Sam awoke the next morning next to Jack. She ran her fingers through his hair and she smiled when he gently stirred. This was her husband. And today, they were going to actually pledge their lives to the other. They were going to be bound in holy matrimony…by Earth's standards anyway.

She suddenly noticed that his eyes were open. She stared into those lovely brown eyes of his.

"Good morning, Samantha."

She kissed him lightly. "I love you. You know that?"

He stared into her eyes for a few moments.

"What?"

"Do you realize that's the first time you've ever said that to me?"

She thought back to the last few days. She really hadn't ever told him how she really felt about him. It had just been assumed. For that matter, she had never heard him express how he felt about her. Wasn't it about time that they admitted it? They were married, for cryin' out loud.

She smiled at her thoughts. When an alternate version of herself had come through the Quantum Mirror, both she and Jack had been surprised to hear Dr. Samantha Carter use the phrase "for cryin' out loud."

It had proven to them that she had been intimately acquainted with a certain Jack O'Neill.

"What're you smiling about?" He asked as he leaned on his elbow and ran his hand through her hair.

She laughed. "Nothing. I just…I was thinking about something and I ended the sentence in my mind with 'for cryin' out loud.'"

He chuckled. "I'm finally rubbing off on you!"

"So, when you start spouting off theories on wormhole physics, we'll know that I'm rubbing off on you, huh?" She said with a small smile.

"Holy Hannah!" he yelled, jumping out of bed.

"What?" She asked, concerned.

"We're getting married today!"

She smiled. "And I thought I was the smart one."

"I can't believe I forgot!"

"And I can't believe you said 'holy Hannah!'"

"What? It's just an expression!"

"Like 'for cryin' out loud?'"

He looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "Huh?"

"Never mind," she said, with a chuckle.

Jack looked at the clock on the nightstand. "We've got two hours to get ready and get there."

She smiled. "I know. Don't rush me. We know what happened the last time I rushed around getting ready."

"Yeah, I'd rather not have you pass out as you say 'I do'."

She kissed him again. "You know, I really do love you."

He looked at her tenderly, as he brushed his fingers through her hair. "I love you too, Mrs. O'Neill."

"Almost…" She said in a tiny whisper.

Then, she got out of the bed. "Race you to the shower!"

"Jacob!"

"Jack!" Jacob said, sipping at a cup of coffee.

"Mind if I grab some of that?"

"It's your coffee…" He said with a smirk.

"True…but you made it." Jack said, sitting down beside his father-in-law. Sam had beaten him to the shower, so he would wait, knowing that he was in no danger of being without hot water.

There were some things that he and Sam had been able to do without blinking an eye, but…showering together. That was one of those things. Sure they'd had sex once, okay, twice if you counted the whole Jonah and Thera thing, but…well, he just didn't know how to go about living with someone who only two weeks ago had been WAY off-limits. Sure they'd had their ups and downs, but…

"I'm not going to hammer this into the ground, Jack." Jacob began.

"Hammer what into the ground?"

"I just want to make sure that Sam's really getting what she wants."

Jack looked his father-in-law in the eyes. "I can't speak for her."

"I know. And I'm glad that you aren't THAT audacious." He said with a chuckle. "But the other thing I need to know, that I think you can help me with, is whether or not you love her."

"I do, Jacob." He said simply. "And I'm not going to let anything happen that even remotely resembles the failure of my last marriage."

Jacob looked at his son-in-law. He had never known that Jack had been married before. It was one of the things that Sam had obviously kept from him, and that he hadn't bothered to find out.

Jack saw the unspoken question written in Jacob's eyes. "My ex-wife left me a few months after our son died. It was my own fault really."

Jacob saw the flickers of pain that sparked in Jack's eyes. It was the same flicker that Jacob had experienced after the death of his own wife, and the estrangement of his son.

"Really?"

"Charlie found my personal side-arm and accidentally shot himself with it."

Flashes of that memory still haunted him at night, more frequently now because of the new baby. Thank goodness Sam was a heavy sleeper now, because she would have otherwise heard him sob into the pillow beside her. It was Charlie and Sara. He knew that Sam understood that he loved her, and that nothing that he felt for Sara would interfere in their relationship, but…he still had deep feelings for her. At least, Jack hoped that Sam would understand.

Jacob was silent and let Jack continue. "Before the first Abydos mission, I was suicidal. Honestly, I owe Daniel my life. He reminded me what a gift life was. When I got back, Sara was gone. I wasn't letting her reach me anymore."

Jacob laid a supportive fatherly hand on Jack's shoulder. "You may not believe me, but…I understand. In a sort of mixed up way."

Jack turned his sorrowful eyes to Jacob.

"When my wife died, I blamed myself. Quite honestly, so did Sam and Mark. I was supposed to pick her up from an appointment in town. When I was late, she took a cab. She was in a car accident on her way home." He swallowed down the tears that were threatening to fall. No matter how much he identified with the younger man, he still couldn't let him see the tears. "Sam and I were able to talk about what happened. Mark and I never did. That is, not until Selmak."

Jack nodded. "Sara and I talked after an alien energy crystal took my form and showed up at her house, wanting to see Charlie."

"Jack!" Sam called. "Shower's yours!"

Jacob smiled. "You're perfect for one another. I can hardly tell who's bellowing when."

Jack chuckled. It was good that Sam had broken the tension between them. It was time for them to put aside their pasts and start celebrating the future. "Well, I must do as the Lady dictates." Jack said, standing up.

"You do that." Jacob said, a twinkle in his eye.

Then, after Jack left the room, Jacob looked into his coffee cup.

"He's a nice one. Better than Jonas or any of the alien guys that had an interest in her." A feminine voice said, entering his thoughts.

It wasn't the first time that he had imagined talking to Elizabeth. He smiled. "Yeah, he's not a bad fella."

"And yet you're going to let him think that you're the big bad father-in-law." She said, smiling.

"Gotta keep up some kind of an image."

Selmak had long since learned that when Jacob was talking to Elizabeth, he was dealing with change in his life. So, he went to sleep, giving Jacob as much privacy as he possibly could.

"He's a lot like you."

"Yeah. That's what's kind of scary about it."

She smiled. "Sam wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yeah, I know." He whispered, softly, longing to caress her cheek as he had done while she had still been alive.

"She's turned into quite a lady."

"Just like her mother."

"So, Dad, how are you and Selmak doing?" Sam asked, walking into the kitchen in a bathrobe to get herself some juice and toast.

"Selmak's asleep actually. Had "You'll Never Walk Alone" stuck in his head all night."

She chuckled. "Well, that song will do that to you sometimes."

Jacob thought for a moment, hesitant to say what was on his mind. "Your mom would have been so proud of you." He finally admitted.

She looked at him, surprised, as tears started to moisten her eyes.

"I know."

"Good. And…I think she would have approved of Jack too."

Sam smiled. "Good."

He put his hand over hers. "Just as long as you're happy."

She chewed the flesh on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated her life. Yes, there were a lot of things about it that would make a lot of people uncomfortable. But…that was who she was.

"I'm very happy, Dad."

He smiled. "I can see it in your eyes."

They arrived at the town hall at a few minutes after ten. "Do you have your marriage license?" The receptionist asked.

Jack nodded and produced the small piece of paper. She looked it over. "All right. The judge will be with you in a few minutes. Do you have any witnesses?"

"Plenty." Sam replied, looking at the entourage that they had gathered after Janet and Daniel had announced to the base that the Earth wedding was to be held that day at town hall.

The receptionist smiled. "Well, have a seat."

Sam fidgeted with the collar of her off-white dress. It was simply cut, with a round neck and short sleeves.

"Hey, what's up?" Jack asked, as he took her hands into his.

"I guess I'm just…a little nervous." She admitted.

"Me too."

"Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill?"

They looked up to find the receptionist approach them again.

"Yes?"

"Judge Mathison will see you now."

They stood and walked into the courtroom.

"Do you Jonathan Jacob O'Neill take Samantha Elizabeth Carter to be your lawfully wedded wife so long as you both shall live?" The black-robed man asked.

"I do." He said, looking Sam in the eyes.

"And do you, Samantha Elizabeth Carter take Jonathan Jacob O'Neill to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." She said, unable to take her eyes off the man clad in his dress blues. Her husband.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Colorado, I now pronounce you man and wife."

There was a pause of anticipation as the group waited for a passionate kiss from Sam and Jack. They were disappointed because the couple could not keep their eyes off of one another.

The judge chuckled. It happened every so often that he had to spell it out to the couple. "Colonel, you may kiss the bride."

Jack was pulled out of his reverie as he looked at the judge, trying to decipher what he'd just said. As it dawned on him, he grinned and looked back at Sam. "Well, if you say so."

Then, he pulled Sam into an embrace as he kissed her. The moment seemed to last forever, and the audience was no longer disappointed. They had all lived to see the most historic case of unresolved sexual tension be resolved!