Very early Monday morning, the four set off by plane for Colorado Springs. Jack decided to return for his truck the following weekend and would drive it out to DC from the cabin when he had more time.
When they arrived in the Springs, they went first to visit Cassandra, at Sam's insistence. She didn't want to waste any time sharing the good news with her dear young friend. She only wished she could also share the news with Janet, though she was certain her friend was smiling on them from above.
Cassie was naturally thrilled for Sam and Jack, though she did give them her fair share of hell for getting married without her presence. She was somewhat mollified by the notion that they would be having a second ceremony at a later date, and insisted on being an intimate part of the planning for that one. Sam assured her that she would, and that she would also serve as Sam's maid of honor for the second service.
Sam took the next week off, using long accrued but rarely used leave time. She helped Jack pack up and move to Washington, and then spent several days planning out the small second wedding with Cassie's enthusiastic assistance. She bought a proper but simple white wedding gown, picked out an equally simple white rose bouquet, and set up a small reception for the half-dozen guests who'd be attending: Daniel, Teal'c, Cassie, Sam's brother Mark and his wife, and of course, General Hammond.
Sam and Jack had surprised the retiring General with a visit. They informed him of their past and impending nuptials, and Sam asked him to be the one to walk her down the aisle. He agreed only after she assured him that it was what her father would have wanted, and that her brother wasn't going to feel offended by the action.
The second wedding, they decided, would take place in a small, out of the way church in Washington on Friday, and they would spend the following weekend enjoying a more private honeymoon at the cabin. Sam would then transfer to Area 51 to take over as the head of Research and Development, and Jack would then settle into his duties as Head of Homeworld Security. Their married life would start with them living a couple of thousand miles apart, but after the mountain of regulations and duty that had separated them for so long, a little distance felt an easy obstacle to overcome.
And so, on a pleasant Friday afternoon, George Hammond escorted Sam down the aisle of the old church, and, flanked by him and Cassie on one side, and Daniel and Teal'c on the other, Sam and Jack repeated their pledges to live and love together for the rest of their lives; this time they used personalized vows written for them by their dear friend Daniel.
"I have walked beside you for many years," Jack said first. "You've seen me at my best and at my worst, and you have loved me unconditionally; and so that is what I give to you now: my love, unconditional and unyielding, for as long as we both shall live."
Sam repeated the vow, and then they again placed the rings on one another's fingers, this time saying, "I give you this ring, a perfect circle without beginning or end, just as our love has always been and will always be."
The man of the cloth officiating the ceremony spoke a few words about love and commitment, then pronounced them husband and wife. Jack kissed his bride with shameless enthusiasm, much to the delight of the few witnesses to the event. The small group joined together to enjoy a late evening supper of fine filet mignon and Champaign, and then the guests went back to their daily routines while Sam and Jack returned to the cabin in Minnesota.
Once there, Jack and Sam enjoyed the privacy and took the opportunity to 'christen' every room in the cabin; not even the kitchen table was spared from their amorous activities. They made passionate love all night long. They made tender and exquisite love during the daylight hours, and just when they thought they'd thoroughly exhausted themselves of such behavior, they found themselves languidly joining together again throughout the next night.
"It's going to be a long, lonely few weeks out in Washington," Jack said the morning they were to go their separate ways. They were at the airport, but a bit mindless of who in Minnesota might see them; they were, after all, still newlyweds.
"I may have Cassie for company, but I think this will be the first time in years that I'll have been without you for more than a few days," Sam replied. She let out a lengthy sigh. "Goodbyes really do suck."
Jack pulled her into his arms for a sure and steady embrace. "It's not goodbye, Sam."
Sam sniffed. "It sure feels like it," she said softly.
"Who knows…" Jack said thoughtfully, "Maybe one of these days, we'll have our very own Asgard transporters and we'll be able to come home to each other every night, regardless of where we're stationed."
"Wouldn't that be nice," Sam said, laughing gently.
"Hey, if anyone's earned them, it's us."
Sam pulled back just enough to see Jack's face. She caressed one cheek with her hand. "You have a safe drive back, okay?"
Jack nodded. He lowered his lips to hers for one last, lingering kiss before he let her go and climbed into his truck. Sam stood back, watching as he left. Only when he was out of sight did she heft up her bag and go inside to catch her flight out to Nevada. It was going to be a very long few weeks, but she knew they would always make the most of whatever time they had together. Time was, after all, not only relative, but a very precious commodity indeed.