AN: You know the drill. You don't get part 3 until you get a short story ;)

Set somewhat after A Hundred Days S03E17 and Shades of Grey S03E18 and the events of Huzn – Grief

Abid Wasod - In Black and White

"Major Carter. May I speak with you?"

Sam made a valiant effort at not rolling her eyes. No. "Sure Laira, what's up?" She'd been trying to take soil samples for the future mine, now that the Edorans had their society back up and running. The rest of her team was home, supposedly doing paperwork and it was not the first time she'd been sent here with a small team of geologists and a handful of Marine demolition experts.

"I see that you have once again come to Edora alone."

Sam pretended confusion. "I'm pretty sure I brought some scientists and Marines with me." She looked around until she spotted Coombs. "There's one right there."

Laira folded her hands in front of her. "It is your team I speak of. They do not come with you."

Sam wrote something in her notebook. "Well, we don't need an archeologist or a weapons expert or a professional killer." Sam said absently as she continued writing, hoping describing Teal'c at his worst would be a hint. Please go away, Laira. You are truly the very last person I want to have this kind of conversation with Sam thought, her heart still raw with the realization that her feelings were not reciprocated.

He'd all but ignored her when she'd excitedly tried to describe her accomplishment to him… to go to this woman… He'd thanked her later but it had been absent and without feeling as though it hadn't really mattered much to him one way or the other. She'd confronted him… but even after that his apology had been about trusting her abilities. Not that she didn't appreciate the fact that he believed in her but…

Laira looked pensive. "Perhaps then he has gone back to his love and no longer cares for me."

Before she could stop herself from showing interest in this woman's obvious attempts at fishing for information, Sam said, "Huh?"

"He wanted to go home, you know. Desperately. It took me many moons to help him realize he would not be and then he, of course, went home anyway. I am told I have you to thank for that."

Sam gave her a tight smile. "Our other option was to wait a year for a Tollan ship to be able to reach here. He shouldn't have to wait that long." Sam said, with a shrug.

Laira, undeterred, continued. "I told him about how we mourn here. That after one hundred days we go back to our lives as though our hearts have not been broken."

Sam blew her bangs out of her eyes. "I'm surprised the Colonel went along with that game plan."

"Why do you say?"

Sam shrugged. "He doesn't just let things go. He can't." She would not elaborate. It was none of this woman's business to know about Charlie if Jack had not told her himself. I've really got to stop thinking of him as Jack. That isn't helping things.

"I had hoped…" Laira trailed off.

Yah, I know what you hoped, lady, Sam thought, uncharitably.

"He must love her very much."

"Uh… who?"

Laira shook her head. "He never said. I only know that his grief was far too deep to simply be for a planet. I hope she forgives him."

Sam bit her tongue. Jack wasn't seeing anyone. Why had this woman gotten the impression he was? "I doubt there is anything he needs to be forgiven for." Sam said vaguely instead.

"Perhaps. As I said, he did not say who it was or what their situation was. Perhaps it was one sided on his part. Perhaps it is why he refused my advances at first."

"Couldn't tell yah." Sam said absently as she calibrated some equipment, hoping this woman would find something useful to do with herself that wasn't trying to gossip or fish for information about Jack.

"It's just… Well… I suppose your doctor told him I am not with child."

Sam hummed. "Not particularly. We don't divulge personal medical information to others on our planet unless it's necessary."

"And it was not necessary for him to know?"

"I'm sure she told him as the potential father." Sam said, bile in her throat. How on earth had he slept with this woman? She thought he had better taste than this. Sara had not been this simpering ball of need.

"I… I had hoped perhaps when he learned I did not quicken with his seed, he would return to try again." She finally admitted to Sam.

"Yah, I'm sure he's just busy." Sam said dismissively. What Jack did on his downtime was none of her business. Stop thinking of your CO as Jack, you lovelorn idiot, she admonished herself.

"We only lay together the one time. Perhaps it was simply that he was inebriated. Sometimes a man's seed will not take if he is full of drink."

"Um… I wouldn't know about that…" Sam hedged. You had to get him drunk to get past his defenses… no means no, lady. Inwardly Sam seethed.

"I feel your Mr. Teal'c does not like me." Laira continued.

"Teal'c can be very hard to read. He frowns like that at everyone." He hates your guts and now I think I know why, Sam thought. You don't shut up and you're clinging to a man that clearly is avoiding you like a plague rat because you got him drunk and took advantage of him like he was a piece of meat.

"What is she like?"

"Who?"

"The woman he is in love with."

Sam's mouth fell open. "Um…. Well…" I have zero idea who you are talking about. "We don't, um, we don't really…"

"I had hoped as a woman you would know."

"Yah… sorry. I don't really talk to the Colonel about his personal life." What is this woman's malfunction? Let it drop, lady.

Laira frowned. "Perhaps you could give him a message for me then?"

Yah here it is… "I can try." Sam said with a shrug. Anything to get you to go away.

"Tell him… That if he is able, I wish to try again for a child."

Sam looked at her thoughtfully, hiding her true feelings. "If you think he's with someone else, why are you trying to get between them?"

"I simply wish for a child that is all."

Sam sighed. "Look… the Colonel… he's not like that. He only…" Sam sighed. "I'll tell him." In front of Daniel who will shame him into not coming.

"Thank you, Major Carter. You have been most kind." She started to finally move away but a few feet away she turned. "You said you did not know who his lover is?"

"Not a clue." Sam said, airily. Just leave, she shouted in her head.

"He said a name in his sleep… there was such sadness in his voice when he said it."

Sam frowned. He'd done that before. Called out for Sara when he was dying and frightened. Jack was still in love with his ex-wife, that was all.

"He called her Samantha." Laira said. "Perhaps you do know her and just didn't know it was her." She said and turned and walked away.

Sam's eyes were wide as her heart thudded erratically in her chest. But… then why did he try to get this woman to go back to Earth with him? Why had he brushed her off when she'd been so relieved he was safe? She wanted to tear her hair out. And you can't even ask him because he's your stupid commanding officer. Sam mentally kicked herself.

He swung the door open and grinned when he saw it was her.

"I brought beer." She said.

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed and took it from her. "It's cold! What's the occasion? Was Edora that bad?"

Sam shook her head and followed him into the house. "Not bad exactly. It's just…"

Jack turned and looked at her and his expression became pensive. "Janet said she's not pregnant." He said with relief.

Sam nodded. He was off the hook for that situation. Not that Jack didn't want more kids some day. Sam knew he did but he wanted them with someone he could be with and he was still afraid he'd make the same bad choices that led to the death of his son.

"Um… Laira asked about you."

Jack's expression closed down. "Oh?"

"Yah, um… she wanted you to know that she'd still like your help conceiving a child."

Jack savagely twisted off a bottle cap and took a long swallow of the proffered beer as they stood in his large yellow kitchen. "That's not going to happen." He said with a note of finality. He rolled his shoulder though, indicating she should follow him to the living room where they could drink their beer comfortably.

Sam bit her lip. "Sir... I want you to know you did nothing wrong."

"Pardon?"

"She got you drunk on purpose and took advantage of you. You didn't do anything wrong." Sam said more firmly. "I know… you might feel guilty for sleeping with her but she didn't really have consent. I thought you should know it's not your fault." Her eyes met his. Her mouth was firm with conviction and his widened in surprise.

He nodded finally. "I only offered to bring her back because she was convinced she was ovulating that night… I mean, she didn't put it that way, of course, but… you know what I mean…"

Sam nodded. "I do. She admitted you just wanted to go home. If you felt manipulated, sir, it's because you were. She took advantage of your grief to try to get what she wanted."

"This is starting to sound too much like a session with MacKenzie." Jack joked and opened a beer for her then handed it to her.

Sam nodded her thanks and took a drink. "Actually, sir, it's to avoid a session with MacKenzie."

"Oh?"

"After Hathor… Daniel…"

"Felt used."

"Yah."

"He talked to you about it?"

Sam nodded. "He figured I might understand better as women go through that sort of thing more often then men."

"Because of Jonas."

Sam nodded slowly. "Him and… others." She admitted.

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry, Sam."

She nodded firmly. "I know. And I'm sorry this has happened to you a second time, sir. So, um, if you want to talk about it we can and it stays in the room. Or if you just want to sit and drink beer with me, that's all right too. I'm here if you need me."

He looked at her. Sam's face was so earnest and determined, he softened. Here she was the unknowingly injured party in this trying to comfort him, the man fighting his feelings for her; the man who had betrayed a relationship he only wished for in his dreams. "Are hugs on the table?"

"Yes sir, they are."

"Good. C'mere." He said. Putting her beer down on the closest surface, Sam walked forward and wrapped her arms around him while he engulfed her in his embrace. His oversized lumpy sweater covering them both now.

They stood that way for a long time. "Want some pizza to go with the beer?" He finally asked.

"Are you buying, sir?"

"I am and drop the sir, Sam. We're at home and no one is here but us. Jack is fine." He grinned at her boyishly.

"Okay si… um… Jack."

"Practice at it while I call us a pizza." He said as he went to the kitchen to use the land line. Practice at it a lot... just in case some day you feel the same way Samantha. Because Laira probably left out that I called out your name when she finally got me to sleep with her. Because it was you I wanted that night not her.

Back in the living room, Sam looked at her beer bottle thoughtfully and chickened out about asking him why he'd called her name in his sleep. He probably was just thinking about telling me to turn in my paperwork or something, she tried to convince herself.