Hi!

This takes place during the pilot episode, "Children of the Gods." Spoilers for that episode.

This is the first in a series of fics that will explore the relationship between Sam and Jack in Alternate Realities. As you can probably tell I LOVE alternate reality stories. The fics will be unrelated, and several chapters long. I'm calling them the Alternate Loves Series.

First off, a big thank you to my beta G.Eliot, who is helping me with my SG1 fics, even though she doesn't watch the programme. I'll make a true believer out of you yet, you geliot you!! (he he he.)

Disclaimer: I dont own the characters or events depiced in this fic. (If I did, then Sam and JAck would have been together since The Broca Divide, or at the very least Solitudes.) I gain no profit from wriing this. It's just for fun

All words in italics are thoughts.

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God, the stars were beautiful tonight. So bright and clear in the cloudless night sky. Jack adjusted his telescope again to get a clearer picture. Brightly colored gasses became iridescently illuminated as they swirled about tiny pinpricks of light, which appeared to be the very manifestation of eternity. (Thank my beta for that description. She has a way with words. You rock!!)

"I wish Sam was here," Jack thought to himself, thinking of his new wife. He still couldn't believe it. Sam Carter…. No. Technically, she was Captain Samantha Carter. Captain Carter was his wife. That same smart, beautiful, amazing woman was his. He still couldn't believe his good luck.

Their wedding three weeks ago had been low-key, as had their entire relationship. Jack didn't want anyone to accuse Sam of being in a relationship with him because of his connections. Hell, he was retired, for crying out loud, which was why the regs didn't apply.

(A/N I have NO CLUE if the regs apply or do not apply to ex-military personnel, but it's my universe!! Here, they don't, ok? Plus, I'm Irish, and I haven't a clue about the USAF, apart from officers of different ranks not being in relationships.)

But, Jack knew the military, and how their minds worked. And he knew that people would put two and two together, and come up with thirteen!! He didn't want anyone to bad-mouth his Sam for her relationship with him.

He still couldn't believe it. His Sam.

His Sam.

Much as she would deny the label, she was his, and had been ever since the moment they had met on the plane back from Washington just over a year ago…

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Jack had gone to D.C. to report on the Stargate mission at the Pentagon, and to resign his commission again. This time for good.

On the plane back, he had been seated beside a pretty blonde woman, who was reading a book on astrophysics. Boring!!! So, with no one to chat to, Jack did what he always did when he was bored….

He took out his gameboy. First though, he flashed a charming smile at the flight attendant, and she told him it was alright to use it. (The charmer!)

After exclaiming out loud about Mario's unfair death for the second time, he noticed that the woman was watching him over the top of her book, and grinning.

"Want to try?" he offered, grinning back at her. She blushed slightly at being caught, and shook her head.

"No thank you," she answered sweetly. "I can never work them, much to my nephew's disgust. I'm all thumbs with gameboys."

"That's the point," Jack teased her good-naturedly. She smiled back at him, and went back to her book, until the plane hit a small patch of turbulence and shuddered a little. Jack heard a gasp beside him, and noticed that the woman now had a death grip on her book.

"Are you ok?" he asked her, worried. She was going awfully pale. She threw him a wane smile.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's just that I don't like flying unless I'm in the pilot's seat."

Jack was surprised.

"You're a pilot?" he asked her, shift in his seat so he was facing her. She nodded and turned towards him, her fear and her book now forgotten as they began to chat.

"I am a pilot. I'm Air Force. Captain Samantha Carter." she introduced herself, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Get out. Me too! Well, I was until," he checked his watch, "seventeen hours, twenty three minutes ago. Colonel Jack O'Neill. Retired," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir," Sam replied automatically.

"Ah!" Jack interrupted, holding up a finger for silence, "I'm retired Captain. Lose the 'Sirs'."

Sam smiled. "Well, in that case, call me Sam, not captain." Jack smiled back at her. She really had a gorgeous smile.

And so it began. They had chatted the entire way back to Colorado. Jack found himself telling her things that he hardly spoken of with anyone, things like his divorce from Sara five years previously, and Charlie's fatal traffic accident. Sam was kind and supportive, and Jack began to really like her.

She, in turn, opened up, telling him about her mother and her uneasy relationship with her father. He found out that she lived in D.C., working in the Pentagon, and that she was heading to Colorado for a few weeks to stay in the house that her grandmother left her in her will when she died a few years before. The candid manner she adopted while speaking with him, made Jack suspect that she too sensed a connection between them.

All too soon, the plane landed on the runway with a bump. Both were surprised at the sudden landing, as they had been deep in discussion about the scientific plausibility of Star Trek. (A/N I'm sorry. I really can't go one fic without mentioning it at least once. It's a sickness…)

"Well Sam," Jack said as they stood to take down their bags from overhead, "It's been nice talking to you. Try to enjoy your break from work, even if you were ordered down here on pain of being locked out of your office. You need to relax more Sam."

"Thanks Jack," Sam replied sarcastically, and then grinned cheekily. "Enjoy your retirement."

"Oh I intend to. Right now, I'm thinking of a little cabin in Minnesota, where the fish grow 'this big'!" he exclaimed, holding his arms out as wide as he could.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah!!"

"Anyway, it's been great talking to you. Maybe I'll see you around the Springs."

"Count on it Captain!" Jack replied, sauntering away.

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In fact, it had been less than two days later when they had ran in to each other again, literally. Jack was strolling in the park, balancing a cup of coffee in one hand, trying to root his yo-yo out of his pocket with the other hand. Not looking where he was going, he tripped over a pair of outstretched legs that blocked his path, hot coffee splashing in all directions.

"Goddamnit! I'm so sorry, miss… Sam!" he finally looked up. She looked just as surprised to see him. God, she looked pretty. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but to Jack, she looked like a model from the pages of a fashion magazine.

"Jack! It's great to see you again," she told him, dusting herself off as she stood. He looked amazing! Even better in the sunlight. His brown eyes were alive with mischief, and he had an apologetic, lop-sided smile on his face.

"Sorry about that Sam," Jack apologized. "Did I get you with the coffee?"

"No, I got clean away," Sam assured him.

"Still… I'm going to get another cup. I'm gonna get you one too to make up for nearly burning your leg off!!"

"Honestly Jack," Sam protested, "You didn't even get near me." But secretly, she loved the fact that he was so concerned over her.

"Ah! I'll be right back."

Jack turned and strode towards the vendor near the entrance, Sam watching his every move.

Will I tell him that I know who he is? she wondered. That I work on the Stargate programme in D.C. and that I know he was on that mission?

No, she decided finally. I won't tell him I know about the last mission. Maybe I'll just mention something about hearing his name in passing. After all, she thought, the man is a decorated war hero.

Jack smiled at her as he returned with her coffee, and all thoughts of alien worlds flew from her head. They both settled back onto the blanket that Sam had originally been sitting on and chatted, just watched the world go by.

It had seemed natural for them to go to dinner after that… and then for drinks… then back to Jack's to watch the Simpsons (AtJack's suggestion of course. Sam didnt mind really. She just wanted to spend time with him)… then for breakfast the next morning…

Before she knew what was happening, Sam's little break was up, and she realized that she had spent most of it with Jack. Neither wanted to part. They felt a strong bond between them, and both wanted to explore it more.

Within three weeks of her return to the D.C., Jack was up for a visit. Of course, they had been on the phone every day before that. Sam knew when he came up to see her that she was in love. Deeply in love. This man was a hardened warrior, but he had a childlike quality about him that she found endearing. She had never felt this way before.

And Jack… well, he knew that he was in love with this woman ever since that day in the park. It had been almost instantaneous. With Sara, they had been friends first, and love had grown between them. But with Sam… it was like fire! He loved her so much that it hurt to be without her.

On their nine-month anniversary, Jack proposed, and Sam immediately accepted. They were married on the one-year anniversary of the day they had met.

His Sam was a workaholic, which left little time for friends. Jack had isolated a lot of people after Charlie had died, and he had no living family. So, the only people who had attended their wedding were Sam's brother Mark and his wife and kids.

Her dad, General Jacob Carter, was away on assignment, and couldn't make it to the wedding. That didn't mean he had shirked his duties though, and had threatened Jack accordingly, albeit over the phone, promising dire and painful consequences if Jack hurt his little girl.

Sam had decided to move to Colorado, requesting a transfer to a science station about thirty miles away from Jack's house. She moved in with him, and was planning to rent out the house that her grandmother had left her. But for the moment, it was her retreat, and it housed her lab so Jack didn't mind that she spent so much time there.

And so far, life had been perfect, at least for Jack. He was still convinced that he'd wake up one day, and discover that this was all a dream, and that his beautiful young wife was the result of his imagination and too much salsa before bed. He felt guilty that Sam re-arranged her life so much for him, but Sam never once complained. She told him he was worth the trouble, but Jack felt the jury was still out on that one.

Jack re-adjusted the telescope again, and resisted the urge to glance at his watch. He hoped Sam would be home soon: he wanted her to see the stars tonight. They were a sight to behold.

He was startled out of his day-dream by a low cough from behind him. He was surprised, but tried not to show it. He hadn't even heard the car pull up.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill?" a low male voice asked from behind him.

Defiantly not Sam. Aloud, he answered

"Retired."

"I'm Major Samuels," The Voice informed him. Jack still couldn't bring himself to turn around. He really just wasn't that interested.

Well, maybe a little.

"Air Force?" Jack asked him, his curiosity being piqued against his better judgment.

"Yes Sir. I'm the General's Executive Officer."

"A little piece of advice Major," Jack began, thinking back to his mission on Abydos, "Get re-assed to NASA. That's where all the actions gonna be… out there." He adjusted the telescope again, focusing on the gas cloud this time.

His nonchalance and advice seemed to throw the young Major a bit.

"I'm, uh" he stammered, but got control of himself quickly, "I'm under orders to bring you to see General Hammond, Sir."

"Never heard of him," Jack replied off hand, intending to piss the Major off. There was something about him that Jack just didn't like, and he'd only met the man two minutes ago. He seemed very… smug. Yeah, that was it. He was too smug and smarmy for Jack's peace of mind.

And Jack succeeded in his aim. Samuels' voice had a bit of an edge on it, an 'I-told-you-so' quality about it when he replied.

"He replaced General West. He says it's important. It has to do with the Stargate."

Now that did get Jack's attention. He slowly turned to face the Major, but didn't really see him.

He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had a feeling that his life was about to drastically change, and that it might not necessarily be for the better.

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Major Samuels glanced in the rear-view mirror at Colonel O'Neill as his colleague Major Harrison drove back to the base.

There was something about this O'Neill guy that he just didn't like. He sensed that O'Neill was the type of guy who would show little respect for authority, something that Samuels' placed above almost everything else.

A cell phone chirped, breaking into Samuel's thoughts. In the mirror, he saw O'Neill reach into his leather bomber jacket and take out a small cell phone. He saw O'Neill's face light up into a smile as he looked at the number on the screen, and he flipped the phone open.

"Hey Babe," he spoke into the small phone. Samuels saw him listen to whoever was on the line for a moment.

"No, it's Ok. I understand. Honestly! In fact, I was just about to call you. I had to go out…. Where? Oh, just out. I'll explain later. No honey, you stay in you're house tonight. You're going to be working late anyway; you might as well stay near your lab… Seriously, I don't mind… Now, go do some work, you slacker!.... Only kidding…. I know… I will… I love you too… See you tomorrow… OK… Bye."

Samuels cleared his throat.

"Um Sir? You know that where we're going is classified, don't you? You won't be able to tell anyone anything."

"I know that Major," Jack answered derisively. "I did spend the last ten years of my life on classified ops, you know. I know how to concoct a good cover story when I need to."

"Of course Sir. Sorry sir." Samuels felt abashed.

Somehow, he knew that he and Jack O'Neill would never get along.

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I have the next few chapters written, so if you want me to continue with this, let me know by pressing that little purple button.

If you do want me to go on, I'll be re-writing a few episodes so they have more of a Sam/Jack slant. I'll also be writing more from Children of the Gods. But I won't be doingevery minute of an episode, or even every episode, so it wont get boring. (Hopefully)