might stop before a huge grin suddenly spread across his face. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." She grinned right back.
"I love you, you know," he said softly.
"I do. And I love you too."
Jack gave her a long, chaste kiss, and Sam quickly began drifting off to sleep in his arms. The last few years with Jonas had been difficult, but she knew now she was exactly where she was supposed to be - fighting against the intolerance that had held their world captive for centuries, with the people she loved by her side. And though she still held out hope for their own little corner of the galaxy, she dreamt of a place where she and Jack could raise their child in freedom and peace.
The End