Author's Note: This is a multi-chapter story that is almost done being written and will end up around 45k words. Spoilers through mid-season 5. It's also my first time writing Sam/Jack (and SG-1 fanfic in general) so I hope you like it!
The mission was supposed to be a simple one. They had discovered a world in a heavily Gao'uld-occupied sector of the galaxy that, as far as anyone could tell, had never been under Gao'uld occupation or threat. SG1 was there to investigate why the world remained untouched and see whether they could use that information for strategic purposes on Earth.
The first few hours of the mission went surprisingly smooth. They found the closest village and it was filled with friendly, helpful people. Unfortunately, no one knew anything about the Gao'uld or why their people had been so fortunate to be effectively untouched by the threat. Evlyn, the leader of the village, offered to have her daughter Sora show SG1 around and answer any questions they might have.
Sora's dark eyes lit up as Daniel started asking her questions about the planet's history. Jack and Teal'c shared a look, sure that the young woman was already developing a crush on their resident archeologist.
As they walked around the town, Carter noticed some unusual EMF readings and brought it to Jack's attention.
"It's weak, but it could be some sort of shielding technology." She looked back down at the device in her hand. "The readings are mostly evenly distributed, but there's a slight spike which could indicate the source."
Jack looked around the village. It wasn't incredibly undeveloped - he'd noticed simple electric lamps and non-organic building materials - but they didn't seem advanced enough to develop a planet-wide shield. Still, a clue was better than wandering around listening to a history lesson.
"Where's the spike coming from?"
She pointed past where Daniel and Sora were talking.
"Danny, we think we got something."
"Yeah, Jack?"
"Carter's noticed some unusual readings in that direction."
Sora followed the direction of his finger and smiled. "You would like to go to the temple?"
Daniel grinned. "Yes, we would love to go to the temple."
Carter moved up to walk with Daniel and Sora, while Jack and Teal'c walked behind them.
"It's always old temples," Jack muttered.
"Indeed," Teal'c replied.
They had only been at the temple for about half an hour before the situation spun out of Jack's control.
Daniel was translating the carvings on the wall with the help of Sora, Teal'c was on lookout at the main entrance, and Sam was analyzing the EMF readings coming from a podium in the center of the room. Colonel O'Neill was alert, but bored.
When he was bored he tended to touch things that he wasn't supposed to, like the podium that Captain Carter was collecting readings from. He ran his fingers over the glossy surface, wondering at the lack of texture. Carter rolled her eyes at him and continued her work, moving around the podium. When she finished, she put the EMF reader down and and set the heel of her hand on the smooth surface while her fingers tapped out an uneven beat.
They heard a hum and then the ambient light in the room dimmed low and a set of symbols were projected onto the ceiling from the podium they were both touching. They both froze where they stood.
"What did we do?" Jack asked.
They heard a gasp from Sora, who looked over from her spot next to Daniel.
"This is a blessed event. I must tell the council and we shall celebrate tonight." She grinned and clapped her hands together. "Everyone will be so honored to host your union."
"Our what?" Jack turned to Sora in confusion, but she continued to ramble.
"It has been many, many years since the oracle worked. Oh, we have so little time to prepare. I must let the council know and will return soon."
The woman left in a hurry, her long brown hair swinging in time with her rapid movements. Teal'c appeared in the doorway just as Jack spoke.
"What the hell was that about?"
He looked around at his team, but no one seemed to have a clue about what was going on. Then he glanced at the domed ceiling, where various symbols were projected in a circle onto a circle above their heads.
"Sir, see what happens if you move your hand off."
Jack looked down and realized that his hand was still on the podium Carter had been analyzing. He moved it off and the projections above them disappeared.
Carefully, he placed his hand back on the podium and they reappeared on the ceiling.
"Weird," he whispered.
"Keep your hand there for a moment," Carter said.
He watched while the symbols flickered off and back on again.
"It looks like we both need to be touching it for the projection to appear."
He looked back at Carter and watched her take her hand off and put it back on the podium again as the light from the projections flickered above them.
He stared at the symbols and remembered Sora's sudden excitement and her talk of a celebration. The word union was ringing in his ears.
"Carter, what did we do?"
"I don't know, sir. We just touched it."
He turned his gaze to Daniel. The archeologist stood with a wary look on his face, bouncing between the symbols and the place where he and Carter stood.
"A little help here, Daniel?"
"What does it say, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked from the doorway.
Daniel's hesitation to respond made him nervous. He'd never known the man to avoid sharing each and every detail he'd learned about everything within striking distance.
"Just tell us whatever it is, Daniel," Carter prompted. "It can't be that bad."
He was impatient and knew that Carter was too, but Daniel finally started talking before Jack needed to ask him again.
"This room was once used for betrothal ceremonies, when young couples would get paired up with the intent of marriage. Sora's ancestors thought that the oracle possessed mystical properties." He pointed at the podium. "It would light up when the marriage had the blessing of the gods."
Both their hands dropped from the podium.
"So we turned on a matchmatching device."
"Looks like it, sir."
He sighed. "That's just peachy."
Two hours later, after they demonstrated the device for a group of very excited townspeople, things got more complicated. Jack was cornered by members of the council and was starting to feel like he was being interrogated.
"You are not betrothed?" Evlyn asked the question for a second time.
Carter took another small step away from him towards Daniel and Teal'c. He couldn't help but be slightly annoyed that he was having to answer all the questions by himself.
"No, we're not betrothed. We're not married. We're co-workers. Friends."
"But your union has been blessed by the gods! This has not happened for a generation."
Others in the group nodded in agreement with her statement.
"You know, we probably just turned the thing on. I'm sure it'll work for you folks now."
"Jack," Daniel jumped in, "The device is only supposed to work for perfectly matched pairs." He looked awkwardly between Jack and Sam. "Soulmates."
"Thanks, Daniel," Jack ground out. The man was useful, but Daniel could also be damn oblivious sometimes. Carter took another small step away from Jack. "Maybe you translated wrong. We don't know how this device works."
"I'm not wr-"
Carter had gotten just close enough to elbow Daniel in the stomach before he made things worse.
Sometimes he really liked her style.
"How about you test it out," Jack suggested to the crowd in front of him, figuring now that the device was turned on it would flash symbols for some of the locals and he could remove the attention from himself and Carter. "It's not about us. You should have some other...couples try."
He forced himself not to look at Carter, not to think of them as a couple. They just had to get through this awkward mission and gate home. Then he could act like he was never told his second in command might be his soulmate. He wasn't the type of guy to believe in the concept of soulmates anyway.
Daniel stepped to his side as the locals walked towards the device. "It might not work, Jack. The legends said that couples had to be extremely well-suited to each other to be blessed by the gods. It was probably only about one in ten for the couples that tried originally and has gotten less common over the years."
Jack did not like those kind of odds.
"Then let's hope that some of those people are part of the lucky ten percent."
Unfortunately, none of them were.
Jack watched as several couples put their hands to the device. Each time, their faces fell when nothing happened, but they quickly recovered. Each time the device failed, they looked in the direction of SG-1 with an expression of hope in their eyes.
"Why would you create something like this that didn't work for most people?" Jack muttered to Daniel. "Hell of a way to start a marriage thinking you aren't compatible."
"I don't know. To keep people from marrying unless they were really sure? To keep the birth rate down with the limited resources on this planet? Could be that there was originally another purpose for the test. You know, maximum genetic compatibility for producing offspring or something."
Jack did not want to think about maximum genetic compatibility and its related topics. He had spent a lot of time training his mind to compartmentalize. He just never thought he'd need his skills for this type of mission.
Carter was in the corner next to Teal'c and Jack watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was being unusually quiet. He wondered how he could possibly fix this situation. Maybe he should just scrub the mission and bring them all home. So far they hadn't found any real strategic advantages here, so he could justify leaving. It wasn't as if this matchmaking device protected these people from the Goa'uld and the team hadn't come across anything else that looked advanced.
Then he remembered a recent conversation with General Hammond about the need to build alliances and the look on Daniel's face when they'd been directed to this temple.
Jack knew that ending the mission early because of his own personal discomfort would be a mistake. The fact that he was considering leaving this peaceful planet in the first place showed how much his attempt to compartmentalize was failing.
He looked at the hope in the faces of the strangers around him. It was just too much. How was he supposed to be a symbol of perfect love? He had one marriage that had gone down in flames and no relationships worth speaking of since.
"No luck?"
Jack barely stopped himself from jumping at the sound of Carter's voice beside him.
"It does not seem so, Captain Carter," Teal'c observed.
"It has been a long time since the gods have blessed one of our unions," Sora shared. "Some of us hoped, but we did not expect that we would be so fortunate."
Jack was glad they weren't disappointed. Maybe Daniel could finish up translating today and they could all get out of here without any further issues.
"Even so," Sora's mother, Evlyn, said, "your blessing is a blessing on us. With the celebration of your union, you will pave the path for more to be so blessed in the future."
"Thank you, I think."
Daniel stepped up. "We share your wish for more blessings in the future upon your people."
Evlyn, Sora, and the rest of the crowd behind them smiled.
"Then it is settled," Evlyn said. "We shall celebrate tonight as one people and will begin preparations immediately."
She looked around to several members of the crowd and they dispersed, heading back to the village.
Jack shrugged. "We do always like a good party."
"Wonderful," Evlyn replied. "You will be most pleased with the decision of the gods, I assure you. Sora will return with further details of tonight's events once plans have been made."
With that announcement, Evlyn and the rest of the villagers left. He noticed Sora heading towards Sam on the way out. He caught her eye and she nodded, acknowledging that she'd fill him in on the conversation with Sora after the other woman left.
"The party should be fun."
Jack turned back to Daniel. "Remember not to eat or drink anything until after you've thoroughly grilled them about the ingredients and have tested samples with the field kit."
Daniel nodded, both of them remembering the drastic outcome of Jack eating drugged cake on Argos and almost dying as a result of the ensuing events.
"Still," Daniel continued, "a party is better than getting shot at."
"Depends on the party."
Jack had been to a few parties in his life that had felt almost as painful as dodging bullets. He hoped this wasn't going to be one of them.
"Um, sir."
He turned to look at Carter and couldn't help noticing how blue her eyes were before seeing the apprehensive expression on her face. He had a sinking feeling that wrapping up this mission wasn't going to be as straightforward as he'd hoped...and that the upcoming party might make him wish he was anywhere else.
"Yes, Carter?"
She looked behind her to where Sora was passing Teal'c to leave the temple.
"Based on what Sora told me, it sounds like we agreed to more than a party. Apparently, the celebration is after the ceremony." She looked at Jack, her eyes locked to his. "A ceremony here in this temple where I get to wear an uncomfortable dress and you get to pledge your life to me."
He was so focused on breathing that he almost missed the slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
"What?"
"They want to bless our union." This time she looked like she was barely holding back her laughter. "So, happy wedding day, sir."
This had to be a nightmare.
"Did none of them hear me say that we're co-workers?"
"I don't think they cared, Jack."
"Well that's real helpful, Danny."
Teal'c walked back over to join the group while Jack pulled himself together.
"Carter, why don't you and Teal'c go down to the village and find out more about what they're planning for tonight and if there's anything we can do to get out of it without offending them. I'll stay here with Daniel while he works on translating to see if we can get anything out of this."
She nodded. "I'll radio back if anything urgent comes up."
"We shall return in one hour," Teal'c added.
They left and Jack let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. He wasn't used to feeling tense around his teammates, but for the past couple of hours he'd felt decidedly tense around Carter. He didn't like it.
Daniel knelt down to look at carvings on the lower half of the wall across from the podium Jack wished he'd never touched.
Jack was surprised that it took Daniel five minutes to make the suggestion.
"I mean, you could just go along with it."
Jack glared at him. "And what do you think will happen when I come home from a mission married to my second in command?"
"We'll explain what happened and it'll be fine. It'll help us foster an alliance with these people. We can keep looking into whether this planet has any protective features. After all, it's not like it's real."
"Like your marriage to Sha're wasn't real?"
Jack wasn't sure what made him say it, but he knew as soon as he did that he'd overstepped. Daniel's face fell and Jack recognized the darkness in the man's eyes because he'd seen the same look in the mirror. It was the expression of a man who had been unable to save someone he loved.
He almost apologized, but Daniel spoke first.
"No, like your wedding to Kynthia on Argos."
Jack knew the point that Daniel was trying to make, but it the thought of putting Carter in the same category as Kynthia rubbed him the wrong way. It wasn't fair to her somehow, although he never would have been able to articulate why if given the chance.
He leaned back against the wall and sighed.
"I can't exactly order her to marry me, even if it doesn't really count. It would be a gross abuse of power. She shouldn't be in this situation. Neither of us should be." Jack remembered the good mood Carter had been in this morning when they first arrived in the village, teasing Teal'c about the attention he'd been getting from some of the local women. He remembered the way her smile seemed to light up her face. "What if she's seeing someone?"
Jack wouldn't be surprised if she was dating someone. She was smart, and beautiful, and a hell of a lot of fun to be around most of the time. If she was seeing someone, he didn't want to wreck things for her by getting her roped into this. Not to mention the effect this could have on her career.
"What happens off-world stays off-world?" Daniel attempted to joke before seeing the grimace on Jack's face. He cleared his throat and tried again. "You should talk with Sam. Give her a choice. She can see the bigger picture."
Sam Carter's ability to sacrifice for the bigger picture was the exact issue at play here. Of course she'd do whatever she needed to do. He just didn't want to ask her to do this.
"You have to talk to her, Jack."
"I know."
He did need to talk to her. He just didn't want to.
Daniel went back to translating and Jack paced.
When Carter and Teal'c returned, it was obvious that the two of them hadn't had much luck. Carter still had her weapon strapped across her chest and the rest of her gear in her left hand, but she was wearing a tight-fitting off-white dress that clung to her in all the right ways. He catalogued the way the straps draped off her shoulders and the way the sheer lace overlay floated around her legs.
There was something about Sam Carter wearing that dress and holding a P90 that was going to haunt his dreams. He just knew it.
This was a really bad idea.
Daniel looked over and finally noticed they had company. "I guess the wedding is still happening then."
"You are correct, Daniel Jackson. In our discussions with the local population Captain Carter and I did not discover a diplomatic solution that would allow the two of you to refuse the honor of the ceremony and celebration."
"Not exactly what I was hoping to hear, kids."
It looked like plan A wasn't going to work. Jack wasn't surprised. The diplomatic approach rarely worked out in his experience.
"For some reason, sir, they're acting like it's a miracle. I've never seen other people so excited about someone else's wedding before."
Daniel cleared his throat. "I think I might have some idea about why it's such a big deal. Some of the writings on the wall of the temple allude to the concept that supporting these soulmate matches pleased the gods and helped keep the population protected from evil."
Jack had no idea what difference that story made.
"Seems like a whole lot of pressure to put on a relationship."
"Usually there's a reason behind these belief systems, Jack, and it can give us insight into the culture and history of these people."
There were times when Daniel Jackson really annoyed him. Today was swiftly becoming one of those times.
"Their culture and history aren't at the top of my priority list right now." He chanced a look at Carter and knew by the expression on her face that she was thinking hard. "Plus, don't any of you find this pleasing the gods stuff to be suspicious? Makes me think of the snakes."
"The Asgard have also portrayed gods, O'Neill."
So many beings running around the universe playing god. It bugged the hell out of him.
"That doesn't really help the argument."
"Sir, if the ceremony has something to do with protection from evil, maybe it's connected to the reason why this planet has remained safe."
Her eyes lit up they way they always did when she had an idea. Even if that idea was ridiculous.
"I doubt encouraging people to hook up has kept this planet safe from the Goa'uld."
"Jack, I'll keep translating to see if I can figure out anything else," Daniel offered.
"The ceremony will commence in forty five minutes, O'Neill. We do not want to be late."
He didn't like how easily everyone was accepting this, as if it were just a forgone conclusion that he and Carter would get married hundreds of lightyears away from home.
"Danny, keep translating. Teal'c, walk the perimeter. Carter, you're with me."
Sam set her gear and weapon on the ground before following Jack out of the temple.
He waited until they'd turned the corner before he leaned against the exterior wall and spoke.
"Carter, I'm sorry you got roped into this. We don't have to go through with it. I can send you back early through the gate."
"What, and miss out on the opportunity to wear this dress in public?"
Jack was surprised by her light-hearted tone.
Maybe she wasn't taking it seriously because she'd never been married before. She'd been engaged once, but there was something about actually taking vows and making promises that changed a person. He thought he'd signed up for forever with Sara and then things all went to hell. He knew how serious things could get in a marriage and how painful it was when everything fell apart. When Jack thought about the death of his son, he felt guilt. When he thought about his divorce from Sara, he felt like a failure.
He had promised himself he'd never get married again. Now he was on another world and Sam Carter was acting like getting married to him would be no big deal.
"I'm trying to give you an out."
"I know," she replied. "I'm telling you I don't need one. I really think this ceremony will give us important information and I spoke with some of the women about tonight's events. It sounds like the most we'll have to do is hold hands and recite some vows. It won't -"
She cut herself off and paused, as if thinking about the best way to phrase what she wanted to say.
"It won't be uncomfortable. I trust you, sir. A whole lot more than some other men I've served with. I'm not worried. We'll be fine."
Jack was glad she trusted him. He didn't like the protective instinct that rose up in him at her mention of how other men in the service had treated her, but he trusted her to fight her own battles and let him know if she ever needed backup.
He might've been the commanding officer, but when it came down to it, the decision was Carter's. If she said they'd be fine, he had to believe her.
Still, he couldn't let the situation move forward without reminding her of one other future challenge if they went through with this.
"It might start up the rumor mill again, like after…"
He couldn't finish the sentence, but she nodded anyway.
"My actions under the influence of the Broca virus."
He assumed that stating it in such a clinical manner helped Carter distance herself from what happened when an alien virus made her try to seduce him in the SGC locker room. They'd only discussed it once before, briefly, during the return mission to the Land of Light. She apologized for actions that she only had a fuzzy memory of and he assured her that it was all forgotten.
"Yes, those rumors."
Only, it couldn't remain forgotten now. Not if he might end up married to her in an off-world ceremony. If the locker room incident leaked, their so-called marriage would be all across the base ten minutes after they finished the briefing.
Carter was frowning. When she lifted her head and spoke, the question was unexpected.
"You think I'm going to run away because I'm scared of what other people might think?"
When she put it that way, it did seem like a stupid concern. Carter wasn't the type to worry about what other people thought about her.
Even if she did care, it wouldn't stop her from doing what she thought was right.
"I don't think that, Carter. I just -"
"If we keep good relations with these people, we might be able to figure out how they've hidden their world from the Goa'uld. We could discover what's generating the EMF fields. It's an opportunity we shouldn't miss, even if I have to put up with a few awkward moments in the commissary after we return."
"It's not a decision to make lightly. I wanted to give you the out."
His voice must've given something away, because the way Sam Carter observed him then was with unusual focus. Her head gave a slight nod, as if she'd finally figured out a piece to a puzzle.
"You have an out too, sir. If you need it. I could say I had a problem with the idea."
He had been hoping that she would put her foot down so they'd have to bail on this plan. It looked like that wasn't going to happen. She was leaving it up to him, and in doing so, ensured that that the plan would move forward. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd been uncomfortable with actions he needed to take during a mission and it wouldn't be the last.
"No need, Carter." Right about now he wished he had a beer. "The things we do for the United States Air Force…"
She laughed and it made him feel better. If he had to pretend to marry anyone, he was glad it was her. At least she had a sense of humor about it.
Jack never could have predicted his day would end up like this.
He was going to marry Sam Carter, his second in command, breaking a personal promise to himself and Air Force regulations all at the same time. If nothing else, when he broke the rules, he did it in style.
"We'll be fine," she repeated.
He wasn't so sure about that, but hoped she was right.
"Isn't it bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding?"
"I think that's only on Earth, sir."
Jack had always enjoyed their banter. He hoped that they didn't lose it after this whole situation went down and they returned to the SGC.
He could see more of her dress now that she wasn't carrying so much. It was sexy and delicate. For a borrowed dress that was a slightly smaller size than she was probably used to, it suited her incredibly well.
"It's a killer dress, Carter."
She tugged on the fabric of the dress, first pulling it down by her hips. Then she pulled the neckline up.
"It's a little tight."
He looked her over once again and couldn't stop a grin from appearing on his face. "I'm just saying, it's a good look."
He shouldn't have said it, but he just felt like it needed to be said. Even if she was under his command.
She rolled her eyes. "Let's see how you feel when you have to wear a tight alien dress that makes it tough to breathe."
"I am hoping I never find out how that feels."
Carter shook her head with an absentminded smile and leaned back against the building. She looked at her watch and took a deep breath.
"It's not actually hard to breathe, is it?"
He needed to know if wearing that thing would be a serious disadvantage if things went south and they had to make a run for the gate.
"Didn't mean to complain, sir. It's uncomfortable, but not much worse than a Saturday night out."
He had a sudden, unwanted, vision of what Sam Carter might wear to a bar on a Saturday night.
"That's what you wear on a night out?"
"Usually there's a little more fabric involved."
Jack looked back at her dress and then wished that he hadn't. He cleared his throat and did his best to change the topic.
"So did you and Teal'c discover anything that we need to know?"
She shook her head.
"Not much, unfortunately. I wasn't exaggerating when I said that I've never seen people more excited for a wedding. The whole town seemed to be involved in the preparations. Apparently it's been about thirty years since the last time this happened."
Jack had never really enjoyed weddings. He didn't mind his own back when he got married to Sara, but huge parties weren't really his thing and he didn't particularly like dressing up. At least for this ceremony he assumed he could wear his own clothes.
"Daniel learn anything else?" she asked.
"Just what he mentioned inside about these soulmate unions protecting the people from evil somehow."
"Guess we never got the memo about needing to be married to fight evil," Carter quipped.
"Who knew that all this time it was our single status preventing us from defeating the Goa'uld?" he joked in return.
The amused smile she gave him in response was almost affectionate. "Glad we can check this off the list then."
Jack assumed that she'd want to get back in the temple and take more readings of the podium, but she stayed outside with him, both of them sitting in companionable silence until it was time. Evlyn and the other members of the council met them at the temple entrance. Additional members of the community would be arriving soon, they explained.
The ceremony, as it turned out, needed to take place in a different room of the temple. The team dropped their supplies in a corner for easy access. Jack and Carter went up to the front of the room to meet Evlyn, who would be conducting the ceremony. There was a half circle on the floor against the wall and they were directed to stand in the half circle facing each other. On the wall next to them were two glossy panels that looked like they were made of the same material as the top of the podium in the other room.
Once everyone arrived, Evlyn started a monologue about love and fate that made him feel distinctly uncomfortable. The woman was so effusive about how the gods had blessed their union and how their union would bless the community. So much pressure. He also doubted that anything would happen as a result of this ceremony, regardless of what Daniel might think. Jack tried not to look at Carter, instead spending most of the time glancing at a spot right above her shoulder, where there was a divot in the wall behind her.
He only returned his gaze to her when Evlyn asked them to repeat the vows.
"I vow to love, honor, and protect you. For all our days."
He was glad she went first. He needed the extra time to remind himself that they were just words. He did care about her as a teammate and it was his job to protect her, but love was a word that should never be used in the same vicinity as Sam Carter.
"I vow to love, honor, and protect you. For all our days," he repeated, his throat tight.
Evlyn asked them to clasp hands and place their free hands on the wall panels. He and Carter did what they were told.
A surge of energy ran through his body from the wall to where her hand was gripped tightly in hers. It felt like they were completing a circuit. The current continued to run through them.
The sensation was powerful, but energizing. He felt alive.
He hadn't been expecting anything like this.
Jack looked over at Carter. Her eyes had gone wide with surprise and her short hair looked like it was being buffeted by a light breeze. She had that same smile on her face that occurred whenever she made a new discovery.
Evlyn said some additional words for the ceremony, but Jack wasn't listening. The electrical current flowing through him and Carter had slowed to a pleasant buzz and he could see her mind cranking through the possibilities. Eventually, the energy stopped and their hands separated. Applause started up and he removed his other hand from the wall and flexed his fingers.
"I've got to check something," Carter said as soon as the ceremony concluded. She ran over to her pack to pull out the EMF reader. She turned it on, waved it around the room, and sent a brilliant smile in his direction.
He walked towards her, barely noticing the movement and discussion of the people around them.
"What did you find out?"
She gestured at the EMF reader that she was still holding. "Something about the ceremony and the current - could you feel it?"
"Yeah." It had been unsettling, how connected to her he'd felt in that moment. "It was electric."
She nodded, seemingly pleased with his words. "I think that it increased the the electromagnetic field I noticed when we first arrived. It could be some sort of shield and it was just too weak when we arrived to be functioning at its full capacity."
"Huh. So Daniel might've been right about these marriages protecting people from evil after all."
"The ceremony part of it anyway," Carter replied. "We're definitely going to have to spend more time studying how this device works."
Jack knew she was right, but at the moment spending more time here wasn't an appealing idea.
"You and Daniel can come back and play with the new toy later, Carter. This mission's supposed to be a twenty four hour round trip. We're heading back in a couple hours."
"I know," she agreed. "It's just nice when something works out for a change."
Jack was about to ask if she'd overlooked this whole fake marriage thing, but then Daniel and Teal'c joined them.
Teal'c complimented the ceremony and Daniel made a joke about seeing sparks between the two of them that Carter completely missed. Jack could tell that she was bursting to tell the two men what she'd discovered, but she only managed to get a sentence into the explanation before they were interrupted.
Evlyn explained that they needed to head over to the celebration, which would be taking place in the town meeting hall. He and Carter followed her out the temple, while Teal'c and Daniel grabbed the rest of their gear. Once they stepped outside the temple, he noticed the crowds of people just standing there.
Her hand brushed his arm to get his attention.
"Sir, look up." Carter's voice held an unexpected sense of awe.
Cross-crossing the sky was a net of barely noticeable glowing green lines. They faded in and out as if they were alive. He imagined that the Northern Lights would look like this if they ever stretched out to fill the entire sky.
It was amazing.
The fact that just holding hands with Samantha Carter was the cause of all of that beauty and strength was a reminder of just how weird their lives had become.
They didn't get a chance to speak as a team for another half an hour. There was a reception line that made Jack remember why he hated weddings, but everyone was nice and Carter was friendly enough to smooth out the edges from some of his short replies.
Jack was glad when the two of them were able to move away from the crowd and grab a table with their teammates as the dancing and music started. Daniel, thankfully, had gotten them drinks and food. Jack grabbed his glass immediately after sitting down while Carter finished her explanation about what she'd discovered with the electromagnetic field readings and the energy surge we felt during the ceremony.
"That must be it," Daniel realized after she finished speaking. "It was about genetics. Something about one of you or both of you recharged the device, or possibly just reset it. Encouraging marriages for people who turned on the device would have ensured that those genes were passed on through children so that there were always people who could keep it running. The shield must have been weak because it had been so long since anyone met the criteria. I wonder how much longer it would have lasted."
Carter looked thoughtful. "Only a few more years until it shut down, I imagine. Then they would have been open to attack from the Goa'uld."
Jack still couldn't believe that touching a wall and holding Carter's hand turned a planetary shield back to full power.
"Who would have thought my wedding would save the world?" he mused before taking a sip of his drink. It tasted almost, but not quite, like beer.
"A world," Carter corrected. "And technically, it was our wedding so I get half the credit."
"Sixty - forty."
"Fifty - fifty, if you're lucky."
"See, this is what happens when you get married," Jack said, gesturing towards Carter with his fork. "You save the world and she wants half your stuff."
"It seems only fair, O'Neill."
"Someday, someone will take my side in these arguments," he replied wistfully before taking another bite of the meal in front of him. The rest of SG-1 just looked at him in amusement.
"Sure, Jack," Daniel eventually replied. "Someday."
After the celebration ended, they politely refused offers of overnight lodging and headed back to the gate, promising the council that they would return in the future to ensure that the shield was still holding.
Daniel walked ahead of them to dial the gate. The closer they got to the SGC, the more uncomfortable Jack was about the conversation he would need to have with his superior officer.
The event horizon stabilized and Teal'c walked through. Daniel followed him and Jack wondered if he could just let most of the mission recap rest on the archeologist's shoulders. After all, with the way his explanations ran on, General Hammond just might miss the pertinent fact that a wedding had occurred.
"You're going to make Daniel tell the General what happened, aren't you?"
Although it was helpful in the field, sometimes he wished that Sam Carter couldn't read him quite so easily.
"It'll sound better with the context. And Daniel loves context."
"It's probably for the best," she agreed. "Although it would be entertaining to see the General's face if you flat out said it."
Her voice shifted as she said the next words, playacting a fictional conversation with General Hammond. "An alien device decided that we're soulmates and we had to get married to save the world. It was all for the greater good. You should be thanking us for going through with it."
The twinkle in her eye reminded him that she'd known Hammond for much longer than he did and that the man was a family friend. Jack hoped to god that the General wouldn't tell Carter's dad.
The two of them walked up the steps towards the gate.
"Carter, if any guy was going to be your soulmate, it wouldn't be me."
She laughed.
"I don't know, sir. We travel the galaxy for a living. We just got married on an alien planet. Stranger things have happened."
"Not that strange," he joked in response.
She shot him a quick, appraising look.
"Maybe I like strange, sir." There was something comforting about the teasing smile she shot him before turning around and walking through the gate.
Things were going to be okay between them. And, as he planned to tell the General after Daniel's monologue, the only thing that had occurred was a cultural misunderstanding. Things would go back to normal.
After all, it wasn't as if they'd ever be in that particular situation ever again.