He'd shot her. He'd shot the woman he loves rather than let another thing reside in her body. Of all the rotten luck. But that… that thing was gone… whatever it had been. He'd told it he'd kill every last one of them if it didn't let Sam go and he'd meant it. You didn't repay an admitted accident with genocide. But damned if he was going to sit back and just take it.

He stroked her hair sadly. It was his call. Sam had him as her advocate because Marge was too soft hearted. Jack was finding he was too soft hearted as well. He didn't want to let her go. Janet kept looking at him with exasperation but he wasn't ready yet. Grace had just started school. He'd have to tell Dad and Marge what happened. He and Marge would probably sell the bungalow and put the money away for Grace for school later. He and Sam had privately had the paperwork drawn up that he'd assume custody if something happened to her. Marge had agreed to stay here for as long as Jack needed her to. He'd gotten pretty attached to that goofy hippy as well. Even if she did low key smell like weed most of the time.

Stuff would probably be legal in a decade or two anyway, he figured.

The soft beeping of the heart monitor lulled him slightly. He knew he had to let Janet turn off the machines… eventually… but… he wasn't ready just yet and a few hours weren't going to make a difference. If she was gone, she was already gone anyway. If she was gone this was the last time he'd brush her bangs away from her eyes or hold her hand or feel her warmth and he was going to savor that little bit of time even if she wasn't there except physically. He needed time to pull himself together for their daughter who would need him now, not just love her fun Uncle Jack.

He thought about the Thing's words. "This one is important." It had known he loves Sam. Fortunately it couldn't seem to quantify emotions because that was a truth bomb he didn't need bought up again. Janet obviously already knew but she seemed to have decided he loved his entire team more than he's supposed to which is true enough. Daniel and Teal'c had become more brothers to him. Yes the situation was different with Sam but they had a shared responsibility complicating things. He wondered if he'd feel as strongly if she wasn't the mother of his child but he suspected he would. She was the kindest person he knew and so smart and for some reason put up with him and laughed at his jokes.

I'm going to miss you so much, Sam. I'll make sure Grace never forgets her mommy. I promise he says to her silently, knowing either way she can't hear him now anyway.

"SG-1 to the MALP room immediately." General Hammond's voice bellowed over the PA.

Jack, Teal'c and Daniel reached the MALP storage room where the computers were going haywire.

"I think our friend is back, Sir." Siler told Jack.

"All right. let's blow it." Jack growled. He was so done with this thing. He was considering blowing their world to kingdom come on principle.

But then… what the… the screen started going berserk and in the middle… 'I am here.'

"Wait, wait…" Daniel repeated over and over as the screen filled with 'I am here' dozens, hundreds of times. "Look at this." Daniel said… amazement in his voice.

"The entity." Teal'c said, anger evident in his voice to Jack and Daniel at least.

"No. It said it couldn't go back. It's Sam." Daniel insisted.

"Daniel, I shot her twice." Jack reminded his best friend. In case anyone missed the part where he murdered the woman he loves to keep her from being used like a golem.

"After it transferred Sam's consciousness out of her body. You killed the entity after it put Sam into this…this thing. She's in here." Daniel insisted, his hands gesturing wildly at the computer.

"Why? Why would it do that?" Jack asked confused. The thing had clearly not grasped the concept of love… or had it. It had insisted Jack wouldn't be able to kill Sam because it knew Sam knew he loves her. And Jack wouldn't be able to kill Sam… but he'd happily kill anything trying to use her body to manipulate his emotions.

"You demanded it. You threatened to send an army of probes through to its homeworld. Saving Sam and allowing itself to be killed was the only way to preserve its homeworld." Daniel reminded him. His voice getting more excited.

Jack picked up the phone. "Get me Hammond." He barked at Walter on the other end.

Shortly after, Janet confirmed that Sam is back in her own body where she belongs.

"Hey Carter, where yah been?" he asked her as though she's taken an unexpected day off.

"It's gone?" She asked him, her eyebrows drawn together in worry.

"Yes it is." General Hammond assured her.

"I was shouting for you to hear." Sam told them.

"We heard." He told her, his heart in his eyes.

"All right, let's get you back to the infirmary Sam, and check you out." Janet motioned for the orderlies to wheel Sam back to whence she'd come.

Jack stood there, his hands shoved in his pockets, he watched them leave before George came over to him.

"You going to be all right, son?" Hammond asked Jack.

Jack let out a slow sigh. "Carter…. Carter has me listed as Grace's legal guardian if something happens to her. She and Marge, and I talked about it. Marge would have stayed on as her primary caregiver."

"Similar to your arrangements for Cassandra Frasier." Hammond agreed.

"Yah." Jack said. "I was trying to figure out how to tell Grace we'd lost her mom now that she's old enough to understand what it meant."

"I'm glad you didn't, son… but you did the right thing. It was better to lose her than to give that thing a chance to take over the base."

"I know that, sir." Jack told him sadly.

"For what it's worth, Jack, I think you'd be a great dad for Grace. She clearly already loves you."

"Thank you, sir." Jack said to him mystified by the other man who first had come right out and told him he knows things are beyond a close friendship with Sam and now was telling him what exactly?

George patted Jack on the shoulder wordlessly a couple times and left for his office.

Jack made his way to the infirmary. His heavy heart lifted the closer he got though, and by the time he reached Sam's bed in the iso room where she was sitting up and talking to Daniel who squeezed her hand and left when Jack came in.

"How's the ol' noggin, Carter?"

"Much better, thank you, sir." She told him.

"Good… good…" He said with a couple head bobs. "Can I get you anything? Newspaper? Your knitting? Laptop? Jell-O?"

Sam grinned affectionately at him. "I think I've seen enough computers for today sir… but I'd really like some Jell-O."

Jack gave her one of his rare full smiles. "Anything you want, Carter. I'm all yours." And left to get her a blue Jell-O from the commissary.

Sam smiled softly after he left the room.