Ballydehob, 1997

Bundled up in a jacket borrowed from Liz—and wearing some of her clothes as well—Sam revved the engine of her quad to overtake the redhead. She shot her a mischievous smile as she passed and sped up again. The two young women engaged in a relentless chase and finally stopped once they reached the top of a hill. There, Liz turned off her quad's engine and burst into hearty laughter.

"Well," she began. "I never thought I'd meet someone as crazy as me like this!"

Sam grinned as she turned off her engine as well. "You forget that I work with your brother and my basic job is flying fighter jets."

They remained seated on their respective quads, and Sam glanced around. The two women had reached the highest hill of the property, with acres of land stretching out before them, the house now just a tiny speck in the distance. Jack had had to go into town for an appointment he couldn't reschedule, leaving Sam to accept Liz's offer for a tour of the estate. They had spent most of the day exploring the farm until Liz suggested this race.

"So, Sam," Liz finally asked, turning to her. "How long have you been sleeping with my brother exactly?"

Sam nearly choked at the suddenness of the question and turned to the young woman, surprised.

"Oh, please," Liz continued, smiling. "I've seen how you look at each other," she said, rolling her eyes, keeping to herself that she had seen her leave Jack's room that very morning. "And he asked you to stay here," Liz paused, observing the landscape around her. "I like you, and Nan seems to like you too, which is already way more than what Sara ever got."

"Nan has only spoken to me twice," Sam defended, hoping to steer the conversation away. "I don't think you can really say she likes me."

Liz turned her head back to Sam and seemed to get lost in thought for a moment. "Oh, she likes you. It's rare for us to see a woman around Jack who isn't interested in our money."

Sam frowned but didn't respond. If she had been surprised by the size of Jack's house when SG-1 visited, she hadn't exactly thought he was the heir of a wealthy Irish family. Only the collection of rare edition books had indicated some small wealth, but Sam had assumed they could either be from an inheritance or an incredible stroke of luck at a flea market, for instance. In any case, she hadn't paid much attention to it.

"Why did he end up in the United States?" she finally asked, curious to learn more about the Colonel.

"Oh," Liz smiled, noting how the young blonde was gradually getting interested in her brother's life. "Our father, Seamus, met my mother while he was married to Jack's mother," she shrugged, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "When Jack's mother found out about my existence—Dad acknowledged me despite their marriage—she took Jack to her parents' place in Minnesota and filed for divorce."

Sam nodded. "It can't have been easy for you to grow up in those conditions, I imagine."

The redhead smiled at her. "Jack kept visiting us as often as possible until the Air Force took up more and more of his time," she checked her watch and continued, "I'm lucky to have an amazing big brother who never sidelined me."

Liz started her quad's engine and raised her voice a bit so Sam could hear. "Anyway! Follow me, we're going to round up the last of the animals, and then the guys are making a campfire. I'm going to make you taste your first real Irish beer!" And with that, she sped off on her quad without waiting for Sam, who still hadn't started her engine.

Meanwhile, Jack had just hung up with Daniel after spending the last few minutes reassuring him that Sam was fine and that she had stayed of her own free will. Under different circumstances, he might have been jealous of the archaeologist, he thought.

The day had flown by, and Jack hadn't had any time for himself, nor any time to see Sam. He had inherited the estate upon their father's death, and although he had chosen to appoint Liz as manager with full powers (after all, she had already been doing it for many years), he still had to handle some details himself.

Arriving in the living room, he found Nan occupied with reviewing some papers. Despite her advanced age, she continued to manage certain aspects with a master's touch. An inheritance from her own father, Nan ensured the O'Neill estate endured.

"Hey Nan," he greeted her, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Did you have a good day?" Jack asked as he flopped into one of the armchairs.

Nan put down the documents on the coffee table and smiled at her grandson. Jack had always been her little protégé. He resembled the O'Neill men so much. So much so that Nan had always disliked the women in Jack's life. It had started with Erin, his first girlfriend whom he had brought home at 16, and had continued with Sara, who hadn't been allowed on the property until Charlie's birth.

"The girls came to have lunch here at noon. That Samantha…" Nan began, eliciting an exasperated sigh from Jack, who was already preparing his defense about "colleague, second, nothing between us." He started to open his mouth to respond, but Nan continued. "She's exceptional, isn't she?"

Jack froze, uncertain.

"She's extraordinary... Did you know she earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics? Well, of course, you do, but did you also know she spent the afternoon fixing my Cadillac? I've never heard the engine run so well. And besides having a brain, she's stunning!"

Jack closed his mouth, surprised by Nan's statement. In over forty years of existence, he had never heard her appreciate a woman like that. He remained silent for a moment, recalling General West's words from back then.

"She's also an outstanding soldier," he replied, "and much younger than me, Nan."

Nan O'Neill scrutinized her grandson, a smile playing on her lips. "I was 15 years younger than your grandfather, Jonathan, and it didn't stop us from living happily and having three wonderful children."

Jack rolled his eyes but didn't respond. He was about to change the subject when Nan spoke again as she got up from her chair.

"Oliver is organizing a campfire for our workers. Let's go."

Oliver was the right-hand man of the O'Neills, having worked on the farm for years; he was responsible for the employees and worked closely with Liz. The two also had a romantic history that resurfaced from time to time. Oliver had been adopted into the O'Neill clan, and Jack respected him immensely—even if he slept with his little sister.

"Let me change, and let's go," he replied. "Do you know where the girls are?" he asked as he headed to his room.

Nan waited for him to return—a mere few minutes later—and replied with a smile. "They're already there. Liz wouldn't stay away from Oliver for too long."

The trip to the plain where the campfire was held went quickly, and as soon as they arrived, Jack was struck by the scene before him.
Sitting by the campfire, Sam was enjoying a pint of Guinness while having an animated conversation with one of the employees. The shadows of the flames danced on her face, and the setting sun in the distance gave the impression she was an angel descended from heaven. Jack's breath caught for a moment, and he wondered how he had spent two years sleeping with her without ever really realizing how beautiful she was. Of course, he had found her attractive from their first meeting, but at that moment, it was a whole other kind of beauty he saw in her.
Unaware of their arrival, Sam let out a soft laugh in response to a joke just told to her, and Jack's heart raced as he realized he wanted to hear her laugh every day. He was brought back to reality by Nan, who nudged him in the ribs.

"You love her, don't you?" she whispered, leaning towards him conspiratorially.