Author's Note: Written for and archived in the LJ community Fanfic50, under prompt #39 Remember. It involves an AU Jack/Sam pairing taking place in late S8. Sam is running away from something she can't face yet, while Jack tries to help her and admit to himself that they would make it through it together. The only spoilers I can think of is a mention of Jolinar.

"Ma'am, may I see your ID?" The young lady behind the counter asked.

A woman in her 40's drew out her card, flattered for being mistaken for being any younger than she was. Then again, she didn't know the girl was new to the job and was overly cautious. The news was playing on a small TV in the background, next to the cigarette cases.

"Oh, and $20 for pump number 3 please," the woman smiled. The girl was somewhat nervous, but smiled back. There were no other customers in line, so they took their time with the transaction.

"Do you come here often?" The young lady asked. "I've only been here a few days, so…"

The woman smiled genuinely and replied, "No, I'm just passing by. On a roadtrip."

"Oh, to where?"

"Anywhere."

After finishing the order, the woman headed out to her car and placed her stuff in the backseat before turning to the pump. Just as she shut her door, some police cars and black vans swerved into the surrounding area.

"Put your hands where we can see them, ma'am!" blared from somewhere.

Bewildered, she did as told, while some men in black gear approached her.

The woman was stammering, "What? Uh, what did I…what's going on? Please don't hurt my baby…"

Suddenly, an older gentleman in regular clothing appeared from the black swarm. He gave an arm of reassurance and calmness.

"It's ok, Carter. We'll take you home now." He reached out for her, but she didn't know if she should or could run or not. She made a move to run, but he caught her in time. While she struggled, he injected her with a sedative, and his heart broke as she fell limp in his arms. He hadn't want to resort to this, but this had been the only contact he'd had with her since this whole thing started. He wanted her safe at home and back to normal more than anything he'd ever want in his life.

--

A constant beeping woke her up. Damned if she could stop that noise so she could get back to sleep. Barely remembering what had happened, she awoke completely with a jolt. What had happened? Had she been dreaming?

She cautiously opened her eyes to see a dark room with medical supplies, a hospital she thought. She instinctively reached for her belly, but felt nothing other than her tight abdominal muscles covered in a stiff gown. The beeping grew more frantic until a nurse rushed in to stop it. She looked to the nurse, pleading for answers, but the same man from before entered the room before she could say anything else.

"She's awake. Does she remember?" He seemed to be talking to the nurse, but neither said another word. The man walked to her bedside and grasped her hand. She didn't pull away, but held still.

"Sam, you're safe. We're here to take care of you."

'Sam' searched his eyes for answers, this has to be a dream, she thought.

"My name's not Sam." She didn't seem to want to admit that she couldn't remember a name.

"It's ok. You've been through a hard time." Jack tried to approach the subject lightly. He looked down at the fragile hand he was holding and revealed the wedding band on her left hand that matched his.

Sam cut him off suddenly with panic in her voice, "No! Where's my baby? What have you done to me?!"

"Calm down, Carter." He was hoping his command would unconsciously seep into the part of her brain that was military, but it didn't work that way. "You've had a very hard time dealing with it."

"Dealing with what? Why won't you tell me anything!" She started thrashing.

At this, the nurses came back to stabilize her. "Sir, you're going to have to leave."

"I know." He whispered to no one, and stepped back.

--

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose for the umpteenth time. "Jaaacck. Stop pacing. You'll wear yourself into the next floor level."

"I don't know how to help her! This has been the third, THIRD, escape. It's like she's a completely different person; she's not rational-"

Daniel snorted despite the situation. "You have to give it to her. Forgetting everything except her military training."

"Yeah, it doesn't work that way either. It's a habit, ya know. It's like I can't stop calling her Carter, even after we're married. And even then she won't listen to me. She didn't escape, she took off."

Daniel snorted again.

"You're not helping." Jack grumbled. "You're supposed to be helping."

"Sorry." Daniel said sincerely

"You didn't see her when she came in. She might've been unconscious, but she wasn't peaceful at all."

Daniel tried to add something before he went all depressive again, as he usually did after their daily 'therapy' sessions now. "Well, I've been doing some research, I think I know what she's going through, and it's a fairly recent discovery too. At least it was given a name recently. It's really interesting--"

Jack looked skeptical and annoyed, "Daniel! Just give me the gist, will ya?"

"It's traveling amnesia."

Jack looked expectantly for more so Daniel continued. "It happens when the person is under very stressful conditions, as with most amnesia cases. They pack up their things and leave. They don't remember what happened or who they are; they just travel away and start a different life. Sometimes it lasts for a few days, they wake up and forget that they forgot and they go back to their lives. Sometimes, it takes a lot longer, to the point where the person has already established another life."

Jack didn't speak for a little bit, but both knew what they were hoping, that Sam would recover soon enough.

---

"Sam, I never thought of you as the type to buy baby clothes and paint a room blue or pink, but I'm starting to like this side of you." Jack smiled and kissed her cheek.

"I didn't either, but I guess when you've waited so long, you'd want to do everything at once."

They were at the department store looking for baby clothes, not that they would need a lot since the SGC were filled with baby-happy people who had waited for Jack and Sam to get together. But they were just thinking ahead, always prepared. Sam was only two months pregnant and a pregnancy at her age, though not rare, was somewhat risky. They both knew going into it there was a risk, but it was a risk they were willing to take; they were not going to let age get in their way to parenthood, especially when they overcame so many other obstacles aside from their age difference. They knew Jack had particular reservations when it came to having children again, but seeing Sam glowing like she did, he didn't want to take that away, just because he was scared and selfish.

---

"Doctor, is she going to be ok?" Jack asked. He knew that she was a fighter, but for which side, he did not know yet.

The doctor pulled him aside, "General, you understand that her body has been through two tremendous experiences. She's in a fragile state, mentally as well, it all depends on how much it affected her. I'd have her talk to MacKensie, but you guys need to sort things out too."

Jack knew as much, but did not want to think about that yet.

---

"Daniel, you know how I am about expressing my feelings, right?"

"Yeah, you don't."

Jack gave him a look, and continued. "Carter and I, our relationship is...different. We don't talk about things, we just know. Point is, how are we going to resolve this issue if we don't talk- and she can't or won't remember the way things were? How am I supposed to let her know it's going to be okay?"

Daniel didn't know what to say.

"We don't talk." Jack reiterated.

--

"General, there's no easy way to say this: The baby is not going to make it." The doctor was almost afraid to break the news and masked it with a cold hard face.

Jack nodded once and asked, "How is she doing?"

The doctor looked back, "The colonel is a fighter. I just…don't know if she can fight through this one. I'm sorry."

Jack nodded again and went into the room where they held Sam, prepped for surgery. He approached her sleeping body and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. He placed his hand on her belly for one last time and walked away.

---

Jack had dealt with it already. First he drove home. Then, he opened the door. He gently pushed the door back into its place. As soon as the lock on the door clicked into place, he broke down. It was a wave that hit him. So many things crushing him at once; the memory of Charlie, what he couldn't have, and now can't have again, how much Sam must be hurting, how much they'd have to work out, and how much they'd have to bring back, how long before they try again or ever, what other options. It was far worse than deciding the fate of the planet. Far worse.

Sam had dealt with it her own way, although it was not like her to runaway, she had to. This was new territory and however strong she may have been before, being a mother was something she wanted and feared at the same time. It was like Jolinar all over again, except these were definitely her emotions, and this would affect the person she cared about the most. They both knew that guilt was not even an option, but it happened anyway.

---

"Sam, let me in." Jack knocked on the bathroom door lightly.

Sam looked up from the mirror and examined the scar the surgery left. Jack peeked his head in.

"Carter, I hope it's ok that I started breakfast. Eggs and wheat toast all right?"

Sam was a little unsure as her memories were only starting to come back. It was unusual to have gradual remembering of her life, but she had to deal with it. "Um, yea, that sounds good." She faked a smile for Jack's sake. She felt safe around him and calmer whenever he was around, so she figured it was a good sign.

Jack stepped into the bathroom to kiss her forehead, and then retracted with a slight cringe, "I'm sorry, is that too much?" His eyes searched hers hoping she wasn't offended, a feeling he rarely had since they shared so much history together. It was like dating all over again, and he didn't like that feeling, even if it meant getting Sam back to normal.

Sam smiled a little at his consideration and shook her head. She wasn't going to admit it yet, but his acts of kindness were what drew her to him. Behind his hard military front, he was a caring creature, and she truthfully hoped to regain her memories soon. The butterflies were returning to her stomach, and despite the fact that they were already supposed to be there, it was a great comfort to feel them for the first time, again.

---

A whole month later, Sam was her old self again. With therapy and a lot of people's support of course, but she remembered the cold hard truth of reality, but she was a fighter and she wasn't giving into the depression.

During one of Jack and Sam's dinners at home, which they've decided was the best thing to do in order to keep their marriage 'normal,' in lieu of normalcy in their lives, Sam started to open up a bit more.

"Jack, I don't think I could ever apologize or thank you enough for what you've done. You didn't have to do this, you know."

Jack looked up from his plate. "Do what? Be a husband, a friend? You know I'll always be there for you. And it was like...trying to get you to like me again." He said with a small smile.

Sam furrowed her eyebrows. "I just couldn't remember."

"Yeah, so I had to remind you, and that was the hardest part."

"You did a magnificent job."

"Was that sarcasm, my dear?" Jack said with a smirk and glint in his eyes.

Sam returned the smile. "You have the license to kill with that smile of yours, don't try and tell me it was hard."

Their eyes met for a fraction of a second and both knew that it was hard.

"What I meant was, I was in there, I just didn't want to come out. But you made me feel safe to come out; with all those things you did, you told me that it would be okay. I wish I could've done the same for you."

"You have." Jack simply stated.

Sam moved to take both their plates to the kitchen, but Jack caught her hand and guided her towards him. He took the plates out of her hand and placed them back on the table. He stood up as if to clear the table, but instead, he embraced Sam whole heartedly. Sam was shocked by this outward show of emotion, but she was glad to have him so close.

They were the words he could not say.

But he didn't have to anymore, because she finally remembered.

End Author's Note: I really wanted an amnesia fic that showed more of the recovery of memory, like little moments that break through the amnesia, rather than what I've got right here. I think it'd be cute if the tagline were something like, "It was like falling in love with him all over again." I'd really like to expand on it someday soon. Tell me what you think:) This idea was somewhat inspired by "Know Thyself" by MissAnnThropic