See Part 1 for additional information
Authors note:
Sorry I have taken so long to post this chapter. My muse went AWOL and I had problems writing anything, but I've done it at last! The timing is very appropriate given I am due to go on vacation in a couple of days. This chapter completes the series and I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks for all your support and feedback!
You can read an adult only version of this chapter on my Fic with Fins website if you are able and/or prefer. See the link to the site in my bio. Link to fic appears in the "What's New" section on the front page.
My enduring thanks to ImmerRDA, who beta read this story. She picked me up on both silly and more serious errors, made some great suggestions, helped me with those UK/US English usage hiccups, and was both encouraging and helpful throughout. Thank you so much, my friend. Where would I be without you? Of course, any remaining errors are entirely down to me.
Thanks to Yllek for her comments about true love. She inspired something I have used in an amended form in this chapter and she will know what that is! *g*
Staking a Claim Part 11
Previously:
"You are so gonna enjoy this," he murmured, thrusting his hips forward and pressing into her groin.
Groaning lustfully Sam was thinking he was probably right about that. Life with Jack was going to be one heck of a ride.
The story continues:
Jack maintained eye contact with an impassioned and piercing gaze and she moaned as he continued to press himself against her. Pausing to yank Sam's jeans and panties down to her ankles, he squatted to help her step out of them. He so wanted to take her up against that wall. Half his mind had been lingering lasciviously on the notion ever since he'd mentioned it.
When he rose to his feet, she undid his fly and pushed his pants down his thighs as his eyes found hers again. Pausing for a moment, he sucked in a breath and briefly closed them, kissing her before forcefully grasping her thighs and butt and lifting her off the floor.
Jack's dark avaricious eyes peered into her fair ones as if he was seeking permission to continue, asking if she was okay, and when her ravenous gaze confirmed her desire, a small smile quirked at Jack's lips. Powerful forces surged through him as he started their lustful lovemaking.
His hot, staccato breath whipped over her neck and whispered in her ear, making her tremble. His potency affected her deeply, arousing her. He bit into her neck and someone screeched with joy. It took a few seconds for Sam to realize it was her.
Jack took great enjoyment from her pleasure. His gluttony for this woman knew no bounds, he thought, wanting her more and more with every moment they were both together and apart. Like an addiction, a deep seated itch that constantly needed scratching. He didn't know how he had managed to get through the past few weeks without a fix.
To Sam's surprise, once he'd satisfied her need, Jack didn't let himself go but gently eased her back to the floor and pushed away.
"What about you?" she asked. He didn't reply, merely continuing to stare into her eyes, and Sam smiled, running a finger down his clammy hot cheek. "My turn to do some hard work, huh?" she said, pinching his ass with her other hand.
To his astonishment, instead of leading him off to her bedroom, she maneuvered him back into the living room. Pushing him into a sitting position on her couch Sam straddled him, teasing him mercilessly.
Jack drew in a deep breath through his teeth and grunted erratically as he expelled the air but he still didn't speak. Sam knew what she was doing. He trusted her to finish it for him exquisitely, eventually. Meanwhile he was certain it would be an exhilarating ride.
His eyes widened with a look of disgruntled surprise as she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him instead of ending his dissatisfaction as he desired. Then he closed his eyes, welcoming her wriggling tongue into his mouth and resigning himself to the potential frustration of her seduction. The final reward would undoubtedly be worth the wait.
Her kiss slowed as her tongue languidly explored his mouth then withdrew to lick sensually around his lips and continue on to smooth over the contours of his face. He tasted of salty perspiration and smelled of something she thought unique, maybe pheromones, maybe sex, maybe just O'Neill masculinity. She liked it. Always had, but until recently had never been as close to it.
Pulling her head back a little, she inhaled deeply, snuffling at the flesh of his face and neck. "You smell good," she whispered and Jack smiled faintly.
"You too." Filled with need and frustration, his voice croaked. "For Christ sakes, Sam."
She tittered. "You men are so impatient," she said, lunging into his neck and sucking. Jack grunted.
"Sam!"
"Patience, Jack." she replied and then continued to suck and bite his neck and shoulders. One of her hands trailed down his sweaty chest, pausing at a nipple and tweaking it with her fingers. Jack squawked.
"Sam, please!" he begged throatily but she was determined to draw out his agony to heighten his ecstasy.
Eventually, she drew away from his neck, pulling her head back to look at him. Head slumped against the back of her couch, Jack had his eyes closed. His face was heated pink with a fine layer of perspiration and his tongue hung out of his mouth in a drool. Sam thought he looked stunningly gorgeous like that, oblivious to her enthralled gaze, caught in the moment.
"Don't stop!" he cried out.
"You love it, don't you?" she asked in a husky tone.
"Yes," he hissed in response.
"You want it to go on and on don't you?"
"Yes. No! Yes. God, please." His voice held more than a tinge of desperation.
"Close your eyes, Jack." He obeyed, sighing his frustration but saying nothing and she kneaded his chest, dipping her head to nuzzle his damp warm neck, deliberately taking a deep breath of his scent once more.
Sam was good at this, instinctively seeming to get it, or to get him anyway. She had an uncanny knack of tuning into his body. The ability to reel him in and keep him dangling on the end of her hook. Jack might be gasping for air as she played with him, but each moment was blissfully excruciating. He wanted her to finish it yet simultaneously wished for it to go on forever. He wanted to live and experience every agonizing moment of this earthly heaven.
Each nerve of his body tingled with life, more life than he had lived in an age. She assailed his senses - her earthy scent, her core essence, infiltrated and overwhelmed him. It was truly wonderful, fundamentally beautiful. Sam might jokingly call him "old man" but she made him feel quite the opposite. Invigorated.
She forced herself to open her eyes and watch him, determined to witness his pleasure. He had told her she looked incredible when they made love but would probably never understand why she felt exactly the same way about him. In her eyes, he was stupendous. Breathtaking.
After the long slow burn, eventually they were both sated and Sam collapsed on top of him as he enclosed her in his arms and they stilled.
"Oh my god," he muttered, giving her a grateful and satisfied squeeze. "That was so worth waiting for."
Sam smiled happily, carefully easing off him and curling up on the couch by his side. He wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, softly rubbing a thumb over his wiry grey chest hairs.
"I never imagined it would be like this, Jack," she said after a few moments contemplative silence.
"What did you imagine?" he asked curiously.
"Nothing as good as this. I never knew what I was capable of, never knew…" She tailed off, lifting her head off his shoulder and meeting his eyes. "You've always brought out the best in me," she said.
"Bah!" he replied with a quirky smile and an amused snort. "You meant beast not best, right?" He waggled his eyebrows in a wildly exaggerated manner and Sam tittered obligingly at his jokey play on words.
"I'm serious," she persisted, still smirking at his tease but wishing to make her point. "You made me a better officer, a different person, and now you're making me a better woman."
He shook his head, a more somber expression on his face. "No, Sam, not me. That's all you. It was always you."
Kissing him on the cheek, she ran her fingers through his sweat sodden hair.
"You freed me," she claimed and he looked surprised, then pleased. Sam wondered what he was thinking. Confused by his differing facial expressions, she wondered if he didn't comprehend what she was trying to say, but then she wasn't certain how to clarify either. "I'm not sure I can explain what I mean," she added.
Nodding, Jack thought he understood her loss for words. He probably got what she meant too because he recalled thinking something like it himself – that Sam had freed him. Freed him to live, to be what he wanted with the person he wanted, and she had given him renewed zest for that life as well.
When they were together, something magical happened between them. Jack could not fathom the depths of it any more than he could grasp the intricacies of quantum physics – or at least any more than he wished to have a handle on them. He didn't need to understand, he simply needed to know the reality and this was something Jack knew perfectly well.
"I think I get it," he replied, squeezing her lovingly. She shivered and, feeling it, he asked, "You cold? Wanna get dressed?"
"I think I'd rather sit here buck naked with you for a while," she said with an admiring leer. "How about you?"
He grunted with amusement. "Buck naked is fine by me. I like looking at you without any clothes on. It's quite an eye full. Two eyes full." He regarded her with an appreciative grin that was every bit as smutty as her own. "As for me…" He patted his expanding stomach regretfully. "Well, I've put on a little weight while sitting behind that desk. Not so great to look at. I'm getting old." He sighed and she reached over to pat his stomach too.
"Not old, old man," she countered in a humorous manner and he smiled. From someone else, the 'old man' might have seemed an insult but not from Sam. He knew she didn't mean it that way. She'd turned the words into something of a pet name and he kind of liked that. "Besides, I don't care. From where I'm sitting, you are looking good."
"Note to self: remind Carter to get her eyes checked," he quipped but she didn't laugh, instead running her fingers down his cheek.
"You'll always be hot to me."
"Ack!" he exclaimed, waving his hand dismissively and promising himself he'd spend more time trying to get back into better shape. He didn't want to let himself go but it got increasingly hard to keep fit and trim now he was mainly desk bound. Not to mention being well past that fifty year landmark where everything starts going downhill faster. On the other hand, he figured if he was still fit enough to make love to Sam up against her hallway wall, he wasn't doing quite as badly as he sometimes imagined.
Sam moved to caress his upper arm. "I couldn't be much happier, Jack. Just the way you are."
He snorted. "Tell me that in twenty years, babe."
She tittered lightly, enjoying the ease with which they had developed these pet names. Jack's recently acquired habit of calling her "babe" was growing on her.
"I will, old man," she said with a grin although her intent was quite serious. "The only thing that could be better is seeing each other more often. Spending more time together."
"Yeah? About that…" he bit his bottom lip suspecting Sam would not take this notion very well. "I'm wondering about retiring."
"You can't!" she replied vehemently. Pulling back from their close embrace, and propping herself up on one arm, Jack could see her eyes had widened in horror. He wasn't surprised she baulked at the idea.
"Why not? I could be wherever you have to be," he argued.
For a brief moment, she seemed flummoxed and then countered with, "We've never put our personal lives above the mission."
"That's part of my point. Maybe it's time to start."
She shook her head, not quite able to get her head around the notion of Jack retiring so he could be with her. It was astounding - flattering, sure, but also astonishing.
"No, Jack. I want to be with you as much as possible but we both still have important work to do. We need you right where you are at the SGC."
Gesticulating in a dismissive manner, he chuckled. Even his laugh held a tinge of sarcasm. "Oh puhleeze! Pushing paper? I'd be better off out of it."
In some ways, Sam wasn't surprised he felt like that. She knew he still missed the old team days, the missions. She even thought he might have suffered a few crises of confidence during his stint in command of the SGC, although he had rarely if ever shown it, even to his friends. Nevertheless, she was determined not to let him off the hook.
"You do way more than just pushing paper and you know it. You'd be bored within a couple of days. You've been there and done that retiring thing."
Jack heaved a sigh. "Long time ago. My life was totally different then. You weren't in it. I didn't have quite as much to look forward to. Fighting the fight has been my life for so long maybe I'm overdue for a change. And I get bored at the SGC for crying out loud."
She peered at him searchingly trying to work how serious he was. "Bored? Bullshit. You love it. I would never forgive myself if you gave it all up for me, and you might never forgive me," she replied before he could open his mouth.
"Sam…"
"I don't want us ending up arguing about this in the future. I don't want you to end up resenting me."
That caught him by surprise and he appeared genuinely puzzled. "Resenting you? You're kidding right?" He could plainly see she wasn't. "We're arguing about it right now!"
"Then let's settle it and move on. Forget retiring."
"What, you won't let me?" he retorted snarkily, immediately regretting his tone. "It's my decision to make, Sam," he added more gently.
"Of course it is. I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm asking you not to do something we might both live to regret."
He thought for a while before responding, sighing as he opened his mouth to reply. "You might be right. I would be bored. I just hate being stuck inside that mountain when you're miles away."
Sam didn't for one minute genuinely believe he actually hated his job but said, "If you hate the job so much maybe you should retire, but not for me, Jack, for you. It's not my decision but I meant what I said about needing you right where you are. You're one of the few people on this planet who can truly appreciate what the Stargate program means, to Earth, to the people who work in the program, to the people that risk their lives out there everyday." She waved a hand up toward the heavens. "Who's gonna fight our corner better than you?"
He smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sam, but sometimes I think I'm exactly the wrong person to be fighting that corner. Politics and diplomacy aren't really my thing, are they?"
This was an irony unappreciated at the time given that, a few weeks later, Jack would end up with an additional star on his uniform as Head of Homeworld Security in Washington D.C. The posting would entail way more politics and diplomacy than his command at the SGC, not to mention more paperwork, but neither of them knew about that then. Later they would chuckle about this conversation and recognize how ironic it all was.
Grinning, she pecked him on the cheek. "There's more to the job than politics and diplomacy too. You're doing okay, aren't you? I know I feel better, safer, with you doing the job. You're the right man in the right place. Everyone at the SGC thinks so."
Her faith in him was gratifying, although perhaps a little misguided he thought. Arguing about that would get them nowhere so he harked back to his original inspiration for the retirement notion.
"Staying doesn't solve the problem of us being apart too much of the time, Sam."
"A nice thought it might be but I will be pissed if I'm the reason you give it all up," she argued. "We're both military. We go where we're needed, where they tell us to. The Air Force could post me anywhere. Much further away. But I've no intention of giving it up for you."
He stared at her for a while, smoothing a finger over her cheek. "You know I wouldn't want you to do that."
"Well, there we are then. We're like minded on the subject."
Jack had to admit she had him there. Maybe he didn't want to retire. He didn't really hate the job, just got pissed off with certain aspects of it. That was true of all jobs, wasn't it? Nothing's perfect and he certainly wasn't perfect at doing nothing.
He would probably hate sitting on his ass doing zilch. That was what vacations were for. The bottom line was he missed having Sam around and this was both a good and a bad motive for throwing in the towel. There were many excellent reasons to keep a tight grip on that towel. Importantly, as Sam said, he had been out there and knew what his subordinates faced day to day. Not many generals could say that. None in fact.
He resigned himself to thinking about it more, giving it more time - as if they hadn't wasted enough of that already, but this wasn't the point. Sam was right and he knew it.
"So what are we gonna do?" he asked and Sam could see from his eyes that she'd won the argument, at least for now. It pleased her a lot because having Jack leave the program seemed unthinkable to her.
"Make the best of it like we always have," she replied.
"And what if the best isn't good enough?"
"It will be."
"You seem pretty damned sure." Her confidence in them reminded him of that first morning they'd spent together and her surprisingly forward manner. She'd seemed so certain about them.
"Because I am. Our careers might get in the way of us but let's not allow us to get in the way of us."
Jack liked that phrase and rolled it around in his head for a while before replying. "Mmmm… okay… and what's plan B wise one?" he responded in a lightheartedly sarcastic tone.
She giggled. "No plan, Jack, A, B or otherwise. Just live life."
"Wow. Profound," he said with a huge smile.
"Yeah, deep." She tittered then smirked and Jack laughed.
"C'mere," he urged. She sank into his arms again and Jack wrapped them around her. "I'll always support you, and your career, one hundred percent. You know that don't you?" he added more vocally and she nodded, running a finger down his bare arm and suddenly overwhelmed by the fact she was sitting there in Jack O'Neill's arms. Sometimes their relationship seemed like a dream and sometimes very real indeed. She liked that dreamlike quality, but more so because she knew it genuinely was their new reality.
"If you hadn't got drunk that night I wonder what might have happened," she said as if thinking aloud. Jack wondered too. Forks in the road and fate came to mind. These days the notion of not having this relationship with Sam seemed unimaginable. No matter how much they lived separate lives, she was always there, a big part of his life now. The best thing that could have happened.
"I never could have guessed how much my life was gonna change because I'd had a few too many. Well, more than a few actually but who's counting?" he responded, grunting with glee at the memory.
"It seems I staked my claim at the perfect moment," she replied, lightly kissing his chest and looking up at him with a smirk.
"You mean when I was at my most vulnerable?" he kidded.
Sam replied with a giggle in her voice. "Sure. That's what I do. Prey on vulnerable men." She pinched him lightly and poked her tongue out, making Jack laugh.
With a sudden need to rein in his powerful emotions, he hitched a breath, looking thoughtful and continuing in a bantering, light-hearted manner. "I'm hungry," he said decisively. "Got any cake?"
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The early morning light peeked through her bedroom curtains, beckoning a new day. A day he would be spending with the woman he loved. While Jack wanted to take advantage of it, spend as much time in Sam's company as possible, he realized he was equally content to lie there in her arms watching her peacefully sleeping face.
Observing the sleeping Sam was a pleasure Jack was pretty sure he'd never tire of. Her ethereal snoring made him smile and he gently ran his fingers through her hair not wishing to awaken her, and then planted a soft kiss on her forehead. There was something about simply touching this woman that gave him a thrill, he thought.
While watching, he was thinking she had a cute little nose and adorable lips that he could spend a lifetime kissing. Jack wished to introduce himself to the faint brown freckles on her face and get to know each one intimately as if they were his dearest friends. He probably knew most of them already but their acquaintance would become far more intimate over time.
The thought made him drift to the idea of spending the rest of his life with her. This seemed to be what they both wanted and Jack couldn't have been much happier about the concept. Ever since she'd made it, he'd been considering the implications of her sassy proposal that first morning back in the Springs. Sassy was good. In fact, sassy was excellent. Something else about Sam he could gladly spend the rest of his life with.
The previous day they had joked about love: sharing toothbrushes; never having to say you're sorry. Jack, however, had been married for a number of years and knew it had little to do with either of these things. It is waking up next to the same woman every day for years - no make-up, mussed up hair, foul morning breath, armpits and all – and continuing to feel joy. Still wanting to greet her, kiss her and tell her you love her.
Early days, he realized. After all, this was the first time they had physically been together since those fateful days before she left the SGC. Nevertheless, Jack knew for sure he'd feel like that about Sam. Always. He hoped she would feel likewise about him. He couldn't ask for more and didn't take anything for granted, but he suspected she might. It was a lot to ask but it seemed she was willing to try. Trying mattered and her desire to do so was going to change his life for the better irrevocably.
Waking at last and opening her eyes, Sam smiled at him, warming his heart more than anything else on planet Earth could.
"Morning," he said with a grin.
"Morning," she replied, reaching over and brushing his cheek.
Then he kissed her.
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Present day, a few weeks later:
Returning to the very real present and shaking off the memories of that first time he had voiced those three little words and all that followed, Sam glanced over to Jack. He was looking out of the window, seemingly at peace after his attack of pre-wedding jitters in their hotel room, and she wondered what he was thinking. Their marriage was imminent and the notion sent an excited thrill through her.
She'd led an excitement and thrills packed life - travelled to different worlds, encountered alien races, fought evil foe and been privileged to access advanced alien technologies. Engaged twice before, Sam had never made it to the big day, with good reason.
Now, here she was about to marry a man she had believed unattainable only a few short weeks ago. A man who'd made her understand what it truly meant to love, and so much more. The prospect was way more terrifying and exhilarating than almost anything that had happened to her during those action packed years at the SGC.
She was going to marry quite a guy and Sam appreciated what she was getting. Jack seemed to think he wasn't such a big deal, but that was in her future husband's nature. Despite appearances to the contrary, he wasn't the type of man who thought the world revolved around him. Jack coupled his seemingly big ego with an even bigger heart - a generous, caring, fundamentally modest man who gave himself almost wholly to others.
As she watched him staring at the bright lights of Vegas, Sam knew how lucky she was this day had arrived. It had been quite a struggle, years of it, but when it came down to it the inevitable was happening at last and it was happening very quickly indeed. Then Sam realized she had a shit-eating grin on her face.
The limo turned off from the garish Las Vegas Strip and Jack knew this meant they must be getting close to their wedding chapel of choice. He was surprised at how serene he felt. Very soon, he'd be a married man for crying out loud. After his earlier dreadful attack of nerves, when he hadn't even been able to tie his own tie for crying out loud, he hadn't expected to feel quite so at peace immediately before the big event.
Turning back toward Sam, a far more delightful sight to feast his eyes on than Vegas after all, he realized she was staring at him. He wondered what she was thinking about, how nervous she might be feeling, or not, now they were doing the deed.
She looked amazing, so right in her bright pink outfit. He'd never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. It was such an unexpected choice. In his humble opinion, the color highlighted and enhanced her beauty, but he had to admit he was biased. The thought made him ponder what other surprises he might have in store.
Sam continually opened his eyes to a person he had never dreamed she was. Maybe he did the same thing for her. It bothered him slightly because they were getting married so quickly. Their relationship as a couple was very new and they had to become accustomed to each other in wholly different ways to their previous experiences. Jack wasn't certain they knew each other well enough in that respect.
On the other hand, he believed they could make a go of it, work as a couple and be happy, despite those niggling doubts. The bright pink outfit issue was a tiny symptom of that small doubt. He'd rarely seen her out of uniform for pity's sakes, let alone got to know the kinds of clothes she liked to wear, the colors, all of that. What else didn't they know about each other? Clothing was just the tip of the iceberg - the least important unknown.
They'd shared intimacy of a totally different kind for many years. He'd fallen for that person and she had fallen for the Jack O'Neill she had worked with. They had been a team, knew things about each other that people rarely discovered. This made a difference, or he figured it did.
He had to admit he liked the surprises so far. Loved 'em actually. It seemed Sam did too. Maybe it wouldn't always be this way for both of them. They were still in the first flush of love, after all, regardless of their long acquaintance. He was sure they'd find many ways to get on each other's nerves, but what couples didn't?
Whatever, Jack couldn't conceive of a time when those quibbles might make him fall out of love with her. He remained convinced this was forever. Sam was certain too, which was deeply gratifying. Jeez, he was one lucky bastard. What they were about to do was the best reward possible for all those years of pain while fighting the fight.
Occasionally, he pondered whether he truly deserved it but mainly ended up believing he probably did. Sure, he'd done things that probably justified an eternity in hell, but he'd done his best and had good reasons for his actions. Most of the time, he'd been true to Jack O'Neill and a person can't do better than that.
If hell was where he was headed, a small piece of heaven on Earth before he got there had to be good, right? Frankly, though, Jack figured by now he might have earned better than that eternity of torment. Besides, Sam would continue helping him become a better man - someone she very much deserved – as well as much more complete. She, however, did not seem to think he needed any improvement, which was great. Jack figured in that pissing contest about their happiness he'd referred to earlier they might come out just about even.
Jeez, he loved her so much she couldn't possibly know or understand but he'd willingly spend the rest of his life trying to demonstrate it.
Cocking his head and regarding her with a wisp of a smile on his face, he said, "I wanted more for you, Sam. I wanted to give you the best wedding ever. This so isn't it."
Sam pursed her lips, squeezing his arm gently. "It doesn't matter, Jack. I'm marrying you aren't I? So it is the best wedding ever."
Pleased with that thought, Jack grinned happily. He pressed his hand against her cheek and kissed her lips, careful not to smudge her lipstick as the limo pulled up at the wedding chapel they'd chosen.
Briefly, his mind turned to those ifs he'd contemplated many times over the last few weeks. If he hadn't got smashed that night; if he hadn't turned down Dee Dee's advances; if he hadn't got so drunk and disorderly that he'd turned up on Sam's doorstep like he had a right to be there; if she hadn't made him welcome; if she hadn't made the first move that morning. Lots of ifs, but he'd learned over the years that everything seems to happen for a reason. He had a lot to be grateful for and a life to look forward to living – and it started right here, right now, with Sam.
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Jonathan O'Neill and Samantha Carter were married in a quiet, civil ceremony in an anonymous venue somewhere off the Las Vegas Strip - an approximately four mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada.
Their honeymoon lasted precisely two days, five hours, thirty minutes and twenty two seconds, during which time they used the hotel room service ten times and consumed three bottles of champagne. History does not record how many times they made love during those few hours but it is known that the happy couple never left the hotel suite.
When they checked out of their hotel, a limousine picked them up and drove them to Nellis Air Force Base where they parted when O'Neill caught a hop back to Peterson AFB in El Paso County, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mrs. O'Neill returned to her lab and her latest experiment.
Nine days later, the newly promoted Major General O'Neill moved to Washington D.C. on reassignment. Not long afterward, Lt. Colonel Carter returned to Colorado Springs to rejoin SG-1 in their fight against their newest foe, the Ori - evil twins of the ascended in their own galaxy – and their powerful Priors.
When her superiors later promoted her to full bird Colonel and gave her command of the Atlantis Expedition in the Pegasus Galaxy, it was the longest separation the couple ever endured. Not what Jack might have wished for but he supported her career as promised, always.
Upon her return, they lived happily ever after - as if that ever happens… but they came pretty darned close.
The End
Author's Endnote: I hope you are not disappointed that I have ended it here. For a story that I originally wrote in four parts, it continued for much longer than I planned. Time to wave it goodbye before it expands even further and takes over my life, lol!
I mentioned I'm going on vacation. If you feedback or otherwise contact me, please forgive me if I take a while to respond. I won't be online much while away and don't return home until early August. I will respond as always, though, albeit possibly belatedly. I guess my online activity might depend on both the weather (there's a beach at the bottom of my sister's garden after all *g*) and timing of other more important things - the bump of a little girl my youngest niece is carrying will decide to poke her head out into the real world sometime soon! :-D
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Copyright © 2009 Su Freund