Chapter 44
Sam stood on the porch watching as the sun drop down over the horizon as the autumn wind caressed her face. She knew he would call. She held her phone in her hand waiting to answer. Jack wandered to the door to let her know dinner was ready, as his hand landed on the storm door handle Sam's phone rang. He paused and listened through the screen.
"Yeah Pete," she gathered herself.
Jack couldn't hear what her husband was saying but gathered the gist of the conversation from Sam's reply.
"No, I am not coming back." she told him. "I left the note explaining it." She paused, "No, I want it annulled." She sighed, "Because it was a mistake, Pete. I don't want this kind of life." She started to pace back and forth, "Pete…I'm sorry but I don't love you." She came to a halt, "Please don't make this any harder than it has to be." She rolled her head back, "I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm trying to make this as easy as possible." She took another step, "We were only married three weeks." She then came to a halt, "No I am not telling you where I moved too. If you want to meet we can do so in a public place." She hung her head low, "Pete…I don't want to be married to you anymore. We had a whirlwind romance and for a while it was great but…" She waved a hand, "No, there isn't another man." She started to pace, "I don't need time to think about it. I made up my mind." She could tell she was getting nowhere, "I'm ending this conversation now, Pete." She hung up the phone and turned it off for she knew he would call back. As she turned her head and spotted Jack at the door. "Sir?"
"Dinner's ready, Shanahan." he stated.
"It's 'Carter' now," she corrected.
"Dinner's ready, Carter." he told her. He glanced at the phone, "How did he take that?"
"As well as expected," she sighed. "He thinks it's just a phase and I will come back to him. He also told me how much I hurt him."
He opened the door and stepped outside. He looked upon her as the sun set in the distance. The light softened her face as the shadows of the evening started to stretch across the nearby fields. "You feel guilty?" he wondered.
"A little," she confessed.
"Don't," he told her. "When my wife left I never told her how much it hurt because I didn't want her to feel guilty. I didn't want her feel guilty because even though she no longer loves me and had found someone else, I will always have feelings for her and well, even when you're hurt you try to protect the ones you love."
She asked, "You don't think he really loved me?"
"If he did he would bury how badly he's hurting to protect you," he stated.
She gazed upon his stern face and mentioned, "I can't believe she walked away from you. Even though she's dragging you through a horrific divorce you are still trying to protect her."
"When you love someone you also have to let them go," he concluded.
"Letting go can be hard," she admitted.
"Hardest thing to do in the world," he agreed.
"It is," she sighed. "So, dinner is ready? What are we having?"
"Spaghetti," he told her.
She walked by his side, "That sounds good."
"Fred made it with venison," he warned her. "He's got a huge freezer of deer meat in the basement."
"They are on a fixed income," she reminded him. "Maybe the local hunters gave them some."
"Maybe?" he shrugged. "For a man who is one hundred and four he gets around better than I do."
"That's the nanites slowing the aging process on him," she reminded.
They walked into the home and greeted everyone sitting at the table. Janet and Daniel were also present for dinner as Janet wanted to spend more time with Cassie. Salad, bread and pasta were passed around. Cassie was sitting beside Janet having a great time with Jackie to her other side.
Sam mentioned to Jack, "Janet wants to make sure Cassie has a family when she leaves."
Jack whispered, "Between you and the Jackson's I think she has one." He pondered, "I wonder if she knows my son?"
"She does," she smiled. "She mentioned him before."
"Maybe the four of us can go out sometime," he suggested.
"I think she would like that," she nodded.
"Me too," he grinned walking her to the table.
Next Morning
Fred rose before the sun and readied himself for his morning inspection. Every morning he would rise early and inspect the farm for any predators that could pose a threat to some of the animals about. As he walked the perimeter with a shotgun and flashlight he came across a car parked on the edge of his property. He found it rather odd and looked further to investigate. He soon found a man in a nearby tree looking into his house. His eyes narrowed on the figure. He stood under the tree and racked a round into the chamber of the shotgun with a pumping action.
Pete Shanahan had traced Sam's whereabouts to the farm and he was perched in the tree watching the residence. He looked down and spotted Fred looking up at him. He thought up an excuse, "Oh…Hi there!"
Fred yelled, "That's my tree you are in."
Pete made up an excuse, "I thought I saw a cat up here. I'm coming down so don't shoot." Fred watched as Pete climbed down the tree. He stood before him in black jeans and a black jacket with binoculars. It didn't look good for Pete and he knew it. "I'm a police officer."
"You're a police officer?" asked Fred.
"I thought I saw a hurt animal in the tree," he lied.
"You're trespassing," he told him. "Can I get your name, officer?"
"Shanahan," he told him. "I'm Detective Peter Shanahan."
Fred quickly figured what was really going on. "You're Pete?" he grinned. He cocked his head to the side, "Anyone ever tell you that in moonlight your head is kind of shaped like a potato?"
He stood baffled, "Um…No!"
"Well it is," he informed. "This is private property."
Pete shrugged it off, "I'm a cop so that doesn't really apply."
Fred cocked an eyebrow, "You have warrant?"
"No," he confessed. "But I'm investigating…"
Fred raised the barrel of the gun to his face, "Then the get the hell off my property, Detective."
"You're threatening an officer," he gasped.
"You were my tree spying on your wife who just left you," he rebutted. "That's not gonna look good on your record." He growled, "I'm an old man! I've fought in three wars: W.W. One, W.W. Two and Korea. It won't take me but a second to shoot you and I also have a backhoe!"
"Backhoe?" he gulped.
"I'll bury you so deep the time they find your corpse it will be in China," he stated.
"You are threatening an officer," he countered.
"Get the hell off my property!" he repeated.
"I'm going," Pete told him and quickly left for his nearby car.
Fred watched as he drove away wondering what his next move will be.
Short Time Later
Fred wandered back to the house as the sun rose above the nearby mountain. As he walked up the porch with shotgun still in hand he was met by Jack standing in his dress blues and sipping a cup of coffee.
"Hunting Fred?" he wondered why he was up so early and carrying the weapon.
"There's coyotes in the area," he mentioned. "They kill pets and livestock. This morning I was making the rounds and I found this wily little cat in a tree named Pete. He was watching the house. I ran him off," he reported.
Jack grew concerned, "Carter's ex was on your property watching the house?"
He nodded and added, "Funny looking guy too. Has this big melon shaped like a potato. He kept trying to throw police authority in my face."
"Ya think this guy is gonna be trouble for her?" he asked.
"Not a doubt in my mind," he gave a nod. "Ya think we should tell Sam?"
Jack determined, "No! Let's keep this between us for now."
"Okay then," he gave a nod and walked past him into the home to store the gun and get ready for work.
Jack looked over the scenery and sighed for the last thing he needed was to worry about Sam's welfare on top of his own divorce.
SGC
Daniel had been busy getting Dr. Jacqueline Jackson's lab set up just the way he liked it…Messy! He gathered all the reference materials he used in his reality and started a composition notebook with hand written notes. He understood his alternate was dead and he wondered if things would have gone differently for the SGC in this reality if his alternate was alive. Thus, he wanted to give them the best chance possible for he knew time was against them and he and Janet would have to leave.
Jackie walked into the lab with two cups of coffee. She paused and made face for though Daniel was helping as much as he could he seemed to leave a mess wherever he went. To her estimation it was like a trail of breadcrumbs left behind to follow. "Here, I brought you a cup." She placed the cups down and then tended to the stack of books.
"Oh," he glanced up. "Thanks." He noticed she was picking up after him. "You always were a bit of a neat freak," he mentioned.
Curiously she asked, "How long have you known me in your world?"
He pondered, "Well, let's see. I met you when you were fifteen and we had traveled back in time to 1935. We were there two and a half years. I've known you about three years now but I knew you as a kid…So, it's kind of like I've known you a long time."
"How did you travel to 1935?" she wondered dusting off her hands.
"The Gate sent us there," he mentioned.
"The Gate sends you all sort of places!" she gathered.
"It seems too," he sighed in agreement. He then asked, "Have you figured out how to use the nanites yet?"
"Honestly I'm little afraid to try it," she confessed. "What if I accidentally order it to do something I can't control…Like blow up the world?"
He gathered, "You start small. You start with a glass of water. You visualize what you want in your head. Then placed you hand where you want the glass of water. Say, right here in the table." He placed his hand in position to demonstrate. "Then you simply give the command, 'Aquae speculo.'"
Before Daniel a glass of water materialized. He couldn't believe his eyes. He gulped upon looking at it.
Jackie asked, "I thought you said you needed a special gene to do that?"
"You do," he gasped nearly hyperventilating. How could it work for him? He didn't have the gene. "I don't know how come it worked."
She assessed, "Anubis has command of these nanites. Does he have the gene?"
He shook his head, "He's half ascended." He then recalled, "I was ascended for a year. The other ascended sent me back. Maybe there is some loophole that allows for an ascended, partly ascended or formally ascended being to command them?"
She gathered, "If you were one of these ascended beings then maybe you can control them too?"
"It appears that way," he agreed.
"Can you undo the glass of water?" she wondered.
Daniel waved his hand over the glass and stated, "Reditum." The glass of water returned to its former state. He puckered and slowly exhaled wide-eyed. "I guess I can do it too."
"How did you know to use the command return?" she wondered.
He shrugged, "It just seemed like the logical thing to say."
She grinned, "You know what mythical character you remind me of?"
He cocked an eyebrow and jested, "Indiana Jones?"
"Merlin," she cheered. "If Merlin was reincarnated he would be you."
He winced, "Merlin? And who is King Arthur? Jack!"
She laughed, "I'm not so sure about that. General O'Neill is a desk pilot now."
Daniel countered, "You're not exactly catching him at his best."
"Ah-ha," she giggled.
Mitchell walked into the new lab, "So…How's it going campers?"
Jackie and Daniel both looked at him but neither said a word about the recent event.
"I almost got it set up for her," Daniel told him.
He looked about. "Getting there!" he gave a nod. He addressed Jackie, "Hope you're not nervous about being SG-1."
"Why would I be nervous?" she wondered.
"You haven't heard!" he gathered. "SG-1 is jinxed! It's the team nobody wants. The only two who ever survived being on the team is me and Sam. Everyone else has been killed. General O'Neill got your file when you snuck into the Mighty 8 and I gotta say you might break that curse." He grinned, "I've got faith in you."
She replied unenthused, "For a minute there I thought you were gonna say I had balls."
He kept a straight face and quietly mentioned, "Big ones!"
Daniel mentioned, "In my reality you never got a chance to do that. I can't wait to see the look on your face when I tell you all about it."
"Ah-ha," she rolled her eyes. "So, who is this boyfriend I have in your reality? What's he like?"
Daniel pondered how to explain, "Well, his kind of a younger version of Jack."
She grinned and pointed to Mitchell, "Like ole blue eyes here!"
Daniel gaped, "Yeah!" He stood like a deer caught in the headlights as it became evident that Mitchell may look more like him but he acted more like Jack. A shiver ran down his spine.
Mitchell asked, "You okay, Jackson? You went a little pale there."
"I'm fine," he replied.
