A.N.: LOL. Don't blame me if this chapter sucks. I've been sick for the past week and my brain might not be working quite right. :) As always, reviews are appreciated, so that if the chapter needs fixing, I know the correct things to fix.

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She leaned over the edge of the bed slightly to pull up her black stockings. Every moment she made, she could feel a little bit more air being pushed out of her lungs until it felt like there was nothing left to breathe. The past week in the O'Neill household had been wonderful. There was even a little whimsy in the air now that their mutual feelings were out in the open, but this day was always just looming somewhere around the corner.

She pulled herself up and into the bathroom to once again stare at herself in the mirror. She pulled at her dark, maroon shirt, wishing that maybe it was black to fit her emotions. Maroon, however, just seemed right. Red to her had always seemed to be a color of violence, of death. Most people found this absolutely crazy, but when you've been to war, seen the blood of your enemies stain into the concrete, it becomes harder and harder to view it as a color of love. She found it kind of ironic that it was also Pete's favorite color. Boy, did he ever love the color red. He always bought her red roses which she secretly despised. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought of the shirt as a victory stand, that she would wear his favorite color today.

She knew that Jack was waiting for her downstairs. They really didn't have too much time to waste, but she also knew that he would never rush her. The phone call came as quite the surprise, actually. The judge that was assigned to the case had a massive heart attack just days before the case was to appear in court. The other judges all currently had full calendars, and since Pete had already confessed to being guilty and waived his right to a full trial, this case wasn't of a grave enough importance to push another case out of the way. That is the explanation she had been given for the delay, anyways. Now, months later, Pete was finally going to be receive his official sentence.

"Sam, are you okay?"

Out of nowhere, an additional reflection was starring back at her in the mirror. Before she knew it, the words were flying out of her mouth, totally beyond her control.

"I've changed my mind. I don't think I want to go."

She knew fully well that she didn't have to be there. There was no trial. She was never going to have to testify. The district attorney had just strongly suggested that she come for a sense of closure, but instinctively, she knew that was not how she would gain closure. No amount of maroon shirts would ever change that. Her closure always came best by simply moving forward. She couldn't explain it better if she tried, and she wasn't expecting his approval. That made the approval that much more sweet to hear.

"Okay."

He pulled her into a hug from behind. Softly, he rested his chin on her shoulder and joined her surveillance into the mirror. Truth be told, he really hadn't been looking forward to going, either. Oh, don't be fooled. He would have loved to have seen the look on that poor sap's face as that sentence was being handed down, but he didn't want to see the look on hers, nor could he have guaranteed that he wouldn't have done something stupid in the heat of the moment.

"Daniel and Teal'c are going regardless. They can always tell us the ending."

"I'm not weak, you know. This isn't about that fact that I couldn't handle going. I could handle going."

"I know."

"It's just...I was looking at this shirt, this stupid shirt, and all I could think about was hatred. God, Jack. This past week has been too wonderful for me to start thinking that way again. Not now. And man, I must really sound like a complete idiot."

He started laughing, full-out laughing. He couldn't help himself. Something about that comment just tickled at his core.

"Sam. Really, now. I don't think there's a single thing you could ever say that would make you sound like a complete idiot. It is you we've talking about."

And just like that the mood was broken. She was laughing against his chest. It was the most amazing thing that Sam had ever experienced. She couldn't believe that less than five minutes ago she was thinking about the blood of her enemies staining the concrete, but he had that way of doing that to her without even trying. Now this, this was the closure she was looking for.

"Thank you."

"It was nothing."

She smiled at the familiar line as he placed a gentle kiss side of her neck.

"Think nothing of it."

As she nestled herself back into to her favorite spot on his chest, she wasn't thinking about the courtroom that she wouldn't be going to today. She didn't think about the sentencing, or the witnesses, or Pete sitting in a cold chair behind the defense table. She didn't think about the clothes she was wearing and the symbolic meaning behind them. She didn't think about gloom, violence, or death. This was the first time in, gosh, as long as she could remember, that she looked into a mirror and didn't feel utterly alone by the image she saw. The only thought that was occupying her mind was the content looking couple that was now starring back at her.