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Chapter Text

Summer Love

Samantha Carter had just graduated from school, so her father, mother and brother decided to throw a party for her at her house, which was attended by many of her classmates, but none of them were really her friends.
After the party some of the other girls were whispering to each other, and they approached Sam
"Sam, Alison Witman is having a party at her house later, her parents won't be there, do you want to go?" - leaning closer to her - "there will be cute guys from college there"
"I don't know Megan, I have to ask my dad."
"Go on Sam, have fun, soon you will go to the academy and you won't be able to do anything anymore" - she said laughing along with the other girls.
Sam thought about it for a bit, and turned to see her parents talking to the neighbors.
"Okay, I'll go."
"Great!!! That's fantastic, you won't regret it you'll see!"
The group of girls walked away from her giggling and whispering.
Suddenly her brother's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"You know they're bad people right?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Sis, they're just making fun of you."
"Why do you always have to think badly of all my friends Mark?"
"Because they're not your friends Sam."
"You don't know that, you don't know them."
"And you do?"
And with that her brother walked away from her.
The party over, she excused herself from her parents and went up to her room.
Undecided on what to do about attending the party, Sam began to look at herself in the mirror, she was a nice girl to look at, at least she thought so, she was tall at least more than average in her class, she was in shape since she had started training for her admission to the Air Force academy, she had nice long blonde hair that She was not popular because she was always studying hard, but she thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get noticed.
After a deep sigh she went to her closet and searched through her clothes for something she could wear to the party, but all of her clothes looked like something out of a cheap nerd.
Slowly leaving her room, she made sure her parents were in the kitchen and snuck into her room to look through her mother's clothes.
She found a dress she really liked, back in her room she took a shower, and fixed her hair with a few waves and some buckles that held her locks away from her face, she did her makeup a little more pronounced than other times, lining her eyes in black, making her look stand out, she put on blush, and a soft peach lip gloss, she stood in front of the mirror and felt beautiful, The dress came a little above her knees, black background with gray flowers of a thin, soft and thin fabric, with a small pucker under her breasts and thin straps, she combined them with medium heeled black sandals, took her purse and giving a last look in the mirror, she was ready to go out the window.

When she arrived at the party everything was in an uproar, music, lights, people?
She entered a little shyly, as everyone was watching her, soon someone behind her gave a shout.
"You came!!!"
When Sam turned around she saw Megan and the rest of the girls.
"Yeah... consider what you said, so why not have a good time before I leave for the academy" - she said smiling.
"Great!!! Let's go get you something to drink" and walked away towards the overhead where the drinks table was located dancing like crazy.
Sam, a little shyly followed them, not realizing that someone had been watching her since she arrived.
Megan held out a glass of beer to which Sam looked at her and said "I don't drink".
Pouting - "Oh... come on Sam, don't be a party pooper, this is your night babe" - she said wiggling her eyebrows.
Sam took the glass and took a drink, to which the others responded with laughter and a scream.
"Wooo!!!!! let's dance!!!! Yessssss!!!"
Sam followed them to the area designated as the dance floor where everyone was out of control, at least that's how she observed it.
As the hours progressed, the young woman managed to relax with the help of the drinks that the others put in their hands, she danced uninhibited with her eyes closed and wiggling her body to the rhythm of the electronic music.
Without warning someone took her by the hips, sticking his body to hers, and imitating her movements, Sam, immersed in the fog of alcohol, looked up at the person behind her and he took the opportunity to kiss her, pressing a hand on her belly, they danced a little more until the boy hooked one of his hands on the bottom of Sam's dress, lifting it and caressing the outside of her thigh, and kissing her neck hungrily, to which the young girl responded by closing her eyes, he brought his mouth to her ear and whispered a few words, soon they both looked at each other, but Sam's eyes were glassy and clouded from her state, the boy took her by the hand and pulled her with him towards the dark area of the backyard, the girls who were left inside dancing smiled at each other complicitly.
The person who had been watching Sam all night got up from his seat, approached the drinks table, filled his glass with beer, and slowly walked towards the door that led to the backyard, he searched with his eyes among the straws that sought the darkness to cover their actions, until his eyes fell on what he was looking for, the boy had Sam cornered against the wall in a dark corner and considerably further away from the rest of the people, he had his face buried in her neck and was holding her tightly with one arm around her waist while his other hand struggled to slip under her dress. The person slowly approached until he was located relatively a good distance away where he could hear the gasps coming from, but the closer view and perceived sounds put him on alert.
The girl was struggling against the fearless hands of the boy who was kissing her in a hugging manner, and his voice could be clearly heard saying he didn't want to, and to stop.
He did not know whether to intervene or not, until the words that finally came out of her mouth made him react quickly.
"Help!"

In a second he was pulling the guy away from on top of the young woman, to which he reacted by saying to her in a voice that denoted his complete state of inebriation.
"What are you doing buddy? She's my girl, get your own!"
And with that he lunged again to take Sam in his arms, but what he got in return was a push given by the other person and falling on his butt on the grass, people started to gather around him, then he turned around and saw the girl hugging herself with both arms.
He quickly grabbed her hand and said "Come on, I'll get you out of here."
She gave him back an unfocused look with tears about to spill that showed fear, then he told her in a very slow and sweet voice "Trust me, I'm not going to hurt you".
She hesitantly took his hand and he dragged her back inside where all the commotion was, as he passed by Megan and her friends she caught his attention.
"Hey, where are you taking Sam?"
Immediately the person stopped in his tracks causing Sam to crash into his back, he turned around and walked over to the group of young people, "don't you ever go near her again."
"Sam is my friend"
"That's not true" - He moved closer until he was almost glued to her face - "If you really were her friend you wouldn't have gotten her drunk and handed her over like a lamb to the lions... I won't repeat that again, stay away from her"
Leaving the group of young women stunned at having been caught in their misdeed, he turned to Sam and said "Come on, I'll take you home."

He guided her to his car, and helped her into it so she wouldn't trip or hurt herself.
The trip was made in complete silence, every few moments he watched her, so young, fragile but beautiful, and those girls along with that idiot had taken advantage of her.
When he saw her walk through the door of that party he immediately realized that she didn't belong there, she was shy and withdrawn, but as the hours went by he had seen and observed the whole process of how those other girls had tried to make fun of her.
Now she was in her car, her head leaning against the window, and he just hoped she wouldn't pass out.
She had managed to give him her home address when leaving the party, so he respectful to her word had driven her to her front door, only to be surprised when he went to the passenger door to help her out that she was crying.
"Hey...what's wrong with you?"
"I can't go in like this, my father is going to kill me."
Tenderly he placed his hand under her chin to make her look at him, then her blue eyes collided with his brown ones.
"I'm going to talk to your father and tell him what happened and how you were tricked."
"Thank you...I don't know your name."
"My name is Jack" he said with a sweet sideways smile.
"I'm Sam"
"I know"
Slowly he helped her out of the car, and grabbed her by the waist so she wouldn't fall, as she was dizzy from the amount of alcohol she had ingested.
He knocked gently on the door and waited a moment until he saw the light inside the house come on and then the front porch light, then he saw a tough and conservative looking man open the door, automatically his eyes went from the man to the girl he was holding, and he saw that it was his daughter and that she was not well.
Already furious he lashed out at Jack, but was interrupted just in time by his wife's arm.
"Jacob!" - stepping to his side and seeing the image before him - "For God's sake Sam! Honey, come..."
He feared his daughter in his arms and pulled her into the house, and the men were left alone in the silence of the night.
"I want an explanation."
"Of course sir."
Jacob watched him and opening the door wider let him in, the boy sat down on the couch and the man settled on another smaller couch to his They stood for what seemed like an eternal minute in complete silence, Jacob evaluating the young man, when suddenly they heard footsteps coming from the staircase.
Sam's mother slowly came down and approached both men.
"Sam managed to stay asleep, she seems fine."
Her husband looked at her and asked, "Did she say anything about what happened?
"Not much, she was dizzy and a little confused, although she did ask me to thank Jack for helping her and bringing her home" - her last words were spoken looking at the young man sitting in their living room.
Jacob spoke again. "Good boy, now I want to hear what you have to say."
Jack took a sigh and looked at them both.
"First I want to introduce myself, my name is Jack O'Neill, I'm a Captain just assigned to training duties at the Air Force Academy."
"Captain, I am Brigadier General Jacob Carter and father of Samantha, and this is my wife Margaret."
Immediately Jack stood at attention and stood at attention.
"Sir, I'm sorry for not showing my respect, I didn't know."
"Easy son, have a seat and tell me what happened tonight."
Margaret made coffee for the three of them and they sat down to talk, Jack told them what happened from the moment he saw Sam walk through the door of that house a few hours earlier.
He told them about how he was there because some friends had invited him to the party, how he had been watching the girls who had claimed to be Sam's friends put glass after glass of alcohol in their hands and how one of them walked away to talk to a boy, and shortly after that same young man was the one who had tried to take advantage of Sam's condition.
He also told them about the altercation he had in order to get him away from the young woman, and the verbal threats he made to the rest of the group of girls, and that he hoped he had not been out of line and received a reprimand for it.
Jacob, after listening attentively to the whole story, told him that he would corroborate it with his daughter when she awoke, but not to worry about receiving any punishment for the time being, Jack took his leave with a formal salute towards the General, and took Margaret's hand.
"Hopefully Sam will be well tomorrow, please tell him I leave my regards."
"Of course Captain, and thank you for bringing my daughter back safe and sound."
And with a nod he bid them both farewell.

The next day Sam's mother knocked softly on the door of her daughter's room, informing her to shower and get dressed that her father was waiting for her in the living room to talk.
When the young woman came downstairs, she found her father standing looking out the window.
"Have a seat young lady."
Sam got a knot in her stomach, she obeyed her father without uttering a word.
"What were you thinking Samantha" - looking at her - "Do you know you're putting your career on the line before you even start? What are you tarnishing the Carter name with this attempt to get attention? - approaching his daughter - "What's wrong with you Samantha?

Looking at her father clearly embarrassed and with eyes bathed in tears.
"I'm sorry dad, I thought they were my friends, they invited me to the party, but they just wanted to make fun of me."
She finally burst into tears, and her mother hugged her.
"I didn't realize what was happening until that boy had me cornered against the wall, then... out of nowhere Jack appeared, I pushed him and threw him to the ground, he took my hand and helped me, he got me out of there and brought me home."
"Yeah that's the same thing he told us."
"It was, I swear"
Jacob looked from his daughter to his wife and back to his daughter, then turned to the window with his back to her and said. "Young lady, you are grounded, you will only be able to go to your classes and academy training, you will go back and forth with me and that is non-negotiable".
Sam looked at her mother, who returned a look of sympathy, stood up and stood at attention and answered her father.
"Yes sir."
Back in her room, the young woman thought about the things that had happened the night before, how had she let herself be deceived by those girls? How had she not heeded her brother's warnings? Who was this mysterious Jack who had helped her and brought her home safe and sound? Where was he now?

Chapter Text

The following weeks passed in complete normality for Sam, although her father only spoke to her when necessary. She knew it would take time for him to forgive her disobedience, which she acknowledged as a terrible decision. As her father had instructed, Sam completed three weeks of orientation at the Academy and was ready to start her training classes the next day. While her parents didn't discuss the party incident further, her mother mentioned that she was lucky Captain Jack O'Neill was there, though Sam, upon learning he was in the military, felt angered, suspecting her father had sent him to watch over her. Yet, her interest in the mysterious young man couldn't be suppressed.

During orientation, she searched for him at the Academy but couldn't find him or learn anything about him. Wearing her cadet uniform, she bid farewell to her mother and brother, who expressed displeasure at her following in their father's footsteps. General Carter personally escorted her to her room, advising her to follow orders from superiors before leaving her alone.

About twenty minutes later, the door opened, startling Sam. A cheerful, brown-haired girl entered, carrying all her belongings.

"Hello, you must be Samantha Carter," she approached. "I'm Janet Fraiser, your roommate."
"Hello... you can call me Sam."

After unpacking, Janet suggested exploring the campus. Although Sam was familiar with it from countless visits with her father, she couldn't resist the other girl's enthusiasm and saw it as an opportunity to find Jack.

On the other side of the campus, Major General Jones, along with Major Robinson and Captains Kovalsky and O'Neill, observed incoming freshmen, unaware of the officers present. Jack's mind was focused on analyzing the faces of the new recruits, especially the women, hoping to find the face of the beautiful young girl, Brigadier General Carter's daughter. However, he knew it wouldn't be allowed under any circumstances.

Janet and Sam quickly formed an easy friendship, bonding over being officers' daughters. Sam noticed Janet was more carefree, with fewer restrictions from her father. All cadets were called to the area where the officers assigned to all courses were located. Major General Jones, the Academy's commander, welcomed them with a speech, but Sam's eyes were fixed on one person sitting on the side, Captain Jack O'Neill. After the speeches and introductions, Sam knew Jack was assigned to train the third-year cadets, who would soon be deployed nationwide. As they dispersed, Sam caught Janet's attention.

"I'll see you in our room; I need to talk to someone," she said, rushing to reach the person she had seen descending the stage. Standing next to him, she touched his arm to get his attention.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, slightly agitated. He stopped, looking at her carefully.

"Cadet?"
"Jack, it's me... Sam, don't you remember?"

He glanced around, "Of course, I remember, cadet."

Confused, she said, "But Jack, I don't understand..."

Jack gently took her arm, leading her aside, away from passersby. "Listen, Samantha, here I am your superior officer, and you must address me by my rank, not my name. I hope that's clear, cadet."

With a lump in her throat, she replied, "Certainly, Captain, I beg your pardon, sir."

Sam turned and walked away, almost running, to the refuge of her room. Jack watched her go, audibly sighed, lowered his head, and ran his hand through his hair, unaware that his friend Charly had witnessed the exchange.

"Hey, Jack... who was she?"
Looking at his friend, "Who?"
"The beautiful blonde cadet? Is she the one from the party?"
"Yes, it's her."
"Oh, man! You didn't say she was an absolute beauty and a cadet too!"
"Enough, Charly. She's just a girl, and besides, I outrank her. Do you realize that?"
Hugging his friend and starting to walk, "Friend, she's a first-year cadet, and we're assigned to training the third-year ones. Do you understand?"
"Listen, I can't do anything; she's just a kid. Besides, we could get into trouble, not to mention I'd be the one in trouble, being the daughter of a general, as I told you."
"I know, friend, just teasing you."
"Come on, before Major Robinson scolds us."

They walked towards the building in the west wing of the campus, where officers with assignments stayed. In the east wing, the cadets' building was located. Sam was about to enter her shared room when she realized her face was covered in tears. The exchange with Jack, or rather Captain O'Neill, had left her devastated. Though he was right in everything he said, she couldn't help seeing the kind guy who had rescued her at that party.

She took a deep breath and entered her room. Janet studied her features and quickly realized something was wrong. She approached and led her to the bed, where they both sat.

"Sam... are you okay?"
Putting her hands to cover her face, she replied, "No."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"He doesn't think of me the way I think of him."
"Wait... I can't follow you. Are you talking about the person you went to talk to?"
"Yes..." she sobbed.
"Sam... who is he?"
The young girl lifted her face from her hands to look at the other girl, who seemed puzzled.

"Janet, you have to promise that if I tell you who he is, you won't tell anyone. It could jeopardize his career."
Intrigued, Janet said, "Sure, Sam, I promise."
"His name is Jack... Captain Jack O'Neill."

Covering her mouth with her hand, Janet exclaimed, "Oh my God, Sam... are you serious?"
"Yes."

Sam proceeded to tell her the whole story, how she had met him and he had rescued her at that party, how kind and polite he had been. When she reached the part about their recent encounter, her eyes filled with tears.

"Sam... I'm sorry."
"He recognized me, Janet, but he didn't care, at least not the way I thought."
"Can I ask you something without offending you, Sam?"
"Of course."
"What were you expecting when you approached him?"
"To be honest, I wasn't sure, but certainly not his disdain."
"Maybe he doesn't despise you; he's just trying to protect you and your future career... and his."
Sam looked at her. "Do you think so?"
"Maybe... because if you think about it, it wouldn't be well-received, neither for you as a first-year cadet nor for him as a captain who outranks you. Not everyone might see it as friendship."
"But that's what it would be, right?"
"Yes, but others might see it as him forcing you because he's a superior officer."
"I hadn't thought about it that way."
Looking at the clock, Janet said, "Listen, it's already dinner time. How about we go to the dining hall and see what we find there? It might make you feel better."
"Do you realize he'll be there too, right?"
"I know, but let's be realistic; you'll see him around here quite often."

After freshening up, both girls headed to the dining hall, which was already quite full. The tables were set next to each other, with two at the back horizontally where the assigned officers sat. As they approached, they saw only a few available seats, relatively close to the officers' table.

When they sat down, Sam's gaze met Jack's, and he immediately lowered his head. This exchange didn't go unnoticed by Janet.

"Is that the captain?"
Sam only nodded, continuing to stir her food on her plate.

"He's handsome," Janet remarked.

Sam looked again at where Jack was, and he approached to say something to the other captain beside him. He then took his tray, walked to the counter, and left without looking back.

The young girl lowered her gaze again to her plate, having completely lost her appetite, thinking to herself that this year would be the longest of her life, at least that's what remained to be seen.

Chapter Text

"Weeks passed, Sam and Janet quickly became friends. The situation with Jack was going from bad to worse; he constantly avoided her, leaving as soon as she entered the dining hall or any other place. They were only together when the first-year cadets were present in the training tasks of the advanced cadets as a demonstration, but even then, he never looked at her. Sam had cried many times, not understanding what she had done to push him away, but as the weeks went by, that feeling gradually subsided in her, and she cared less and less each day whether he ignored her or not.

One day, as usual, Sam arrived at the dining hall with her tray in hand. Her eyes met Jack's as he got up to leave. She took a deep sigh and walked to the table she shared with Janet and other cadets, watching his every move until he left through the door. Janet came in almost running and sat across from her.

"Did Mr. Popularity ignore you again?" she said, panting.

"Yes..." Sam said with evident frustration.

"I have the ultimate remedy for you."

"What are you up to, Janet?"

"The third-year cadets are going to Club Heaven," she said, with a big smile and wide eyes.

"What's that?"

"It's a bar!"

"Doubting – "I don't think it's a good idea to go, Janet."

"Oh, come on, Sam... please," she said, clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture and pouting.

"I... I don't know... besides, they're third-year cadets, they'll never invite us."

"Well, that's where you're wrong," she said, running her hands down her sides. "Guess what? This girl got us the invitation."

"What did you do?" she said, narrowing her eyes and smiling slightly.

"Do you remember Cadet Sanders?"

Sam nodded her head for her to continue.

"Well, it turns out he needed... help with a certain matter," she said, raising her eyebrows.

Sam covered her mouth with both hands, and they both burst out laughing.

"Come on, Sam... what do you say?"

"Okay."

Janet waved her arms in the air and half shouted a big yes.

The next weekend leave date for the cadets to visit their families approached, and the young woman called her parents to tell them she wasn't going and that she would stay with Janet at the academy to do extra training since her exam was approaching. Neither Jacob nor his wife suspected Sam's true intentions to stay at the academy.

Both women got ready to go to the party. Janet wore her hair loose and had accentuated her natural waves more, wore light makeup, and a fairly short dress. Sam, on the other hand, following Janet's advice a little, styled her long hair to one side, where several blonde strands cascaded over the left side of her face. She put on gray eyeshadow to highlight her pale blue eyes, painted her lips a dark red, and wore a black dress with straps, made of a light, thin fabric that reached mid-thigh, and matching high-heeled sandals. When Sam was ready, Janet looked at her and said, "Baby, today you're going to break a couple of hearts." They both laughed, grabbed their purses, and headed out.

When they arrived at the bar, it was already full, with many of the academy cadets present. Janet spotted Cadet Christopher Sanders and they approached him.

"Hi, Cris," said Janet, putting an arm around his waist.

"Jan!! How are you, babe?" he said, speaking close to her to overcome the volume of the music.

"Great, I brought my friend Sam."

"Hello," said the other young woman shyly. "I'm Sam."

"Awesome," said Sanders with a smile, scanning her entire body. "What can I get you ladies to drink?"

"I want a tequila," said Janet.

"Me too," said Sam.

Both received their drink, and after drinking it, they headed to the dance floor. The music was blasting, and the girls were dancing when Christopher approached and took Sam by the waist from behind, making her jump.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No... it's okay."

"Girls, I brought you more drinks."

He handed each of them a bottle of beer, and the three of them continued dancing until two other cadets joined them. One said, "Hey, Sanders, don't you think you have too many girls for yourself?" To which Cris responded with a smile, "Guys, you already know Janet, and this is her friend Sam." They all introduced themselves, clinking their bottles, and soon they were dancing again.

After about an hour, Sam apologized to Janet and the guys, saying she was going to the bar to get something to drink and rest. There she met a young man in his twenties who was looking at her suggestively.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi," she replied.

"I'm David, and you are..."

"I'm Sam," she said, extending her hand.

"I must say, Sam, I've been watching you for a while."

"Really?" she said with a suggestive smile.

"Yes... you're one of those people who are impossible to ignore."

The young woman lowered her gaze and blushed slightly, then he spoke again.

"Why don't you let me buy you something better than that beer?"

Sam looked up, tilted her head slightly to the side, exposing her neck, and brought her hand to it, caressing.

"Sure... you're treating."

The man ordered whiskey for her and another for himself, and they talked a lot. Late into the night, Janet approached her and told her that she was leaving with Christopher, asking if she was sure she could go back alone, to which she replied yes, and they said goodbye with a hug. People had already started to leave, and she was about to do the same when the boy took her hand and said.

"Why don't you let me take you home?"

"I don't know... it's not very far, and I can call a taxi."

"Don't be silly, Sam, I promise I'll behave."

"Okay, but I must warn you that I don't live in an ordinary house."

"Do you live in a castle or something?" he said, laughing.

"No... I live at the Air Force Academy."

Looking surprised, he said, "Is that a joke?"

"No... I'm a cadet."

"Wow, so you're a tough girl," he said, smiling.

"Something like that," she said timidly.

The boy got up, took her hand, then put an arm around her shoulders.

"Alright, Air Force girl, let me take you home."

And they both laughed as they left.

Upon reaching the door, David opened it for her. When they were both outside the bar, Sam felt a tug on her arm and someone grabbing and dragging her towards the parking lot. The situation took the boy by surprise, and he called the attention of the person who had grabbed Sam's arm.

"Hey! Wait!" he said, catching up to them.

Immediately, the person who had taken Sam's arm let go of her and approached the other man.

"Stay away from her, she's a first-year cadet."

"I know that, and it doesn't intimidate me, besides

, I think you should let her decide what she wants to do, right?"

"She's a cadet under my command, and I'm the one who decides, and she obeys."

Sam approached the men and stood between them, but facing the one who had grabbed her arm.

"Jack!! What do you think you're doing?!"

Looking at her with fury in his eyes, "Cadet Carter, I suggest you step aside, or you will be fined for insubordination to a superior officer."

Matching the fury reflected in his eyes, "Jack... leave me alone, get in your car or whatever and go."

Getting dangerously close to her, "Why do I always have to be rescuing you from situations like this, Samantha?"

"Rescuing me?!" - Indignant "I didn't ask you to come to my rescue, Jack, in fact, I haven't asked you for anything."

Gritting his teeth, "You'll come back with me to the Academy, and that's the end of it. I'm your commanding officer, and you'll obey me."

"You're not my commanding officer, Jack."

"But I outrank you, and I'm ordering you to get in the car now, cadet."

Sam sighed, clenched her fists and her teeth, "Fine."

She turned to see that David had walked away from them and was watching the whole exchange. She slowly approached him with her gaze on the ground.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"Yes... I'm sorry you had to witness that, David."

"Who is he?"

"Captain Jack O'Neill, he's one of the training officers for the third-year cadets."

"Let me tell you, it sounded quite more intimate with you, Sam."

"I know... I'm sorry... he's a friend of my father, General Carter," she lied.

"Your father is a general?"

"Yes, sorry I didn't tell you."

The young woman turned her head in Jack's direction and saw him waiting impatiently.

"Listen... I'm sorry, this shouldn't have ended like this."

"Sam, I had a great time with you," he said, smiling. "Well, at least until Captain Party Pooper showed up."

They both laughed.

"I hope we meet again..." he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, to which David responded by lightly taking her waist.

When they separated, Sam looked back to where Jack was walking back and forth like a caged lion.

"Goodbye."

"Take care, Sam..."

On the way back to the car, where Jack was already waiting for her, she walked past him without saying a word. The car started, and they left the parking lot. Sam looked out the window, unable to turn her gaze to Jack; she felt an uncontrollable fury, but she knew better than to give him what he wanted, an argument. When they stopped at a traffic light, he turned to look at her.

"What do you think you're doing, Samantha?"

Surprised by his voice, she looked at him directly.

"And what do you think you're doing, Jack?" she said sarcastically.

"Why do I always have to get you out of situations like these?" - driving a few meters with the car and stopping a few blocks from the Academy, he turned off the engine, turned his body and looked at her intently.

"What are you talking about, Jack? Do you think I'm a damsel in distress?"

"Do you like to attract attention? Is that it?"

"Who the hell do you think you are, Jack O'Neill?" she asked indignantly. "What gives you the right to assume things about me, when you don't even know me?"

"Then explain to me why you always have a guy hanging all over you? Maybe you just want to rebel against daddy?" He said, smiling sarcastically.

At that moment, Sam couldn't contain her anger any longer and slapped him. Jack brought his hand to his face and looked at her with unfocused and surprised eyes. When he reacted, the young woman was already out of the car and on her way to the Academy. He quickly got out and ran a few meters behind her until he took her by the arm to turn her around and look at him. He pushed her against a nearby tree and cornered her. This took Sam by surprise as she struggled to free herself, but he had no intention of letting go, so he took her by both wrists and placed them against his chest.

"Let me go, Jack," she said through clenched teeth.

"What, when another person corners you, you like it, but when I do it, you don't?"

"I said let me go, Jack, or you'll regret it."

"What will you do, report me? Are you perhaps afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, looking him firmly in the eyes.

At that moment, the world around them seemed to stop; suddenly, he went from looking at her with defiant eyes to giving her a passionate kiss, containing both anger and lust. She tried to push him away, but he released her hands and held her firmly by the waist, while his tongue claimed hers. The moment ended as abruptly as it began when Jack looked into her eyes and saw tears in them. Sam held his gaze for a moment, and when she felt the tears starting to fall, she ran towards the nearby building. He, seeing what he had done in her eyes, shouted after her.

"Sam, wait!! I'm sorry, I didn't... didn't mean..."

But she was already far from him. Watching the scene, Jack leaned against the tree and covered his face with both hands.

"What have I done?" he said to himself aloud.

Sam reached the building where the dormitories were, and upon hearing murmurs of people at the front, she leaned against the wall behind the building to avoid being seen in that state. She hugged herself and slid down the wall until she was crouched, burying her face in her arms and sobbing. She would need time to process what had happened; she didn't understand where that kind young man who had taken her home that night had gone. Without a doubt, this Jack was not the same, or at least that's what she thought.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Sam got up slowly, trying to compose herself, but her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. How could Jack transform like that? What happened for him to act like that?

She decided it would be best to get away from it all for a moment and seek refuge in her room, hopefully Janet would still be with Cris.
She walked briskly towards the building, avoiding at all costs running into anyone who might ask her uncomfortable questions.
Once inside her dorm room, she collapsed on her bed and covered her face with her hands as tears flowed freely, memories of the encounter with Jack tormenting her, along with the confusion and fear she had felt at that moment.
Sam went to bed that night with a heavy heart, feeling confused about her feelings towards Jack. On one hand, she was hurt and frustrated by his rude behavior, but on the other hand, she couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. The sensation of that kiss, while violent, had awakened something within her, a feeling that still lingered, but she was determined to stay away from him and focus on her cadet training.
In the following days, Sam tried to avoid Jack as much as possible, but he seemed to be everywhere. Their brief exchange that night clearly had stirred some emotions in him, and Sam could see it in the way he looked at her when their paths crossed. During a training session, Jack approached her and asked if they could talk privately. Sam hesitated at first, but then agreed.
They walked a few meters away from the other cadets, and Sam prepared for another argument, but Jack surprised her by speaking in a calm and serene tone.
"Sam, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted towards you... it was unprofessional of me to behave like that, and I'm sorry for any distress I may have caused you," he said, looking her in the eyes.
Sam was surprised by his sudden change of attitude and didn't know how to respond.
"Thank you for apologizing," she said timidly.
Jack took a step closer to her, and Sam instinctively stepped back.
"I know I've been tough on you lately, and I want you to know that it's nothing personal. You have a lot of potential, Sam, but I need you to understand that if you want to succeed in your career, nothing can happen between us," he said, with a firm but not cruel tone.
Sam could see the passion and dedication in Jack's eyes, and she understood that while he made it clear that there were feelings there, it would be better for her to focus on her career.
She looked at him with teary eyes.
"I understand what you're saying, sir, and if you'll excuse me, I must return to my training," she said, standing up straighter and looking him in the eyes.
Jack nodded in approval, and a brief moment of silence passed between them. Sam turned to leave, but he brushed her hand to draw her attention once again.
He looked into her eyes, trying to convey all his feelings with his gaze.
"Sam, there's one more thing I have to tell you. I know you may not like to hear it, but I have to tell you. I'm attracted to you, in more ways than one," he said, with a deep and intimate voice.
Sam felt her heart skip a beat and looked away, unsure of how to respond.
"I know you may have mixed feelings towards me, and I don't expect you to forgive me for my actions. But I wanted you to know how I feel," he added, running a hand through his hair.
Sam met his gaze and could see the vulnerability in his eyes. Jack wasn't just tough; he was also a man with his own desires and fears.
"Thank you for telling me, sir... I think it's best for me to return to my class," she said softly and turned to leave.
Jack nodded and watched her as she walked away.
Sam walked away with a firm step, feeling a mix of emotions. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt for Jack, but she also knew she couldn't pursue a relationship with him. She wouldn't jeopardize her career and position at the academy. She decided to focus on her training and keep her distance from him, at least for the time being. But deep down, she knew that the memory of Jack's kiss and his confession would linger in her mind for a long time.

Weeks and months were a rollercoaster for Sam. Some days, her training and classes occupied her mind completely, and she ended the day exhausted. It also helped that she didn't run into Jack. But there were days when she inevitably encountered him everywhere, and that didn't help her overcome the determined decision she had made. Sometimes he had tried to approach her without much success, as when the young woman saw him, she immediately walked in the opposite direction. But then there were the inevitable moments, like the hand-to-hand combat training classes, where third-year cadets shared experiences and practiced with first-year cadets.
She hated those particular days because for some reason Jack always chose her to demonstrate something. She hadn't been able to ascertain whether it was because he wanted to have her close and touch her or to embarrass her when she couldn't perform a move with total precision.

Janet had told her that Chris had overheard a conversation between Jack and Charly, where they mentioned Sam. While Jack had highlighted the young woman's combat skills, he said with a hint of sadness that she only had one more class to teach and then she would leave.
Sam's heart squeezed with sadness, and unanswered questions tormented her mind. Where was he going? For how long? Would she ever see him again? She needed to get answers at all costs.

With a lump in her throat and tears threatening to fall, she told Janet that she needed to find Jack, rushed out of her room, and roamed the campus like crazy. Almost exhausted, she met Charly.

"Captain!" She called out louder than she intended.
"Cadet, how can I help you?"
"I need to find Captain O'Neill, could you tell me where he is?"

Charly gently took Sam's arm and pulled her away from the passersby.

"Sam, right?"
"Yes..."
"Listen, Sam, Jack doesn't want you to know where he is, or where he's going... he says it's for your well-being."
"Please, I need to see him before he leaves... talk to him."

Charly thought for a moment, and seeing the desolate look on the young woman in front of him, he couldn't withhold the information.

"Alright... he's with General Jones right now... he's going to advance his departure for tonight."
"What? I thought he was leaving in a few weeks... I... no..."
"Listen, Sam, I've never seen Jack so affected by a person. In fact, I've never seen him so affected by anything."
"I need to talk to him before... convince him to stay..." she said, almost hyperventilating.

The young man put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention.

"His transfer is already done, Sam... but if there's anyone he'll remotely listen to, it's you."
"Thank you, Captain."
"Charly..."
"Thank you, Charly," she said, smiling wistfully.

With one last grateful look, Sam ran off to the office of General Jones. Upon arrival,

one of the SF told her that the General was busy in a meeting. The young woman quickly pretended to say she would come back later to ask for an appointment with the general, turned around, and left, but she remained hidden behind the wall of the adjacent building. From there, she had a clear view of the door, so the moment Jack came out, she would see him.

It took at least an hour and a half before Jack finally came out. It was already dusk, so he didn't notice Sam's presence until she touched his arm to get his attention. He reproached himself for not having noticed her and wondered if she had significantly improved in her covert training or if he was too immersed in his thoughts.
He looked at the young woman in front of him, seeing her well. She was undeniably beautiful, her pale blue eyes, her long braided blonde hair, her fair skin... her voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Jack!!... Jack!!"
"Sam? What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you... I, I needed to talk to you before it's too late."
He looked down and glanced at his boots.
"So you found out already..."
"Yes... weren't you going to tell me?"
"Sam... I'm sorry, I..."
"What Jack? Were you just going to leave without a word? Without even saying goodbye? Without even talking to me?" she said with growing anger and tears in her eyes.

Jack gently took her arm and led her to a secluded spot away from the buildings; night had fallen quickly, so it would be their accomplice.

"Sam, you don't understand, I need to go."
"Why?"
"To protect you, and your career."
"I don't need you to protect me."
Taking her hand and getting closer to her, "Yes, you do... I... I can't do it anymore, Sam."
"You can't what?"
"I can't be near you anymore, not without wanting to hug you and... kiss you... I'm sorry, Sam."
"You're leaving because of me..."
The young woman lowered her gaze and could no longer hold back the tears; she walked away from him a few meters until she found support on a tree and let herself fall.
Jack, seeing her devastated, quickly closed the distance and took her face in both hands.
"Listen, Sam... you're the bravest, most stubborn, and beautiful person I've ever known, with great determination, and... I don't want to be the one to destroy that in you."

Sam looked into his eyes, those deep chocolate eyes she longed to see every day.

"Why do you think you would destroy me? Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"
"Sam... your career is your future, and that's what you have to focus on, I... I won't be the one to tarnish that, just because I've fallen in love with a cadet."

Immediately she looked him in the eyes, fully understanding what he was saying; he was leaving because he loved her.

"Sam... I want you to understand that none of this is your fault, and I want you to promise me that you'll be the best cadet and graduate with honors, I want... I want you to have a great future, and... you can't do that while I'm here."
"Jack..."
"We'll see each other again... that's a promise."
Looking her in the eyes, he leaned in gently and gave her a deep kiss loaded with all his feelings of love, a kiss so that she would never forget.
He withdrew slowly and rested his forehead against hers.
"We'll meet again..."
Giving her a quick and final kiss, he quickly walked away from her, forcing himself not to look back; when the sun rose again, he would be far away.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

The months passed and turned into years, sometimes it happened quickly, but other times slowly, Sam still inevitably thought about Jack, she had received a couple of letters through Kovalsky, the first one had surprised her, she had run to her room to read it in privacy, in it she found tender and comforting words from him, she had thought about answering the letter, but Charli had told her that he only received them and that Jack had not told her where he had been parked. Likewise she wrote a response to every letter she received over the months.
The young woman strived every day to be the best and fulfill the promise she had made to Jack that night, her name was quickly recognized on campus by cadets and superiors, and she was proud of that, she was Cadet Carter, not General Carter's daughter.
Already in her last year, she had been deployed along with other cadets on a reconnaissance mission in the field, although it was something minor and simple, for Sam it was her first achievement.
One day like many others, she was having lunch in the dining room, when Charli approached her.
“Sam?”
“Oh, hello Charli, how are you?”
“Well, sorry to interrupt you.”
“It's nothing, I'm just preparing the graduation speech.”
“It's incredible that four years have passed… I congratulate you Sam, you have done a great job”
Excited – “Thank you Charli… I owe a lot of this to Jack” – looking down at the table – “he trusted me, encouraged me to always do my best, and I owe him my career”
“But you are the one who achieved so many achievements Sam and you should be proud.”
“Oh! I am, really… I just wish he was here to see it too…”
“Speaking of which… Jack sent you this letter” – handing the envelope to the young woman.
“Thank you Charli… thank you for being my connection to him”
“You're welcome Sam, and congratulations again, you deserve this and much more.”

With those last words, Charli walked away from her. The young woman stared at the closed envelope in her hand. She looked up to see if there were many people, but she found that the dining room was almost deserted.
She slowly opened the envelope and unfolded the sheet of paper to find her unmistakable handwriting. With a sigh she began to read.

Dear Sam,
It's hard to put into words how proud I am of everything you've accomplished. From the moment we met, I always knew you were a special person, full of determination, passion and kindness. And now, upon receiving the news of your graduation, my heart is filled with joy and excitement.
Since my stay here in Chicago, every day I think about you and everything you have achieved. Your dedication and effort have led you to this great achievement, and I couldn't be more proud of you. Being promoted to the rank of major has been a milestone in my career, but knowing that you are also achieving your goals fills me with indescribable happiness.
Today, on your graduation day, I want you to know that I am with you in spirit. Although distance separates us physically, my love for you has never been stronger. And to commemorate this special day, I have prepared a very special gift that I hope makes you smile as much as you make me smile.
Sam, you are my inspiration, my support and my joy. I look forward to seeing you achieve even more success in the future and sharing every moment with you. I sincerely hope that on your path you have found someone who will accompany you and bring you happiness. Although you remain my unattainable love, I have tried to move forward, and I wish that life fills you with joy and love.
I love you more than words can express.
With all my love,
Jack

The young woman read her letter at least twice more, although he always reminded her that he was proud of everything he had achieved, but the thought of not having him near her made her sad.
He had been promoted to the rank of major, and that made her very happy, she knew he was a great officer, there was no doubt about it, but what surprised her most was the fact that he told her that he hoped she had found someone to accompany her in his life and made her happy, that he himself had moved on, what did this mean? Was he with someone? Maybe he had gotten married, or maybe he had a formal girlfriend... Sam couldn't stop her eyes from filling with tears.
While he had put it in the end that he loved her, that was no guarantee that he would have formed a life with someone else.
Sam folded the sheet of paper and put it back in the envelope, he would keep it next to the others and knowing that perhaps this would be the last letter she would receive from him.
He got up from the table, left a tray on the counter and headed towards his room to prepare for the graduation ceremony, his family would be there soon, his mother, his brother and the most stressful thing was his father, who had been a silent shadow throughout the entire time. his stay at the academy.

The afternoon arrived and he found her standing in front of the mirror with her dress uniform on, and her posture unchanged, something that she had reinforced over the years, that helped her so that no one would get close or harm her emotionally, creating a tough and emotionless image in the eyes of superiors and cadets.
She changed her appearance, and there were no longer traces of that insecure and helpless young girl.
She cut her long blonde hair and adopted an air force style. You could tell that Samantha Carter was quite an officer.
Giving a long sigh, she headed towards where the ceremony would take place. All the fourth year cadets were excited and surrounded by their families. When Sam arrived he met his father, who instead of giving him a hug just extended his hand and said "I congratulate you cadet", his mother and brother on the other hand. On the side they gave her a loving hug and told her they congratulated her on her achievements, her brother a little less excited but happy for her anyway.

At the time of the diplomas' presentation, Sam was requested in the box by the commanding officer of the academy, who highlighted to those present that she was the cadet with the highest qualification and the person in charge of the end-of-year speech.
The young woman went up to the stage, and formally greeted the general, and extended her hand to him, stood in front of the crowd and with her head held high gave her speech, all of this oblivious to the attentive gaze of a particular officer.

Once the speech was finished, the general gave her her diploma, a medal of merit and appointed her to 2nd lieutenant. Seeing this, the officer smiled.

Having already said goodbye to her family, Sam joined his friends
“Wow!! Lieutenant…well done!!” Janet said as she hugged her and everyone else did the same. “Hey, we’re all going to O’Maylis to party, you’re joining us right?”
“Yes, of course, I'll go change first.”
“Great, come on… I want to take off these clothes now.”

Both women headed to their room with the promise of meeting their friends at the bar.
Janet put on a short dress, put on makeup and fixed her hair with some barrettes, while Sam opted for something more comfortable, a black blouse and jeans that fit perfectly to her curves, she put on subtle makeup and fixed her short hair. combing it slightly to the side, but in a messy way.
When they arrived at the bar everyone was waiting for them with drinks, they talked, laughed, danced and celebrated.
A little later in the night Sam approached the bar to replenish his and Janet's drinks, while he waited he began to observe the surroundings, the people in the bar... when he looked out at the parking area he saw a man leaning on On the hood of his black truck, with a light shirt and worn jeans and his hands in his pocket, something about that man's figure caught Sam in a hypnotic way, although he couldn't make out his face in the distance in the darkness. Something lit up inside her, she was lost looking at the man in the darkness when the bartender's hand pulled her out of her reverie, taking both bottles of beer in her hand she headed to the table she shared with Janet and her friends.
Everyone around her was talking animatedly, but she was still lost in the image of that man in the dark, and when Janet asked her what was wrong, then something clicked and she knew instantly who it was, she got up from her seat and looked at her friend. in the eyes and with a big smile he said.

"Is here!"
She then ran out to the parking lot, leaving everyone at the table not understanding what had happened.

When Sam arrived at the door, she stopped short, looking at the figure still in the shadows leaning on his truck, then when he raised his hand to shake her, she knew instantly that the gravitational pull she felt towards him was unique and unrepeatable.
She ran the short distance and launched herself into his arms that were waiting for her wide open.
Immediately he lifted her off the ground and spun her around in her arms, when he gently lowered her onto her feet, they looked into her eyes and expressed everything without needing words and they hugged each other again.

“It seems like we are destined to find ourselves in these situations,” she said in a humorous tone.
“So it seems,” untangling himself from her embrace just a little, looking him in the eyes again. "What are you doing here? “I thought you were in Chicago.”
“I was, but I told you I had a gift for you for your graduation… and here I am” she said with a big smile “Surprise!!”
“I can't believe you're here” with tears in her eyes.
“I wouldn't miss your graduation for anything... plus I needed to see you before you get assigned to some base.” Taking her face in his hands “Hey, don't cry, I'm here” he said hugging her again.
“I thought I would never see you again… that you had moved on.”
Looking into her eyes again, “Believe me, I tried... but it didn't work, she wasn't you.”
“I love you Jack O'Neill”
“And I to you Sam.”

He slowly lowered her face to meet his in a tender kiss.
Sam's friends who were watching from the door of the bar, this They were happy to see their friend happy again.

After a moment and the demand for air, they slowly separated.
“Listen Sam, I don't have much time…”
"What are you taking about?" she said a little scared.
“Don't worry, it's not bad at all,” she said, smiling. “I'm just on leave for twenty-four hours… I have to come back tomorrow morning.”
“Can't you stay longer?”
“No… I must be deployed soon, I am waiting for my reassignment”
“Reassignment?”
“Yes… I don't know where they will send me this time…”
“I don't want you to leave, I don't want to lose you.”
“You are not going to lose me… I will always be with you, accompanying you every step of your achievements…”
“But you're not going to be physically there with me” with tears sliding down her face.
“Sam…” putting his hand under her chin to make her look at him. “I think we should take advantage of the time we have… the other part of your gift is still missing,” she said with a smile.
"What do you have in mind?"
“If I told you it would stop being a surprise”
“I hate surprises”
“Yes, me too,” she said, smiling. “Come, let me show you.”
“Okay, but I have to go tell Janet first or she will go crazy.”
“I think she already knows,” she said, pointing toward the bar door and waving.
Smiling, “I must pick up my coat anyway.
“I'll wait for you here”

Sam gave her a sweet kiss and walked away from him, she went to the bar and Janet was waiting for her there with a big smile.

“Did you like your graduation gift?”
"You knew?"
“Charli may have told me something, she just didn't know when she would show up.”
“She really missed him, although she told me he's leaving tomorrow and they're going to reassign him,” she said sadly.
“Hey… then I recommend that you go now, and make the most of the remaining hours.”
“Of course I will,” she said, raising her eyebrows and with a side smile.

Her friend laughed out loud and she sent Sam away telling him that she wanted details later.

Jack was waiting for her in the same position she had found him in earlier.
They both got into the truck, and Jack drove to an elevated area with trees.
When he helped her down, Sam could see that they were at the top of a mountain, from there they could see the city with all its light show.
Jack went to the back of the vehicle and took out a blanket which he spread out on the grass, took Sam's hand and guided her to sit on the blanket.

“It's beautiful here Jack.”
"I knew that you would like"
“It's a beautiful view, and sharing it with you is even better”
“Sam… I know that our future is uncertain, and maybe it will be too many years before destiny crosses our path again, but I want you to never forget this night.”
“Jack would never do it.”
He slowly leaned down to touch her lips. At first it was a kiss loaded with all the feeling of contained love, but it quickly became urgent and passionate.
Jack took her face with one hand and pulled her closer to him, Sam automatically wrapped her arms around her neck, pressing her body to his.
“Sam… I don't want you to think that…”
Putting her index finger on his lips “I want this Jack, with you.”
"Are you sure?"
“I absolutely want it to be you… to be the first.”
“Sam…”
“I love you Jack.”

That was the confirmation she needed to finally give in to her request.
He placed one of her hands on her back and took her with him to the floor, leaning on her slightly, looking into her eyes the entire time.
He kissed her softly and caressed the skin of her arms, passing over her collarbone, her jaw and slowly down the side of her body until he reached the edge of her blouse, which he lifted, brushing his fingers. her in her skin.
Sam responded with a low moan and deepening the kiss, signaling to Jack that he could continue.
Slowly he removed the top of her clothing revealing a piece of black lace that stood out from her creamy skin.
He admired the already agitated beauty of her beneath him. He leaned down and kissed her neck, making her turn her head slightly to give him more access, he found the spot behind her ear that made her shudder, and he moved down her left shoulder, taking the strap of her bra with him, leaving it loose over her. arm.
Sam looked at him with eyes completely dark with desire, and he responded by brushing his way back to the back clasp of her bra to finally release her firm, eager-to-be-touched breasts.
She took her hands to the bottom of her shirt and quickly managed to pull it over her head, again they kissed and this time rubbing the skin of her chest.
He admired her, caressed her slowly until she couldn't take it anymore.
“Jack…” she said agitatedly, “I need you… now.”
He slowly stripped her of her pants, taking away the tiny piece of black lace that matched her previous one.
"You are beautiful…"
She responded by taking him by her neck and pulling him into a deep kiss. Slowly he placed himself between her legs and slid her hand first to find it already wet with excitement.
He caressed her clit gently, and she immediately arched her back.
and uttered and low groan.
“I will do this gently… if you want me to stop, just say so.”
“I'm ready,” she said, looking directly into his eyes, her pupils dilated with desire and expectation.
Very slowly Jack guided himself towards her, entering slowly and always looking into her eyes.
The moment he entered, Sam grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Are you OK?" He asked worried and retreating a little.
She responded with broken sighs, “I'm fine… continue.”
Jack repeated the same previous action again, always maintaining a slow pace.
Once he was completely inside her, he began to move slowly making Sam moan with each thrust, this was terribly successful, but he promised himself to stay calm.
Suddenly Sam looked at him with fire in her eyes, and indicated that she wanted him to be under her.
With a quick movement he turned them both, leaving her straddling him and him slightly sitting with her arm around her waist.
She began to move on top of him and make irregular sounds, which Jack found very sexy.
He pulled her closer and caressed her back while she delicately kissed her breasts.
After a moment Sam began to move at an irregular pace and he knew very well what that meant.
“Come for me Sam…don't hold back”
“Oh yeah… like that… oh, Jack!!!” he said with a cry that cut the silence, and tilting his head back.
Jack felt her internal spasms gradually subside and he pulled her towards him for a deep kiss, holding the back of her head.
Wrapping his other arm around her waist again, he urged her to start moving slowly.
Sam obeyed her silent request by placing his hands on her shoulders so he could have greater fluidity of movement.
After a moment she moved frantically on top of him, reaching the brink of climax again.
“Sam…” she said breathily. “I'm not going to last much longer.”
Looking into her eyes fiercely, “Come for me Jack.”
They both increased their pace, and found themselves riding the wave of pleasure together.

When they managed to regain both her breathing and her heartbeat, Jack slowly withdrew from her, and helped her lie down on her blanket.
He looked at her for a moment and then gave her a slow, loving kiss.
"Are you OK?"
“I'm wonderfully well,” she said, pulling him in for another kiss. “I love you, Jack.”
“And I, Sam,” seeing her shudder, “let me go get more blankets… or we could go to my hotel.”
“No, it's wonderful here.”
Smiling “okay”

Jack put on her underwear and her shirt and went to the back of the truck to get the rest of the blankets he had brought.
When he returned he found that Sam had also put on her underwear and the blouse he was wearing previously.
Jack wrapped them both up, and they lay down looking at the stars, she placed herself on top of her chest and he put her arm around her, pulling her closer to her side and they pulled for a while until they both fell asleep.
The clarity of the morning woke them up, Sam looked at her watch and jumped, worrying Jack.
“Hey, calm down… What's wrong?”
“I must go back, my father will pick me up in an hour.”
“I think the General would be upset if he sees his daughter arrive with an older man in the morning,” he said jokingly.
Which cost him a blow to the arm from the young woman.
“Let me pick up the mess and I'll take you back.”

Once she had everything put away, they both watched the sunrise for a moment.
Sam turned towards him and taking him by her neck she pulled him towards her, gave him a deep kiss and when he separated from her he placed her forehead against his.
“I love you Jack O'Neill… thank you for making me spend a unique and wonderful night”
“I love you Sam, never forget that.”
With another kiss they sealed her eternal love.

Forty-five minutes later, Jack parked at the academy, Sam sighed when he realized that his father's car was still gone.
He turned to face Jack, but this time he was the one who spoke first.
“Sam… you are a wonderful person, and I love you… but I want you to please try to have a life, surround yourself with people, enjoy yourself, have a good time, and don't hold back for me.”
“Jack…” with tears in his eyes “I don't know if I'll be able to… I…”
“You have to promise me that you will keep going and become a great officer,” he said with pride in his eyes.
“I promise you” with tears running down his face.
He pulled her in for one last kiss, charged with passion and their shared love.
She got out of the truck and he put it in reverse and left the parking lot without looking back. If she did, he knew that she wouldn't be able to leave, and that it would have many fatal consequences for both of them in their careers.
Sam stayed until he couldn't see Jack's truck anymore. Giving a sigh and wiping away the shed tears he went to his room, where he met Janet who was finishing packing.
Seeing her enter quickly, her friend approached her and surrounded her in a hug.
“Oh Sam…”
Crying uncontrollably “Janet is gone forever…”
“Don't worry, one day her destinies will cross again, you'll see.”
"I lost it"
After a moment, the young woman managed to compose herself, and she noticed that her friend had already packed all of her things.
“You packed my things.”
“Yes… imagine that you wouldn't come back last night, and that maybe you wouldn't arrive in time to do it before your father arrived.”
“Thank you Janet.”

Both friends said goodbye in the parking lot under the watchful eyes of their respective parents who were talking to the side.

“Hey, I'm staying all summer at Peterson, if you need anything, anything before your assignment, you know where to find me.”
“I will, grace Janet.”
They both hugged each other and said goodbye.

Weeks passed, and Sam's reassignment letter arrived to inform her that she would be assigned to the Pentagon.
Her family, especially her father, was arguably happy, although she suspected that her assignment had something to do with him.
That night the young woman was in her room again preparing her suitcases to begin her new career as an officer.
She was bending over in the closet looking for some shoes when when she got up she lost her balance and fell sitting on the floor.
She immediately heard a soft knock on the door and saw her mother peeking her head out.
“Sam? Honey, are you ok?"
“Yes mom, I just tripped and fell.”
“That's unusual for you, daughter… are you sure you're okay?”
“I am, mom… it's just the excitement or uncertainty, I'm not sure… it's the first time I'll be more than 1,600 miles away from you.”
“Daughter… it will only be a few months, and we will be with you in Washington… and your father will be there with you.”
“I know, it's just that I wish you were already there.”
“I know, honey, but I have to stay until the house is sold, but if it's any consolation, I'll send Marck to your father to be your support in case you need him.”
Both women laughed.
"Thanks Mom"

As the days went by, Janet and Sam met at a cafe to say goodbye, as Sam's plane was leaving the next morning.
The two were talking animatedly, when the waiter arrived with his order, the moment Sam saw the food on the table he had to run to the bathroom.
Her friend quickly followed her and when she entered she found the young woman lying on the toilet.
“Sam, are you okay?”
“Yes, I've been sick for a couple of days,” she said, walking away to the sink to wet her face and freshen up.
“How long have you been feeling this way?”
“Just a couple of days… it's because of the nerves of my new assignment, it's nothing”
“Sam… I don't want to intrude on your privacy, but… you were with Jack a couple of weeks ago…”
“Janet, please, I'm trying not to think about him, it doesn't help if you name him.”
“I'm not talking about that Sam…”
"What are you trying to tell me?"
“Sam…did you use protection when you spent the night together?”
“I don't know… I don't remember…”
“You know what it could mean, right?”
“Janet no… it can't be…” She said with tears in her eyes.
"There is only one way to find out".

They both paid the bill, wrapped their takeout order, and passed by a pharmacy on the way to Sam's house.
Once in her room and having made sure that no one was in the house, the young woman entered the bathroom holding the box.
She carefully followed the steps indicated on the package, and after a few minutes she came out with the stick in her hands. Her friend looked at her expectantly and she proceeded to hand him the stick.
Janet looked at him for a moment, and then looked at her apprehensively.
“Oh my god Sam… you're pregnant…”

Chapter Text

Hello readers, I've come today with a request for you. I need to know if you want me to continue with this story, as I love writing it, but I'm not sure if you enjoy reading it as much. Please let me know in the comments. Thank you. Much love.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

The young woman was dumbfounded, unsure how to react to the new situation. Many questions crowded her mind. What would she do now with her assignment? How would she tell her parents? What would she do with the baby? Where would she find Jack? And would he even want this surprise baby and her in his life?

She slowly slid to the edge of the bed, ending up seated on the floor, covering her face with her hands and letting out an audible sob. Immediately, Janet was by her side to comfort her.

"Take it easy, Sam..."

"Oh, God, Janet, what am I going to do?"

At that moment, her mother gently knocked on the door and proceeded to enter.

"Sam, honey, we're home."

Seeing her daughter's state, she quickly entered the room and closed the door.

Getting down to her level, "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Looking her mother in the eyes, "I don't know..." she said, letting out a sob.

Janet quickly got up from the floor. "I think I'll leave you two alone," she said, looking at her friend. "I think you need to talk."

She gave one more look to both women and then left the positive result stick on the dresser next to the door.

Once they were alone, her mother took her hands and helped her up from the floor, making her sit on the bed as she took a seat beside her.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Mom... I don't know how to tell you this without disappointing you."

"I would never be disappointed in you, Sam. You're an excellent daughter."

"I don't know if you'll still think that way, Mom..."

"Sweetheart, if you don't tell me what's going on, then I don't know how I can help you."

"Mom... I... I'm pregnant."

"Sam..."

Covering her face with both hands, "Oh, God... I'm sorry, Mom, I'm so sorry," her tears running down her face again.

"Oh, honey... calm down... calm down."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"Sam, look at me," she said, removing her daughter's hands from her face. "I need you to tell me if someone hurt you."

"No, no one hurt me... it was... it was..."

"Love?"

"Yes... him... God, I don't even know where to find him."

"Sam, honey, I need you to tell me what happened... and... who is the father."

"It's Jack..."

"Jack, the young man who brought you from that party a few years ago?"

"Yes... he was the captain in charge of training the third-year cadets at the academy, and that's where we met... he was alone the first year, and then he requested a transfer so as not to hinder my career with his feelings for me."

"I don't understand, daughter, if he wasn't in Colorado anymore, then how did this happen? Did you escape from the academy?"

"No! Of course not... we kept in touch by letter... actually, he sent me letters through a friend, which I couldn't reply to because he didn't want me to know where he was stationed... but... on graduation day... he came and surprised me, he asked for a 24-hour leave to be here... I didn't see him until at night when we went to celebrate with Janet and other friends at O'Maylis, suddenly there he was, in the parking lot next to his truck... I was so happy to see him again... he told me he had a gift for my graduation, and we went to a viewpoint where he had a telescope... we looked at the stars... and... one thing led to another and... God... I'm sorry... I ruined everything, Mom, my career, Dad's reputation... Jack's..."

"Calm down, sweetheart, we'll figure this out..."

"How?... I don't know what to do..."

"Sam... do you know where Jack is?"

"No, the last I heard was that he was going to be deployed as soon as he arrived in Chicago, I don't know how to contact him or where they sent him."

"If you want, I can ask a friend of your father's to find him."

"No!!"

"He needs to know, Sam, regardless of the decision you make about what to do."

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet..."

"Sweetheart, do you realize that this is going to completely change your priorities? Your career will no longer be the most important thing in your life."

"I... I don't know... my career is what I've always wanted... I'm good at it..."

"I know, sweetheart... everything will be fine..."

Sam nestled into her mother's arms, and for a fleeting moment, everything was okay.

Weeks passed, Margaret accompanied her daughter for a medical check-up and to be properly informed about her options. On the other hand, Jacob suspected that something was happening with his daughter. One night, after everyone had gone to bed, he asked his wife if they could have a talk in the kitchen.

He poured coffee for both of them and sat on the other side of the kitchen counter.

"Maggi, I want to know what's going on with Samantha."

A knot formed in the woman's stomach. She knew well that her husband, a general in the Air Force, was as good at uncovering secrets as he was at hiding them.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jacob. Sam is perfectly fine, just a little nervous and anxious about her assignment."

"Maggi, don't lie to me. I know something is happening, and you're aware of it."

"Darling... if there's something, and I'm not confirming anything, but I think it should be Sam who tells you."

"You know very well I can't talk to her, she completely shuts down when I try to approach her."

"Maybe if you tried talking to her as her father and not as a General..."

With those last words, the woman got up from her seat and went to the bedroom she shared with her husband. The man remained pensive, observing his already empty cup. He needed to talk to his daughter, find out what was happening to her. He had realized that she hadn't been herself for weeks, she had been somewhat sick, not eating as she used to, and looking paler with dark circles under her eyes.

He placed both cups in the dishwasher and climbed the stairs, ready to join his wife, but upon reaching the top, he diverted his path and entered his daughter's room slowly. He sat gently on her bed, trying not to wake her, and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

"My girl... what's happening to you?"

He observed her for a moment longer, then tucked her in, realizing he hadn't done that since Sam was little. He prepared to leave when something caught his attention: a white stick resting on the dresser. As he picked it up, he realized what it was. Upon inspecting it closer, he noticed the pink lines on the display. He audibly sighed but immediately brought his free hand to his mouth to muffle the sound. He turned to look towards the bed and was relieved to see that he hadn't woken his daughter. That's when his head could piece together all the details: sickness, paleness, fatigue, the test in his hands... his daughter,

his little girl, was pregnant.

Immediately he left, taking the evidence with him. Upon entering the room he shared with his wife, she was surprised by his hurried manner, as if he didn't want to be seen by anyone.

"Honey... are you alright?"
"Why didn't you tell me when I asked you a moment ago?"
Putting down the book she was reading, "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about this," he said, showing the stick he held in his hand.
"You checked her room?!" With evident anger in her voice.
"I didn't check anything, it was on the dresser and I saw it as I was leaving."
"Jacob..."
"She's pregnant, Maggi!"
"You need to calm down, Jacob, lower your voice or you'll wake her up and she needs rest."
"For God's sake, Margaret..." sitting at the foot of the bed and putting a hand to his face. "They hurt my baby... my poor little one..."
"No one hurt her, Jacob..."
Looking at his wife in astonishment, "Are you telling me she got pregnant on purpose?"
"No. How could you think that of your daughter?"
"Then... I don't understand, Maggi."
"She was with someone she loves..."
"Who is he? I'll make him answer for his actions."
"Calm down, Jacob... it's precisely for this reason that Sam didn't trust you to tell you what was happening."
"How far along is she?"
"About 10 weeks."
"Then... it happened after her graduation..."
"Yes... but you need to talk to her, Jacob, but do it as her father, not as a commanding officer, she needs to know she can rely on you."
"Alright... and... what does she plan to do with the baby?"
"I took her for a check-up, and to explain her options... but she hasn't decided yet."
"Her career, Maggi... her future is at stake..." Looking directly at his wife. "I need to know who the father is."
"I'm not the one to tell you that, honey, trust me and talk to Sam."

Jacob waited a few days before having the conversation, observing his daughter carefully, and thinking about how she must be feeling, with a life growing inside her.
One morning he prepared breakfast for her and took it to her room, gently waking her up, placing the tray on her lap, he looked at her for a moment and then spoke.

"Honey... what do you think about going to the mall after breakfast?"
"Yes, Dad, that would be great, I need to buy some things I'm missing for our trip to Washington."
"Alright, sweetheart, I'll wait for you downstairs then."
As he was about to leave, he looked at her again and said, "Do you know that I love you, daughter?"
"Of course, Dad, I love you too... and thanks for breakfast," she said cheerfully.

Forty minutes later they were heading to the mall, the journey passed in silence, but Jacob glanced at his daughter at certain moments. When had she grown so much? How could he protect her?
When they arrived at the mall, Sam quickly went through the stores where she needed to buy her things, although it didn't escape her father's notice that she stood still for a moment looking at the newborn baby clothes.

When she had finished all her shopping, her father invited her to lunch, the whole meal passed in relative silence except for some sporadic conversations about her assignment to the Pentagon.
When they finished, Jacob ordered a coffee and a tea for Sam.

"Dad... I'd prefer to have a coffee," she said somewhat playfully.
"I don't think caffeine is a good idea in your condition."
The young woman immediately tensed at her father's words, could it be that her mother had told him her secret behind her back? Well, after all, he was her husband. Gathering courage, she spoke.

"Dad..."
"Calm down, sweetheart, I found out on my own," he said calmly, anticipating where his daughter's thoughts were going, something that of course didn't go unnoticed by Sam.
"I'm sorry, Dad... I disappointed you," she said with tears in her eyes.
Sitting down immediately beside her and hugging her, "Sweetheart, calm down, you could never disappoint me."

Sam looked up and saw nothing but love in her father's eyes. She had feared encountering the authoritarian General Carter, who liked things clear-cut without any regard.

"Sweetheart, I know it wasn't something you deliberately sought out, and I don't judge you for it. But as your father, I need to get some answers from you."

Their beverages arrived and were placed on the table, Jacob returned to his seat across from Sam, he reached out his hand across the table and took his daughter's to give her the confidence to tell him what had happened.
The young woman proceeded to tell him the same thing she had told her mother, leaving out the detail of Jack and his graduation gift.
"Sam, daughter... I need to know who the father is."
"I can't tell you, Dad... I'm sorry."
"Why do I suspect it has something to do with something beyond what regulations allow?"
Letting out a frustrated sigh, "I met him outside the academy if that's your question, but I won't deny that it's not related... but, even so, I can't tell you who he is... I'm sorry, Dad."
"Sam... are you aware that next week we'll be moving to Washington?"
"Yes, Dad, I know."
"And... what do you plan to do... with...?"
"I haven't decided yet, I know my career is what I want, but... sometimes I think that I couldn't just get rid of the baby like that... without giving her the chance to be loved... or to have a family that cares for her like you care for Marck and me..."
"Sweetheart... whatever decision you make... both your mother, your brother, and I will support you."
Taking her father's hand in hers again, "Thank you, Dad, it's a relief to know that."

Most of the Carter family was about to board the plane to their new city of residence. Janet was there to accompany her friend and wish her luck, reminding her that whatever she needed was just a phone call away. Sam's mother would stay in Colorado until the house was sold and then she would join them.
The farewell was hard, something in the young woman's chest compressed, saddened to leave her mother behind.

Once settled in their new home, Sam began her position at the Pentagon, all her superiors congratulated her on her performance at the academy and were happy to have General Carter's daughter among their ranks.
Once settled in, she quickly realized that she was only considered because she was a Carter, and not for her personal performance as an officer, she was confined to the position of assistant to a high-ranking officer, and basically she was the girl who brought the coffee and scheduled appointments for Brigadier General Charles Brown's meetings.

She talked to her father, telling him how indignant she was about her position, but given the circumstances it was preferable to anything else.
Jacob promised his daughter that he would do his best to see if he could pull some strings so that she would be more comfortable with someone familiar from the family and given her condition it was best to let her father advocate for her at least this time.
Sam had informed her parents of her decision to carry her pregnancy to term

, she didn't know if she would still keep the baby, but at least she wanted to give her the chance to be loved by someone.
Making some connections, she was assigned to Brigadier General George Hammond, a personal friend of the family and Sam's godfather, who was informed of the young woman's condition, granting her tasks according to her abilities as well as the opportunity for a specialization of her choice.

Sam was happy with everything, she felt at peace with the choices she had made so far, and although there were times when she thought of Jack when she was alone and placed her hand on the slight bump in her belly, she tried not to, she had been tempted to locate him by infiltrating the Pentagon's database, but quickly dismissed the idea, it wasn't fair to force him to take responsibility for the situation when she herself hadn't figured out what to do.

It was the 22nd week of her pregnancy when a harsh blow hit her life and her family's.
Her mother finally joined them after having sold the house in Colorado, it was winter and snowing, and her plane arrived about half an hour earlier than expected, so her father couldn't pick her up at the airport, forcing Margaret to take a taxi, but then a drunk driver ran a red light at an intersection and crashed into the taxi, causing her death and taking a piece of everyone with her.

Sam fell into depression, she didn't eat properly, worked overtime to avoid going home and finding her brother fighting with her father, only to end up blaming him for the loss of their mother.
On the other hand, Jacob also distanced himself from them, taking on responsibilities and traveling whenever the opportunity arose, they went from being a close-knit family to being complete strangers.

One day like any other and already in her 30th week, Sam was analyzing data from a computer program, a scientist from Area 51 had turned to her as she quickly gained a reputation for being the smartest in her astrophysics doctoral program, something she had started doing since she was assigned to Hammond.

After finishing her workday, she turned off the computer and gathered her things, as she was about to leave, a pain pierced her stomach and forced her to bend over and lean against the wall. When the pain subsided a bit, she straightened up and immediately felt a warm liquid running down her legs, frightened she looked at herself to find blood.
Terrified, she screamed for help, and thankfully the security guard heard her and rushed to her.

Sam was taken to the hospital urgently where she underwent tests, which revealed that she had suffered a slight placental abruption that could have been caused by stress or considerable exertion, but fortunately they had been able to stop the bleeding and both she and the baby were safe, although she would have to remain on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy.

Once the doctor left her alone, she realized the words spoken unintentionally, revealing the sex of the baby, and she was expecting a girl, she had refused to know at each check-up they did, but now she couldn't get the image of her baby girl out of her head, she promised herself that once she was born she would try to find Jack so that he could be part of their lives, then another realization hit her, unconsciously she wanted to keep the baby girl, raise her, love her, and give her a home, she was her mother and regardless of how she was conceived she loved her with all her being and didn't have the heart to leave her in someone else's care.

She tried to reach out to her father, but had no luck, the same thing happened with her brother, so she was literally alone. After much thought she knew there was one person she could trust, so she called General Hammond, immediately he told her not to worry about anything, that she could count on his support, leaving her reassured that he would pick her up at the hospital when she was discharged.

The rest of her pregnancy was relatively peaceful, her brother was present to help her when her father was away, but when Jacob returned, Marck would leave for several days.
Her pregnancy came to term, coinciding with her father's presence, so he was in charge of taking her to the hospital.
That day Grace Margaret Carter came into the world, a beautiful and healthy baby girl, who from the start was her mother's light.

Two months had passed since Grace's birth when Sam set out to locate Jack.
She had contacted Charli hoping he knew where he was, but without revealing the real reason, although it turned out to be an unsuccessful search.

She had also contacted Janet to tell her the news of Grace's birth, and her intentions of finding Jack, to which Janet said she had heard some officers talking about a special operations subject being declared MIA in Iraq, and that the description could easily be Jack's but she wasn't sure. Upon hearing this, Sam's heart contracted, hoping it wasn't him. Although knowing Jack and knowing that his file was classified, it could easily be him.

Knowing this, the young woman decided to play her last card, she would talk to her godfather and boss to see if she could find the father of her daughter.

After several weeks of waiting, a call from General Hammond's office summoned her to a meeting the next morning.
She spent the whole night thinking about what it could be that George wanted to talk to her about, maybe the one who had disappeared if it was Jack, and the news of his death was imminent, although she tried not to let her thoughts go there.
Wearing her regulation blue suit, she knocked on the door of her godfather's office, he immediately indicated for her to enter and take a seat.

"Captain... I'm glad to have you back."
"Thank you, sir, it's good to be back."
"Tell me, Sam, how's little Grace?"
"Beautiful, growing well thankfully."
"I'm glad to hear that," he said, settling into his seat. "I have news about your request, Sam..."
"Thank you for doing this for me, sir, I really appreciate it."
"I managed to locate Major Jack O'Neill," he said with a sigh. "Although it was complex to unravel his file or what little there is of it since he is a Special Operations asset, but he is currently stationed at Scott Air Force Base, so I suppose he lives on the base or nearby."

Sam's chest tightened at the uncertainty of what the next step would be.
She thanked her godfather and left the office and the building.

That same afternoon she was packing her suitcase and her daughter's things, she would go look for him, tell him what had happened, introduce him to her daughter whom she knew he would love just by seeing her, and the rest would be resolved step by step.

She headed to the airport, hopefully she would catch the next flight to Chicago.
She took care to leave a note for her father and brother telling them she was going to look for the father of her daughter, but without saying where she was going.

Sam boarded the plane with little Grace asleep in her arms, she only hoped that Jack still loved her, and wanted a life with her and their little daughter.

Everything was at stake.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

When Sam arrived in Chicago, it was already night, so she rented a car and looked for a hotel to rest and plan her next step.

Once settled in her room, with Grace already asleep, the young woman approached the window and admired the city with its tall buildings and shining lights. Then, suddenly, it hit her that she was alone with her little daughter in a strange city, more than 1700 kilometers away from her family.

Sadness overwhelmed her as she looked at her daughter sleeping. She wiped away the tears that had fallen and told herself that this was for Grace’s good. She deserved to grow up with her father, being part of his life.

Lying down next to her little one, she watched her. Many of her features were still undefined because she was so young, but there were two things that stood out: her grayish-blue eyes and her brown hair, clearly just like her father’s.

What would Jack think when he saw her? When he found out they had a daughter? Would he accept them? So many questions still unanswered, but she was determined to find the answers soon.

Her alarm clock went off at 9 AM, a little later than she preferred or was used to waking up, but since her daughter fed every three hours, her sleep hadn’t been restful, and these days she always slept a little more.

Giving her little one a final glance as she slept, she got up and quickly showered. Then she called the reception, ordered breakfast, and asked for directions to the academy.

The plan was to play it safe; first, she would confirm that Jack was indeed stationed in Chicago, more precisely where General Hammond had told her, and the safest place to check that was the academy, so she would start there.

Once she had Grace ready and everything packed, she left the hotel and headed to the address the receptionist had given her.

When she arrived, she parked a few meters from the entrance and stopped to observe for a moment. Officers and cadets were coming and going, some in small groups talking.

She took a deep breath, got out of the car, and, holding the baby carrier, walked toward the entrance.

Many people stared at her with curiosity, but she walked with steady steps and determination into the building and approached the information desk.

The woman looked at her for a moment.

“Can I help you, miss?”

“Carter!” she said, her voice louder than she intended. “Sorry, my name is Samantha Carter, Captain Samantha Carter.”

“How can I assist you, Captain?”

“I’m looking for someone, actually. I heard that their last assignment was here in Chicago a little over a year ago, but I don’t know where.” – she lied.

“And what is your relation to this officer?”

“He was my combat training officer at the academy in Colorado... and I wanted... to give him a gift. His recommendation was very important for my current position at the Pentagon.” It was the first excuse that came to mind that made sense for her search and request and wouldn’t raise suspicion.

“What is the name of the officer you’re looking for?”

“Jack O’Neill.”

The woman typed on her computer, searching for the information, and after a moment, she looked up at the young woman.

“Major O’Neill is currently stationed at Scott Air Force Base, about a few miles from St. Louis.”

“Thank you so much.”

Sam turned and let out a sigh she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Apparently, the information in his file was correct.

After securing Grace in her seat again, she started the engine and headed toward St. Louis.

It would take at least four and a half hours to get there, but in her mind, she kept running through her plan over and over again.

First, she would find Jack, tell him everything that had happened, and then, depending on his reaction, she would introduce him to Grace.

When she reached the base’s gate, which was guarded by two soldiers, she showed her ID, and they directed her to the information office.

Once there, she spoke with an officer, who informed her that Major O’Neill lived in the housing complex located west of the base and gave her the house number on a piece of paper.

Back in the car, Sam drove to the address, hoping everything would go smoothly.

She asked for directions along the way until she finally found the street she was looking for. She drove past the house with the number written on the paper, just to make sure it was the right one.

She turned around and parked a few houses down. She gripped the steering wheel with both hands, took a deep breath, looked at her daughter, who was still asleep, and prepared to get out of the car.

As she was opening the door to get out, she noticed some movement coming from Jack’s house.

The front door opened, and Jack walked out carrying some suitcases, which he placed in the back of a car. Sam stood still, unsure whether to approach or not.

She watched him go back inside and come out again, this time carrying some bags, which he also placed in the trunk.

He entered the house for a second time, but when he came out again, what she saw left her stunned. He was carrying a child about 18 months old in his arms, and behind him, a blonde woman with long hair followed, holding a bag and some toys in her hands. She locked the front door.

Jack placed the child in the back seat, and both he and the woman got into the car, started the engine, and drove off.

---

Sam sat stunned in her car, unaware that tears had begun to pour down her face. She rested her forehead on the steering wheel, and her sobs grew louder and more audible, immediately causing a response in her daughter.
She jerked her head up and leaned over the back seat to comfort little Grace.
"Calm down, darling... nothing's happening... Mommy's just a little sad."
Hearing her mother's voice, Grace immediately looked at her with her big blue eyes and stopped crying.
"Okay, little one, it's time to go home. There's nothing for us here," she said, returning to her seat.
She took one last look at the house, started the engine, and began her journey back.

The trip to Washington had been surreal. The images of Jack, the child, and the woman wouldn’t leave her mind.
It was clear that he had formed a family, and without a doubt, everything that had happened between them and the things he had said were nothing but lies.
When she got home, her father greeted her, and as soon as he saw the distress in her eyes, he did the only thing he could—he wrapped her in his arms.
Once she was calmer and had placed Grace in her crib, her father was waiting for her with a steaming cup of coffee.
She told him about her trip and about Jack, to which her father responded with a deep, audible sigh.
Exhausted, Sam settled into bed and looked at her daughter sleeping peacefully.
Tears streamed down her cheeks again—little Grace would never know her father, and Sam didn’t know what she would say when Grace eventually started asking about him.

Days, weeks, months, and years passed. Captain Samantha Carter advanced rapidly within the Pentagon, and she was requested for a high-secret research position about a new technology.
An artifact found in Giza during an expedition in 1928—a kind of ring made of a metal they hadn’t yet identified. According to notes they had found and with the help of Dr. Catherine Langford, the "gate," as she called it, had been activated once, and her fiancé, Ernest Littlefield, had disappeared.
Sam quickly became friends with Catherine, and both, with the help of a team of scientists, began designing a program to activate the gate again.

The young woman’s work was going well, but her personal life was another story.
Although little Grace was everything she needed, Sam still couldn’t forget the images from that day outside Jack’s house.
Often, when her daughter smiled, Sam could clearly see her father in her. Or when she frowned in anger, or her great sense of humor—Grace had so much of her father in her, even though her appearance said otherwise, as she looked just like Sam, especially in her intellect.
The young captain stayed out of the first mission through the gate, only learning from Catherine that three special operations soldiers and a linguist had passed through.
Though the mission hadn’t gone as planned, from the start, they had known it would be a suicide mission.
A year later, she was called again for the program, now officially named the Stargate Project.
Although she wouldn’t be with her friend this time, the general in charge of the project was her godfather, George Hammond.
Because of this, she sold her apartment in Washington and bought a modest home in a nice part of Colorado Springs.
Grace was now approaching her eighth birthday. She was very mature for her age, and the similarities with her father were becoming more noticeable—her laugh, her sense of humor, her tantrums, her spontaneity...
But she was incredibly bright. She had skipped a grade in school because she was far ahead of her peers and got bored in class.
She was a happy child, the light of her mother's life.

The move to Springs was a bit hard for Grace. Being separated from her friends and her grandfather was tough, but she understood why it had to be that way.
She often watched her mother for long periods without Sam noticing. She had seen her holding a photograph, tears streaming freely down her face.
Once, Sam had found her daughter looking at the photograph, and the little girl asked who the man was. Sam only responded with, "He was a friend from the academy whom I cared for deeply." The little girl tried to ask why her mother cried when looking at the photograph, but Sam didn’t answer, and put the picture back in her nightstand.
Grace searched for it again another day, but it was no longer where it used to be.
Her mother had had a relationship with a man, an Air Force officer with the same rank as her. But things had not gone well. At first, he was kind to both her and Sam, but one day, things just started to go wrong. The man, named Jonas, had hit Grace for entering the office that they both shared with Sam, looking for some blank paper to draw on. Sam had immediately responded by saying that he shouldn’t lay a hand on her again, as he was not her father. This had shocked Grace, as she had always thought Jonas was her father, calling him that since she could remember.
When the man finally left their home, taking everything with him, Grace asked her mother if Jonas was her father. Sam told her that no, although he had accepted her as his daughter, he was not her biological father. This piqued the little girl’s curiosity about the father figure missing from her life.
Her mother only told her part of the story. She said she had met him when she was young, but that one day he left, and she never saw him again, and that he didn’t know he had a daughter.
Grace had grown up with only her mother, her grandfather, and her uncle’s family, although she never lost hope of one day meeting her father.

That morning, her godfather had called Sam to report to a meeting at the base. She knew members of the first mission would be present, and she was a little nervous. Although she had training and great preparation, it had been a while since she had been in the field, and now, the weight of her daughter depending on her alone frightened her.
When she arrived at the base, Sergeant Harriman, in charge of the gate control room, told her the meeting had started a while ago, and that she wasn’t too late. He then accompanied her to the conference room. What she didn’t know was what she was about to find.

SGC Conference Room

Jack was there with his colleagues, his great friend and godfather to his son, Charly Kowalky, and Lou Ferretti. When General Hammond entered, he asked them to take their seats and immediately asked where Sam Carter was.
This left Jack stunned. It couldn’t be, it was impossible... Surely it was another Sam Carter, just a coincidence, and the memory of that woman who kept kicking his ass when he thought he had finally gotten over her.
But curiosity made him want to know more.
“Carter?”
“I’ve assigned Sam Carter to this mission.”
“I’d prefer to choose my own team, sir.”
“Not on this mission, sorry... besides, she knows a lot about the gate.”
“Where were they transferred from?”

A voice from a figure in the shadows came through the door of the conference room.

“She was transferred from the Pentagon.”

Jack recognized the voice instantly and looked up to see her approaching and standing in front of him with the table between them.
He couldn’t believe it. There in front of him was Samantha Carter, the woman he had never stopped loving, the one who had made his life a constant guilt.
Although she was standing in front of him, he saw that little remained of that sweet young woman, and her voice pulled him out of his reverie once more.

“You must be Colonel O’Neill. Captain Samantha Carter at your service, sir.”
Her expression was hard, cold, and calculating. And she was waiting for a similarly formal response from him.
Then her friend Charly intervened.
“I’m guessing they call you Sam?” he said with a half-smile.
“Don’t worry about it, Major. I used to play with dolls when I was a child,” she replied with a mocking half-smile.
And there it was... Jack thought, still observing her— that smile he had never been able to forget, the one that had turned his life into a whirlwind since the day they met.
Suddenly, the general’s stern voice brought him back to reality.
“Let’s begin… Colonel?”
“Thank you... well, for those of you who this will be your first trip through the gate...”
“I know the report of the first mission by heart, sir. I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.”
Then Charly intervened again, sensing that the tension between them was growing exponentially.
“I think what the colonel is trying to say is... have you ever managed to escape a simulated bombing in a gravity of more than eight?”
“Yes…”
Charly looked at Jack, and Jack looked at Sam, not understanding what they were talking about. Then Charly spoke again.
“Well, it’s much worse.”
Ferretti added, unaware that the exchange had hidden tensions.
“When you finally reach the other side, you’re frozen, like you’re crossing through a snowstorm naked.”
“It’s due to the compression the molecules suffer during the millisecond required for reconstruction.”
Jack was still amazed. Where had this Samantha Carter come from? What had happened to that sweet young woman he had met so many years ago? And here he was, responding with sarcasm to a situation he couldn’t face.

This statement earned Sam's indignant gaze and her sharp look.

"I'm a theoretical astrophysicist."

"And that... means..."

"It means he's smarter than you, Colonel, especially when it comes to matters related to the Stargate," the general responded decisively, which provoked laughter from Charli and Ferretti, and a sharp look from Jack to his friends. Then, Sam's voice caught his attention once more.

"Colonel, I studied the gate's technology for two years before Daniel Jackson made it work and you all crossed. I should have gone that time... Sir, you'd better get used to the idea that I *am* crossing this time," she said with a challenging tone.

"Well, with all due respect, Doctor... I..." His characteristic annoyed tone was clear. It was obvious this Samantha Carter was not the one he thought he knew, so she challenged him again.

"The proper way to refer to someone is by their rank, not by their specialty. You should call me Captain, not Doctor."

"Captain Carter's assignment to this unit isn't an option; it's an order," the general said directly to Jack, to which Jack just rolled his eyes, something that did not go unnoticed by Sam. This made her up the ante.

"I'm an Air Force officer just like you, Colonel, and the fact that my reproductive organs are internal rather than external doesn’t mean I can’t face the same things you can."

To which Jack responded with a crooked smile and sat down. There she was, the Sam he knew—the one who never let anyone intimidate her, the one who had excelled at the academy with great merit.

"This has nothing to do with you being a woman... I like women... I just have a small problem with scientists."

"Colonel... I flew over a hundred hours in enemy space during the Gulf War. Is that enough for you? Or will we have to fight?" she said, raising the stakes with a seductive smile, which earned her a proud glance from Jack.

The debate was interrupted by Major Sammuels, a bootlicker of the higher-ups.

They presented the options to bury the gate, which Jack refuted, saying it wasn’t an option since the enemies now knew they were a threat and could come in ships if they wanted.

After the debate, the general gave them 24 hours to return or send a message through the gate, thus ending the briefing.

Sam stood up, grabbed the folder with the mission information, and exchanged a glance with Jack, but the moment was interrupted by Hammond once again.

"Captain... I’ll see you in my office."

"Yes, Sir," Sam responded immediately.

The meeting room emptied quickly, and as the young woman prepared to leave, Jack was immediately at her side, wrapping his hand around her wrist, making her stop.

"Sam..."

She looked at his hand, then slowly raised her gaze, making eye contact. She sighed audibly and spoke.

"Colonel, please let go of me."

"We need to talk, Sam."

"There’s nothing to say that hasn’t already been said in the briefing. I’ll be ready tomorrow at 0800 as General Hammond requested. Now, if you’ll excuse me, he’s waiting for me in his office."

She gave a gentle yet firm tug on his hand, and he released it.

"Sam... please..."

"I’m Captain to you, Colonel. I ask that you address me by my rank or last name, and we have nothing more to discuss unless it’s related to the mission or the SGC. Have a good day, Sir."

She turned and headed for her godfather's office, leaving Jack completely confused.

What neither of them realized was that their exchange had been witnessed by the general from his office.

Jack stood for a long moment, watching Sam through the window that allowed a view into the general's office. She looked beautiful as always in her Class A uniform, now wearing her hair short, which suited her wonderfully. Her features, while almost the same, showed the small difference of the ten years he hadn't seen her.

Her temperament, however, was a different matter. She was tough and cold. Jack realized that little remained of the sweet young woman he once knew and fell in love with, the one he made love to for the first time, and the one he failed with in his promise to return to her.

With a long sigh, he grabbed his folder and left the meeting room, where Charly was waiting for him.

"Jack!!"

"Kowalsky?"

"Jack... it’s Sam..."

"I know, Charly..." he said, starting to walk with his friend following him.

"Man, were you able to talk to her?"

"I tried... but it’s like she's a different person... tough and clearly upset."

"I can talk to her if you want."

"No... let’s put the mission first. It’s more important right now. When we get back, she won’t have any excuses not to talk to me, even if I have to force her as her superior."

"I don’t know if going down that road is a good idea, Jack. Don’t forget you’re dealing with Sam."

"I know... I just want to talk to her, tell her what happened... explain why I couldn’t come back for her."

"I hope you can do that, buddy."

Charly patted him on the shoulder and walked off with his hands in his pockets.

Jack sighed again and made his way to the surface. Tomorrow would be an important day, and he needed to keep his mind clear.

In Hammond’s office, Sam stood before the base commander.

"Sir, did you need to see me?"

"Take a seat, Sam."

She did as requested, immediately letting out a long sigh and lowering her head.

"Are you okay?"

"I don’t know, Uncle George. I thought it would be easier."

"Sam... we knew it wouldn’t be easy. A lot has happened between you two."

"He tried to talk to me after the briefing, but I couldn’t. I just saw him standing there, and all the anger and frustration came flooding back."

"Are you going to tell him about Grace?"

The young woman immediately raised her head and looked at the man sitting across from her.

"No!"

"And... don’t you think he’ll find out sooner or later that you have a daughter?"

"I hope not..."

"He will be your commanding officer, Sam. Eventually, he’ll find out."

"I’ll deal with it when the time comes... If you don’t need anything else, Uncle George, I’d like to go home to Grace. Tomorrow will be an important day, and I want to spend as much time with her as possible."

"Of course, Sam. Give her a kiss from me."

The young woman said goodbye to her godfather and made her way to the elevator that would take her to the surface.

On the way, she ran into Charly.

"Hi, Sam!!"

"Charly..."

They both smiled and then hugged.

Once they let go, Charly looked her in the eye. It was obvious that the encounter with Jack had left her devastated.

"How are you, Sam?"

"Not as well as I’d like, but I’ll be okay."

"Did you talk to Jack?"

"There’s nothing to talk about..."

"You have to listen to him, Sam... he has a lot to say."

"I’m not interested. I’ll only talk to him about the SGC. The rest is none of his business, and it’s none of mine either."

"He’s been through a lot... just listen to him, okay? Please."

"I’ve been through a lot too, Charly. I’ve had to fight alone with everything that happened to..." she said in a burst, but realizing in time, "Never mind, that’s in the past. Jack O’Neill is in my past, and the SGC is my present and future, so that’s where I’ll focus. The rest doesn’t matter. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home. It’s been a long day."

She started walking. "See you tomorrow, Charly."

"Goodbye, Sam..."

The young mother spent the rest of the day with her daughter, made a delicious dinner for her, and explained that because of the secretive nature of her job, she couldn’t tell her where she would be traveling, but she would only be gone for a day or two, and that her Uncle George had arranged for her to stay with his granddaughters. This news made Grace very happy, as at least she wouldn’t be alone in a strange city while her mother went on a distant mission.

The next morning at the SGC, Sam arrived at the embarkation room with her desert BDUs, helmet, and backpack. The gate locked the seventh chevron, and the great wave shot out, then everything was calm. Lou and Charly were the first to go through, and Jack stood next to Sam and said:

"I’d say ladies first, but..."

Sam looked at the people around, witnessing the exchange between the officers, then decided to counter his comment with another.

"You’ll like me when you get to know me, Colonel."

This left Jack stunned, and he caught up with her at the top of the ramp. He looked at her, then leaned slightly closer before crossing and said:

"I already love you, Captain."

This declaration left Sam stunned, and a second later, she realized that the gate was still waiting for her to cross.

The mission was the important thing now; she couldn’t let her walls fall, not with Jack O’Neill.

---

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Before reading this chapter, I want to clarify a few things:
• First, it was hard for me to write this chapter; there are moments where I don't know where I'm going.
• Although it stays within the series' canon, the dialogues and scenes from the episodes have been modified to fit this story.

The mission went well overall, better than they expected. Despite being captured by Apophis, losing Sharee and Skaara to the Goa’uld, they managed to escape prison thanks to a good man named Teal’c, or rather, a Jaffa.
For several days after that, the Goa’uld kept attacking the Stargate on Earth, but thanks to the wonderful invention by Captain Samantha Carter, they couldn't pass through.
"Hey, Doctor!" Daniel Jackson called out to her.
"You can call me Sam, Doctor Jackson."
"Well, if I call you Sam, then you'll have to call me Daniel," he said with a smile.
"Of course, Daniel," she replied, returning the smile. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you could explain a bit about the iris mechanism."
"Of course…"
They walked down the hallway together, continuing their conversation, which was observed from afar by the attentive eyes of Jack O’Neill.
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"What's up, Jack? What are you thinking about?"
"I still haven't been able to talk to her, Charly."
"Give her time, Jack. You know as well as I do how professional Samantha Carter can be," he said, showing a smile.
"Yeah, I know... but I need to explain to her, make her understand what happened, and why I couldn't talk to her or look for her again."
"It's obvious she's hurt, Jack, and she doesn't want to talk to anyone."
"No! She doesn't want to talk to me, but she talks to you and Daniel," he said dismissively. "But if she doesn't want to talk to the man, then she'll have no choice but to talk to her CO, even if I have to make it an order."

He turned around, furious, and walked away down the hallway in the opposite direction Sam and Daniel had gone.

"Jack!... Jack!... damn it…" said Charly, running a hand through his hair.

By the end of the day, everything under the mountain was chaos. Colonel Kennedy wanted to take Teal'c away for lab rat experiments, Kowalky had a juvenile Goa’uld inside him trying to take control of the gate and subsequently blow up the mountain into a thousand pieces, Sam was in the infirmary with a mild concussion from the blow she received from the Goa’uld when it took control of Charly in the elevator.
Jack had been at her bedside in the infirmary until she woke up, and when she did, the first thing she saw was his face filled with concern.
"How do you feel?" he asked hesitantly.
"I'm fine."
"You took a hard hit."
"Yes… what happened?"
"Charly was infected by a juvenile Goa’uld; so far, it's killed a doctor and a soldier… and… it hurt you."
"How did that happen?"
"We believe it was during the confrontation before we crossed the gate."
"And… what's going to happen now?"
"Doctor Warner is evaluating the possibility of surgery, hoping he can remove the snake without causing damage."

Sam started looking around and tried to get up from the bed when a wave of dizziness hit her, and she grabbed her head.
Jack was immediately by her side to stabilize her.
"Hey! Hey!... Where do you think you're going?"
"I need to get up… I need..."
"Sam… you've had a concussion; you need to rest for at least 24 hours."

Upon hearing her first name, the young captain looked at the man who was too close for her comfort; she leaned back onto the pillow, putting her soldier mask back in place.

"I need to speak with Doctor Warner and General Hammond, if you could call them, I'd appreciate it, sir."
"Sam…"
"Please, sir." She said seriously, without looking at him.
"Sure, Captain. I'll let them know." He said with evident annoyance. "I hope you get better soon."

Then he turned around and left the infirmary; Sam only saw his stiff, tense back walking away, knowing him well enough to see he was deeply upset.

The arrival of the doctor accompanied by the general pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Captain, what can I do for you?"
"Doctor Warner, I need you to discharge me, please," she said seriously.
"Sorry, Captain, but you need to rest at least overnight."
"I can't stay in the infirmary… I need to go home."
"I insist." He looked at the general for support. "Captain Carter, you've suffered a concussion, albeit mild, but you need to rest for the remainder of the night. I can't let you leave the infirmary until tomorrow morning."
"Fine…" she said, crossing her arms and looking away. "I need to speak with the General in private, please."

The doctor nodded and headed to his office. The young woman let her arms fall to her side in defeat.

"I need to go home, Uncle George…"
"Sam, I want you to rest and recover; don't worry about Grace, she's at your house with capable SGC personnel."
"But…"
"Relax, no one knows who she is… though she might have told them she's your niece."
"Thank you, General."
"I want you to listen to the doctor, Sam. I want you to rest and recover so you can go home with Grace tomorrow."
"I will… thank you."

The next few hours were even more chaotic. By the end of the following day, Sam arrived home and hugged her daughter for a long time.
Once she managed to get her to sleep, she went to the kitchen, took a glass from the shelf, and poured herself some wine, which wasn't recommended with the medications she was taking, but she needed it.
She sat on the couch with only the lamp from the side table on; it seemed like the base's atmosphere had followed her home.
Everything had happened so fast, from the operation where supposedly everything had gone well, to seeing Teal'c holding Charly's head over the gate and Jack ordering it to be disconnected.
He had only said that his friend had died in that operating room, and without another word, he turned around and left.
She still struggled to accept that she wouldn't see Charly again, the person who had been her support and messenger when Jack left the first time, leaving her at the academy. She thought of Grace, her life, and what would happen if something happened to her. She thought of Jack, how he must feel, Kowalky had been his best friend, but at least he wouldn't be alone at home; he had his family to comfort him… a family…
With a final sigh of exhaustion, erasing all traces of that last thought from her mind, she went to the kitchen, left the empty glass in the sink, and headed to her bedroom, hoping the next morning would be kinder.
As days, weeks, and missions passed, the SGC's flagship team began to solidify, with archaeologist Daniel Jackson turning every mission into a search for his wife, a Jaffa deserter, a scientist with unusual ideas, and a CO with a very particular sense of humor.
One could say everything was going well until the next mission was straight out of a B-movie.
They had arrived at P3X-797 and were immediately attacked by people acting like animals, but with the help of others who believed they were gods, they escaped the forest into a civilization.
These people told them about the disease plaguing their village, transforming people into primitive and violent beings, for which they were banished to the dark side of the planet.
The defiled, as they were called by the people of the light side, never returned to their natural state.
Once SG-1 confirmed that the Goa’uld had not been there for a long time, O’Neill ordered a retreat.
Back at the base, during the briefing, Lieutenant Johnson began to behave erratically, attacking Teal’c.
Soon after, other members of SG3 started showing the same symptoms as the defiled.
Jack was in the locker room; he had needed a shower and wanted to leave the mountain for the comfort of his home. Suddenly, his locker door closed unexpectedly, and a blonde captain wearing a very short, sleeveless shirt by USAF standards was in front of him.
"Oh! Carter, I didn't see you there…" he said distractedly, pulling his shirt over his head.
Sam looked at him with eyes darkened by dilated pupils.
She immediately grabbed his arms and gave him a passionate kiss; Jack tried to free himself.
"Wait!" he said, trying to push her away, but her strength was amazing. "Carter! What's wrong with you?"
"I want you," and she lunged at him again, kissing him.
"You're crossing the line, Carter!... Sam, wait!!"
"I don't want to wait, Jack… I need you."
They continued struggling, Sam trying to reach him to kiss him and Jack trying to make her see reason.
"Sam, I think I should take you to the infirmary."
"Jack… I need you now…" she pushed him into one of the shower cubicles and tore off his shirt while kissing him frantically.
"Sam… God, I swear I won't be able to resist taking you right here."
"Take me, Jack… now…"
At that moment, something in Jack's brain short-circuited, and with a sudden move, he pulled down her pants along with her underwear.
Immediately, a moan of pleasure from deep within the woman in his arms echoed in his ears.
That made him sink deeper into the fog of desire; he lowered his pants and turned her to face the wall.
He grabbed her hips with both hands and made her bend over; without waiting, he positioned himself at her entrance and penetrated her savagely, eliciting a scream from her, to which he responded by thrusting harder, emitting a bestial grunt.
He penetrated her mercilessly, filling the locker room with moans and low cries from her; they were essentially animals mating.
Their end came quickly, and he filled her with his seed. Softening inside her, they slid together to the floor, remaining in a tangle, Jack sniffing her neck and hair like an animal, and she only emitting satisfied moans.
About half an hour later, Janet found them in the locker room, asleep in each other's arms, with torn clothes and breathing heavily.
General Hammond had called her to take over the CMO position at the base, and she was glad she could be back with Sam, and perhaps help her deal with whatever was going on with Jack, but she didn't expect to find this when she came looking for her friend in the locker room.
"Oh God… Sam… what did you do?"
At that moment, Daniel Jackson entered the locker room looking for the new doctor; caveman cases were increasing throughout the base, with people injured from fights and others having sex basically anywhere.
When he saw the scene in front of him, he was stunned.
"Oh my God…"
Hearing the voice, Janet turned around and found herself face to face with the archaeologist.
"Help me, Doctor Jackson… no one can see them like this… we can't allow it," she said with evident concern in her voice.
"of course…"
They immediately set about separating the couple on the floor, but seeing this, Jack attacked those trying to separate them, emitting growls and shouts like a wild animal. On the other hand, Sam curled up in one corner of the shower so they couldn't reach her.
Then Janet pulled out a syringe from her lab coat pocket, and with coordinated actions with Daniel, they managed to inject the sedative into Jack, making him fall asleep immediately. Seeing this, Sam lunged at those who had harmed her partner, but Janet was ready again with another syringe, and the young woman fell into a deep sleep beside the man.

"Help me dress them, please, so we can call the medics to take them to isolation cells… but separately."

The young archaeologist did as asked, and after a moment, they were able to transfer both officers to the cells.

More than half the base was infected with the defiled virus; Sam had been injured in a fight with her cellmate, but it wasn't serious. Janet had done a great job and had also taken care to keep an eye on Grace, telling her that her mother was on a mission and would be back soon.
It was a relief that the child knew her well, as it made her trust and believe the innocent lie.
After experimenting with antibiotics and testing on Jack, the young doctor discovered the cure and brought everyone back to their civilized state.
In the process, Doctor Jackson had been lost on the dark side of the planet, so once Jack and Sam were back to normal, they embarked on a rescue mission with SG3 and SG5.
Armed with tranquilizer darts, they crossed the gate to the dark side of P3X-797, finding Daniel completely without antihistamines in his system. They quickly injected him, and Teal'c carried him back to the city, placing him inside the isolation ring. They quickly explained to the people of the light side what was happening and how they could help end the curse of the defiled.
The people of the light side could once again reunite with their families.
Once everyone was together, they began the journey back; Sam, who had been on edge with Jack due to his behavior in the locker room, although she only remembered fragments, Janet had told her that once the rescue mission was over, she needed to tell her how it all happened, but one part left her concerned—her friend had confirmed there had been sexual activity; she didn't want to think it had happened with Jack in the locker room, but it was more than obvious what had occurred between them… again.
Taking courage, she quickened her pace and caught up with her CO; she needed him to know that her behavior had nothing to do with their history, but was all a product of the virus; the only thing left for her to hope was that he didn't remember what had happened.
"Sir… About my previous behavior... It wasn't me, and…"
"Oh, Carter, I don't even remember your previous behavior."
"Really?"
"No, I was infected too, remember?"
"Right! Good, I'm glad." She said, letting out a slight sigh of relief.
"By the way, how's the wound?"
"The wound?"
"I understand you were stabbed in the stomach."
"Oh, yes, that was nothing." She said with some humor. "With a bit of luck, there won't even be a scar."
"Well, good. I was worried."
"Were you worried, sir?"
"Of course!!" He said with his characteristic half-smile. "If it doesn't heal properly, you'll never wear that cute, revealing shirt again."
Sam stopped dead in her tracks, watching him walk away.

As days passed, the locker room incident faded into the background; though they had relaxed around each other and started functioning more normally, but as was becoming customary for SG-1, everything turned FUBAR too quickly.
They had arrived at the world designated as Avnil to see what had happened with SG9, commanded by Jonas Hanson.
Immediately, Sam became defensive and disobeyed Jack's direct order to return to Earth with Conner, arguing she knew Jonas too well and knew what he was capable of.
Jack grabbed her by the arm and pulled her a few meters away from the others to speak in relative privacy.

"What do you mean you know him too well?"
"We were engaged, sir."
Opening his eyes wide – "To Hanson? … You were going to marry… Hanson?"
"Yes, sir… but… for reasons that don't matter now, I broke off our engagement."
"Rubbing his face in frustration – "You were going to marry Hanson… great…"
"Sir… what's important here is that I know him, I know how he thinks, and we can use that."
"Sam…"
"Sir, there's nothing more to say… at least nothing relevant to the mission."
"We need to talk when we get back; it's necessary."
"There's nothing to talk about, sir; just let me do my job."

Visibly annoyed, Jack moved away from her and turned to the others waiting further away.
"Alright, let's sort this out…"

Nothing went as planned; Sam disobeyed her CO again and was captured by Baker, who took her directly to Jonas.
"Sam!! So good of you to join us."
"Jonas, you're not going to get away with this; you're not a god, you're just lying to these people."
"Wow! The voice of reason speaks," – approaching her dangerously – "You talk about lying when you lie to your daughter?"
"Don't bring Grace into this," she said, visibly furious.
"Come on, honey, don't be a hypocrite" – opening his arms to indicate everything around – "What I'm doing here will change these people's lives" – Approaching again – "Whereas what you do is live hiding things, blindly serving people who will push you aside once they discover what you're hiding."
"You don't know what you're talking about… you don't scare me."
At that moment, Baker entered the cave, bringing Jack with him.

Jonas, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, addressed Jack. "Well, well, the great Colonel O'Neill."
Jack frowned. "Hanson."
Sam looked at Jonas with contempt, trying to maintain her composure. "Let him go, Jonas. This has nothing to do with him."
But Jonas wasn't willing to miss the opportunity to destabilize Sam. "Oh, but it has everything to do with him. Isn't that so, Sam?"
Jack, now completely bewildered, looked to Sam for an explanation. Sam, however, kept her gaze firm, revealing nothing. "Jonas, this is none of your business. Let's focus on what matters here, the people you're manipulating."
Jack, however, couldn't let the comment pass. "Captain…"
Sam, with a firm but low voice, responded, "With all due respect, now is not the time, sir."
Jonas, enjoying the tension he had created, stepped closer to the young woman, "You and your secrets, Sam. That will never bring you peace."
"Now, honey, fix the damn device, or you can say goodbye to your dear colonel."
Knowing Jonas didn't say things in vain, Sam turned on the device, and an orange light came out of it.

Hanson gathered the villagers at the horizontal portal and gave a speech like an omnipotent god, saying those who had arrived were demons, so he would send them back through the ring.
Sam immediately told Jonas if he didn't send the signal to open the iris on Earth, both Conners and O’Neill would die, to which Hanson responded in mockery. – "Please, Sam, I'm having too much fun."
When Jonas was about to execute Conners and Jack, Jamala, one of the villagers who had helped them, fired Teal'c's weapon, then Daniel appeared, telling the villagers that Jonas was not a god, just a man like them.
Seeing his power destabilizing, Jonas told the villagers he would fulfill what he promised, and went to turn on the device, but it only emitted an orange beam, nothing more happened, then he approached Sam dangerously.
"What's happening?"
"I don't know."
"Fix it!!" – slapping her and knocking her to the ground.

Daniel told them it wasn't magic, but a device, and that they could operate it themselves, then giving the signal to Jamala, he fired two beams into the sky for Teal'c, who was at the other end of the forest with the second device, to turn it on.
When the second device was activated, the protective shield was automatically created.
The villagers immediately turned against Hanson, took him to the portal, and threw him through it.
After everything calmed down and with the villagers' help, they reset the portal in its place, Jack approached Sam who had remained silent the whole time.
"Captain… are you okay?"
The young woman looked her CO in the eyes for the first time since their conversation in the forest.
"Yes, sir."
"Sam…"
"I'm fine… sir."
"Good, let's get back to Earth then."

With Jonas dead and the villagers freed from his influence, SG-1 returned to Earth.

Back at the base, after the debriefs and ensuring all SG-1 members were safe and sound, Jack O'Neill walked through the base corridors with a thoughtful expression. He stopped in front of the lab door where he knew Samantha Carter would be working. He took a deep breath before knocking and entering.

"Captain, are you in here?"

He opened the door fully, revealing Samantha Carter bent over a table full of wires and electronic devices. She looked up with an air of coldness.
"Colonel, what are you doing here? I thought you were in a meeting with General Hammond."

In a tone between serious and concerned – "It ended earlier than expected. I need to talk to you... It's about... well, you know… about Hanson."

Sam sighs, the name Jonas still evokes memories of a past and painful decision.

"What about Jonas, Colonel?"
"I know you ended your engagement with him years ago, but... why? Why someone like him? After everything that happened between us."

Sam keeping her expression hardened by the memory of his abandonment and her brief relationship with Jonas.

"Colonel, there's no need to bring up past issues in this conversation; you left, and I moved on. Jonas was part of my life, but I quickly realized what kind of person he was. I ended it with him because he didn't deserve to be part of my future or… it doesn't matter, it's in the past."
With a tone of regret – "I know, and I'm sorry. But… Sam… Hanson... he turned out to be worse than any of us thought."

Looking at Jack with a mix of anger and firmness – "I don't need you to remind me, Colonel. I thought there might be something good in him, but I was wrong. It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right one. And I won't let my past with you or Jonas define my present here in SG-1."

Approaching and taking a seat on the other side of the workbench - "Sam, I just want to make sure you're okay with all this. I don't want you to bear the weight of what happened with him and what was between us… maybe it didn't work out, but I'll always be here, even if I haven't always acted as I should."

"I'm still finding my way, and I don't expect you to understand. But I needed to move on, find my own path."

"Just want you to know that, no matter what happens, you have someone here who will always support you, even if you don't want it."

Sam nods slightly, still with her professional reserve intact, though the acknowledgment of his support is visible.

"Thank you, Colonel. I appreciate your words. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish this so I can go home."

Jack stood up from his seat and headed for the door, recognizing a dismissal when he heard one.
Before reaching the door, he turned back and observed her again; she had changed so much over the years, yet he could tell something else was going on with her, and he hoped to find out soon what it was.