AN: I'm truly sorry for the long delay. I'm already ¾ finished the next chapter so hopefully the next update wont take too long, but I'll let this one sink in for a bit. I have figured out a way to use all three songs :) yay, but tis sad.
If you hate Sam in this one just remember the eppy 2010. When she was talking to Hack, urgh. I didn't like her very much. But… it was all fine at the end because she chose the right thing; at the end. So just keep that in mind guys. Yep this is definitely going to become Sam/Jack. Eventually.
Sorry ARCHANGEWOMAN but this been along time in the making (approx. 6 months) and Jack loves her too much to deny her anything, so technically if he did say no to her, that would be Out Of Character (OOC)
Sorry for any spelling-errors, my spell check is not working :(

N.B. Get your kleenex out. I was crying a bit while I was writing this; sitting in the warm sun during lunch time and my friends asking if I was okay. My friend Jennyvre Moss understood though hug for Lynnie Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

Thanks guys for your reviews!

Chapter Eleven

Jack watched her; he watched her dance with Pete and Jacob, as he talked to acquaintances. He watched her as she danced with Daniel and Teal'c and talked to different people. She gave a look of indecision in his direction as she started to walk over to him. He quickly looked away and answered the question that George had asked, trying to think of a way to avoid the inevitable question that she would ask him. 'Uh, yeah, the president said that he would be able to in a few weeks.'

'I hope that –' Hammond stopped as Sam reached them. 'Hi Sam,' He said, giving her a hug. 'Congratulations.'

'Thankyou, Hammond of Texas.' She said with a grin on her face. 'I was wondering if I could steal Jack away from you.' She turned to face her former CO.

'Would you like to dance with me?

Dance, yes. Capable of doing so, no. 'Umm…' He looked to George for help.

'Yes, go on, Son.' He encouraged. 'This could be the last; the only time you dance with her in a long while.' Jack held his hands up in protest but Sam took them with her own and dragged him to the dance floor. Instead of the usual tingling feeling that ran up his hands when they touched, he felt daggers. Sharp and painful. It hurt. Not physically though. But he could feel it. Knowing that he was touching her, touching her when she could never be his, when he could never be hers.

A song started playing. "This is the place where I sit… This is the place where I love you too much…" Jack put his arms around Sam's waist, breathing in her scent as she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to move around the dance floor. "This is as hard as it gets. Cos I'm getting tired or pretending I'm tough." Jack tried not to hold on to her too tightly. But it was next to impossible. George was right. It was the last time he would ever hold her; and he never wanted to let her go again. "But I'm here if you want me. I'm yours you can hold me…"

'Always' he had said. He would always be there if she needed him. "I'm empty and taken and tumbling and breaking…" Yep, even if it broke him, he would always be there for her. Even is she was far away.

Suddenly he noticed that quite a lot of familiar looking SGC personnel had edged over to their corner of the dance floor and was now watching them curiously. He quickly looked around for Pete. Fortunately he was at the bar, talking avidly with some guy. Jack led him and Sam over to the other corner of the dance floor, a small smile tugged at his lips as they surreptitiously followed them.

His smile disappeared as the song continued. "Cos you don't see me, and you don't need me. And you don't love me. The way I wish you would…" Unbidden tears came to his eyes and he blinked them away, angry at himself for getting soft. But this song was so damn on target, he wondered if it had been custom composed.

Sam had evidently gotten over him the way he wasn't able to. So even if he was there for her, she didn't need him or love him, however much he wished she would.

"The way I know you could…" She could've loved him once. He knew she once did. She had kissed him back in the time loop. But unlike him, that spark for her had passed with time.

"I dream a world where you understand…" The song said as he twirled Sam around in her wedding dress.. He stared at her for a second, remembering a picture. It was the picture that the Alternate Sam had left behind (most likely for him). It was a picture of Jack and Sam on their wedding day in a different reality. He even remembered the love that was in both their eyes as the Alternate Jack held onto his new wife tightly.

An overwhelming sadness washed over Jack. In that world Sam had understood. She even knew the happiness of being with her Jack. A kind of happiness that Jack would never know. They had experience the joys of being with the person they love.

The overwhelming sadness threatened tears on him and he quickly forced a smile on his face to show that he was completley unaffected by this dance. But the song, by the system lords, who the hell chose it!

"I dream of fire when you're touching my hand, but it twists into smoke when I turn on the lights." When they used to (but rarely) touch hands it was like fire. Something sparked, burned inside of him. Something used to burn inside of both of them. But he kept on 'turning on the lights' and holding back; it was no more. That spark had twisted into smoke; choking… and intoxicating.

He could feel Sam's back tense under his hand; probably because of the song. He gave her back a quick rub, surprising himself. It was a natural thing to do…. Two years ago. The Jack before Pete would have done it, being his usual reassuring self. But the Jack now, if he had thought about it would not have done it. The song continued.

"I'm speechless and faded; it's too complicated. Is this how the book ends, nothing but good friends." It's almost like she faded him into the background; he found it hard to speak to her now. Their relationship had always been complicated, and yet they never got their fairytale ending. They had kept to the regs for all these years and now there was no hope, nothing to make it all worth it. He could only remain her friend. (AN: For my take on this, read my one-take on Jack's New Year).

'Friend' the word tasted bitter in Jack's mouth as the chorus repeated. He figured he should talk to Sam a bit. The SGC guys looking at them were getting a bit edgy. 'So, Sam?' he asked his voice quivering slightly. 'How goes the reception? You having fun? Dancing, talking… dancing?' He trailed off not knowing what to say to her. It seemed safest to stay his usual witty self.

Sam nodded. 'And you Si-Jack? Are you having a nice evening?'

'Undomesticated equines couldn't remove me, Carter!' He said grinning. Sam gave him an odd look. 'Al-right then. What about undomesticated bunyips, Sir?' She said with seeming innocence.

'Maybe that might work. But they'd have to be pretty big bunyips to drag me away from you-here.'

Sam gave him an embarrassed smile. Damn it! He stuffed it up again. He could feel the akwardness creeping back in; their usual joking disappearing, again.

Jack gave her a sad smile and the song went on.

"This is the place in my heart. This is the place where I'm falling apart…" Oh yeah, in his heart he was falling apart. He was surprised his old heart had lasted this long already, with all the stuff he'd been put through. And he knew he was going to get wasted tonight so… it wouldn't help much, but at least it would make him forget (for a while) the ever-present problem that was never going to be resolved.

"Is this the last chance that I'll ever get…" His last chance had been and gone… and he had missed it.

"I wish I was lonely instead of just only, crystal and see-through and not enough to you." He had been lonely for the past 8 years, but now he was truly alone. But if he had never known her, maybe that would be a better alternative than… having to live through tonight. Having her see right though him, see right through his mask that he put up. She had always beeng good at that. Better if he had never known her than not being enough to her, not being able to love her.

"Crystal and see-through and not enough to you…" The chorus played again more slowly and quietly, signalling that the song was nearly ending. A sudden desperation gripped Jack; This was the last time he would ever hold her or be near her for a long time.

Jack subconsiously tightened his hold on Sam pulling her a little closer so that his head was resting on her neck.

For the last three seconds of the song Jack let his guard down, closing his eyes, savouring her touch, her smell, her presence…

Sam looked up at him, a small uncertainty in her eyes as she felt herself being slightly squeezed by the man she had worked with for eight years, the man she had once loved. "You don't see me…" Jack leant down to her and kissed Sam…

…on the cheek and gave her a tight hug, wishing he could do more than that, show her he could love her more than Pete ever could.

'I hope you have a good life, Samantha', he said genuinely, looked at her for a few seconds and walked away, leaving Sam standing in the middle of the dance floor looking confused and somewhat hurt.

Jack slowly made his way through the crowd of guest, ignoring all the people around him and told himself to breathe. He didn't go to the bathroom to cry like some school girl, but took his lonely signature spot in the corner of the courtyard next to Daniel.

'Are you okay, Jack?' Daniel asked his friend with deep concern, seeing tears in his eyes.

Jack shook his head, not trusting himself to say anything more than 'Is it time to go now, Daniel?'

'I'm sorry, Jack. We have to wait till Sam and Pete leave first. Y'know the whole throwing the bouquet tradition thing?' Daniel gave a small laugh to cover up his nervousness. He had seen Jack in a mood like this a couple of times before and put up with it, but it had never been as bad as this. He was scared Jack was going to do something silly if he kept on ignoring his feelings like this. But he had done it for seven years.

'D'you think if I catch the bouquet I could be the next one to marry Carter?' Jack continued, putting his guard back up.

Daniel didn't know how to respond to this so he simply put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, a small action that meant more to Jack than he could ever say.

End of Chapter Eleven