TITLE: To Earn Freedom
AUTHOR: Sharim
EMAIL: MissSharim@yahoo.com.au
CATEGORY: Action, Angst, Drama, Adventure.
PAIRING: Sam/Jack, Other
SPOILERS: Minor for: Children of the Gods, In the Line of Duty, The Nox, Tok'ra I & II, Cold Lazarus, Pretense, Serpent Song, Forever in a Day,
SEASON / SEQUEL: Post Fair Game,
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence.
SUMMARY: Sometimes, the price of freedom is siding with the enemy.
STATUS: Working on it!
ARCHIVE: Sam and Jack, Heliopolis, My site (when I stop slacking off).
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
A/N: Jez. You are my LIFESAVER. I'm in for a heavy week of stargate watching (poor me) and supposed study!
And there are still more chapters to come. sorry about the 'that's it' confusion last time!
Ps if anyone has forgotten what's happened or wants to read it from scratch, then www.fanfiction.net under 'sharim' would be the place to find it, seeing as my website no longer exists ~withering glares at topcities~
Chapter Twenty
She was too thin, Jack decided, watching as she stubbornly wheeled herself along the corridors.
"You should eat more, Carter."
She shot him a look, a cross between annoyance and exasperation before she turned back to her task.
It was hard work, wheeling herself around in a wheel chair, but Jack knew that despite the sheen of sweat on her forehead, the laboured sound of her breathing and the way the muscles tightened painfully in her arms that she would hate him if he offered her a hand. Sam Carter was strong, much too strong to allow being a quadriplegic stand in her way.
"Can I borrow your chair sometime?" he asked hopefully.
She glanced at him again, but didn't waste her energy or concentration on replying.
"I played wheelchair basketball once and I was wondering-"
"Why did you play that?" she asked curiously, her eyes focused firmly on their goal: the elevator.
"One of my team landed himself in a chair. The whole team used to go play with him on weekends."
"Oh."
They dropped into silence again as she strained to keep the chair moving.
"Carter."
"Sir?"
"I've been talking to Janet, and-"
She sighed angrily, pushing the chair forwards with a burst of annoyance.
"Just listen for a minute, Carter!" he pleaded.
She glared at him, refusing to stop.
"You can't go back to your place. Not in a wheelchair."
"Why not?" she demanded stubbornly, a bitter smile of satisfaction on her face as she reached the elevators. Determinedly she stabbed the 'down' arrow.
"Where are you going?"
"The labs," she stated, daring him to argue.
"Carter-"
He tried to argue, but she glared at him and spun the chair expertly.
She was good at getting people to shut up and agree with her when the chair was brought into the conversation.
The elevator pinged. The door slipped open.
The Airmen stopped talking and watched her uncomfortably.
Carter's face flushed and her jaw tightened stubbornly. Inwardly, Jack flinched. This was not good, this was really not good.
"The labs," she muttered, not even trying to reach up and push the button that Jack knew would be out of her reach.
Silently, he pushed it for her.
The elevator went down. It pinged. They got out.
"Carter, you are never going to fit that chair in between all the stuff in the labs," he tried again, half jogging to keep up with her firm forward motion.
Her silence effectively ended the conversation.
He was worried about Carter. Heck, they were all worried about Carter.
But she refused to acknowledge that something was wrong. That she had to adjust. That she couldn't do everything she used to be able to do.
That she was no longer on SG-1 - the same as Jack - and that soon they would both be 'honourably discharged'.
He snorted at the thought. Honourably discharged. There was nothing honourable about being discharged. Not ever.
The sides of the chair caught on one of the narrow doorframes and her whole body jerked out of the chair. She hadn't done up her straps. Again.
Her jaw was clenched tightly and her face flushed an angry red as she pulled herself roughly into the chair, her useless legs flopping about as she tried to rearrange herself into the chair. But the chair wasn't listening, and the more she kept trying to get into it, the more the chair rolled backwards.
Silently he put his feet behind the wheels, and she pulled herself in stiffly.
Her eyes were hard as she spun around and began the return journey towards the elevator.
She'd never forgive him for helping her. Never.
~o0o~
"Are you sure you're doing the right thing, Daniel?"
Daniel didn't look up. "Of course I am."
"Just because the Colonel and Major-"
"Janet, this isn't about them. This is about me. I joined the program simply to get Sha're back. She's dead. I have no reason to stay here now." Daniel knew his words were harsh, but they were true.
What was also true was the fact that the entire SGC reminded him ofSG-1 before. before he shot Sam.
Before she was forced into a wheelchair.
Before he ruined both Sam and Jack's careers.
"They would have had to resign anyway, Daniel. They can't stay in the military given their current link."
He swallowed, carefully placing a small statue into a cardboard box. "So there's even less reason for me to stay."
"What about Teal'c?" Janet prodded, and he heard her walking closer to him.
"If Jack isn't coming back you know Teal'c won't stay. He believes in Jack, and he only believes in Earth because Jack is here. There's no reason for me to stay, Janet."
"What about the other planets? The knowledge you can get about our history from them-"
Daniel cut her off with a shake of his head. "I could never publish any of my findings, Janet. I might as well go back to Egypt and start digging around for clues that I know are there, that I know exist and use them to back up my theory."
Janet shifted uncomfortably and he looked at her. "What?"
"You can't," she said softly, picking up a small stone tablet and running her fingers over its dusty surface. "You can't do anything that might indicate the existence of the Stargate. You know that. What if you suddenly proved that the Goa'uld did cause the cross-pollinisation. Then what? The whole of Earth is thrown into chaos and panic because aliens DO exist and they're not just the results of someone having a bit too much to drink."
She was right, he realised ruefully, taking the tablet out of her hands and placing it carefully in the box before covering it with newspaper.
"Do you think it's right, not telling anyone?"
"Have you ever watched Men In Black?" Janet countered lightly.
He glanced at her, confused by the question but nodding his head anyway. He'd watched it one downtime with SG-1, introducing Teal'c to the way the Tau'ri viewed aliens.
He'd thought it was funny.
"You know that bit where Will Smith says everyone should know about the aliens?"
Daniel nodded.
"Tommy Lee Jones has a point when he says that everyone is better off not knowing they exist. Not knowing how many times Earth has come close to being wiped out."
The lab fell silent, and Daniel mutely packed another artefact into his box before closing the lid and taping it shut.
"What's your point, Janet?"
She sighed. "You're making the wrong decision, Daniel. We need you here at the SGC and-"
"The SGC needed Sam more."
"And Sam can still work at the SGC in the same capacity as you. There is no reason why not, other than the fact that her wheelchair can't fit into the labs."
"She won't come back, you know."
Janet was silent.
"And Jack has nothing now."
"Daniel, resigning because of some self righteous martyring idea you've gotten into your head-"
"I've told you Janet, I'm going. You are not going to change my mind and that's it. I've already given my resignation to General Hammond. My office is basically empty. Why won't you accept that I'm leaving?"
He glanced at her, and there were tears of frustration in her eyes.
"Damn you, Daniel. Don't you understand? You and SG-1 were. ARE the legends of this place. SG-1.. You're just throwing it away."
"I'm not. It's gone."
"Daniel, you and Sam made this place work. The Colonel kept this place alive. And Teal'c is proof that everyone can be united, that everyone can get together and work towards a common goal. You can't just leave that."
"I can and I will." He swallowed, lifting the box up and placing it on a loading trolley. "I'm sorry, Janet, but SG-1 is over. Next week you'll get your new officers, a new team will be formed and everyone will move on as though we were never here. Life goes on, so live with it."
His words were harsh and bitter, the cynicism knifing him to the core. But he resolutely grabbed the handles and slowly pushed the loaded trolley past Janet, out the door and up the corridor.
His time here was over.
Live with it.
~o0o~
Sprawled on a blanket on the grass and staring up into the blue sky with the snow white clouds, Sam could almost delude herself into thinking it was all okay.
Almost.
"Need anything, Carter?"
"No, Sir."
Almost.
She missed being alone. She missed her house. She missed being able to do things without needing help.
She missed her legs.
The Colonel's face appeared in her vision, casting a shadow over her and blotting out her view of the sky.
"With respect, Sir, move."
He obliged, dropping down onto the grass next to her and holding a beer in front of her face.
"I thought Janet said no beer," she said idly, taking the beverage from him and pulling herself upright.
He grinned at her. "Janet's not here, is she?"
"On the contrary, Colonel, Janet is right behind you."
Sam's face fell.
Great. Another visit from 'The Mother Hen From Hell.'
"Hi Janet," she commented, deliberately drinking a deep mouthful and glaring at the doctor to gauge her reaction.
Janet sighed. "I'm not going to yell at you Sam, it's your choice."
Sam smiled. Good.
"Daniel's resigned."
For a moment Sam felt a pang of disappointment and indignation. Daniel couldn't resign. What was he thinking?
And then she remembered that she and Daniel weren't exactly friends anymore. It wasn't her fault; she had nothing against Daniel. It was an accident, a shitty accident be that as it may, but an accident.
But Daniel was the one who couldn't and wouldn't deal with it.
Daniel was the one who had never came and visited her while she was flat on her back for three weeks.
Daniel was the one who had skulked about the base when she'd finally gotten a wheelchair, hiding from her.
Daniel was the one who had avoided her.
And that hurt. It hurt Sam that he didn't think they're friendship was strong enough to move on with things like that. So it was up to Daniel to come and talk to her. Until he was ready to get over it and accept the fact that she didn't blame him, Sam figured there was no point in trying to talk to him.
She realised, almost ironically, that she was doing the same as Daniel to an extent. She was refusing to move on, refusing to accept that she would never walk again.
Never walk again.
The words stung and a deep anger burnt inside her.
It wasn't fair.
"Carter?" The Colonel was looking at her, waiting for an answer.
"Sorry, Sir. I guess I was thinking."
"Now there's something unusual," he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. Would he never get over that?
"I've got you booked in to a specialist on Wednesday, Sam, Dr. Portes. I've sent over your X-rays, and he wants to have a talk to you."
"Can he help?" The words were out before she could stop them, hope igniting into a fireball as she stared intently at Janet.
Janet shook her head. "No, Sam. He's worried about the bullet moving. If it moved too much and damaged more of your spine there is a chance you could lose more than just the use of your legs."
The world went silent around her and she stared dumbly at Janet.
Lose more than just her legs?
"Carter?" The Colonel's face swam into view, his brown eyes concerned.
She hated him sometimes. Hated the way he always had a smart remark for everything, the way he could always make her laugh. The way he was always concerned about her.
She didn't need his concern.
She didn't need his care.
She didn't need his pity.
She was crying again, her fingers digging into his back as he held her while she sobbed.
"It's okay, Carter. It's okay."
"It's not okay, Sir," she cried, her whole body shaking and straining against the sobs. "What am I going to do now?"
He was silent, but Sam understood his silence.
He couldn't answer her question for her because he didn't know. No one knew.
She shuddered again, the storm over, but content to let him hold her and stroke her hair.
"Janet?"
"She left," he whispered, not moving.
What was going to happen to them? Were they going to be stuck with one another for the rest of their lives?
Sam swallowed.
Stuck with Colonel O'Neill. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but. but what about a family? Marriage? They were all things she'd wanted eventually.
She wouldn't get them anyway.
Not now.
Not when she was a cripple.
She sighed, relaxing against him.
He was all she had now, and she was pretty sure that she was all he had.
~o0o~
Silently Hammond signed the last form.
He sat back in his chair, his eyes resting on the four separate sheets of papers. One resignation, two honourable discharges and one authorising an off-world activation for personal reasons.
This was it. It was all over.
SG-1.
It was wrong, Hammond decided, carefully slipping the resignation into its appropriate folder, that it should come to this. That four people so close, a team so tight-knit should be disbanded because of a single accident of fate.
And that it happened to Sam Carter of all people.
He carefully wrote out an address on a crisp white envelope.
Over. It was all over now. He was sending them their final, formal letters of gratitudes, platitudes and dismissal. Two brilliant careers, two brilliant soldiers.
Over.
The Stargate was fickle, Hammond mused, glancing out of his window towards where the object of his thoughts stood, proud and unforgiving.
It could bring victory and power, friendships, partnerships, healing even.
And it also brought destruction, changing it's personality as easily and quickly as the weather.
Teal'c had already left, the solemn ceremony much the same as the first time he retired when SG-1 was presumed dead.
This time there were no doubts.
SG-1 as they had known it was over.
Dr. Jackson had already left. From what Hammond had heard he'd made his way straight to Egypt where he fell in with an old friend's dig. Only three weeks ago he'd left.
And the two military - retired - members were living together now.
A flicker of unease crossed Hammond's thoughts. He was worried about them. Worried that NID or some organization might get a whiff of the real reason behind O'Neill's retirement/discharge. That they might find out about the apparent link between Carter and O'Neill, tying them together so that their futures were now inextricably intertwined.
Hammond sighed, carefully placing the postage stamp in the right hand corner.
They'd have to be careful.
Both of them.
Silently he gathered the two stamped and addressed envelopes and put them with the 'to post' bundle neatly on the corner of his desk. His aide would be in soon, and then those letters would finally make official what had been looming for several weeks now.
He was losing a damn fine team.
The only thing good about it was that he hadn't lost them to death.
~o0o~
That's it. for this Chapter! Sorry about the confusion last time! Really!! But if you send me more feedback then I might be tempted to finished this fic soon!
AUTHOR: Sharim
EMAIL: MissSharim@yahoo.com.au
CATEGORY: Action, Angst, Drama, Adventure.
PAIRING: Sam/Jack, Other
SPOILERS: Minor for: Children of the Gods, In the Line of Duty, The Nox, Tok'ra I & II, Cold Lazarus, Pretense, Serpent Song, Forever in a Day,
SEASON / SEQUEL: Post Fair Game,
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence.
SUMMARY: Sometimes, the price of freedom is siding with the enemy.
STATUS: Working on it!
ARCHIVE: Sam and Jack, Heliopolis, My site (when I stop slacking off).
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
A/N: Jez. You are my LIFESAVER. I'm in for a heavy week of stargate watching (poor me) and supposed study!
And there are still more chapters to come. sorry about the 'that's it' confusion last time!
Ps if anyone has forgotten what's happened or wants to read it from scratch, then www.fanfiction.net under 'sharim' would be the place to find it, seeing as my website no longer exists ~withering glares at topcities~
Chapter Twenty
She was too thin, Jack decided, watching as she stubbornly wheeled herself along the corridors.
"You should eat more, Carter."
She shot him a look, a cross between annoyance and exasperation before she turned back to her task.
It was hard work, wheeling herself around in a wheel chair, but Jack knew that despite the sheen of sweat on her forehead, the laboured sound of her breathing and the way the muscles tightened painfully in her arms that she would hate him if he offered her a hand. Sam Carter was strong, much too strong to allow being a quadriplegic stand in her way.
"Can I borrow your chair sometime?" he asked hopefully.
She glanced at him again, but didn't waste her energy or concentration on replying.
"I played wheelchair basketball once and I was wondering-"
"Why did you play that?" she asked curiously, her eyes focused firmly on their goal: the elevator.
"One of my team landed himself in a chair. The whole team used to go play with him on weekends."
"Oh."
They dropped into silence again as she strained to keep the chair moving.
"Carter."
"Sir?"
"I've been talking to Janet, and-"
She sighed angrily, pushing the chair forwards with a burst of annoyance.
"Just listen for a minute, Carter!" he pleaded.
She glared at him, refusing to stop.
"You can't go back to your place. Not in a wheelchair."
"Why not?" she demanded stubbornly, a bitter smile of satisfaction on her face as she reached the elevators. Determinedly she stabbed the 'down' arrow.
"Where are you going?"
"The labs," she stated, daring him to argue.
"Carter-"
He tried to argue, but she glared at him and spun the chair expertly.
She was good at getting people to shut up and agree with her when the chair was brought into the conversation.
The elevator pinged. The door slipped open.
The Airmen stopped talking and watched her uncomfortably.
Carter's face flushed and her jaw tightened stubbornly. Inwardly, Jack flinched. This was not good, this was really not good.
"The labs," she muttered, not even trying to reach up and push the button that Jack knew would be out of her reach.
Silently, he pushed it for her.
The elevator went down. It pinged. They got out.
"Carter, you are never going to fit that chair in between all the stuff in the labs," he tried again, half jogging to keep up with her firm forward motion.
Her silence effectively ended the conversation.
He was worried about Carter. Heck, they were all worried about Carter.
But she refused to acknowledge that something was wrong. That she had to adjust. That she couldn't do everything she used to be able to do.
That she was no longer on SG-1 - the same as Jack - and that soon they would both be 'honourably discharged'.
He snorted at the thought. Honourably discharged. There was nothing honourable about being discharged. Not ever.
The sides of the chair caught on one of the narrow doorframes and her whole body jerked out of the chair. She hadn't done up her straps. Again.
Her jaw was clenched tightly and her face flushed an angry red as she pulled herself roughly into the chair, her useless legs flopping about as she tried to rearrange herself into the chair. But the chair wasn't listening, and the more she kept trying to get into it, the more the chair rolled backwards.
Silently he put his feet behind the wheels, and she pulled herself in stiffly.
Her eyes were hard as she spun around and began the return journey towards the elevator.
She'd never forgive him for helping her. Never.
~o0o~
"Are you sure you're doing the right thing, Daniel?"
Daniel didn't look up. "Of course I am."
"Just because the Colonel and Major-"
"Janet, this isn't about them. This is about me. I joined the program simply to get Sha're back. She's dead. I have no reason to stay here now." Daniel knew his words were harsh, but they were true.
What was also true was the fact that the entire SGC reminded him ofSG-1 before. before he shot Sam.
Before she was forced into a wheelchair.
Before he ruined both Sam and Jack's careers.
"They would have had to resign anyway, Daniel. They can't stay in the military given their current link."
He swallowed, carefully placing a small statue into a cardboard box. "So there's even less reason for me to stay."
"What about Teal'c?" Janet prodded, and he heard her walking closer to him.
"If Jack isn't coming back you know Teal'c won't stay. He believes in Jack, and he only believes in Earth because Jack is here. There's no reason for me to stay, Janet."
"What about the other planets? The knowledge you can get about our history from them-"
Daniel cut her off with a shake of his head. "I could never publish any of my findings, Janet. I might as well go back to Egypt and start digging around for clues that I know are there, that I know exist and use them to back up my theory."
Janet shifted uncomfortably and he looked at her. "What?"
"You can't," she said softly, picking up a small stone tablet and running her fingers over its dusty surface. "You can't do anything that might indicate the existence of the Stargate. You know that. What if you suddenly proved that the Goa'uld did cause the cross-pollinisation. Then what? The whole of Earth is thrown into chaos and panic because aliens DO exist and they're not just the results of someone having a bit too much to drink."
She was right, he realised ruefully, taking the tablet out of her hands and placing it carefully in the box before covering it with newspaper.
"Do you think it's right, not telling anyone?"
"Have you ever watched Men In Black?" Janet countered lightly.
He glanced at her, confused by the question but nodding his head anyway. He'd watched it one downtime with SG-1, introducing Teal'c to the way the Tau'ri viewed aliens.
He'd thought it was funny.
"You know that bit where Will Smith says everyone should know about the aliens?"
Daniel nodded.
"Tommy Lee Jones has a point when he says that everyone is better off not knowing they exist. Not knowing how many times Earth has come close to being wiped out."
The lab fell silent, and Daniel mutely packed another artefact into his box before closing the lid and taping it shut.
"What's your point, Janet?"
She sighed. "You're making the wrong decision, Daniel. We need you here at the SGC and-"
"The SGC needed Sam more."
"And Sam can still work at the SGC in the same capacity as you. There is no reason why not, other than the fact that her wheelchair can't fit into the labs."
"She won't come back, you know."
Janet was silent.
"And Jack has nothing now."
"Daniel, resigning because of some self righteous martyring idea you've gotten into your head-"
"I've told you Janet, I'm going. You are not going to change my mind and that's it. I've already given my resignation to General Hammond. My office is basically empty. Why won't you accept that I'm leaving?"
He glanced at her, and there were tears of frustration in her eyes.
"Damn you, Daniel. Don't you understand? You and SG-1 were. ARE the legends of this place. SG-1.. You're just throwing it away."
"I'm not. It's gone."
"Daniel, you and Sam made this place work. The Colonel kept this place alive. And Teal'c is proof that everyone can be united, that everyone can get together and work towards a common goal. You can't just leave that."
"I can and I will." He swallowed, lifting the box up and placing it on a loading trolley. "I'm sorry, Janet, but SG-1 is over. Next week you'll get your new officers, a new team will be formed and everyone will move on as though we were never here. Life goes on, so live with it."
His words were harsh and bitter, the cynicism knifing him to the core. But he resolutely grabbed the handles and slowly pushed the loaded trolley past Janet, out the door and up the corridor.
His time here was over.
Live with it.
~o0o~
Sprawled on a blanket on the grass and staring up into the blue sky with the snow white clouds, Sam could almost delude herself into thinking it was all okay.
Almost.
"Need anything, Carter?"
"No, Sir."
Almost.
She missed being alone. She missed her house. She missed being able to do things without needing help.
She missed her legs.
The Colonel's face appeared in her vision, casting a shadow over her and blotting out her view of the sky.
"With respect, Sir, move."
He obliged, dropping down onto the grass next to her and holding a beer in front of her face.
"I thought Janet said no beer," she said idly, taking the beverage from him and pulling herself upright.
He grinned at her. "Janet's not here, is she?"
"On the contrary, Colonel, Janet is right behind you."
Sam's face fell.
Great. Another visit from 'The Mother Hen From Hell.'
"Hi Janet," she commented, deliberately drinking a deep mouthful and glaring at the doctor to gauge her reaction.
Janet sighed. "I'm not going to yell at you Sam, it's your choice."
Sam smiled. Good.
"Daniel's resigned."
For a moment Sam felt a pang of disappointment and indignation. Daniel couldn't resign. What was he thinking?
And then she remembered that she and Daniel weren't exactly friends anymore. It wasn't her fault; she had nothing against Daniel. It was an accident, a shitty accident be that as it may, but an accident.
But Daniel was the one who couldn't and wouldn't deal with it.
Daniel was the one who had never came and visited her while she was flat on her back for three weeks.
Daniel was the one who had skulked about the base when she'd finally gotten a wheelchair, hiding from her.
Daniel was the one who had avoided her.
And that hurt. It hurt Sam that he didn't think they're friendship was strong enough to move on with things like that. So it was up to Daniel to come and talk to her. Until he was ready to get over it and accept the fact that she didn't blame him, Sam figured there was no point in trying to talk to him.
She realised, almost ironically, that she was doing the same as Daniel to an extent. She was refusing to move on, refusing to accept that she would never walk again.
Never walk again.
The words stung and a deep anger burnt inside her.
It wasn't fair.
"Carter?" The Colonel was looking at her, waiting for an answer.
"Sorry, Sir. I guess I was thinking."
"Now there's something unusual," he grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. Would he never get over that?
"I've got you booked in to a specialist on Wednesday, Sam, Dr. Portes. I've sent over your X-rays, and he wants to have a talk to you."
"Can he help?" The words were out before she could stop them, hope igniting into a fireball as she stared intently at Janet.
Janet shook her head. "No, Sam. He's worried about the bullet moving. If it moved too much and damaged more of your spine there is a chance you could lose more than just the use of your legs."
The world went silent around her and she stared dumbly at Janet.
Lose more than just her legs?
"Carter?" The Colonel's face swam into view, his brown eyes concerned.
She hated him sometimes. Hated the way he always had a smart remark for everything, the way he could always make her laugh. The way he was always concerned about her.
She didn't need his concern.
She didn't need his care.
She didn't need his pity.
She was crying again, her fingers digging into his back as he held her while she sobbed.
"It's okay, Carter. It's okay."
"It's not okay, Sir," she cried, her whole body shaking and straining against the sobs. "What am I going to do now?"
He was silent, but Sam understood his silence.
He couldn't answer her question for her because he didn't know. No one knew.
She shuddered again, the storm over, but content to let him hold her and stroke her hair.
"Janet?"
"She left," he whispered, not moving.
What was going to happen to them? Were they going to be stuck with one another for the rest of their lives?
Sam swallowed.
Stuck with Colonel O'Neill. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but. but what about a family? Marriage? They were all things she'd wanted eventually.
She wouldn't get them anyway.
Not now.
Not when she was a cripple.
She sighed, relaxing against him.
He was all she had now, and she was pretty sure that she was all he had.
~o0o~
Silently Hammond signed the last form.
He sat back in his chair, his eyes resting on the four separate sheets of papers. One resignation, two honourable discharges and one authorising an off-world activation for personal reasons.
This was it. It was all over.
SG-1.
It was wrong, Hammond decided, carefully slipping the resignation into its appropriate folder, that it should come to this. That four people so close, a team so tight-knit should be disbanded because of a single accident of fate.
And that it happened to Sam Carter of all people.
He carefully wrote out an address on a crisp white envelope.
Over. It was all over now. He was sending them their final, formal letters of gratitudes, platitudes and dismissal. Two brilliant careers, two brilliant soldiers.
Over.
The Stargate was fickle, Hammond mused, glancing out of his window towards where the object of his thoughts stood, proud and unforgiving.
It could bring victory and power, friendships, partnerships, healing even.
And it also brought destruction, changing it's personality as easily and quickly as the weather.
Teal'c had already left, the solemn ceremony much the same as the first time he retired when SG-1 was presumed dead.
This time there were no doubts.
SG-1 as they had known it was over.
Dr. Jackson had already left. From what Hammond had heard he'd made his way straight to Egypt where he fell in with an old friend's dig. Only three weeks ago he'd left.
And the two military - retired - members were living together now.
A flicker of unease crossed Hammond's thoughts. He was worried about them. Worried that NID or some organization might get a whiff of the real reason behind O'Neill's retirement/discharge. That they might find out about the apparent link between Carter and O'Neill, tying them together so that their futures were now inextricably intertwined.
Hammond sighed, carefully placing the postage stamp in the right hand corner.
They'd have to be careful.
Both of them.
Silently he gathered the two stamped and addressed envelopes and put them with the 'to post' bundle neatly on the corner of his desk. His aide would be in soon, and then those letters would finally make official what had been looming for several weeks now.
He was losing a damn fine team.
The only thing good about it was that he hadn't lost them to death.
~o0o~
That's it. for this Chapter! Sorry about the confusion last time! Really!! But if you send me more feedback then I might be tempted to finished this fic soon!