Author's Note: Hello! This is my second story I've ever written so be warned! I am not very good at putting my thoughts on paper and I know this isn't as amazing as it could have been, so please bear with me.

Constructive criticism is welcome! But please only that! The world already has so much hate and negativity; let's not add to it

Set in early Season 5 but becomes AU.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1 or any of its characters, nor do I make any profit from this story.

Prologue

A moment, a word, an action, a decision, or even a thought can change everything. If someone had just a tad bit less of self-control, or fought a little harder, or chose to do something sooner or later than planned? It can alter everything in ways no one could imagine. These defining moments become a series of events that make up one's life.

A woman, who was crouched down on her knees, felt the wet grass underneath her seep into her olive BDUs and tried to remember how her life had come to this. She quickly took in the surrounding area on the off-world planet she and her friend had stumbled out on, looking for signs of any danger. When she saw none, she focused on the person lying on the grass in front of her. She was losing too much blood.

"Samantha, you have to push!" the woman, who was forced into the position of midwife, yelled. "He's almost here. You have to stay with me," she pleaded.

Sam's fading too fast. She thought and panicked internally. If they only had been able to gate back to the Delta Site, where medical attention would have been available, but when they had emerged on this side of the 'gate, Sam hadn't been able to move. They barely made it to this planet as it was without killing Sam. As it was, she had to drag Sam to their current position in a coverage of trees, not far from the 'gate, for privacy and protection for any potential danger.

Both women could only hope that the baby would be here soon. At this rate, Sam didn't have much time left.

"I'm trying," Sam sobbed out and pushed as hard with as much strength as she could muster. The labor pains combined with the blast wound she had sustained when they evacuated the SGC and Earth – just before she stepped through the gate – had left her severely weakened and in a tremendous amount of pain

"Good, good," Sam's friend encouraged, "Just one more!"

And just like that, a baby's cry filled the uninhabited planet. The step-in midwife wrapped the tiny baby in her black standard SGC t-shirt, leaving her in a black tank. She set the baby boy on his mother's stomach, proceeded to cut the cord, and then attended to Sam's more pressing injury.

The mother looked at her son with awe. Sam's heart ached knowing that she would never get to see him grow up. She held back tears and turned her attention to her friend, who was trying her best to save her.

"Hey, go get Grace," Sam's weak voice broke her friend out of her frenzied trance of trying to save Sam.

She shook her head in protest. "No, we need to get you to the 'gate and to the Delta Site for medical attention," she argued, "I just need to stabilize you first."

"I'm not gonna make it," Sam said, definitively. "I can feel it. Please, go get Grace. I want to spend as much time with them as I can."

Her friend squeezed her eyes to stop the oncoming tears. They wouldn't help in this situation. She sniffed and nodded to her friend. She got up from the grass and walked a short distance where both women had left the four-year-old. The little girl saw her aunt and jumped off the ground and ran to her.

"Is mama alright?" she asked, "Is my baby brother here?"

"Yes, sweetheart, baby Ian is here. Would you like to meet him?"

Grace nodded her head excitedly, snatched her aunt's hand, and pulled the two of them all the way back to her mom.

"Mama!" she exclaimed and sat down next to Sam. Grace took notice of her mother's pale face and bloodied clothes with concern. "Mommy are you okay?" she asked, worried.

Sam wrapped her free arm around Grace and hugged her to her side. "I'll be fine, sweetie. I just wanna hold both of you for a little bit."

Grace accepted her mother's explanation and turned her attention to the baby in Sam's other arm. She made cooing noises and babbled to him anything and everything.

"Hey," Sam whispered to the woman kneeling at her side. "Promise me something?"

It took all of her willpower not to cry in front of Sam and the children, so she nodded instead. Sam expressed what she wanted her friend to do in great detail. Her friend tried to deny Sam, telling her she could get all of them back to the 'gate, but Sam knew her time was up and begged her friend to do this one last favor. Sam watched as the woman in front of her as she finally gave into the tears she had been holding back and agreed to Sam's request.

Only six minutes later, Sam knew it was time; she could feel herself moments away from the inevitable. She whispered to her children's aunt in a wobbly voice, "It's time. Take them."

She nodded and gave the only true friend she had ever had a hug before gently picking up the baby. Sam leaned over for one last kiss and told him she loved him. She did the same with her daughter. "It's time to go. Go with your auntie."

Grace stood up, but when she realized her mom wasn't coming, she started to cry. "Mommy, come on! You have to come with us."

Sam shook her head, tears spilled down her cheeks. "I can't this time. But always remember that your daddy and I love you very much."

Grace threw her arms around her mom. "I love you, too."

Her aunt grabbed her arm and started to pull her away. "Come on, Grace."

"We can't leave mommy!" Grace protested.

"Grace, we have to go!" she said. She had managed to drag the little girl to the Stargate and started to dial the Delta Site, while Grace still struggled against her aunt and as she held the newborn. When the wormhole was established, the woman knelt down to the child's eye level. "Mommy will be okay. So will daddy, Uncle T, and Uncle Daniel. They all got badly hurt, but some very special people are going to heal them. It'll take some time, but we just have to be patient. You'll see them again soon," she promised the girl, though lying about most of her statement.

Grace accepted her aunt's explanation with a nod. The aunt, satisfied with her niece's compliance, grabbed her GDO and sent the code through. Ever since Earth had found out about the enemy ships headed their way, they had begun a worldwide evacuation. All off-world bases were now equipped with an iris. Earth had known they wouldn't have been able fight off the enemy. They were too powerful.

The moment they jumped out of hyperspace in Earth's Solar System, they began destroying Earth from space. There was no mercy, no opportunity for the Tau'ri to surrender, no offered chance to serve their new gods – aka, enslaved to the false gods. The SGC was one of the last targets to be hit. The rest of SG-1 and anyone left on the base gave up their lives to make sure the three women got off of earth alive.

The woman grabbed the little girl's hand and walked through the event horizon. When they emerged on the other side, they were met with several guns pointed at them. Grace quickly slid behind her aunt with a small whimper.

"Stand down!" yelled the commander of the base, a Colonel Brandon, as he ran into the 'Gate room. "Mrs. Jackson, what hell happened? Where's the rest of SG-1?" he asked, surprised.

The way her face crumbled and the slight shake of her head gave the Colonel all the answers he needed. Colonel Brandon flinched at the news. No one ever truly thought this day would come. It was SG-1; despite all the trouble they came across and gotten into, they had always made it out, either by pure luck or skill (sometimes both).

He took in her appearance and was instantly concerned; she was covered in blood. He closed the gap between them. "We should get you down to the infirmary, ma'am, where they can attend to your injuries," he gently told her as he led both her and Grace away from the 'Gate room.

She leaned in closer so only he could hear. "It's not my blood," she whispered. "But Grace and baby Ian should get checked out."

It was then that the Colonel noticed the small baby she carried, all bundled up in a black t-shirt. "Is that Major…?"

"Yes," she interrupted, "This is Ian O'Neill."

He cleared his throat and continued to lead them to the infirmary. Once they were there, Mrs. Jackson released Grace and Ian to a doctor previously stationed at the SGC to have them checked out. She stayed at the opening, wanting to keep the children in her line of sight: she was now their guardian, though only temporary if she succeeded in fulfilling Samantha's last wish.

She knew the Colonel was still beside her. She knew he wanted to know all the gory details that led her to this point and what had become of Earth. She spoke to him without taking her eyes off the children. "I promised Sam something and I need your help to do it."

Colonel Brandon knew the former Major, as well as the rest of SG-1, and respected the hell out of all of them, so he replied without hesitation: "Anything."

Author's Note: Thoughts? Who do you think she is? Let me know what you think!