SGC - 1997

In the days that followed, Sam didn't talk to Liz or Janet about what had happened. She kept the encounter with the stunning Diane and the sight of that ring, which burned in her mind, to herself. She had no right to that ring and shouldn't even be jealous of it.

Whether it was a protective mechanism or deep denial, she couldn't explain it to herself.

The worst part was the exchange she overheard between Daniel and Jack. "How did she react?" the archaeologist had asked, and Sam had left before hearing Jack's reply. The pain that gripped her in that moment took her breath away for a few seconds, and she vowed never to feel that again.

As a result, she decided to distance herself, to become the emotionless soldier she had always been. These were no longer just barriers she was building between them but walls topped with barbed wire, guarded by armed soldiers, and reinforced with an air defense system. No one would enter her heart again.

The only change in her life now was the presence of her friends. Her relationship with Janet had become a cornerstone, and she never missed a call with Liz, where they shared their latest gossip. And while Liz understood that she should no longer mention her brother, for once, she didn't ask why or insist, which made Sam even more suspicious about the nature of Jack and Diane's relationship.

Their relationship had changed to the point that Sam had no reaction to Jack's birthday, except for a coldly delivered, "Happy birthday, Colonel," after Daniel and Teal'c had already wished him well. It was time for her to stop getting hurt by men, no matter how sweet their words.

Focused on her escape, Sam threw herself into the scientific aspect of her work without respite. The time spent in her lab, studying astrophysics and the various planets for which she had produced coordinates, allowed her to avoid everyone. The intellectual challenge gave her the strength to get up every morning. She was a grown woman; she would move on and continue with her life as planned.

Her new challenge was calculating an eclipse on PX8 987. The planet Hanka was now well-known to the SGC, and the Douglas McLean Memorial Observatory would allow her to confirm her preliminary calculations. Sam had just finished preparing and was joining Daniel and Teal'c in the corridor, eager to get to the planet and clear her mind.

"So, what exactly are we gonna see after this eclipse begins?" Daniel asked as he finished fastening his jacket. "I mean, it is black, and it is a hole."

"Well, it might be a black hole," Jack replied, passing him as he moved toward the ramp.

Sam wanted to roll her eyes but settled for a slight smile. "Daniel, you're right. You can't actually see it, not the singularity itself. It's so massive not even light can escape it. But during the totality phase of the eclipse, we should be able to see matter spiraling towards it," she explained.

Jack stopped in front of the Stargate to tie his shoes and couldn't resist chiming in. "Actually, it's called the accretion disk."

He hoped this comment would catch Sam's attention; despite all his attempts to approach her, she kept putting up a barrier between them that hadn't been there since they returned from Ireland. Even though he suspected that the whole Hathor situation hadn't worked in his favor, he wished he could understand why she was suddenly so cold. And with Nan constantly asking him how Sam was doing, he didn't know what to do.

However, Sam didn't react and instead pointed out to Daniel that the telescope at his house wasn't just for spying on the neighbors. At that moment, Jack realized that she had figured him out more than he had imagined and that playing the fool with her would no longer work.

Not wanting to linger too close to Jack, whose scent had just reached her and unsettled her, Sam hurried through the gate to end the conversation. Yet, their arrival on Hanka didn't go as planned when they discovered a man's body in the fields. Jack quickly resumed his role as leader and issued quick, precise orders.

Hanka - 1997

"Daniel, you and Teal'c check the village," he ordered after they had all put on their protective masks. "See why no one's missed this guy, where everyone else is. We've got the observatory."

Sam wasn't thrilled to realize she'd be alone with him, but after all, the perfect soldier wasn't supposed to show any emotion, so she could compartmentalize.

The walk to the observatory was brief, and the seriousness of the situation (after all, they still hadn't encountered anyone and had no explanation for the man's death) made both of them immediately switch back to military mode.

Because maybe that was what they had most in common, she and Jack: the ability to compartmentalize their emotions so that their... history? Affair? Relationship? Whatever it was, they had the ability to compartmentalize it so that it would never impact their careers. Sam knew: they could hate each other tomorrow, and it wouldn't show up in their records.

And hate him, she wanted to.