AN: Story time! Especially for my anon reviewer who believes IRL the Holy Roman Catholic church does not acknowledge non-Catholic weddings as needing to be annulled. The inspiration for this story is LITERALLY my experience with the RCC telling my not Catholic husband he had to get an annulment from his not Catholic ex-wife before he could marry his Catholic girlfriend in a Catholic church. We opted for a minister and a nice wedding at home in my garden which was honestly, prettier. Because otherwise I had a very long period where they had to attend classes and have someone defend his first marriage to a woman who had been married before and not had THAT marriage annulled because why would she as my hubby is not Catholic nor is she nor is her ex-husband. I didn't make these rules... and I also did not make them up. IRL if you want to marry a Catholic in their church, you have to have any previous marriages regardless of source or situation annulled. Period. Oh added bonus I also could not live with him during that process OR the 6 months banns take to post. Sincerely - a former lifelong went to the schools and everything Catholic.
Chapter 1 - Wednesday
"Father Kennedy?" Sam said to the elderly man whose office she'd been grudgingly ushered into moments ago by a very severe and disapproving middle-aged woman.
"What can I do for you, dear?" He asked with a friendly smile. "I see you are not on my registry. Do you wish to join my parish?"
"Um… no. Not exactly. You see..." Sam twisted her fingers together.
"Please, please sit. No reason to stand. I'm not your CO." He said laughing, having correctly guessed by her hair that she was military in spite of her jeans and floral tunic top.
Sam sank into an uncomfortable folding metal chair facing the tired-looking oak desk of the rectory office. "I'm not a member of any parish but I've recently found out I've been married for some time to someone and it's entirely a clerical error on the part of the military. You see, I'm engaged and I need it corrected."
"Dear, if the church already considers you married to the man, there's nothing to correct. You simply join the parish, arrange for a service after the required six months and counseling sessions, and that's that."
"Um… see that's the problem, Father. The man I'm listed as married to isn't the one I'm engaged to." Sam blushed before rushing into an explanation. "My team does a lot of remote missions in very unknown locations. At one of them, the locals objected to me being single so my CO told them I was married to him so they would leave me alone about it and let me continue the mission.
"But they insisted we should be married by the tribe if we really wanted to help them so we agreed to it. Usually this kind of marriage isn't formally recognized by the government. We've never lived together or anything remotely close to being married." Sam tried to keep herself expressionless at that statement as brief images raced through her brain. She quickly added, "But, because a team member made a note in a report. And then we believe someone else in records misread the first report and filed the wrong paperwork. Actually, there's no physical marriage certificate."
Father Kennedy looked at Sam, his grey eyebrows raised to an alarming height. "Even without a certificate, the Catholic church would recognize the union." He finally told her.
"Yes, that's what my base chaplain said too. But he also said to go to a local church and start annulment proceedings because they take a few months. I thought if I started here first, I could get the ball rolling so when the divorce paperwork is filed it will go more smoothly." Sam said in a rush.
"I see." Was all Father Kennedy said for a long while.
"So, um… how do I get this started?" Sam finally asked uncomfortably.
"All annulments go through arbitration. It won't be granted unless one or both of you clearly can prove you never intended to wed the other for life regardless of the results."
"What about the fact that the marriage was not consummated?" Sam asked, hoping that was enough. Drugged or being drunk didn't count in her opinion.
"There's really no way to prove that, and the church would find such a statement difficult to believe in at all. Arbitration, on average takes a bit over a year." He said to her.
"A year?" Sam said faintly and tried to ignore that it made her feel oddly relieved.
"And until it's finalized, assuming it's approved which I won't guarantee, you cannot marry in a Catholic church. You also will not be allowed to start posting of the banns nor will you be allowed by the church to live with your fiancé out of wedlock." He reminded her.
"Oh." Was all Sam said and smashed down the sudden calm inside of her that was relieved she had some breathing room about the wedding Pete was rushing her towards.
"If that's too long, you might want to reconsider your venue. You did say you don't belong to a parish. When was the last time you attended mass, Miss Carter?"
"It's been a while." Sam said on a sigh. A very long while, she thought and ignored his use of 'Miss' over her rank or degree.
"Do you and your intended plan to have children together?"
Sam's face pinched. That was another bone of contention. She did want kids or had thought she wanted kids but now she wasn't so sure. She'd said as much to Jack when she'd given it one last shot to try to find out what he really wanted from her in the end but he'd sidestepped the question, nailing that particular coffin shut… and yet… the only logical explanation for his attitude over the last few months since she'd started seeing Pete was, well, grief.
He was chronically short tempered and avoiding people who care about him and pretending he didn't care about things she knew he cares about and the only time she'd seen him act that way was when he'd lost someone he loves deeply. But if that was the case, why wouldn't he talk to her about it or try to stop her from being with Pete? If he felt like he was losing her, why wasn't he trying to stop it when she asked him point-blank in her lab? If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she was hurt. Because he didn't even want to discuss it with her. Because he had obviously let her go. And because he moved on without apparently telling her so.
"I see." The priest said. "Well, that is what pre-wedding counseling is for. So you both go in knowing what to expect from the other. Be honest with him that you aren't on the same page about children. He may change his mind or you may change yours but it's important you be in agreement about that sort of thing."
"Yah." Sam said with a jerk of her head. "So, um, what paperwork do I need to fill out today?"
"My secretary, Mrs. Havers, will walk you through it. You will have a packet to take to your husband for him to fill out as well."
"He's not—"
Father Kennedy put up his hands placating. "He is, according to church law, so you may as well get used to him being referred to as such in regards to this matter as he will be until the marriage is dissolved according to church procedure." He didn't add that annulments were rarely granted these days and most couples just moved on with their lives without a second church wedding.
"Can't we just pay them off?" Pete asked her peevishly later that night as a churlish look came over his face.
"I don't think so. I know you used to be able to back in dad's day but they haven't been doing that for a while." Sam said sadly as she looked at the paperwork she'd been filling out for an hour. It was asking her several very personal questions about her relationship with Jack. Things she didn't want to write the answers to in front of Pete who would definitely try to peek at them. She definitely didn't want Pete to know they had crossed the line from time to time even if those times occurred prior to her dating Pete. Especially since Pete was already uncomfortable with her relationship with Jack as it was. Jack wasn't quite an ex, but she'd be lying if she said their relationship was strictly professional and she really didn't want Pete to have more reason to demand she leave the SGC.
"Can't we at least try? It's not like you guys shacked up and had a Vegas quickie. It's a paperwork error." Pete almost whined.
Internally, Sam winced at Pete's tone, which was starting to grate on her nerves. This incessant whining was seriously becoming a bigger issue, one she was hoping would go away and soon.
"I mean I did ask, and the priest, Father Kennedy, didn't seem to think the church would just grant it out of hat. They have to get a statement from General O'Neill and myself, talk to witnesses, and then come to a decision."
"What witnesses?" Pete asked incredulously.
"Well, Daniel and Teal'c were there so them. Possibly General Hammond?" She shook her head. "Just people who witnessed the events and know us both really well who will be honest."
Pete rolled his eyes. He didn't like any of them frankly. She worried more about their opinions on things than she did his. Her fiancé. They were just guys she worked with. Guys who might lie just to screw with him. "Whatever. This better not take too long." He'd acted dismissive of the General's feelings before in the hopes that doing so would convince her she had nothing there at all.
"It shouldn't." Sam lied outright. There was no sense in upsetting Pete and she could smooth things over later about it. The wedding was months away. Average time meant average situation. This was a fairly simple situation so she was hoping for the best. A little voice in the back of her mind asked her which thing she thought was best and she stomped that thought down and reminded it that Jack had made it sort of clear that he didn't see a future for them. What the heck does 'I wouldn't be here' even mean, she thought to herself.
"Get me another glass of wine, babe?" Pete asked her, holding up his glass to her, as he lounged back on the couch.
Sam frowned, suppressing another wince. She hated that nickname. She didn't know why but she did… but she didn't have the heart to tell him how much she disliked it. Sam sighed heavily. "Sure." She agreed, getting up from the table and taking the glass from him to go refill it.