Samantha was busy preparing dinner. She had never been much of a cook, but had taken a new interest in the topic since she and Jack had decided to move in together, making their relationship official to the rest of the base at least.

Jack was due any minute now, he said he had a few errands to go after work, but work was supposed to have ended an hour and a half ago.

She was so busy trying to concentrate on her sauce that she didn't hear the front door open and close, and his footsteps as he came softly behind her.

"Whatcha cooking!" he asked softly kissing the back of her ear, making her jump.

"Jack!"

"Were you expecting anyone else?" he asked softly chuckling as he turned her in his embrace to give her what he called a proper kiss.

"Wait a sec, would you? I've tried three times to make this sauce good!" she said as she went back to her stove.

"'Know what? I'll wait for you in the lounge. I have something very important to ask you..."

"I'll be there soon, I promise."

After a while indeed, Samantha made her entrance in the lounge. He was reading a Hockey magazine, but put it down as soon as he heard her footsteps.

She was carrying two glasses of wine, and she gave him one as she sat down, setting hers on the coffee table.

Jack looked at her smiling. There was an aura of happiness around her face that made it glow even stronger than when he had first met her, and he seemed to be responsible for that! He couldn't feel prouder...

He took a gulp from his glass before putting it next to hers on the coffee table. Then he took both her hands in his, moving on the couch so that he could face her entirely.

"So, what is it you wanted to ask me?" she asked.

"Samantha, we've been seeing each other for what?... Nine months now?"

"Nine months, 3 days and a few hours..." she replied playfully.

"Do you think you could bear to see me 24/7 for the rest of your life?"

"What?" she asked grinning, not understanding exactly the meaning of his words.

He picked a small black velvet box in his Jeans pocket and popped the lid open before her eyes.

"I am asking you to marry me..." he said a bit clumsily.

"Oh my God, Jack!" she said, letting go of his hands to raise hers to her mouth.

With trembling hands, she then took the box from his fingers and took the ring before slipping it on her finger, playing her hand before her eyes to admire the beauty of the jewelry.

"I... I hope you like it..." he said a bit unsure.

"Jack, it's gorgeous!"

"I couldn't think of anything else than a sapphire, like your eyes, and gold, like your hair..."

She silenced him with a deep kiss.

"Jack O'Neill, it's the most amazing ring I have ever seen, and you know what makes it perfect?"

"Tell me..." He said, kissing her knuckles.

Her eyes sparkled with love and happiness.

"... The simple fact that you love me enough you want to marry me..."

He smiled broadly and pulled her in a deep embrace, before kissing her mouth with renewed passion.

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The ceremony that bonded Samantha Carter and Colonel Jack O'Neill in holy matrimony was simple and only their closest friends attended, including SG1, General Hammond, and Major Janet Fraiser, which amounted to a small number of people.

The couple beamed with happiness as she threw the bouquet. Kawalsky took a picture of them as a rain of flower petals descended on them. Dinner afterwards was held at Jack's who had hired the services of professional caterers, and a band took care of the music.

Her feet sore from dancing with almost every man present at their wedding, Samantha took a much needed rest on a bench next to the house, enjoying the music and the sight of their friends and family having fun. She felt the happiest woman on Earth as she caught sight of her husband dancing with Dr. Janet Frasier. Her husband... She liked thinking of Jack as her husband she decided.

She was so engrossed in the warm feelings that coursed through her mind, that she hadn't noticed her father had come to sit next to her.

"You look happy, Sam..."

She started a bit at his voice.

"Dad!..." She exclaimed smiling at him broadly.

He returned her smile briefly, but she couldn't help but notice a trace of sadness in his look.

"Dad? You okay?"

Jacob Carter sighed.

"Sam... I have cancer..." He blurted out.

In a nanosecond, Sam's happiness was clouded with darkness. "What?"

Jacob smiled bitterly. "Lymphoma."

"That's bad." She breathed.

"Well, it's not good. But it's not the worst. Don't you worry, I'll be around for a while…" he said, trying to be reassuring.

"Oh God, Dad!" She said, standing up to face him.

Jacob looked straight at her.

"Look, Sam. I'm sorry to tell you this on your wedding day, but I was hoping to stick around long enough to see you become an astronaut." He seemed to gather his thoughts, then resumed. "Sweetheart, I don't care what it is you do in that mountain nothing in the world can live up to the chance to actually go into space. Not for you - it's something you've wanted your whole life. And I admit it, I want to see you fulfil your life's dreams before I die."

"It's my dream, doesn't that make it up to me?" Sam shot back, a little stronger than she intended to.

"Fathers have dreams too." Jacob said softly.

"Sorry, I can't..." Sam said, sitting back down.

Jacob stood up, smoothing his dress uniform.

"Alright. Like I said, this thing's going to go on for months, so you don't have to check up on me tomorrow."

Sam looked at him with a plea in her eyes.

"Dad, please don't go like this..."

But Jacob was already heading for the house, and then his car.

"Congratulations on the wedding, Sam... I guess Jack is the one..." he said, not even looking at her, with a wave of his hand.

"Dad!" She shouted one more time, standing up.

But he was already inside the house. Sam sat back down and tried to understand fully what had just happened, when she heard soft footsteps behind her and knew immediately whom they belonged to.

"Something wrong with your Dad?" he asked softly, sitting down next to her, facing her half turned back.

She quickly wiped her cheeks underneath her eyes, checking on her fingers her mascara hadn't smeared them too much, repressed a sniffle, then turned to him.

He looked concerned.

"Hold me, Jack." She simply asked.

He opened his arms and she took shelter in his warm embrace. They remained silent for a few minutes before she spoke.

"Dad has cancer." She simply said.

Not too good with words, Jack just tightened his embrace, kissing the top of her head, and murmuring sweet nonsense to soothe her.

:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤

Sam woke up with a start.

"No! Martouf!" She cried.

Jack was next to her in an instant, cradling her in his embrace.

"Sam!" came his muffled voice in her ear. She was trembling. He just held her long enough for her shaking to subside, then gently turned her so he could face her.

"You were dreaming..." he stated.

"Yes... Jack... I'm..."

"Shh..." He said, caressing her hair.

"These are not my dreams..."

"What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath and a gulp of water from her glass on the night stand.

"I guess it has something to do with Jolinar." She started. "I saw a man, his name was Martouf. He wore clothes I didn't recognize as things we would wear on Earth, and somehow, I know he was close to the symbiot I once carried, Jolinar. There were people running everywhere, and Jaffas firing their staff weapons at us, it was like some kind of evacuation... Martouf was trying to earn some time, I dialed the DHD, and we gated to his home planet, I guess... Then... I woke up."

He kissed her brow.

"This Martouf... Is he as handsome as I am?" He asked jokingly.

"Jack!" she said, swatting his arm gently. "I'm serious!"

"Sorry..." he said, hugging her again. "I was just trying to diffuse the tension."

"Jack... I saw the dialing sequence..."

"So?"

"So it means maybe we can find those people..."

"Oh for crying out loud Sam! They're Goa'ulds!"

"They're not! And you know it!... What Goa'uld would give its life to save its host! I mean yes, I was a host, but from our own experience, the Goa'ulds just change hosts when theirs are dying, they're not trying to save their lives!"

"Okay, you've got a point..."

"Jack, let me try to find this planet... Let me try the combination..."

He sighed, lying back down with a hand on his forehead, obviously deep in thought. After a moment, he sighed.

"Look Sam, it's not up to me to decide these kinds of things. We'll go talk to Hammond and we'll see what he decides. For what it's worth, I trust you... I don't trust the snake, but I trust you."

Sam relaxed at last and lay down against his chest.

"Thank you, Jack."

"Hmmm..." He mumbled against her head. "I just want to check for myself who this Martouf is, and why he sends dreams to my wife while she's asleep..." he joked, which was rewarded by a playful swat on his chest.

"Jack!"

"Come on, don't you like a little jealousy?" he teased her.

She chuckled and kissed his chest.

"What kind of a name is Martouf, anyway?" he concluded, earning himself another slap on the chest.

"Now Dr. Carter, that's so not fair!" he said, reversing their positions swiftly, and pining her to the mattress below him.

"It's 'O'Neill'!" She managed to groan as Jack's mouth left hers to trail soft kisses along her jaw towards her neck then collarbones.

"What?" he mumbled, not stopping his actions one second, his mouth fastening onto a pink nub as his hand started teasing the other.

"Doctor... O'Neill..." she choked as what he was doing to her senses registered with the rest of her body.

"Oh yeah!" he said, his voice muffled by the contact of her soft skin. "'can't seem to acknowledge that the most brilliant mind on Earth chose to marry such the dumb ass I am..." he chuckled.

She stilled his movements and brought his head up so she could look him in the eyes.

"Jack! You are not what you call a 'dumb ass'... Don't call the man I love a dumb ass." She said forcefully.

He smiled.

"I guess that's that self deprecating streak talking again..." he said as means of an apology.

She smiled and gave him a soft kiss that quickly transformed itself into a much more heated one.

"Make love to me, Jack..." she asked huskily.

"Yes Ma'am!" he replied as huskily, resuming his previous ministrations on her body.

After that, Samantha forgot entirely about her bad dreams...