A/N: This chapter is an added scene to 'Ascension' that begins in the briefing room after Sam is retrieved from Orlin's planet.

"So Major Carter, the alien built a stargate from materials he ordered over the internet with your credit cards? Then you followed him into this makeshift stargate to assist him in stopping a test which I had ordered to be done?" General Hammond's voice was a mix of amazement and quiet fury.

"Sir, I didn't mean to intentionally disobey your order, but I had information you weren't aware of, and there wasn't time to get word to you that this test would result in the destruction of the planet. Although I did warn you earlier that that was a possibility, sir." Sam's lips were set in a tight line and anger was visibly etched on her features.

"Major, I don't think further insubordination would be in your best interest. You are dismissed to your base quarters while I discuss your situation with your commanding officer," General Hammond ordered curtly.

"Yes, sir." Sam rose from the briefing table and abruptly left. Jack was seated in a position to get a clear view of her face as she departed the room, and his heart ached when he caught sight of the dejection and betrayal on her features. Guilt and remorse shot through him. He turned back to the General, determined to iron things out, to do right by Carter.

"Sir, I know you're angry with her, but with all due respect, her comment wasn't meant to be intentionally insubordinate. In my opinion. Sir."

"You're right, Jack," Hammond sighed. "But going through that homemade stargate...I don't even know what to begin to call that stunt."

"I'd call it an act of desperation. We did treat her like she was having hallucinations when she tried to tell us the truth. Then we turned around and reprimanded her for not telling us what was going on. She was put in a no-win situation, sir. I put her in a no-win situation. I should have listened to her."

It was just the two of them in the briefing room, and Jack knew he could speak frankly now. He intended to take advantage of that privilege to the fullest in an effort to fix this mess.

"We don't know what would have happened had the test been allowed to proceed. That alien may have destroyed our best chance to finally secure a weapon capable of defending this planet." Hammond was still trying to get a handle on his anger.

"If Carter says it would have blown up the planet, sir, then you can be reasonably sure that's what would have happened."

"You're that sure of Carter's judgment?" Hammond challenged.

"I am. And if I'd put more confidence in her judgment at the beginning of the week, maybe the outcome would have been different."

Hammond was silent, watching his second-in-command with a perceptive eye. Jack's voice was soaked with regret, and something else, too, something the General wasn't sure he wanted to know about.

"Well, if what she says is true, her actions and the actions of the alien she followed through the Gate saved the lives of SG16. Unfortunately, with Colonel Simmons' involvement in this mission, the politics of what she did are...complicated. The government is hopping mad about losing that weapon."

"Sir, if I may ask, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. I've got some explaining to do to the President tonight. As far as concerns Sam, I'm going to have to confine her to base until Janet clears her both physically and mentally. I think I'll go home and sleep on it. Nothing you people do is ever easy, is it, Jack?"

Jack was relieved to hear a touch of the General's gentle humor and joviality return to his voice. They both rose from the table.

"Permission to be dismissed, sir."

"Permission granted. See you tomorrow at 0900."

Jack turned on his heel and was out the door in a flash. He lost no time heading straight for Sam's quarters. They needed to talk, to get things straightened out between them, but he wasn't at all sure if Sam would be willing to trust him, or even talk to him, any time soon. But he was definitely going to give it his best effort.

"Sam?" Jack called through the crack of the closed door of her quarters while knocking loudly at the same time. He continued to knock until the door opened suddenly, revealing a very unhappy woman standing defiantly in the doorway so that he couldn't get in without shoving his way through.

"Yes, sir."

"We need to talk."

"Yes, sir?" Icy but completely correct, Sam wasn't taking any chances of further insubordination charges. She also hadn't moved an inch from her blockade of the doorway.

"Can I come in?" A request, not an order. Jack was being careful to give her a choice.

She didn't answer, but her stance seemed to waver a bit and she stared at her boots.

"Or we could go to the cafeteria," Jack suggested. "It's time to eat anyway."

"That sounds good, sir," Sam agreed, her voice a bit more accomodating.

They walked down the hall, Sam stealing glances at Jack when she thought he wasn't looking. He was watching her too, though, noticing as they went that she seemed increasingly subdued and unsure of herself. There was little evidence now of the anger he'd witnessed standing between them like a wall for days.

"I'm hungry, now that I think of it," Sam volunteered as they got in the mess line.

Well, he hadn't expected her to be willing to say anything yet. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all.

"Me too. Hungry for some..." Jack was trying to identify the main courses lined up under the glass in front of them. "...yellow stuff, brown stuff, and orange stuff," he finally determined, pointing out what he wanted ladled onto his plate.

"Yummy," was Carter's cryptic comment behind him. "Same, please," she directed the young cook. Jack turned and placed some bread and butter on her tray at the same time she was loading a piece of cake onto his. Sam met his surprised glance with a wry smile. Even in the midst of conflict, they couldn't seem to stop automatically anticipating each other.

He picked a table as far from any other personnel as possible, back in the corner by the drink machine.

"Sam," he began as they sat down, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" She asked coldly. He looked up sharply at her tone and was struck with renewed guilt at the pain filling her eyes. He sifted carefully through his mind for the right words. This heart-to-heart stuff had never been easy for Jack, but he owed it to Sam to try his best.

"For not trusting you. For not being there when you asked for my help. For the death of your friend. Let me have it, Carter, I deserve it. I was wrong."

"Okay, you're right. With your permission, I do need to say something to you."

"Permission granted. I think. Off the record, of course."

"This isn't the first time you've doubted me. I think you're afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid to trust anyone. Afraid to trust me."

"Carter, look, you fainted back on that planet. Janet blamed it on your physical condition. She said you were so worn down before the mission even started that she may have erred in letting you go in the first place. Then you come up with this story about a man who nobody but you can see. What was I supposed to think?"

Jack hadn't intended to so quickly jump to his own defense, but now that it was out there, he really wanted to hear her response.

"All assumptions, sir. I didn't faint from exhaustion or low blood sugar on that planet, sir, Orlin explained it to me. His initial contact with me was in his natural ascended state. He said I blacked out because I wasn't prepared for it and I resisted. But if you didn't even believe that I was seeing an alien, I had to assume you wouldn't believe anything I said that he said. Sir." Even Carter looked confused for a minute.

"Okay, I get it. I'm sorry, Sam. You're right, I should have listened to you, and I should have trusted you." They both fell silent for a few minutes while they ate.

Jack gave her a penetrating stare. Sam sensed that he had another issue eating at him.

"When you were in the basement with Orlin, did you hear me call you over the radio?"

She looked up from a forkful of the brown stuff. Although she didn't audibly answer, her expression said 'yes', and Jack quickly jumped in, not wanting to force her into admitting to further insubordination.

"Okay, forget I asked that. Because there was interference from the Stargate or something, I'm sure. Because I know if you'd heard me call you, you would have answered me. You wouldn't have wanted me worried out of my mind over what was happening to you in there. Not after I'd made the decision to send you in there alone so the alien wouldn't run."

Sam put down a full fork and stared moodily at her plate which was, for the most part, untouched.

"You didn't trust me either, Sam, not enough to tell me what was going on, or what you and Orlin were about to do."

"You would have ordered me not to go through the 'Gate."

"That's an assumption on your part, now, isn't it?" She looked up sharply, only then realizing he was right.

"Do you know what I went through out there when I radioed you and got no answer? I was sure something had happened to you. I do trust you, Sam, enough to believe that the only reason you wouldn't respond to me over the radio was because you either were out of range or you were physically unable to answer. And I was pretty damn sure you weren't out of range."

"I'm sorry," she finally managed to whisper, still staring at her plate.

Jack shook his head, suddenly frustrated with himself. "Hey, I didn't mean to turn this around on you, Sam. I just wanted you to know the trust thing goes both ways. And to tell you how sorry I am. That I made some wrong turns and the result put you in an impossible situation. You've been through enough. And I know you were attached to Orlin, and you're hurting right now. My intention really wasn't to cause more hurt."

"No, you're right. And I'm truly sorry. Maybe if I'd trusted you, Orlin wouldn't have..."

"Whoa, now don't go there, Carter. Don't start doing the 'what ifs'." He reached out and touched her hand briefly, just enough to brush his fingers once down hers.

"So not a good idea, believe me, I know."

"Sir, I don't want you to be afraid to trust me. In any way. As far as is humanly possible, I won't let you down." Her plea tapered off into silence as she realized she couldn't beg him to believe in her. He had to choose to do that himself.

"I could say the same to you."

"Fair enough. I'll do my best, sir."

"Me too."

The next afternoon Sam was cleared to go home. It was Friday, and she was looking forward to a lazy weekend puttering around her house. She grabbed her keys and headed for the surface, looking forward to the fresh fall weather outside.

"Going home, Carter?" O'Neill's voice called out behind her.

"Yes sir," she answered with a smile.

"I think I'll follow you over there," Jack said, a bit more gravely, pulling his own keys out of his jacket pocket.

"Follow me home?"

Understanding dawned on her suddenly as she remembered the swarm of agents that had been in her house the last time she had seen it.

"Is it bad?" She asked apprehensively.

"Let's just say, I think you may need some help cleaning up."

"Oh boy." Sam's eyes were wide.

The beauty of the day was lost on her as she drove home wondering what awaited her. They both arrived at the same time, she pulling into her carport and he parking at the curb out front. There were still a few strands of yellow police tape hanging about. Sam let herself in the front door, holding her breath.

"Not too bad," she finally said, genuinely relieved to not find it worse. The expected dirt from many shoes traipsing throughout the house was evident, and a few of Orlin's internet purchases had been carried to the foyer and then been sifted through, but it wasn't overwhelming. She turned to Jack where he stood shadowing the doorway.

"I wonder what the neighbors think," she commented, indicating the police tape just beyond the door.

Jack shrugged.

"Can't be worse than what my neighbors think," he deadpanned. "Well, what should we do first?" Jack had already rolled up his sleeves.

Four hours later, it was time to quit for the evening. Daniel and Teal'C had appeared not long after Sam and Jack had begun their cleaning, carrying pizza and soft drinks. Now that the work was for the most part done, Daniel had revealed a 'surprise' for the team: a movie he'd picked up from the local video store.

"The Mummy?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow. "Let me guess, you have a thing for the female archeologist."

"So what? It's a good movie," Daniel countered defensively.

Teal'C settled on the floor, leaning against the couch to watch the opening scene.

"It looks like a Goa'uld-occupied planet," he said with alarm, viewing the scenes of ancient Egypt.

"Yes, that's exactly what it is," Jack ribbed him mysteriously, sitting down beside him more for the purpose of watching Teal'C watch the movie than to watch the movie himself.

"Sam, aren't you going to come sit and watch 'The Mummy' with us?" Daniel called out to the kitchen, where Sam was still putting dishes away.

"I will in just a minute," she answered from the recesses of the other room. Jack turned his head towards the kitchen at the sound of her voice, something in her tone stirring his concern. He got up from the floor and headed for the kitchen.

"Everything okay?" he asked gently over Sam's shoulder. She was standing by the window, staring out into the darkened yard.

"Just thinking," she murmured.

"Hey, if you need some time to yourself, just say the word, we'll go. You know Danny and T will understand."

"No, I'm coming out in a minute. I don't really want to be alone in my house yet. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of creeped out by the whole thing right now."

"So, maybe 'The Mummy' wasn't the best choice in entertainment for tonight?" Jack joked. He stood beside her, hands in his pockets, his eyes intent on hers.

"No, it's fine. Believe it or not, I know it's fake," she teased back. "But there's a lot of real stuff out there in the galaxy and we've only just scratched the surface."

"So, you're wondering how many more invisible aliens are floating around out there, watching you?"

"Is that supposed to be encouraging?"

"Sorry." He reached out an arm across her shoulders and gave her arm a squeeze.

"Come watch the movie. Stop thinking so much."

She turned to do as he said and found his face only inches from hers.

"Sam. Are we okay?"

"You tell me, Jack," she whispered to the man standing so close she could feel his warmth. "What have you decided to do? Are you staying on at the SGC?"

"I'm part of a team of people who depend on each other."

His arms encircled her waist. She put her hands on his chest and watched his face with a grave expression.

"So...you're staying?" She just wanted him to say it.

"Yeah, I'm staying. I withdrew my letter of resignation yesterday."

"Good. That's good." Her relief shone out of her eyes. "Maybe we should go watch the movie," she added, nodding towards the living room.

"Yeah. Sam, are you sure you're okay?"

Something was still under the surface, unspoken, Jack could feel it. He was caught off guard by the depth of feeling he saw suddenly flood her features.

"Sure. I was just thinking, there was a silver lining. To retirement, I mean. Don't get me wrong, I really think you made the right choice. You belong on SG1. But I also want this," she pointed sadly between them, "and we can't have both."

"I want it too, Sam. Look, I'm not going anywhere. It may be a while before we can be together, but I have found what I want, and it's you. I'll be here waiting for as long as it takes."

Sam broke into a smile that lit up her whole face. "I love you," she whispered almost inaudibly.

Her confession was suddenly more than Jack's willpower could handle. With a cautious glance towards the room where Daniel and Teal'C sat watching the blaring television, Jack urged her into a more private corner of the room and pulled her into a kiss so full of passion and longing that Sam thought she'd died and gone to heaven.

"I thought you said we were going to wait," Sam gasped faintly when they were able to breathe again.

"I'm still working on that patience thing," Jack explained apologetically.

"We'd better get back to the guys."

"That's probably a really good idea," Jack agreed, still trying to collect himself.

"We can do this," Sam said trying to convince them both.

"Sure," Jack agreed uncertainly.

"But if you ever have trouble with the waiting thing again, I'll be glad to help." Sam grinned.

"Witch," Jack whispered for her ears only as they settled onto the couch in front of the movie.

"Everything okay, guys?" Daniel asked absentmindedly, still focused on the movie.

"Sure, we just had a difference of opinion to work out."

"Okay," Daniel said automatically, not really listening.

Jack looked over at Teal'C, expecting him to be wrapped up in the movie. But Teal'C was studying him and Sam where they sat on the couch, legs touching, and gave Jack a knowing gaze. He then bowed his head just a little, as if giving his approval, and turned back to view the show.

Jack had to laugh at himself. They were so not fooling anyone.

4 years later

"Here you go," Jack offered his sleepy Colonel with a tender smile, holding out a steaming mug of coffee. Sam sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She sat up and took the cup with uncoordinated hands, almost spilling it.

"S'good," she murmured appreciatively.

"Well, get ready, Sam. We leave in 30."

"Yes sir, " she responded, emphasizing the 'sir' playfully.

"Don't get smart with me, Carter," Jack retorted and left the bedroom.

She stretched and reluctantly got out of bed, still sipping her coffee. Crossing the room to the window, she looked out across the peaceful lake to the sunrise on the horizon and breathed deeply. She couldn't believe it, she was really here.

She was really on a fishing trip with Jack at his cabin.

He was officially retired as of last week.

There had been some bumps in the road, some more problematic than others.

He'd almost died, more than once.

She'd almost died too.

There'd been a few attempted relationships when they had temporarily despaired of ever being together.

So many lost loved ones.

But none of that mattered now. The waiting was over, and they finally had each other, and they were both happier than they could ever remember being, ever.

They'd told their friends their plans before leaving for Minnesota, and they had all wished them well. Yesterday they had been quietly married in a beautiful country church in Jack's hometown, just the two of them and the minister. Sam looked at the simple white dress she'd worn, now hanging in an otherwise empty closet, and felt a thrill of excitement all over again.

And today? Well, they were up at the crack of dawn, because that's when the fish are biting. He was down at the dock waiting for her, she noted through the window, so she quickly tied on her boat sneakers, grabbed a sweater and went out to meet him. The sunrise was glorious, and Jack's tall figure was silhouetted against it as he effortlessly cast out into the center of the still water. Sam slipped into the chair next to his.

"It's beautiful out here," she remarked, looking everywhere, trying to drink in every inch of the landscape spread around them. As soon as he sat down again, she reached over and took his unoccupied hand.

"I can see why you love this so much," she observed after a long silence.

Jack looked over at her.

"I can't believe you're here with me," he said in wonder.

"I've been dreaming about this for years," Sam smiled shyly.

"About catching fish with me?" Jack teased.

"No, about fish-ing."

Jack chuckled. "So, how do you like fish-ing?"

"I don't know yet. I just got here, I need more experience at it."

Jack smiled broadly at that. "I'd be glad to teach you all about it."

"You sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"I'm so sure. Fish-ing is an art form."

"And you're an expert?"

"No, far from it," Jack sighed. "But we'll learn together, okay?"

Sam got up and sat down in his lap, wanting nothing more than to be as close to him as she could be. She heard the pole clatter to the dock and then his arms were anchored around her, holding her gratefully against him.

"You betcha," she happily agreed.

The End

I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed writing. Thanks for reading,and for writing: I have spent many happy hours reading all of your great fics.