"Sam…"

"Yeah, Dad," Sam said, mentally shaking herself to reply. "Okay, dinner it is."

Chapter 3: People I Know

Sam reluctantly hung up the phone, tears in her eyes. Her father was alive, at least in this reality. What she wouldn't give to see him again. It had been two years since he and Selmak died within minutes of each other. She wondered if this Jacob Carter even knew who Selmak was.

Get a hold of yourself, she thought. This isn't a reunion. It's a puzzle and a lot depends on how quickly you can figure it out. It wasn't like she could walk up to her father or anyone else for that matter and calmly announce that she was from an alternate reality, universe, timeline or whatever. Fact was she still wasn't sure what the problemwas. For the time being she was going to have to play along with the role she was given and gather as much intel as she could.

Jack, she needed to reach Jack. Wherever he was, Sam was sure he'd be able to help her. It never occurred to her that their relationship in any reality would be less than cordial. In all innocence, Sam tried the private cell number she had for her husband. With little expectation that it would actually work given current circumstances, she wasn't overly disappointed when curtly told she had a wrong number. Her next best guess was to try him on his home phone. Sure enough, someone picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello," a youthful feminine voice answered.

Taking a deep breath Sam replied, "Hello, I'd like to speak with Jack O'Neill please."

"I'm sorry, Jack isn't at home right now," the faceless woman answered. "I'll be happy to give him a message."

Sam recognized the voice. Kerry, Kerry was in Jack's house. But Kerry had left the Springs over two years ago, at least in the reality Sam knew.

"No, that won't be necessary," Sam said once she'd regained her composure. "I'll reach him another time."

Before Sam could hang up, Kerry accurately guessed the caller's voice as well.

"Sam, is that you?" she asked.

She couldn't do this right now. She wanted to hang up and pretend she'd never called. But that was the coward's way out. She'd never find out what she needed to know like that.

"Yes, it's Sam," she answered, as truthfully as she could. After all, from what she remembered, Kerry had always been more than gracious to her, even on that horrid day in Jack's backyard.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Kerry asked in a tone one might use with a small child. This was the second person in the past hour who'd asked if she was okay. She sensed a pattern here.

"I'm fine, Kerry," Sam said, attempting to confirm the identity of the woman with whom she spoke.

"You know you aren't supposed to call here," Kerry said as gently as she could.

Okay, so what's that about? Sam wondered.

"I don't want to cause any trouble," Sam tried to play along. "But I really do need to talk with Jack."

"Sam…"

"Please, Kerry."

"I'll let him know you called," Kerry said, her voice tentative and clearly reluctant.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," Sam said, her head spinning. She wanted to ask Kerry what she was doing in Jack's house, but thought better of it. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know. Instead of seeking any new information, Sam simply hung up, took her now aching head in her hands and considered her next move.

OoOoOo

At 1200 hours, the winter sun was high enough to wake a very groggy Cameron Mitchell. Always one to reach wakefulness quickly, Cam opened his eyes and jumped to his feet in a single fluid movement.

"What the …!" he exclaimed, taking in his totally unexpected surroundings. Last he knew he was on Purgatory, waiting for Daniel to dial the gate. That was only seconds ago, so what was this?

Walking over to the window, he looked out. Getting a clear view of a busy thoroughfare outside wherever he was did nothing to help his sense of disorientation.

Where's Carter when you need her? He thought. His head was spinning. Still, he couldn't imagine gating directly to bed, no matter how tired he was.

"Carter," he yelled, determined to get some help figuring out his current situation. Cam chuckled as he continued to wake up. What the heck would Samantha Carter be doing in my bedroom? He wondered.

As luck would have it, the befuddled Air Force officer chose that very moment to gaze at the lone photo displayed on the nightstand. It was none other than Samantha Carter. And what a photo it was. No uniform in evidence here. An off the shoulder sky blue number accenting her eyes was a small part of this stunning head shot. But the best part was the breathtaking smile that seemed to reach out and grab his heart. Wow, maybe he'd found his way into General O'Neill's bedroom.

That poorly conceived little fantasy was interrupted by an unexpected call. Reasoning that wherever he was, he might as well start figuring things out, Cam picked up the phone on the second ring.

"Yeah …" Cam answered, none too pleasantly.

"Cam, is that you?"

"Sam?"

"Yeah, it's me," Sam answered cautiously. After Jack, the brilliant astrophysicist saw Cam Mitchell as her best bet to make sense of this. He and Daniel were with her on Purgatory. Maybe he… then again, maybe he'd mean more trouble in this particular situation. She certainly didn't need a boyfriend.

"Thank God!" Cam exclaimed. "Now you can tell me what the hell is going on!"

Okay, that's a good sign, Sam thought. Maybe he's as out of place as I am. Then again, maybe he just forgot the time for their next date.

"What do you mean, Cam?" Sam asked staying non-committal.

"Where the hell are we?" Cam asked irritably. "That's what I mean, Sam. I was just on Purgatory, how 'bout you?"

"I can't tell you how relieved I am," Sam breathed. "Cam, I think I'm losing it here. I've been awake about three hours and I've already had a call from my Dad."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, it was him," Sam insisted. "I'm seeing him this afternoon. Hopefully he can give me a better idea of where we are."

"Yeah, that's what I was hoping you could do for me," Cam said.

"Well, as Jack would say, we're not in Kansas anymore," Sam quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

"Funny," Cam replied, surprised even Sam could joke at a time like this. "Have you heard from Jackson or the others?"

"No, you're the second person I've tried."

"Yeah? Second, not first huh?"

"I tried to reach Jack," Sam admitted.

"And?"

"Things are different," Sam said vaguely. "I may hear from him later."

"Alright," Cam said. "I'd better find out where I am. By the way, where are you?"

"Colorado Springs."

"From the looks of the road outside my window, I'd say I'm in a bigger playground than that," Cam said. "I'm gonna see what I can find out, maybe try and reach Jackson. Vala and Teal'c don't even have phones."

"That's true," Sam admitted. "While you're looking around a bit, I need to get ready to see my Dad."

As they talked, Cam managed a cursory perusal of his immediate surroundings. Leaving the bedroom area, he was impressed by the spacious living quarters that awaited him. Then he saw it, the morning paper sitting happily on a breakfast table along with what was undoubtedly room service at a better than average hotel.

"Washington, Sam," Cam announced out of context. "I'm in Washington, D.C. The Washington Hilton, if I'm not mistaken."

OoOoOo

On opposite ends of the country, Sam Carter and Cam Mitchell struggled to make sense of their situations. After agreeing to talk further later tonight, they'd said goodbye, intent on their individual roles and their shared predicament.

Sam spent part of the afternoon doing her best to reach Daniel. She fervently hoped he too would retain the knowledge of the "real" life they'd shared. But nothing was guaranteed, and right now very little made sense. How in the world did they end up here?

Having no luck finding Daniel, Sam walked around her neighborhood, greeting the few people she met. They certainly seemed to know her. Try as she may, Sam couldn't place a one of them. Inevitably they politely asked about her health, her job and "that nice boy, Cam". She answered sweetly and pumped them gently for information about herself and what they knew about her. It seemed even here she worked in a hush/hush job; either that or she really was in the deep space radar telemetry research where her neighbors thought she spent most of her waking hours. Couldn't be, could it?

Now she was dressed, waiting for … her Dad. As much as Sam Carter needed to keep her wits about her right now, to be the consummate professional she was, her heart was beating out of her chest. Stay focused, she willed herself.

As she attempted to calm her racing nerves, the doorbell rang. Only the driver, she told herself. Remember he said he was sending "a car" whatever that meant.

Opening the front door, Sam came face to face with the driver. A young man, not much older than the youngest airmen at the SGC was calmly waiting for her. At the curb, Sam glimpsed a black Towne Car, with "a driver" behind the wheel. What did he do, send an entourage?

Dressed in a tailored black suit, the young man was the essence of government professionalism. He fixed Sam with his almost black, onyx eyes and introduced himself.

"Ma'am," he said, "I'm Agent Harris. I'm here to take you to your father."

Sam was certain she must have looked puzzled.

"Agent?" she questioned.

"Yes, Ma'am," Harris replied. When it was clear the Samantha Carter remained confused, he clarified, "Agent Harris, Secret Service."

TBC

A/N: So far the story hasn't received as many hits as I'd hoped, but your reviews have been more than encouraging!!! Thanks so much. Hope you are having half as much fun with this as I am.

Production will slow down a bit as I tackle the work week again, but never fear. I'm aiming for at least another couple chapters this week.