Chapter 8: DEFCON 1

"I just want this all to be over," Janet said wearily as she and Sam cleared away the dinner dishes. "I want things to be able to go back to normal." She laughed quietly. " I want to be able to yell at Cassie and not feel guilty that it might be the last time we ever speak."

"I heard that!" Cassie said, coming into the room with a DVD in hand. " 'Under the Tuscan Sun'?"

"Sure why not?" Janet heaved a sigh and they all went into the living room. "I could do with something adorably cheerful right now."

Cassie put the movie in then came to sit between Sam and Janet on the couch. She leaned against Sam, then grabbed her mother, pulling her in as well so the three were in sort of a lumpy group hug on one end of the couch.

"I just want to feel safe," Cassie murmured in response to the questioning looks both women gave her.

They all made an attempt to relax, to pretend nothing was different, but that would have been far more successful if the movie hadn't been interrupted about halfway through by Sam's cell phone ringing. An annoyed Cassie dutifully put the movie on hold while Sam took the call.

"Carter…yes….yeah I'm with th – What?!" her face paled and Janet and Cassie immediately exchanged worried looks. "Oh god…ok…yeah…" she closed the phone and looked up at Janet and Cassie shakily.

"Sam?" Janet looked at her with wide eyes. "Sam what's wrong?"

"We're at DEFCON 1…" Sam's voice sounded to her as though it was coming from a far way away. "Russia's fired the first missile…"

"Oh my god…Cassie go get your stuff from your room now!" Janet leapt to her feet in a split second. "Sam do you have to…?"

"Yeah." Sam was on her feet as well, not even bothering to grab her jacket from the coat hook as she headed for the door. "I'll meet you at the base but I am not leaving without my brother…"

Sam turned, taking a few seconds to run over and pull her friend into a tight hug. When Janet pulled away there were tears in the corners of her eyes.

"We'll be ok, Sam, just go."

The base was in sheer and complete pandemonium. The president was there as well as everyone else from the first few lists and their families, all being taken through to the evacuation sites. Pushing her way through the throngs of people Sam got her belongings checked in then ran up to Hammonds office where the general was sitting looking very stressed out. His daughter, son in law and two granddaughters were sitting around the briefing table along with Mark and his family.

"Sam what's going on?!" Mark demanded, rushing over to his sister and throwing his arms around her.

Carol looked very pale and was holding the two kids close. "A military jet picked us up about two hours ago. Samantha?"

Sam found herself only able to shake her head in dismay.

Hammond entered the briefing room at that moment, just as Jack came storming in. The general gestured to the two civilian families. "We're getting you through now, so head down to the gate room with your things."

Mark looked at Sam, his eyes wide. "Sam, you're coming aren't you?"

"Yeah," Sam reassured him. "I have to pack up some things but I'll meet you there." After saying goodbye to them Sam ran down to her lab to throw some things together. She didn't even realize Jack had followed her until he spoke.

"Carter, just go through. I'll get the rest of your doo-hickys."

Sam turned, throwing the last thing into her backpack. "You're not coming through?"

"I have to help get the civilians through." Jack took her by the arm. "Carter, just go."

"No!"

Sam stared at him. Out in the hall groups of terrified people were being rushed down to the gate room. Jack looked back at her, his eyes showing the first bit of pure fear that Sam had seen in them yet.

"I'm not leaving without you," she said quietly.

"Sam…"

"Colonel! Major! Why aren't you two through the gate yet?!" This was Hammond, pushing his way into the lab and looking fiercely at his two top officers. "Do I have to make 'save yourselves' an order?"

"Sir?" Jack blinked, unconsciously grabbing Sam's hand with his.

"Colonel, as of now there is no east coast…Washingtton, New York, Boston…all first target sites." Hammond glared at them. "Get your asses to the gate room NOW."

People were filling the gate room and lining up in the hallway. Sam and Jack got in line, prepared to wait, but an airman recognized them.

"Colonel, Major, come with me. You're top priority." At this a few of the people around Jack and Sam scowled.

Jack held his ground. "No…these good people got here first, they'll go through first."

And the wait began. The tension in the hallway was thick enough to cut with a knife and more and more people kept being crammed in there. Regulations be damned, Jack put his arms around Sam, holding her close, and kissing her forehead lightly.

After half an hour of waiting someone began shouting that a second wave had hit further in. They were getting the news on a portable radio. It wouldn't be long before the blasts would be felt in Colorado. People began panicking and the airmen had to take control as the whole mob of people tried to push forward into the gate room.

Finally however, Jack was pulling Sam up the ramp to the shimmering event horizon. She was looking behind them, trying to take in what was probably going to be her last view of the Earth.

Then they were through and into the chaos at the Beta site. Some official spotted them and pulled them upstairs to the level with conference rooms, where the important people and their families were being held. Sam made sure that Mark and the others were there and safe before allowing Jack to push her into a chair.

A man that Sam recognized as Dryden's boss came over with water for them. "Colonel, Major, I'm glad to see you both made it. General Hammond just got through, he'll be up in a few minutes."

"Sir," Sam said, lightly touching his arm. "Is Lt. Colonel Anderson here somewhere?"

Dryden's boss looked upset. "I'm sorry, Major…he was visiting family on the east coast. We didn't get a chance to get him out of there." He gave her an apologetic look before moving on.

Sam leaned back in her chair, suddenly feeling numb. Jack's hand closed on her shoulder and before she knew it she was on her feet and in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.

"We're going to be ok, Sam," Jack said, trying to sound reassuring as he rubbed her back and only just held back his own tears. "I swear we're going to make it…we're going to be ok…"

Sam looked up, her cheeks glistening.

Jack cupped her face in his hands, looking directly into her eyes. "We're going to be ok."

Epilogue

The light from the first of the planet's two moons shone in through the window, spilling in a pattern across the blanket. Sam sat up, sighing heavily and rubbing a hand over her stomach. The baby was shifting around and making it hard for her to sleep.

Jack, as though sensing her discomfort, sat up as well. "Sammy, what's wrong?" he put an arm around her shoulders and rested a hand on the swell of her belly. "Hey hey," he said, looking down as the baby kicked. "Let's let mommy get some sleep, ok?"

Sam smiled, leaning against Jack's shoulder. "You told me, that day we first came through, that we'd be ok."

"And we are." Jack gestured around at their house, including with it the land out side that they'd cultivated into a rather successful little farm. "We're more than ok."

Sam looked down, covering Jack's hand with her own. "But this little one will never know Earth."

"We'll just have to make sure they do." Jack kissed her forehead. "We all had to start over, Sam, everyone. There's no one I would have rather done it with than you."

Sam chuckled, tilting her head up for a kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jack smiled, then they both lay back down, with one of Jack's hands gently rubbing Sam's stomach to try and calm the baby down.

Sam snuggled closer to Jack. Her life certainly wasn't where she'd imagined it a year ago, but at least she had Jack, and that was worth anything on the whole earth-that-was.

A/N – I was originally going to do it all as one story, but decided against it. So keep your eyes out for the sequel, 'Now is the Summer' which will be much lighter and full of shippy goodness.