Disclaimer: Stargate is not mine, no matter how much I want it, and just F.Y.I., things would look slightly different around the SGC if I did.

Spoilers: Cold Lazarus at the moment; we'll see as the story progresses

Setting: Season Uno & Season Eight, beginning of Season Nine

AUTHORS NOTE: This starts off with Jack & Sarah together, but stick with it please, you might like the end. I just recently saw Cold Lazarus, and had to write one with Jack and Sarah's reconciliation, even if they don't end up together…(hint hint) The timing is also slightly off, but it shouldn't be too noticeable.

-CHARLIE-

Sarah ran out of the hospital, tears streaming down her face. The past several hours had been the most emotionally trying since the divorce. But, she had seen Jack AND Charlie in the space of a few hours. That, she decided, gave her room to completely break down. So, she did. She sobbed, her face in her hands, her fists bracing her heaving body against the brick exterior of the ER wing.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am, are you alright?" One of the EMT's asked, walking over from a gurney, a concerned look gracing his features. She glanced over his features, his fine hair cut to a short bowl cut, his angular face, and boyish features. He jumped back at the sudden outburst of tears coming from the anguished woman.

"I'm gasp fine….just…whew need to collect myself." She choked out.

"Ah, okay, just, ah, let some one know if you, um, need something?" He offered. She shook her head, and he took that as dismissal, and hurried away, leaving Sarah sobbing quietly behind.

After what seemed like an eternity, her tears stopped, and she breathed heavily, before turning to where her car was haphazardly parked. As she approached her late model sedan, she stopped in her tracks, and immediately started weeping. He reached her right as her knees gave out from under her. He caught her, lowered her slowly to the ground, smoothed her hair from her face, and brought her body to his, while she bawled uncontrollably.

"Shh, baby, shh, I'm here, we're okay," he whispered into her ear, one hand cradling her head, the other wiping the tears from her eyes, ignoring the strange looks from the passer-bys.

After several minutes in this position Jack's knees started to protest the awkward position they were currently in, and Sarah's head was quickly becoming dead weight in his hand.

"Sarah, honey, let's go to the park, and talk about today." Jack said, turning her face to his, coaxing her eyes open.

"No," she mumbled, "the cemetery…we need to see Charlie; together."

"Okay, but then can we talk about this, please, I need it, and I think you do too," he said, gesturing to the wet spot on his t-shirt. She cracked a smile, and Jack brightened, seeing the first smile from her in years.

They took the scenic route to the cemetery, not saying anything, just enjoying the presence of one another. When they reached the entrance, Jack pulled to the side, and grabbed Sarah's hand.

"What?" She said, indicating his firm grip on her hand.

"Nothing." He replied, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"No, Jack, we are not going to do that anymore."

"Do what?"

"That military bravado, the unemotional solider." She replied, starting to anger.

"Sarah, I'm not unemotional…"

"Jack, you say that now, but you never gave in. You let me see you, the real you, maybe half a dozen times, and dammit, we were married for almost ten years!" She exclaimed, wrenching her hand out of his grasp, and turning her back to him. He studied her for a moment, and then replied.

"Alright, Sarah, you want me, here it is: I work for a top-secret branch of the U.S. Government called the Stargate Command. My team and I travel to other worlds to fight aliens. I had a son. I also had a wife." He said, his voice softening. She glanced over her left shoulder, and saw his eyes dark, but this time with emotion. She turned completely back to him.

"Jack, I never gave up on you. But, you gave up on us." She whispered, tears once again threatening to fall from her eyes. There was a pregnant pause, and then he straightened up, and opened the door.

"Let's go see Charlie." He said, all evidence of the earlier emotion wiped clean from his face. Quietly Sarah unbuckled, and let the tears fall. They were back to square one.

She followed him to Charlie's grave, but left enough space between them that he didn't realize she had followed. She crept closer, not wanting to invade on his privacy, but curious what her ex-husband had to say.

"….she really is, you know? But she, I don't know, sees right through me. I always feel so vulnerable. But she loved you, so much. Still does, actually. Me too buddy, always, okay, remember that. No matter what, you are my son."

Sarah backed up, slowly, her mind working at a mile a minute. Sometimes she felt like she never knew Jack O'Neill. He had depths that even she had never known, as a lover, as a friend, or as a wife. A snap jerked her from her thoughts, and she realized that she had tripped over a twig lying on the ground. She looked up immediately, and found Jack's eyes on hers.

"You heard that." Not a question, a statement.

"…..Yes." she finally answered. He breathed out.

"Do you need to say anything?"

"No, I'm good…" she stammered.

"Well then, let's go…."

"Let's go get a pizza and go to Sunset Rock. You can't run away from me up there." She said, trying to give him a pointed look through her puffy eyes. He looked at her for a long moment, and then gave in.

"Alright, but I need to…."

"No, Jack, we are not doing anything until we sit down and talk, alright?" She said, putting her foot down.

"Alright," he consented, "But can we get pineapple?"

Sarah laughed, and fell in step beside him.

"Jack, you know how much I hate pineapple pizza."

"I know, but it was worth a shot," he replied, a boyish grin on his face.

"Jonathan O'Neill, you are insufferable." She said, grinning all the while.

They arrived at Sunset Rock a good hour before the sun was scheduled to go down, and sat on the cold granite, their bodies touching as much as possible for two different people, not sitting on top of each other.

Finally, Sarah broke the silence.

"Jack, what happened to us?" She said, her voice strong, but she kept looking at the horizon, not at him. He looked at her through the corner of his eye, but could detect no hostility, no anger. After a significant pause, he answered.

"Charlie happened to us. And he was the best thing to ever happen to me." Sarah looked at him sharply, trying to see if he was attempting to goad her, but all she saw was the honestly of his answer. She didn't reply, just interlaced their hands and kissed his knuckles.

"Me too, Jack, me too."