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Authors: Ariel Carter-O'Neill and Eridani Moon

Rating: Teen to Mature

Season: Alternate Future

Email: in bio

Ariel's note: Thank you so much for the reviews! Here's Sam's decision. Hope you'll like it! Once again, special thanks to Eridani, you rock!

Eridani's Note: Thanks again for the reviews, they mean so much after working on this for so long. Hope everyone keeps reading… And hang on tight, cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride…

Thunder 4

Repercussions

Jack stared at Sam with trepidation. Their future depended on what she was about to say and he could only pray it didn't destroy him.

Swallowing again, Sam began, "You've always been there when I needed someone..."

"Yeah… and?" Interrupted Jack, his body shaking with emotion and the need to take her in his arms. Clasping her hands together, Sam added, "And it's what I need."

Oh, for crying out loud, she was killing him here! "SPIT IT OUT SAMANTHA!"

"I LOVE YOU JACK O'NEILL!" Startled by the vehemence in her words, Sam felt her eyes widen as she dropped her voice, adding, "I thought you'd understood that two days ago!"

Taking several steps towards her, Jack clenched his fists to keep from grabbing her, from holding her and never letting her go as he growled, "I understand that, but what's your decision?"

"Damn it!" Couldn't he see how hard this was for her?

Her tears nearly did him in as he begged, "Call me dense, thick, whatever… I need to hear it Sam…" He stepped closer to her, crowding her as he added, "I need to see you say the words, see them fall from your lips."

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she dragged him against her, crushing her lips to his as she poured her emotions into him with a sob. Raising her head several minutes later, she ignored the tears coursing down her face as she whispered, "I choose you because I love you. Is that more clear to you?"

The smile spread slowly across Jack's face, wiping the years of pain from his eyes as he replied, "Yeah… yeah… that's clear." Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he kissed her again, stealing her breath, laughing at her moans as his hands began to rub up and down her back. Lifting his head, he murmured, "I love you Sam… I want you, but you'd better go before…"

What? Was he insane? She'd just chosen to spend her life with him and he wanted her to leave? "I don't want to go."

God, she wasn't going to make this easy on him! "Sam, if you stay, we're going to… And I don't want that between us until you call it off with Shenanigans."

"Stop calling him like that." She might not have chosen him, but Pete didn't deserve the other man's derision.

Shrugging, Jack stated, "I can't help it!"

Sighing again... God, she seemed to be doing that so much anymore, she ran her fingers through her hair, tousling it as she asked, "Where'd you leave the phone this time?"

Pointing vaguely to the counter between the dining room and living room, he replied, "Over there... somewhere." Watching as she moves towards the device, he suddenly frowned, and stopping her, stated, "Sam… you need to do this in person. Even Shenan… even he deserves better than a telephone break up."

Red tinged her cheeks as she nodded, saying, "You're right. I don't know what was I thinking. I'm sorry."

Love flooded Jack as he watched her battling the exhaustion and pulling her into his arms again, rocked her from side to side as he said, "Sam… go home and sleep. Wait for him tomorrow night and tell him then… I'm not going anywhere."

"You're sure?" She couldn't help the uncertainty that crept into her voice, but was too tired to care.

Nodding against her hair, he kissed her forehead, replying, "Yes." Hugging her tighter, he softly kissed her lips and then softly said, "I love you Sam and I don't want anything more hanging between us than necessary."

Smiling, she gave a brief nod, adding, "Okay, but you still owe me a pizza-beer-movie night."

Laughing, Jack twirled her around, replying, "I promise."

Placing her back on her feet, he watched while she gathered her jacket and purse, remorse filling him that it had to be this way, that they had to put off being 'together' another night. He sighed heavily as she opened the door, started to leave and then, pausing, turns around to call his name, "Jack?"

Forcing a smile he didn't feel onto his face, he replied, "Yeah, babe?"

Her heart shone through her eyes as she moved back towards him, her arms twining around his neck as she said, "I love you!"

Jack felt his heart clench with a happiness that he'd never thought would possible again as he whispered, "I love you too, Sam… more than you will ever know.

His lips met hers halfway, sliding over the sensitive flesh as his tongue darted inside, twisting with hers as his hands slipped beneath the edge of her blouse. He felt her shiver at the contact and breaking the kiss with a gasp, he muttered, "Mmmmm that's good… Go Carter, before I forget my good intentions and drag you to my bedroom."

Sam's only reply was to continue kissing him as her hands drifted down to caress the tight rear she'd fantasized about for the last eight years. Groaning loudly, he captured her lips once again, his tongue delving deep inside until she whimpered, causing him to break the kiss, practically whining, "Sammmmmm…"

Groaning loudly as her hands started to slip inside of his suddenly taut jeans, he pushed her away and ordered, "Go damn it!"

An evil grin spread across Sam's face as she touched her swollen lips and said, "I'll call you tomorrow night."

"You know where I'll be." God, if she didn't go, he was going to take her right here against the damn door!

Smiling smugly as she watched a shiver course through him, Sam threw him a wink and stated, "Yes."

Giving him one last, longing look, Sam slipped from the house, fumbling her car keys in the ignition as she realised the turning point she'd just made. Slowly driving back home, her mind was filled with hundreds of different thoughts that insisted on running through her mind incessantly. Was her decision the right one? How Pete was going to react? What if Jack decided that he didn't want her and left?

Arriving home she forced herself to finish her post-mission report on her laptop and then set it aside with a welcome sigh of relief. Turning in early was a rarity for her, but when the last four days became an exhausting blur, she gave up the fight and slipped into the welcoming haven of her sheets. The next morning, she awoke feeling lonely in her king size bed and then smiled when she thought that next time she woke up she wouldn't be alone and hopefully would never be again for the rest of her life. She had the day off, but for once in her life, she didn't wanted to go to work and face Daniel and his three billion questions. He had bugged her enough during their last mission and she just wasn't ready for more questions about her relationship with Jack... Not when it was still so new.

Deciding to work at home, she was pleasantly surprised to find the day passed fairly quickly and before she even realized it, it was already night and she wasn't ready. She grabbed a quick shower and dressed in loose, comfortable clothes, drying her hair haphazardly and realizing that Jack would never really care what it looked like... He'd loved her when it had looked like a weed-wacker had gotten a hold of it! Ten minutes later, Pete's knock sounded at the door and she still wasn't ready to face him. Opening the door cautiously, she was startled when he rushed into her arms, squeezing her in a tight embrace.

Trying to capture her lips with his, he murmured, "Oh I missed you!"

Struggling against his embrace, Sam frowned as she realized that for the first time, she was afraid of how he might react. Pushing against his chest, she cried, "You're suffocating me Pete! Let me go!"

He released her, looking at her with concern. Frowning, he demanded, "Sam? What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Of course he couldn't take the subtle hint, she was going to have to hammer it into his thick skull. Moving away from him she stated, "We need to talk."

The frown deepened, as he demanded, "About what?"

Okay, that's the way he wanted to play it? Hammer strike one... "About us."

Moving back towards her, Pete reached out to take her into his arms again, saying, "Sam? Are you all right? You're scaring me!"

Forcing some of the steel that had earned her, her new rank into her voice, she stated, "Sit down."

Pete sat cautiously, still looking very worried as Sam sat in front of him, but making sure to keep a certain distance between them. Tilting his head to the side in confusion, he questioned, "Are you sick?"

Giving a negative shake of her head, she replied, "No, I'm fine."

"What is it then?" Okay, so he wasn't the smartest guy on the block, but something was definitely wrong here...

Sam's voice was filled with ice as she let the second strike of the hammer fall, demanding, "Where have you been for the last two months?"

His face took on that familiar defensive look that she'd always let slide before as he defended, "Where do you think I was? I was in Denver, working!"

"Then why didn't you call me back? Why didn't you come to see me?" Hammer strike three and he still hadn't realized it.

"Because I was on an important investigation and I was at work all the time! I couldn't leave town, and barely had time to grab myself a shower everyday… I figured you were offworld, so what's the problem?" How dare she question what he'd been doing? He sure as hell didn't question what she did inside that damn mountain or when she was supposedly on 'other planets'... Well at least not since...

Damn, his eyes were already glazing over! And she'd thought Jack had a short attention span... "I… I need to tell you something…"

His eyes cleared as his face lit up and he yelled, "You're pregnant? I'm going to be a daddy? God I'm so happy!" Rising to hug her, he frowned as she stopped him before he reached her.

"No, Pete, I'm not pregnant." Oh God, she couldn't handle that! Not with him... And she didn't even know if she could after Jolinar…

"Then what?" Okay... The woman has totally lost me here... Anyone got a roadmap? Oh, wait... I can't read those either...

"It's over between us." Ok... Evidently he was a bit thicker than she'd always thought.

Pete looked at her, stunned, for several seconds and then yelled, "What?"

"I'm sorry." Well, she never meant to hurt him anyway.

"You're sorry?" Pete couldn't keep the anger out of his voice, his fists clenching as he continued, "You're telling me that it's over and that you're sorry? I can't believe it! Why? Why suddenly it's over? I thought we were happy together! Ohhhh! I see who's behind this! It's because of him!"

"Who?" Oh God, he couldn't know, could he?

"Jack O'Neill! Your CO!" Rising and taking a menacing step towards her, his eyes spewed with hatred as she accused, "You love him don't you? You've always loved him, even when you were sleeping with me! I can't believe that you'd leave me for that old-timer!"

"Listen, I…" Oh God, why hadn't Jack let her do this over the phone?

"Shut up you bitch!" Closing the gap between them, he slapped her in the face. She was in shock and didn't react. She couldn't believe that he had hit her.

"You played with me!" The accusations filled the room, causing her to cringe. "You betrayed me! You're not going to be with him! You belong to me!"

His hands began to pound all over her body, forcing the shock from her body as she tried to defend herself. She was Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Carter for crying out loud! The woman who had killed hundreds of Jaffa, taken out half of the Goa'uld and managed to escape a super-soldier almost single-handedly! Was she really so weak as to fall under the blows of a simpleton cop?

Underestimating him and his anger, Sam found herself caught off-guard, the blows violently raining down on her. She fell to the floor, curling into a ball as he started kicking her with his feet. Tripping, she managed to crawl a few feet away, desperate to stand up and defend herself, but the action just increased his anger. She tried to hit him back; the way Jack had taught her, but he anticipated her move and her blows met only air. She finally managed to reach the phone and touch the autodial button. As the phone began to ring, she tried to escape from her former boyfriend.

Pick up the phone damn it... Pick up the phone!

At his home, Jack answered the phone, convinced that it was Sam. A smile filled his face as he stated, "O'Neill."

"Ow!" The sound of a loud fight met his ears as Sam's voice cried, " Jack! Jack, help!"

Fear filled him at the pleading tone in his woman's voice, as Jack demanded, "What the hell is going on? Sam?" The only response was the sound of something shattering in the background. Gripping the phone tighter, he yelled, "Sam? Where are you?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The pain in her voice scared the hell out of him as he began to look around frantically for his keys. Spotting them on the end table, he grabbed them and yelled, "I'm on my way!"

"Help!" Sam struggled to stay conscious, not wanting to lose the connection with him, even as the blackness encroached on her vision. As she felt herself pulled under, she heard his voice, as though from a distance, call, "Hide Sam! Shoot him if you have to!"

Jack moved towards the door, freezing as the sound of the dead phone filled the line. Cursing, he tossed it to the side, snagging his cell phone from the table and racing from the house as he yelled, "Damn it! I knew something like this would happen!"

Arriving at her house ten minutes later, he didn't see the detective's car and entering cautiously, calling her name. Receiving no response, he began to search the house, finally finding her in the kitchen, lying on the floor, unconscious. There was no sign of Pete. Crouching on the floor beside her, he yelled, "SAM! Damn it, Sam, open your eyes!"

Checking for her pulse, he found it weak but steady and then quickly checked the rest of her body for injuries, his stomach turning at the damage that had been done to her beautiful body. Placing his hand on her cheek, he begged, "C'mon baby, open your eyes!"

When he still received no response from her, he used his cell phone to call for ambulance and then alerted the SGC that he was on his in way with Sam. Ending the call, he barely heard her as she murmured, "Jack?"

A smile of relief crossed his face as he cajoled, "C'mon baby… that's it… open your eyes."

Blinking, Sam opened her eyes and tried to focus on him, questioning, "Jack?"

"Hey baby… do you hurt anywhere?" Wishing he had a flashlight to check her pupils, he coaxed, "Can you move your fingers and toes?"

Wincing, she managed to move her fingers a little, earning herself another of his smiles. Her frustration grew as he ordered, "Sam? C'mon… wiggle the toes baby!"

"I can't…" Shaking her head, she wished he would just let her sleep, but knew there was a reason he wasn't... What was it...

"Try baby! Try!" Trying to keep the fear from his voice and off his face, he watched her feet as she managed a little wiggle, wincing as her cry of pain filled the room.

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

Mild relief flooded him as he offered her an over-bright smile and whispered, "There you go! That's a good sign, even though it hurts."

He heard the siren on the ambulance as it made it's way down her street and placing his hand on her face, stated, "I gotta go open the door baby… Don't try to sit up or move!"

"Don't leave me!" Panic filled her at the thought of being alone again and forcing her arm up, she begged, "Stay..."

"Baby, I have to open the door, they can't help you if I don't!" Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he whispered, "I promise, I'll be right back!"

He ran to open the door, identifying himself and leading the EMT's to where Sam was crying silent tears. Hearing his approach, she whispered, "Jack…"

"Sam?" Fear filled him at the weakness in her voice, and grasping her hand with his left one, he ran his right hand over her hair, questioning, "What is it baby?"

"Pain… so much pain…" The darkness was closing in again... She was so afraid of the darkness...

"I know sweetheart. Just let the EMT's do their job" Dropping another kiss on her hand, he added, "They're going to take you to the SGC… It's the best medical help you can get… just hang in there!"

Panic caused her eyes to fly open again as she hoarsely screamed, "Jack… don't leave me!"

Guilt slammed into him for making her tell Pete face to face and for not being there for her. "I'm not going anywhere, but I need to lock the house up. I'm going to follow in my truck, okay?"

He didn't get any answer from her because she'd slipped into unconsciousness again. Nodding at the paramedics, his 'I'm a General, don't mess with me' tone took over as he ordered, "Damn it! Get her to Cheyenne Mountain! They're expecting us and someone will meet you at the security gate"

Slamming through the house, he locked things up as quickly as he could, wincing at the disaster area and then followed in his truck, breaking every speed limit and pulling in right behind the ambulance. Thankful that being a General had some advantages, he left the keys in the ignition and jumped into the elevator as the doors were closing. Staring down at the pale and bruised face of the woman he loved, he prayed that they weren't too late to fix his own stupidity.