I don't know why I even bother, everyone knows that I don't own it...yet.

Thank you all who are still reading.

CHAPTER 12

When the plane landed in Washington five hours later Jack and Hammond were greeted by someone that they would soon have to start viewing as a friend rather than an enemy. Harry Maybourn had agreed to help them on this operation and met them at a private airstrip outside of Annapolis.

"General, Colonel, it's nice to see you again."

"Wish I could say that too Maybourn, but this is the first time that I have been happy to see you." Jack said.

"Look Jack, you know how much I love to be at odds with you, but can we just put that all aside for the bigger purpose. In order to do that, we are going to have to at least pretend to get along here."

"I hate to have to say this out loud, and I will deny it if any one asks, but I agree with you."

"Well, now that we can all agree, why don't we go do what you gentlemen flew all the way out here for?"

"Harry, I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what Jack?"

"For taking care of Sam all these months; for making sure that she wasn't alone. But mostly for knocking some sense into me."

"I didn't do it for you Jack, I did it for Sam. For reasons that I do not understand, her whole life seems to revolve around you. But let me just say this, you ever hurt her again and I will make sure that they never find your body…or the pieces that are left when I am done with you.

"Now, are you ready to get down to work?"

- - - - - - - - - -

Colonel Justin Miller was working late again. He and his superiors had been having another late night meeting in regards to the stargate program. He had not been surprised when Sam Carter had gone missing earlier in the week; and if he knew her like he thought he did then she should already be back in Colorado begging O'Neill for help.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Looking down at his watch he realized it was already well after eleven and everyone in the building should be gone by now. Expecting to see his CO at the door, he was shocked to see Harry Maybourn standing there. He was even more shocked to see that he was accompanied by both Jack O'Neill and George Hammond.

"What can I do for gentlemen?"

"We just wanted a minute of your time." Maybourn said.

"With you Harry, a minute is never long enough."

"I think you know why we are here?"

"Would it happen to be in regards to a certain blond Air Force Major who went AWOL earlier this week?"

"Yes it would. And let me guarantee you Justin that I will not be leaving here until I am certain that Sam Carter, her child and the rest of her 'family' are never harmed or harassed by this organization again."

"I suppose when you say family you are talking about all those people who work at the SGC?"

"Damn straight. Now, are you going to do this and finally allow Sam to have a normal life?"

"Now why would I do that Harry?"

"Because if you value your life at all, you will."

"Is that a threat Harry?"

"You can read it any way that you want to Justin. All I know is that by the end of tonight I will have what I want one way or another. If that means that I have to let the good Colonel here have some private words with you, then I will."

"Why are you so sure that I will even consider what you want Harry? Sam Carter is a great commodity to this organization and in turn, her country."

"You don't care about the work that she does Justin. You are only interested in ruining her life."

"Well I did promise to return the favor."

"Is that what this is about Justin; that damn op? I can not believe that you are holding a grudge against her for that—you know that she didn't have a choice."

"Yes she did. But she had to go and choose to be self-righteous and noble and do the 'right' thing. She almost ended my career."

"Five of our agents along with several NSA and CIA agents were killed Justin. Someone had to be held accountable."

"Well I am glad that I was good for something."

"Cut the bull Justin. Sam was not responsible for that, you were. If you had realized sooner that you were getting falsified information than none of it would have happened. But you couldn't be a grown up could you Justin? You had to go and pull this shit."

"Am I supposed to thank her for what she did?"

"I would. Do you really think that you would be here today if Sam and I had told them the whole truth? Even after everything that happened, after Dan died, she still wanted to protect you. You were her partner and there was a time there that I thought she really would have died for you. We didn't tell the review board everything that happened. She wanted to make sure that you still had some kind of life left. But if I had known that this was how you would repay her, I never would have agreed to go along with it."

Jack and Hammond stood there in the room looking at each other to see if the other knew what was going on. They had been thoroughly confused as soon as Maybourn and Miller started talking.

"She did that?"

"Yeah she did. There was a time when she thought of you as her brother. Hell you were closer to her than her real brother was. She never once blamed you for what happened; she said that it was a mistake that any one of us could have made. That is why she tried to protect you. But you only saw her action as vengeful and you tried to hurt her."

"Give me ten minutes." And with that Miller was out the door.

- - - - - - - - - -

"What the hell just happened?" Jack asked as soon as the door was closed.

"Reminders Jack; Reminders."

"You plan on telling us what all that was about?"

"What do you think Jack?"

- - - - - - - - -

It was exactly ten minutes later that Miller came back. He walked over to Harry and handed him a couple of papers. He read them over and gave Miller a questioning look. Without exchanging any more words Harry got up and walked out the door, Jack and Hammond having to run to catch up to him.

"What did he give you?" Jack asked.

"Something that is going to make Sam very happy."

"Well…"

"I tell Sam first."

"Then we better get back to Colorado."

- - - - - - - - -

When they arrived back at the base the morning shift was just beginning. They went through all the security checkpoints and finally made their way to the briefing room. Hammond had called ahead, so everyone was already waiting for them when they arrived. Maybourn walked right over to Sam and handed her the papers that had been causing Jack to annoy the hell out of him for the past five hours. After reading them she broke into a huge smile and threw her arms around him.

"So, can we find out now?" Jack asked.

"You better tell him Sam. He has been whining ever since we left Washington and it is starting to get on my nerves."

"The first paper is a letter of termination from the NID and the second one is my permanent transfer to the SGC."

"So this is for real then?"

"Yeah, it's for real."