Disclaimer: Still not in charge of any of these characters.

Spoilers: Nope…still AU

Tagline: They grew up together but will they grow old together?

A/N: Since I've received a number of requests for clarification on this point… There is a four year age difference but only a three grade difference between Jack and Sam. Jack and Mark are the same age/grade as college juniors. Sam is a high school senior currently applying to colleges. Also the first four chapters have been adapted very minutely to accommodate a suggestion by GateSeeker2. And now on with the show…

Sam

After she'd finished setting up Jack's room Sam decided that she needed a run too. Normally she preferred a mind-numbing swimming practice but she couldn't do that here so she slipped into Mark's room and grabbed some clothes. She changed in the bathroom and then took off on the small loop around campus that Mark had shown her on a previous visit.

Well that was awkward. I never dreamed that that was how I'd end up waking up next to Jack. At least now I know he's not completely unaffected even if he isn't really interested. I never really expect guys to be interested. I'm smart, athletic, and outspoken it tends to scare guys I suppose. Jonas was nice enough, but we make better friends. Pete was just a mistake, one of those guys who are only after an easy lay, but covers it up with all the right words. I'm glad Jack was there for that one. It always seems to come back to him. He was my first crush. Is it wrong to hope that he'll be my last?

With that question, easily answerable to anyone but the person asking it, Sam found herself back at the guys' house. T was now moving around the kitchen and Mark and Catherine were sitting on one of the couches coffees in hand. Sam waved at the trio and headed upstairs to shower.

Thankfully Sam had brought her change of clothes into the bathroom with her because as she left after her shower to head back to Mark's room she bumped into Daniel.

"Woah Danny, sorry. Didn't mean to knock you over there."

"Wha…um, no all my fault, wasn't looking where I was going. Sam, have you seen my glasses? I can't find them."

"Did you bring them back from Janet's?"

"Jan's? Why would they be at…oh I guess I was wearing them last night huh? I better go call her then."

Sam didn't bother hiding her smile as Daniel headed back to his and Jack's room. Danny was an incredibly intelligent guy and a total sweetheart but sometimes he seemed to have no common sense whatsoever. She didn't really know much about Janet, as the two had only recently begun dating, but she hoped the other woman was firmly grounded. Otherwise the two would never get anywhere. With that thought Sam headed downstairs.

"Good day Samantha Carter. Was your sleep restful? Do you require nourishment or beverage?"

"Morning T. I am a little hungry. Could you pour me some OJ? I'm just going to grab a handful of cereal."

"Hey Sam, would you mind bringing the bag over here with you? Cath and I haven't had anything to eat yet this morning."

"Sure bro. By the way, thanks for making sure there was no place for me to sleep last night."

Sam stuck her tongue out at Mark as she walked over with the cereal bag. She considered dumping it on his head for a moment but settled for just throwing a handful at him.

"Sorry Sam, it's my fault. If I'd been thinking I'd have brought Mark back to my place. It's only just down the street. What did you have planned for today? Other than going to the hockey game tonight?"

"I hadn't really thought about it Cath. I know it sounds childish, but I was thinking it might be fun if the bunch of us went to the Crayola factory."

"What is this factory of which you speak Samantha Carter?"

"You've been here for three years and nobody's explained this to you before T? At the Crayola factory you get to see how they make crayons and markers and then there is an area where you can play with other Crayola products."

"Sounds like fun to me," came Janet's voice from the front hall. "Hi y'all. Daniel forgot his glasses at my place again. Anybody know where he is?"

A clatter caused everyone's attention to shift to the stairs as the man in question stumbled down the final few.

"Oh good… Jan, you didn't happen to bring my glasses over with you?"

"Of course Daniel. So how about going the Crayola factory? I suggest grabbing some food before heading downtown."

A chorus of assent greeted Janet's suggestion and the group moved to gather their belongings.

A little while later their food was spread over several tables in the student center. Sam was listening to Janet and Catherine while the guys were dissecting some sports game from the previous evening. Actually, Mark was doing most of the talking while T and Daniel nodded along. In the back of her mind, Sam was beginning to wonder nervously whether Jack was actually going to call. Janet interrupted her musings.

"So Sam, do you actually want to come to school here or are you just visiting to humor your parents?"

"Oh no, I adore it here. Mark and Jack have seemed so happy here and the college has a great reputation in the sciences. Also I could actually make the swim team here and I really like the coach."

"You mentioned the sciences; do you know what you want to major in already? I'm premed/biochemistry but I won't officially declare until next year since I'm only a freshman. Cath here's majoring in psychology like Jack."

"I was considering physics, astronomy, or electrical engineering. There are so many possibilities. I'd like to be an astronaut someday, go into space. There's just something about stars that fascinates me."

"You and Jack," laughed Catherine. "Granted, they're very nice to look at, but I'm not sure I care to know what's out there."

"Actually Jack's the one who got me interested in stargazing. When he was home we had this routine where I'd go over every other week or so and we'd spend a few hours looking at different phenomena."

"Oh, so you're the star buddy he's always complaining about missing. He was particularly annoying last New Years when the guys had to be around for hockey. I believe he said something about a tradition?"

Sam blushed slightly. "Yeah, every year since I was 10 our families have had New Years parties together and Jack and I always skip out around 11 to go look at the stars."

"Oh, that's so cute Sam. Isn't it Cath? Not to change the subject too much but are there any guys in your life other than Jack?"

"Now Janet, that's none of our business."

"Sorry Sam. I'm just curious, and I have this feeling we'll be great friends if you end up coming to school here, so I want to get a head start on getting to know you."

"Its fine Janet, and no, I'm not seeing anyone right now. I dated this guy Jonas last year but we decided we'd make better friends. Now he's going with my friend Cassie. A little while ago I was considering dating another guy, but he was a totally jerk. He tried to feel me up in a movie theater on our first date. Ugh."

Catherine's mouth pursed.

"Oooh. So you're the reason for the interrupted date. No wonder Sarah wasn't too happy when she heard you were coming to visit. That explains a lot about why she and Jack got into a fight last night."

"They had a fight? I didn't hear anything."

"Well it was more of a staring contest than anything else. Sarah had been trying to get him to go back to her place and he flat out turned her down. She started to get insistent but he just stared her down. She left in a huff."

Sam was starting to feel a little bad about prying into Jack's life like this. He'd given her no indication that there was any reason for her to care. She did feel better knowing that the stunning brunette had been kicked out instead of doing the kicking. Janet chose that moment to chime in.

"I never liked her anyways. She was an unbearable snob, and she had no respect for those of us who worked hard to get where we are. On a nicer note I think everyone's finished eating. Why don't we head out?"

At that moment Mark's phone began to ring.

"Hey Jack. Whatcha up to?"

"We're just finishing up lunch. We were going to head down to the Crayola factory. Interested?"

"We'll wait for you here."

"Hey Sam, Jack says he's sorry, he couldn't find your number."

The group cleared their tables and went back to pick up some sweets while they waited for Jack to join them. Sam had had enough gossip for the moment so she sat down with Daniel this time.

"So how're classes going Danny?"

"Busy. It's hard to make sure I get all the required courses in because of my double major. You'd think more people would overlap between Anthropology and Ancient Civ. And then there are all the languages I wish I had time to learn. It's all so fascinating though, the ancient mythologies and how it impacted the evolving cultures. Sometimes I get so wrapped up I forget to eat or sleep unless Jan reminds me. She's so strict about those things."

Daniel winked and smiled at Janet, giving Sam the feeling that this was a running joke between the two of them. She couldn't help but smile in response. The couple was obviously good together, each balancing the other. However Sam was getting slightly nervous. Jack would be there any minute and she had no idea how he'd taken her…decoration.

She wasn't going to get a chance to find out either. As soon as she spotted Jack, Janet began hustling the group out of the student center and into two cars.

"Jack you're with me and Daniel. T why don't you and Sam go with Mark and Catherine? Jack you can eat your sub in the car."

A/N 2: Hope you guys liked a little more interaction with the other characters. For further clarification: Janet is a freshman, so she's only been dating Daniel for 3 months. Daniel is a junior like Mark and Jack, while Catherine's a sophomore. Let me know if any of the conversations were confusing or if there are any other questions on character relationships. Next chapter coming soon.