Title: When All Else fails
Chapter: Two
Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
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Pete looked at him dumbfounded for a moment, before nodding his head. "Come in." He moved out of the doorframe and allowed Jack to pass, then led him to the couch. When he sat down Pete asked him if he would like a beer or something to drink.
"No," he said shaking his head. "I'm not going to be staying long."
"You drove all the way here from Colorado Springs to stay for only a few minutes?"
He shrugged, "I made a promise."
"A promise? To who?"
"Carter."
The look on his face changed from confused to grave, "What kind of promise?"
Jack sighed to himself, "She wanted me to tell you something."
"When? How? I thought she died," confusion was once again setting in.
That surprised Jack, "What?"
"The man who came, he told me she was MIA, and to be assumed as dead."
Jack shook his head; "She ascended."
His eyebrows furrowed, "What the hell does that mean?"
'Oh boy,' Jack thought, 'this is a tough one.'
"Uh, she's not exactly dead but she's not exactly alive anymore either." He explained, hoping the other man was smart enough to understand, "She's living on a higher existence of being, and she basically is pure energy now. But, she can still take on her human form and speak. She came to me, when I first woke from my coma."
Pete's voice was thick, and his words sounded forced. "What happened to her?"
"She was shot, on P8Q-375. Apparently one of the men thought that it wasn't the smartest thing for women to be warriors and decided to show us that opinion with what looked like a .9 mm semi-automatic. He shot her once, and before he could shoot again Daniel helped her ascend. He knew how, he'd done it before."
A look of hope passed through his eyes. "So she can come back?"
This was turning out harder than Jack thought, "No, not really." He began, "That's where all of this gets confusing. Daniel didn't want to come back, not really. He was forced to; it was a punishment for his actions. He tried to kill a Goa'uld using his powers and Oma wasn't to thrilled about it, so she descended him. Now, I guess Sam could descend, but she would have to do something pretty bad in order to do so. And I gotta tell you, if I ascended I don't think I would want to come back."
Pete didn't seem to like that, "So, she's gone?"
He nodded.
"And she's not coming back?"
"It's not a very good possibility, no." He shook his head, "She's not coming back."
He nodded, "You ... ah... you said that you made her a promise?"
"When she came to me, she had a message for you. She told me to tell you that she was sorry, and that she loved you." Ok, so he added the last part, but she was Pete's fiancée, at least before she ascended.
"Thank you," Pete said, his voice breaking, "I know she meant a lot to you."
He nodded, "She was one of my best friends."
"Are you all right?" He asked, motioning towards his stomach where the bandage could be seen through his shirt.
He shrugged, "I've been hurt worse."
"Right," he nodded.
"I should be going," he said standing, "I'm not even supposed to be driving."
"Thank you again," Pete told him, following him to the door.
He nodded and left the apartment, got into his truck and drove off. He still had another part of his promise to keep.
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When he got home he decided to have her come to him, he was to exhausted from driving to Denver and back almost simultaneously. So, he called her and let her know he was home, and asked if she wanted to come over and talk. She said she did, she would leave campus as soon as she finished with her homework, and it would probably take about an hour.
So, in that time he ordered a pizza. The delivery boy got to his house before Cassie did so he put the pizza on the kitchen table and went back into the living room to wait for her. She arrived ten minutes later, she looked happy to see him but he could tell she knew why she was there.
"This is about Sam isn't it?" She asked as she took a bite of her pizza.
He nodded.
"She ascended?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah," he took a bite of his own pizza.
She gave him a small, sad smile. "Daniel already told me about it, Jack."
"There's something that Daniel didn't know," he told her as a matter-of-fact.
She looked at him confused, "Oh yeah? What?"
"She came to me, after she ascended. She wanted me to tell you that she loved you and she would be watching out for you. Which I guess you can take as either a good thing or a bad thing." He smiled at her, "But, I wouldn't do anything that she might not like, just in case."
She smiled back, "I'll consider that."
"So," he asked, changing the subject. "How's school been going?"
She shrugged, "It's been good. Med school is going to be hard."
"You'll do good," he asured her. "Before you know it there's gonna be a Neapolionic power monger jr. running around." He smiled, "You'll be great, just like she was."
"I hope." She sighed, "How are you dealing with all of this Jack? I know that you and Sam were close."
"Yeah," he whispered, "close."
Cassie frowned at him, "She knew that you loved her Jack, if that's what you're worried about."
"No, it's not." He said her, his head shaking. "I know she knew. I told her so."
"Really?" She asked him, confused.
He nodded.
Cassie was silent for a moment, she finished eating her pizza and then looked back up at him. "She's the one who told me about mom, you know?"
He shook his head, "No. I didn't."
"She showed me the tape. That's just like mom, always saving the day, being the hero." She smiled sadly, "I mean, I know you guys would probably be considered more heroic then she would, but she loved what she did. She saved so many people's lives, most probably never even knew her name."
"I know," Jack said. "I know."
"Sam, too. Look at all the times she's kept things from happening to earth, and now she's gone and nobody knows the difference. It was the same way when Daniel was gone. It doesn't seem fair, you know. You guys do these extraordinary things and nobody's the wiser. Nobody would be left if it wasn't for all of you guys at the SGC, you should be regarded as national heroes, but if somebody saw you walking down the street they wouldn't think twice about you."
"Life's not always fair, Cassie. Things don't always work out, fame and fortune is a privilege only a few share."
She shook her head, "Not the right few."
"That's how things work. Truth be told, I like it better this way. I don't want to have to fight through the masses just to get to my truck in the morning, or be recognized while I'm in the restroom, and photographed every time I turn around. Neither would Sam, Daniel, or Teal'c. It's easier this way, being unknown."
"You're probably right, but that still doesn't make it fair. They should be remembered, mom and Sam both."
"I know," he said, shaking his head as well. "You remember them for the world, all right?"
She nodded, "I'll do my best."
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15 months, 24 days after Sam's ascension:
He got a surprising telephone call that day, from Pete Shannahan. The two had talked a few times since he drove down to Denver, mostly about their memories of Sam, how much they missed her. Occasionally they talked about sports, Pete was a hockey fan too, they even went to a game once because Daniel wouldn't go with him. But the call wasn't the surprising thing, no, it was the subject.
"I'm getting married," was the first thing out of his mouth.
"To that girl ..." He asked, "Jessica?"
"Yeah," he replied. "I asked her last night."
"She said yes? I'm happy for you."
"I can't help but feel like I'm cheating on Sam, though. She's still out there somewhere and here I am proposing to another woman."
"She would want you to move on, Pete." He told him, "You know that."
He was silent for a moment before asking, "Then why haven't you?"
"Why haven't I what?" Jack asked, confused.
His answer was simple, "Moved on."
"There's nothing to move on from, Pete." He lied, "Sam and I never had a relationship."
"Maybe not a physical one, but God was I always jealous of you. She got this sparkle in her eyes whenever she was talking about you, not as her boss, but as her friend. And she never smiled at me the way she did when she was around you."
"Maybe," he said with a sigh. "But there was still nothing to move on from."
"Keep telling yourself that, maybe one day you'll convince us both of it. Anyway, I want you to be in it."
"In your wedding?"
"I need another groomsman," he said nonchalantly. "You up for it?"
"Damn, Pete. You just asked the girl last night, when are you getting married?"
"Next month," he replied.
"Why so soon?"
"She wants a simple wedding, it won't take too long to plan. We're in love; you know what that's like. Waiting more than a month would seem like an eternity. I wish I had asked Sam sooner, instead of waiting as long as I did."
Jack sighed into the phone, "Are you having it in Denver?"
"Yeah, at a park by my apartment. Does that mean you'll do it?"
"Sure, why not," he said grimacing into the telephone.
"Thanks, Jack. I don't know how I can repay you for all the things that you've done for me this past year."
"Be happy, that's what Sam would want so that's what I want."
"Bye, Jack."
"Yeah."
He hung up the phone and stared at it for a few minutes, of course he was happy for Pete, he had grown to tolerate the man. But, was being in the wedding of the woman he loved's former fiancé the right thing to do? He understood the man's hesitance to move on, Jack himself hadn't been able to even think about dating or anything along the lines of it. But, then again he hadn't dated much before she ascended either.
He picked up the phone and dialed Daniel, he told him about the predicament. Daniel seemed upbeat about it, he told him that Pete was doing the right thing by moving on, Sam wasn't going to be coming back. He also added that Jack himself should move on and start to date.
"What do you know about dating, Daniel?" Jack had asked, "When was the last time you went on one?"
Daniel had gotten a smug tone in his voice, "Last week, as a matter of fact."
"Oh," was all Jack could say. "With who?"
"One of the nurses at the SGC. You know, she actually asked me out."
Jack shook his head and laughed, "Figures. Well, I'd better let you go. I've got to pick up Teal'c, we're going out to a movie."
"Oh, which one?"
"Some sci-fi thing, you know how he is with those movies."
"Probably because he's lived more than half of what they're talking about in them."
Jack protested, "So have we!"
"Not the same," Daniel told him.
"It's not?" Jack asked surprised. It seemed like it should be the same.
"No, Jack. He's actually an alien, we've just met them."
"Oh, guess you're right. Bye then."
"Bye Jack."
Jack dropped the phone into its cradle and picked up his wallet and keys, then left the house locking it behind him. As he pulled out in the driveway he thought he saw a light on in the house, but when he looked again it was gone. He pushed it aside as his old mind playing tricks on him.
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Inside a brilliant white flash illuminated Jack's bedroom, and a blonde figure sat on the edge of his bed, looking around, surveying how much it had changed from the last time she had visited. Which she didn't do often. She walked around the house, glancing at the photographs scattered here and there. Some were of the old days when he had been a part of SG-1, some were later when he was General, and there were even a few from after she had ascended. She looked at one in particular; it was of him and Cassie on her 20th birthday. She had been there, invisible to the crowd. But, she was certain she could see a smile on both the faces of Jack and Cassie when she had arrived. Like they somehow knew she was there.
Truth be told, she'd been at his house for awhile, listing to his telephone conversations. So, Pete was getting married. Good for him, she thought, he deserves to be happy. In all truths, if it had been reversed and Jack was the one getting married she would have been furious. Why? She wasn't sure, it wasn't like she'd be coming back to him, and he had no reason to wait for her.
She stayed the whole time that he was gone, and when he returned she made it so that he couldn't see her, she watched him as he watched television for a few minutes, laughing at the comments made by some fake-reporter on the Daily Show with Jon Stewert. It was funny, yes, but not much made her laugh anymore. She wasn't sure if she had in over a year.
When he rose to go to bed she followed, looking away as he undressed, but peaking out of the corner of her eye every now and then. She wasn't sure why, he couldn't see her, she guessed she just wanted some things to be left to the imagination.
She had fallen deeper in love with him since her time as an ascended being, whenever she got the free time she would pop in and check on him, although she never made her presence known. Oma wouldn't allow that, but it was fine as long as he never saw her. She would watch as he helped save the world, yet again, even from his General's chair. She watched as he stood in the control room when SG-1 or any other team would go off-world on another mission, she was tempted to hold his hand when she saw that "why can't that be me?" look in his eyes. And she would lend a helping hand inadvertently, whenever it was required, but she could never do the things that she had done before. There was no more fixing the Stargate malfunctions and no more working on naqquida generators. She had to help through others, and although Siler was a brilliant scientist, he needed help frequently.
He would talk to her sometimes, just in case she was there, watching. The conversations were always filled with confessions of love, and loneliness. How much he wished she would come back to him, how everything would be different if he had a second chance. But, he always wondered about how beautiful it was where she was at and told her he understood her decisions to stay, he probably would in the same situation. She never believed him when he said these things and it always made her feel guilty.
Later that night, as he drifted off to sleep she leaned in and whispered her goodbye in his ear, as she always did. This time, however, was different. This time he answered back.
"Night, Sam," he told her in a sleepy voice.
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A/N: So, tell me what'cha think about it so far. I love feedback.
