Sam's place - 1997

Grabbing their glasses, Janet settled on the couch while Sam finished putting away the leftovers from their meal. Despite Janet's protests, the astrophysicist had refused to let her do anything, insisting she rest her arm as much as possible. The two had just enjoyed a meal that Sam had cooked, following Janet's expert advice, who was amazed at how someone as brilliant as Sam could be so lost with a simple recipe.

A few moments later, Sam joined her in the living room, barefoot, and sat down, tucking one leg under her.

"Tell me more about your husband," she asked, refilling their wine glasses.

Janet remained silent for a few minutes, as if lost in thought. "Ex-husband. He was a dentist and never understood my desire to join the Air Force." She took a sip of wine before continuing. "He was also way too involved in his secretary's well-being, if you know what I mean."

The two exchanged a knowing look, and Sam got up to put on some music before returning to her seat. As she savored another sip of wine, Janet suddenly asked, "So, what's the deal between you and the Colonel?"

Sam almost choked, swallowing the wrong way, but managed to hide her discomfort by controlling her breathing. "The Colonel?" she asked, trying to buy some time.

But Janet didn't seem to believe in playing the innocence card. "Jack O'Neill, the one you were talking to on the phone with his sister."

"Oh, that Colonel." Sam replied, taking another sip in hopes of hiding the blush creeping up her cheeks. "There's not much to say, you know."

"I've seen how he looks at you," Janet responded without missing a beat.

Sam seemed surprised. "How he looks at me?"

"Like there's a lot to say," the doc explained with a sly smile as she set down her own glass.

The blonde remained silent for a moment, seeming to reflect on her friend's words. She hadn't noticed any special looks from Jack during their recent interactions. On the contrary, she had even felt that he was avoiding her since the Hathor debacle. "All I can say is that my career is too important to risk a court-martial," she finally said with a sigh.

"But did something happen?" Janet asked, pressing on.

"Hey, I did the cooking, and now you're grilling me?" Sam replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Janet gave a little smile. "Okay, okay," she said, signaling her surrender. "But you have to tell me..." She used her arm in the sling as a marker and gradually moved the other one away. "How big?"

Sam froze, silent, and finally, both of them burst into genuine, hearty laughter.

Samantha Carter had just made a friend.

Jack's place - 1997

The stormy, relentless rain forced Sam to hurry as she got out of the car. Pressing the doorbell, she wondered why she had agreed to do Daniel a favor when he could have easily picked up his briefcase himself. SG-1 was due back on duty in two days, and she would have much preferred being at home in a hot bath rather than standing in the pouring rain in front of Jack's house.

After a few moments, the door finally opened, but instead of revealing Jack, Sam was greeted with an entirely different sight. A woman, around 40 years old, stood in the doorway. Her blonde hair cascaded in silky waves over her shoulders, and her face was a masterpiece of nature, a symphony of perfect features that combined to create breathtaking beauty. If the Goa'uld met her, they would undoubtedly want to make her a queen.

But perhaps the worst part of the situation was that this young woman was barefoot, as if the intimacy of the O'Neill household was something familiar to her.

Sam felt her throat tighten and took a deep breath to hold back the nausea rising within her. Compared to the woman standing before her, she felt too young and out of place. The woman had everything to please Jack and embodied the perfect partner.

"Hello," Sam attempted politely. "I'm Captain Samantha Carter."

"Oh, Carter!" the woman exclaimed, as if meeting an old acquaintance. "Jack talks about his second-in-command all the time," she smiled, emphasizing the term "second," as if to underscore her point. "Diane, nice to meet you!" she added.

Diane stepped back for a moment to retrieve her shoes and bent down to slip on her heels while holding on to the doorframe. "Jack's in the kitchen," she finally indicated. "I was just heading out to get something to eat."

Stunned, Sam simply nodded, too surprised to say anything. She let Diane pass and entered the house. Determined to avoid Jack, she found Daniel's briefcase in the hallway but couldn't help overhearing the few words the Colonel was exchanging on the phone.

"No, I haven't asked her yet," he explained to his caller.

Sam was about to leave just as discreetly when her gaze was drawn to a small box on the sideboard. Curious, she opened it and stifled a gasp of surprise when she saw the ring inside.

"Of course, I have the ring! I'm just waiting for the right moment..." Jack added at that exact moment.

Sam suddenly put the ring down as if the box had burned her. Barely able to breathe, she grabbed Daniel's briefcase and left the house in a rush.

With a heavy heart, she started her car and drove away from his house and his life. He hadn't wasted any time replacing her. She had been foolish to lower her defenses for him, foolish to think this man was different from the others, foolish to believe that maybe one day a solution would have been possible for them.

She should have just stuck to the sex, stuck to their separation a few years earlier.

"Congratulations, Diane," she thought bitterly. "Jack O'Neill will make a perfect husband."