Interruptions

Chapter Twenty-Four

The glider seemed in perfect condition. The odd thing though, was that there was no pilot, nor a sign of one, so they were unable to determine if there was a Goa'uld, a Jaffa, or another alien entirely, running around earth. True to Sam's word, SG1 had soon left and SG13 had come in to retrieve and study the glider.

Sam was sitting in her lab when Vala walked in. Sam sighed, she'd been waiting for this conversation ever since they'd left Denver the night before.

Vala sat opposite Sam and stared at her in silence for a while. Sam stared back.

"I'm curious." Vala said, finally breaking the silence.

"About?" Sam asked, although she already knew.

"That detective we met yesterday." Vala replied.

"What about him?" Sam asked.

"About… your previous relationship with him. You seemed very uncomfortable and tense around him."

"That's because I was uncomfortable and tense." Sam answered. "I dated Pete for almost two years. We were engaged, but I broke it off with him just before our wedding, just after my father died."

"Why?"

"I could never make him happy, and be happy myself. I didn't love him enough."

Vala gave Sam a sympathetic smile. "That's like Tomin and I. I loved him, just not enough to go with him."

Sam nodded. "Yeah." She smiled. "But I've got Jack. That's part of the reason I didn't marry Pete. It would have meant giving up on the tiny part of me that was still hoping that one day Jack and I could have a relationship without repercussions."

"Did you always love him? Jack, I mean." Vala asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. We even had to admit it once."

Vala looked interested. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever heard of Za'tarcs?" Sam asked.

Vala grimaced. "I had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing first hand the creation of such beings."

"I'm sorry." Sam said.

Vala sighed. "It wasn't me."

"Anyway, we had an incident with Za'tarcs. A few SGC personnel, and one Tok'ra had become Za'tarcs for the purpose of assassinating the Tok'ra high councillor, and the US President. The Tok'ra developed a method of determining if a person was a Za'tarc. Both Jack and I were found to be Za'tarcs."

Vala frowned. "But no Za'tarc survives."

"I haven't finished the story yet." Sam said. "Janet… the doctors decided to sedate both Jack and I to prevent us from harming ourselves. However, as I was being sedated, I figured it out. We weren't Za'tarcs. We hadn't told to whole truth. There was more to the story, so we were retested, both of us admitting our feelings for each other. We weren't Za'tarcs."

Sam looked reflective, remembering that time.

"Wow." Vala said. "Those frat regs must've been a pain."

Sam shrugged/ "They were, but they're in place for a reason." She gave a dry laugh. "In a complicated relationship like and mine and Jacks, I don't think it would have made a difference whether we were together or not. When we got into trouble off world, our reactions were always to save and help each other. If I'd lost him, it would have been like losing my lover."

Vala nodded.

Sam smiled, a small, slightly sad smiled. "When you find your soul mate, it doesn't matter if they're your lover or not. You're attached to them, emotionally, and spiritually, even if it's not physically." She laughed. "And I'm a scientist! I don't usually believe in things that science can't explain. But the bond I have with Jack is not something that can be explained with science. And that bond has been there pretty much since I first met him. I tried so hard to gain his respect before I realised I didn't need too. He was trying to gain mine, because I was a scientist, and he wasn't. he wanted to earn my respect, not just expect it because he was my superior officer."

Vala smiled. "You seem to have found a very rare man. I'm happy for you that you're finally able to be together."

Sam smiled. "So am I Vala, so am I."

Sam went home to Jack that night. He'd arrived the previous day to surprise Sam at work, before finding out that Sam was in Denver. So he'd decided to surprise her there instead.

Lying in bed next to Jack, Sam just smiled at him serenely. Seeing Pete the day before was a reminder that life had not always been like it was now. Now it was easy, wake up in the morning with Jack, go to bed at night with Jack. Even when Jack was in DC, Sam didn't feel lonely, because Jack was always a phone call away.

"What?" Jack asked.

"What?" Sam replied.

"You're smiling at me. Why?"

"I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Us." Sam reached over to cup Jack's cheek in her hand. "About how much I love you."

Jack smiled, then, placing a hand on top of the one Sam had on his cheek, interlaced his fingers with hers. "We're getting married in six days." He said.

Sam grinned. "Yes, we are."

"How'd the practice go?"

"Interrupted." Sam replied. "The Death Glider."

"Ah." Jack replied.

Sam shrugged. "It's alright. We didn't end up rescheduling, we all know what we're doing."

"I'm glad." Jack replied. Then he pulled his hand from hers, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He kissed her gently on the forehead, where there was a faint scar left from when she'd whacked it on the computer desk; her nose; her eyelids; and finally, her lips. "I love you."

Sam kissed him back. "I love you too, Jack."