Hey there! I've been working my beta hard :P Don't worry, all the ones are still being written or betaed.

This one is set right after Entity, and hopefully, you'll like it :P Let's start!

Enjoy,

M.

Chapter 1

Saturday, December 29, 2012

I didn't know what love looked like until I saw them dance under the moonlight. When they thought no one was watching them.

One of his hands was spread open on the small of her back. One of hers rested at his neck, playing with the short hair there. Opposite hands were linked together tightly, as if their lives depended on it, pressed between their bodies.

Their gazes were locked, their eyes never wavered — blues watching browns. Browns glued to blues. Both shining with unspoken words as both prayed the soft notes would never come to an end. They moved slowly to a rhythm of their own, never breaking apart. There wasn't even an inch between the two. It was a time that was theirs and theirs alone, one perfectly stolen moment.

It was way past my bedtime, but it was Mom's birthday. She often allowed me to stay awake longer for special occasions. We had this ritual of our own, where she would let me sleep in her bed for my birthday and hers. That's why I came down and found them.

The few friends she invited for this small gathering left the house hours ago.

Yet, she took her sweet time coming upstairs. Longer than I would have thought she needed. So, I went down searching for her. Thinking that once again she managed to entertain herself, with her never-ending work.

I was surprised when I found him still there. It was weird, I thought. That the only one who had remained, when everyone else had left, was him. Especially when she thought he wouldn't come.

I can tell it surprised her. Not only that she was dancing in his arms, but the fact that he was there to start with. I could tell from the way she gasped, and her eyes widened the moment the grey-haired man had entered our house earlier today.

Don't worry, I've seen him before. He visited our house once. Around three weeks after we moved to our new home in Colorado Springs. We had changed our names again, and Mom landed a new job here. For the past four months, she's been working somewhere inside a mountain. Cool, huh?

Anyhow, that day, we were still trying to get rid of the boxes we brought. I must confess that after moving as much as we have in the past years we became very good at boxing and not so much in the unboxing part. So, two or three weeks later, the house was still crowded.

Back to the subject, I was unpacking, trying to find out what we did with my part of our office supplies when I heard the bell. Mom was on the phone with someone from her company, so she nodded me towards the door. I guessed she was waiting for some more work-related packages, so I opened the door.

Boy! He was surprised when he spotted me. He frowned, I smiled politely at him. I tried not to show, that I knew he was frowning, only to try not to show his surprise. Now, Mom… Mom went crazy. I guess she wasn't expecting him to be the one dropping by. She said something like: "Hi, hmm, sir, hmm General, hmm Jack, oh, just, hmm, place those in any space you see free," as she covered the phone receiver with a hand. It was very awkward. I've never seen Mom being that loss for words or flustered before.

Sir General hmm Jack nodded once. I shrugged before I moved out of his way so he could get inside. He looked at me and went like, "Hey, kid. So, you are?"

I know I was impolite but sorry. I didn't even try not to roll my eyes at him. I thought military personnel always got a large file from whoever worked with them. I'm sure my mom mentions me from time to time. But then again, I thought you wouldn't need to be a genius to know who the hell I am, I mean, blonde hair, blue eyes, white skin, too tall for my age, it's a huge giveaway. I guessed that by being her mini clone, it should be obvious who I was, seems not.

"Her daughter?" I replied, not so sure what he expected me to answer. Then, yes, his eyes widened. "I know, we look too much alike," I grinned.

Sir General Jack lowered the boxes on the last free space of the table and rushed out of the door. Faster than I've seen anyone before rushing before, rush out. You know, I'm not sure if I'll ever get to understand the world of the adult. Not when they seem to do the weirdest things. Anyhow, by the time my mom had finished her call, he was long gone. I was back to searching what I needed. Knowing her, I didn't ask, and she didn't tell.

If I haven't confused you enough already, I guess I should at least tell you who I am. My name is Parker, Parker Carter. I turned eleven a little over two weeks ago. Now, my mom, her name is Samantha Carter. Doctor Samantha Carter, Ph.D. Or at least, that's the name she goes by since a week before we arrived here.

Until almost twelve years ago, my mom was part of the USAF. I'm not sure why she retired. I concluded my birth had something to do with it because of the timing. It was never confirmed, and I doubt it will ever be.

She never told me who my father is, and I try not to ask. The few times I brought the subject up, she either clenched her jaw and told me, 'it's not something we can discuss now,' or her eyes would become glassy from unshed tears before she changed the subject.

I'm curious, though.

To add to this mess, after we changed names, we visited the Uncle I didn't know I had. My mom's brother, Mark. He was kind to me, but he was angry with her. His wife, Aunt Linda, seemed more agreeable by far, again with me. I found out that I even have cousins! It was so weird knowing I had more family, after believing all my life that it was my mom and me against the world.

Aunt Linda took me out for a ride, while mom and Uncle Mark discussed the situation. I asked her if she knew my dad, or why my mom left the air force. Or why Uncle Mark was so pissed off, by us showing up. Unhelpfully, Aunt Linda said that those were questions for my mom. I considered asking about the reason why I hadn't met them until now. If she knew why we had to change our name. I figured these would fall into the same answer category, so I didn't prod anymore.

All I know is, that whoever my father was, she suffers if anyone asks. So, as I've said, I try not to.

We also don't talk about anything that happened before my birth, except by the few childhood stories she'd shared on rare occasions. We don't talk about her family. We don't talk about her old friends. I simply don't know who my mother was before I was born. All I know is, at some point, she was a USAF Major.

If I hadn't dropped the one box that contained pictures of the past, she said she'd rather forget, I wouldn't have known anything about her military career before.

I look at them still dancing. I remember having seen him, before the one time he visited. I remember having seen him before clearly now.

He was there, the gray-haired man. He was part of her pictures.

Sir General hmm Jack looked younger and happier. I guess years can make people look old and tired. Well, most people, at least. My mom is gorgeous, but hey, I might be biased.

I just wish I knew the story behind them because the music has long ago ended. There's no other witness to them, besides me and the dark skies. And still, they remain glued together as if they are stuck in a bubble of their own. As if they're afraid that even an inch between them would be greater than oceans and years apart. Is this what love looks like? Are those shiny eyes and unspoken words the most genuine displays of love?

I'm so confused! Really, if love looks like this, then why aren't they together?

Thursday, February 15, 2001

SG-1 was scheduled for a briefing, but something was wrong. Daniel was there, Teal'c was there, General Hammond was already there. When Jack joined the group fashionably late as per usual, they confirmed something was utterly wrong.

"Where's Carter?" he asked the moment he entered.

"You weren't with her?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"No? Why would I be with her?" Jack frowned.

"I don't know, that's the only explanation I got for her getting here late."

"Are you saying you haven't checked her lab, even if she's been over fifteen minutes late?"Jack asked, but he didn't stop to hear the answer.

Jack rushed to her lab. Praying to God, he wouldn't find her unconscious or something worse, but she wasn't there. He grabbed the internal phone and dialed the infirmary extension, praying now that she had taken Siler there, or there was something that she needed to consult with Janet about. The nurse at the other end told him that neither Carter nor Fraiser were there.

"Jack," Daniel's tone added to the knot in the pit of his stomach, causing it to constrict. "She never signed in."

"That's not possible. I need to go," Jack said.

"Jack!" Daniel shouted, but it was for naught. Jack was already long gone.

Jack hadn't remembered a day that he prayed so much, since Charlie. First, when he rushed to her lab, then when he called the infirmary. Then all the way to her house. All while wishing his phone would go off to let him know she had a flat or something, as she chuckled embarrassedly on his ear.

He parked his truck outside her house on the curb and noticed the door wide open. As he reached the door, a police car stopped in her driveway. He didn't see them as he elbowed the door slowly so he could go past it.

He saw the broken table, the overturned chairs, the broken vases, and the scattered books. He stepped inside slowly, carefully, praying he would find the bastard that did this to her house still in there, maybe even tied up as she waited for the cops to pick him.

No such luck. He followed the ruins of her home and found it empty.

"Sir?" He turned around surprised when he saw a police officer in her room.

The look of her bedsheets struck Jack, and the way her curtain rail was half-torn out of the wall didn't help. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as he read the things the room was telling him, had happened.

"Sir, is this your house? You shouldn't be here."

"I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, USAF. It's not my house. It is my 2IC's. Major Carter's house."

"Sir, you need to step out. This is a crime scene."

"Excuse me?"

"A crime scene, the forensic team is on its way."

"She was supposed to be at a briefing now. We have a mission scheduled. She…"

"Sir, I'm sorry. Look, a neighbor alerted 911 about a black van parked in front of the house before there were signs of a fight. Then another caller added that they saw three males taking their neighbor inside the van."

"She was kidnapped?" Jack added with widened eyes.

"It seems likely, sir. Do you know the next of kin? Or her family number so we can inform them and see if there's a ransom?"

"I'm her next of kin," he stated. The officer looked at him, surprised. "Her brother is in San Diego. They aren't close. Our work keeps us in hospitals more times than we would like too, so it seemed easier if I was her next of kin. I need to make a call." Jack wasn't sure why he gave that explanation, but he knew he needed to get out of there.

"Okay, sir. But please remain here until the techs arrive. They might need to get your prints and maybe your shoes to rule you out."

Jack nodded and carefully walked outside as he called Hammond to inform him about the situation. A second officer watched him pace and waited until he lowered his cellphone before approaching him.

"Sir, what can you tell me about the victim?" Jack flinched. 'Victim' and Samantha Carter was something he thought he would never have to hear in the same sentence

"I can tell you that, this is Major Samantha Carter's house. She's an excellent officer and a badass soldier."

"You know if she had a husband, partner, a lover that could be behind this?"

"No, she is single. I'm not aware of any personal relationship. You might want to ask that to her best friend, Doctor Janet Fraiser."

"Do you know Doctor Fraiser?" Jack nodded. "Can you fill out a form with her contact information?"

"Sure."

"Sir, does Major Carter have any enemies? Or someone that could seek revenge? Or was there anything work-related that could end up with her being kidnapped over information?"

"Shit!" Jack growled. "Way more than you would like to know."

"We will need information about any possible enemy…"

"I can't do that."

"Sir, if you can't give us more information, we won't be able to reduce the search area. For kidnappings, those first twenty-four hours are the most important ones."

"I would love to give you all the information I have if I knew it would help to get her back. Most of the things we do are classified. So, I can't. You'll need to get a warrant before I can release information to you. I can't request it because your techs aren't here, and your partner told me I should remain here until then."

Half an hour later, Jack was about to blow. When the techs finally released him. He had filled out more forms than he had memos in his career. Sam's home was being turned upside down in hopes it would give them some information. He couldn't help the feeling of despair as he drove away with his eyes fixated in the several patrol cars that now took over her block.