"No. I'll tell her. I promised her we'd have a talk, anyway. This will just make it a...bigger...talk."

"Talk?" Daniel ears perked up. "About what?"

"None of your business," Jack retorted quickly, the tips of his ears coloring just a slight bit, not much, but enough to alert Daniel to the fact that he was sniffing down the right trail.

"Jack? About what?"

"About...she's noticed that she and I...are different than... like... you and her."

"You know, Colonel, as awful as all this is for Sam, this situation has one bright spot," Janet mused.

"I've thought about that," Jack cut her off. "Don't worry. I can handle this."

He left abruptly.

Daniel and Janet smiled widely at each other.

"Right," Daniel joked.


Jack walked up to Sam's quarters three times and stood before her closed door each time, trying to force himself to knock. Finally, he managed to tap out a quick pattern on the wood. He was in the process of losing his resolve and fleeing the scene when the door opened.

"Jack? Did you just knock?" Sam asked him curiously, observing his position five or six steps away.

"Yeah. I was wondering if...we...could...uh, have that talk. But if you're tired, no problem! I should let you rest."

"I'm not tired." She stepped into the hall. "Can we go up top? I haven't seen the outside world in a long time."

"Sure," Jack agreed readily. She hadn't had time or clearance to leave the mountain since her return, he suddenly realized. Of course she wanted to see Earth's sky again. She wanted to see the mountains. An idea popped into his head.

"How about if I take you somewhere? You'll like it."

Sam did like it. She loved it. They walked aimlessly around the beautiful Garden of the Gods Park soaking up the warm late afternoon sun and drinking cold soft drinks. Jack had remembered to bring their sunglasses and they were playing the role of tourist to the hilt. Sam was so happy she felt tears tickling her eyes.

"Yesterday, you asked me what's different about you and I, Sam. It's kind of a long story. We've never really talked about it, either, but you're right, you know. There's something special between us. And for me, there has been since the day we met."

"I could tell," Sam smiled happily. "If that's so, why haven't we ever talked about it?"

"Because of our working relationship. There are rules in the military about that sort of thing. A soldier can't afford to treat one soldier as more important than another in the field. But even though we both knew that, and practiced it, it wasn't easy for me to remain objective around you. There was this one mission where we were forced to talk about our feelings for each other, because of a situation with some alien technology that I'm not sure I could explain to you. Anyway. The point is, it took me months to get over that."

"Yeah?" Sam looked pleased.

"Yeah," Jack affirmed. "Sam, what do you remember? About...us?"

"Nothing specific like that. But I have feelings when I'm around you. I feel safe, like I've known you forever. I know I can trust you, but I don't know exactly why. I miss you when we're not together. Sometimes, you'll say something and I will realize I was expecting you to say it. I know that I knowyou, I just can't explain it."

"I think I understand."

"I can't wait for the rest of my memories to come back, Jack, but in a way, I don't want to remember everything. I like what we have right now. There's no rules keeping us apart. Not that I think there's necessarily an 'us' just yet," Sam was quick to point out, not sure if she'd misread too much into his recently stated feelings for her.

A look of concern shadowed Jack's eyes. "Actually, Sam, that brings up the second thing we need to talk about. Janet thought I should be the one to tell you. About your memory."

Sam paled and sat down under a tree beside the path.

"Tell me," she commanded tensely. The apprehension on her features told him she was somewhat expecting what she was about to hear. He carefully explained what Janet had learned about the nanite technology from Orban.

"So, because the symbiote implanted in you took your knowledge with these nanites..." Jack struggled to remember everything Janet had said.

"...those memories are gone, destroyed when the symbiote was removed," Sam concluded. "And what I've remembered so far is probably all I'm going to have."

She shifted so she could look him in the eyes. "Jack, you have no idea how much I've lost," Sam confided. "In my lab, I can't make heads or tails out of papers I wrote last year. I had to get Dr. Lee to show me how to turn on the computer and get into my files. I see equations I obviously worked out and I have no idea what they're for. I'm useless to the SGC like this. I'm going to lose my job, aren't I? Actually, I don't have a job to lose- I'm completely unqualified for it. And now you say none of it is ever going to come back. What am I going to do?"

"I don't know what to tell you. But look, whatever happens, whatever you decide to do, know that I want to be here for you. I want there to be an 'us'. So don't go trying to figure everything out all alone."

"Was I that much of a loner before?" Sam asked.

"Let's just say, stubborn." Jack smiled at her affectionately.

"Well, don't worry. I can't do this alone. I don't know where to start, what to do first. Should I go back to school? Where do I live? Do I have friends, family I should contact and let know I'm alive? Tell me what to do."

"Well, first, come over here." Jack reached for her and pulled her into an embrace that told her all she needed to know about her and Jack.

"You were gone a long time. You don't have to do all those things at once. You have a house. But you can live on base for a while, if you're not comfortable with living on your own yet. I betcha Janet would be glad to put you up at her house, if you don't want to stay on base."

"I don't know—" Sam's only experiences with Janet, at least the ones she could remember, were not so great.

"And I think you should talk to Hammond first. I don't think you should just assume you've lost your job. Your experiences with this super-symbiote are going to be invaluable while we are fighting the Goa'uld. And you learn faster than anyone I know, Sam. You think on your feet. Regardless of what you can or can't remember, I'd rather have you on my team than anyone else I can think of."

"Thanks." Sam closed her eyes and sighed. "This is...overwhelming. I need some time to think"

Jack hurt for her as they sat there together, Sam curled in a defensive ball against his side, his arm draped protectively over her shoulders. It was getting dark now, and while the sunset was magnificent, its beauty was lost on the couple. For the hundredth time, Jack tried to imagine what it was like for Sam and was once again struck by the enormity of what she had lost. He resolved to see her through it no matter what. She needed him, it was that simple.

And the truth was, he needed her just as much. Those months without her had almost killed him. When she had been given up for dead, Jack had felt a part of him die too.

"It's getting late. Maybe we should get back."

"I'm hungry," Sam said in a surprised tone, as if she had just noticed.

"Hey, that's my line. Let's go to Bart's Diner."

"What's that?"

"Greasy hamburgers, soggy fries, milkshakes..."

"Does it have blue jello?" Sam asked hopefully. Jack shook his head with a chuckle.

"That's okay, I'm just hungry. Let's go."

"Sam," Jack ventured while they climbed into his truck and got on the road. "How would you like to go to a hockey game tomorrow night? With me?"

Sam smiled widely. "Are you asking me out?"

"Yeah."

"I'd love to. What's hockey?"

"What's hockey?" Jack repeated in a bellowing voice, pinning Sam with an outraged glare. "Now this is a memory we've got to replace as soon as possible."

"Do I like...hockey?"

"You love it," Jack smiled evilly. "You used to beg me to take you to hockey games. You knew all the players and you would make me tape the games for you..."

"I never liked hockey, did I?"

"Well, you could like it now, couldn't you?" Jack asked sheepishly.

"I'll go to the game. Then we'll see." Sam was laughing.

"Here's the restaurant. Come on, you'll like this."

"As much as I'll like hockey?"

"Smart mouth. Come on."

The diner was warm and smelled great. There were only a few customers at the counter, and Jack steered Sam to a cozy booth in the corner. Once they had placed their orders, Jack began to talk again. Now that they had started talking personally, he didn't want to allow the window to close back up.

"Sam, I know you're going to need time, and I don't want to create more problems for you right now. But I've waited- actually, I think we've both waited a long time for this. I don't want to screw this up, this, you know, thing..." Jack cleared his throat. Sam laughed at him struggling to express himself on a personal level. It made her feel good to know he was trying so hard in spite of himself.

"I know, Jack," she assured him, letting him off the hook. "Look, since I can't remember much anyway, this is a chance for us to start right from the beginning. For both of us to start over."

Jack grinned, his face reflecting pure delight. "That sounds like a great idea." He watched her eat, hardly able to believe his luck.

He was dating Samantha Carter.

A/N: Next: Only a few more chapters, but we need to find out what happens with the allied effort to locate and destroy the Goa'uld super-symbiote technology. AND there needs to be at least one more fluff scene don't you think! I would also like to explore what Sam decides to do next but not sure what to do with that. Any plot bunnies out there? My weakest point seems to be ending stories (IMO). Thanks again, so much, for reading. You all have helped me develop my writing from the earliest stages, namely, being scared to death to let anyone read my stuff, to now where I am just loving it...and this is a good time to mention again how much I enjoy reading all your stories and how much I have learned from that too!

Stargate rocks!

Evvie