Title: The Secrets We Keep

Author: Tu

Email: PG

Summery: Everyone has secrets. Sometimes it takes something horrible to let them out.

Season:

Series/Sequel:

Disclaimer: I don't own SG1 and I'm broke. Ryan Connor is mine.

Author's Notes:

Sam sat on her bed looking at a photo. It was a picture of her at fifteen. Standing beside her was Ryan Connor. He had been her savior that summer and in many was still was. He had been and still was her closest friend. She laughed as she remembered the picture being taken. It had been one of the few days her Dad had been home. She and Ryan had just race from the base store to the Carter house. Ryan had thrown his arm around his "little sister" just as her Dad snapped the picture. Sam smiled as she rembered the first time she met Ryan.

Sam lay under the tree exhausted. She had run as far from home as she could. How could Mom take Mark's side? He had broken that lamp not her. So what if she had run past him and smacked him in the head? He had thrown the book at her, which smashed into the lamp.

Sam drew her legs up against her chest and cried silently into them.

Ryan sat in the tree looking out on to the horizon. He knew his father wouldn't look for him up here. He just had to wait tell the beer was out of his father system then he could sneak back into the house. He heard a soft thump below him but ignored it. A few minutes later the sound of soft crying caught his attention. A girl of about six sat below him crying. Her blond braids covered her face as she cried into her knees. Ryan jumped out of the tree and landed in front of her. "Hey!" he said looking down at her," what's wrong?"

She looked up at him. He could see the tear tracks staining her face and her blue eyes filled with tears.

"Go away." She whimpered.

"I'm Ryan. I'm eight. Who are you?" He said sitting beside her.

"Sam." She said looking up at him, as she whipped her face.

"Nice to meet you Sam." Ryan said sticking out his hand.

She smiled as she shook it.

"Your new around here aren't ya?" He said leaning back against the tree.

She nodded.

"Well, it's not so bad here. I've lived worse places." Ryan said staring blankly into the horizon.

Sam dropped the picture and grabbed her ribs as pain shot up and down her side. She moaned silently.

A knock echoed through the silent house. Sam dragged herself of the bed and made her way toward the door. She silently prayed that it wasn't SG1. She could hide her pain from everyone else but either Jack or Daniel would see the lines around her mouth and know something was wrong.

She looked out the peephole and smiled as she unlocked the door. There, leaning against the door jam was one Colonel Ryan Shawn Connor; U.S.M.C. Sam smiled as he pushed his way inside.

"Hey, Jarhead. Make yourself at home why don't you."

"Hey, Flygirl. I will." He said dropping his bags in the hallway.

Ryan smiled as he slipped an arm around her and hugged he shoulders." Come on, let's get you in bed." He said steering her toward her room. Sam nodded and leaned against him. He pulled down the covers on her bed and helped her crawl in.

"Ryan?' she asked as he turned of the light.

"I'll be here when you wake, Firefly." He said softly.

Sam nodded and drifted off to sleep.

Ryan made his way into the kitchen and grabbed some food and beer and sank down onto the couch. He turned on the football game, with the volume low as not to disturb Sam. It had been three years since he had seen Sam. Three long, hard, busy years for both of them. But now he was home. He snorted at the thought. Who would have thought that Bulldog Conner's would be such a sentimental fool? But it was true. Wherever Sam was, that was home. It had always been that way and probably always would stay that way. Sam was one of only a handful of people that knew everything about him. Ryan knew with out her he never would have survived his teen years. He leaned back as sleep over took him. Almost thirty hours in the air had finally caught up with him.

A knock awoke Ryan a few hours later. He quickly made his way to the door, hoping it didn't wake Sam. A group of people stared back at him as if he had tree heads. They had no clue who he was. But, Ryan knew who all of them were.

"Can I help you?" He asked leaning against the door.

"Who the Hell are you?" Jack asked looking around him for Sam.

Ryan stared at him blankly.

"Is Sam home?" Daniel quickly asked.

Ryan laughed as he answered them." Come on in. Sam's asleep so try to keep it down. "

The group silently filtered past him into the living room. Ryan smiled, as they looked him up and down.

"Hi, I'm Cassie. Who are you?"

"Hello, Cassie. I'm Colonel Ryan Connor. Sam's told me all about you," he said gesturing for them all to sit down," Your Dr. Janet Fraiser, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and Colonel Jack O'Neill. Firefly's told me all about you."

"Well' Carter's never mentioned you." Jack said glaring at the man who had the nerve to be in his Sam's house. His Sam? Where had that come from?

"Ryan?" a sleepy voice called out.

"Hey, Firefly, your friends are here. Should I let them stay or shoot them and burry them in the backyard?" Ryan asked leaning back.

"I don't have a backyard." Sam said as she stumbled into the room. "Hey guys, what are you all doing here? Oh, the movies! I forgot."

Two Days Earlier

Sam stood at the base of the ramp staring into the wormhole. Her father would be exiting it at any moment. She smiled at the thought of telling him who was coming to visit. She looked up as her father and Charlie exited the Gate followed by..Freya. She hide her anger behind the smile plastered on her face. Charlie ran the last few feet down the ramp and flung himself into her arms.

"Sam!" he cried.

"Hey, Charlie." She replied wrapping her arms around the boy. He had grown since the last time she had seen him. Sam was a little surprised that a boy his age would still run to hug someone but didn't complain.

Jacob smiled down at his daughter as he gathered her in his arms. He had seen the anger flare in her eyes at the sight of the other Tokra."Hello, kiddo."

"Hey, Dad."She said from within his embrace.

"Hello Freya." Sam's voice held none of the previous warmth in it.

"Samantha Carter."

Sam smiled as she wrapped her arm around her father." Guess who is coming to eat all my food, drink all my beer, wreck my car, and make mayhem in general?"

"So Ryan's coming to town. How is he? I haven't seen him for years." Jacob said as they exited the Gate room.