Season 7 Episode 22 – Lost City Part Two

Episode summary: Earth is in danger from Anubis' fleet. SG-1 travel to Proclarush Taonas, hoping it is the Lost City and will have technology that could defend Earth. On the way there, Sam informs Jack that Hammond authorised her to take command – Jack verbally resigns and hands over command. They discover the Lost City is back on Earth, take a ZPM, and head back to Earth, to Antarctica, where Jack starts drilling through the ice with a beam weapon he created. Anubis attacks and the Prometheus and X302s defend them. They go down into the Ancient outpost and Jack uses a powerful new weapon to destroy Anubis' fleet. Jack is close to death, and SG-1 have to leave him in stasis to preserve his life.

Disclaimer: I've used a few lines of the original episode dialogue in this. I am in no way claiming this as my own.

Author's note: There are two parts to this tag. The first, an alternate version of the conversation between Sam and Jack when she takes over command aboard the cargo ship. The second, the aftermath of the episode.

[In the episode, Jack has just altered the cargo ship's engines to make them go faster, and he and Sam are alone in the engine room …]

Sam looked at Jack, feeling a little awkward but knowing that they needed to have this conversation before he was too far gone.

"Sir … I think you should know that General Hammond authorised me to take command of the team if I determined –"

"Do it now."

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary."

"I trust you." He said. "I'll make it easy for you. I resign. You're in charge." He said with a hint of a smile.

Sam's mouth dropped open a little bit. They looked at each other for a long moment in the pulsing light of the engines. Sam took a step towards him. I resign, he had said. No more Air Force. No more regulations. True, she probably still shouldn't be thinking about him romantically while he was effectively under her command, but –

He kissed her.

She made a little noise of surprise, and his hands were suddenly cupping her face, and he was kissing her, intently. Her arms wove around his neck and she kissed him back, tears forming in her eyes.

He pulled back, and she looked at him. His eyes were impossibly dark.

He went to say something, but he winced when it seemed the words wouldn't come out. He smiled at her ruefully instead, and she smiled back. He kissed her forehead affectionately, and together they went back to the ship's cockpit, hearts a little lighter.

[After the episode …]

Orders had been relayed by radio, a team had come down from the Prometheus to secure the outpost, and SG-1 had to leave Jack down there, frozen in stasis.

Sam steadfastly avoided Teal'c and Daniel's eyes, but she could feel them watching her. She put her military face on, hiding behind a mask of professionalism.

The rendezvous point was McMurdo. Bra'tac landed their cargo ship there, and they met General Hammond inside, who was co-ordinating the aftermath of the battle. It was busy – many of the X302s had gone down, and search and rescue teams had been deployed to find the missing pilots.

They were transferred onto the Prometheus, Bra'tac included. They would be heading to the SGC, but they would wait to take any wounded X302 pilots with them, being the fastest method of transporting them for treatment.

They commandeered the ship's briefing room, and settled in to wait. Sam could still feel her team mates' eyes on her. Bra'tac struck up a conversation with Teal'c, and Sam turned her swivel chair away from them all and closed her eyes.

He's ok. She told herself. We'll get in contact with the Asgard eventually, and they can take the Ancient knowledge out of his head. He'll be ok.

Daniel – who never seemed to have developed the skill of understanding when a person wanted to be left alone – scooted over to her in his wheeled chair.

"Are you ok?" He asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine." She said stoically.

Daniel huffed a little. "The Asgard can fix him." He said.

"I know."

There was a long moment of silence when Daniel just stared at her. She lost her patience.

"What?"

"Sam … look, we don't talk about this, but I know you and Jack have this … thing. And if you ever wanted to talk …"

Sam shook her head and waved a hand to make him stop. "Daniel, just leave it alone. I'm fine."

He looked at her sadly, and she felt a little bad for pushing him away.

"I'm sorry." She said.

He squeezed her shoulder. "It's ok." He wheeled back to the table, joining the jaffa's conversation, and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes once more.

Hours, or maybe days, later – she'd long since lost track – SG-1 were dismissed and headed home for some sleep. It was the middle of the day, bright sunshine bearing down on her.

She drove to Jack's house, and sat in the driveway in her car for twenty minutes before starting the engine and driving away. There was nothing in there for her now.

At home, she took a handful of mail into the kitchen, and opened it methodically, feeling numb. Until, that is, she noticed the envelope with her address written in Jack's handwriting. She stared at it for a moment. The date stamp was Saturday – the day after she'd stormed into his house to yell at him. She opened it hurriedly, ripping the envelope open.

Inside were two bits of paper. The first, a printed copy of the photograph of Beth, Jake and Serena. The second, a small scrap of paper with eight numbers written in Jack's handwriting, and nothing else.

What the hell?

She stared at those eight digits, wondering what on earth he was trying to tell her. Eight digits. It wasn't a date. It wasn't a gate address. It wasn't any sort of code that she could fathom.

She looked at the printed copy of the photograph again. Why would he send this? He'd given her a copy already, over a year ago.

Maybe it was meant as a clue.

She thought about the original photograph. It was locked away in Jack's wall-safe. She shook her head, thinking they'd better find the Asgard and get Jack back, or she was going to have to improve her lock-picking skills quite dramatically to get into that thing.

Wait.

Eight numbers. Wall-safe. It couldn't be the combination to the safe, could it?

She put both bits of paper in her purse, and grabbed her keys, heading back out the door. Ten minutes later she was back at Jack's house. She let herself in with her key, and went straight to the living room, pulling the couch away from the wall, and opening the little cupboard. There was the safe, and it was a digital combination lock.

She got out the bit of paper, and keyed in the eight numbers carefully. There was a subtle click, and she swung the door open, grinning. Why he couldn't have just told her the combination in person, she didn't know, but still, it felt good to have solved the puzzle.

Inside the safe were two things. The original photograph, and another envelope. She took out the envelope curiously. She felt a little weird, snooping through Jack's safe, but she supposed if he hadn't wanted her to he wouldn't have mailed her the code.

The envelope wasn't sealed, and had her name written on the front. She pulled out the piece of paper inside. It was Jack's handwriting again.

I'll be back. Trust me.
P.S. Remember that jewellery shop you sent me to on Cassie's 16th? Look what I found.

She stared at the paper, trying to figure out what he meant. There was nothing else in the safe. She felt something shift in the envelope as she stood up though, and she took a closer look inside.

It was a ring. It was the ring. The ring General Samantha Carter had worn on her left ring finger in 2034. It was her engagement ring.

She sat down and stared at it, completely stunned. Jack had found her ring. Jack had bought her ring. More than two years ago. All this time Jack had had an engagement ring intended for her sitting in his safe.

She put it back in the safe, with the photograph, and stowed the note and the envelope back in her purse. Her hands were shaking.

He's coming back. I'll get him back. I have to.

Author's note: If you have the DVDs, I highly recommend watching the commentary for Lost City with Robert C Cooper, Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping, if you haven't already. Apparently Lost City was originally intended – and scripted – as a feature film to end SG-1 as a series, and in the original script Sam was supposed to kiss Jack when he resigned in the cargo ship's engine room. Squee ….! It's also a very interesting watch for a host of other reasons.