Chapter Seven

AN: Personally I think the writing in this chapter is pretty crap, and not up to my usual standard. Hmm… maybe I need a beta. Any suggestions for improvement on sentence/paragraph structure and storyline (but not taking Pete put yet :D ) or anything else, because I'm really not happy with the way I wrote this chapter. It just didn't flow right. Anyway, it must be because Pete hasn't been smashed yet. Argh!

Enjoy.

'Jack!' Mark Carter and his wife Janelle came over to General O'Neill who was standing in a corner with Daniel. 'How are you?' he said friendly, shaking his hand.

'I'm great, Mark! How are you?' he said way too enthusiastically for comfort. Mark gave him one of 'those' looks. Very reminiscent of the looks that General Hammond used to give him when he came in from a mission injured and tired to resist a medical check on the claim that he felt fine. That same look General Hammond had given him, Mark was now giving him.

What the hell was everyone's problem! He didn't need them to feel sympathetic for him He could do just fine on his own. They should be feeling sorry for Sam? She was the one who had just married the sick bastard. 'So, Mark? How are the kids?'

Slowly Jack had moved from person to person, talking to different people he knew. First Mark (8 mins), then some guy that he and Sam had known from the Gulf War (13 mins), then a lady from SG-3 (9 mins), Pete's friend (3 mins), an Apophis look-a-like (6mins), Thor-in-disguise (18mins), his younger clone (10mins) and now he had moved on to General Hammond.

He started talking and looked a tad uncomfortable to Jack, which he thought was a bit odd. Unfortunately, he got an answer he didn't want to hear when he asked George if he was all right.

'Jack, I'm sorry. It's kind of my fault that you and Sam-' Jack cut him off before he could finish his sentence, something that he'd been doing often this day. Especially when talking to Mini-Jack and Thor and SGC personnel. 'George…' He said warningly.

The General went on anyway. 'I ignored the feelings between you, because you didn't act on it. It rusted you. But maybe… maybe I could have talked to the President about the regs-'

'George.' Jack said firmly. 'We are not talking about this today, okay? No dwelling on what might have been. I don't. Want. To hear it.' Jack got that pained look back in his eyes, which for a while had been held back.

'Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry.' Jack felt like saying, Well it's worth nothing. Sorry doesn't make her unmarried! But he knew George didn't deserve that. He was just an innocent bystander of the relationship that literally spawned the ages and the universe.

'It's okay, George. This thing was inevitable anyway. So let's just… talk about something else, hmm?' General Hammond nodded his agreement.

No more talk of what might have been.

Sam smiled happily as she whirled around the dance floor with Pete. After that tiny embarrassing comment that Pete had made, she had made a small mention of it. Just a 'Please Pete, you didn't have to say that. It wasn't necessary.' And then he had said he was sorry, and that was that. She was very grateful that Jack hadn't come back at him and made it worse, which she could feel he was on the verge of doing. Although the pained look in his eyes were enough to make her wish he had said it.

She didn't think she'd seen him so… subdued before. Except for that time when they thought Daniel had died, and then that time after Alternate Sam and Kawalsky had come through the mirror. And then that time when Daniel had died and… okay so maybe she had seen him more or equally subdued. But this time was different.

No one had died, he hadn't just kissed his 'wife' or 2-I-C. She had just gotten married and he had not drunken a drop of alcohol since the toasts.

Oh! The toasts! So wonderful some of them and others… tin y hints of sadness. Of course she noticed the fact that he had used the 'L' word. And she knew that it was both in the context of a friend and… more than a friend. And though she was sorry they never had a chance to be anything more before she met Pete and fell in love with him, she appreciated it. And she appreciated his speech and his words.

The song ended and there was a small applauding as she stopped dancing; not even noticing that she had just spent her wedding dance thinking of Jack. 'Hey kiddo.' Sam turned around to see her dad. 'I think it's time for us to dance now.' With a small kiss on the cheek from Pete, accompanied by a subtle roll of the eyes from Jacob, he slid his arms around his daughter's waist and began to dance with her.

She was so glad that he was able to come. It wouldn't have been the same without her father there. And though she knew he didn't really like Pete, yet, he would come because he loved her. She smiled at her him.

'I'm glad you're here dad.'

'So am I, Sammie. You look beautiful and I know you're happy. And that makes me happy.'

'I am happy.' And she really was.

He held up his hand and she twirled around him. Jacob put his head forward quickly and then back up.

'Hey Selmak', she said.

'Congratulations Samantha on your marriage', he said in "distorted" tones. 'Your father's right. You look beautiful. Pete is very lucky.'

'Thanks Selmak.'

'I am only sorry that you and General O'Neill-' Jacob came back speedily.

'Sorry Sam. You know how he gets sometimes. He's senile 2000 year old symbiote.'

'I know dad. It's okay, it's just…' Sam looked around confusedly and saw Jack talking with Lt. John Harris. 'Never mind.'

'Sam?' Jacob said with a questioning look in his eyes, noticing her glance toward Jack. 'You are happy, right? Happy, not just content?'

'Sure I am, dad.' She gave him a bright smile; a smile that reached her eyes, but did not reach to the depths of her heart. Jacob, with his fatherly instincts, realised this, but decided to let it slide. She was happy, but even if she wasn't truly happy at the moment, she would grow happier with her life as she had a new family and made new goals for her life.

The song ended and Sam gave her dad a hug. 'I think two fellas are waiting to dance with you Sammie.' He pointed over to Daniel and Teal'c who were standing outside of the dancing circle talking quietly. 'I think you should ask Jack to dance as well.' He whispered into her ear. And off he went to talk to General Hammond.

Sam sighed and looked at Jack again. He didn't look too happy and she knew it wasn't because of Lt. John Harris; he had so many interesting stories to tell for someone who didn't travel to other planets. She knew it was because of her, and it hurt her to see him like that.

She missed his usual happy, joking nature. The way they had interacted as friends, before she got engaged to Pete. He didn't have to change like that, just because she was getting married. But if he wanted to be sullen and not have fun, that was his choice. She smiled and walked over to Daniel and Teal'c. 'Hey Danny would you like to dance with me?'

End of Chapter Seven