Sam was almost relieved Pete was back in Denver for now. While she had to deal with calls and texts from him she didn't have to deal with him putting demands on her while she got Cassie settled for now. There were only a few more months of school, then summer break and off to CSN to study bio-chemistry. They would need to find her an apartment near the Charleston campus. Sam would be able to visit when she had projects at Groom Lake to check on.
Daniel and Teal'c helped Sam move Cassie's things to the house and took the boxes she was keeping but wouldn't fit to Jack's place. He was still moving slowly after his injury and wasn't cleared to lift anything over five pounds. No one discussed that it also gave him an excellent reason to avoid Sam.
The girls bickered some but it seemed to be good natured. Sam bought them a bunk bed and had the guys store Grace's bed at Jack's. Sam had the guilty thought that this would be easier to do at Jack's because he had more room than Sam did. It was a good thing it would be summer soon. A nearly grown young woman and a preteen cooped up in her little bungalow was going to get really stressful really quickly.
A few weeks later when he's cleared for missions again, P3X-439 had put Jack in the same situation as before. A head full of Alteran download… and now possibly no way to save his life because of Kinsey's crap. Sam debated with herself all night until she found herself walking to her car, keys in hand the next morning. This might be the last time they had a real conversation and Sam needed to be honest with him about how she feels. Even if she loses him.
In his defense, Jack figured what the hell difference did it make. Sam had moved on. Even Janet's death hadn't changed that. At least his death would be useful and the money from his estate would be split evenly between the girls. His daughters. One by choice, one by accident of events but both deeply loved. He'd miss them. He knew they would miss him… but they might be better off without him. He was a screw up. He'd lost Sam's love. Or done something that made her decide his love was worthless…
The doorbell rang.
Sam tells him she couldn't sleep the night before. She stumbles through a garbled admission that she's concerned for him while he heads to the kitchen to grab a couple beers.
Jack brushes her off when she asks about Sara. He hasn't talked to Sara since she came over and he introduced her to Grace. Sara had looked at the girl and known. Not that it was difficult. Grace looked just like Charlie. Thankfully, she'd not asked the girl's age though he figured she suspected. It probably made her glad that she'd moved on when she did. He could add cheating bastard to failed parent and unlovable.
Oh what the hell… Sam tells him she should leave. He asks her to stay. Surprisingly, she sits down next to him. They talk about their last trip through the gate, both avoiding the real issue. Jack too afraid to tell her how much he'll miss her. Sam too afraid to tell him she loves him and she's sorry she's hurt him so much the last few months.
The guys show up and both deny they are interrupting. After all, neither had said what they needed to and clearly had both chickened out for now. Later when the doorbell rings instead of the pizza they ordered, its Hammond to tell them he's been relieved of duty again.
Somehow Jack just isn't surprised. He's not surprised when Sam quietly slips out at some point without anyone noticing either. Well, Teal'c noticed and Jack noticed she never came back from her bathroom break. It was just as well he decided morosely. When he died, she'd be alone again with the knowledge that she'd mistaken his feelings for just flirting or whatever she was telling herself these days to justify her current choices.
After everyone left, Jack sat down and started writing. The girls were easy. Sam… he wrote several pages, pouring his heart out. Then he shredded it and started over.
Sam, whatever it was I did, I'm sorry.
Yours always.
Jack
He looked at it a long time before he shoved it into an envelope with her name on it. He left all three envelopes on his nightstand. He really didn't want Danny reading this.
Things get weirder as Jack's day progresses Monday. Daniel tried to get the location out of him and Sam and Danny followed him around even when he went to the commissary because if he was going to lose his mind he may as well enjoy some cake.
Oddly, Danny's pestering pays off. He tries to say goodbye to Teal'c who stops him. So he ends up piling a bunch of crap together just like last time. Daniel seems happy about it. Jack is not. Sam definitely is not. Fat lot of good it does him now.
He finds he likes Liz though. He likes her a lot. Under other conditions he'd make a point of being her friend. She even tells bad jokes.
They get him a ship but by then his head is starting to ache relentlessly. He downplays it to Sam, not wanting her to worry. He says it in Alteran. Sam worries anyway so Jack decides to do something useful. An hour later while he's fidgeting with the power crystals to get more speed out of the ship she tells him that George gave her clearance to take over the mission when he couldn't do it anymore.
"Do it now." He tells her.
"Sir, I don't think that's necessary yet." She tells him but Jack just shakes his head.
"I trust you…I'll make it easy for you…I resign. You're in charge." He was in no condition to be running the show and he knew it. Better she takes over now.
Sam nods slowly, sadly. "Okay."
Jack goes back to working on getting some more juice out of the ship when Sam starts talking to him in a rush.
"Sir, at your house before Daniel and Teal'c showed up, what I was gonna say was…"
But Jack cut her off. This wasn't the place and he certainly didn't want her to say it starting out the sentence with 'sir'. "I know." He tells her. And he does. It didn't change anything though. It was too late. They stand looking at each other over the open crystal panel for long time, both admitting their love silently.
Jack finally closes the panel. A symbolic gesture. She's free. He won't hold her to this.
When they get to the planet, Jack leads them to the power chair inside the crumbling Alteran facility. He gets the force field back up and running so at least the rest of them will be safe from the radiation permeating the planet.
He tries to tell them that there's another chair, one that can protect earth but neither Danny nor Sam genuinely understands. He'd have to show them. He takes the power crystals. They will need them. He hands them to Sam who then hands them to Teal'c. She's looking at him like she's worried he might collapse at any moment but he knows how much time he has now.
Ronan turns out to be a double agent. Jack can't concern himself with that. Bra'tac is injured in their fight. Ronan is dead and Jack focuses on healing Bra'tac. He refuses to lose another friend so soon and puts all his will into saving the wise old Jaffa. It saps most of his energy thought and he crumples to the ground. Danny catches him. Good old Danny, he thinks absently.
"Jack!" Danny says and Jack tries to follow the conversation but his head hurts and he's as confused as everyone else about how he just did that.
He'd not wanted his friend to die… so he hadn't. How did he do that? Jack wondered. He looks at Bra'tac just as astonished as everyone else.
Later Jack heads for the cargo bay and starts building something. Teal'c comes to ask if he's building a weapon but it's not a weapon and Jack doesn't trust himself not to say it in Alteran. So he just shakes his head.
When Teal'c tries to tell him his feelings Jack just smiles and pats the other man gently. He knows. He knows they love him but he has work to do before he is no more. Teal'c nods in understanding and leaves him to his work.
Sam starts helping Jack with his project when he motions her over as he now needs a second pair of hands that knows engineering. Sam relays to Daniel what Jack is making and he goes to tell Bra'tac and Teal'c. They are going to have to Han Solo the crap out of this one. Jack wishes he could make jokes but they would all come out in Alteran now so there's just no point.
Jack takes over the controls from Teal'c when they get close and they start frying the ice to get to his target.
"Sir, how long is this gonna take?" She asks him but Jack ignores her for now. It will take however long it has to. He gets up and gives the seat back to Bra'tac.
Anubis' ship bears down on them but a squadron of F-302's and the Prometheus intercept, buying SG-1 much needed time.
As soon as a hole punches all the way through the ice Jack starts tearing off his modifications. They will need the rings.
His team returns to the cargo bay while he works and peppers him with questions like he can answer them. They figure it out on their own though because his team is smart. When they stand in the ring together, their backs to each other, he takes Sam's hand and squeezes it. She squeezes back. No one but them knows it happened. "Ready." She tells Bra'tac and he beams them down.
"Good luck." Bra'tac says as they ring down.
Before he reaches his destination Jack finds a stasis pod. "Dormita." He tells them. It means sleep. He hopes they understand. It may be his only chance. He wants to live. He wants to see his daughters again. He walks through the hologram of Anubis. He'd laugh if he had the capacity. No, you have not won yet Anubis. Not so long as I draw breath. He finds what he's searching for. The command chair. One day his daughter will control this chair but for now it is his responsibility. The chair bathes him in light as he activates it.
Jack uses the surface to atmospheric plasma missiles to take out the mothership and several gliders, being careful not to fire on friendlies. When the last ship is gone… Jack finally passes out from exhaustion.
Sam goes over to him, alarmed. "Sir? Sir?" She lifts his head gently and pressed her fingers against his neck. "His pulse is erratic." She tells Daniel and Teal'c. "Don't you dare leave us now. We won." She orders him. Don't you dare leave me you big stupid wonderful jerk. I can't live without you either, she admonishes him mentally.
Jack opens his eyes and moves his head slightly.
"Colonel!" Sam says to him, her voice is so full of worry. He wants to tell her it's okay but he's so tired. He tries to tell her. His lips move… but no sound comes out.
Sam's eyes are wide with panic. Oh god please don't die on me, Jack, please. "Please! … Jack!…" she begs him.
"Dormata." He finally is able to whisper to her.
"That thing?" Daniel asks him, also whispering.
Teal'c picks him up and carries him to the dormata and places him gently inside. The stasis pod lights up when Teal'c back away.
"Now what?" Sam asks him, fear and hope in equal measure in her voice.
Jack looks sadly at Sam. "Aveo…amacuse." He finally manages to get out.
Sam and Teal'c look at Daniel who nods in understanding. "Goodbye." He replies to Jack.
The light grows brighter and the last thing Jack knows is Sam's anguished face after he says goodbye to her in Lantian. His people... they called themselves Lantians. He… had to remember… to tell her... some day.
"We can't just leave him like this! There has to be a way to reverse the process. The answer has to be here somewhere." Sam says to Daniel, unable to just give up.
"I don't think this is it, Sam." Daniel tells her, shaking his head sadly.
"What do you mean?" Sam demands.
Daniel looks up and around "The dome is too small. It's …Taonas. It's obviously not a city; it's just an outpost of some kind."
"This isn't Atlantis?" She asks, now angry and hurt.
Daniel shakes his head again. "I don't think so." He admits.
Teal'c looks at Daniel and Sam then at O'Neill. "If this is not the Lost City, then where is it?"
Sam however has gone over to Jack and places her hand over his heart. With tears in her eyes she makes him a silent promise. If it's the last thing I ever do Jack I promise you I will save you… somehow. I won't stop looking for a solution. Ever.