Summary:

"He takes a deep breath. 'You got hurt again,' he mumbles. 'Except, this time…'

'This time what?'

Jonas squeezes his eyes shut. 'This time I think you died.'"

OR

Present-Day AU. A malfunctioning time travel device and a harrowing mission force Sam and Jonas to finally confront what happened in Florida. But they're running out of time to clear the air before Jonas' latest vision comes true - a vision of Sam's impending death. Sequel to "band-aids don't fix bullet holes."

A/N: Hi, everyone! Now that we're finally past the most stressful part of the story, we're sadly approaching the end of this fic 😭 There's still a little bit more to come after this chapter, but for now you can rest easy knowing that the worst is over lol. Again, thank you to those who have stuck with me on this journey; as always, I really appreciate it! ❤️

Chapter 17: stronger than the powers so dark

The next few hours are a blur. First Celia comms Janet, who is just as shocked by Jonas' unexpected reappearance but no less willing to help. She insists on transferring both him and Sam to the infirmary, where she gives Sam a clean bill of health and keeps Jonas for continued treatment and observation. Sam wants to stick around to look after him, but she's soon whisked away by Cam, who is nervously babbling about the general wanting to see her immediately. Sam vaguely registers him also saying something about Dr. Lam and a psychological evaluation, but she can't bring herself to pay attention to the chaos. The only thing that matters to her is Jonas. She needs to be by his side, to know that he's okay, to let him know that she won't leave him ever again. But duty calls, and before she knows it, she once again finds herself standing in the middle of General Landry's office.

Landry is staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Sam wonders if she should feel more anxious than she is, but at this point she's too exhausted to care. At least Jonas is alive. Whatever consequences she might face for her actions, she's prepared to accept them without protest.

The general folds his hands atop his desk. "Well, Colonel, you've caused quite a stir since I saw you last."

Sam swallows. "Yes, sir."

Landry holds her gaze. "Would you care to explain just what exactly has been going on here?"

Sam takes a deep breath and relays the story about the crystal and her jump through time. Landry falls silent for what seems like ages, frowning as he processes the information.

At last he breaks the silence. "May I ask why you didn't inform me about your theory on the device? Or about what you were planning to do with it?"

Sam resists the urge to look away. "I was afraid you wouldn't authorize me to use it, sir."

Landry taps his thumbs together. "That's a reasonable assumption to make," he remarks. "You did warn me about the possibility of - how did you put it? Temporal disturbances?"

Sam nods, wringing her hands in front of her. "Yes, sir. That's right."

The general leans back in his chair. "Knowing all that, then, you took an awfully big risk using the crystal without my permission."

Sam nods again. "I know, sir."

"And, technically speaking, I should hold you accountable for that decision."

"I'm aware, sir."

"However," he continues, "in the interest of fairness, I also have to consider the result of said decision."

Sam blinks. "Sir?"

Landry takes a breath. "I'm not going to deny that what you did, Colonel, was reckless, dangerous, and maybe even a bit foolish. But that recklessness saved the life of your teammate, and I can't just ignore that either."

Sam stands frozen, not knowing how to respond.

The general presses on. "Jonas was a valued member of the Stargate program," he says. "And he was a good friend to many of the people here, including myself. I can't say that I'm upset to have him back."

Sam inhales. "So…what are you saying, sir?"

A smile twitches at the corners of his mouth. "I'm saying, that given the extenuating circumstances, perhaps I can let this one slide."

Sam's heart leaps in her chest. "Are you sure, sir?"

Landry sits up, his eyes twinkling. "I have several phone calls to make, Colonel," he replies. "I suggest you be on your way before I change my mind."

Sam nods, fighting to keep her expression neutral. "Of course, sir," she says, feeling the tension ease from her body. "Thank you very much, sir."

The general waves her off without another word.

Once the shock of Landry's meeting finally gives way to relief, Sam's initial instinct is to check in on Jonas. But another obligation tugs at her, one she decides she needs to fulfill first. So instead of immediately rushing off to the infirmary, she chooses to stop at Celia's lab on the way.

The entomologist is tidying up her workspace when Sam arrives. At first she's unsure of what to say. She starts wringing her hands again, wondering how she can possibly put words to what they've both just experienced. Eventually, though, Sam settles on the two most important ones. She knows that they'll never be enough to repay her debt to Celia, but she also knows that her colleague deserves to hear them.

"Thank you."

Celia turns around in surprise. "Oh, hi," she says quietly, meeting Sam's eyes. "I, um…you're welcome."

They stand there in silence for a moment, neither party knowing what to say next.

At last, Sam speaks again. "I really mean it," she murmurs, taking a few steps forward. "If it weren't for you, Jonas wouldn't have made it."

Celia shrugs. "I just did what needed to be done," she replies. "That's what the serum is for."

Sam takes another step. "Yes," she agrees, still holding Celia's gaze. "But it wasn't fair for me to spring it on you like that. I should've…I should've let you in on the plan before I left to make the jump."

Celia steps towards her. "Sam," she says gently, "you don't have to apologize. I know why you were reluctant to say anything, and I honestly can't blame you."

Sam shakes her head. "Still - "

"Don't," Celia interrupts, laying a hand on Sam's arm. "If I'm being honest, I would've done the same if it was Colonel Mitchell. If he ever got hurt like that, I'd do anything to save him. So I get it. Really, I do."

Sam doesn't miss the knowing look in Celia's eyes. "Thank you," she says again. "For understanding."

The entomologist squeezes her arm. "Don't mention it. If anything, you helped me out too."

Sam frowns. "How so?"

Celia smiles. "Well, now I know for sure that the serum works on human patients."

Sam can't help but smile back. "You do have a point."

Celia lets go of her arm, but her smile remains. "I'll bet Jonas will be happy to hear that he was a vital part of a very important science experiment."

Sam laughs. "I'll be sure to tell him."

Celia cocks her head, her eyes sparkling. "So?"

Sam blushes. "Right," she mumbles, dipping her chin. "I should, uh, go see how he's doing."

Celia's smile widens. "Tell him I said hi," she says.

"I will."

"And Sam?"

Sam glances back up at her. "Yeah?"

Celia's eyes soften. "If you ever need anything else, you know where to find me."

Sam offers her another smile. "Thanks, Celia," she says, nodding gratefully. "I really, really appreciate it."

Janet is the first to greet her when she arrives back at the infirmary. "How is he?" Sam asks, pulling the doctor aside.

Janet grins, the same knowing look dancing in her eyes. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

She leads Sam to a bed in the middle of the room, and Sam's breath catches at the sight before her. Jonas is sitting up, happily devouring a cup of banana pudding and looking as healthy as can be. If she hadn't seen it for herself, Sam wouldn't believe that he narrowly escaped death mere hours ago. Teal'c is seated in a chair beside him, and from what she can hear of the conversation, the two of them are discussing Star Wars.

Jonas is in the middle of a long-winded complaint about Star Wars Rebels when Sam approaches. "I'll be honest, I think Sabine sometimes gets a bad rap," he's saying. "The Empire manipulated her into building that weapon."

"I concur," Teal'c agrees.

Jonas shovels a spoonful of pudding into his mouth. "I mean, she was practically still a kid when it happened. She was young and vulnerable to suggestion, and the Empire took advantage of that. Besides, what's the point of telling a story if the characters aren't complicated, you know?" He takes another bite. "They don't have to be perfect to be compelling. That would just be bor - oh."

He cuts himself off as he locks eyes with Sam. "Oh," he repeats, more softly this time. "Hi."

"Hi," Sam murmurs.

Teal'c thankfully senses the atmosphere shift and rises from his seat. "We must continue this conversation later, Jonas Quinn," he says, nodding at his friend. "As I stated earlier, I am glad to see that you are alive and well."

Jonas smiles up at him. "Thanks, buddy," he replies. "I'm glad too."

Teal'c grants him one last nod before acknowledging Sam and Janet and discreetly exiting the room. Once he's left, Janet pats Sam on the shoulder. "I'll let you two catch up," she says, a grin playing on her lips.

Sam tries not to blush as Janet turns away. Her attempt, however, fails the minute she locks eyes with Jonas again. "Good to see you eating," she remarks, lifting her chin at the pudding cup.

Jonas glances down. "Yeah, well, time travel does tend to make a guy hungry," he quips, stirring the pudding with his spoon.

Sam suppresses a laugh. "So I'm guessing you're all caught up, then."

He looks back up at her, his expression softening. "I got the gist of it," he confirms. "But to be honest, I'd prefer to hear your version."

Sam takes a deep breath and slowly lowers herself onto the bed. "How much of my version are we talking?"

Jonas holds her gaze. "As much as you feel like telling me."

Sam looks away, considering her next move. She could spare him the details about her emotional breakdown and keep to the basics - after all, he doesn't need to know everything. But when she meets his eyes again, so earnest and eager and full of life, she decides that she wants to tell him everything. After all that he's gone through, he deserves her honesty. Even if the truth might be painful to stomach.

Sam takes another breath, and then the story spills out. She starts at the beginning when she first failed to save him, covering almost every detail from the moment she lost him to her discovery about the crystal and her subsequent jump through time. She forces herself to keep going, worried that if she takes a second to pause, her emotion will overwhelm her and render her unable to speak. When she finally finishes, her throat is burning and her eyes are brimming with unshed tears.

Jonas stares at her for what seems like forever, the pensive look on his face reflecting a million unspoken thoughts all at once. Sam doesn't know if she should wait for him to say something or break the silence herself. But before she can decide, he suddenly reaches for her, his touch so gentle that she can no longer hold back her tears. They spill down her face, hot and unrelenting, as he runs his knuckles down the side of her cheek.

"Oh, Sam," Jonas whispers, moving his hand to brush the tears away. "I'm so sorry."

Sam sniffles, trying and failing to hold back a sob. "I thought I told you to stop apologizing for shit that isn't your fault."

Jonas makes a face. "That's what you're concerned about right now?"

Sam frowns at him. "Jonas, you have nothing to apologize for. You saved my life."

Jonas grimaces. "And then I died," he mutters, looking far too guilty for her liking. "Before you brought me back, that is."

Sam takes his hand and lowers it into her lap. "You don't have to feel bad about what I went through," she says, giving his palm a squeeze. "The point is, you saved me, and I just couldn't rest until I figured out how to return the favor."

Jonas eyes their joined hands before lifting his gaze back to Sam's face. "Well," he sighs, "I guess that just means we're even again."

A tiny smile crosses Sam's lips. "Yeah," she murmurs. "Maybe we should just leave it at that."

Jonas meets her smile with one of his own, and the sight is so beautiful that it takes all her strength not to pin him against the bed and kiss him senseless. They still need to address the elephant in the room, but she's not too keen on doing so in the SGC infirmary. As discreet as Janet is, Sam isn't sure that she can trust anyone else within earshot.

Still, she leans towards him, enjoying the warmth of his hand in her own. His eyes begin to roam her face, lingering on her lips just long enough that her resolve almost cracks. "Oh," she says, trying to interrupt the moment before they make a scene. "I almost forgot about your ring."

Sam lets go of Jonas' hand to pull her dog tag chain out from underneath her shirt. Jonas' ring is still hanging there.

Jonas blinks in what seems like surprise. "You kept it," he says, his eyes now fixed on the item in question.

Sam runs her thumb across its surface. "Of course I did," she replies. "You asked me to."

She starts to lift the chain over her head, but Jonas grabs her wrist to stop her. "Don't," he murmurs, lowering her hand back to her lap. "I want you to keep it."

Sam frowns again. "Why?" she asks. "I mean, didn't Dr. Kieran give it to you?"

"Well, yeah," Jonas answers, curling his fingers around her palm. "But I guess…I guess I just want you to have it because you mean a lot to me."

Sam feels her cheeks flush. "Jonas, you don't have to do that."

"I want to, Sam. Really."

His eyes meet hers again, and the emotion she finds there is almost enough to make her cry again. "Thank you," she whispers, tucking the ring back beneath her shirt. "I'll make sure I never lose it."

Jonas lifts her hand to his lips and kisses the back of her knuckles. "I know you won't."

He then flips her hand over and presses a kiss to her wrist, the look in his eyes suddenly shifting from one of innocent affection to something surprisingly indecent. Heat flares in Sam's stomach and she lets out a short breath, leaning towards him again as a hot tingle shoots up the length of her arm. She's just about ready to throw caution to the wind and do the very thing that will no doubt invite several months' worth of SGC gossip, when Janet reappears with a clipboard in hand.

"Sorry," the doctor says, shooting an apologetic look at Sam. "It's time to check his vitals."

Sam pulls back and stands up, feeling an ache at the loss of contact. Jonas' eyes, meanwhile, never leave her face.

"Thank you," he murmurs, his tone so intimate it's as if Janet isn't even there. "For saving my life, that is."

Sam blinks away a fresh wave of tears. "Don't mention it," she whispers. "Like you said, we're even again."

"Yeah," Jonas says softly, his lips curling into a grin. " I guess that's kind of our thing, isn't it?"

Sam laughs, feeling joy bubble up from somewhere in her chest. "Yeah," she agrees, returning his grin with one of her own. "Yeah, I guess it is."

A/N: The title of this chapter is taken from the lyrics of "Storybook Love" by Mark Knopfler and Willy DeVille, which is the end credits song fromThe Princess Bride. I figured that at least one of these chapter titles needed to reference it since the movie has such huge presence in this fic.

Not to give anything away, but there is a line during the Landry scene that may or may not be significant at a later date. Yes, we're nearing the end of the story, but I'll let you all have fun trying to figure it out 😉

I get the feeling that Jonas and Teal'c would be Star Wars buddies, and that they're superfans who've watched and read every piece of related media they can get their hands on. Since this is a modern AU, I think they'd be just as obsessed with the animated shows as they'd be with the live-action content. Out of all the animated characters, I feel like Jonas would probably relate to Sabine Wren the most given that she was involved with a highly problematic weapons development project that ultimately caused her to defect from the Empire and join up with a quirky found family unit. The parallel just writes itself.