CHAPTER 66 – TIME TO REFLECT

Angel had gone. John had security searching the city for her when they got back, but she had simply disappeared. Sam knew the effect this would have on Gina when she was told and faced John now in the control room.

"I think she went back with them John – to 1962. Remember, she came through accidentally, through the smaller rift down below."

"Not accidentally Sam – she was brought through to help Gina through the rift. If Angel hadn't already been here, she would have struggled to connect with this side. You remember what she told us about her experience in the 'dark' and going through the rift. She was convinced that Angel was the one that got her through."

They had all arrived back exhausted. Mission accomplished – yes, but attempting to process all that had happened on the mainland during that short time, John dreaded the mission report to come. It would be almost impossible to explain all that had gone down. He had taken Gina straight to the infirmary and she had found a small measure of levity to note that she had spent most of her time in Atlantis thus far, in the infirmary.

Sam and John had met in the control room, and both had just stood looking at one another and it was Sam who had suddenly burst out laughing.

John's voice was dry. "I'm hoping you'll share the joke, because 'funny' is a commodity that feels a little out of reach right now."

"Irony John. Elizabeth got out at the right time I'm thinking. She escaped the mission report from hell. How do I write this one up? We're going to have the IOA on our backs quicker than you can blink. After the last month, we're under close scrutiny as it is. I suspect they're going to send their version of 'babysitters' out here for a while, to make sure we don't get ourselves into any more trouble."

John did manage to huff out a bark of laughter. "Yeah, well – good luck with that one. They'll get more than they bargained for. I'm behind on missions as it is – we're backed up for over a month now and I need to get my teams organised within the next day or so. I've put things off long enough while we tried to sort out this dimensional crap."

"Why did you bury your head in the sand so long on this one John... just curious... you've seen what there is to see in this job that we do. There are little surprises left for us, so why the attitude on this one?" Sam leaned against the edge of one of the desks, looking down at the gate room below them, and thinking back briefly over some of the missions that she had been on with SG1. A lifetime ago when she was young and looked at the galaxy with fresh eyes. She knew that one became a little jaded in a job like this, seeing and doing the things that they did was incomprehensible to people back on earth.

"This is going to sound off the wall Sam... I didn't want to see what we could become. The other side of us? When those men stepped through that portal – I thought – 'who will I see?' Usually when we go out on a mission, it's 'what will I see?' - and that is a whole different ball game. Hard to explain Sam - I guess no one ever wants to admit that there is another one of them out there – maybe worse, a bad version... some things are better not to know. I also knew that too much information would change us here... If I didn't accept it, then it didn't need to be. Head in the sand, yeah... it was the only way I could deal with it."

Sam pushed away from the desk now. "Go and get some rest John. I'm going to spend a last night with my General before he heads back to earth tomorrow. We've been apart more than we've been together, but that's how our life goes I guess. Seems to work for us."

"Ever think of marriage Sam? Kids?" John looked at her pensively now.

"Marriage? Not so much. I don't need a piece of paper to know that there's only one man for me. Kids, yeah – we talked about it. There's just so much to do still and if I leave it much longer, that decision will be out of my hands anyway. Perhaps we'll leave it to chance, as you did. So John, a father eh?"

John smiled and Sam watched as his hazel eyes lit up. "Yeah Sam. A father. And I'll make sure I'm a damn side lot better at the job than my old man was. Weird thing is – we know who our child will be – Carlie... but given that I am her father in this dimension, will she be much different than the Carlie we sent back to 1962?"

"Kinda mindboggling, isn't it John. But I think she will be different. Different dimensions allow for different personalities. She'll be yours, that's all you need to know. Go see your woman John, before it gets too late. We'll talk in the morning.

John grabbed two cups of coffee en route to the infirmary and before walking in he found himself stopping suddenly in the doorway. She was not in the bed, but sat at the edge, hands resting lightly on her stomach – a smile on her face. She looked beautiful, blue eyes shining and even amid scrapes, injuries and bandages, John thought that he had never laid eyes on anymore more stunning. She sensed him there and turned her beautiful eyes on him. He had no recollection of moving towards her bed or putting the coffee cups down on the bedside table. No recollection of simply reaching out with two hands to cup her face and bringing his lips down hard onto hers, feeling her pliant and soft beneath him. Even less recollection of picking her up and simply walking out of the infirmary, ignorant to all curious stares that were sent their way.

Only remembered walking into his private quarters with her in his arms and laying her down on the bed. Gently. As though she would break. And smiling as she held out her arms to him and he was lost then, needing only her touch and the feeling of being inside her – hot and tight.

But first he needed to hold her and remind himself that she was still here – with him. And only then could he let his hands roam carefully over her, his touch gentle and soft until she squirmed beneath him, legs moving restlessly as he deliberately chose not to deepen his touch.

"Stop teasing..."

"Just wanna touch you first. Everywhere. So I never forget what your body feels like."

Impatient now, she placed his hand where she needed it the most and heard his chuckle against her shoulder. "I like a woman who knows her own mind... you know Carson's gonna be pissed when he comes back into the infirmary and sees an empty bed..."

"I think Carson will be relieved... I was a little grumpy... until you came... yes, there... like that..."

"Like this...?"

His touch deepened and he laughingly threw one of his legs over hers to still her restless movements. "Torture is a fine art, Gina... and I am particularly skilled at it."

"They teach you this in the military John?"

"They teach us how to extract as much as possible from a prisoner..."

"Am I your prisoner?" She said it teasingly and in an instant her arms were locked above her head and her legs pinned by him with only his mouth as an assault weapon.

"For life..."