Mysterious Distance

Part 15

Notes: This is the first section of the last part. I know some of you have been waiting for the final chapter and the wait is almost over. Sorry about that. I have difficulty perfecting final chapters. I thought I'd go ahead and put this out there to tide you over. The rest should be posted in the next couple of days. I'm almost done. I swear. Thanks for your patience and prodding.

Jack was on his way to Carter's lab when he heard her scream echoing through the hallway. He took off running and when he reached her door he collided with Dr. Felger who was exiting the lab. Jack grabbed the man by his lab coat lapels to steady him and demanded, "What's wrong with Carter?"

Felger just stared at him dumbfounded, so Jack shook him. Felger seemed to come back to reality and told Jack, "I don't know. She just yelled at me and threw her coffee cup at me."

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. I just asked her out to dinner."

"You big honkin' IDIOT!" Jack slammed him into the wall. "She's just lost her husband and you ask her out on a date?"

"N-No," Felger stuttered, suddenly fearful now that he was faced with an angry General O'Neill which was more terrifying than an angry Dr. Carter. "Well, it's not like Doctor Jackson is really dead."

"Have you seen any glowy jellyfish things floating around the base lately?"

"N-No."

"Then Daniel might as well be dead, because he's not with his wife."

"I thought she might like to have some fun."

"With you? You are nuts! What did you think? That you'd catch her on the rebound?" Jack slammed the terrified man against the wall, barely controlling his ire. "If I ever hear that you have come within ten feet of her, I'll send you to BP6-3Q1. Do you remember BP6-3Q1?"

"That was were the bug stung Teal'c and he started to turn into more bugs."

"That's right, Bug Boy. Just remember that. Now get out of here." Jack released his lab coat with a shove.

Jack watched Felger scurry down the hall for a second before taking a calming breath and entering Carter's lab. The room was dark, the blinking lights of the equipment lining the walls providing the only illumination. He gazed around the room trying to find Carter but he didn't see her. "Carter?"

"She's not here," he heard her ragged voice respond with a sniffle.

He found her sitting curled into the corner behind her work table. "Who are you then?"

"I don't know any more."

Jack slid down the wall to sit next to her, so close that their shoulders touched. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out an almond and toffee Godiva chocolate bar. "A little pick me up?"

Sam sniffed holding back tears and took the candy bar. "Too bad chocolate can't really solve anything."

"If it did, we'd all be really fat."

She gave a small laugh before breaking off a piece of chocolate and offering it to him. Jack gladly accepted it and waited for her to finish her bar before speaking again. "So did you get him?"

"Who?"

"Felger," Jack pointed to the shattered mug and puddle of coffee.

"No," she shook her head. "I missed. Scared him though."

"Yeah, I heard your scream. You scared me." Jack smirked slightly, "I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore by the way."

"You didn't hit him, did you?"

"No, I threatened to send him BP6-3Q1."

"The 'big honkin' bug' planet?"

"Yeah." He gently nudged her shoulder with his, "So, what's going on with you? It's not just Felger is it?"

"No," she let her head fall on his shoulder. "I thought I was okay. I thought I could deal with him being gone. It's not like he's really dead, is it?"

"No, but he still left you, Carter. It's okay to feel hurt by that."

"But that's just it, Jack. He left a long time ago. You know he did. He hadn't been himself for so long. I miss how he used to be. I'm pissed that he changed and made me start to hate him. I could always rely on Daniel. And, God, it just makes me so mad that he left Grace and me. But I miss my friend Daniel more than my husband. That sounds so horrible. I shouldn't have-" she cut herself off as she buried her face in his shirt and started sobbing in earnest. Jack reached an arm around her shoulders and just held her close to him. Finally she quieted and lifted her head a little. "Jack, take me out. I want to get drunk. Really drunk. Get me drunk, Jack."

"No."

"No?" she looked up at him, anger coloring her voice.

"No. We're going to get Grace. Then I'm going to take you home and you're going to pack. We're going to go fishing."

"Fishing? In Minnesota?"

"Where else?"

"Okay," she sighed, feeling suddenly drained, and let her head drop back against him.

Gracie wanted to grow up to be just like her Uncle Jack and that thought terrified Sam as much as it amused her. Currently she was amused as she watched Gracie follow Jack around on his pre-flight inspection of the plane. Gracie wore a miniature replica of Jack's brown leather bomber jacket and child-sized aviator sunglasses that she insisted on wearing when she flew because of course she wanted to be just like Uncle Jack. It did look a little incongruous with her beribboned pigtails and lavender dress though. She trailed Jack step for step as he circled the plane and explained what he was doing. They could have taken off a while ago but Jack patiently explained things and answered her sometimes unusually perceptive and sometimes childishly innocent questions. Patience was generally not something one associated with Jack O'Neill but he seemed to have an endless supply where Gracie was concerned.

When the inspection was complete Jack with Gracie clutching his hand sauntered over to Sam and told her, "We're good to go."

Sam nodded and followed them back to Jack's Cessna. "Mommy, you have to ride in the back. I'm the co-pilot."

"Okay," Sam smiled indulgently at her daughter. "Then, it's up to you to make sure Uncle Jack knows what he's doing and doesn't crash or get us lost."

Jack rolled his eyes but refrained from commenting as he lifted Gracie up and buckled her in the seat.

Sam slept almost the entire way to Minnesota. She hadn't been sleeping well since Daniel left. Being an Air Force brat and spending most of her adult life in the Air Force, she always felt at ease and relaxed on planes and whirr of the propellers lulled her to sleep. She awoke as the plane gently touched down on the small air strip.

A beat up old jeep drove out to meet them. Before it even stopped two young men jumped out and rushed over to help take their luggage and tie down the plane. Jack helped Sam and Gracie out and led them over to the grizzled man leaning against the jeep. "Well, well, look at General Jack. Quite the sight in the company of two beautiful women."

"Hi, Joe," Gracie said skipping up to the man.

"Gracie, my girl," Joe said as she launched herself into his arms. "Good to see you again. Whose this with you?"

"Mommy! She's coming fishing."

"Well, how about that." Joe set Gracie down and turned to Sam. "I'm Joe Jensen."

"Joe, this is Doctor Samantha Carter-Jackson," Jack introduced her. Sam smiled and shook Joe's hand

"Doctor Carter-Jackson, it's great to finally meet Gracie's mom. She's a wonderful kid and going to be an even better pilot. Right, Grace?"

"Yeah sure, you betcha," Gracie giggled in her best Minnesotan accent.

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you," Sam smiled at Joe. "And just call me Sam."

"Okay, Sam," he grinned back. "What brings you up to the middle of nowhere with this reprobate?" Joe nodded in Jack's direction.

Sam's smile fell, "Uh, my… um-" She broke off and looked to Jack, tears suddenly welling in her eyes.

Jack placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she unconsciously leaned back into him. "Her husband died a couple of weeks ago. She and Gracie could use some time away from things."

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry to hear that. I really am," Joe said sincerely and grasped her hand warmly. "You've certainly come to the right place to get away though. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you. And if you get bored by fishing without any actual fish."

"Hey!" Jack protested and Sam's smile reappeared.

It was early afternoon when they arrived at the cabin. She had slept all the way from the airstrip to the cabin and Jack insisted she take a nap while he got the place organized. He knew that she hadn't really been sleeping lately. Gracie had been exhausted from the excitement of the trip and took a nap with her mother.

When Sam woke up it was light outside and Gracie was no longer beside her. She turned over and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 10:12? She didn't know when the last time she'd slept this late, especially when she had fallen asleep yesterday afternoon. She vaguely wondered if Jack had slipped her a sedative. She wouldn't put it past him.

After her shower, Sam wandered into the living and kitchen area. Jack and Grace were nowhere to be seen. She supposed they were already out fishing. In the kitchen she found a note in Jack's writing stuck to the coffee maker. "Muffins in the oven. We're in the workshop."

'Workshop?' she wondered, but give it much thought after she opened the oven and found a stack of huge blueberry muffins.

After coffee and several more of the tasty muffins than she would normally eat she went outside in search of the mysterious 'workshop'. She saw a small building of similar construction of the cabin. The door was open and the soft strains of classical music drifted out of the open door. She stood in the doorway for a long moment completely shocked and fascinated by the scene before here.

Jack was sitting at a work bench, a clay pot before him. He was using a small delicate tool to a carve an intricate geometric filigree in the lip of the pot. He was so intent on his delicate work that he didn't even notice her. That was so unlike him. Most of his life spent on battlefields made him above all alert.

Her eyes skittered over to her daughter sitting across from Jack. Gracie was busily rolling clay between her hands making long strings of clay. The was slightly warped beginnings of a coil pot before her.

Sam's gaze couldn't help but be drawn back to Jack. He had on loose khakis and a denim work shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His hands and clothes were splattered with clay. There was something strange about him that she couldn't quite place until he lifted his head slightly to glance at Gracie who quietly intent on her on little pot. The movement of his head caused the light glint off his glasses. Jack was wearing glasses. The were small squarish silver wire rimmed frames and while they looked alien on his face they seemed to suit him. This man seemed to be a stranger, but it was undoubtedly Jack. She couldn't help but stare at him. The sure movements of his hands expertly carving the clay had he entranced. She had always like his hands.

The music stopped and Sam felt for sure Jack would notice her when he got up to change the cd, but he didn't.

Gracie looked up at him, "Can we listen to Kermit now, Uncle Jack?"

"Must we?"

"I wanna listen to Kermit."

"Okay, sweetheart," Jack sighed before inserting the cd. The overly familiar melody of 'It's Not Easy Being Green' began as Jack took his seat again. He picked up his loop tool and bent back over his pot. "You gonna stand there all day, Carter?" Okay, so he was wasn't as oblivious as she thought.

"Mommy!" Gracie grinned at her. "Look at my pot!"

Sam stepped over to Grace's side of the table, "It's very pretty, Gracie."

Grace smiled happily, "Uncle Jack taught me."

Sam caught Jack's eye, "Yes, well, it looks like Uncle Jack is full of surprises." He smirked slightly at her. "When did you become a master potter, Jack?"

"Oh, I've been at this for years."

"I never knew."

"You never came up here before."

"So all that talk of fishing is actually a front?"

"No, I fish. I just do this too."

Sam moved around the workshop and studied the shelves of ceramics, some drying, some fired but awaiting a glaze, and many more completed. "These are very impressive. I don't understand why you didn't tell us." She traced her finger along the Earth point of origin symbols carved along the rim of a cobalt blue vase.

"Oh, come on, Carter. You know I would have never heard the end of from Daniel. He would have wanted to analyze the crap out of everything, question me about symbolism, and just basically suck the fun out of it."

A sudden flicker of sadness and grief flickered across her face and her hand dropped at the mention of Daniel.

Jack looked apologetic, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're right," she smiled a little sadly. "Daniel would have had a field day. You do realize you're incorporating classified information into your work?"

Jack shrugged, "It's just a design unless you know better."

"So how long have you been doing this?"

"Since that whole time loop thing. I was going wacko from boredom for a while."

"So you took up pottery?"

"Among other things," a small mysterious smile played at his lips. "I had a lot of time on my hands."

She shook her head at his pun and decided to change the subject. "You're wearing glasses."

Jack looked slightly embarrassed. "I'm getting old, Carter. Besides they're just for reading. All that paper work has finally ruined my eyes."

"I haven't seen them before. Are you vain, Jack?" she teased.

"Actually, I just got them a couple of days ago."

"Oh. Why don't you get that laser thing done instead?"

"I don't really like the idea of someone pointing a laser into my eye. It was bad enough with Doc Frasier and her pen light."

Sam was hopeless at ceramics, much to Jack's utter and total delight. It wasn't often that anyone was better at anything than Sam Carter. Sam did have to admit that Jack was extremely patient with her and tried really hard to teach her. In between his spells of laughter that is. Even if she couldn't throw a pot to save her life and her six year old daughter's coil pot looked ten times better than hers, she had one of best days she could remember. She had fun with Jack and Gracie. She had gotten absolutely filthy, but she had fun.

She couldn't quite get over the discover over Jack's artistic talent. Suddenly a good deal of his doodles over the years made sense. He had been working out designs and patterns during all those boring briefings. After she had given up on producing at least one decent looking pot, she just sat and watched Jack and she began to think of things she had tried not to think about for a very long time.

To be concluded