AN: Well, it's been a fun, if very quick ride. This took me 24 hours to
write from the first time I read SG's idea to the time it was ended and
that's taking out 12 hours to sleep and 2 to watch Alias. Thanks to SG for
the lightning beta for the lightning story (and for HT&CC!), and everybody
at Kree! for answering my questions.
On with the show!
* * * * * *
Sam finished the machine just after the sun set on the second day. When the third dawned clear and bright, she woke up with the birds to teach Kawalsky how to operate it before Thor came to take them home. She could not help but feel that she was leaving them high and dry, but there was no way to test the machine, and Jack stood in agreement with Thor: they had done all they could here, and getting home was absolutely vital.
So it was that Sam, Jacob and Jack stood in the centre of a large glade, waiting to be taken into the sky.
"Thank you for coming." Abby said simply.
"It was a pleasure," replied Jacob, a hint of a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry for what I said, Sam." Abby said.
"That's Okay, Abby. I understand why you said it."
"Tell Mark--" Abby paused. "You can't tell him anything, can you?"
Sam shook her head.
"Maybe I'll come visit."
Jack didn't have the heart to tell her that the mirror would be destroyed as soon as they passed through it.
"Is there ever any warning of when this is going to happen?" Abby questioned, staring futilely up at the sky.
"Oh no." Jack replied grandiosely. "Thor likes to make an entrance. Never lets you know he's coming. Likes to interrupt fishing trips in partic--"
And a golden light swept through the glade, leaving Abby Carter standing alone. She smiled and looked up one last time and then walked back to her home and the grave of her daughter.
* * * * * *
"-ular."
"Welcome, O'Neill. Were you successful?"
"Why yes, I suppose you could say we were."
* * * * * *
Samantha Carter stood on a planet whose designation she did not know, and sighed in relief.
"What?" asked her father.
"It's good to be back." She smiled.
Jacob stepped up to the gate and began to dial Earth as Jack finished laying the last of the charges around the base of the Quantum Mirror. He looked up at Sam, and then handed her the detonator. As the wormhole surged into existence, Sam pressed the button, and destroyed another of the portals to the worlds beyond the worlds beyond her own.
"Let's go home," Jacob said. Carter input her GDO and they waited a few seconds, then Jacob stepped through.
"Colonel?"
"Yes Carter?"
"Someday?"
"Someday."
* * * * * *
Sam stepped on to the ramp and looked around the gate room. This was home, and it was worth it. She knew as soon as she saw it, and she was unable to stop herself from smiling. She felt Jack arrive behind her and heard the wormhole close off.
"Welcome home Colonel, Major, Jacob." Hammond greeted, nodding to each in turn.
"It's good to be back, sir," Sam answered, and meant every word of it.
"Were you successful?" Teal'c asked.
"Yes," Sam replied, although, technically that question should have been fielded by Jack. "I managed to learn how Dr. Carter thought, and make sense of her files and her invention. I've brought the plans with me, sir, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to duplicate what she did."
"Anything you can try is appreciated, as always, Major." Hammond told her, allowing himself the barest of smiles. "In the meantime, we'll debrief in an hour. Please report to the infirmary for a checkup before then."
Jack sighed loudly, and Sam was unable to keep herself from laughing, just a little bit. Daniel shot her a questioning look, which she faced down unflinchingly. She followed her father and CO out through the blast doors.
Somewhere between the gate room and the infirmary, Samantha Carter had a revelation. The choices she made in this reality did not mean that what happened in the others would never come to pass here. The non-military Sams had all got what they wanted, but it hadn't lasted. Yes, they had been happy, but she was happy too. And her actions, her joining the Air Force, her being a member of SG-1, ensured that someday, someday would come.
Janet, she thought, do your worst.
* * * * * *
~finis~
AN: Well, I hope everyone else had as much fun with this as I did. It's been a blast! R&R SVP!
gravity_not_included, April 18 and 19, 2004.
On with the show!
* * * * * *
Sam finished the machine just after the sun set on the second day. When the third dawned clear and bright, she woke up with the birds to teach Kawalsky how to operate it before Thor came to take them home. She could not help but feel that she was leaving them high and dry, but there was no way to test the machine, and Jack stood in agreement with Thor: they had done all they could here, and getting home was absolutely vital.
So it was that Sam, Jacob and Jack stood in the centre of a large glade, waiting to be taken into the sky.
"Thank you for coming." Abby said simply.
"It was a pleasure," replied Jacob, a hint of a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry for what I said, Sam." Abby said.
"That's Okay, Abby. I understand why you said it."
"Tell Mark--" Abby paused. "You can't tell him anything, can you?"
Sam shook her head.
"Maybe I'll come visit."
Jack didn't have the heart to tell her that the mirror would be destroyed as soon as they passed through it.
"Is there ever any warning of when this is going to happen?" Abby questioned, staring futilely up at the sky.
"Oh no." Jack replied grandiosely. "Thor likes to make an entrance. Never lets you know he's coming. Likes to interrupt fishing trips in partic--"
And a golden light swept through the glade, leaving Abby Carter standing alone. She smiled and looked up one last time and then walked back to her home and the grave of her daughter.
* * * * * *
"-ular."
"Welcome, O'Neill. Were you successful?"
"Why yes, I suppose you could say we were."
* * * * * *
Samantha Carter stood on a planet whose designation she did not know, and sighed in relief.
"What?" asked her father.
"It's good to be back." She smiled.
Jacob stepped up to the gate and began to dial Earth as Jack finished laying the last of the charges around the base of the Quantum Mirror. He looked up at Sam, and then handed her the detonator. As the wormhole surged into existence, Sam pressed the button, and destroyed another of the portals to the worlds beyond the worlds beyond her own.
"Let's go home," Jacob said. Carter input her GDO and they waited a few seconds, then Jacob stepped through.
"Colonel?"
"Yes Carter?"
"Someday?"
"Someday."
* * * * * *
Sam stepped on to the ramp and looked around the gate room. This was home, and it was worth it. She knew as soon as she saw it, and she was unable to stop herself from smiling. She felt Jack arrive behind her and heard the wormhole close off.
"Welcome home Colonel, Major, Jacob." Hammond greeted, nodding to each in turn.
"It's good to be back, sir," Sam answered, and meant every word of it.
"Were you successful?" Teal'c asked.
"Yes," Sam replied, although, technically that question should have been fielded by Jack. "I managed to learn how Dr. Carter thought, and make sense of her files and her invention. I've brought the plans with me, sir, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to duplicate what she did."
"Anything you can try is appreciated, as always, Major." Hammond told her, allowing himself the barest of smiles. "In the meantime, we'll debrief in an hour. Please report to the infirmary for a checkup before then."
Jack sighed loudly, and Sam was unable to keep herself from laughing, just a little bit. Daniel shot her a questioning look, which she faced down unflinchingly. She followed her father and CO out through the blast doors.
Somewhere between the gate room and the infirmary, Samantha Carter had a revelation. The choices she made in this reality did not mean that what happened in the others would never come to pass here. The non-military Sams had all got what they wanted, but it hadn't lasted. Yes, they had been happy, but she was happy too. And her actions, her joining the Air Force, her being a member of SG-1, ensured that someday, someday would come.
Janet, she thought, do your worst.
* * * * * *
~finis~
AN: Well, I hope everyone else had as much fun with this as I did. It's been a blast! R&R SVP!
gravity_not_included, April 18 and 19, 2004.