It was a warm, clear night in Nevada. Sam and Jack had decided to go for a walk down to the stream to make the most of their last night together for the time being. Jack had his arm slung lazily over Sam's shoulders and Sam had her arm wrapped possessively around Jack's waist.

"Jack?" Sam asked suddenly, breaking the silence that they had been walking in for the past 10 minutes. "You don't, uh, … do you like horses?"

Jack pulled back a little so he could see her face and frowned.

"Um, they're ok I guess. Why?"

"I, um, nevermind."

Now Jack's interest was piqued and he wasn't gonna let it go.

"Nevermind? Come on Sam I know you better than that! Something's bothering you. Spill it."

Sam seemed to consider the idea for a few seconds before sighing loudly and seating herself on a nearby wooden bench.

"I, back when I was… with Fifth, on his ship, he tried to convince me that I'd moved away from the 'Springs to a ranch in Montana to raise horses. With Pete."

"Oh?"

"I knew from the start that it wasn't real." Sam glanced up to notice that Jack was looking a little nervous. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up."

As Sam went to stand up Jack gently pulled her back down.

"Hey! Listen, Sam, I don't ever want you to think that you can't talk to me about something, OK? If it's important to you then it's important to me too. Now come on, I'm curious now." He smiled at her.

"Well, it freaked me out a little. I realised that something was wrong and I guess at the time I didn't want to admit why. You see, Fifth didn't know me as well as Repli…me, did. He looked into my mind but he only looked on the surface. The reason he chose to appear as Pete was because he thought that he was giving me what I wanted. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that that's when I figured out what I really wanted." Sam paused. "Man, this isn't coming out right! I guess what I'm trying to say is that I caught a glimpse of my future and it scared me because, because you weren't there." Sam wiped the back of her hand across her face to wipe away an errant tear. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I felt like telling you that."

Jack grinned.

"I'm glad you did." He looked down at his hands. "Sam, there's something I've been wondering about for a while now."

Sam suddenly looked nervous and silently gave him permission to ask his question.

"When you were on the Prometheus, what happened?"

"Why would you-"

"You called me Jack. That was a red flag to me."

"I had a few hallucinations, dreams maybe. You were there and Daniel and Teal'c. Oh and some kid called Grace. I have no idea who she was!" Sam spoke the last sentence with a somewhat flippant tone but Jack froze. "What? I know, you think I'm crazy, right?"

"No, I… what did I say?"

"That you were a 'safe bet', whatever that means. I still don't know. Oh, and you'd always be there for me no matter what."

"Anything else?"

Sam blushed slightly.

"Well, yes but I think maybe it was more me than you but I can't be sure. I, you, we, um…" After trying to find the right way to express herself, Sam threw her hands dramatically into the air. "Oh, for cryin' out loud!" and she launched herself at him and kissed him with the same intensity and desire she had on the Prometheus. Jack was momentarily stunned and then began to kiss her back. When they finally came up for air, Sam found herself in Jack's lap.

"Wow! We, you imagined… that?"

Sam grinned.

"Yeah but I sort of chickened out. I never actually jumped you. Just thought about it."

"That's it! The next time you insist on Janeway-ing remind me to join you! Come on, let's go find this stream before I freeze to death!"

Sam giggled.

"Jack, it's really warm out here toni-"

Jack spun on his heels.

"Sam, what did Gracie look like?"

Gracie? "Urm, she was about 6 years old, brown eyes, curly straw blonde ringlets all the way down her back… why?"

Jack's eyes glazed over for a moment.

"Oh, no reason."

Sam's eyes narrowed.

"Jack, do you know who she is?"

He stopped and stared at his shoes before glancing out across the desert.

"Grace is the name I've always thought I would call my daughter, if I ever had one. I always imagined her with cute blonde curls and brown eyes. She'd love the Simpsons and her favourite nursery rhyme would be 'Twinkle, Twinkle -'"

"WHAT?"

"I'm sorry Sam. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, no, I don't mind. I just… that's what she sang on the Prometheus. 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'." Sam clasped a hand over her mouth. "Holy Hannah!"

"What?"

"She, it never occurred to me until just now, she looks just like my niece, Marci. Except neither of her parents have brown eyes."

Sam gazed up into Jack's adorable, confused puppy-like chocolate brown pools.

"Do you think, maybe, she's…"

"I think I know who I'd like to think that she is…maybe someday?"

It was a question rather than a statement. Jack was giving Sam a chance to opt out if she wanted. The thought that he was willing to sacrifice his dreams for her only made Sam love this amazing man more.

"I'd like to think so." Sam said with enough gusto that there was no room for misinterpretation.

Jack smiled his rare genuinely happy grin.

"Have I told you lately that I love you, Samantha Carter?" he said with a hint of humour in his voice.

"Very suave, Van Morrison! Do you do requests?"

Jack stepped closer to her.

"It depends on what the request is."

"Dance with me."

Sam stepped closer as Jack took her hand in his and placed his other hand on the small of her back. As they began to sway slowly to some silent rhythm, Sam tucked her head into Jack's neck as he began to whisper softly in her ear.

"How do I love ya? Well, let me see. I love you like a crooner loves a melody. Maybe, completely, wrapped up in you. How do I need ya, well, can't you tell? I need you like a dreamer needs a wishing well. Baby, completely, wrapped up in you Every now and then when the world gets a little bit crazy you gladly hold me and carry me through. No one in the world has ever done what you did for me and I'd be sad and lonely if there were no you. Always, completely, wrapped up in you…"

As Jack came to his last line he hugged Sam closer to him and they just stood silently in the moonlight enjoying the warmth of each others' arms.