A/N: Thanks once again for the reviews – I never expected to get so many for this little story. Kay13kl – hey – you weren't being pesky – you actually helped by pointing out an important detail I left out and I thank you for it. Gateseeker2 – great questions, hopefully some of them will be answered soon, I'm still not sure what I'm going to be doing with our guys on Earth yet, but I'm working on it.


Chapter 10 – Views under the Stars

Two days after the mud incident, Carter and O'Neill were sitting at the edge of the clearing in the dark, eating their dinner. They had spent the past couple of days digging for the stargate, without any luck so far. In fact, once the mud started to dry, it got more and more difficult to dig the dried ground.

Looking up, O'Neill commented, "That's the one thing I never get used to no matter how many planets we've been to – the change in the stars. And maybe it's just me, and a reflection on my gloomy mood at the moment, but I don't see too many up there."

"Well, sir, our own solar system, while in one of the outer spirals of the Milky Way, is only about 28,000 light years from the Galactic Center. On a clear night, under good conditions, you can see 2,500 stars with the naked eye. The planet we're on now, is much, much further out, towards the tip of the Centaurus arm of the galaxy. There's a molecular cloud obscuring our view of the inner part of the galaxy on the one side and then the edge of the galaxy on the other, so depending on what season we're in, it would be difficult to see too many stars without a telescope... What?"

O'Neill had started to chuckle towards the end of her explanation. "Your brain is always working overtime, isn't it? Most people would just make a vague comment in agreement or disagreement. Colonel-Doctor Carter has to give the complete scientific explanation. Not only that, but you know I only get about 10 percent of what you're saying at any time."

Giving him one of her dazzling smiles which would rival any of the brightest stars in his mind, she laughed. "Well, I am a theoretical astrophysicist, and you did mention something about stars, what did you expect? And besides, I know 10 percent isn't an accurate number, particularly where stars are concerned."

O'Neill just smiled a little, deciding not to act like she was wrong in her assessment of his knowledge like he normally would. "Carter..."

She waited for what seemed a couple of minutes for him to complete what he was going to say, but there was nothing. "Sir?"

He was staring at his boots in the dark trying to figure out how best to word what he was going to say. Then realized, she was way smarter than him and knew all too well their present situation. She didn't need him to explain anything, but it still needed to be discussed so they could start planning on how to survive there.

"We haven't made much progress in finding the gate yet. It looks like we may be stuck here for quite a while. We need to start working on the food situation. We don't have many MREs left, which means we should probably start exploring the local vegetation for edibles as well as start hunting and fishing."

"Yes sir."

"And while we're at it, can you stop calling me sir? It's going to start getting really annoying for both of us soon enough as it seems we're the only two people on this entire planet. By now, the Air Force has probably declared us missing, most likely presumed dead. Let's drop the ranks for now and work at things side by side, ok?"

"Yes ss... sssuure." she stuttered to avoid saying the familiar word. It was going to take a lot to overcome 8 years of habit, particularly when that habit was purposely done on overkill to try to reinforce in her own mind that he was her commanding officer and, therefore, unavailable. "On one condition, call me Sam, not Carter."

"OK. I'll try. And... while we're talking... I owe you an apology." The darkness hiding his features gave him the strength to get something that had been bothering him off his chest.

"Apology? For what ssssort of thing, Jjjack?" Yeah, definitely will take some getting used to.

"For so many things..." She looked at him confused by what he was trying to say. "It's Friday, Sam. I'm sorry you won't be home doing wedding stuff tomorrow with Cassie. I'm sorry you won't be seeing Pete this weekend. I'm sorry I got you stuck out here. I'm also sorry for a lot of things I've done, or not done, said, or not said, over the past 8 years." He continued to look at his boots as if they were the most fascinating things he had ever seen.

She sat there surprised by what he had just said. "Jack, it's not your fault we're stuck here. If anything, it's my fault. If I hadn't tried to diffuse..."

"Ah! Stop! I'm the commanding officer, it was my decision to stay. I could have ordered you back to Earth with Daniel and Teal'c."

"Jack. Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault, it's some goa'uld's fault we're here right now, not yours."

"Still, it's screwing up your plans. Cassie will be disappointed, I know the two of you haven't seen much of each other since she started to go to college."

Sam thought about the young woman she loved as a daughter. "Yeah, well, I'm not so sure she'll be as disappointed as you think." Jack gave her a curious look, he knew how much Cassie loved Sam. He also knew the reason Cassie had decided to go to the University of Colorado in Denver rather than the Colorado Springs campus was because she was uncomfortable staying with Sam once she had started seeing Pete. He just didn't think Sam knew that. "She's not really very enthusiastic about this wedding stuff. I just don't think..."

He waited a minute for her to finish her sentence, which she didn't. "You don't think what?"

"It's nothing."

"No, really, is there a problem between you and Cass?"

"No, well... I don't think so, anyway, it's just that... well... I don't think that Cassie's too fond of Pete. Actually, I think it's mutual, Pete seems to be a bit jealous of her, of our relationship."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Carter, uh, Sam. I'm sure she's just concerned about the possibility of losing another parent. She might not see that she would actually be gaining a father. And I'm sure Pete's just got to get used to the idea of having a grown daughter."

What he said made some sense, she just wasn't sure if that was actually it. "Maybe."

"She loves you Sam, she just wants you to be happy. If Pete makes you happy, then I'm sure she's happy for you." The darkness still giving him the courage to express his own concerns. "He does make you happy, right?"

"What? Yes! Of course he does. He's a great guy, he loves me. He'd do anything for me."

"Ok, ok! I wouldn't think you'd agree to marry someone who didn't make you happy, who was undeserving of you or who you didn't love completely." At that she turned away and became fascinated with her own boots - something that did not go unnoticed. "Uh, Sam? I'm sorry if I'm stepping on your toes here, but... well... what you just described could really apply to Daniel and Teal'c, and, well, even me, I mean, we all love you and we'd all do anything for you and well, you know we're all great guys." He said, with his typical O'Neill smirk, which she didn't see as she was still staring at her boots, thankful the darkness was hiding the blush that started as soon as he said he loved her. "It's just that... while I've heard you sing his praises on a few occasions, I've never actually heard you say that you love him. You DO love him, right? And you're IN love with him?"

"What? Of course I love him, I'm marrying him, right?"

"Right." They sat in silence for a while, each immersed in their own views of the conversation they'd just had and the revelations they were each making about Sam's relationship with Pete. After a while, they decided to call it a night and go back to the cave to sleep.