Chapter 47 by Abbot & Natters

Janet's POV

If he turns this down, I'll kill him. The other's can have what's left, but I want the death blow. Sam's looking to him for reassurance and support, but any second now, he'll start an O'Neill rave, and she'll break.

I see him open his mouth to start giving us all the what for, but he turns at the last second to look at Sam in shock.

"Carter. That's not what I…" He trails off at the unshed tears in her eyes. "Ahh hell. Sam. I didn't mean it like that."

Everyone in the room is watching their slightest glance. Sam pulls back from him but he grips her hand tightly. The N'Tinevale. She knew exactly what he was going to say. I glance at Daniel who is watching me closely. Of all the people in the room, I think we are the only two have a chance of understanding what they are going through.

"Please Sam?"

Someone in the crowd sneezes, breaking their silent conversation by eye and Jack looks around noticing everyone staring at him. Sam keeps her eyes on his face and watches his frustration building. I see her visibly brace herself for the empathic whiplash she can sense simmering.

"Thor!" The command is surprising to the rest of us, but I see the relief in Sam's eyes in the instant before they disappear in a flash of light. Thor remains on the podium and is suddenly the new object of everyone's gaze.

"Where are they Thor?" asks Cassie softly an instant later. Of all the people on the podium she is the first to catch on.

"On my ship," replies the Asgard Commander and the room almost explodes with noise.

Daniel's POV

Well, time for a break. Everyone starts talking amongst themselves. Janet is agitated,and it's getting to me, so I grab a bourbon. Many others, including about half the musicians, have the same idea. They grab beers or cocktails, and sit back down to their instruments. More tuning, more preparation. Sims, the base chaplain, just shakes his head and turns through his bible. I have a lurking suspicion he had been preparing for this day for years.

The harpist begins playing on her own, a quiet little melody. The flutist joins her after a few seconds, lifting up the shallow notes and giving it a sense of hope. A cellist follows suit, adding depth to the song. A sort of darker undercurrent forms. The harpist plays on for a few more seconds alone, before the strings and flutist break back in. The song reminds me of a wounded dove, somehow. I always did get carried away in music.

I can see Janet feeling it too. She comes over, holds my hand as they continue playing. The melody switches to a decidedly darker one, the same three musicians improvising. Long, mournful notes. A surge of hope in the center, a close and a bow. Vaguely uplifting music, but tragic. Symbolic of the relationship we are here to set in stone today. I pull Janet close, and we listen to the music and the murmur of the crowds, waiting for our friends to return.

SG-1 SG-1 SG-1

Sam's POV

As much as a relief it is to suddenly not be the center of attention of a group, it seems like I'm being examined under the eye of an electron microscope now. His hand, gripping mine, is like a vice, holding me in place.

"Sir?"

"Don't call me that now Sam, please? Not tonight. I know I screwed everything up down there, but if you could just give me a few minutes, I'll try to make it up to you. Will you give me that?"

"Alright," I whisper and squeeze the hand holding mine briefly. "You were angry."

"At them, for putting both of us in that situation. Not at you Sam. You know me, I like to be in control of my environment. Ignorance in the field can get you or your team killed."

"This isn't 'in the field.'"

"No, but you know what they say about old habits."

"You reacted like the soldier you are, because it's a defense mechanism for you."

"You've been spending too much time with Doc Holroyd."

"I'm a soldier too. I understand because it was my second reaction."

"And your first reaction was?"

"Me? Married? Who'd want to marry me? With my screwed up body chemistry. Regular trips to other planets. I'd have no way of making time for a husband who couldn't understand what I need to survive."

"A physical and mental challenge. You thrive on minimal sleep, which I gotta tell ya, is a great plus. You adore blue Jell-O, even though red is soooo much better. You like to fix doohickeys. And if you didn't have a screwed up body chemistry, I'd have been yours that first night. And we'd never be where we are now."

"Where is that?"

"Looking out of the window here, I'd say a few hundred miles above the surface of our Planet."

I stare him down and he looks away.

"With a grouchy old soldier, who has bad knees, and doesn't deserve you. But is asking you to forgive him, because he still cares about you, a lot more than he was supposed to. And because, he wants someone to go fishing with."

"What if I hate fishing?" I ask with a half smile and he grins in relief.

"I don't mean fishing, fishing… I mean fishing."

"So if I come with you, to a certain cabin in Minnesota, I don't have to fish for fish, that aren't there?" I clarify.

"Only, if I make you eat those words when I catch a fish for dinner."

"Colonel, we have a deal. Of course, you'll have to escape me long enough to actually go fishing." I tease and take half a step closer, bringing us back together.

"Say Carter, how 'bout marryin' this ol' soldier of yours?"

"Yasureyabetcha snookums," I reply as I reach up to kiss him.

Our first true kiss, without drugs or alien viruses is cut short as we are beamed back down into the party, which despite our absence was back into full swing. Everyone freezes, including us and I start to giggle helplessly against his lips.

"That's a yes? Right Sam?" yells Cassie from across the Gate room.

I pull back far enough to nod and the entire room reverberates with the cheers.

Jack's POV

Holding here there, in front of the cheering room, was probably the happiest day of my life. I finally had her, had everything in order. All I needed was for her to move in and for us to buy a big dog. Everything else was bonus. So, we stood there, and the Chapalinator led us through the vows. I had seen him in the field... for a man of fifty, he has balls. And a decent speaking voice.

Looks like he had been been preparing for this. He let off a short speech about having watched us and whatnot, about how God's plan was all about love and sacrifice, and how our lives were perfectly in tune with His teachings. Whatever, doesn't matter. All that matters is that I have the woman I love until we die.

SG-1 SG-1 SG-1

Cassie's POV

Ali and Jimmy's wedding didn't make me cry. But this one, every woman in the room, excluding Sam, is crying. The twenty minutes they were missing, everyone was suddenly afraid that we'd pushed them both too far. But in true SG-1 style, at the last minute, they reappeared. Sharing a kiss that had Mom covering my eyes.

As the base chaplain leads them through their vows, I glance at Thor and share an evil… head nod? On my other side is Teal'c, and he catches my meaning immediately.

Hey, we're Alien Ambassador's how are we supposed to know it's a rhetorical question? Right?

"Does anyone here, know of any lawful reason, why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony. Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

"No," we answer in perfect unison.

Hammond's POV

Yeah, that's right. Siler pays up. Sweaty, sweaty money. Six-hundred and twenty three dollars. Bre'tac is here too, apparently he got in on the betting beforehand. He cheated more than a few people out of their money. Ahhh...I loves me the weddings.

SG-1 SG-1 SG-1

Janet's POV

"Daniel, I'm going to kill her."

"Come on Janet, for this one night, it's true. If they'd gotten married at any other time, there would have been. And it got a big laugh. Even Sam and Jack thought it was funny."

"So did Selmac," adds Jacob as he watches the newlyweds make the rounds, never more than an arms length from each other. "But then, she's got a weird sense of humour at the best of times."

"How does it feel to be the father-in-law to Jack O'Neill?" asks Daniel, who has relaxed, now he knows the Colonel and Sam aren't angry with us anymore.

"Honestly? It's better than the alternative. But on the other hand, now I don't have any excuse to kill him."

"They're good for each other. He makes her take breaks for food and rest and she keeps him out of trouble. Mostly. The damage that man can do to anything when he's bored is amazing."

"When they have kids we are not volunteering to baby-sit," quips Daniel.

"Yeah, but what beautiful kids they'll be," replies Jacob.

Daniel's POV

"Yeah, beautiful kids, but they'll be walking trainwrecks. Think about it... Sam's intelligence, Jack's short attention span..."

No laughter. Bad joke. Janet punches me in the arm.

"Not even Selmac laughed at that, Daniel."

"I...uhh...I need another drink. You, Janet?"

"I think YOU'VE had enough, but I'll take a punch, thank you."

I cringe. She's pissed and embarrassed. So, I take off. I can't do anything right anymore for that woman. Jeez, I hope we end up like Sam and Jack, because it feels like Janet just wants me dead and gone.

SG-1 SG-1 SG-1

Sam's POV

I look down at my Mom's wedding ring on my finger as Jack leads me towards where Cassie is hiding behind Teal'c from Janet. I almost started crying when Dad showed it to me just before our wedding.

Our wedding.

I'm married.

I'm married to Jack O'Neill.

I'm going to Minnesota with Colonel Jack O'Neill. My husband.

My name is Samantha O'Neill.

I don't feel any different yet.

"O'Neill. Major O'Neill," greets Teal'c and I grin. Maybe a little different.

"Nah, T, in the field I'm O'Neill, she's Carter. That's just weird. I feel like I've been demoted."

"I'll try not to take that personally Colonel." I tease as I lean forward to hug Teal'c briefly. "Thank you Teal'c for everything."

Our Jaffa friend nods his head with his equivalent of a big smile. "It was Cassandra and Janet Frasier who provided the clothing and the majority of the ideas."

"With a lot of help from our friends. And we couldn't have gotten here tonight without any of you, so thank you." I reply.

"Cassie, thank you for the dress. She looks like an Angel." Adds my husband.

"I knew you'd like it too Uncle Jack."

"I-" What ever he was going to say is interrupted by General Hammond tapping on his glass again. No more surprises, please?

"Ladies and Gentlemen, will you please clear the dance floor, for the bride and groom's first dance."

I look at Jack who shrugs and follows me to the base of the ramp, where a small group of people were dancing earlier. The band is playing a general slow dance introduction as Jack takes me in his arms and then suddenly skips into the first few bars of 'We're off to see the wizard!' and I giggle. The choice has most of the assembled crowd in gales of laughter and Jack shrugs off the gentle ribbing and calls.

He chides me with a soft "No giggling Major," and swings me gently around the dance floor in a slow waltz to the fast paced movie song. After a few turns around the floor, the band picks up on our rhythm and plays a gentle melody. Melancholy but full of a hidden hope. 'Perhaps Love'. My mind fills in the lyrics as we sway gently.

Jack's POV

I'm married to Sam.

We're going to Minnesota.

We're going to live together.

We're going to have kids and a big dog.

We're going fishing.

I don't think I could be any happier than having her here, dancing with her. There is no longer her and me, there's only us. As it should be. So we dance.