Here's part 1 of my Epilogue. I hadn't quite finished it all, but seeing as FF seems to have mislaid the last chapter somewhere, I don't think a lot of you got to read it. Hopefully posting this will give you the chance to catch up. Part 2 should be up tomorrow. Just a little angst – that's what the title's is all about after all. With Jack and Sam nothing is ever that simple. Don't worry though, you know I always end a story on a good note.

Thanks for your reviews as always. I look forward to reading your comments.

NOTHING IS EVER THAT SIMPLE

By LetitiaRichards

Previously:-

Oh man, was he in for one hell of a ride! He only hoped he could keep up with his younger wife. It was either that or he was gonna die a very, very happy man.

Chapter 32 – Epilogue part 1

Jack and Sam spent the whole week either lazing by the lake in the warmth of the sun, or taking the occasional long walks round the calm waters into the encroaching forest, following the trail that Jack's family had laid down over several generations. Mac loved it of course. Here he could roam round at will and sniff his way round all the exciting new smells of the forest floor.

The O'Neills had migrated to Minnesota during the potato famine in 1848 and settled there. Then great, great, great grandpa Brendon who was 14 at the time and his father, Sean, had built the cabin by the lake for them all to spend the summers away from the city heat. They were carpenters by trade and spent a lot of the time making furniture, from the wood in their little patch of forest, to sell once they returned to the city in the Fall.

Two generations that went off to war had seen the business fall into decline, and joining the military became the new family tradition. The trees had grown back now and no trace of their former trade was left, except in the carefully guarded secret that Jack was good at woodwork.

The cabin was filled with furniture that successive O'Neills had added to their home away from home, and Jack had inherited the place on the death of his beloved grandpa. His own father having died as the result of a tragic accident when Jack was a boy.

Sam learned it all during those wonderful days; wandering among the greenery or sitting patiently by the lake while Jack idly plied his fishing line into the fishless dark waters, filling her in with his past. It was a side of Jack she had never seen but had been dying to know. Now she did and she loved him all the more for knowing he could open up to her like that.

He in turn learned of Sam's sorrow when her mother had been killed in the accident. It seemed that even that tragic event, they had in common, both losing a parent. The one difference being that Sam still had Jacob, but Jack had lost his mother not long after Charlie's fifth birthday. His only sister had married and moved to Florida. Her husband didn't approve of the military and whenever they met they would always argue the point, so Maggie never kept in touch anymore, though she knew where to find him if she'd wanted to.

The drive home was a long tiring journey but they took turns in driving and it was with relief that they pulled up outside Jack's house. Sam had decided to sell her house, but refused to let Jack sell his. She'd always loved his ranch style house; so the week before the wedding they had moved her things into his house, now it was her home too. They called for a take out Chinese meal and relaxed in front of the TV before heading off to bed.

OoOoOoOoO

Six Months Later

The extended team had worked well and General Hammond was considering creating a new team in the same mould. The extra man power had helped, especially in a tough situation. He was in his office when the klaxons rang out. He jumped to his feet and hurried down to the control room.

"What have we got Sergeant?"

"IDC coming through now sir." Walter paused for a moment then continued. "It's SG-1Alpha sir. I'm getting an audio feed General. They're coming in hot!"

"Get that iris open. Now!" Hammond barked, then grabbing the microphone he yelled at the guards down below in the gate-room. "Defence teams stand by, friendlies coming in hot."

The soldiers took up defensive positions, their weapons pointing at the shimmering event horizon, ready for action.

Daniel came through first, staggering onto the ramp, a bloody arm held tightly against his side.

"We need a medical team down here. Sam's been hurt!" he yelled even as Teal'c came through supporting one of the younger team members with Jack close on his heels cradling Sam's limp form in his arms. The last man through came home backwards still firing his P-90 into the void. There was sporadic weapons fire coming through the wormhole making everyone instinctively duck.

"Close the iris!" someone yelled, though who it was, Walter couldn't tell, he just acted as soon as he saw all the team members return home. Hammond was already entering the now secure gate-room.

Jack was covered in blood and didn't stop to make his report, but headed straight out of the door on his way to the infirmary, not wanting to waste time waiting around for the medical team. He'd meet Janet on the way.

They met just outside the elevator and Jack gently laid his wife on the gurney, stubbornly clinging to her hand as they ran down the hallway towards the infirmary.

Once they had reached their destination, Janet took Sam's vitals while a nurse pulled the privacy curtain round the bed. Satisfied that Sam wasn't in any immediate danger, Janet turned to hustle Jack from the room.

He looked a mess, coated liberally in Sam's blood.

"Colonel. Sam appears to be just fine sir. Her vitals are good. I need a few minutes to examine her, clean her up and then run some tests. You need to get showered and changed too sir. By the time you're all done you should be able to see her."

"Promise?" Jack asked, looking extremely pale and worried. Janet couldn't help noticing the tremor in his voice or the doubt in his eyes.

"Yes sir. I don't think the wound is too bad. Head wounds always bleed a lot sir."

"C'mon Jack. Let Janet do her job," Daniel tried to pull Jack away, but he stood his ground, his eyes still fixed on the curtain behind which Sam lay.

"Daniel you're staying here. You're wounded too." It hadn't escaped Janet's notice at all. "Teal'c can keep an eye on the Colonel."

Daniel pouted but knew Janet well enough to know she meant what she'd said. They'd gotten engaged last month and were busy planning their own wedding, and she wouldn't be able to relax if she knew he was ignoring his own hurt; but unlike Jack and Sam there was no deadline to stick to for setting their wedding date, and he'd already moved in with her.

Teal'c acknowledged his duty with a silent dip of his head and waited for Jack to make the first move.

Jack took one last look at Sam before nodding, moving out of the room with the big Jaffa on his tail.

Janet watched him leave and turned back to Sam, ordering scans and tests, sending her team scuttling away in all directions to carry out her orders.

OoOoOoOoO

Daniel was sitting on the side of the bed watching Janet stitch the gash in his arm. He'd been caught by a fragment of rock when enemy fire exploded against the stone building he was sheltering behind. He was explaining what had happened to Sam and the rest of the team. He'd seen Sam get hit and collapse. Jack had ordered the others to cover him so that he could get Sam to safety. He really didn't know how Jack had managed to get Sam back behind cover without getting hit.

"All done Daniel, you're free to go..."

The phone rang and a nurse answered it, calling for Janet when the person on the other end obviously asked for the doctor.

Janet walked calmly across the room, and held the phone to her ear.

The next thing Daniel knew, Janet was grabbing her bag and running from the room, yelling for her team and Daniel to follow her with a gurney.

She arrived at the locker room and was greeted by Teal'c who although outwardly calm, seemed disturbed.

"Where is he?"

"He remains in the shower stall Dr. Fraiser."

Janet rushed into the shower area and spotted the Colonel sitting slumped on the floor, a towel draped round his shoulders but his gaze was far away, looking spaced out.

"What's wrong with him Janet?" Daniel was all concern for his friend.

"He has been injured Dr. Fraiser. I have wrapped a clean towel round his shoulder. I apologise for not realising he was in need of medical attention until I found him in this condition."

"It's not your fault Teal'c. I don't even think he realised it. He's in shock. Let's get him to the infirmary."

TBC