“I hate to lose you, Jack,” Ronny Norton, Chairman of CommuteAir told him with a sad face, “and I hate more the reason you are leaving. This should not be happening to someone like you,” he said. Over the course of the few months Jack O'Neill had been a member of his staff, he had developed a strong respect for the man who, besides showing an excellent mastering of the planes with which he was entrusted, was the epitome of professionalism.
“Yeah, well… lymphoma was not something I had planned, either,” Jack replied with a bitter smile.
“How much time do you have?” Ronny asked.
“They don’t really know, but for now, I’m okay. I told the farmer, our landlord, that I’d help him in the fields and with the animals as long as I could. The plus will be that I can enjoy my…” he hesitated for a slight second as to how to qualify Sam, “… er… Samantha. I can enjoy my time with Samantha,” he corrected, smiling.
“The missus?” Ronny smiled.
“Yeah,” Jack replied with a smile of his own.
Both men locked eyes, then Ronny extended his hand for Jack to shake.
“All the best, Jack,” he said softly as they both stood.
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Before he even screamed, Sam knew Jack was having a seizure: she was having an attack herself at the same moment, but it was nothing compared to what Jack was experiencing, given the fetal position and the expression on his face. She could tell he was having trouble even breathing.
She tried soothing his pain, but her own pain was too much, and she remembered what Dr. Carter had told her many years ago. It was like being torn apart in a cosmic vise.
The pain subsided and Jack started relaxing, slowly stretching out his long frame atop the bed. She made a mental note that they would have to change the sheets which were now drenched with cold sweat.
“Sam…” she heard him moan.
She turned with a little effort and met his brown eyes. “What?” she asked softly.
“Promise me… promise me that if it gets too much, you’ll shoot me…”
“I can’t, Jack; I…” she started, anguished.
“Promise me…” he cut her off. “You’ll want to be dead yourself when you start experiencing the seizures,” he said in a constricted voice.
She sat upright on the bed, facing him with fury in her eyes. “And what happens if I shoot you and the next day our rescue comes?!”
“They’d be here by now. They’re never gonna come, Sam,” he said, defeated.
“Jack O'Neill, don’t talk like that!” she exclaimed vehemently. “We’ve got to hang on! They will come! Just like we came to rescue you from Edora!” The last words almost got caught in her throat, but they came out, and she was actually immensely relieved they did. For one, it was out of her chest; for two, it seemed to have caught his attention.
He looked at her sadly. Was it regret? Remorse for having had so little faith back then? He shook his head slightly, his eyes still fixated on hers, and put his hand behind her neck, pulling her on his chest. “C’mere,” he said in a strangled voice.
She hugged him fiercely, refusing to cry. If he thought she was going to let him do that to them, he was wrong.
“I’m a bastard, Sam, but I can’t help it…” he apologized. “I love you, baby,” he said, kissing her temple.
She chuckled, or was it a laugh smothered by a sob? He pushed her slightly and gently brushed the corners of her eyes.
“I got something in my eyes,” she joked sadly.
He smiled then pulled her face to his in a searing kiss. “If I ever say such bullshit again, you have my permission to kick me in the ass…”
“Oh, you can count on that twice over, Jack O’Neill; it’ll be the most liberating thing I’ve ever done! Come on,” she said, getting off the bed. “We’ve gotta change the sheets.”
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“I think I know how to find them!” he exclaimed, entering the briefing room with an air of triumph.
“How can you be so sure?” General Landry asked.
Rodney McKay looked at him as if he had grown two heads. “And who’s the scientist here? If I said I know how to find them, that means I know!”
“Actually you said — and I quote — I think I know how to find them…” Daniel replied matter of factly.
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Okay, never try and argue with uneducated people,” he mumbled. “For one thing, we have managed to finally extrapolate the gate data from the day they disappeared, and as you are well aware, we determined that they didn’t go backwards in time, nor to another planet, but that they most likely ended up in an alternate universe.”
“Lucky guess, I’d say,” Cameron Mitchell quipped, earning a deadly glare from both McKay and Daniel.
“Well, as it happens, it’s the best hypothesis we have, and it has helped in determining how to proceed to recover your precious General O'Neill and Colonel Carter!” Rodney resumed, aggravated.
“Okay, so let’s say you’re right; how do we get to them?” General Landry asked, cutting off further squabbling. “The Quantum Mirror was effectively destroyed several years ago.”
“That’s one thing,” Daniel said. “But how do we even locate the exact reality?”
Rodney’s face fell in disgust. “Well, if you’d let me finish, you might learn something interesting!”
“Doctor McKay, if my memory serves me right, you have announced such discoveries many times in the past, and they have turned out to not draw” results,” Teal'c stated calmly.
Rodney rolled his eyes. “That was before we discovered the possibilities of the jumper!”
“What possibilities?” Landry said calmly.
“She can travel to alternate realities,” he finally blurted out.
It was as if a heavy cloud of silence had fallen upon the occupants of the room.
General Landry cleared his throat. “How do you know?”
“We discovered a library in Atlantis, with the blueprints and the technical descriptions of the jumpers. All of them are identical but one,” Rodney explained.
General Landry raised his eyebrows questioningly. “All but one?”
“Yes,” Rodney resumed. “The one you recovered from Harry Maybourne’s planet.”
“I thought it only traveled through time,” Daniel said.
“Well, the blueprints of this particular jumper say otherwise… It does travel through time but also through realities,” Rodney affirmed.
“May I ask how you expect to find that reality into which O'Neill and Colonel Carter have transported?” Teal'c inquired, raising an eyebrow.
McKay sighed and took a seat. “In each universe there is a certain vibration to the molecules pertaining to that particular universe. When Dr. Carter came into this reality, she experienced Entropic Cascade Failure because her molecules vibrated differently than the way they were supposed to vibrate in our universe, as well as entering into direct conflict with our — at the time —Major Carter’s molecules…”
“Wait!” Cameron interrupted. “If I remember correctly the reports written in that instance, the Entropic Cascade Failure was some sort of ‘out of body’ experience, and it was terribly painful, right?”
Rodney looked down.
“So what you’re saying is that if Sam and Jack encountered their alternate doubles in that reality…” Daniel continued.
“They have undoubtedly experienced such attacks and, given the time they have been there, they might be dead even as we speak,” Teal'c concluded.
A heavy silence settled.
“That’s a possibility, yes,” McKay acknowledged in a low voice.
“Let’s not think the worst,” Landry said. “What do you suggest, Doctor McKay?”
McKay sat up straighter and resumed his lecture. “Well, with the data stored in the gate’s computer, we can put the jumper in phase with the reality into which they gated. Once we get there, we can use the jumper to track down any abnormal vibration. When we find some, then it will be easy to locate and retrieve them.
“SG-1?” Landry asked, looking at the — now — three members of his flagship team. He needn’t have worried; Daniel and Teal'c had already stood and were ready to get geared up. Cameron was still sitting on his chair, though, pensive.
“Something the matter, Colonel Mitchell?” Landry asked.
“Oh, well… I was wondering: if we get Colonel Carter and General O'Neill back, the command structure will go back to what it was, and the organization of the SGC will change.
Landry smiled condescendingly. “Get your ass moving, Colonel. We have two of our people out there, and no one gets left behind. We’ll deal with the reorganization of the SGC when we’re all seated around this table, General O'Neill and Colonel Carter included.”
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Sam was awakened by a soft humming outside the house. She listened to it for a while. It circled the house, and she determined it was now hovering over the area of the shed.
Her heart beat rapidly and she dared not hope. Then she heard the faint voices, among which she heard the deep baritone of Teal'c and his calm way of speaking.
She stood up, wavering, and put on her bathrobe quickly. A seizure had hit them both hard not ten minutes ago, and Jack was still out because of it. She did not feel really steady on her legs, but she went downstairs nevertheless, hoping against all hope that she had not dreamt the sounds.
She switched on the light in the lounge and almost collapsed in happy sobs.
Daniel was the first to rush and hug her, and judging by the discrete smile Teal’c sported, he was happy to see her, too. Rodney McKay was there, awkwardly rocking from one foot to the other. She wasn’t sure who the fourth member of the group was.
After a bear hug from Teal’c, Sam kissed an embarrassed McKay on the cheek then extended her hand to shake that of the cocky-looking man in an SGC uniform.
“Sam, this is Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell,” Daniel introduced. “Cameron, Lt. Colonel Sam Carter…”
“Nice to see you again, Colonel,” he said with an arrogant smile.
“Likewise,” she replied, too elated to mind his manners or his words.
“Where’s Jack?” Daniel asked, concerned at the lack of his friend’s presence.
“Upstairs. We both had a seizure about fifteen minutes ago; he was still out when I came down,” she supplied. “I’m going to go check on him. There’s water in a pitcher in the fridge; help yourself.”
She went upstairs and entered the room where Jack was still recuperating from his last attack. She knelt next to him and kissed his brow. As usual after a seizure, it was hot and sweaty. “Jack?” she murmured.
He didn’t budge.
“Jack, we’re going home,” she said with a lump in her throat.
After seconds that seemed minutes to Sam, Jack finally stirred. “What?” he mumbled.
“Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are here. We’re going home!”
That totally woke Jack. “You mean...?”
“Yes,” she nodded, smiling as tears formed in her eyes. “We’re going home!”
“Help me!” he said as he battled with the tangled sheets.
Sam sat on the bed next to him and let him put his arm around her shoulders to help him stand. She gave him a worn sweater, and they both descended the stairs.
“Jack!” Daniel exclaimed upon seeing his friend.
“Daniel, Teal'c, McKay… Mitchell…” he said, acknowledging all four men.
“You know him?!” Sam asked as Jack sat down on a chair.
“Who? Mitchell? He was the one who saved our butts in Antarctica. You even visited him at the hospital, remember?
Sam frowned. “Oh… Yes, I remember now…” she smiled apologetically. “Sorry…”
Mitchell nodded.
“So nice to see you guys. Have a seat… What brings you here?” Jack smirked, earning an aggravated glare from Daniel.
“We’ve come to take you home, and we must do so quickly so that I can depart on the next flight of the Daedalus!” McKay said.
“Oh, hush, hush, little fella…” Jack quipped. “It’s the middle of the night, and before we leave, we have some important loose ends to tie up… We can leave tomorrow evening. Fair enough?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, once again in command mode.
“Er…” McKay started.
“We’ll do as you wish, General,” Mitchell cut him off, ending any protest the scientist might have had.
“Good… There’s an unoccupied bed for those of you who don’t want to rough it, and there’s also the convertible sofa…” Jack said, standing up with the help of Sam.
“There are three rooms in such a small house?” McKay asked innocently.
“Only two, but we share body heat…” Jack smirked, earning a slap from Sam as they went up the stairs.
“But, but… what about the Entropic Cascade Failure?!” Rodney asked in a frantic voice, following them up the stairs.
“Sleep, Rodney,” Sam said gently. “We’ll explain everything tomorrow…”
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No more seizures or rescue parties interrupted their night, and they all shared a copious breakfast the next morning, answering questions and asking their own.
Finally, Daniel asked the question that had been nagging at him since he had learned about the sleeping arrangements.
“So when’s the wedding?” he asked, looking pointedly at Sam, who turned a nice shade of crimson.
Jack took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. “The answer to your underlying question, Daniel, is yes. The answer to your apparent question is that it will depend on a great many things. Any other questions will be answered privately in front of our superiors when we get back to the SGC,” he said, raising his eyebrows to emphasize his point. “Now, you guys pack up what you have and we’ll clean the house before going to say goodbye.” he said, standing up and drawing Sam with him.
“We shall endeavor to help you, O'Neill.” Teal'c said, rising from his chair and carrying the various dishes to the kitchen.
After a couple of hours, the house was clean and the cupboards emptied of the belongings they had accumulated in the months they had spent here. They had put some in a box, and they took it with them when they exited to go to the main farm.
Sam knocked on the back door and opened it, stepping into the kitchen, followed by Jack and Daniel.
“Oma?” she asked.
Daniel’s eyebrows shot up and he turned to Jack. “Oma?” he mouthed.
Jack nodded, half smiling, and shrugged.
Soon, the gentle woman made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Sam, Jack! How are you doing?! Oh, my god, Jack! You look terrible! Sam, how are you feeling, honey? Here, take a seat, you…” she then noticed Daniel standing awkwardly behind Jack.
“You have a friend?” she asked Jack, who moved forward to let Daniel pass.
“Yes, Oma, that’s why we came…” Jack said, taking a seat.
“Okay, just you wait; I’ll make coffee…” she said, starting the percolator and extracting the grounds from a cupboard above the sink.
“Oma, remember when we told you that Sam and I worked together at some point, but that an accident had forced us to leave that job?” Jack asked gently.
Oma nodded.
“Well, this is Daniel, and he’s a friend from that former job…” he introduced his companion. “Oma…”
“Oh, I’m not going to like it this!” she interrupted.
“I’m afraid not,” Sam said, laying a hand on the woman’s arm. “We’re leaving tonight, Oma. Daniel knows how to help us through our lymphoma, so we’ve got to go.”
A shadow passed over Oma’s plain features, and she looked down. “I knew this day would come,” she said softly, “but it doesn’t make it any easier,” she said, looking up again.
“We want you to have these things from us that we put in this box. Keep what you want, give what you don’t to people who might enjoy them,” Jack resumed. “We also want you to have the cars…”
“What?! No! You’ll need them; it’s…” she started.
“Oma, Daniel’s got his own transportation, and we won’t need them where we’re going, at least for now,” Sam said gently.
“You can sell them for a good price, and the money will certainly do you good,” Jack added, smiling.
“This is wrong!” Oma exclaimed.
“This is what we want, Oma,” Jack said calmly. “If we don’t make it, we know that it’s not lost. We have no real family beside you and Jim, and we want you to have those,” he concluded.
By this time, Oma’s face was covered in tears. “Jack, you are an adorable man, and I hope Sam treats you well, because you deserve it!” she said, standing up as her guests did, too, and coming to hug them. “You’ll go tell Jim?”
“Of course. You have been an anchor at a time when we were doubting a great many things, Oma. Thank you,” Sam said, hugging her friend.
They went to the barn and explained everything to Jim, who hugged them the same way his wife had previously done. Then the three of them returned to the house to prepare for their departure.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]