The Intergalactic Social Event of the Decade

Part 7

"Are we fashionably late yet?" Daniel asked as he pushed open the gate leading to General Hammond's back yard.

"It's about damn time," Jack replied.

Daniel exchanged a glance with Teal'c and Jonas. Jack O'Neill was not a happy camper tonight. Not that was really unexpected. "We had a couple of issues in the costuming department, but we got everything sorted out."

Jack nodded but didn't ask for further explanations. Because of all the off world guests in attendance, Sam's wedding had turned into a logistical nightmare for the SGC. Appropriate Tauri clothing had to be procured. Not to mention hats and make up to conceal the Jaffa's emblems. Thus, Jack had put Daniel, assisted by Teal'c and Jonas, in charge of what he called the costume department. Jonas had dived in enthusiastically and generally made appropriate choices for the guests. Teal'c on the other hand had a rather…outlandish sense of style. So Daniel was forced to attempt to tone down some of his outfits. Bra'tac had looked like a pimp. Then Daniel stepped in. Now he looked more like someone out of a Damon Runyon story. After his fitting, he refused to give up his fedora and when they finally left the mountain he still had it on with his regular Jaffa robes. Kinda like Obi Wan Kenobi meets Indiana Jones.

"C'mon," Jack said leading them to the tent set up in the middle of the yard. "They're just about to serve dinner. You missed the cocktails."

Jonas and Teal'c seemed to perk up a little at the mention of food , but Daniel made a face. He really could have used a cocktail after the day he'd had and the night he was about to endure.

---

George Hammond surveyed the table where Cassie and the men of SG-1, past and present, sat. He was sure some thought it odd that the made of honor wasn't sitting with the wedding party but her mood seemed more in line with these men. He didn't fail to notice that that the whole group was dressed in black. He wondered vaguely if the entire thing was planned to express their disapproval of the nuptials. Then he decided that it was far more likely that their own individual moods that influenced their color choices. Their moods just happened to be in sync. "You people look like you're at a wake," he told the subdued group.

"Are we not, General Hammond?" Teal'c responded raising an eyebrow and his table mates looked shocked for the most part .

"Uh," Daniel began. "I think what Teal'c means-"

"I know what he means, son." Hammond motioned to the empty chair, "Mind if I join in the mourning?"

"Have a seat, George," Jack told him.

Dinner at table SG-1 was a solemn affair. Hammond was surprised to see Jack barely touched his wine. He'd noticed Jack toss back a couple of drinks earlier. In fact he had brought out his best Scotch for the younger general as he had expected Jack would want to be at least partially drunk to survive the night. But Hammond realized that he would have been living up to a cliché and Jack despised clichés. He knew Jack wasn't above making an ass of himself on occasion, but he was an ultimately prideful man, especially when it came to his inner pain. That was sacrosanct. Dr. Jackson on the other hand seemed to be drinking his and Jack's share. At least he seemed to be able to hold his wine better than his beer.

---

After dinner people mingled over coffee and Cassie had just returned her empty cup when she was stopped by a voice behind her. "Cassie, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Cassie turned around to see Pete. She looked around for potential rescuers but no one was close enough. Damn. "Uh, sure, Pete. What about?"

"Me and Sam want you to come stay with us during your Christmas break. It would mean a lot." Cassie studied his face for a minute thinking Sam had put him up to it, but his face was so completely earnest and hopeful. "Sam really misses you and I'd like to get to know you better."

Cassie sighed. She couldn't believe that Pete of 'I dream in the Pete' fame was making her feel bad for turning him down. Had she stepped through the quantum mirror? "I'd really like to. Honestly. But Jack's already worked out a deal to take the time off and we're going skiing with Daniel, Teal'c, and Rya'c and his wife."

"Oh," he looked so totally crestfallen. "I understand. It's not like it's easy for the general to get time off, huh?"

"No." She looked around again hoping to find some one to save her. Oh, there was Jonas! She tried to gesture surreptitiously to him. He smiled at her, but didn't make a move to help.

"Hey!" Pete said drawing her attention back to him. "What about Thanksgiving? You've got a couple of days off, right? We'll make a big deal about it. Maybe Sam's dad can plan to be here and we'll invite the general, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c. What do you think about that?"

"That would be really nice of you, Pete. I'm sure everyone would love to come to have Thanksgiving dinner with you and Sam." How she managed to say that without sarcasm and keeping a straight face, she'll never know. "Y'know, barring an intergalactic incident."

"Oh, of course. I don't suppose it's possible to schedule those?" he teased.

"I'll ask Jack."

"So it's settled then?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Great. Sam will be ecstatic."

She watched as Pete practically skipped away. "Damn. Damn. Damn." She stamped her foot on the lawn in frustration. And as her luck would have it, she got her heel caught in the roots and nearly fell down. Jonas was at her side instantly. "Are you okay?"

"No! Where the hell were you when I needed you? What kind of hero are you?"

"Not much of one, I guess," he grinned. "I thought you were telling me to stay away."

Cassie couldn't seem to get her shoe unstuck so she just stepped out of it and hobbled over to the nearby arbor swing and flopped down. Jonas bent down and untangled her shoe. Cassie held out her foot and he gently put it back on for her.

"Thanks, but don't think that makes up for not rescuing me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he told her still smiling as he sat down next to her. "So what was that about with Pete?"

"Arrrggg," Cassie growled in frustration as she pushed off the ground angrily and the swing began to move. "Why does Pete have to be so freakin' nice to me? I want to despise him so badly, but he's just being so nice and sincere. It really pisses me off. He's supposed to be evil incarnate"

"I know," Jonas said continuing to keep the steadily swing moving with his feet. "I was prepared for him to be a complete 'rat bastard' as the general would say. But he was just so welcoming when we met. Maybe slightly suspicious too, but, hey, I am an alien here and he is an officer of the law." Jonas paused in thought for a second. "I don't think their marriage will last ."

"Why?"

"Well, for one thing she doesn't love him and she knows it. He doesn't know it though. He's blindly in love."

"How can you tell she doesn't love him?"

"Haven't you noticed how General O'Neill still affects her? Those aren't the responses of a woman who's in love with another man."

"Then why are we here?" she grumbled.

"Oh, c'mon, Cassie," Jonas nudged her slightly. "Sam hates to admit she's wrong."

"So she's just going to ruin her life and Jack's because she's hardheaded?"

"And Pete's. She's going to break his heart. Sooner or later."

"Sooner preferably." Cassie sighed and leaned her head back. She was a little startled to find Jonas's arm stretched across the back of the swing. He didn't attempt to move it and Cassie didn't lift her head back up. If anything she might have leaned closer to him. "Hey, Jonas?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever been skiing?"

"In the snow?"

"Yeah."

"No. Why?"

"Just wondering."

---

Sam stood a little apart from the remaining guests. She need a few minutes to herself. This night had been unexpectedly stressful. The night air had a slight chill to it and she pulled her shawl more tightly around her.

"Carter."

She turned to face the general, "Sir, I thought you'd already left."

"I'm about to." He stood with his hands in his pockets looking more than slightly uncomfortable. "Say, do you have that something old, something blue thing covered?"

She smiled slightly, "Pretty much. I'm wearing my great-grandmother's pearl necklace. That's the old. Cassie's lending me Janet's pearl earrings. That's borrowed. The lining of my dress is blue and I guess the dress itself is the new part. Why are you asking, sir?"

He pulled a flat box wrapped in silver paper out of his jacket and handed it to her. "I got you something for the new part."

"Sir, you shouldn't have."

He just shrugged. Sam ripped open the paper to reveal a black leather jewelry case with the Earth point of origin symbol embossed in silver on the front. With trembling hands she lifted the lid. "My God, sir!" she said breathlessly as she saw the contents. It was a necklace with delicate but heavy links and a pendant about the size of a half dollar. The pendant was an exact replica of the Earth patch they wore on their uniforms made of intricately cast metal and opal. She examined the iridescent metal closely. "It's naquada, sir."

"Just promise me you won't melt it down to make some wacky doohickeys with it."

"Never, sir. How did you-"

"I got connections, " he interrupted smiling mysteriously.

"It's beautiful."

He took his hands out of his pockets and lifted it from the box. "It can be a necklace or a bracelet." He demonstrated how the chain could be doubled up to go around her wrist. " I figured you'd already have a necklace to wear tomorrow."

"That's very thoughtful, sir." She turned away from him. "Will you put in on for me?"

The general stretched the necklace around Sam's neck and closed the clasp. He couldn't stop himself from gently caressing the nape of her neck. Sam shivered, but told herself it was from the chill in the air. She turned back around, "Thank you, sir. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"I thought you should have something to remember where you belong," he said quietly. "Out there among the stars."

Sam hesitated slightly and the moved to hug him. He held her in his arms tightly almost painfully. "I'll never forget, sir."

He let go of her and stepped back. He smiled ruefully, "We'll always have the stars, Carter." Then he turned away from her walking into the night.

---

Daniel walked up behind Pete and smiled at the scene before them. Pete turned to him, "Dr. Jackson have they ever-" he stopped not wanting to say the words, because he really didn't want to know the answer.

"Been in a relationship?" Daniel asked and Pete nodded. "Not in this reality."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that in two of the two alternate realities we've encountered they were." He paused taking a sip of his coffee. "In one they were engaged and in the other they were married. Sam wasn't in the Air Force in those realities so it wasn't against regulations for them to be in love."

"Are you saying that if Sam wasn't-" he couldn't finish the thought. It terrified him to even think about thinking about it.

"I guess that depends on if you believe in fate. But I'll tell you, Pete, you're either the bravest or stupidest man in the known universe to stand in the way of those two."

"Sam chose me, Dr. Jackson," he said somewhat angrily.

"Yes, she did, Pete. And I wish you luck. You're going to need it." With that Daniel walked away in search of something with more alcoholic content and leaving Pete to contemplate fate.

---

Sam stepped away from the conversation she wasn't really participating in between her brother and Pete when Jonas and Cassie walked up.

"Teal'c asked us to make his and Daniel's goodbyes," Jonas told her. "Daniel was more than a little drunk so Teal'c took him home."

Sam smiled at the thought. Teal'c probably had his hands full. "How're you going to get back to base, Jonas?"

"I'll take him by on my way home," Cassie told her.

Sam gave her a curious look but Cassie just smirked.

"That's naquada!" Jonas exclaimed. "Sam, your necklace is naquada!"

"Wow, Sam! That's beautiful!" Cassie gasped. "I didn't notice that earlier. Where'd it come from?"

"General O'Neill just gave it to me. For my 'new'."

"May I?" Jonas asked before he lifted the pendant up to examine it more closely. He felt ridges on the underside and turned it over.

"What?" Sam asked. She couldn't see it since it was still around her neck.

"It's got Ancient characters on it."

"Can you translate it?"

"Yeah, I think it's a poem."

"What does in say?"

"It may lose something in the translation. It rhymes in Ancient," he warned.

"Jonas, what does it say?!" Sam asked frustrated.

"Basically 'Following roads through the stars, I found my heart, All my love, Jack." Jonas carefully let go of the pendant.

"Oh." Sam turned suddenly pale.

"Is that all you can say, Sam?" Cassie demanded angrily. "Why are you doing this?"

"I love Pete." Sam turned on her heel and stalked away. "Goodnight, Cassie, Jonas."

---

TBC