I had the story planned to go one way, but Sam and Jack were not being cooperative. I finally gave in and wrote what they wanted me to LOL!

———begin———

Jack slipped the ball cap onto his head as he and his team approached the Stargate platform. It was a simple act that he'd done a few hundred times before, but the weight of the hat felt so much heavier today.

He and Sam had met with their JAG attorneys the night before, and much to his dismay, he kind of liked them. They didn't sugarcoat anything. His attorney, Kim, had explained that the President's formal approval of their marriage invoked the spousal protections law. Apparently, neither he nor Sam could be compelled to testify against the other. Since they were the only two members of the team present for the majority of the time, it limited the prosecution's case.

Sam's attorney, Kevin, had then laid out their legal strategy. Their first task was to get Sam and Jack off-world to make them legally unreachable for a short while. Kinsey was apparently pushing for a speedy timeline under the guise of getting the matter 'resolved' as quickly as possible. Kevin had explained this was the prosecution's way of forcing the defense, into a defensive position. By keeping them off-world, they literally could not be served with court papers, giving Kim and Kevin the time they needed to put together an offense.

The second part of their strategy was to bring the court martial out of the Air Force's general population and back behind closed doors. Kinsey was trying to argue for transparency within a covert department. He'd riled up the Senate Intelligence Committee about the secrecy of the SGC, and claimed they were recipients of special privileges that flew in the face of the US Military's code of ethics.

A traditional general court martial consisted of five jury officers and one judge. Kim and Kevin wanted to change that due to the nature of Sam Jack's work to one judge who would render summary judgement. In other words, each side would argue their case, then the single objective judge determined their fate. It was a gamble, but the only way to obtain a classified proceeding so all facts could be presented. Otherwise, the prosecution would argue that no impartial jury officers could be found within the SGC—which was actually true; therefore, a general court martial would be the transparent solution. A judge with the proper security clearances was their only viable option to present the nuances of the case.

The entire meeting had taken several hours as both Sam and Jack needed to provide depositions of what had happened on the planet. Their attorneys had been as delicate as possible, but insisted they were told everything. Jack had barely made it through the description of Zabar's attack on Sam. His memories of almost not getting to her in time, coupled with her emotions overwhelmed him. He hadn't realized how much those events had affected either of them. With their connection, it seemed harder than normal to bury the feelings and move forward.

Afterward, Sam had silently led him to the SGC's overnight sleeping quarters. Without a word, she'd locked the door, reached to the back of the security camera and disconnected the feed, then pushed him onto one of the small twin beds. As he looked into her eyes, he had known what they both needed. Without a sound, she climbed into his arms. Shifting onto his side, he tried to make enough room for both of them on the single bed. Neither of them spoke; they didn't have to, simply content to have physical contact with the other. Breathing in her soft scent, he closed his eyes and hadn't woken up until his watch alarm sounded at 0500.

"You have a go," General Hammond announced from the control room, as Jack focused on the task at hand. Their problems needed to wait; Hammond had been adamant this diplomatic mission had to go as planned. SG-12 already made first contact with the planet; but Hammond needed SG-1 to be the Earth's official representatives. This world had already heard of SG-1 heroic efforts against the system lords from one of their allies and refused to negotiate with anyone else.

As he stepped through the event horizon and onto the planet, Jack felt a tickling form at the back of his neck.

Something's wrong, Sam looked around for danger. I know you feel it; I feel it too.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said. "I do not believe we are on the right planet. General Hammond indicated the planet we were traveling to was 99% water. All I see is desert."

"Teal'c's right, sir," Sam started down the steps, "this isn't P3X-696."

"Carter, how often would you say we accidentally gate to the wrong planet?" Jack asked.

"Never, sir. Unless of course there was an issue with a solar flare or black hole causing the wormhole to jump."

"Any indications that's what happened this time?" Jack hoped she would say yes, but he already knew her answer.

"No," she frowned, worry lines creased her forehead, "this appears to be a dialing mistake."

"Alright," Jack ordered, "Carter, dial us back home."

"I can't sir, not without knowing the point of origin. I have no clue where we are." As soon as she finished explaining, an incoming wormhole re-engaged.

"SGC, do you read," Jack shrugged at Sam's look of confusion. "Maybe they realized the mistake." Pressing the walkie button, he continued, "we seem to be on the wrong planet. Over."

Walter's voice answered back. "We have a situation here; all gate travel has been suspended. General Hammond has ordered all teams to stay put. We will re-establish contact in 72 hours. If you are in danger, gate to the Alpha site. Do you copy? Over."

"Copy that," Jack answered. "Any chance you can tell us where we are? What's our point of origin?"

No answer was provided as static distorted Walter's reply. The wormhole shut down before Jack could try again.

"Well this is just peachy," he removed his hat and slapped it against his thigh. "I don't suppose either of you packed more than the typical rations and water?"

"I did not," Teal'c replied followed by Sam's "no, sir."

Jack rolled his eyes at her, "I think you can stop with the sir stuff, don't you?"

Sam shot him a look of annoyance as she pulled out her binoculars. "There appears to be a grouping of trees about three clicks from here, that way," she pointed north.

"That would be the most logical choice," Teal'c agreed. "Our first priority must be to find shelter and water, then perhaps Major Carter can figure out where we are."

"Ok kids, let's move out."