Girls' Day Out - Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate

Spoilers: Not unless you've been hiding under a rock :) Mentions Sam going to Atlantis, but nothing more than that.

AN: Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing!! I love getting your comments. This is a Sam-centric chapter to finish things off though I might pick it back up again later.

Best wishes and lots of love!

Christine

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Sam was completing an equation on her laptop when Vala and Carolyn poked their heads in the doorway of her lab.

"Hey guys," Sam smiled at her friends. They joined her at her lab table.

"Samantha, we've come to rescue you," Vala beamed.

"What do you mean?"

"Two words: shoe sale," Carolyn announced simply. No further explanation needed.

"Shoe sale?" Sam repeated. Okay, so maybe a little more explanation needed.

"Two more words then: Jimmy Choo."

Sam's look turned crestfallen. "I can't. I'm sorry. I'm spending the rest of the weekend with Jack. He's flying in right now. That's why I'm finishing up this work before I meet him."

"Choosing men over shoes. Samantha, really," Vala teased her. "Actually, I have no idea what's so special about Jimmy Choo shoes, but-" she shrugged.

Carolyn put an arm around Vala's shoulders and steered her out of Sam's lab. "Just wait," she said. "Just wait."

"Have fun," Sam called after them.

"You too," they called back.

She finished up her work quickly and left the base. Jack was supposed to meet her at a coffee shop near the park.

She stopped at her house first to shower and change into a sundress and sandals. Her cheeks were glowing from the tan she'd gotten during their last mission. She looked happy. She stared at her reflection for a long time. A part of her just wanted to stay here and not meet with the man she'd loved for years. Or to spend the day with him and keep her secret to herself. But she couldn't do that.

She grabbed her keys and headed back out to her car. Why was it that when you thought of leaving a place, it suddenly seemed so perfect. The day was absolutely beautiful. The sun was beaming and warm, slight breeze, all her favorite songs on the radio, going to see Jack. Jimmy Choo sale. Like the universe was giving her every reason to stay. Or maybe it was saying goodbye.

Jack was leaning against his truck in the parking lot when she pulled up. He smiled that gorgeous smile that always made her smile too. She got out of her car and went over to him and held him fiercely when he wrapped his arms around her. She breathed deeply. He always smelled so good.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted.

"Hey," she pulled back to look him in the eyes. Jack frowned.

"You okay? You look sad."

Sam looked away. He knew her too well. She took his hand in hers and pulled him towards the coffee shop. They ordered their drinks to go, then went back outside to walk in the park. They walked silently for a while till they reached a bench beside a lake and sat down. They watched the water ripple slightly from the breeze.

"So you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Jack asked her.

"They want me to go to Atlantis," she blurted out.

"Oh," Jack said, staring into his coffee.

"Oh?" Sam asked. "Oh," she understood. "You knew, didn't you?"

"The president filled me in just before I left," he explained. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do," he said with quiet certainty.

Sam looked at him questioningly.

"You already know what you're going to do," he said. "You just need to admit it to yourself now."

"I don't want to lose you," she admitted.

"You won't," he said quickly.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Doesn't matter."

"Part of me is crying out for me to just stay here with you and my friends and my home, where I have everything I ever wanted, but-"

"But the scientist and adventurer in you needs you to do this," he finished for her. "And if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. It's an amazing opportunity, Sam."

"Is that a good enough reason?"

"Yes. Besides, if it's a total bust, all you have to do is come back through that wormhole, and I'll be there waiting for you."

Sam nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He stood up and offered her his hand to join him. They started walking again. "Wait a minute," he stopped and turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't go falling for some alien guy. I beg you."

Sam laughed. "I promise."

"Well good. Now that that's settled, you've got to come with me," he started pulling her back towards the parking lot.

"Where are we going?"

"I've been informed there's a sale on Jimmy Choo shoes, and if I don't bring you, I'll never be invited to an all-girl activity again."

Sam laughed. "Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"We most certainly would not."

Sam felt her heart lighten as they left the park. Just as her heart had told her she needed to go to Atlantis, it also told her she would not be gone for long, and she would have all that she loved waiting for her when her journey was done.

Today we took a walk up the street,
We picked a flower, climbed a hill above the lake
And secret thoughts, were said aloud,
We watched the faces in the clouds
Until the clouds have blown away
And were we ever somewhere else you know
It's hard to say

And I never saw a blue like that before
Across the sky, around the world
You're giving me all you have and more
No one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now, oh I
I never saw a blue like that before

It feels like now, it feels always,
And it feels like coming home

I never saw a blue like that before
Across the sky, around the world
You're giving me all you have and more
No one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now, oh I
I never saw a blue like that before

Oh, oh I
I never saw a blue like that before

Never Saw Blue, Hayley Westenra (one artist that has sung this song)