Here we are then, the end of this fic. If you haven't already read Choices than I suggest you do as it picks up 2 years later; at the beginning of season 3 after the episodes Out of Mind/Into the Fire and it does have a happy ending unlike this story. I knew when I wrote this, this ending wasn't going to please anyone but I have tried to make the epilogue a little I want to thank dpdp, RhizONiell, froggy0319 for reviewing every chapter and to everyone who has added this to favourites, story alerts and reviewed; it is very much appreciated.
Spoilers for Children of The Gods…Enjoy!
Epilogue
Jack was stood by his chair, waiting for the briefing to start as the remaining seven occupants to sit at the table; including his new CO General George Hammond, Colonel Samuels, the air force officer that came to his home and his best friend and former team-mates Ferretti and Kawalsky, as well as another three airman, who he didn't know.
"Where's Captain Carter?" General Hammond asked.
"Just arriving, sir"
"Carter?" Jack asked, hearing the name made his heart skip a beat. Sam had previously worked here at the mountain but it couldn't be, Carter was not an unusual surname.
"I'm assigning Sam Carter to this mission" Hammond told him, Jack shook the stray thought out of his head. There is no way it would be his Sam; after all they were still married.
"I'd prefer to put together my own team, sir"
"Not on this mission, sorry. Carter's our expert on the Stargate" Jack knew from his new commanding officers tone that it was non-negotiable .
"Where's he transferring from?" Jack asked, looking down at the paperwork in front of him. .
"She is transferring from the Pentagon" a familiar voice said, a voice that he hadn't heard in just over a year. 'No it can't be' he thought. He looked up in shock as she walked into the room; he couldn't believe it. Running his eyes over her figure in her dress blues, he had always loved her in her dress blues. There was no way he could work alongside her, not when he still loved her.
"I take it you're Colonel O'Neill" she said, feeling herself trembling inside, she had thought that she could handle this, maybe she was wrong. Checking him out, she could still see that he was hurting.
"Captain Samantha Carter reporting, sir." she salutes him. He could still read her, she was begging him; not to say anything; and he would do anything for her, even now. He just hoped that Kawalsky would keep his mouth shut.
Jack salutes her back. Kawalsky was looking between the two of them; and apart from seeing Jack falter when she first walked into the room; he had kept his military bravado up and he played along.
"But of course you go by "Sam". He said smirking, breaking the ice.
"You don't have to worry, Major. I played with dolls when I was a kid" Sam told him returning his smirk. She was waiting for him to call them out; she knew she had convinced Jack not to say something but Kawalsky was a different matter; so she was relieved when he played along. She had worked too hard, to be stopped from going through the Stargate again.
"G.I. Joe?" Kawalsky asked.
"No, Major Matt Mason"
"Oh…" he said before turning to Ferretti. "Who?"
"Major Matt Mason, astronaut doll" he explained to Kawalsky and turning to back to Sam. "Did you have that cool little backpack that made him fly?"
"Let's get started. Colonel?" Hammond said, putting an end to the bantering that was occurring between them, there was something oddly comfortable about it; but he knew that he was imagining it, there was nothing in their personal file, saying that they knew each other.
"Thank you" Jack said to General Hammond and watches as Sam sat down in the seat opposite him. "Those of you on your first trip through the 'gate, you should be prepared for what to expect" he said; especially aiming it at Sam; there was no way he was taking her through the Stargate; no matter how proud of her he was.
"I've practically memorized your report from the first mission. I'd like to think I've been preparing for this my whole life" she told him, making eye contact with him for the first time since she walked into the briefing room.
"I think what the Colonel is saying is, have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F-16 at 8-plus G's?" Kawalsky asked.
"Yes"
"Well, it's way worse than that" he said in surprise.
"By the time you get to the other side, you're frozen stiff, like you've just been through a blizzard, naked" Ferretti and Kawalsky grinned at each other.
"That's a result of the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution"
"Oh, here we go. Another scientist. General, please" Jack said, wanting her off his team.
"Theoretical astrophysicist." She told him, knowing that he was playing dumb; but she had no idea why. Well she did but she knew that General Hammond wouldn't buy into it.
"Which means?" he asked her, playing dumb.
"Which means she is smarter than you are, Colonel. Especially in matters related to the Stargate" Hammond told him; which caused Kawalsky and Ferretti to snigger, Jack looks over to them, and they stopped abruptly.
"Colonel, I was studying the 'gate technology for four years before Daniel Jackson made it work and before you both went through. I should have gone through then. But, sir, you and your men might as well accept the fact that I am going through this time" she told him; she would not let his personal feelings toward her, stop her from accomplishing her goals.
"Well with all due respect, Doctor, I…" Jack scolded himself for winding her up but seeing her eyes flash with something familiar; he smiled internally and played her.
"It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation. You should call me "captain", not "doctor"" she told him; knowing he was enjoying this.
"Captain Carter's assignment to this unit is not an option, it's an order" Hammond said, putting an end to Jack's little game. 'Thank you General' she thought.
"I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel, and just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle" she told, cringing inside.
"Oh, this has nothing to do with you being a woman. I like women. I just have a little problem with scientists" he said to her, his eyes boring into her. Sam could see what he was thinking in his eyes; and she knew exactly what his problem was, as she could still read him so easily.
"Colonel, I logged over a hundred hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?" She said; causing Jack to raise his eyebrows in amusement; 'that was new' he thought. And he would like to do more than arm wrestle with her; he had missed her spunk.
"I hate to throw a damper on your enthusiasm, but I still say the safest, most logical way to deal with this is to bury the Stargate, just like the ancient Egyptians did, and make it impossible for the aliens to return. It's the only way to eliminate the threat" Samuels piped up; causing Jack to stop staring at Sam.
"Except it won't work"
"It worked before"
"They know what we are now. They know how far we've come. We're a threat to them" he said; making a point. "They've got ships, General. Ra had one as big as the great pyramids. They don't need the Stargate to get here. They can do it the old fashioned way. Now with all due respect to Mister Glass-is-half-empty over here, don't you think maybe we should use the Stargate to do a little reconnaissance before they decide to come back… Again?" Sam couldn't stop the small smile; that was a flash of the Jack she knew and loved.
"I'll give you exactly twenty-four hours to either return or send a message through. No Kleenex boxes please. Otherwise, we'll assume the worst and send a bomb through."
"Understood" he said; and Jack watched as Sam left the briefing room, and he quickly followed her; he had to talk to her. There was no way she was going on this mission; even if he had to come clean with General Hammond about their past relationship; but he needed to talk to her first. Once he caught up with her; he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the closest supply closet.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" She said to him, hoping no one saw him drag her in here.
"Me... What do you think you are doing Sam? You must have known that I would be your commanding officer"
"So...what if I did? It is none of your business Colonel. It's not like we mean anything to each other anymore. You made sure of that!" she spat at him.
"Don't you dare Sam!" He warned her.
"It is Captain Carter to you" she told him, going to walk out of the door, before he reached out and grabbed her and slammed her up against the wall, as her body was pressed against his; he felt himself getting aroused, god he missed her.
They were both breathing heavily, Sam wanted, needed to feel his lips against hers; she had missed him so much. 'Please Jack; kiss me' her mind screamed at him especially as she could feel his erection pressing against her stomach. She wanted him inside of her; but it couldn't happen and she knew this. Jack gently caressed her cheek, and just before his lips touched her's...
"Jack... Please don't." She breathed out; her head fighting against her heart whilst her body screamed out to feel him.
"I am so sorry" he said backing away from her. Sam could read the hurt in his eyes; and she wanted to hold him but she couldn't, he was her commanding officer.
"I should go" she murmured.
"I missed you" Jack told her; and Sam shook her head.
"You can't; you are my commanding officer" she reminded him and herself.
"No Samantha I can't" he shook his head.
"Yes; you can" she told him; they could deal with this.
"Samantha"
"No, Samantha doesn't exist; the woman you know doesn't exist anymore" she told him and to an extent it was true; she would not allow him to see that side of her again; she couldn't because if she did; she would give in to him.
"I cannot be your CO; how on earth did I become your CO Sam; you are my wife"
"Ex wife and I never changed my personnel file; so the air force would never know" she told him; she knew that it would never last between them.
"I cannot do this Sam" he said, stepping towards her once again. Putting her hand out to stop him, it rested against his chest, and Sam sucked a breath in. She would not let him see what effect he had on her.
"Yes you can Jack; I am begging you and I have never begged you for anything. I have spent the past 4 years on this project and I have earned this. Do not let your personal feelings for me; blind you. You need me on this mission and I deserve it. Please Jack?"
"No; I don't need you on this mission, Daniel will get us back. But I do miss you. I miss you in my life; in my..."
"Stop!" She said feeling the tears welling up in her eyes; she missed him so much. She had already thrown her personal feelings aside when he knew that she was reporting to Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill; she was relieved when she found out that he survived the mission to Abydos but was disappointed that he never came to find her. Jack watched her; and he knew that she still had feelings for him; and all he needed was to push her that little more.
"I love you, Samantha" he said reaching out and caressing her cheek and when she didn't flinch from his touch; he pulled her into a kiss. As his lips met her's; his mouth pressing hard against her, and his tongue pushing past her closed lips. That familiar taste made her give in to him; she needed to taste him; to feel him pressed against her.
"No" she said; finding the strength to push him away.
"We can't do this; Colonel" she needed to distance herself from him. "I don't love you like that anymore" she told him; knowing that it was lie but she had to survive this. Jack stepped away as if he had been slapped.
"I'm sorry" he murmured not looking at her and she wanted to take him into her arms and assure him that it wasn't true but she couldn't; she needed him to believe that she didn't love him anymore.
"So I am; Jack but I needed you and you left me. I miss Charlie too; everyday and our baby girl" she told him tears filling her crystal blue eyes.
"Baby girl?" He choked.
"Yeah; baby girl. I couldn't bury her but I named her" she told him; knowing that he needed this; just as much as she needed to share it with him; he deserved to know.
"What?"
"Abigail Charlotte O'Neill"
"It is a beautiful name Sam"
"I always loved Abigail and Charlotte was after her big brother"
"Thank you" he told her, placing a small kiss on her mouth.
"Jack let me go on this mission?"
"Sam if something was to happen to you; I would never be able to forgive myself. I can't lose you too"
"You have already lost me Jack, a year ago, when you decided to shut me out. We can't go back but we can go forward. Take me on this mission and we can decide from there, give me a chance, please?"
"Okay; but I am not making any promises because even though you may not love me anymore; I still love you and I always will. But if you want to just be CO and subordinate after this mission than we will be just that, because I love you that much and I will do anything you want. It was always your choice Sam"
"Thank you" she said finally leaving Samantha behind and becoming Captain Samantha Carter. "I will see you in the gate room, Colonel O'Neill" she said before leaving the supply closet.
Jack watched her leave and knew maybe it was time he signed the divorce papers that were still in the drawer in his office at home. However they would remain there for the next three years; when Captain Samantha Carter discovered that she is still married to her CO. The only man she had ever loved and her soul mate; Jack O'Neill
I tried to make the ending a little light since I have given you a lot of angst in the last few chapters. I look forward to hearing about you all about what you thinks. Thank you once again for all the reviews for this story.
I have a new story that I am still working on which will be posted some time next year called Never Too Late; which is post season 8; and won't be have as much angst has this story did.
