"And look, here, this could be a great space for an office!" Pete explained guiding Sam into a smaller room on the second floor. "And then, you know, it is also a pretty great size for a nursery." He turned to her, an expectant smile on his face.

Sam's mouth opened but no words came out.

Pete smiled broadly, "I've done it haven't I? Stunned you speechless?"

"You bet..." Sam agreed absently, pushing a smile on to her face.

And why shouldn't she smile? Pete was right, this was her dream house, the neighborhood, the layout, the land, everything. It even had a place for a workshop in the basement. And Pete had bought it, for her. Because he remembered something she had absently described a year ago.

It was maybe the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her.

So why was there an ever growing pit in her stomach?

Pete was grabbing her hands, "I still need to actually do the closing paperwork but it's all set, the down payment is committed. We can move in as soon as we get back from Cancun." He smiled brilliantly at her.

"That's great." She smiled.

Pete's eyes softened as he took in the strained lines around her eyes, "What? What is it? Is it the color? I told you, I can paint, I promise I am a good house painter. And the wallpaper in the downstairs hall can go too. Whatever you want."

Sam's smile grew and she raised a hand to Pete's cheek, "No, it's not that, the house is..." She sighed, "It's perfect."

He grinned, "Good, I'm not going to lie, I was nervous and then you had this look on your face..."

He squinted, trying to read her.

She looked down. What could she possibly say to him when she didn't even understand it herself? "I'm sorry."

He grimaced, "It's work isn't it?"

She looked away. She didn't want to blame everything on the SGC, not if she wanted to keep Pete from eventually resenting her job, but for the time being it was a convenient out and she tried to ignore the pang of guilt as she took it. "Yeah."

He sighed.

"I'm sorry, It's just...SG-1 is probably going to break up by the time we get back from the honeymoon." She looked down.

Pete's eyes grew wide, "What does that mean for you?"

She shrugged, "I don't know."

"Hey," He gave a comforting smile and pulled her close to him for a tight hug.

As she let herself be held she allowed herself to again consider what the impending changes meant for her. The General had told her not to limit herself. But a house in Colorado Springs meant she was committing to the SGC. Not that she didn't love it, but would it be the same without Teal'c and Daniel and Jack? If she was honest the idea of Area 51 or being involved in the retrofit of the Prometheus had sounded appealing. But she would need to be in Nevada for that.

Of course they were planning on installing Asgard beams onto the Prometheus so she could hypothetically live anywhere and just beam home when she was done. But that post would still mean days and sometimes weeks away from home. Could she ask Pete to accept that?

She tightened her grip on his shoulder as eyes traced the walls of the room. Pete had implied it could someday be a nursery. Maybe with the changes she should consider adjusting her life-work balance. Take a job overseeing the SGC labs with limited, if any off world travel. Maybe then she could be less apprehensive about having children.

She closed her eyes and ducked her head into the crook of Pete's neck. It would make him so happy to hear that. That she'd be home 5pm every day, not out risking her neck. Not showing up with strange injuries and nightmares. Not disappearing after a phone call in the middle of the night or laying awake for hours worrying about a teammate. Able to take months of maternity leave to settle into motherhood and dote on their child. Possibly even transition to part time.

She bit her lip as it reached her with absolute clarity that nothing would make Pete happier...but that nothing was further from what she wanted for herself.

She forced herself to suppress the sob she felt in her chest, clearing her throat and gently stepping away. "I'm sorry Pete, I really need to get back."

He blinked for a moment but smiled softly, "Yeah, of course. I'll bring you back to your car."

Thoughts and conversations tumbled around in her head as she followed her fiance through the perfect house and out to his car. As they crossed the lawn she looked at him curiously, "Pete?"

He looked at here expectantly.

She squinted in the sun and pulled at her fingers, "What would you say if I told you I was thinking of wearing my dress blues instead of a dress?"

"When?"

"At the wedding." She frowned.

He stopped and stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head and smiling, "Sam...I know wedding dresses are expensive but it's your wedding, you deserve for everything to be perfect and to be more beautiful than any man can handle. Treat yourself, get whatever gorgeous dress you want, no matter how ridiculous you think the price is. It's your wedding, not some medal ceremony. I love you and don't want you to feel like you're settling." He smiled gently and squeezed her hands before planting a small kiss on her cheek and moving around to the other side of the car.

"Right..." She sighed. As she settled in to the car and looked back at the beautiful house that felt more and more like an anchor every passing minute, she knew what she needed to do.

She needed to talk to Jack.

Kerry watched Jack watch Sam disappear around the corner of the house.

"Jack?"

She watched his adams apple bob as he swallowed and clenched his teeth. He gave her a small smile, "Sorry." He handed her the poker holding the steak and gestured to the house "Give me a sec?"

She watched him disappear through the door before turning back to the grill and sighing.

"Grilling is not one of your talents O'Neill..." She muttered to herself as she removed the charred steaks from the rack. Covering them with another plate she grabbed her beer and followed Jack into the house.

He was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, house phone pressed to his ear.

She leaned against the table and took a slow drink, watching him.

"Well can I talk to him?" It was phrased as a question but there was no denying the command in his tone.

Jack ran a hand down the back of his head, looking up when there was a new voice on the other end of the line.

"Damnit Jacob! This is not what you said was..." His indignant tirade was apparently interrupted.

Jack listened for a long time, energy slowly leaving his frame and he leaned his back heavily against the wall, his next words weary, "I thought..."

Whatever it was he thought was apparently wrong and he closed his eyes.

Letting out a sigh his head rolled back, "And there's nothing? I mean you know we'll..." He breathed out. "Yeah, okay."

Another silence.

"I know. She just left." A small smirk grew on his lips, "Given how she drives I'd say she'll probably be there in under 15."

The smirk disappeared, "Yeah. She was."

Jack shook his head, "Jacob..." Another sigh, "No. I was barbecuing with Kerry."

Eyes narrowed, "Yes, literally."

He hung his head again, "Okay. Listen, just..." he grimaced, "I'll be there soon."

He pushed the hang up button and let his arm fall limply to his side as he leaned his head back against the wall, eyes still closed.

He took a deep breath and straightened, tossing the phone in the general direction of the living room on his way back outside.

He grabbed his beer from where he left it by the grill and downed the little remaining liquid before hurling the glass bottle violently at a tree closest to the house.

Kerry's eyes grew wide. "Jack?"

He had both hands braced on the deck rail, "Damnit." He muttered and pounded a closed fist on the rail as he took in a shaky breath, head hung down.

Kerry approached him slowly, uncertain if he was even aware of her presence. She put a tentative hand on his shoulder blade.

"Jack?" She tried again.

He let out a long slow breath before picking up his head and looking at her, "I'm sorry."

"What's going on?" She asked, stepping closer.

He sighed and shook his head, "I need to go in."

"Because of Colonel Carter's father?" She clarified.

Jack grimaced, "I knew something was up but..." He sighed "It's worse than I thought and it's not going to get better."

Kerry frowned in empathy, "Is there anything you think you're going to be able to do?" She winced, "I just mean, it's medical, right?"

Jack's mouth opened and closed again. He sighed and looked at Kerry and then away to the trees, gaze unfocused. When he brought his eyes back to her again he looked down, "Selmak was an important ally. We're probably going to have Tok'ra coming and going all day once they catch wind. And I just..." He winced, "I'm sorry. I just need to be there. I can't let...I need to go in."

Kerry bit down on the inside of her cheeks and gave a single nod. Jack gave her a small smile, kissed her gently on the forehead, then turned and hopped off the porch. Kerry watched him go as he jogged around the corner of the house where Sam Carter had disappeared only moments before.