As soon as her brother left the next day she called Jack. It was something she had started to do a week after his startling revelation that he was retiring. At first Jack had mostly listened while she chatted away about Cassie's latest news from college or the bike trip she was planning for the weekend. It took a few phone calls for him to figure out that Sam had come up with a way for them to become best friends again. To keep up with what Sam and Jack were up to instead of just what the General and Lt. Colonel were doing. It had been something that had been lacking since their promotions and new assignments and he was happy to have a way to reconnect. If they were to have any chance of a relationship together when he 'retired' this was a necessary first step. It was made all the more special because Sam had admitted one day in her lab that it sort of felt like they were dating.

He wasn't really going to be retiring, and that was the first topic he managed to talk about during their calls. Oh it would be official as far as the USAF was concerned, but the President had elicited a promise that Jack would stay on as a consultant. He'd be doing some training and special projects, mostly related to the alpha and beta sites, and he'd be available if Thor wanted to 'chat'. Other than that, he and Sam stayed clear of work related topics. Both were conscious of the fact that there were a lot of their enemies out there that would love to discredit them and wouldn't be above tapping phones, so there was never any mention of feelings for each other.

Instead Jack gradually had found himself loosening up and telling her of plans he had to upgrade his cabin in Minnesota. This led to his recounting some stories of spending summers there as a kid, to which she reciprocated with stories of wild Carter family outings back when her mother was alive. Today Sam told him all about the funeral and Mark's visit. She allowed herself a few tears, safe in the knowledge that Jack would understand.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. He was a good guy," Jack sympathized.

"Yeah, he was. He didn't deserve to die," Sam replied. Suddenly her mind was filled with images of several other good men who had died doing the right thing. "None of them did. So are the Black Widow rumors flying again?"

He hadn't realized she was aware of those. "Oh yeah. I think you've officially been labeled a lethal weapon," he teased. He only realized that his attempt at humor had fallen flat when he heard a sniffle at the other end of the phone. Crap. "Carter, no one who knows you thinks it's true."

"Yes, Sir," she whispered hoarsely.

Double Crap. "I'm coming over."



She'd pulled herself together by the time he arrived. Somehow tears on the phone were a lot more acceptable then crying in his arms over other men. Still, she was relieved to have him there. Sensing her need to take her mind off of things, he suggested they pack a lunch and head for Garden of the Gods. The smile she gave him assured him he had made a good choice. Before she knew it she was laughing over the story of the first time Jack had taken Teal'c out to see the Garden. The Jaffa had been relieved to find that no false gods resided there. By the time they had eaten and walked off their meal Sam was feeling much better.

"I'm sorry I flipped out on you," she apologized.

"Sam you just lost someone you loved. You are allowed to 'flip out'," he told her, only to see her frown as if she was working on a complex problem. "What?"

"I wasn't in love with him you know," she confessed.

"No I didn't know, but I hoped," he admitted. "Still, he was someone you cared for. And he died. It's ok to grieve."

She stopped on the trail and turned to him. "You are a good man too, Jack O'Neill. Don't you ever die on me," she pleaded.

Suddenly her very un-Carter-like breakdown was making more sense. "Is that what you're worried about? Sam I'm not the one going through the gate to fight the Goa'uld anymore, you are. I should be begging you to stay safe," he argued.

She let that sink in. He was right, she was more at risk than he was. "There are no guarantees," she acknowledged.

"That's not true," he replied. He paused for only a second. He'd almost lost her due to his inability to handle talking to her in the past. This time he was determined there would be no doubts. Sneaking a glance at her he continued. "As long as I'm breathing I will be here for you and I will always care for you more than I'm supposed to."

He saw a small smile flit across her features. "A sure thing?" she asked.

"You can count on it," he assured her.

When the Jack of her imagination had told her that, she had seen it as something that was holding her back from finding love. Now she knew it for what it really was, something to be treasured and nurtured.

"Well then, that makes me just about the luckiest women in the universe," she said and her smile grew.

Jack's heart nearly jumped out of his chest at her words. Still, he wanted her to be sure. "Well I wouldn't go that far. It's not like I'm that much of a bargain," he commented. "You deserve a lot better."

Sam was once again struck by how much this conversation reminded her of her hallucination. The only difference was this time she wasn't hampered by a head injury, so she was thinking a lot more clearly.

"I deserve to be happy," she stated firmly. Then she looked up at him and she was bowled over by the love she saw in his eyes. It gave her the courage to respond to his honesty with her own. "And for the record, I will always want you right here by my side, because I'm always going to feel only half alive without you there."

He gathered her in for a quick hug, before letting her go with a sigh. "It's going to be a long five months."



A month later his words were proving true. With Cassie off at college and Pete gone, she had no real reason to go home anymore, and she fell into old habits of living in her lab. As the weather got colder and even bike trips became rare, only helping Teal'c set up his new apartment lured her away. After seven and a half years the man was finally moving out of the mountain. Sam took it as a sign that she was closer to winning her bet with Jack. After Molock was defeated Ishta had begun visiting Earth more often. It hadn't been long after that that Teal'c had lobbied to be allowed to live off-base. Since neither Jaffa carried primtas anymore, the request had been granted. Now SG1 were enjoying seeing Teal'c spread his wings and helping him to show Ishta a bit of Earth.

Jack pointed out one night when he was trying to kick her out of her lab that Daniel was seeing more of Sarah now too. Not that Sam had needed it pointed out. The other reason that she spent so much time in her lab now was that even on team night's she was beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. The only thing that kept her spirits up were the phone calls. At the sound of Jack's voice on the other end of the line the tension would ease and she would find herself smiling, sometimes for the first time in days.

When the announcement came it really wasn't much of a surprise. Teal'c and Ishta were to be wed in a traditional Jaffa ceremony to be held at the new base that the rebel Jaffa had established the year before. Jack handed over Sam's winnings with a sigh.

"I really thought Daniel would go first. Ishta isn't even going to live on Earth full time," he complained.

"They are both very independent people with a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. That doesn't mean that they can't be committed to one another," she pointed out.

It wasn't until a couple of days later that Jack realized Sam might not have been referring to just Teal'c and Ishta.