Hugs to everyone who has reviewed this story. You guys are awesome!

Thanks to Lingren for giving my muse some direction for this last chapter.

Yes, this is the final chapter. I'm kind of sad it's over already... it's been fun. But I am thinking of writing another story... maybe one with a bit of plot. Or something resembling a plot, anyhow. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the final installment of this story!

Still spoilers for Threads.

Previously...

"Come on, let's get you out of this rain."

Sam nodded in agreement so Jack slipped a protective arm around her shoulders and together they braved the full onslaught of the drenching rain, heading straight for Jack's truck.

Chapter 3

Safe in the dry interior of the truck, Sam settled into the passenger's seat and fastened her seat belt as Jack started the engine. She leaned back with a sigh, resting her head against the seat. Jack turned on the heater and Sam closed her eyes, grateful for the warm air now starting to drive away the worst of the chill.

She felt much more relaxed now. All her pent-up grief had spilled out of her as Jack held her in the park, leaving her feeling drained but oddly calm. Relieved even. She was still sad, still mourning, but no longer in the same uncontrollable and frightening way. And Jack's continued presence in the driver's seat beside her filled her with a welcome sense of security and tranquility.

As Jack maneuvered the truck away from the curb and out into the street, Sam let herself drift into a blissful, groggy half awareness. All thought slipped away as she willingly gave in to the pleasant fogginess that was creeping through her. She let herself bask in this comforting nothingness until the touch of Jack's hand on her arm pulled her back to the world around her.

"Sam?"

She opened her eyes and blinked groggily. She didn't think she'd fallen asleep, she could've sworn they'd left the park only moments ago, but here they were already parked out front of her house. She sat up, trying to bring herself more fully awake.

"I guess I dozed off," she said with surprise, stifling a yawn.

"Ya think?" Jack's tone was affectionately teasing and Sam couldn't help but smile.

The smile only lasted a moment though, slipping away as she turned to look out at her house where blank, unlit windows stared back at her, utterly uninviting. Reluctantly, Sam unbuckled her seat belt and let it slither away from her. She put a hand on the door, but couldn't bring herself to move any further.

She was calmer now, no longer in danger of collapsing into a pile of emotional wreckage, but she still didn't want to be on her own. She still wanted Jack close, but she wasn't sure she could tell him that. She wasn't even sure if she should.

"I guess you're off to Daniel's now." Okay, so she was going for indirect. Probably not the best way to get the result she wanted.

"That depends."

She turned her eyes to his, hope flickering within her once more.

"I can stay or leave, or we can both go to Daniel's," he clarified. "Whatever you want."

Sam knew what she wanted, or perhaps more what she didn't want. If only she could tell him... She turned and stared out the window for a moment, gathering her courage. Then she took a deep breath and forced herself to say what she felt, what she wanted him to know.

"I don't want to be alone."

As soon as the almost-whispered words were out of her mouth, Sam felt unnervingly vulnerable and began to regret having spoken. But the regret was smothered in an instant as she felt Jack's warm hand close over her still-cold one.

"You don't have to be." His voice was as warm as his touch and it automatically drew her eyes back to his.

Sam let his fingers intertwine with her own and gave them a gentle, grateful squeeze. She glanced once more at her dark house and came to a quick decision.

"Let's go to Daniel's."

"You sure?" Jack asked.

Sam nodded. She was sure. Somehow it just felt like the right thing to do.

"All right. I'll call the guys and tell them to go ahead and order the food. But in the meantime, you need to have yourself a hot shower and get some dry clothes on before we have to change your name to Colonel Popsicle."

Sam's smile returned, fully this time, and Jack grinned back at her. He gave her hand a final, quick squeeze before releasing it and nodding toward her house.

"Come on, let's get you inside."

This time Sam opened her door without hesitation, knowing Jack would be right behind her as she dashed through the rain and up to her front porch.

OoOoOoOoOoO

One hot shower and one set of luxuriously warm, dry clothes later, Sam had returned to the truck with Jack for the drive over to meet Daniel and Teal'c. Her head was much clearer now and as they drove along in a comfortable silence, Sam reflected on how lucky she was to have Jack in her life. And Daniel. And Teal'c.

Smiling slightly to herself, Sam turned her head to look at the man beside her. She had to admit, the view over this way was a lot better than the one out the rain-splattered window. A hell of a lot better.

As Sam continued to watch him, Jack glanced over, catching her eyes on him. He must have read something in her face because he sent an amusedly suspicious look her way.

"What?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Sam replied, the smile still on her face. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"You," she replied simply.

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows, interested. "Should I be worried?"

Sam felt her smile spread across her face. "No, sir."

Now he was smiling too. "Good."

They exchanged smiles for a brief but somehow very sincere moment before Jack shifted his eyes back to the road and they settled into a comfortable silence once again. Turning her gaze to the window, Sam saw that the rain was letting up slightly and she realized then that her heart was feeling lighter than it had for many days.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Hey, Jack, Sam. Come on in." Daniel's welcome was casual, but Sam didn't miss the inquiring look he sent Jack's way while standing back so they could pass through into his apartment. "Everything okay?"

The question was also directed at Jack, but the archeologist's eyes swept quickly over Sam as though he were searching for missing pieces of a mental puzzle.

"Everything's fine, Daniel," Jack replied, his tone clearly suggesting he thought Daniel worried too much.

However, Daniel obviously wasn't convinced by Jack's response because he then turned to Sam, concern evident in his eyes. "Sam?"

"I'm fine, Daniel," she said, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Really."

Seeing the lingering look of concern in the archeologist's eyes, Sam was filled with a sudden rush of affection for her teammates. Unable to help herself, Sam impulsively threw her arms around Daniel and hugged him tightly. She must have surprised him, because it took him a moment to return the hug, but when he did he did so warmly. She pulled back a moment later with a smile on her face, only to find Daniel looking more concerned than ever and a little puzzled as well.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" he asked quietly.

She gave his arm a quick squeeze, grinning. "Can't I be glad to see you guys?" she asked, turning to give Teal'c a peck on the cheek.

"Um... sure..." Daniel trailed off behind her, slightly baffled.

With a smile, Teal'c inclined his head toward Sam. "Colonel Carter, I am glad you decided to join us this evening."

Sam returned his smile, genuinely, and was able to reply with complete honesty, "So am I, Teal'c."

OoOoOoOoOoO

As soon as they arrived at Daniel's apartment, Jack knew it was a good thing that Sam had decided to come along. Maybe it was the distraction of having other people around, or the comfort that came with being surrounded by those closest and most dear to her, but Jack definitely noticed a positive change in Sam.

In the one evening he saw her smile more times than he had in the past two weeks and a light had returned to her eyes that had been missing for some time now. Although Jack knew Sam was still grieving, and would be for some time to come, at least she no longer seemed to be drowning in her despair.

When they first arrived, Jack quickly brushed off Daniel's concerned inquiry. He kept his tone and his actions casual, shrugging out of his jacket and immediately making himself at home on the couch.

To be fair, Jack knew there had been reason for Daniel to worry with the way he'd dashed out after his phone conversation with Sam, but at the same time he didn't want to draw any extra attention to Sam or what she'd been going through. He didn't want her to have to talk about anything she didn't want to talk about, didn't want her to have to answer too many questions.

Jack watched as Sam gave Daniel a spontaneous hug, and almost laughed at the befuddled look on his face after she turned her attention to Teal'c. It was clear that Daniel was still trying to puzzle out what had occurred during Jack's absence.

Suddenly feeling a bit sorry for the guy, Jack decided to be kind and put him out of his misery by distracting him. "Yo, Daniel!" he hollered at him from over on the couch.

Daniel turned toward him, not exactly looking thrilled by the booming summons. "Yes, Jack?"

Oooh. He almost had him gritting his teeth. Jack grinned, feeling smugly satisfied with the reaction.

"Whaddaya say we get this show on the road?" Jack gestured expectantly at the TV and the cartons of take-out food waiting on the coffee table.

"Ah... right." Daniel turned to Sam and Teal'c, who were standing in the kitchen. "Drinks are in the fridge, guys." Then he picked up a DVD and set about cueing up the movie.

Jack heard the fridge open and close in the kitchen and soon after Sam and Teal'c appeared in the living room, beverages in hand. Without hesitation, Sam came over to join Jack on the couch, a beer in one hand and a diet soda in the other. Keeping the soda for herself, she handed him the beer.

"Thanks, Carter," he said as she settled in beside him.

"You're welcome, sir."

And then they exchanged a look. Funny how they could always say so much to each other without speaking a single word. Which was fine with Jack, really, since using words to express his feelings wasn't exactly one of his strong points. But still, the intensity of the messages and the depth of the emotions that could pass between them with one simple look was sometimes staggering and often breathtaking.

This time it was a look of understanding. Even though they may have returned to using their "Carter"s and their "sir"s, they were there, sitting side-by-side, as friends. Friends with an undercurrent of something deeper. And with that knowledge, they shared brief, subtle smiles before Daniel started chattering away to Teal'c, reminding them that they weren't the only ones in the room.

Feeling oddly pleased, Jack popped the top off his beer and began helping himself to some food.

OoOoOoOoOoO

They were a good hour into the movie when Jack finally gave up trying to follow the plot. He had no idea what was going on, probably because he hadn't been paying much attention after the first five or ten minutes. And, he realized, he really didn't care what was happening on the screen. He was much more interested in the real-life person sitting beside him on Daniel's couch. And she didn't seem to be very engrossed in the movie either. In fact, she appeared to be falling asleep.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Sam fought an increasingly losing battle with her drooping eyelids. Every now and then her head threatened to loll to the side but she managed to rouse herself enough to stop it just in time.

Jack couldn't help but smile to himself at the sight. A half-asleep Carter was a cute Carter. Okay, so he couldn't really think of a time when she wasn't cute, but that was beside the point.

As Sam reached a hand up to her mouth to stifle a yawn, Jack felt his mood sober as his thoughts returned to the state he'd found her in earlier that evening. Of course she was tired after the emotional wringer she'd been through. It was a wonder she hadn't collapsed earlier out of sheer exhaustion.

Remembering the desperate way she'd clung to him such a short while ago, Jack felt a sudden urge to hold her in his arms again, to have her close. The problem was, they were no longer alone and pulling Sam into a full-out snuggling hug might just draw some unwanted attention from the boys. He could, however, compromise...

So instead of reaching out and initiating contact himself, Jack stretched one arm out along the back of the couch, letting it rest there in an unspoken invitation.

Despite her groggy state, Sam didn't miss the movement, nor did she fail to receive the message he was sending. Glancing up, she sent him a silent thank you with her eyes before leaning in toward him, letting her head rest upon his shoulder.

Glad that she'd understood him, and even happier that she'd taken him up on his offer, Jack slipped his arm off the back of the couch and let it rest protectively around Sam's shoulders. He began moving his thumb idly up and down against her arm and felt her sigh up against him. Jack looked down at her blonde head and felt a strange mixture of emotions. He felt contentment mixed with sadness, peace blended with concern. And beyond that, something so deep it both thrilled and scared him at the same time. But at the moment, his concern for her seemed to be at the forefront.

Yes, Sam seemed to be doing better now, but Jack hoped it wasn't just a temporary improvement. He knew she would have more rough days ahead of her and could only hope that she wouldn't slip back into the firm grip of despair that she'd been in today, that she wouldn't allow things to get so bad next time before turning to him for help.

Just in case though, Jack was planning to keep a more careful eye on her in the near future. And he was going to make sure that she felt his presence whenever she needed it. He wanted her to know that he was there for her, that she could turn to him for comfort and support anytime. And he wanted her to understand that she didn't have to feel ashamed or scared or alone. Because as long as he, Jack O'Neill, was still alive somewhere in this universe, he would always be there for her. That was a promise.

OoOoOoOoOoO

As glad as Sam was that she had decided to come to Daniel's instead of staying at home, she was relieved when the movie started. Her mind was starting to feel sluggish again, making conversation something she just wasn't up to at the moment. She managed to eat only a little food, but the guys pretended not to notice her lack of appetite and she was grateful for that.

After all, food and conversation weren't the reasons that had compelled her to come to Daniel's apartment. Familiar company and the comfort that came with it were what had motivated her decision. And now she had those things. And of course, there was Jack sitting close beside her, comforting her with his mere presence in a way that only he could.

The movie played on, but Sam couldn't focus on it. She didn't really try, to be honest. The dialogue, music, and sound effects all seemed to fade away into the distance as sleep began tugging persistently at her mind and body. She was tired, wiped out, yet she kept fighting to stay awake. Although admittedly with less and less vigor as time when on.

She attempted to smother an escaping yawn without much success and felt the heaviness of her eyelids increase even further. It was then that Sam half felt and half saw Jack slip his arm along the couch behind her. Without even thinking about it, she knew the act had been deliberate. She looked up and their eyes met for an instant before she sank gratefully into his side, feeling his arm come down to settle around her shoulders.

As Jack's thumb began moving soothingly up and down her arm, Sam sighed and nestled closer to him, drawing great comfort from his touch, his nearness. With her eyes half closed, Sam let her gaze wander around the room, taking in the sight of Daniel and Teal'c and feeling another rush of affection for them as she had earlier. She'd lost her father and she knew the pain of that loss wouldn't leave her anytime soon, but at least she wasn't alone. She was, in this moment, surrounded by family, and that knowledge gave her both a sense of peace and strength.

With those thoughts, Sam allowed her eyes to close completely. She focused on the feel of Jack's arm around her, the feel of his thumb gently moving up and down against her arm, and as she did so her feeling of tranquility increased, enveloping her in a calming cocoon. Knowing she would be all right as long as she had her friends around her, as long as she had Jack in her life, Sam finally gave in to her ever-deepening fatigue. At long last, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep, warm and safe in Jack's embrace.

The End.