During one of the few breaks all the Sams (or Samanthas) took, curiosity finally won out on the differences between their realities.
“Do any of you wonder where our realties split?” Doctor Samantha Carter asked.
“Of course.”
“Everyone has those ‘what if’ questions. What if I had done this? What if I had done that? Would things have turned out the same? I think this is the first time that someone can actually say that they positively know what would have happened if they had done something differently,” Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter-O’Neill explained.
“Given our time restrictions what would be the fastest way to figure out where our realities split?” Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter (soon to be Shanahan) wondered aloud.
The three Sams sat in silence for a few seconds. They really didn’t have time to get each other’s life stories, really just the highlights if they wanted to get back to the lab and attempt to fix this problem any time soon.
“I think this situation calls for using the working backwards algorithm,” Doctor Carter suggested. “We know where we are now, so start there and work backwards until we find the place we split. For instance, I was never in the military.”
“You weren’t?” Samantha O’Neill asked aghast at the mere thought.
“My mom talked me into going to MIT when I graduated from high school, rather than the Air Force Academy like Mark had and my father wanted,” Doctor Carter explained.
“Your mom didn’t die when you were a teenager?”
“Cancer, two years ago,” Doctor Carter filled in.
“In my reality Dad got cancer seven years ago, but was cured when he blended with Selmac,” Colonel Carter explained.
“Until last year when he died with Selmak, right?” Colonel Carter-O’Neill filled in.
The other two women looked at her with shock written in their eyes.
“He’s alive in your realities?” Colonel Carter-O’Neill stated, her heart sinking at there mere thought that they had something which she did not.
Both women nodded their heads slowly. There mere thought of losing their father caused them pain; he was such an integral part of their lives.
“We almost lost him a year ago,” Colonel Carter (soon to be Shanahan) admitted. “Thor was able to save him though. That was the first time my wedding got cancelled.”
“Wedding?” Two voices asked in the exact same tone and with the exact same voice. It was actually quite similar to having surround sound Sam decided. “To who?” They both asked at the same time.
“Pete.”
“Who is Pete?” Doctor Carter asked at the same time Colonel Carter-O’Neill nodded her head in understanding.
“Pete Shanahan, friend of our brother Mark?” Sam Carter (soon to be Shanahan) filled in.
“Jeez I can’t imagine marrying anyone other than Jack,” Doctor Carter stated.
“How long have you two been married?”
Doctor Carter smiled. “Going on six years and six kids.”
“Six?” Both of the other women asked in disbelief.
Doctor Carter giggled. “If you count Charlie and Cassie.”
“Charlie’s alive?”
Doctor Carter nodded. “He’s not…”
Both women shook their heads sadly.
“Jack… I can’t even imagine him not having Charlie. I almost lost our second child, Molly, and Jack was beside himself. We decided not to have any more because we had recently found Cassie abandoned and adopted her right before I got pregnant the second time. Then we had a night out to celebrate Jack’s second star and nine months later we had the twins. Never ever think ‘just one time’ without birth control won’t be a problem,” she advised her two ‘twins’. “Thor told us after the ‘oops’ babies that the ancient gene coupled with good genes like ours,” she motioned to the women, “Is like asking for a baby.”
“Good to know,” Colonel Carter-O’Neill stated.
“Yeah,” Colonel Carter added quietly.
“Having doubts?” Doctor Carter-O’Neill questioned, willing to stir the pot a little bit and make sure that this Samantha Carter ended up with Jack O’Neill.
“For a while now,” Sam Carter admitted.
“I did too. When Dad died I broke it off with Pete and actually ended up marrying Jack. Best decision of my life,” Colonel Carter-O’Neill told the other Colonel. “I’ve never been as happy as what I am now.”
“It is just been hard,” Colonel Carter confessed as they rose from the table.
Doctor Carter stopped her with a hand on Colonel Carter’s shoulder. “The best things in life aren’t easy. You have to work for them. Especially when it involves Jack O’Neill because he’ll always do what he thinks is best for you, no matter how much it hurts him.”
Sam Carter sensed a story there, but she didn’t get a chance to ask as they were joined by SFs who served as their escorts.
In fact, she never had the opportunity to talk with Doctor Carter again, but her words of advice rang continuously in her ears through the coming days.
The next day Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter (starting to really doubt that she would ever be Shanahan) ate lunch with Janet, her dead best friend.
Janet questioned her about her love life in a way that only Janet ever could.
And Sam found herself spilling her guts about everything, especially when she found out that the Sam in Janet’s reality had broken things off with Martouf, married Jack, and was now awaiting the arrival of her first child within a month’s time.
This news only made Sam doubt the idea of marrying Pete even more.
She also got the chance to say goodbye to her best friend. She only wished that Cassie could have the same opportunity.
When the Samantha Carter of their current reality finally found a way home for Samantha Carter (never to be Shanahan) Sam went home with a lighter heart, knowing that no matter what happened, she wouldn’t marry Pete. He couldn’t give her what she needed, and he didn’t deserve the small piece of her heart that she would give him.
Truth was, her heart belonged to another man, and it probably always would.
She could only hope that it wasn’t too late to tell him that.
ooooo
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 ]