pt. 7

Secrets

A/N: A bit of bedroom scenes but not that detailed. Pete/Other. Sam/Daniel friendship, Sam/Jack Shipper. (PG just in case)

(Two weeks into their marriage.)

As the morning sun gleamed through the window of Sam and Pete's bedroom we see not Sam, but a strange white blond woman about three or four years younger than her sleeping with Pete. With Sam off world, they had all the time they wanted.

"Morning," the blonde said warily lifting her head off the pillow onto Pete's chest.

"Morning," Pete said as well while running his fingers in her hair. As he does so, we notice no wedding ring on his hand. Then he remembered that the cameras had a timer.

"I'd better get to work, Lori." He lied and was about to get out of bed when she held on to his hand.

"Just ten more minutes, please." She begged pouting slightly.

Pete gave her a 'Really, I have to go' look but was over come by her puppy eyes.

"Fine, but just ten." He said defeated as he rolled on top of her with a playful smile on his face.

"Then we have to work fast then…" she said with a grin.

As the minutes turned into hours, Pete completely forgot about the timer. By the time Laura left, it was already 10:55 AM, about six hours after their little conversation.

As Pete was about to open the door to show her out, Sam was standing there with her keys in her hand and a curious

"Oh… er… hi Sam." Pete said quickly. 'Oh crap… what now! Think fast Shanahan.' he thought. "Okay then, see you later Lori." he said quickly while pushing her out while trying vainly to smile innocently at Sam.

"Call me about the prints later." he told her and waved over eagerly at her.

She got the hint and hurried to her car. Sam just looked at him suspiciously, but was too preoccupied with recent events to see the obvious and walked past him, pressing a kiss to his lips, noticing a strange taste.

At Sam's Lab

Sam's seen busy working on the new doohickey that Sg3 brought back from P34-023 when Daniel peers through the half opened door.

"Hey Sam is this a bad time to talk?" He asks with his ever ready smile on his face.

"Hmm? Oh no of course not." Sam puts down the molecular diffusion wrist band on the work surface, folds her hands, looks at Daniel and says, "So, what's on your mind Daniel?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just bored."

"Really?" she says sarcastically rolling her eyes and pretends to reach out and pick up her doohickey again.

Daniel ignores the sarcasm and they sit in a long silence until, "So, what's married life like?"

"Oh…" That caught her off guard. 'Should I? Naw…' she thinks. "Fine, it's good." She lies. 'More like lonely…'

"Oh, 'cause you don't seem very happy." 'Nice approach Danny…' he mentally kicks himself as he sees the frown appear on Sam's face at his remark.

"No I am really." She lies again a small smile appearing on her face. "Pete, he's… he's great."

"Oh, okay. If you say so." Another long pause. "So you're happy?"

"Yeah, I am." she reassures.

"Well, just checking."

"Why?"

"Well, because we worry about you. Yah know, me, Teal'c, Jack, and Cassy, but if you're happy, that's fine." Daniel gets up and walks out of the lab leaving a mentally hurt Sam because she knows that most of what she said was not true and as Daniel closes the door, he secretly hopes she got the point.

At Their Home

Sam shakes the memory off and heads for her work station. "Hmm, I guess Pete was doing some work today." she whispers quietly. As she clicks on the icon to close it, she takes a look at the screens. "Cameras." she tells herself angrily. As she types some more to see how long they have been installed she comes across a video. She seesLori and… Pete. Sam gasps a little too loudly and Pete comes in to see a teary eyed Sam.

"It's not what you think…"

"How could you!" she accuses him still trying to fight the tears from falling stands up and points her finger accusingly at him. Pete on the other hand walks over to her slowly.

"Well, let's say we never see each other any more. We never talk any more. Heck, it seems like we aren't living in the same house Sam." He accuses harshly.

"Well I could have done something!" she lies while walking away, and faces the nearby window.

"Tell me, would you really?" He asks, attempting sincerity - instead getting sarcasm.

"I don't know." she says softly after a long pause.

"I had a feeling. You don't love me." He walks towards the door.

"Yes I do!" she says.

He shakes his head. "You're gonna leave aren't you." she says again this time with tears silently falling down her cheek.

He meets her eyes and nods, ever so slightly.

"I've been thinking it over and I'm sorry."

Sam nods her head slowly and grabs her coat and car keys. She passes by Pete without a word and shuts the door with a slam.

The engine of her Volvo starts with a gentle purring and drives off to wherever her heart was leading her.

At the Mountain

Jack had just finished a bowl of jell-o when he 'fondly' looked at the pile of papers on his desk. As he was finishing up the filing, he thought 'Dammit I feel like Carter.' Jack had refused to call Sam "Shanahan" although that was her official name - both on base and off. He just couldn't find himself doing that and neither could Teal'c or Daniel 'A sign perhaps?' He thought then shook his head, with a rueful smile crossing his features. As he stopped working, he decided to call it a day and head home for the night.

As he drove farther away from the mountain he thought back to the night two weeks ago when Janet had visited him at the cabin. "Yah know, I think might be alright" he remembers himself saying but now he's not so sure.

'Two weeks and I still can't move on. What's the matter with me.' he thinks angrily.

Jack was about to pull into his parking spot, but he sees a car already parked there. "What the hell…" Jack was about to scowled the person who parked on his property when he sees that it's Sam's Volvo. He hops out of his truck and walks over to a red eyed Sam sitting on his porch concern overpowering him.

"Carter what's going on?"

"I… he…' she says shaky. Jack notices no wedding ring on her finger and makes eye contact with her. "He… cheated." she says silently, then breaks down in tears covering her face with her hands.

"C'mer." and he holds her close to his heart, just like he'd always done. She sobs into his shoulder while his face is in her neck.

When they break apart they head inside and sit in silence for a while. He takes her coat and hangs it on the rack and offers her a seat on the couch.

"So, are you getting a divorce then?" He asks gently.

She nods slowly. "You know the funny thing is, I don't think it would have lasted. I mean, he said so himself, 'We barely see or talk to each other any more.' " she says.

"So, you didn't love him?" He asks and then mentally slaps himself for being so bull headed.

"I…" she doesn't know what to say.

"You can be honest. I mean we're friends right?"

She nods. She tries to calm down, afraid of the truth.

" Here Carter," Jack stands. "You should get some rest."

"No…"

"No what?" Jack looks at her.

"I want you to stay." Jack looks at her again this time with an eyebrow raised. "I mean I could use the company, sir."

"Well, I see not problem in that, it is after all my house."

He sits back down. Sam rests her head on Jack's shoulder and he puts his arm around the back of the couch, resting it on her shoulder.

After a while they fall asleep, still in each other's arms.