Chapter 23: Old Friends

It was quarter past eleven when Daniel, Teal'c, Jacob and Freya finally made it to the town centre. The market place was on and it was pretty busy. Although, Daniel thought, some of the stalls that had been open the first time they had been here where empty. They all were hungry so Daniel directed them to a café he had been to on the first visit. He got to the door to see that it was shut.

"Well guys I guess we're going to have to find somewhere else to eat." Daniel commented.

"Don't you think we should ask around for O'Neill and Major Carter?" Teal'c asked his friends.

"Teal'c right the sooner we find out what happened to them the happier I will be." Jacob said looking around. Freya walked up to the closest stall. It was run by a short balding man who was selling blankets.

"Excuse me have you seen a man around this tall, with brown hair that's whitening with a woman around this tall with short blonde. They go by the names of Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter." She asked the man on the stall.

"Yea, cute couple, they live about a mile away in Redturn forest. Jack likes the apple crumble from the café so I see them often. I saw them here last week when they came for their weekly shopping. They could have been here since then but I have been unwell, its my first day back so if you don't mind could I get back to work I need to make up for lost time."

"Yea sure thanks." Freya turned around. "Well we know they're alive we just need to find out where they live."

"Maybe I could help?" A woman had walked up behind them and had been listening in. "Hi sorry for being nosy but I heard you asking the man about Sam and Jack."

"Yea do you know where they live?" Daniel asked.

"No but my son does he could take you there he's a coach driver, a good friend of Cris their personal coach driver. I could get him to take you if you want."

"Yea that would be a great help." Jacob accepted with a smile.

"Well then just follow me and I will take you to him." She headed back out of the market. "So I take it your not from around here then? She asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

"What gave us away?" Jacob asked playfully.

"Your dress sense and the fact I haven't seen you around here before."

"Yea well these two have been here once before but us two haven't." Jacob indicated to Daniel and Teal'c first then to himself and Freya. She nodded and just carried on walking past the stalls.

"So you friends of Jack's and Samantha's?" she inquired.

"Yea old friends we haven't seen them in a while." Daniel said.

"Well they will be glad to see you."

"Why what's up?" Daniel asked slightly worried.

"Nothing they're fine now and fitting in quite well. It just that just around two months they were found near a collapsed building nearly dead. When they came around a week later they had no memories what so ever.

"They have been building theirs lives back up ever since. Real shame it's a good thing they had each other I don't think they would have lasted without each other. They really are a perfect match." They had walked up to a horse drawn carriage. The woman started shouting. "Gerent, hey Gerent."

"Yea ma." A young man walked out from behind the carriage with a sponge he had obviously been cleaning the coach.

"Can you take these fine folk to Cris's employer's place they're friends of theirs?"

"Yea sure get in." he opened the door and Freya got in first followed by Daniel and Teal'c. Jacob thanked the woman and just before he got in the coach he saw the clock tower on the town hall it was five to twelve. He then got in the coach and it jerked forward as they got moving.

"Where's Sam?" Jack asked he'd been there ten minutes and still hadn't seen hide or hair of his future wife.

"Jack she's upstairs you just great and sit your guests and let us worry about her." Hysta said. The rest of the bridesmaid where upstairs with Sam, so Hysta, being the first one ready, had been left responsible for making sure Jack didn't go looking for Sam. She was dressed in the same as the other bridesmaids which was a lilac dress with straps that fell just below the knees. It was plain except for a shiny purple ribbon tied around the waist. She had her hair up in a bun with the same coloured ribbon and a couple purple flowers in the bun. She also held a matching scent bag that had the rings inside.

"You have the rings, don't you?" Jack asked nervously he had started fidgeting with his bow tie and it was now lope sided. He was dressed in a white suit with a black bow tie. The Paige boys were also in suits but black one with white shirts and black bow ties.

"Yes I have both rings I will give my dad Sam's when we are ready to go ok don't worry. Now look go and sit your guests." She said straightening his tie she then pushed him towards the front door as Freng Rushnor walked in with a couple of the nurses from the hospital and their families.

God Sam what are you thinking? She thought to herself laughing slightly as she saw him walk into the small table next to the door because he was so nervous.

"Is everything ok?"

"Sam everything's fine, now stay still so I can get this clip in." Kasty was finishing Sam's hair.

"Ok so everyone is dressed and know what they're doing?" Sam asked as Kasty finally finished and backed of so the other bridesmaids could get a better look.

"Yes Sam love everyone is ready we're just waiting for the last few guests." Jules answered walking up behind her looking in the mirror at her.

"Who has the rings?"

"Hysta she's down stairs now and she will come up when the guests are all seated."

"And the Paige boys?"

"In the living room awaiting orders, ok now breathe before you pass out. Stop worrying everything is going right there's nothing that can go wrong now." She gave Sam a reassuring squeeze on the shoulders. Sam took a deep breath in trying to relax.