Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are not my property. No copyright infringement is intended.

Sam held her wedding dress in her arms as she opened the car door and carefully laid the dress on the back seat.

Standing up straight, she took a deep breath and stared at the dress.

Closing the door carefully, she slowly walked up the sidewalk, glanced back at the car and went inside her house.

She had hardly slept at all last night, tossing and turning, having second thoughts about whether or not she really wanted to make this commitment to spend the rest of her life with Pete.

Going into the bathroom, she picked up her make-up kit and curling iron and put them in her overnight bag.

As she wandered into the living room, her cell phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi, Sam."

"Hey, Cassie."

"Just wanted to see if you need me to do anything before I meet you at the church."

Sam took a deep breath and hesitated. "No, but thanks."

Cassie frowned. "You okay, Sam? You don't sound too good."

"I just . . . I have a lot on my mind right now."

"I guess so. You're getting married today."

Sam sat down on the sofa as she looked at the picture on her mantle of SG-1. "Yeah, I'm getting married today."

"Sam, if you don't want to go through with this wedding, there's still time to . . ."

Before Cassie could finish what she was saying, Sam cut her off. "I'll see you at the church. Bye."

Sam dropped her phone on the sofa, put her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands as she tried to breathe deeply. Looking once more at the picture, she stared at Jack and herself as she remembered when the picture was taken. The team had gotten together at Jack's house and Cassie had wanted to take their picture so they stood by the railing of his deck. Teal'c stood next to Daniel and she stood between Daniel and Jack. When Cassie had later given her a copy, she immediately noticed how close together she and Jack were standing. They were both smiling, looking relaxed and happy.

The picture had been taken just a few weeks before she met Pete.

Swallowing a rush of emotion, she quickly looked away from the picture and stood. Picking up her overnight bag, a suitcase and the dress she would wear when she and Pete left the church after the ceremony, she came outside and put everything in the trunk. Making one last trip inside, she grabbed her cell phone and put it in her purse, locked the front door and got into her car.

As she drove, she remembered the day that she and Jack had confessed their feelings for each other in front of Anise, Teal'c and Janet. Wishing she could change what she had said to Jack that day about keeping their feelings hidden away, tears filled her eyes.

She remembered when Pete had taken her dancing; the day he had given her an engagement ring as they sat on a bench at the park; the house he had bought for them and was so excited to show her.

Wiping away the tears, she recalled Jack wandering into her lab and showing him the ring. She had hoped that Jack would try to stop her, but he had not. The look of hurt she had seen in his eyes as he handed back the ring, had haunted her for days.

Quickly pulling over to the side of the road, she realized once again that the reason Jack had not stopped her from accepting the ring, was because he loved her enough to let her go; her happiness was more important to him than his own.

Laying her head on the steering wheel, she cried harder as memories of Jack ran through her mind: the day they had met in the briefing room; almost freezing to death together in Antarctica; missing him desperately when he had been stranded on Edora; the many times they had sat beside each other's bed when the other was injured and kissing Jack during her hallucination on the Prometheus.

So many memories of a man who, over the years, had slowly crept into her heart.

Sam lifted her head, wiped her eyes and mumbled "you're such an idiot, Samantha. How did you let it go this far with Pete?"

Putting the car into gear, she pulled back onto the road. Driving up in front of the church, she came to a slow stop.

Noticing the vehicle from the florist, she watched as a man and woman came out of the church, closed the back doors of the van, got inside and drove away. Apparently, they had just finished decorating the church for the wedding.

Feeling as if she were about to be sick, she suddenly stepped on the gas pedal and drove past the church.

After driving a few minutes, she drove into a parking space of a shopping center. Turning off the engine, she sat staring out the windshield for several minutes.

Looking at her watch, she knew that Pete had planned to arrive about now at the church to get dressed for the ceremony.

Sam slowly shook her head. "This isn't right. I can't go through with this."

Knowing what she had to do, she started the car, turned around and headed back.

Pulling into the church parking lot, she parked beside Pete's car.

With her heart beating fast, she went inside. Just as she came down the hall and turned the corner, she saw Pete and his brother go into one of the rooms.

Slowly putting one foot in front of the other, she breathed deeply and said to herself 'go on, you have to do this.'

Facing the door to the room that Pete was in, she raised her fist and hesitated a moment.

After knocking gently on the door, Pete answered. He started to smile but immediately noticed that she had been crying.

"Sam, what's wrong?"

She glanced over Pete's shoulder and noticed his brother staring at her.

"I need to talk to you in private."

Pete closed the door and put his hand on her elbow.

"Are you okay?"

Sam didn't answer as he followed her outside. She looked at the ground and crossed her arms over her chest.

Pete didn't take his eyes off her. "Sam, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

Sam knew this was the most difficult thing she had ever had to do in her life as she slowly raised her head and looked into Pete's eyes.

"I can't . . . I can't do this, Pete. I can't marry you."

The look on Pete's face was as though someone had just slapped him.

"But . . . I love you and you love me."

Sam shook her head. "No, I don't love you. I mean . . . I love you as a friend but I'm not in love with you. I thought I was but I'm not. I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt you but I can't go through with this wedding."

"We're supposed to be married in an hour and you spring this on me now?"

Tears filled Sam's eyes. "I don't know what else to say. I don't expect you to forgive me so I won't even ask you to, but I can't marry you."

Sam started to put her hand on Pete's arm but he stepped back from her and raised his hands.

"Don't. Just don't."

They stood in silence for several moments.

Pete looked into her eyes. "Is there someone else?"

Sam hesitated. "I'm not sure."

Pete frowned. "You're not sure? How can you not be sure, Sam? There is or there isn't."

"Yes but no."

Pete looked bewildered. "Yes but no? What does that mean?"

"There is someone I care about but no, we can't be together."

"But as long as there is the possibility that you could someday be together, you won't marry me. Is that it?"

"I should not have accepted your ring, Pete. I let things get way out of hand. This is all my fault and I don't want to hurt you any more than I already am."

Pete glanced away, took a deep breath and put his hands in his pockets as he turned to face her once more.

"Are you positively sure?"

Sam nodded her head. "Yes."

Pete stared at her. "Goodbye, Sam."

He turned to walk away as Sam placed her hands against her stomach. "I'm sorry, Pete. I'm so sorry."

Pete kept walking. He got to the door, turned to look at her one last time and she could see the devastation on his face. They stared at each until Pete went inside and closed the door.

Getting into her car, Sam drove away from the church as tears ran down her face.

TBC