After three days of Sam remaining in the same state, and with Carolyn confirming that, thankfully, she hadn't suffered any brain damage, Jack realized he had to take action. It was clear that Sam didn't want to wake up—she had attempted to end her life and had failed. So, what reason did she have to awaken? Jack entertained a crazy idea that required permission and a face-to-face conversation with the President in Washington, D.C. He knew he would need all his powers of persuasion for this; it wasn't something he could convey over the phone.
In informing Landry of his departure, Jack instructed his secretary to arrange an urgent meeting with the President. He clarified that if Sam's health condition showed any change, they were to alert him immediately. However, he was sure it wouldn't.
As Jack boarded the plane bound for Washington, D.C., he attempted to organize his thoughts and emotions, knowing what lay ahead would be mentally and emotionally daunting.
The meeting at the Oval Office was tense and protracted, but ultimately it succeeded. Jack secured a green light from the President. They were eager to have Colonel Carter back in action, especially after discovering her actual capabilities, and the President was willing to give Jack some leeway—provided he produced results.
Returning home, Jack made a beeline for the living room to see his daughter before returning to the SGC. Grace was engrossed in a game of chess against herself when he entered.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed joyfully upon spotting him.
"Hey, sweetheart," Jack greeted, enveloping her in a hug.
Grace's gaze immediately shifted behind him. "Where's Sam?" she inquired, searching for her.
Jack swallowed, his heart heavy. "Um, she's at the SGC, honey," he replied cautiously.
Grace looked at him, a hint of annoyance in her expression. "Why?" she pressed.
Jack cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. "We have some technical matters to discuss, Grace. It might take a while," he explained gently.
Grace bit her lip, processing the information. "But she's staying?" she sought confirmation.
"Yes," Jack affirmed firmly. Amidst the uncertainty, he could provide her with that reassurance—that Sam would remain in this reality.
"Okay," Grace responded, a small smile gracing her lips.
"This is just a quick visit, honey. I have to get back to the SGC," Jack added, sensing Grace's disappointment.
Her expression fell immediately. "Oh..." she uttered sadly.
Jack kissed her forehead tenderly. "I promise to return home as soon as possible," he vowed.
"With her," Grace interjected.
"With her," Jack echoed, his heart warming at the thought of their reunion.
He lingered for a few more minutes, ensuring everything was in order with Pauline, before departing with a heavy heart. Leaving his daughter behind was always the most challenging part.
At the SGC, Jack decided to share his idea with Hank alone. Judging by the SGC commander's expression, Jack could tell he had his work cut out for him in convincing him of the merits of his plan.
"Are you out of your damn mind, Jack?" Landry exclaimed, his disbelief evident as his eyebrows shot as high as Teal'c.
Jack sighed, choosing his words carefully. "We'll send a MALP," he explained cautiously.
"A MALP? To her reality? How on earth are you going to find it?" Landry retorted, rolling his eyes.
"McKay," Jack responded, crossing his arms confidently.
"McKay?" Landry repeated, his skepticism clear in his voice. "Do you think McKay will be able to figure it out? He couldn't even understand how the device worked or how she made it. She had to explain it to him. You did understand that part, right, Jack? She had to E-X-P-L-A-I-N!" Ladry repeated slowly with a heavy sigh. "And now you expect him to find the solution to contact her reality?"
Jack cleared his throat, maintaining his composure. "He will," he insisted. "Or I'll send him to a desert planet," he added calmly, a hint of resolve in his tone.
Landry closed his eyes momentarily, processing Jack's statement. "I doubt that had Presidential approval," he pointed out.
Jack smirked. "Well, McKay doesn't know that, does he?" he countered.
Landry shook his head in disbelief. "I think you're damn crazy, and McKay won't figure it out, but we can try," he conceded reluctantly.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Hank," Jack retorted sarcastically.
Landry sighed heavily, knowing he was in for an exciting ride with Jack's plan.
When Rodney McKay was briefed on the task, he wished he was back at Atlantis. But Jack knew McKay well, and with the right amount of ego-stroking and threatening, he knew he would be willing to play ball.
"Well, I suppose we can send a MALP to the planet she came from with a message and then wait for contact. We can't dial Earth directly because it's the same origin point. And according to your wishes, the goal is to have the other you here again," McKay explained, glancing over the notes he had scribbled down.
"So, you can do it?" Jack inquired, leaning forward.
"Of course," McKay replied confidently, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
Jack rose from his seat. "Prepare the MALP. I'm going to record the message," he announced before leaving the room.
McKay turned to Landry, seeking reassurance. "Are you sure the President is on board with this, General?" he questioned.
Landry nodded solemnly. Jack had thoroughly conveyed to McKay that failure would condemn him to solitary exile on a deserted planet for the next fifty years.
"General O'Neill went to D.C. personally to discuss this with the President. We have a green light. Don't screw this up, Doctor," he cautioned before exiting the briefing room, leaving McKay to grumble to himself.
With a frustrated sigh, McKay tossed the pen aside.
"Of course, it'll be my fault if it goes wrong. Never the military, always the scientists getting the blame!" he muttered aloud, feeling the weight of the responsibility resting squarely on his shoulders.
Alone in a quiet room, Jack recorded a heartfelt video message addressed to his counterpart in an alternate reality. He poured his sincerity and urgency into the recording, hoping it would be compelling enough to convince the other O'Neill to come.
Jack proposed to the President that he visit the other reality, but the idea was swiftly dismissed. The President's compromise allowed the other O'Neill to return if he chose to do so. Jack accepted this arrangement, deciding to remain at the SGC and wait.
After completing the recording, Jack carefully placed the tape inside an envelope labeled "O'Neill - Eyes Only." With a determined stride, he left the room and headed to the Gate room, expecting everything to be prepared for the next steps of their plan.
As the Stargate dialed the address of the planet from which Sam had originated, tension filled the room, rendering everyone silent. With bated breath, they watched as the wormhole formed, its shimmering surface a portal to another world. At Jack's command, the MALP was cautiously deployed, inching its way through the event horizon until it vanished. Walter's confirmation that the MALP had successfully arrived at the planet echoed through the room.
Despite their anticipation, the lack of visibility due to the nighttime conditions on the planet meant they couldn't establish a video feed. With nothing more to do but wait, Jack ordered the connection to be closed, and the Stargate shut down.
Leaving the Gate room, Jack returned to the infirmary, his mind filled with thoughts of Sam and the uncertain outcome of their efforts. All they could do now was hope for a response from the other side.
One week passed without any activity or response from the other side. The MALP remained stationary, and no contact had been initiated. Jack's hope began to wane as he observed the stagnant situation. Meanwhile, Sam continued in her mysterious state under Carolyn's vigilant watch, her condition unchanged despite their efforts.
One night, as Jack attempted to catch some much-needed rest, he was abruptly awakened by Daniel's urgent voice.
"Jack, wake up. We have something new," Daniel exclaimed, shaking Jack from his slumber.
Jack bolted upright, his senses on high alert. "He answered?" Jack inquired eagerly as he rose from his bed.
Daniel motioned for Jack to follow him.
They hurried through the corridors, arriving at the control room where Landry, Teal'c, Vala, and Cameron were already gathered. Jack wasted no time in urging Landry to share the news.
"Five minutes ago, someone approached the MALP, retrieved your envelope, and then disappeared from view. It was a man dressed in SGC attire," Landry reported.
Jack swallowed, his mind racing. "Anyone we know?" he pressed.
Daniel hesitated before admitting, "Me."
"You?" Jack repeated, taken aback. "So, they already know about us. Any communication since then?" he inquired.
"Nothing," Landry confirmed.
All eyes remained fixed on the MALP's camera feed, which revealed only the dense forest surrounding the device.
"I hate trees," Jack muttered under his breath.
Moments passed in tense silence until movement was detected. The MALP's camera angle shifted to reveal the other O'Neill approaching, accompanied by several unfamiliar figures. He halted before the MALP, addressing them through the device's microphone.
"Can you hear me?" he asked.
Jack leaned in, his attention entirely focused. "Yes. Go ahead," he responded.
"Open the iris. I'm coming through. Don't shoot me," the other O'Neill requested, a half-smile in his voice.
Jack nodded to Landry. "Let him through. It's clear," he instructed.
The airmen in the Gate room remained alert, but their weapons were lowered as the iris opened again. As before, the other O'Neill crossed the Stargate, clad in black BDUs and a vest, with his P-90 ready.
"So, where is she?" he inquired, scanning the control room through the window.
Jack swallowed his apprehension and descended the stairs.
"Come with me," he invited, leading the other O'Neill towards the infirmary. The base fell into a hushed silence as the two Generals walked in tandem toward their shared destination. SGC infirmary.
O'Neill stopped beside her bed, his gaze fixed on her and expression inscrutable.
"You said she tried to kill herself," he stated, his voice grave.
Jack cleared his throat, confirming, "She did."
"Why?" O'Neill inquired, taking a seat beside the bed.
"She told me about what happened between you two," Jack explained. Alone in the infirmary, the conversation hung heavy between them.
O'Neill raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Did she now?" he responded, his tone tinged with disbelief.
Jack, arms crossed, countered, "Did you know she had been struggling with severe depression? For years?"
O'Neill's gaze shifted slowly. "Carter? Depressed? You are obviously mistaken," he retorted, a smile playing on his lips.
Jack's expression hardened. "And you obviously don't know her at all," he countered sharply.
O'Neill rose abruptly from his chair, his demeanor defensive.
"I've known and worked with her for years. You, what, months? She isn't your wife, General. She's an entirely different woman from what you think she is; I can assure you of that. She can be as frigid as an iceberg," he declared, his eyes darkening with emotion.
Jack faced him, unwavering.
"She can be when she has reasons for it. So can we. Is that why you pushed her away?" he probed slowly.
O'Neill flushed with anger. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he snapped, retaking his seat.
Jack observed the man who mirrored his appearance but harbored a different soul.
"So, she saw your dark side, and you didn't like it," Jack persisted.
O'Neill shot him a warning glance. "Things aren't so black and white. Don't pretend to know what happened between us," he replied coldly.
Jack placed both hands at the end of her bed, steadying himself.
"So, tell me," he urged.
O'Neill glanced at her and sighed deeply.
"She almost married a stupid cop her brother set her up with just because she didn't want to wait. Because she wanted a normal life, with a house, kids, and a fucking dog! Like that was even possible for someone like us," O'Neill muttered through clenched teeth.
"Then she came to her senses and expected me to welcome her with open arms," he continued bitterly. "I didn't," he spat.
Jack swallowed, feeling a pang of empathy. "You were angry," he acknowledged.
"Damn right, I was. Furious," O'Neill confirmed.
"But eventually, you got together," Jack noted slowly.
O'Neill offered a small, twisted smile.
"I spent years dreaming about her, fantasizing. I have worked with her all those years and never had a chance to taste a piece of her! Jesus, even a guy like me has his limits, and then she showed up with that asshole Mitchell," he confessed, his hands resting gently on hers.
When she mentioned it, Jack was surprised to hear about her and Cameron Mitchell but decided not to press for details. Maybe things in her reality were different between the two than in his reality and Sam's.
"So, what happened? What went wrong?" Jack queried, his confusion evident.
O'Neill's fingers traced soothing patterns on her hand, and Jack struggled to suppress his jealousy.
"Things got rough between us but very enjoyable. But then I hit her. While I was asleep. My damn nightmares," O'Neill murmured.
Jack's face paled as the revelation sank in. He, too, had grappled with similar issues, but Sam had helped him seek therapy and confront his PTSD.
"If you were asleep..." Jack began, but O'Neill's gaze, almost black with emotion, silenced him.
"I hit her and almost killed her. She couldn't go to work the next day or the day after. No makeup could disguise what I had done. I only stopped because she almost broke two of my ribs while I was strangling her. So yes, she saw my dark side already," O'Neill said bitterly.
Jack swallowed hard, his hands trembling.
"How... What..." Jack struggled to find the words to articulate his shock.
O'Neill laughed bitterly.
"I woke up with the pain of her punches. She punches really hard when she wants to. It was the last thing she did before passing out," he explained, his gaze returning to her prone form. "I panicked, of course, when I saw her bruised and unconscious on the floor of my bedroom. Hell, my bedroom looked like a war zone, things smashed, the bedsheets torn. She never told me what happened, just that I was having a nightmare. I ended things with her as soon as she was better. I couldn't risk hurting her again, or even worse," he recounted.
Jack continued to grip the bed rails tightly. He had personally felt the force of her punches in his jaw. "Why didn't you seek help? Therapy?" he questioned, his voice filled with disbelief.
O'Neill chuckled bitterly. "My nightmares are mine and mine alone," he declared, almost proudly.
Jack shook his head in disbelief. "Even at the expense of the woman you love?" he asked, shocked by the other man's stubbornness.
O'Neill released her hands, crossing his arms defensively.
"Who said anything about love? We had a good time, good sex, that was all," he stated icily, rising from his seat.
"A good time?" Jack repeated incredulously.
O'Neill maintained his composure.
"She's terrific in bed, as you can agree. I waited years to find out. I found out, and my curiosity was satisfied. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a good fuck that didn't end well. And don't get offended. I'm just stating a fact," he added hastily, noticing the murderous look in Jack's eyes.
"I think you can go back to your reality, General. This was a bad idea. You aren't here to help her. You came to see her suffer," Jack said, taking a step forward, his tone edged with anger.
O'Neill raised his hands in a placating gesture.
"If that is what you think, I'm going," he said. "Swift recovery, Carter. Wherever you are," he added, his facade slipping momentarily to reveal the pain beneath the surface. With a final glance, he left the infirmary.
In the Gate room, everyone watched in astonishment as the other O'Neill returned only minutes after his initial arrival. General Landry took Jack aside, looking puzzled.
"What's going on, Jack? Why is he back so soon?" he asked.
Jack coldly explained, "General O'Neill is returning to his reality immediately. He couldn't assist Colonel Carter, so there's no reason for him to stay."
The other O'Neill just smiled.
Landry spoke hushedly, "Are you sure about this, Jack? This was your plan."
Jack confirmed, "Yes, start dialing," he commanded Walter in the control room.
The Stargate activated, and O'Neill was handed his P-90.
"It's been a pleasure," he said with a dry smile.
Jack glared at him, warning, "Don't ever try to come back here."
O'Neill continued to smile as he walked up the ramp. "You were the one who called me. Nothing here interests me," he said before stepping through the blue puddle.
Jack, frustrated, watched him vanish through the wormhole.
"Close it now!" he ordered, then left the Gate room without saying another word.