Hello! I'm alive! If you are still reading this… thank you 3 Hopefully, you still be there for the next one! xD #hopingTooMuch?

Enjoy!

M.

Truth & memories

SGC

Jack was in the gate room when Teal'c and Daniel reached the SGC as couple hours after the upgrades were done. He accompanied them to the infirmary, and Daniel easily noticed that something was going up his mind. When they were released, Jack followed him to his office.

'What possibly could've happened in three days?' Daniel thought to himself while they silently walked to his office. Daniel knew Jack now, more than he ever thought possible when he met him all those years ago, the day they started the path that led them to this future. He knew Jack had to find his words, so he waited until his friend was able to verbalize whatever was eating his brain hoping that Jack and his rock collection could survive whatever it was. Pretending not being concerned about him he simply stated to add more data to his already extensive information about the Jaffa's from Chulak.

"I think I saw Sam at the SGC today," Jack announced all the sudden. Throwing one of the many rocks that polluted the archeologist office into the air and grabbing it again.

"Huh?" Daniel frowned and raised his eyes to look at him, his demeanor, the way he was standing. "You mean?" Jack nodded.

"You bumped her in DC before getting here?" He asked Jack didn't answer. "Jack?"

"Nope. I think I saw her here."

"Here? That's impossible, Jack. After all, you know quite well her dreams had nothing to do with what we do here."

"I don't know, Daniel," he rubbed his face. "I …"

"You what?" Jack huffed.

"Nothing," he waved a hand in dismissal while his memories of Sam ran a rampage in his mind. "Have you seen her?"

"Not since," he whispered, "the fallout, Jack."

"The fall-out. You make it sound like a divorce is the end of the world and not one of the most common ends to marriages. And you know well enough how almost ends of the world look like," he pointed.

"I know, Jack. But should I remind you that you weren't the only one who lost something back then?" Jack clenched her jaw, "and you know I still feel guilty for giving the idea the led to your settlement."

"Daniel…" Jack warned the settlement sounding like he had given up on them. 'Maybe you did, Jack. You agreed to let Sam and Jackie go'. He thought and shook his head.

"Hey, you started this line of questioning," Daniel raised his hands in surrender. "How's Samia?"

"I don't know. I took her to the airport and watched her plane leave. Now, I must wait until a letter from her arrives."

"Oh! That's right, you mentioned it. Want to grab a beer later?" He offered, making Jack chuckle.

"I take you are dismissing me for now." Jack raised his eyebrow. "See you at the usual spot?"

"Yup."

Jack checked his watch and walked away. He reached home minutes later and clenching his jaw walked to his home office. He placed his gun in the safe and took out the photo album he kept inside. He took it out and went through it, pictures of Samia in her different dance presentations, birthday, office parties and a few with his family, pictures of her grinning widely in her grandparent's arms. She even had one with Jacob Carter; she had adopted him as a grandpa. And then he got to it pictures of the time when he had a wife and two girls. How had something that seemed so strong and full of love slip through his fingers like that? He thought, caressing a picture of her holding the girls as she looked at them lovingly. He huffed and closed the album and grabbed his cellphone.

"Daniel, we need to move that beer for sooner."

"In half an hour?" Daniel asked.

"See you there."

"But you are inviting," Daniel added making Jack chuckle.

"I'll buy if you get your arse there in time."

"I'm getting out now. Bye"

Montecito

"What took you so long?" Samia asked exasperatedly; the truth was she was worried about Jac.

"You know, getting a counselor distracted is easy. Crossing up to here in the dark, trying not to make much of a noise, not so much." She grinned and frowned when she saw that Samia was holding something. "It's that it?"

"Yeah, did you bring yours?" She nodded, patting her jacket.

"Let's confirm our suspicions," Samia sighed and waited for Jac to seat next to her on the floor. "Ready?"

"I don't know." She exhaled, "but let's do this."

Looking at each other, they both lowered their pictures for the other to see. Both pieces were cut on what seemed the middle of the photograph. Samia had a piece that showed the mother she didn't know, looking lovingly at something she always supposed it was her father and if it weren't for the letter in which she received the picture she would've never known that was their wedding picture even if her mother was wearing a white dress.

Jac had a picture of her dad. She wouldn't tell anyone, but she used to talk with it. She always wondered if he would look at her with the similar affection. The note that came along with the picture mentioned that was her father. And Jac was quite surprised when she got it, as far as she knew, she knew no one who knew her dad. Well, until now that was.

"Whoa, this makes it so true," Jac said with widened eyes looking at the picture in Samia's hands.

"You mean? It's your mom?" Samia asked, looking at Jac and then at the picture she was holding, "because that for sure is my dad."

"Yup, that's my mom. Our mom, I guess."

"What's her name?"

"Samantha Carter…. Doctor Samantha Carter."

"You mean from Carter & Mckay?" Jac scrunched her nose.

"Yeah, although that's not the only one she has. What about dad? I mean, our dad."

"Jack… Johnathan O'Neill. If we are introducing them formally," Samia grinned.

"But if you know my mom from Carter & McKay, how come you never .. I don't know reach for her or something?"

"I've never seen the picture of Samantha Carter, I only read the books," Samia shrugged.

"Yeah, she doesn't like pictures that much. We barely have a few together," Jac shrugged. "Huh," Jac frowned seating back, "this is such a weird coincidence."

"You mean being here?"

"Yeah, I mean, I wanted to go to another camp, but when I finally told mom, it was already sold-out. And she managed to get me here. I guess I've never thought she would pick the same camp that the sister I didn't know I had picked."

"Oh, I didn't pick this camp."

"Your dad did?"

"No, I mean. The same happened to me, I told my dad I wanted to go, but by the time he had the time to try and book it, it was closed. Then, he came up home with this camp, and it was better than the alternative I guess."

"Weird."

"Indeed. Now tell me everything about mom." Jac chuckled at the eager way Samia was looking at her.

"Only if you tell me all about dad."

"Deal."

Washington DC

Home. She sighed.

When she was younger, the last thing she thought was that home would include a family of her own. And now, the emptiness that surrounded her made her remember the void she was feeling for a long time.

She walked to her room, passing by Jac's room and gulped. Yes, this wasn't the first time she was in a different town than her daughter. However, it was the first time she was home while Jac wasn't. Her eyes filled with tears and she closed the door walking quickly towards her room.

She took out the hard drive in where she kept the upgrades for the Stargate and lowered the painting under which she had her safe. She entered her code and scanned her palm and the safe opened. She placed the hard drive inside and gulped when she touched something inside.

"Come on, keep it together." She said, her lower lip was already trembling. "It's only day one," she closed her eyes but grabbed the envelope she had touched earlier. She took the contents out and saw what she was missing.

They weren't of those who took pictures of everything, and the few pictures she kept were a proof of it, they were also proof of how much the distance separated them. Between the photo of their wedding and the first birthday party of their daughters, the riff was noticeable. The love was there, but there was an awkwardness that wasn't there before. She caressed Jack's face and wondered how the years had changed his features.

A lone tear fell as she lowered the picture and raised the next one. She smiled sadly and grabbed the next one; she was pregnant. She asked Daniel to take it, she was going to give it to Jack when he reached home, but he never did, his orders had changed, and he had to remain on base. There was a picture of him with the girls, and he looked proud and happy, and she loved the picture. She also remembered the void she felt when he had two left two days after their birth and how desperate she fell with the two girls crying at the same time. And then, from their birthday, she chose to keep one of the two girls and her father. She didn't know how but Jack managed to convince Jacob Carter to join them for the party, and she had never seen her father smile so bright before. She also remembered how disappointed he looked when she explained to him and her brother, why Jack was leaving and taking Samia with him. That day, she lost her last connection with her father, but her relationship with her brother and his family improved, making him the support she needed to move forward.

"What a mess," she sighed. "and how badly I miss you all." She picked all the pictures and placed them back where they belonged, in the darkest and safest part of her room. She rubbed her face tiredly and walked to the shower.

Colorado Springs

Hammond sat back in his chair; it was late. He grabbed the phone.

"Can you confirm Colonel O'Neill has left?"

"Yes, sir."

"And Doctor Jackson is still here?"

"He has left half an hour ago, sir."

"Excellent, thanks." He grinned before he took his cellphone out, and searched the number he wanted. Finding it, he pressed call and waited until it the call connected.

"Dad! How have you been?"

"Lily, I'm good. How are you?"

"Great, but I'm pretty sure you aren't calling me on the busiest of the seasons just to know how I am."

"You know me too well."

"Yes, and I must say that this is not part of what we ask from any parent who brings their kid to our camp, dad."

"I know, I know. No phones, no calls, no internet. However," he trailed.

"You are my dad, not theirs?" Lily laughed. "The three girls arrived safely, dad. All three of them have written letters and all letters have been posted today. Now, can I ask a question?"

"You want to know why two of them look so alike."

"Alike? No, they look like twins. Are they?"

"Yes. But they don't know it."

"What are you planning, dad?"

"I believe they should know about each other. I'm just crossing fingers here, hoping things go better than they are."