This is the end of the line for this fic, thank you to all who have read and especially to those who've reviewed! Now that I know how nice it is to read reviews I'll be doing a lot more of it myself.

Disclaimer: as per usual, the concept of Stargate and its characters are still not mine and there is no chance of me making a profit from this mindless rambling from my overactive imagination :)

Sam strolled down the steps at an easy pace, trying to remember when she'd last been inside a high school. The thought made her feel old, almost as old as she'd felt when referring to 'Top Gun' as a classic Air Force movie just a few minutes ago, and seeing their blank faces. She wasn't that past it, was she? The school bell certainly sounded the same, as did the mad rush of kids changing classes – though as one shoved his way past her she was sure her classmates hadn't been so rude.

"Thanks Major."

Sam turned to see that the student who had invited her to take part at the top of the stairs, Jonathon O'Neill. The inflections and tone of voice remained with him, despite the more youthful pitch, but while she recognised the voice she still had trouble reconciling the younger face with that of her Colonel.

"No problem, Sir," she returned. "Any time."

Jon knew that her smile, though brilliant as ever, was not quite the mega-watt smile that Samantha Carter was known for. He'd caught a trace of insecurity in her voice when a female student had asked her about sex discrimination in the armed forces earlier, something he'd rarely detected before, so maybe that was the problem. In the SGC there wasn't a single Airman who didn't know about Major Carter's brilliance both in combat and as a scientist, but he was willing to bet that this hadn't always been the case.

"I mean it Carter, thanks," and he did. "I see these kids every day and none of them has a clue what to do with themselves. I have to watch myself in case I start doing an impression of my dad, lecturing them about the ways of the big, bad world – though I'm just as lazy with my homework as I ever was, and the teachers can't seem to get their heads around my sarcasm."

Sam had to laugh. Jack O'Neill, world-weary Colonel of innumerable black-ops missions and off-world assignments, saviour of Earth several times over, was now relegated to a locker full of schoolbooks. "Well, my dad never did the lecturing thing – at least not much. It would be hard to take from a kid though."

Pleased that he had broken the tension, Jon dropped his schoolbag for a moment and sat down on the rapidly clearing steps. No one would be listening, and though he was due for the next class he could wriggle out of a visit to the Principal if need be.

"They haven't managed to find a competition fisherman to come do a talk yet. I specifically requested one! I may as well try something different this time round, don't you think? I could be a stealth angler, or maybe a trout whisperer.."

"I think that those teenage hormones may have gone to your head, Colonel – and anyway, I thought it wasn't about the fish," Sam retorted gently. "Do you really think you'll take a different career? You'd blow them away at the Academy!"

"Ha!" Jon laughed bitterly. "Don't I know it – but I'm not cut out to be a wunderkind. My outspoken opinions are getting me into enough trouble at school for crying out loud! There's no point in rushing ahead of the class as far as I'm concerned, especially since I've tried it before. It's weird, but part of me is starting thank Loki... I'd nearly done the Air Force to death, so maybe it's time for a change. I even have a trust fund set away, courtesy of Thor."

He stopped, suddenly realising that Carter was silent and deep in thought. "What gives, Sam?"

The use of her first name seemed to bring the Major around.

"Something you said. Quite a few things, in fact." Sam weighed up how best to put this. "I never really considered another career since I joined the Air Force, though it took me a while to come to that decision in the first place. It was more a case of where my studies took me, and I obviously knew a lot about the USAF from Dad so it just seemed to flow from there. I don't think that I could do anything different if I tried."

Jon couldn't help but see the irony that he, as a teenager, had made the amazing Carter 'think' – but he could see her point.

"Carter, I was never really given a choice. I had that much trouble with authority that I was practically thrown into the Air Force, and what do you know – I was good at it. But I'm not the same person now, and I've seen things that no person with 60 years left to dwell on them should have seen." The sigh alone was weighted with words unsaid, bringing memories back to both of them. "The first time round though, neither my school nor my family gave me much of a chance – they didn't see any other way back then."

Sam saw his point and reflected, amazed that yet again he'd shone a new perspective on her life's path. "You know, that's not at all what I thought you'd say. It took me years to convince my professors and the dean that I was worthy of the chance to study Astrophysics at college, and I kept hitting the same wall when I joined the Air Force. At least I was always doing what I wanted though, and Dad supported me every step of the way. I like to think that it was all worth it because I wouldn't change my job for the world, but I always thought of it as being women against the male-dominated system – I never really considered that you guys might have bounced off a few walls too."

There was silence from Jonathon, and apart from the rustling of the trees all Sam could hear was the teacher in the class next door starting his lesson with a roll call.

"You're lucky Carter, to have a supportive father." Jon meant every word. "I hate to admit it, but I have seen women with less backbone being effectively flogged out of the military – never physically, but I guess it's almost verbal and mental warfare from day one. Am I right?"

A nod confirmed this. "It varies, but you get to know the open-minded ones from the traditionalists. Thankfully the balance is a lot more enlightened these days, but when that girl asked me about sex discrimination it just reminded me of how bad things had been until I joined the SGC."

"Then you did have it bad," Jon grinned ruefully. "See I got a bit of a flogging too, but it was always for something I'd done – not for what I was. I probably deserved it, most of the time. You, on the other hand, are a tribute to your own achievement. And Jacob was on to a good thing when he chose the open-minded path – obviously he had an epiphany long before the pet snake came along."

Sam swatted his sleeve with a chuckle. "Don't talk about Selmak like that! Anyway, I don't know about an epiphany, but I do remember Dad being hurt when I hid the fact that I'd dropped Cooking and Home Crafts for Math and Physics. I just opened up and told him everything after I realised he wasn't going to get mad, and he was great. Not always straight away, but he'd always pull through for me in the end. At least he got to be a granddad on Mark's side though – he always said that was the only aspect I'd let him down on!"

"There's no accounting for taste, is there?" Jon looked down, thinking of Charlie and concealing the pain by staring at his watch. "And speaking of Physics, I had best be off," Jon grimaced and stood up, brushing dust off his pants. "I have Dr Cuthbertson this period, and while he sounds a lot like George Hammond there is no other resemblance. I think I'll have to play the 'I haven't seen Aunt Samantha for months' card to get out of detention this time!"

Major Carter gave him a quick hug and smiled that smile he'd been waiting for. Teenage hormones were a bad thing at a time like this, but he was grateful for the chance to see Carter at all – and that was probably one of the more meaningful conversations they'd ever had over the years.

"I don't want to be keeping you then. Hey, and good luck with the fishing!"

Jon gave her a wink, turned and ran down the hall to the science block, leaving Sam to continue her interrupted journey down the steps. Then she stopped, as something clicked. This wasn't her old school, but...

"Dr Cuthbertson?!"

Yes, I had to chuck that one in there. Call it my daft sense of humour!

So - The End. Honest. Nothing more to see here. Move along, quick smart! Ok then, hang around and read my next story! Yes, the overactive imagination strikes again... Take a look in TV Crossovers why don't you... I have Sam Beckett coming through the Stargate :)