The Intergalactic Social Event of the Decade

Part 12

Teal'c opened the door to reveal the kid. Pete studied the kids face. It was completely shuttered and it was a very familiar face but he couldn't place it. "She wants to see you."

Pete was through the door before anyone could stop him again. He walked into the rehearsal room and knew by the look on her face that it was over. He sighed, "Just don't say anything, Sam."

"I'm sorry, Pete. Really I am," she told him as she held out her engagement ring to him.

"I loved you, Sam."

"I know. I thought I loved you but I was just running away. I'm sorry I used you."

"Yeah." He took the ring from her fingers. "Just tell me one thing- Who is that kid?"

She smiled, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"One of those things, huh?"

She nodded, "Goodbye, Pete."

He walked out the door and left her there alone. Within seconds of his leaving Daniel came in. "Jack's in the garden," he told her before slipping back out.

---

Sam was glad that there was a back door that led outside the chapel into the garden. She wouldn't have relished facing the curious and possible malevolent stares of the people in the chapel. She stood in the open door way staring at the figure of Jack O'Neill sitting on a marble bench facing a pretty little pond. His head was bowed and his arms resting on his thighs. She walked as quietly as she could out to him, but he heard her anyway. "Time to start it back up?" he asked wearily taking a drag off his smoke. Judging by the ground at his feet he'd already had quite a few.

"No," she said sitting down beside him.

"You'll get your dress dirty," he told but didn't look at her. The eyes behind his sunglasses were staring at the ducks gliding across the pond.

"It doesn't matter. I don't have much use for it now. I called the wedding off."

"So no cake, huh?"

"No, no cake."

"Damn. I was looking forward to a big hunk of cake."

She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of their conversation but she couldn't. It was so classically them. She glanced down at the pack of cigarettes lying between them. She open the box and pulled one out. The general politely lit it for her with his Zippo. She took a drag and was pleased that it didn't end in a coughing fit. She rested her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. She took another drag off of her cigarette and studied the ducks he was so fascinated by. "Y'know, this kind of reminds me of my senior prom. I ditched my date and sat behind the gym smoking and drinking tequila all night a with some other guy."

His lips upturned slightly at the image. "Were you a bad girl, Carter?"

"I had my moments." She sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than telling Pete it was over. "I owe you an apology."

"What for?"

"Pete."

"None of my business."

"Yes, it is and I'm sorry. I was just so tired of being alone and waiting for something that might never happen."

"Yes, well, everyone gets lonely," he dropped his smoke to the ground and mashed it out. He pulled another one out and played with it between his fingers. She had always loved his hands. Elegant and long fingered. So demonstrative. "I can't blame you for finding someone to warm your bed."

"You didn't."

He smiled at that. "How do you know?"

She was taken aback at that. She didn't in fact know, but it didn't seem to fit him. "You didn't," she repeated.

"No. No, I didn't," he stopped playing with the cigarette and lit it.

"So can we maybe try to start over?"

He snorted at that and said in a tone colder than she thought possible. "Carter, what the hell makes you think I'd want you now?"

"This." She held out her arm to him. The Naquadah glinted in the late afternoon sun.

"That was last night, Carter. It didn't mean a whole hell of a lot to you then. Why should it matter now?"

"Because we're soul mates."

He laughed bitterly at that. "Who said that?"

"The other you."

"All those teenage hormones are making the kid melodramatic. Everyone has their breaking point and I'm afraid you broke me, Carter. Some paltry apology isn't going to fix that. Go to your clone. Maybe he'll have you."

Sam jumped up from the bench unable bear to sit next to him any longer. "You bastard! You led me on."

"That's 'You bastard, sir.' And I have never led you on. This whole fucked up 'relationship' has always been in your hands and you know it. I did whatever you wanted. The galaxy is littered with rooms we've kept shit in. So if things haven't turned out how you wanted then it's your own damn fault!"

He stood and began walking away from her and toward the gate leading out of the garden.

"Goddamn it, I love you!"

He stopped and turned to her, "It's too late to say that. I won't be your backup."

"You told me you'd always be there for me."

"I don't exactly recall that, but if I did it, didn't mean that I'd be graciously waiting for you to finish playing happy families."

"So you're just going to throw everything away just because your pride got injured."

"Ha! My pride is all I've got left, Carter. I loved you more than I have ever loved another woman. What I felt for Sara was minuscule compared what I felt for you. I would have given up anything to be with you. You hurt me, Carter. More than anything other than Charlie's death. Maybe even worse than that, because you gave me hope again. But hope is a cruel bitch. I should have known better." He started walking again and she was right on his heels. She grabbed his arm but he shook off her grasp.

Then she said the only thing that could stop him in his tracks, "Jack." And he did stop. He spun back around and strode back to her. He grabbed her by the arms and pushed her up against the garden wall. "I could kill you, Carter."

She stared back at him defiantly. "I'm not afraid of you."

He released the grip on her arms and leaned against the wall, a hand supporting him on either side of her head. "You should be."

"No, Daniel's the one that always turns evil."

He bowed his head and stared at the ground for a few moments. When he looked back up she no longer felt the burning anger that had emanated from him. The hurt was still there but not the anger. "Damn it, Carter. No one has ever been able to get under my skin like you do." A half smile twisted his lips. "You know why Daniel's always turning to the dark side? He always touches shit he shouldn't."

"I'll take that under advisement," she told him with a small smile. She tentatively reached up and removed his sunglasses. And the hurt look in his eyes broke her heart. "I'm so sorry, Jack. Please don't leave me. I'll do whatever I have to as long as I can be with you. I'll resign. What ever you say. I love you, Jack. I never loved Pete. I just used him because I couldn't have you. You're the only one I've ever wanted."

Jack closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Do you really mean that or are you just telling what I want to hear because you're afraid of being alone?"

"I'm afraid of living without you in my life. I can't do that anymore. I want all of you. And I swear I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy." She reached up and caressed his cheek. "You deserve to be happy, Jack."

He opened his eyes and studied hers for a long time in his search for the truth. "I won't let you go again, Carter. Come hell or high water. This is it. No more rooms."

"No more rooms," she agreed. And suddenly she was crushed against him. The brass and ribbons on his uniform bit into her bare skin. She hid he face in his neck and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I love you, Carter," he whispered hoarsely in her ear. "God help me, but I can't live with out you."

They clung to each other for a long time and Sam slowly became aware of a strange shape under her arm. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you come armed to my wedding?"

"Yeah," he loosened his embrace just enough to see her curious expression. "I know it's weird. I wasn't planning on shooting anyone, but with SG-1's luck fire fights seem to happen in the strangest places."

She smiled and pulled completely out of his embrace. She lifted up the hem of her dress to reveal a small pistol holstered at her right calf. "I had this CO who taught me to always be prepared."

"I was a boy scout."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"For a day," he amended.

She laughed and dropped her skirt back down.

"Hey," he said grasping the material and lifting it back up. "I thought you said the lining was blue."

"I lied," she grinned mischievously and pulled skirt even higher revealing the blue lace top of her stocking and the blue straps of her garters.

"Well, that's fun," he said as she dropped to the skirt again.

They stood facing each other silently, unsure of what to say next. Then Jack slung an arm around her shoulders and began walking back towards the chapel. "C'mon, let's go get hitched."

Sam stopped, "Hitched?"

"It's all or nothin', baby," he challenged her as he dropped his arm from around her and thrust his hands into his pockets rocking slightly on the balls of his feet.

"Baby?"

"Too much?"

She smiled brilliantly at him and threaded her arm through his and continued walking. "No, I like it. And yes, Jack, I will marry you."

"Sweet."

They where nearly to the back door of the chapel when Sam paused again, "You just want to marry me for my cake, don't you?"

"Yes and I intend on eating it, too." he grinned and leaned down to kiss her quickly. She grinned back and they continued walking. "Why in the world did you invite Mini-Me to your wedding?"

"I didn't."

"Huh. Daniel said he had an invitation."

"That's odd."

"Sure is."

---

TBC