A/N - Episode tag to Grace. Rated T. With thanks to MidKnight Rider for the beta.

She lay in the infirmary bed, listening to the beeping and humming of the assorted medical machinery. Four days! She couldn't believe she had been out that long.

The trip had been a disaster, but she supposed it was karma. Though the nebula had held some interest, she had really only accepted Ronson's offer to accompany the crew of the Prometheus back to Earth because she needed some space to think about her life and career. On that count, she got more than she bargained for. One thing was certain: she had confirmed that she had no desire to leave SG-1 to serve with Colonel Ronson, even if it meant coming to terms with her feelings for her commanding officer.

Jack. He had been waiting for her when she woke up and had been surprised when she called him by name. She supposed that was due to the fact that they had been "sir" and "Carter" ever since their break up. He had corrected her, but not unkindly. She wondered how long he'd been sitting there, and what had been going through his mind.

She sighed. No matter. She had come to certain conclusions regarding their relationship, and she was determined now to stop mooning over him like some school girl. It was time to move on, to reclaim her life. She planned to tell him, just as soon as she was released from the infirmary. She smiled to herself, knowing he'd be relieved.

oOoOoOo

The moment the call came that the Prometheus had been found, it was as if he was finally able to breathe after days of being under water. When she came through the wormhole, injured and unconscious, he felt as though he'd immediately been thrust back under.

He'd sat by her side for nearly four days straight. It took an order from Hammond to get him to leave for a shower, some food, and a quick nap, but then he'd gone right back to the infirmary. After the third day, Hammond gave up all further attempts to make him leave.

He'd had a long time to think while he was waiting for her to wake up. Some of his thoughts were about the different ways he could kill Ronson, but most were about her, about their relationship. He'd known when she requested the mission that she was running away. Part of him wondered whether it wasn't also to punish him or teach him a lesson. Well, he thought, mission accomplished.

He knew that he never wanted to live without her. She was the only thing that mattered. He realized that now. Screw Kinsey. He'd leave his position if he had to, and if that didn't work, well hell, he couldn't think of a better use for his Black Ops training. They'd make it work somehow. As long as they were together, the rest was just details.

He'd been caught off guard when she'd called him by his first name. Though he'd corrected her, he thought there was a good chance the slip meant she'd been thinking about their relationship, too. He hoped to hell it meant she'd be receptive to the idea of picking up where they left off.

He took a breath. Either way, he was about to find out. She had asked him to give her a ride home, and she'd just been discharged from the infirmary.

oOoOoOo

They rode in tense silence most of the way to her house. When he pulled up in her driveway, he turned off the engine and shifted in his seat to face her, only to find that she had done the same.

"Sir…" she began.

"Look, Sam…" he said at the same time. They smiled at each other. "You first," he said softly.

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "I, uh…I just wanted to say that I had a lot of time to think about things when I was alone on the ship." She paused, and he looked at her encouragingly. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay." He furrowed his brow a bit, confused. "I thought about it, about us…a lot, and even though I didn't think so at first, I now believe that the decision to stop seeing each other was the right one."

What? He was dumbfounded. It must have shown on his face, because she started talking again, faster this time.

"I mean, it would never work between us, in the long run, right? I can see that now. We both have our careers, and the SGC needs us, and neither of us wants to give up SG-1….It just wouldn't work out. So, I wanted to let you know that it's okay; I'm okay. I finally feel like I've moved on."

It took a moment before he realized that she was waiting for him to respond. His thoughts were in turmoil, but his survival instincts must have kicked in because he heard himself say, "That's…that's great, Carter. Good to know."

She smiled at him again and opened the door. "Thanks for ride home, sir." She grabbed her bag and hopped out of the truck. "See you tomorrow." He watched as she walked across the lawn and into the house, closing the front door behind her.

And that's when he knew that even though she had returned to him, he had truly lost her after all.