I'm not quite sure if I'm happy about this one… oh well, one at the time.

Hopefully you do enjoy it

M.

Chapter Seven

"There you are!" They jumped apart abruptly, Sam turned around to try to do something with the makeup she knew was making her look like a racoon. Jack's face wasn't that much better, even without the makeup it was somewhat obvious what had happened in there. 'Oh well,' he thought and turned around to check who was the person who dared to disturb them, and was about to yell when his mind stopped him. "I've been looking out for you two for a while now!"

"Mister President," Jack added tightly. Now that the man was in front of him, he still hadn't figured what to do about the mix of feelings the current situation brought. Sam whimpered.

"Mister President," she turned around, turning bright red. Being caught kissing like two horny teenagers wasn't something high on the list of things one would want to do in front of the Commander in Chief, she smiled nervously.

Yes, she was acquainted with him enough to have worked with him as a counselor for a year, and also for them to have invited him to their wedding, almost five years earlier. But that didn't shake the feeling that she shouldn't be caught as she just was.

"Don't Mister President me, you two love birds." Hayes grinned mischievously, making them exchange an awkward glance. "So, did you like my surprise?"

"This is the reason why you wanted me here? Because of Sam?" Jack added frowning. Sam opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Aren't you happy? I thought this would be the best 5th year anniversary gift I could give you, to both of you," Hayes added confused.

"Anniversary?" Jack snorted, "Up until an hour ago, I was still trying to overcome the fact that she wouldn't be here for it"

"Yes, but she got here… just in time!" Hayes grinned. "Everything is good now"

"Sir?" Sam managed to add, her frown wasn't quite what Hayes had expected to find.

"I don't get it. Jack… Samantha is alive and here, and you, Sam… I thought you would be thrilled to be out of quarantine in time for your anniversary," he frowned at their attitude.

"Sir… there are still two months left for our anniversary," Sam whispered firmly, Hayes frowned, turning to Jack to see if what she had just told him was real, or if she was still confused. But Jack nodded at him, agreeing with his wife.

"That can't be! I have it written down." Hayes frowned, searching his phone and showing it to both. "See, June 8th. Just like today!" He grinned triumphantly, making Sam and Jack exchange a glance. Sam sighed noticing the issue, and being the one with the most experience explaining things she grimaced before starting

"Sir," she licked her lips, "for how long have you had this phone? And, do you use it at all for checking dates?"

"I changed it two or three months ago, I had my grandkid changing all the data from the old one to this, he mentioned something about exporting and importing things," He huffed, "And no, I don't. I use the calendar that's in my desk, why would anyone use the phone calendar? It's only useful to set dates and make it remind you of them with a day in advance…"

"Ah, I see …" she added softly.

"What?"

"Sir, your phone date… it's set in Spanish format. When they imported our anniversary, it got saved backwards."

"Our wedding date was August 6th, sir. Not June 8th" Jack added understanding dawning on him.

"Holy crap! Well, I guess I still need to find a present for you then." He blushed. "I'm sorry, I did it with the best of the intentions tough"

"Thank you, sir. We really appreciate the effort you did," Sam added with a smile. He nodded

"Really, sir. Thank you"

"I should get back to my guests. I … well, try not to spend that much time out here and mingle a little? I know there's a group of Generals and their spouses who are worried about you both," he grinned, "Oh, I feel I should warn you; there's an heiress, who is extremely disappointed and really close to make a scene"

"Will do," Jack acknowledged the first part, Sam's eye roll was the confirmation that she too had heard everything clearly.

"Okay, go back to what you were doing…. Or maybe not? I'm just going, pretend I wasn't here"

They chuckled, the man, their President was something else, but boy he was a good man. They didn't know many people who would do what he did for them to be together, despite he got the date wrong. But then, not even his intrusion and mistake could be enough to avoid all together the awkwardness.

"Quite the mood changer, right?" Jack offered.

"Yes… should we go back in?" She asked, then she remembered, "well, I need to find a secluded washroom first. I must look awful"

"You couldn't never look awful," he smiled that crooked smile of his. "Oh well, except that time when the Ashrak, or when your DNA was altered…" she punched him in the arm and glared at him.

"You could've stopped at the first part," she smiled, he held her gaze for a while, and she looked down after a few seconds, "we should get back"

"We should talk about it… you should talk about it. Trust me, I know"

"I … I can't. You need to know more things… you need to know all things. But I can't tell you all just yet," her eyes found his, with a pleading glance.

"Okay," he got closer to her again, one inch separating their bodies. His hands caressed her arms softly. "Will you listen then?" he asked, whispering those words against her ear. Her whole body shuddered with the mix of his hands and his breath. She only managed to nod, and gulp. "You were right, there are no words to describe what I felt. First, I thought they just couldn't find you, then I thought it should be a mistake, you weren't accounted for and I couldn't believe it. After that, I thought it was a joke. That you were playing with me as you waited the period before your transfer to SGC or Gamma or beta… could be completed." She closed her eyes, the weight of his words too much to bare. "And then, they declared you MIA and my plans of growing old with you by my side, my whole world collapsed with those three little letters. And it was excruciatingly painful, and completely devastating"

"Jack…" she whispered. He inhaled deeply against her skin.

"They called me seven months later, they told me there was no point in prolonging the inevitable and that they were going to declare you KIA. I made a huge deal of it; I organized a meeting of the top brass just to plead my case. Seven months weren't enough to declare you KIA, give her at least a year, I told them, but they didn't bulge. That night, I got drunk in here… at some point, someone dragged me upstairs. I believe it was Hayes… next thing I know, it didn't happen; you were still missing in action."

"But Daniel…"

"Yes, he was right, you were … are… KIA, but back then, they gave you… me … us … a year to deal with it and move on. Like it was so easy, as if someone could blink and forget all the plans one had. Shit, Sam, we were planning to have a family before you left, and I know Atlantis was going to be the best position for you and that you were the only one who could have fulfilled it, I had no chance, but let you go, to allow us to postpone that, because it was going to make you happy, and we could always wait, find another way; ruined plans can always be changed. I just … I never thought… I couldn't imagine… how can anyone imagine that one day you will wake up and find out your other half, your better half, isn't there? And that's what they wanted me to do, to let you go for real… let you and our plans go… and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't."

"I'm sorry, Jack… I shouldn't have gone. I should have stayed… just ask for another position, any other position would have been easier"

They held to each other for awhile, not knowing if they were trying to assure themselves they were there, or reassure the other of the same thing. Or if they were simply grabbing strength or sharing the pain they felt.

"There's no way to change what happened, Sam," he added, taking a step back. "Are you sure you don't want to talk?" he asked softly, placing a strand of hair that somehow had escaped her hairdo. She shook her head no. "The best part of tonight is, that I'm going to have you back home," he grinned.

"I can't … I …"

"What? Why not?"

"I have to speak with Hayes, my situation isn't defined…"

"I'll bring you back first time in the morning and all will be ok…" she grimaced, "Sam, I'm pretty sure that if he thought it was our anniversary, he had already foreseen you would be going home with me"

"It's not only that… I … " she exhaled, "you need to know something…"

"Sam?"

"Come…" she grabbed his hand, and walked them both towards the guests' rooms area. One of the many security officers was about to stop them, when he recognized her.

"Miss Carter," he bowed. Then he checked her disheveled state. "Is everything okay?" he assessed Jack, squinting at him.

"Ah, this is General O'Neill," she introduced Jack, the guard raised an eyebrow, "he's my husband"

"So…" he trailed, "is everything okay, Mrs Carter?"

"Yes, thank you… just a lovely reunion after a long time apart," she explained understanding why he was worried. "Can we go up for a while? We kind of need to talk without being interrupted"

"Sure! It's really nice to know that wives like you are still happy to see their husbands when they were gone for a long time," she just smiled and pulled Jack towards the stairs.

"Why didn't you correct him? You are the one coming home, not I," he asked as they walked up.

"Well… I'm technically not a Colonel yet, nor I'm technically alive… but I wasn't about to start explaining that to a security service guard, when all things considered, there will be so much more explanations that I will be giving in the following days… and there are more pressing matters," she added, she gave him one odd half smile

"Pressing matters like what?"

"I… hum… I don't know how to explain … yet"

"Sam?"

"Jack… I …" they arrived at a door and she stopped, leaning against it. She closed her eyes, and sighed. "You better see for yourself," she added, opening the door.

"What's going on?" he asked, frowning at the darkness of the room, "what's... Sam?" He tried to find words to give voice to the thoughts running in his mind. But he couldn't. She finally managed to open her eyes to see him struggling with himself.

"Jack… meet Naysa…"