The Song Series – "Cry"

Spoilers Season 8 Affinity – Missing Scene

Disclaimer – It's not mine we all know that but this story is mine.

A/N – I have a theory that for every 'shippy' moment in Stargate history there is an appropriate song. Here is the first of what hopefully will be many in the series. Please note this is only my second fic and my first with Chapters so I hope it works well for you.

Jack looked at the card in his hand and let out a heavy sigh. After all these years he couldn't believe that he was reading the words in front of him.

"Please join us to celebrate the engagement of Pete and Sam.

Place – O'Malleys

Time – 8pm Saturday, September 18, 2004"

He looked incredulously at the words and shook his head for the umpteenth time that day. It was 4 O'clock and the party was only 4 hours away. He originally had no intention of going. He had told Carter that there was a possibility of a meeting with a new off-world ally and he was needed on base. Unfortunately his heart wasn't in the lie and he could tell by the flicker of hurt that showed in her eyes that she had seen the lie for what it was.

However, Sam didn't question it, although she couldn't explain why. Was it because he was her Commanding Officer and you never imply that your CO is a liar, or because she didn't want confirmation of what she already suspected – that he didn't care anymore. At the time she thought back to the weeks surrounding Pete's proposal. She had given Jack more than enough of a chance to talk her out of getting married to the cop from Denver . Even tried to make it easy for him by asking his advice on what she should do. The conversation in her lab didn't go as either of them expected it to, both worried that this conversation might push their relationship in the wrong direction. As a result of their anxiety, their responses were guarded to the extreme.

Sam looks at Jack and says "Pete gave me this." Jack takes the box, opens it and looks at the ring, then looks at Sam. "People normally wear these on their fingers" Jack replies. "I haven't said yes" countered Sam followed by "And yet -- you haven't said no" from Jack. He snaps the box shut. Sam inwardly flinches at the sound and says "I told him I needed to think about it". "And?" asks Jack as he puts the ring box on the desk. "That was two weeks ago" Sam replies. Careful not to show any emotion Jack simply says "Ah!".

Sam decides to keep going trying to get a reaction from Jack " Y'know, all these years I've been concentrating on work -- I just assumed that one day I would ... " "Have a life?" jack interrupts. " Yeah!". "Yeah". Sam decides that since she's gone this far she might as well continue looking for Jack to latch upon any excuse to show her that he still has feelings for her "And now it comes down to it, I don't know. I mean, every time we go through the Gate, we risk not coming back. Is it fair to put somebody else through that?" But Jack was not seeing these as hints to him – he was simply seeing them as her expressing her concerns to her CO as that was all he was to her now, wasn't it?

She was talking to him about getting engaged to another man. No one would do that it they had feelings for that person. So he buried his own feelings using his best special ops tactics and continued as her CO and "friend". "Pete is a cop -- I think he could handle it." She tries to push back again "What about kids?". He looks straight at her " What about 'em?". "Do I take maternity leave and then come back? What, do I drop the baby off at daycare on my way to some unexplored planet on the edge of the Crab Nebula? ". Jack refused to bite. "Carter, there are people on this base who have families." Sam thinks for a moment, then looks directly into Jack's eyes. His are still and dead. Hers are filled with pleading emotion. "What about you? If things had been different ... " Jack looks at her for a moment and simply replies "I wouldn't be here".

The hurt stabbed at Sam, piercing her heart, believing that Jack had basically encouraged the marriage to another man. To her his parting words that day were the final confirmation of his feelings towards her – he no longer "cared about her more than he should". No matter what had been said in the past, the feelings that had been left in the room had obviously died there and as the devastating sadness took over, a piece of her died too. She had rushed off to Pete as soon as she got off base that night and accepted his proposal with an enthusiasm she didn't feel. Pete didn't notice that her smile didn't reach her eyes and he slipped his diamond ring on her finger. He spent the rest of the evening planning their engagement party and wouldn't take Sam's pleas that it be a quiet family affair.

A/N Thanks to Callie Sullivan for her transcipt on Gateworld.