Title: Remember Me
Written By: iluvaqt (28 June 2004)
Disclaimer: as per default chapter.
Author's Note: I would have posted these next two chapters yesterday, but ff.net was having problems. It's always nice to get feedback. Shows someone is reading this. Many thanks, Gillian.

Chapter 2

The Gym, S.G.C.

Teal'c circled as O'Neill bounced from foot to foot. Both eyed each other's every move.

"I hope that we can do this again soon, O'Neill. I have missed our sparring games."

Jack smiled. "Me too, Teal'c." And he was thinking more than their rounds on the gym mat. He missed trading jokes and introducing Teal'c to new recreational activities.

Jack made a jab for Teal'c's jaw and Teal'c swayed out of his reach. He countered Jack's move with a swift right hook and when Jack staggered back a little, he lightly punched him in the shoulder, sending him to the floor.

With a small grin, Teal'c looked down at his friend. Offering Jack a hand, Teal'c asked, "Another round?"

"Maybe later." Struggling to his knees, Jack took Teal'c's glove and got to his feet. "I could use a break," he admitted, slightly breathless. "Want to go for lunch?"

"I will meet you there."

After picking up his towel, Jack headed for the showers, whistling as he went. As he walked down the corridor, Sam passed by.

She was walking briskly and seemed engrossed in her files. He was about to call out to her and say hello, but changed his mind. As he took a second glance, she had changed. Her hair was long to her shoulders and neatly plaited into a French braid. And she was wearing a black knee length skirt and crème knit sweater, the apparition lasted a split-second. Jack blinked and looked again; Carter reached another corridor and turned. When she disappeared around the corner, she looked the same as she always had. Jack shook his head. Weird.


Mess Hall

When Jack entered the mess hall, he found Teal'c wolfing down a giant bowl of jell-o.

"I see it's raspberry indulgence today."

Teal'c stared at his bowl, and then back up at Jack. "The bowl I acquired was served this way."

Jack looked over to the serving area, and noticed that beside the averaged size crockery, there were new generous-sized dishes. "Ah huh," he mused, taking a seat opposite his friend.

"Earlier, you wished to speak to me regarding something of great importance," Teal'c offered.

"I did?" Jack asked puzzled. Things seemed out of order today. He'd just seen Carter morph. This morning he'd woken up on the floor, with blue pen all over his hands, and no idea of how he'd gotten there. And now, apparently, he'd wanted to speak to Teal'c about something, and he didn't have a clue what about.

"Ah, was it about a trip to D.C.?"

"You did not wish to speak about it before, because there were many people around. I think were are sufficiently alone, at present."

A quick scan of the room told him, Teal'c was right. With the exception of the kitchen staff, there were the only ones in the mess hall. Jack shook his head. He could have sworn there were others around when he came in. It was lunch. How could the place be empty?

"You'll have to jog my memory. Nothing really comes to mi…" Jack stopped short. There was something he needed to say to Teal'c. He remembered what he wanted to say, it came back in that instant, clear as day. The only problem was, how he could talk to Teal'c about it without sounding like a complete head case.

"I don't know that I can be of much help, O'Neill. You sought me out after SG-1's briefing earlier and asked to speak with me in private. We have not had the opportunity to speak until now."

Hadn't he just been with Teal'c in the gym? Why hadn't they talked then? Shaking his head, he decided to just spill what was on his mind. "Ah…I think I remember. It was nothing big really. Just needed your thoughts on something."

"What is it?"

Jack pushed his plate said, and took the bottle of water in his hand. Taking a sip, he set it down and looked at Teal'c. Spit it out, Jack. Given what you've been through together in the past, there's nothing you can say that would surprise him.

"I keep thinking that I've missed something. That maybe I've done all I'm supposed to do here and I'm needed somewhere else." That's not what you really mean and you know it, his conscience argued. Stop sounding so selfless and admit to being the selfish sod you are. "What I meant to say is, maybe I don't want this anymore."

"You are dissatisfied with your role in the S.G.C.?" Teal'c offered with a frown.

Jack noticed that Teal'c had stopped eating. His friend hadn't run screaming, "He's a traitor," or spitting things like what an ungrateful bastard he was. He was sitting calmly, as usual quietly regarding him and the situation at hand. Jack wished he could read his thoughts.

"I wouldn't go so far as dissatisfied. Maybe, disillusioned." Since when do you go around using big words like disillusioned? It's just a smart, coy way of saying, fed up or sick to the gut or couldn't careless. "Career wise, it couldn't get better than this, but I just think about what I used to have… a family…If I'd never joined the military, I wouldn't have lost my son, my best friend…"

"Perhaps the world would have been lost long ago, if you had never have chosen this path, O'Neill." Teal'c gave him a thoughtful look and picked up his spoon again. "And then…perhaps not." After a mouthful of jell-o, Teal'c smirked. "Although, it would have been most unfortunate if we had never met."

Jack gave into an easy smile. "Crossing over from the dark side. That, I couldn't have missed."

Leaving the mess hall, Teal'c and Jack parted ways. Teal'c had a mission to prepare for. SG-1 was headed to P3X-575. They were to re-establish contact with the ancient Egyptian scholars there. The last visit had been cut short when Carter had inadvertently disrupted one of their experiments. Dents in relations on both side meant their mission hit a sore spot and they'd made the decision to pull out and come back when things had time to smooth over.

Daniel assured him during their briefing that things were great. Apparently, the people of Serapis had offered an exchange of their science for photographs of the glyphs and carvings from Saqqara, The City of the Dead. Daniel didn't see any harm in their request, so Jack wasn't giving it any more thought. History wasn't his forte, and he wasn't interested in going about stepping on toes. If Daniel said it was fine, then fine was good enough for him. Just so long as Daniel kept a close eye on Carter. Something told him, that the whole erotic-Carter-scenario wasn't entirely an accident.

Just thinking about that mission brought a grin to his face. If something kinky happened again and he missed out, he'd kick something. He missed those days. Even though, he'd spent a lot of the time, trying and failing to comprehend a topic Carter was animatedly excited about, or attempting to urge Daniel to hurry after he'd found some invaluable alien artifact, he wouldn't have traded his experiences with them for anything.

Jack was on his way to his office, when he noticed a door that was slightly a jar. The door read, 'Storage Room, PJ3-452,' but when he looked inside it, it didn't resemble any of the storage rooms he'd seen on the base. It was dark, so dark all he could make out were shadows of various sizes and a cool rush of air coming from deep inside the room. Stepping inside, he reached along the wall for the light switch.

Stepping further into the room, still groping for a switch, he found there was none. The door clicked shut behind him and he was sealed in complete darkness. His eyes adjusted and he noticed that there was a pale blue glow coming from the far side of the room. He followed the light and found himself standing in front of a grand mirror. He stared at the reflection. It looked like an ordinary mirror. He could see himself, and every movement he made, it mimicked. A face appeared behind him. It was Kawalsky.

Jack whirled around to find nobody behind him. He stood completely still, listening. It was deadly quiet. Hoping to hear footsteps, or movement of any kind, he waited. Looking around, he couldn't see much of anything. But there wasn't a sound. It was strange. He should at least be hearing the almost in audible hum of the air from the vents, or noise from the corridor outside, but there was nothing. All he was his breathing and the thud of his heart in his chest. Maybe he was just hallucinating, but he could have sworn he saw Kawalsky's reflection in the mirror.

Something in his gut told him, that this mirror wasn't a normal mirror. What if it was like the Quantum Mirror? Without alien device Carter had, there was no telling what would happen if he tried testing it. Or where he'd end up for that matter.

A light mist begun to curl about his feet, and soon it bathed the area around him. Jack watched the mirror's surface transform. It was like looking into a lake while the breeze gently rippled your refection. Much like the event horizon of the Stargate, but a lot darker.

Despite the apprehension he felt, something drew him to touch it. Before he knew it, he felt like he'd been sucked into the dark pool. The feeling lasted for less than a split second. Momentarily stunned, he patted himself down. Still in one piece, that's a relief. Looking around, he realized he hadn't moved at all. The room didn't look any different.

He visibly relaxed until he took a look at the mirror. It wasn't a mirror anymore. It was just a hollow frame. Oh boy. For cryin' out loud. This has gotta be someone's idea of a twisted joke.

"Carter," he yelled out loud.

There was a noise behind him. Suddenly a door swung open, and he was blinded with light.

"Jack?"

Okay, now he was hallucinating. Holding his hand up to shield his eyes, he watched as his old friend come closer. "Kawalsky, might as well pinch me now. Happy as I am to see you, we both know you're not really here."

Kawalsky gave Jack a rueful smile. "Funny, that. I was about to say the same thing about you."