Author's Note: Um, remember what I said about waiting a few days for the next part? I lied, apparently. Though it's totally valid now, as more tweaking must be done for Part 9.

Uh, also, minor changes that likely only I would notice are now in Chapters 1-7.

--

"We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be."

Mansfield Park

--

After considerable debate, it was decided that they would hunt fox. Whether or not this was actually socially acceptable was as of yet uncertain, as Samantha had never been invited to participate in a hunt before and both Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c had only been hunting in much different circumstances. Regardless of this, they had decided to proceed with their plan—after all, what their neighbors didn't know about their recreational activities wouldn't hurt them.

So they agreed to meet early one Wednesday morning with their horses and rifles ready. The rest, they assumed, would sort itself out given enough time and effort. (Plus, Samantha had agreed to ask Daniel more specifics on the practice before the actual event was to take place.)

She made it a point to arrive even earlier than she had last time, tying Jolinar to a tree and dismounting so that she could more comfortably situate herself for the wait.

Although she was hesitant to admit to it, she had been looking forward to this outing since Colonel O'Neill had suggested it last week. In fact, she had been planning for it carefully, and had even brought something she had long anticipated giving to the Colonel.

When he and Teal'c finally arrived, she could actually tell that they were surprised at her presence. Wondering if it was really that shocking or if she was just learning to read them better, she grinned and greeted them. "Good morning."

"Good morning," O'Neill replied. "So…where's the fox?"

"I'm sure I haven't the slightest idea. But come down here a moment. I've brought you a gift."

Obediently, he dismounted, looking torn between being curious and awkward. "A gift? You needn't have done that."

"I know. But he was quite insistent."

"He…what..? I…" he trailed off as he came closer and saw the small bundle of gray fur sitting quietly next to her. "…You got me a dog?"

"Well, I didn't get him so much as my dog had puppies and they're just now old enough to be given away. I went to pick one up this morning and Thor was just waiting there by the barn door, as though he knew."

Crouching down, O'Neill ran his hand down the puppy's back in one smooth motion, that peculiarly appealing expression lingering around his mouth that she interpreted as an almost-smile. "He was…wait, did you just call him Thor?"

Frankly, she had been hoping that he wouldn't catch that. "Um…yes. Daniel came over a few days ago and named them all. Unfortunately, he's been a bit preoccupied with researching ancient deities since the dinner party, and last week was the Norse."

He looked from her to the skinny little greyhound with his round black eyes and too-big paws and then looked back at her. "He doesn't exactly look like a Thor."

"Oh, I have faith that he'll live up to his name eventually," Samantha assured him while scratching behind Thor's left ear. "Just be glad that Heimdall wasn't waiting for me this morning."

"Heim-what?" O'Neill stuttered, looking at the puppy again. Thor just tilted his head slightly, and, if she wasn't mistaken, blinked at him. "Right then. Thor it is."

In one fluid movement, the puppy was scooped into the Colonel's arms and the two continued to study each other almost solemnly. Finally, Thor licked O'Neill's nose and Jack grinned, looking positively delighted at this new development.

That was the moment Samantha Carter realized that she had finally managed to fall in love.

--

For his part, Jack O'Neill had already come to the conclusion that his feelings for Samantha Carter had run out of his control. Somewhere between her shoe falling on his head and finding her sitting next to a strangely solemn greyhound, his admiration for her had increased to such a point that he could no longer imagine what this new life would be without her nearby.

Of course, this revelation wasn't exactly a welcome one in the world of Jack O'Neill. He usually kept to himself for good reasons, and those reasons weren't exactly subjects that were suitable for public consumption. He had not anticipated meeting someone like Miss Carter—in fact, he had not anticipated meeting much of anyone at all. The idea of entering into another romantic entanglement, or even more seriously, another marriage, was a bit daunting.

Of course, the idea of not tying himself to Miss Carter in whatever way he could was steadily becoming increasingly unattractive as well.

So he was left with what seemed like an impossible situation—did he ignore his ever-growing feelings for the amazing young woman now presented to him or did he actually try to act on the feelings that so unexpectedly seized him? Would it even matter if he did, considering Miss Carter's long history of shattered love affairs and apparent resolution to remain unmarried and thus, out of social danger? Did he really want to take the risk and put in jeopardy a friendship from which he (and even Teal'c) derived so much pleasure? Not to mention the fact that any action towards a more serious relationship would necessitate the full disclosure of events from his past that might so easily turn her away before anything had a chance to begin—an idea that did not sit well with him at all.

Glancing down at Thor, who was riding quite contentedly in the saddlebag, he wondered if he really had any option at all.

"We're never going to find a fox, are we?" he asked abruptly.

"Considering our complete ineptitude on this particular subject, I would guess not," Miss Carter allowed gracefully.

Turning to Teal'c, he clearly saw that the man was attempting find a feasible trail to follow and failing miserably. "No luck?"

"Unfortunately not, O'Neill. These woods contain many animals, but their tracks seem to follow erratic patterns and are often lost in the underbrush."

"Just as well," O'Neill replied, shifting in his saddle. "Shooting would detract from the conversation. Although I admit that I had been looking forward to discovering whether your skill with a rifle was everything Daniel claimed it was, Miss Carter."

"If you are that curious, pick a target and I would be happy to demonstrate, although I fear that Daniel may have overstated the matter slightly."

"Perhaps you should pick a target then, as you are sure to be a better judge of your skill than I could ever be."

Her eyes scanned the terrain impartially, finally settling on a mark some thirty meters off. "Do you see the evergreen branch? The one that is broken?"

In fact, it was not broken so much as snapped, the end hanging precariously onto the rest of the tree. The shot was a difficult one, obscured by pine needles and distance. "Yes, I see it."

Without fuss, Miss Carter raised her rifle, took aim, and cleanly shot the branch exactly where it had been clinging to the rest of the tree. It fell to the ground with a clamor in the echo of the shot, while O'Neill and Teal'c gaped in surprise.

"Miss Carter, I do not believe that Daniel overstated the matter in the smallest measure."

--

As they neared the pastures behind her barn after a few hours of half-heartedly searching for a fox, Samantha tried to calm the emotional turmoil roiling in her stomach. The scene earlier with the puppy had brought to light the uncomfortable truth of her feelings for Colonel O'Neill, and ever since that revelation, every little word exchanged seemed to have hidden meaning and significance. Jokes were funnier, shared looks were sweeter, and compliments certainly meant more. If his approval of her shooting abilities had pleased her, then his surprising compliment on her current haphazard ensemble of an old pair of her father's trousers and a white shirt downright stunned her—he had merely said that somehow, she managed to look nicer in men's clothing than he did.

Strangely enough, his observation was true as well as shocking—but only because when he had gotten dressed that morning he had apparently somehow managed to put his vest on backwards and it was bunching up his entire garb in a rather ridiculous fashion. While she had grown accustomed to refastening his tie, stripping off his vest was a line that she dared not cross just yet.

Dismounting Jolinar and leaving her in the pasture for Mr. Siler or one of the stable boys to tend to, she looked up at her two visitors and came to a rash decision. "Would you both like to come inside? There's something I should like to show you, if you have the time."

They looked at each other and came to a silent agreement, joining her on the ground. "We have nothing but time, Miss Carter," O'Neill allowed, following her lead into the main house.

She led them through the main rooms to the back, the old greenhouse. Previously, only Daniel and Janet had been allowed into this room, and she was more than a little nervous about showing her new friends what may have been her most closely kept secret. Still, they had reacted to the news of her somewhat rocky past with nothing but equanimity and support, and never failed to surprise her with their open-mindedness. Hopefully, they would not fail her now.

Pushing open the wide double doors, she led them into the room. It was obvious that long ago it had been a conservatory of some kind, with light pouring in through the immense green glass windows. Now, it was so much more than a place to transplant flowers. Through careful planning, she had managed to build herself what was almost the equivalent of a laboratory, lined with glass test tubes and beakers carefully labeled and rough-hewn microscopes. "It's not much—certainly not equal to the labs in London or at some of the more prestigious universities—but it is the best I could manage to scrape up on my own."

The colonel picked up a small trinket that she had been using as a scale weight and tossed it between his hands, looking around. "What do you do in here?"

"Oh, whatever I can. Currently, I'm working on a theory about magnetism and what sort of effect it could have on soil, as well as trying to make a practical working model of thermodynamics, but I am having trouble finding enough information about heat controls to really make a functioning apparatus."

His hands never seemed to stay still, flipping through a stack of careful organized papers she had written out by hand. "You record your findings?"

"Doesn't every good scientist?" she asked, a bit puzzled by the question.

"Yes, of course, but most do so for publication purposes."

It was a sore spot for her, the inability to make anything of her private discoveries. "Yes, well, that's hardly an option for me, now is it?"

"Hmm. You know, my new house came complete with an impressive array of books, including a massive section on science. As I shall certainly never make use of it and I doubt Teal'c has any interest-" (at this, Teal'c, who had been standing in a corner quietly, bowed a bit in affirmation) "-you're welcome to whatever you like."

The previous proprietors of Cheyenne Manor had been notorious for their enthusiasm about science—even the cast-off journals and essays they had left behind would be more information than Samantha could previously access over the course of years. "I…that's very generous of you," she said finally, stunned by the very prospect.

An uncharacteristic stillness overcame him then and it caught her attention—when she looked directly at him, the colonel seemed strangely resolved. Before she could ask what was wrong, he said brusquely, "There's something I wish to…no, there's something I need to share with you."

--

Everything was happening so quickly—not two hours ago he was unresolved how to even deal with the feelings he was experiencing for the woman in front of him and now he stood on the brink of sharing his most intimate secret with her. But it seemed, at the moment, to be the only logical recourse—she had brought him here, had shared with him the pastime closest to her heart. If her little laboratory was ever discovered, she could stand to lose the thing that obviously brought her the most joy, but she had trusted him to know the truth of her character.

He felt that it was only right that he attempt the same sort of honesty. Unfortunately, his secrets were quite a bit more serious than a clandestine passion for science.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Teal'c silently sliding out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Once again he felt profoundly thankful for the friend he had made in the exotic man, who understood him without seeming to put much effort into it. He did not even wish to have this conversation—he certainly did not want an audience present while he tried to explain himself.

"You may have wondered why a man such as I would suddenly retire to the country without explanation," he began, and saw the somewhat sheepish affirmation in her eyes. "I…well, you see, I was married. Before. And I had a son. Charlie."

She seemed to understand that he did not wish to be interrupted, processing this new information in thoughtful silence. "One summer I was on leave for a few weeks, enjoying the time with my family. But I became careless of my surroundings…my pistol was normally locked in the study, but I must have forgotten…."

He found that he could not actually bring himself to spell out the particulars, but saw by the sudden flash of horror in her eyes that she had drawn the inevitable conclusion. "Charlie was eight. Afterwards, I couldn't…I didn't know how to go on. Sara—my wife—wavered between trying to pull me out of my grief and blaming me for the entire incident. Things would have…well, I do not know for certain what would have happened had I not been recalled, but I believe that it is very possible I would not be standing here today."

Her eyes glistened with tears, but he could find no trace of condemnation in her expression. "However, I was recalled, and found myself sent on a mission to Africa, with Daniel Jackson hired on as our translator. His unfolding love for Sha're, and my own improving connection with Sha're's younger brother, a boy named Skaara, helped me to…come to terms with my pain. I returned home with the intention of making things right with Sara, only to find that she had died in my absence—a fact her father had not bothered to share with me. I was left with no recourse but to return to the Army. On my next and final mission, I met Teal'c. I believe we recognized each other—two old soldiers, tired and ready for some peace. Teal'c's tribe had been taken over by a mad man and even after years of struggle, he had not managed to escape the yolk of his oppression. In me, he saw freedom. I merely saw a friend. We agreed to come back to Britain and live as quietly as possible—maybe we think that it is all we deserve, I do not know."

Words failed him then, both because there was nothing more to be said and because he had reached his limit. Uncertain how she would react to him now that she knew the darkness that lay in his past, he waited stoically for her response.

A verbal reply never came—instead, after what seemed like an interminably long period, she surged forward and wrapped both arms tightly around him in the fiercest hug he could ever remember receiving.

Exhaling a long sigh and leaning into her, Jack knew then that there would be no more debate about the proper course of action with regards to Miss Samantha Carter—if he did not at least try to gain her hand in marriage, it would be yet another momentous regret to weigh down upon him.

Jack O'Neill had had quite enough of regrets.