Hi! I was searching for how long precisely Jack was frozen. I couldn't find any reference to it except of course that it was the end of the season. So, taking Teal'c's hair into the mix, I say it was around three months. (Yes, I've searched how long can male hair grow in a month or something like that to get that date.)
Anyhow, thanks for still being around.
Enjoy!
M.
Chapter XL
October 30th, 2004
SCG
"Hey, Sam," Daniel greeted her as she entered his lab.
"Daniel," she smiled, but he knew by the way it didn't reach her eyes that she was far more worried than she was letting everyone else know.
"So," he clapped his hands, giving her his whole attention. "I'm not going to ask how you are because," he waved his hands towards her, knowing she was going to answer: 'I'm okay' even though she was far from it.
"Yeah, you got that right," she plopped herself on a chair in front of him.
"Want to talk about it?" He asked hopefully. Before Sam could stop herself, she raised her eyebrow.
"What do you think?" she grinned, crooking her head.
"Right. You should, though," Daniel pointed. "It would help you."
"Daniel," Sam let out in a warning tone, and he raised his hands in surrender.
"Okay, I'm just saying," he trailed. "Doesn't have to be me," Daniel tried once more before he pretended to zip his mouth closed, making her chuckle.
"What do you know from the outpost? I know you have been meeting Dr. Weir a lot. Do you know when we can go there?" Daniel grimaced.
"I wish I knew, Sam. All she said to me was that there's 'a treaty.' And somehow, while saving the world, we breached it."
"The Antarctic treaty," Sam affirmed, and Daniel raised his eyebrows surprised. "I've done some research," she shrugged in dismissal.
"As far as I know, the little stint of us fighting with aliens over the Antarctic sky has everyone walking on eggshells around the subject and there too. Making this a hell of a complicated negotiation."
"But we do have people there?" Sam frowned.
"Yeah, the Air Force placed a perimeter near the outpost after the battle, mostly to prevent some Goa'uld from taking it, or at least that was the excuse. Dr. Weir let out that it got changed to private security from McMurdo. And that they will be allowing scientists from different bases to go there as a show of good will."
"You mean like 'hey, there are aliens. We saved you, and you are welcome to look around'?"
"Pretty much," Daniel shrugged.
"Why everything has become so difficult?" Sam sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"Hammond is gone, Jack is gone, the Asgards won't answer, and we are all grounded here."
"What about?" Daniel trailed.
"What about what?" Carter frowned.
"You know," he waved his hand towards her, but she only frowned. "Your family?" he whispered. Sam blushed.
"They don't know how to help. My parents are currently going through their library for any entries related to extracting memories and reviving someone in stasis. Although they worry more about the first part than the second, to which they have some degree of experience," Sam grimaced. "As I've said: difficult."
"No, I mean, can't they go?" Daniel asked, and Sam almost applauded at the way the idea had come 'from him' and not 'from her.'
"They could, but they are not part of the treaty, and they can't waltz in there out of the blue," Carter pointed.
"And if they were part of the treaty?" Jackson frowned. "I mean, we should get all the help we can. Your parents read Praxian which as far I understand is a form of ancient, they read Goa'uld fluidly, and they are brilliant people. What if we manage to give them entry?"
"We could screw it up and give their lives away, re-enacting SCIU and all that," Sam affirmed. Daniel scratched his head. "You know if Dr. Weir is aware of them?" Sam asked after a while.
"She didn't mention anything about abnormals. But if I were Henry Hayes, I would avoid bringing it up to keep my secret safe. Wouldn't you?"
"I guess I would. Anyhow, what were you going for, Daniel?"
"Oh, I was considering we could find out a name, and then they could find a way to smuggle someone inside the outpost under scientific pretense."
"And what good would that bring?" Sam asked feigning she hadn't heard the same plan, not even half an hour earlier.
"You tell me, they are far more technologically advanced than we are. Can't they scan the place and see if we can get some more clues on it?"
"I guess I can ask," she smiled. "And I also can ask if they know anything about the level of information Hayes gave to the Doctor."
"Great," Daniel smiled. "So, how is Pete?"
"Why everyone keeps asking about him?" Sam huffed.
"Because you are dating him, perhaps?" He pointed.
"I'm not dating him," Carter affirmed.
"Oh," Daniel frowned.
"We are friends, Daniel. Just friends."
"He looked a bit too overfriendly the last time we saw him; you know before we traveled to Proclarush Taonas," the archeologist flinched at Sam's glare. "Okay, I'm not asking more about him. I'm going to try and get some more information from Doctor Weir. You should consider paying a visit to Teal'c; he might help you with some of your stress. Maybe you can Kel'no'reem with him or something."
"Yeah, will do. I'll let you know what my parents say. I won't be able to contact Helen until I get home." They left the lab, and each went on their own way. Sam knocked on Teal'c's door, and he opened it looking at her before nodding.
"Major Carter, what can I do for you?" Teal'c asked.
"Daniel said you could help me relax," she said, pointing to the dozens of candles that lighted up his room. He lowered his head.
"I wish I could, but my ability to Kel'no'reem has been elusive since we returned from P3X-439," Teal'c confessed morosely. Sam understood him perfectly, after that trip things started to go south and ended with the world safe but Jack frozen.
"What about a spar? Would that help you too?" Sam asked.
"Indeed."
"Shall we meet at the gym in 10 minutes?" Teal'c nodded, and Sam reached for the door. "Thanks, Teal'c."
The gym was empty when they reached it, and they took over the sparring area trying both to spend some energy and hopefully relax somehow, or at least, find a way to be able to stop thinking of the possibilities available for the man frozen in the Antarctic pole.
They started slow, and Teal'c was proud to notice that Sam's skills improved significantly since the last time he had a chance to spar with her. Teal'c smiled as Sam rolled away from his punch. He turned and twisted and avoided being hit and tried to catch her for a good while, but every time it needed more effort on his part. The Jaffa managed to take a couple of steps away from the Major and then, Sam sent a punch towards his middle with such force that he needed to take a couple of steps back to keep himself standing.
"Major Carter, I believe we should stop." He panted, and only then Sam noticed what she had done.
"Holy Hannah! Teal'c I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?" She panicked.
"You did not. However, we should stop before we get an audience." He added just as the gym opened and a couple of airmen joined them. She nodded.
"I'm sorry, Teal'c. I didn't want to hurt you," she grimaced, and before anyone could notice, he embraced her tightly and felt some tears wetting his shirt.
"You did not hurt me, Major Carter. And I'm sure we will find a way to bring Colonel O'Neill back."
"You really think so?" Sam asked, taking a step back and quickly getting rid of her tears. Wishing her healing skills could also fix her crying face.
"I once believed I was the Chief Jaffa of a God, and now I know better. Getting the Asgards to come and help O'Neill might be only a matter of time."
"Thank's, Teal'c."
December 7th, 2004
Sam's home.
The moment her phone started to ring, Sam stood up and rushed to pick it. Berating herself for leaving the base, she knew something would happen if she did so she rushed towards the device.
"Carter," she answered. Hoping it was the base with some news about either getting to the pole or back out through the gate.
"Samantha," Helen's voice came through, and Sam couldn't help but feel a mix of disappointment and hope.
"Mom, please tell me you got some good news?" Sam couldn't help but plead. The sigh on the other end of the line didn't give her much faith.
"As you already know, Nikola has been creating devices to allow anyone to share memories with someone else using a screen. Like a projection of sorts; however, we have yet to find a way to save those memories. Nikola believes he is close to getting it. Once that's ready we can think about a way to delete them."
"So, no advances."
"There are a few advances, Samantha. We are also pursuing a way to implant an Artificial Intelligence software that connected a supercomputer will allow it to find the Ancient data and separate it from what makes Jack O'Neill who he is. However, as we said since the beginning, we don't know how fast we could manage this. It could be months or years."
"Well, at least you are providing some answers."
"I've been informed the treaty is still under review. As we predicted, whenever there are several nations involved, any treaty new or to be reviewed can take months to be agreed on."
"Two months already."
"I know. Sadly, I can't do much about it. On the other side, the people at the site still haven't found the micro cameras we managed to plant thanks to that information you provided us."
"It was Daniel's doing. I merely was the informant in that situation," Sam sighed.
"Then please, remind Doctor Jackson of our gratitude for getting us the intel."
"Why did you call?" Sam said and flinched, noticing her tone was a bit angrier than she wanted.
"Tomorrow is Ashley's birthday, Samantha. And yes, I do realize you are in no mood to party. But it is the first birthday she will share with you. It might also help you to relax even for a few hours. If you can join us, I'll ask you to take the long route in; I'm sure she will be thrilled to find you here."
"Let me think about it; I do have a work day tomorrow."
"Of course. In any case, you do know how to get to the Colorado entrance. Your credentials are all active, radio the emergency channel or call me if you need someone to pick you up once you are down in Hollow Earth."
"Mom," Sam trailed.
"I know, Samantha. You'll think about it, I understand. Sweet dreams, darling."
"Night."
Sam lowered the phone in the cradle and looked at it as if by observing it, she would get all the answers she needed. Then she shook her head and chuckled at her situation. Rubbing her face tiredly, she decided she needed to relax even if it was for a couple of minutes.
She retook the phone and dialed a number and waited in line as she was patched through the numerous security points of the SGC.
"Hi, Doctor Weir speaking."
"Doctor Weir, it's Major Carter," Sam said, waiting for some reaction.
"Major Carter! Sadly, I still don't have any news about the treaty or when we can send more people down there. But even if we could send more people, it wouldn't be anyone related to the military, no matter how much of an expert that person is."
"I'm aware of that, Doctor Weir. And as much as it pains me, we could send Doctor McKay. That will be if Canada agrees. He knows about the program and has assisted us in the past," Sam commented.
"Really? I wasn't informed about that."
"It should be in one of the boxes you haven't reached yet, ma'am." Sam sighed. "I'm not calling for information or comments, Doctor."
"Oh?"
"I wanted to know if I could take leave for the day tomorrow. I'm aware this is not the correct way of doing it, however since we are a military base ran by a civilian contractor," Sam trailed.
"I get it. I'm not military, but I'm still your CO."
"That's the situation, yes."
"Can I ask the reason behind your day off, Major? I mean, you have been ordered out of the SGC a couple of times since I took over."
Sam rubbed her face, Weir was right; the Major knew she needed to be somewhat upfront with the Doctor, after all the thing she needed the least was to make an enemy of her boss.
"It is a personal matter, ma'am."
"Are you ill? Or are you going to pursue something that could get you a place in that outpost?"
"Neither," Sam pinched the bridge of her nose and decided that being open was the way. "What I'm about to say, Doctor, can it be kept between us?"
"I need to know what it is before I can agree to it, Major," Weir said and listened to Sam sigh.
"A few months back, I found out I have a half-sister. Her birthday is tomorrow, and her mother just called me to ask to join them for the day," she explained and shook her head. 'It was mostly true,' she thought. "I'll understand if you disagree, ma'am," Sam added.
"Take the day off, Major. We'll deal with the paperwork in two days. I don't want to see you back here until," Sam listened to the Doctor leafing through something and figured it was a calendar. "Well, you supposedly were on duty Saturday and Sunday too. So, I expect you back on Saturday bright and early to fill up those documents."
"Really?" Sam said, surprised.
"Yes, Major. Family is important, especially if you are getting to know her. Make the most of it and try to take your head out of the situation at hand. It should be good for you, maybe even gives you some perspective. And yes, I can keep that piece of information to myself."
"I… thanks, ma'am."
"Will I ever hear you calling me Elizabeth?'"
"I'm not sure, ma'am."
"Oh, well. If that's all, have a good night, Major."
"Thanks again, Doctor, and good night."
She lowered the phone and turned to her room; then Sam realized she had all she needed down there so after attaching her radio to a secure place on her thigh; she picked her wallet, keys, helmet and got her bike out as her ride of choice. Speeding into the night, she got to the darkness of the almost abandoned building that hid the entrance point and got down of her bike to open the massive gate enough to let her go through.
She heard a dog bark in the distance, and her inner instincts told her to check her surroundings. That's what she did the moment she closed the gate again. It seemed empty. Shaking herself off, she reached the cargo bay and repeated the process, before she reached the elevator and pressed her palm against it. She entered the elevator, and as the doors closed, she took her radio and changed it to the emergency channel. Sam never noticed the lone figure observing her from afar.
December 11th, 2004
SGC
"Sam! There you are!" Daniel's voice came from behind her back making her jump a little.
"Hey Daniel, what's up?" Sam grinned, and this time, it reached her eyes.
She turned around on her workbench and nodded him to join her. Daniel took a moment to note the fact that Sam was sporting a light tan and frowned. It was after all the middle of the winter in Colorado.
"You look cheerful." A thought came across his mind before he carefully asked. "Not due to a date with your friend?"
"No, as I told you, I went to the Sanctuary."
"To the Sanctuary?" Daniel asked again feeling a bit curious.
"Yes, I went there on the night of the 7th as I told you."
"And the tan?" Daniel pointed to her now rosy cheeks.
"Ashley's birthday." Sam grinned, covering her cheeks with her hands.
"Oh!" Daniel said, and then he shook his head. "Yeah, no matter how much I try, I can't come up with a way to piece together the information I have about your two days off," Daniel confessed, making Sam chuckle.
"Well, I went to the Sanctuary late at night on the 7th. We had dinner and waited until it was midnight to congratulate Ashley; they said it was a tradition for them. Then, Helen announced that her gift to Ashley was a day out wherever she picked."
"Wherever? Any place in the whole world?" Daniel asked, and Sam nodded. "So, where did you end up?"
"Mauritius."
"What? How?"
"We surfaced at Madagascar and got to an airstrip. Mom flew us to Mauritius in one of her planes and sure; she has a house there too. We went parasailing, hiking, biking, we visited museums and all. It was an excellent experience."
"I can tell," he smiled. "You seem relaxed."
"Yeah, I suppose I needed the time off. I guess Helen knew it and used Ashley's birthday as an excuse to get us all away from the overworked situation I placed all of us." Sam shrugged.
"You do have a different story for the people who don't know about the Sanctuary, right?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, my mom, she said that if anyone asked I should say we went to Cancun and blame it to Ashley's 'other side of the family being wealthy'" Her lab phone rung at that point and jumped down of her bench to pick it. "Carter?"
"Ma'am. Doctor Weir is waiting for you."
"Thanks, Walter." She said, lowering it again. "I need to meet Doctor Weir. She let me out without filling paperwork, so I guess I need to present it now," Sam added, nodding to Daniel to walk outside.
"Hey, was there anything you needed from me?"
"Nah, I was worried. When you called and told me you were going," Daniel trailed. "I worried."
"Oh. Well, things are still the same, but they gave me something else to think about for a while. I guess I'll manage to make myself go back to worried as the day goes by," Sam shrugged and pressed the down button.
"I hope you don't," Daniel said as the doors opened in front of them. "See you for lunch?"
"1400, mess hall?" Sam asked, entering the small space. Outside it, Daniel nodded. "See you then."
December 22rd, 2004
SGC
"Major Carter? What are you doing here?" Dr. Weir frowned.
"I could ask you the same thing, Doctor," Sam answered.
"Well, I know what I am doing here," Elizabeth grinned. "I'm working. But I do recall telling you and well, 90% of the base to go home for the holidays." Sam eyed the woman and crooked her head.
"Why are you here, Doctor?" Sam wondered.
"I told you, I'm working." Elizabeth smiled.
"I mean, here, in my lab."
"Oh! Doctor Frasier mentioned you were here, and I didn't believe her, so I had to come to check it myself."
"Of course she'd rat me out," Sam sighed.
"She said something about giving you a medical order to go home if you didn't listen to me? Look, Major, I understand you and your team are having issues coping with the situation," She raised her hands in surrender. "Yes, I know, Colonel O'Neill is frozen in an Ancient post, and that shouldn't even begin to be called 'a situation,' but it is."
"And you know, there's nothing you can do about it at this point, Major. So, go home; get some rest, spent time with family and friends, and come back at the start of the new year with new hopes. I'll promise I'll do anything in my hands to fix this situation, the political one, at least. I know I'm way out of my league on the other one." Sam rubbed her face tiredly. "You do have a family, right?"
"Yeah," she scratched her head. "My dad, he is a Tok'ra operative."
"Oh," Elizabeth said, looking highly uncomfortable with the situation.
"I do have more family. I have a brother in San Diego." Sam added, 'and a mother, father, and sister down in hollow Earth,' she thought. "And the one sister I've mentioned to you."
"Yes, your unknown rich half-sister," Elizabeth grinned. "All the more reasons to be out of here for the holidays, Major."
"I guess you are right, and I should be heading home. Thanks, Doctor," Sam smiled.
"No problem; I'll see you on January the 2nd, Major. Not a day earlier."
December 24th, 2004
Underground Sanctuary
"Sorry, I got to go," Sam said to her cellphone as she entered Helen's office.
"Everything alright, dear?" Helen asked.
"Yeah, it's just," Sam waved plopping herself on the couch.
"Was that your cop friend?" Magnus asked, walking towards her daughter. Sam lowered her head.
"Yes. Why does it make me feel so bad when I talk to Pete on the phone, but when we talk face to face I feel," Sam frowned searching for a word, "I suppose normal would be a fitting word?"
"Having contact with people is different than talking to them over the phone. There's also something about the place where we are when the conversation happens."
"I'm not following you," Sam affirmed.
"Ah. When you meet Pete to talk, where are you?" Helen asked, crooking her head.
"We go out most of the time."
"And I'll take you never go to places where you've been with your team."
"No," Sam shook her head as if the idea of taking him to places where her team visited was outrageous.
"Then it's simple to explain: when you meet him, you feel normal because you are far away from the object of your affections and the memories you have of him. I'll assume you feel worse after talking on the phone with him when you are at the SGC or down here, yes?"
"Yeah," Sam frowned, but she was starting to understand Helen's point.
"How about when you are home?"
"I feel awkward but not bad."
"I'll take those three places hold significant memories of the Colonel. And added to it, your unconscious mind probably is evaluating the fact that you are trying to help him when you are in here or at the SGC."
"So, you are saying that I'm using him as a distraction."
"I'm saying that; whenever you get a call from Pete, you feel bad when you are home, and you feel terrible when you are here or at the SGC because some part of you is telling you that you should be working on saving the Colonel rather than 'fooling around.'"
"I miss Colonel O'Neill, mom," Sam confessed out of the blue.
"I know."
"And I have these conflicting feelings about people being all cheery and happy because it is Christmas. And the notion of him being a popsicle surrounded by people I don't know we can trust."
"Well, as far as I know, the only people around him are security guards of several countries. No scientist was allowed even inside the place since they started claiming it."
"That so doesn't help," Sam huffed. "How did you survive Christmas before? When you lost both of us?"
"It's not as complex as it might seem, Samantha. At first, I couldn't reconcile the happiness of others with my suffering. But at some point, being surrounded by people who cared about me, was what made me realize that even if I was feeling awful, I had people who were willing to remain by my side by their own choice and they often tried to make me smile. You know, I found out that it is harder to be sad when you are in good company."
"Like Pete?" Sam wondered. Magnus tried hard to school her features not to give away how much she didn't like that relationship.
"I wouldn't say that name. I'd go with Daniel or Janet," Helen smiled.
"But they are in the same situation I am."
"Then they must understand you better than you believe, Samantha. You might feel you are alone in this because the kind of feelings you have are unique. But you truly have a wonderful network of people who care about you and your wellbeing and want this situation fixed as much as you do. I'm not saying you must be cheery and celebrate. But contrary to other situations where every day that goes by is one lost day, Colonel O'Neill isn't suffering the passing of time. So, he isn't wasting time, we are. Or, the politicians are, if we are precise."
"I want them to give us space to investigate; anyone at the SGC is far more capable of trying to understand what's there and what's not there. We have plenty of experience in that field."
"Yes, but they don't know that, darling. Besides, they are still fighting over who gets in." Helen observed Sam quietly for a bit before she stood up and walked to her desk and grabbed her tablet. "Here," she said, passing it to Sam.
"What's this?" Sam said, grabbing it.
"A tablet," Helen grinned, making her daughter roll her eyes at the joke. "It still has the live video connection active; it's the third icon on the bar. You can check him if you want." Sam frowned. "Yes, him. Colonel O'Neill."
Sam looked at the screen, found the icon, and pressed it. Soon she was watching the dark environment that surrounded the frozen body of the love of her life. She couldn't stop herself and zoomed into the image of Jack.
"Consider it an early Christmas gift," Helen said, patting Sam's knee before she stood up. "Take all the time you need. Please close the secure connection once you are ready. Dinner will be ready in three hours from now." She finished, leaving Sam to watch the screen in private.
December 29th, 2004
Underground Sanctuary.
Sam stretched in bed and sighed. These free days had proven to be both a need she didn't know she had and a complete nuisance. Christmas at the Magnus household was a typical affair, a formal dinner was in place on Christmas Eve, and as the clock reached the first seconds of the 25th, they exchanged hugs and gifts.
On the 23rd Ashley had dragged Sam to a shopping spree to find the perfect gift for all in her list. And somehow, they ended up agreeing on Helen's gift - A beautiful pair of boots that screamed Helen Magnus.
After her chat with Helen and the chance to see Jack after so long; for some magical hours, everything seemed overwhelmingly homey. The chatter, the jokes, the amazingly good singing, and the terrible one too; everything made her feel more at home with the craziness of her newfound relatives than all those awkward Christmases at the Carter household, especially after her mother passed away. And whereas the twenty-six was a holiday in some places, it was a back to work for all the Sanctuary members.
Since then, Sam was dreading the fact that her birthday was around the corner. And at the same time, she was enjoying her shared time at Nikola's lab, which made her feel she was closer to her goal of freeing Jack.
And then, as if to bring her out of her reverie, there was a knock on her door before it opened slightly.
"Are you properly dressed?" Ashley's voice came loud and clear, making Sam chuckle.
"Yes, come in," Sam smiled, and before she could sit on her bed, she was bouncing a little due to the weight of her sister who had decided to jump in bed with her.
Ashley left the door open, and once she stopped bouncing, Sam noticed her parents were at her door looking oddly proud.
"Please, don't sing," was what Sam managed to say.
"Happy birthday, Samantha," they both said, and she nodded to let them know to enter her room was okay. As they did, she noticed Nikola was pushing a cart.
"Happy birthday, sis," Ashley added cheerfully beside her.
"What is all this?"
"Breakfast in bed for your birthday, of course." Ashley rolled her eyes
"But," Sam frowned. "We already had a 'welcome new age' night snack."
"So? They aren't mutually exclusive. One is a midnight snack, and a whole different thing is breakfast."
"If it is too much, we can go to the dining room and leave you to it," Helen said and exchanged a glance with Nikola.
"Helen is right, we can do this when you feel more awake, or we can make it lunch or dinner?" Nikola added quickly.
"NO!" Sam shouted and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes widened, and she couldn't quite understand where her reaction was coming. But as three sets of eyes fell over her, Sam also knew she couldn't keep lying, not even to herself. "I'm sorry, I'm," she sighed. "Please stay, I…"
"You don't need to explain anything, Samantha," Helen whispered understandingly.
"Yes. I do. I. I don't do birthdays. I never did."
"Why?" Ashley asked. Sam shrugged as a response.
"This is the safest place to age, darling," Nikola smiled. "The truth is we don't, we get older, but we don't look older."
Nikola said and stretched his hand to caress her face but stopped centimeters away and looked at her for approval. Being the only one with eyes on him, Sam noticed the fear and love laced action. Fear of rejection, she quickly understood before she nodded in agreement. His cold hand reached her cheek and caressed it slowly.
"You don't age, Samantha. So, having a birthday's lost half of their power of making you feel bad," he added softly.
"I, we've been through it with mom. She explained that to me a long while ago. But it's not only the aging. I guess it's a life experience."
"Then we shall make a new one for you, so in the years to come you feel this is a celebratory day and not a dreadful one," Helen affirmed. "If you agree, that's it."
"And we can start by eating some cake," Ashley grinned. Sam felt a pang of sadness taking over as Ashley's comment, and grin reminded her of Jack. But she managed to shake herself out of the self-imposed birthday depression and decided that she could at least enjoy it as a holiday.
"You need a moment?" Helen said, looking at Sam. Carter shook her head no and smiled.
"No, please stay. All of you," Sam's family nodded quietly.
Helen and Nikola gave her a thankful nod before they moved the cart towards the balcony where there was a small table that could hold the four of them for breakfast.
"We will wait for you out there," Ashley said, jumping out of bed.
After getting her robe and brushing her teeth; Sam joined them at the balcony.
"So, Samantha. Where in the world would you like to go for your birthday?" Helen asked once they were all settled at the table. Sam's eyes lighted up.
"Oh, she has a place!" Ashley grinned, noticing Sam's expression.
"It's not a place, is more like a request?" Sam said, biting her lower lip.
"Go ahead, we'll see what we can do about it," Helen said as she pushed a mug of coffee towards Sam. And then, pouring three cups of tea for the other people at their table.
"Can you show me where you were born? Both of you." Sam asked, looking from Helen to Tesla and lowering her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the surprise she read in them.
"You do realize that contrary to here, it is winter in Europe, right?" Ashley pointed, and Sam nodded.
"Then, if you don't mind wearing seven thousand layers of clothes, there shouldn't be an issue," Ashley said. "Right, mom?"
"I've always wanted to visit Smiljan," Helen grinned making Nikola flinch.
"But, I heard about the project of rebuilding the house and making it a museum?" Nikola frowned.
"Yes, I'm helping with those… from afar. I never went there," Helen shrugged. "Will you need warmer clothes, Samantha? I suppose we could get you something from your closet or you can see if raiding mine works. Or we could find you something warm and then go shopping for clothes before we head to your father's hometown."
"I believe calling it a town is a bit of a stretch." Nikola snorted.
They took around an hour for breakfast, and they managed to take Sam out of her blues. Soon, they were gathering the breakfast remains and getting out of her room after agreeing that they would see her in an hour to start their trip.
"Helen," Nikola said, stopping her as he closed the door behind her.
"Yes?" she said, turning around to watch him.
"Why?" He asked, confused, and Helen smiled.
"I'm very good at keeping promises, Nikola. You should know that by now," she grinned. "Can you take that to the kitchen? I'll see to get our arrangements done." He nodded as an answer, still confused by her affirmation. She crooked her head. "You made me promise once that I wouldn't go there unless you took me, and you promised you would take me someday. Never considered that day would be our daughter's birthday."
"Oh," he blinked, and she smiled at the way he blushed under her gaze before she moved slightly forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
"See you in an hour, Niko," Helen said, turning around and walking towards her office leaving a dumbstruck Nikola behind.