Chapter Two
The debriefing had been two agonizing hours of answering General Hammond's questions and reliving Jack's death. By then the shock had worn off.
Sam was lying on her bed in the temporary quarters she had to stay in while Janet wanted to keep them on base. She felt numb and alone. The events leading up to Jack's death kept playing over and over in her mind. She tried to think of some way she could have prevented it—some way she could have saved him. She always managed to stop the reminiscence right before he died.
Feeling restless and knowing that, if she didn't do something, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from replaying his death, she got up and started to wander the halls in the general direction of the elevator.
Why did she feel this way? She had always known it would hurt if the colonel ever died, but she hadn't known it would be this bad. She missed him, terribly. She half expected him to come around the corner, a grin on his face, and ask her to go fishing with him. If he did, she would probably reply, "Ya, sure, you betcha, Snookums," and kiss him, court-martial or not.
She swiped at the tears that had managed to escape her eyes. So that was that, she was in love with him; it was the only answer. She had known it for a long time, maybe even since she had first met her brown-eyed, smart-aleck colonel, but she had never been able to admit it—even to herself. She was in love with him and now he was gone.
Leaning against the wall for support, she broke down. Sobbing uncontrollably, she slid down to the floor and buried her face in her hands.
If only Jack would find her here, take her in his arms and tell her that everything was all right—that he was alive.
"Jack!" Sam's scream echoed through his mind again. His heart was aching at the thought of leaving her—of leaving her without telling her how he felt. The ghost pain of the wound that had ended his life throbbed in his chest again. This time, the darkness that followed didn't last.
"Tau'ri, I have revived you. I am Atê. Bow before your goddess!" a Goa'uld voice commanded.
"We have new ways of learning what we want. You will perhaps find them more appealing." The Goa'uld laughed maniacally, causing him to shiver. There was a bright flash, his eyes burned, and he fell back into the dark abyss that was trying to claim him.
A few days later, the SGC had a memorial service. Soldiers in full dress uniform stood at one end of the gate room, across from the Stargate. At the end of that line, there was a podium facing the corner of the ramp. General Hammond stood at the podium and SG-1 stood to his right with Janet. On the ramp, were six soldiers holding the corners and sides of an American flag.
"Dr. Jackson." Hammond nodded to the archaeologist and stepped away from the podium as Daniel took his place.
"Jack O'Neill…" Daniel's voice caught in his throat. He looked down at his hands and swallowed. "Jack O'Neill…gave me Sha're. He's saved my life more times than I can remember. To Jack, his team was his family. He had an unwritten rule that nobody got left behind, and he tore himself apart when he was forced to break it. He kept us on our toes. He always said he was a man of very few words, but when he spoke people listened…even if they wanted to punch him afterwards."Daniel let out a sad, gasping chuckle that sounded like a strangled hiccup. Sam smiled sadly, tears in her eyes.
He took a deep breath and continued, "He was a good friend, a good man, a good leader. He gave his life for us and we'll be forever grateful…the world…the, the universe is going to be…a…more boring place without him."
Author's Note: Atê is pronounced Ah-tay. Thanks for the reviews. I'm so giddy! This is my first fanfic. I've uploaded three chapters. Enjoy!