"Second Chances And New Beginnings" By Arla

Title: Second Chances and New Beginnings (1/1)

Author: Arla

Rating: PG-13

Classification: AU Sam/Jack Romance;

Spoilers: Point of View

Archive: Sam and Jack Relationship archive; Heliopolis; my site. All others please ask first

Summary: What happened to AU Samantha after she said goodbye to Jack and watched him return through the Quantum mirror?

Notes: After seeing POV the first time I realized the this episode just begged for some type of postscript. As always, kudos to my beta readers, thanks I couldn't have done this without you :o). ***** indicate a shift in universes.

Prologue

The base hospital was quiet and Doctor Samantha Carter was left alone with her thoughts as elsewhere others met to decide her fate.

Some minutes later, Doctor Fraiser stepped back into the room and approached her bed. "I have the last of your test results," Fraiser stated as she stopped beside the bed. "Everything appears normal, except....."

"Except, what?" Samantha questioned as worry slipped into her voice.

"Well, how long have you known that you were pregnant?"

Samantha sighed softly. "Not very long. My Janet confirmed it three days ago. I was on my way to tell my husband...." the woman choked on the word and she paused a moment to collect herself. She continued quietly, her voice still laced with grief. "I was on my way to see him when Apophis attacked. I reached the Gate room in time to see the Jaffa round up all the officers and with the exception of the General they killed everyone. There was nothing I could do but stand there and watch as they executed my husband. You know; he didn't even make a sound when they shot him. He just fell silently to the floor never to get up again and I never got the chance to tell him.

Charlie found me just after that and made me hide then he went back to collect... to make sure the Goa'uld didn't take the body with them. He told me it was safe until we could bury him. That was just before we came through the mirror...." her voice trailed off, then picked up again a moment later. "I just wish I could have told him. He died without knowing and I just wish we could have had a chance to say goodbye." Samantha finished as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I take it your husband was Col. O'Neill?" Janet asked softly.

Samantha looked up and met the doctor's eyes "Yes, how did you know?"

"Well, it wasn't too difficult given your reaction when my Col. O'Neill walked into the room." Janet stated softly. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss and I know it is hard for you but right now you have to concentrate on taking care of that baby."

"I know." Samantha nodded. "It's all I have left now." she murmured as she brushed a hand over the blankets that covered her abdomen.

"Right, so in light of that, I will release you but only if you promise me that you'll rest and eat something. Not necessarily in that order, but I do suggest a nice hot meal first."

"I promise, Janet." Samantha nodded.

"Good. I'll have a nurse bring you something to wear."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Several hours later

Samantha waited until the others had gone before turning to Janet. Her voice was full of worry when she asked, "Janet, how's my baby? Has the cascade..."

Janet placed a reassuring hand on the other woman's arm. "As far as I can tell there's no damage, yet. I can't promise that won't change as the effect worsens. We need to get you back through to your own reality as quickly as possible."

"I know." Samantha nodded. "Some choice I'm forced with: Stay here and be slowly torn apart or return and be executed by the Goa'uld."

"Don't lose hope just yet," Janet said softly. "Those four people--Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, Major Carter, and Colonel O'Neill are the best team the SGC has and I've seen them do the impossible before. They will this time, too."

**********

Samantha tearfully turned away as the mirror went dark. Although their world was now liberated and she was pleased for that, grief still weighed heavily on her heart. Jack was still gone and she didn't think that she had the strength right now to go on without him.

She noticed Kawalsky stood waiting quietly in the doorway for her and she moved towards him. "Now that it's safe," she said quietly. "Could you take me to him? I need to tell him something, I need to say goodbye."

"Of course," Charlie replied softly. He gently took her arm and led her from the storeroom.

They moved silently through the ruined corridors of the SGA and Kawalsky stopped at the infirmary. "He's in here. The last bed at the back," he told her softly. "I'll be right here until you're done."

Samantha nodded and mentally steeled herself as she stepped inside. She moved into the room and looked around feeling a wave of grief when she spotted Janet's crumpled form on the floor in front of her, the doctor's chest bearing the unmistakable sign of a Goa'uld staff weapon. Samantha turned away from the body of her best friend and moved passed the beds. She glanced at each still face as she passed, all of them friends and colleagues, but not the one face she searched for.

Samantha stopped when she reached the last bed and found it empty. The rusty stain of blood on the pristine white sheet told her the bed had once held a body and she knew instinctively who had been in that bed.

Samantha let out a scream of pure rage and grief, turning to face Kawalsky as he ran into the room. "Doctor C!" he called anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"They stole him, Charlie!" she raged. "Those evil, heartless bastards stole my Jack!" she finished and then collapsed against him and began to sob brokenly.

Kawalsky tenderly held his best friend's wife as she sobbed her grief against his shoulder then picked her up in his arms, carrying her from the carnage filled room.

Once he reached the control room he settled Samantha into a chair and moved to get some water. He was only half way across the room when a transport beam appeared in front of him. Worry filled him momentarily as he thought the Goa'uld were returning, but the beam merely deposited a small grey alien.

"I am Thor of the Asgard," the little alien spoke in his soft voice

Samantha looked up when the alien spoke and got up, moving to stand beside Kawalsky. "Thank you," she told Thor. "Thank you for all that you've done for us. You've given us our world back."

"You are welcome, Samantha of Earth. It was time for all those who oppose the Goa'uld to come together and fight them. It is, however, our regret that we did not enter this conflict sooner. Because of our inaction we have contributed to the sorrow of your people" Thor stated and then turned his eyes on Samantha. His soulful dark eyes studied her, his gaze gentle and compassionate. "I sensed when you first came to us that there is a greater sorrow within you." Thor paused then tilted his head to the side. "We, the Asgard, have a power greater than that of the Goa'uld and their sarcophagus and because of our new alliance I have taken the liberty of repair some of the damage which has been done here. I hope it will help to ease your sorrow and strengthen our alliance." Thor finished and turned his head. A transport beam appeared once more and when it disappeared a very confused Jack stood beside him.

Samantha choked back a sob. "Jack! Oh My God, Jack!"

"Sam?" he whispered, as though he could not believe she was actually in front of him.

Samantha was in his arms seconds later. "You were dead," she whispered tearfully as she hugged him tighter. "I watched them kill you," she added and then pulled back to look into his face. She kissed him softly then pressed a hand to his cheek, caressing it gently before pulling her eyes away and looking at Thor.

"I don't know how you did it, how you brought him back to me but thank you. I will be forever grateful."

"You are welcome," Thor began then turned so that he could look at Jack and Samantha both. "You have been given a second chance. It is a great gift, use it wisely," Thor finished then disappeared.

"There's so much I have to tell you," Samantha told Jack as she led him from the control room. "But first," she added and headed in the direction of the storage room. Once there, Samantha stopped in front of the Quantum mirror. "There's something I need to do." she finished as she picked up the activation device and turned it on.

"You mean you actually got that thing to work?." Jack questioned.

"Yes, and went through it. That's how Charlie and I escaped the Goa'uld. We found an alternate world where they stopped the invasion and they helped us contact the Asgard," She explained as she began dialing up the universes. Several minutes later she stopped on one which seemed to be the correct one.

She watched through the mirror as a soldier approached and looked through at her. He then turned and moved out of the room.

******

The airman hurried down the hall and to the briefing room. He knocked sharply and when he was given permission to enter, he opened the door and stepped into the room. General Hammond sat with the members of SG-1 around the large conference table.

"Yes Airman?" Hammond asked him. "What is it?"

"Uhm, General, Sirs," he added as he looked at Jack and Sam. "There's something that I think you'll want to see. Something with that mirror."

The group wore worried frowns as they followed the young soldier back the to room which held the mirror.

"Well I'll be damned," the General muttered as he stepped into the room and saw the alternate Jack and Sam standing on the other side of the mirror. Sam and Jack moved to stand beside Hammond and when Jack looked through the mirror he smiled.

"Sweet," he murmured softly upon seeing Samantha and Jack standing on the other side with their arms around each other.

Samantha gave him a smile and murmured. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Jack murmured back and then turned to look at his counterpart. The other Jack gave him a smile and a salute which he returned. Then Jack watched as the couple turned away and the mirror once more went dark.

*******

"It was so strange," Samantha murmured softly as snuggled closer to Jack, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on his bare chest. "I expected many things when Charlie and I crossed over, but I never expected to find you, alive and well when only days before I had seen you killed. It was difficult to deal with, and yet...."

"What?" Jack asked quietly as his lips brushed against her temple.

"I knew he wasn't you, yet strangely he was and having him there helped, he made the grief easier to bare."

Jack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tighter against his side. "Were they so very different from us?"

"In some respects, yes. The other Sam is a Major in their Air Force and so there is that stupid regulation thing standing between them, but I think that given time they will find each other as we did. When the other Jack and I were talking I said to him that he doesn't see his Sam in the same way that you see me. And after I said it, I just knew that wasn't true. He does see her that way, it's just they're both letting the regulations come between them. You know I actually feel sorry for her."

"Why?"

Samantha turned her head so she could look down into his eyes. "Because she doesn't know you like I do." she whispered softly "And I just can't imagine a universe where I don't love you," she finished and leaned down to press a tender kiss to his lips. "There's something else I have to tell you. When the Goa'uld attacked I was on my way to see you."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I had just received some news," Samantha paused, took a breath and then continued. "Jack, I'm pregnant."

She watched as he smiled and then a shimmer of tears appeared in his eyes. "Sam," he whispered softly and shifted her until she was stretched out over him. Her hair fell in a fragrant curtain around them and he pushed his hands through the silken strands, pulling the hair gently away from her face. "I love you, Sammy." Jack whispered as his lips trailed a path from her forehead, down the satin smooth curve of her cheek to the corner of her mouth. "A second chance," he murmured as his lips covered hers and desire stirred anew.

******

Sam took a deep breath then reached out and knocked on the door to Jack's quarters. As she waited for him to answer, she silently debated the wisdom of this action and was about to turn away when the door opened.

"Carter?" O'Neill questioned surprised and yet pleased that she was there.

"Uhm, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" she asked .

"No not at all come on in." he offered and stood aside to let her in.

Sam stepped inside and stayed by the door as he closed it and turned to look at her.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the last few days and seeing the other Jack and Sam got me thinking even more..."

"Sam, what are you trying to say?' Jack asked her softly.

"I'm not sure, just that maybe I'm ready to explore further what I feel is happening between us."

"And what is that?" Jack countered in a soft whisper as he took a step closer.

Sam smiled and she too, took a step. "I know that what I feel for you is something more than just friendship and I..."

Jack smiled and closed the distance between them until they stood mere inches apart.

"I feel it too," he told her and slipped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him. "Here's to new beginnings." he whispered as he pressed a hand to the back of her head and pulled her lips to his.

"And second chances," Sam murmured as his lips claimed hers.

~~~FIN~~~~