A/N: Several mornings ago, Garin gave me a nudge (more like, shove) and said, "You fool! You can't end the story there!" Though, he'd never mention the fact that he was the one who told me to end there in the first place. I should've stuck with plot bunnies, they're far less aggressive. (Garin glares at Dream Painter. "I am NOT aggressive—I just get things done!")

Anyway, by popular demand, a final conclusion to the story . . .

Oh, and Sam doesn't have sky blue pupils. (Oops.) I have gone back and changed that to irises.

Chapter 5

Strong but gentle arms caressed Sam's body as she wrapped her arms about her lover's neck. Moonlight streamed through the window, mildly illuminating the darkened room. Their lips (and tongues, I daresay) met for a moment, before he proceeded to plant kisses along the nape of her neck that sent shivers through her body.

"I love you, Sam," he whispered passionately.

"I love you, too, Jack . . ."

The lamp at the bedside suddenly came on as Major Samantha Carter sat up in her bed, breathing erratically.

"Okay," she murmured to herself. "That never happened." She felt her neck, as though expecting to find hickies there. The dream had seemed so real, more like a memory, but it had to be a dream. Right? "What is happening to me?" she muttered. She looked about her on-base quarters. It had been two weeks since Jack and the others had brought her back from the planet, and she still didn't remember anything. Well, at least not anything definite. Pulling on some clothes, she then made her way to the commissary. Maybe some coffee and a shower would help clear her mind. She was up anyway, so she might as well get around for the day, she reasoned.

As she walked down the corridor, it suddenly morphed into a dank and dirty hall lit with smoldering torches. Two men held her firmly by the arms, moving her towards a destination to which she didn't want to go. The floor was so dirty it looked like it was made of dirt. Or maybe it was, she couldn't tell. What is this place? She wondered. Suddenly, she ran into something.

"Oh, my word," she gasped, snapping out of her reverie as someone took her firmly by the shoulders.

"Carter, you alright?" a concerned voice questioned. She looked up into a familiar face.

"Jack," she sighed in relief.

"Jack?" he repeated.

"I mean, sir," Sam corrected herself.

"Are you okay?" O'Neill asked again.

"I keep having these strange flashes of this . . . place. It's like I've been there, but I know I've never seen it before," she shook her head then looked at him. "Sir, what are doing up so early?"

"Carter, it's 7:30 in the morning," he told her.

"It is?" she glanced down at her watch. "But the clock in my quarters said it was . . ."

"The clock in your quarters has had dead batteries for the past month."

"Oh. I guess I'd better get around, then." They continued towards their respective destinations. "Sir?" Sam spoke suddenly, turning to face him.

"Yeah?" his eyes met hers.

"Did—well, did something . . . happen between us?" the question came out awkwardly, but Jack didn't seem to notice.

"Not what I'd like to happen between us," he thought, but said, "I don't think so. Why?"

"No reason," she responded, hurrying on her way. "Just been fantasizing about you, sir," she thought.

"Hey, Carter," Jack called.

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't forget the briefing at 8."

"Oh, yeah . . . thanks."

---

A few hours later

SG-1 stepped from the shimmering event horizon into the remains of what had once been some sort of large building. Probably a temple, Daniel had guessed. As they began to secure the immediate area, which happened to be a very large room, Major Carter suddenly cocked her weapon. The rest of the team turned to face her.

"Carter?" Colonel O'Neill queried.

"It's nothing," the woman answered, disarming her weapon and turning on the safety. "I thought I heard something, but it was just another flash, sir." The guys exchanged some looks amongst themselves, but said nothing. Sam had been unusually jumpy since they'd brought her back.

"Alright," Jack said, "Daniel, Teal'c, you guys take that corridor, Carter and I will take this one. Stay in radio contact." Teal'c nodded his understanding as he and Daniel disappeared down one of the two main hallways leading from the room in which they stood. Jack and Sam headed down another, carefully searching for anything that might be significant. Several times, the blonde jumped, pointing her gun in the direction of a remembered sound, but there was nothing there. The two air force officers followed the hall until it ended in a small room. Still nothing.

"They could have at least decorated the place," Jack murmured as he looked about. There was a skylight in the ceiling and a window high up in the wall. "Alright, let's head back," he said.

"Sir," Sam spoke suddenly, "can I tell you something entirely off-the-record?" He looked at her.

"Yes . . ." he answered slowly as he turned to face her.

"Well, you see," she began, walking towards him. "I keep having these flashes, and they're mostly of these horrible things and this, this terrible, terrible place, but some of them . . . aren't. I guess what I'm trying to say—you see," she stopped just in front of him, trying to put her thoughts into words. "Well, the best way to tell you is this." With that, the blue-eyed major pressed her lips to his. Jack's eyes widened for a moment and then he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her body against his. After a moment, she pulled back, gazing into his gentle brown eyes.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me, Major?" he murmured softly, caressing the side of her face with one of his hands.

"Yes, sir," she whispered, looking away as her face reddened.

"Did you guys find anything?" Daniel asked when they returned to the Stargate room. They'd taken an awful long time.

"No, it's just a bunch of hallways and empty rooms," Sam answered. The archaeologist tilted his head. Her hair looked messier than it had before . . .

"We tried to contact you on the radio," Teal'c intoned, "but you did not answer."

"I clicked," Jack said, "didn't you hear me click?"

"Indeed," the Jaffa didn't look satisfied with this answer.

"Great," their leader grinned, "Daniel, dial us home." Daniel wordlessly complied, giving them both odd expressions. Jack and Teal'c followed the MALP through the gate first leaving Daniel and Sam to follow.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the man asked his friend skeptically. She smiled at him.

"Oh, yeah," she replied. "Don't worry about me—I'll be alright." As she stepped into the shimmering event horizon, Daniel blinked in surprise. He could've sworn he had seen some sort of welt near the base of her neck . . .

---

A/N: Alright, there's my attempt at a decent epilogue for the story. If any of you didn't like it, please consider the story ended where it originally ended. Anyhow, let me know what you thought.

Until next time, Dream Painter.