"The Last Sunset" By Arla

Title: The Last Sunset

Author: Arla

Rating: M

Classification: S/J Romance; angst

Spoilers: None

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

Summary: The end of the world is imminent. How will Jack and Sam spend their last hours?

Disclaimer: Stargate SG1 and all its characters belong to Gekko, Double Secret and MGM. I am only borrowing them for a little while and will return them all undamaged when I am finished.

Challenge Response: The 1999 President Challenge

Notes: Thanks go out to my beta reader . I couldn't have done this without you. Songs: "I Don't Wanna Be Right" sung by Barbara Mandrell. "Live" written by Richard Cocciante, Luc Plamondon, Will Jennings, sung by Celine Dion.

***********************************

SAM

We got the news twenty minutes ago and all of the SGC is in a state of shock. The atmosphere in the base is still and subdued. Everyone is lost in their own thoughts about what we have just been told. At first there was denial and hysterics and then, finally, quiet acceptance. What else can we do? Earth's fate has been sealed.

Twenty minutes ago General Hammond held an assembly and gave us all the terrible, terrible news. He told us that this world we live on, our home, has only 48 hours of life left. Two short days.

The President called Hammond and told him that Government scientists had discovered, with no mistake, that our sun will explode in two days. Eight minutes and thirty three seconds later, a massive fire storm will reach us. It will vaporize the atmosphere and destroy all forms of life on this planet. Then with the sun cold and dark, the Earth will freeze and become an ice planet.

The President has ordered us to find 2 uninhabited worlds, a beta and gamma site, and then we are to use both the Stargates to evacuate as many people as we are able in the time we have left.

A handful of lucky people amidst the billions who will have no hope at all. The gathering of these people is to be done quickly and quietly so as not to alert or alarm the rest. Those who remain, when the time comes, will be incinerated before they are even aware of what is happening.

Those of us at the SGC have been allowed to quietly warn and gather our families. Mark and his family are on the way here by army transport and should arrive in an hour or so. Dad and Selmak have been told about our fate and the Tok'ra are doing all that they can to help us. I try not to think about the billions of lives that will end in 48 hours. It is impossible for us to save everyone and so we save who we can and do not think about the rest.

For me, besides Mark and my father, everyone I care about is here at the SGC and we will all go to the beta site together. Somehow we will get through this. We will survive. Of that I am certain.

***********************************

JACK

The knowledge of what is imminent weighs heavily on me as I try once again to reach Sarah and warn her. Once again, I get only her answering machine. Frustrated and worried I hang up the phone only to remember with a sense of dread the my ex-wife had told me she was going camping with several friends and would be out of contact for a week.

Curiously, I do not feel the overwhelming sense of grief that I expect at the knowledge of Sarah's impending death. This knowledge saddens me, yes, but it also brings with it the realization that although I love Sarah and will miss her, I am not in love with Sarah. Another holds that place in my heart now and the very thought of her perishing in the fire storm to come does bring a wave of grief. It also brings the knowledge that my life would no longer have any meaning were I to lose her.

I turn as I hear a knock on my office door and call out my visitor. "Come in." I watch as the door opens and the object of my thoughts sticks her head through the open door. Despite everything that is happening, despite the gravity of the situation, I give Sam a small smile. Her mere presence lightening my mood. "Yes, Major?"

"The General wants to see us." she tells me quietly and I respond with an "Okay." and a nod. Sam waits for me in the hall as I step from my office and close the door. "Were you able to get a hold of Sarah?" she asks me quietly as we start walking towards the General's office.

"No." I respond in a quiet voice.

"I'm sorry, Sir." she says softly and I know that she is sincere.

"Thanks." I mutter as I turn my head to study her.

"Welcome." she replies and momentarily returns my gaze before looking away.

We arrive at the General's office moments later and I reach out to knock sharply on the door. At Hammond's "Enter." I open the door and let Sam step through ahead of me.

It is as I suspect. Hammond tells us that the first wave of evacuees are due to arrive in less than an hour. He then asks us to see that they are settled comfortably in a waiting area away from the Stargate until he can explain to the group what exactly would happen to them.

As our meeting concluded, Hammond asked Sam if she had been able to find a beta and a gamma world. She told him that she did and that she had programmed the coordinates for the beta site into our computer and had sent the gamma coordinates to the second Stargate site.

Sam and I are both quiet as we step out of Hammond's office. The knowledge of what is to come still weighs heavily on both our shoulders. I look at Sam and wish there were something that I could do to ease the burden for her. I try to lighten the mood a little. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" I ask her quietly.

Sam turns her head and nods. "Sure, thanks." she replies and briefly flashes me that beautiful smile.

The coffee room is nearly empty when we arrive. I motion to Sam to grab a seat as I cross to the coffee maker to get us both a cup. We barely have time to drink our coffee when an airman comes in and immediately heads for us. "Colonel, Major. I'm sorry to interrupt, but the General sent me to find you both. The first group of evacuees have arrived, and Major, your brother and his family are among them."

I look at Sam and see the look the enters her eyes at hearing this news. I see joy tinged with sorrow within the blue of her eyes.

"Thank you, Airman." I tell him "Tell the General we'll be right there."

"Yessir." he replies and he turns to leave as I turn back to Sam

"You okay?" I ask her quietly and she nods.

"Yah, I'll be all right. It's just ...... I'm happy to see Mark and his family and I'm grateful that they'll be safe but I just can't shake the feeling that once they go through the Gate, I'll never see them again."

"Hey." I say quietly and reach across the table to take her hand. I'm immediately surprised at how her hand fits so easily into mine and how 'right' it feels to have it there. "Don't think like that. They're going to the same place as we are. You'll see them again and we're all going to get through this."

Sam nods in agreement but her eyes tell me that she is still uncertain. "Come on," I cajole her softly. "Let's go, your brother is waiting."

"Right." Sam responds and then takes a deep breath. I release her hand as we get up from the table and I am again surprised as I suddenly feel bereft without the warmth of her hand in mine.

I stand back, a silent observer, as Sam greets her brother, sister-in-law and her niece and nephew. Their reunion is exuberant and joyous but carries with it an air of sorrow. I turn my eyes away and look into the room beside me. I scan the crowd of over 300 that are waiting inside and can easily see the anxiety and restlessness that permeates the group. They are anxious for news and want to know what will happen.

I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see General Hammond coming down the hall. He stops beside me and his expression is one that tells me he is not looking forward to the task that now falls upon him to perform.

"Colonel, Major." He calls to both Sam and I. "It's time. We can't keep these people waiting any longer." he finishes quietly and we follow him as he steps into the room.

***********************************

SAM

Our meeting went about as well as we had expected, in fact the evacuees took the news as well as we had. How do you take the news that your world is dying and billions, many of them friends and family, will die with it? Yet, among all the emotions that I could read in all those faces, beneath the fear and the sorrow, beneath the denial and hysteria, I saw relief. They were relieved that they had been chosen to survive above all those who wouldn't.

It was the same with all the groups that followed. For hours, I watched them come and each time it was the same. The Stargate has been operating almost non stop since the first group of evacuees arrived and will continue until the last possible moment.

So far, we have been able to send nearly 5000 through and we hope to be able to send at least that many more through before the end. The 2nd Stargate site has reported that they have sent about the same through. Those numbers though, seem so small and insignificant compared to all those who will perish in the firestorm to come.

As for those I know and work with. Teal'c left several hours ago to be with his family. He took with him the coordinates for the beta site and will return to us there in order to help us and to continue the fight against the Goa'uld. Daniel, Catherine, Janet and Cassie have already gone through to the beta site to help set up and to settle the evacuees as they come through. There is only a handful of the SGC staff left. The General, Lt. Simmons, several airmen, the Colonel and I have volunteered to be the last ones through.

I look down from where I stand in the control room and watch the steady stream of people as the walk up the ramp and through the Gate. My eyes shift and settle on Jack. He is standing at the base of the ramp supervising the evacuation. The sight of him standing there, tall and imposing, yet compassionate in his treatment of the scared evacuees, soothes me and brings with it the knowledge that I am not alone. Jack is here for me and will always be with me. I smile at this and almost instinctively, as though he senses my thoughts, Jack turns his head and his eyes meet mine.

Even with the distance and the glass window between us, his gaze has the same effect on me that it always does. I take a deep breath as my heart-rate speeds up. Those eyes of his, eyes that seem to be able at times to see through to my very soul, pull me in and I willingly lose myself in their dark depths. I am drowning fast and grateful for it. I wait for that nagging voice inside me, the one that has been there a thousand times before when my thoughts stray to this very subject. The one that tells me time and again that I shouldn't be entertaining these thoughts, that I shouldn't have these feelings for a man who is my C.O. I wait for that voice but it doesn't come. For once my heart and my mind are in total and complete agreement. The words to an old song suddenly pops into my head.... "If loving him is wrong, then I don't wanna be right." and I find myself agreeing whole heartedly. The General calls to Jack and I watch as he turns to face Hammond.

I suddenly feel the need for some fresh air and I want some time alone, under the stars to savor these feelings. As I turn away from the window I feel Jack's eyes on me once again and I instinctively know that he will follow me.

It is early evening as I step outside and the air is crisp with the coming night. I move away to a spot a short distance from the door. From this vantage point on top of the mountain I can look down onto the valley and see Colorado Springs in the distance.

The sunset that greets me is breathtakingly beautiful. Exquisite hues of rose, magenta, orange and violet blend together and paint the sky as though it were a canvas. The sight is even more poignant, as I know that this is the last sunset this planet will ever see.

I hear Jack as he quietly approaches and his voice is soft and low behind me. "Sam?"

"It's the last sunset, Jack. Isn't it breathtaking?" I murmur softly to him.

Jack's arms steal around my waist and he pulls me back against him. He rests his head against mine and the scent of his aftershave surrounds me. His voice is warm in my ear as he answers me. "Very." he responds softly then his arms tighten around me pulling me closer against him. My arms cover his and I lean my head back against his shoulder.

"They're all out there tonight, living, laughing, crying, fighting, having babies, making love, and they don't even realize that tomorrow it all will be gone." I say softly and feel his arms tighten around me in response .

The moment is bittersweet and I can't stop the silent tears as they fall. I am not surprised when Jack turns me around to face him. His touch is so very gentle as he takes my face between his palms. I close my eyes and hold my breath as he tenderly kisses the salty tears from my cheeks. I remember to breathe as his lips travel inward and brush lightly over mine. I drink in the feel of his lips on mine. I savor the texture and memorize the taste and feel of him. His mouth tastes of coffee, mingled with a hint of toothpaste and a flavor I realize is uniquely Jack's.

Strange as it seems, it is fitting that our first kiss should be in the fading light of our dying sun. This is my last thought before his tongue slips past my lips and I'm lost in the pleasure of his kiss.

***********************************

A million stars light
This beautiful night
This is not a night to die
Let me sing and dance
Beneath the sky
I have such love to give
To give!
I want a chance to live

Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return.

***********************************

JACK

The end is nearly upon us. Twelve short hours remain, time to save only a small fraction of humanity. Most of us are exhausted. We haven't slept since this all began, nearly 48 hours ago. I look across the room at Sam and can read the fatigue that seems to permeate every muscle in her body. I start to cross the room to her side when I suddenly become aware of a high pitched humming sound. I glance curiously at Sam, hoping she can somehow explain it. There's a puzzled frown on her face as she, too, hears it. Our eyes meet across the room and then I see the look of horror that enters her eyes as she suddenly realizes the significance of the humming. Her eyes dart to the Stargate and my eyes follow hers.

"SHUT IT DOWN!" she suddenly yells "It's overloading."

But her call comes to late.

What happened next seemed to me to be happening in slow motion. Sam turned to the gate and moved towards it. Suddenly the gate erupted into a shower of sparks and arcs of electricity. They seemed to shoot in every direction and the room was filled with a loud thunderclap as though the gate itself had exploded. The room filled with smoke as the lights went out. Through the dark, all I could hear were the terrified screams of the evacuees but my thoughts were only on Sam. She had been far too close to the gate when it overloaded.

The emergency lights came on and the battery powered lights pushed back the intense dark and cast an eerie glow over everything. "All right, everyone relax, its over." I heard the General say as I got up and searched through the slowly clearing smoke for Sam.

My heart lurched when I saw her crumpled at the base of the ramp. I move quickly to her side and kneel beside her. I push back my anxiety as I reach out and lay my fingers against her throat. My relief is almost palpable as I feel her pulse beating strong and steady beneath my fingertips. As I begin a quick visual search for any sign of injury, I wince when I see the nasty gash on her forehead. Without looking up from Sam I call for a first aide kit. Sam moans softly and as she begins to stir I press as gentle hand to her shoulder to keep her still.

"Just lie still." I tell her quietly as her eyes open and those incredibly blue eyes look up at me.

"Jack?" she questions in a whisper.

"You've got a nasty cut on your forehead." I tell her quietly. "You may even have a concussion."

"I guess that explains my pounding headache." she mutters dryly and I can't help but smile. I am about to comment that she has been around me too long if my humor has rubbed off when the General kneels beside us. He holds out a first aide kit and looks down at Sam.

"How are you, Major?" he asks Sam quietly and she gives him a smile.

"Okay, sir." she responds.

"Good." Hammond nods and moves away to check on everyone else. I watch him move away then turn to Sam and begin to treat her wound.

"Sorry." I mumble softly when Sam winces and gasps as the antiseptic stings.

"S'okay." she mutters quietly and I quickly finish cleaning and bandaging her forehead.

After I am done, I help Sam sit up and her eyes are immediately drawn to the Stargate. "So that's it." she says quietly. "There's nowhere to go now. No hope at all."

"I'm sorry Sam." I tell her quietly.

She turns her head to look at me. "It's not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I should have known that the gate wouldn't be able to handle all the strain by operating non-stop." she says quietly.

"It's not your fault." I stress softly "No one could have foreseen this." I know, almost instinctively, that she is about to protest my words but before she can, another voice sounds in the almost dead quiet of the room.

"So what happens now?"

At the man's question I get up and turn to see him standing at the front of the group. I frown, for I'm not looking forward to how everyone is going to take the news I have to give them. Our fates were sealed the moment the Stargate overloaded. I sigh and feel Sam standing behind me in silent reassurance.

"There's nothing that can be done now." I tell the group quietly. "With the Stargate gone there's nowhere to go."

"So, we're going to die?"

"Yes." I state simply and see the look of disbelief and then fear in all their eyes. Everyone is feeling the same, including myself. I don't want to die but it is inevitable now and there's nothing left to do but say our goodbyes and accept it.

"Then, why the hell did you bring us here!?" the man snapped, his fear giving way to anger.

"Look, no one could have seen that this would happen." I try to explain. "And even if we hadn't brought you all here, in a few hours you'd be just as dead." I tell them and perhaps it's cold, but it's the truth.

The man glares at me then his eyes turn to Sam standing behind me. At the look in his eyes I know what he is going to say to her but before I can intervene the words are spoken.

"I heard you talking to him, saying that this is all your fault. You should have seen this coming and because you didn't we're all gonna die!"

I hear Sam's soft gasp behind me and I want to tear this jerk limb from limb for even suggesting that Sam was at fault. I step forward and the man obviously knows by the look on my face that he has crossed the line. His face pales and he gulps as I stop just inches from him.

"Shut up!" I tell him in a low and dangerous voice. "This is not her fault. It's not anyone's fault but if you want someone to blame then blame me, all right! But don't you ever blame her, never her! Nobody here wants to die. I sure as hell don't want to die. Sam and the General don't want to die but it's out of our hands now. There's nothing anyone can do so just accept it!" I finish and turn away.

I immediately search for Sam and see her sitting on the floor. She's siting with her back against the wall and her legs are drawn up, her head buried in her folded arms. I cross quickly to her side and sit down beside her. "Sam?" I say quietly but she doesn't respond. I slip my arm around her shoulders and pull her against my side. "Don't listen to him." I tell her quietly. "He's just scared and needs someone to blame. This isn't your fault." I stress and she looks up at me. My heart does a nose dive when I see the tears in her blue eyes.

"I don't want to die, Jack." she whispers and my heart is lost.

"I know." I murmur softly and pull her tighter against me until she settles her head on my shoulder. "Neither do I." I whisper and brush a kiss across the top of her head and hold her tight as she cries.

Several minutes pass and Sam's sobs have subsided to the occasional sniffle. Minutes after I realize that exhaustion has finally won and she's asleep. I settle her more comfortably and close my eyes, content for the moment just to hold her.

***********************************

Though this world tears us apart
We're still together in my heart
And even if I have to die
Love will not die
Love will change the world.

Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return

I'll love until love wears me away
I'll die and know my love will stay
And I know my love will stay.

***********************************

SAM

The room has gone quiet, I realize as I wake with my head on Jack's shoulder. The time is short now, only a few more hours left to us and everyone seems to have accepted that. Time now only to say goodbye and face the inevitable together.

This is not how I want to spend the final hours of my life, huddled together in a room full of frightened people, my heart full of regrets and if only's. There is one goodbye, one special goodbye I have to give but this is not the place. I pull away from Jack and he gives me a puzzled look as I get up. I make a small "follow me" gesture with my hand as I move to the door. I hear him following me as I step out into the darkened corridor and head towards my quarters.

I leave the door open as I step inside the dimly lit room, the eerie glow of the emergency lights making my room seem like some foreign place.

"Sam?" Jack says quietly as he steps inside and I turn to face him. He closes the distance between us and rests his hands on my shoulders. Even in the dimness of the room I can see the concern in his dark eyes. "What's wrong?" he asks me softly.

"Besides the obvious?" I answer with a small smile then take a deep breath before I continue. "I have so many regrets, Jack. So many things I should have said. Things I should have done but I was too afraid. I don't want to die without...." I stop having suddenly lost my courage.

"Without what?" Jack asks me softly and tenderly cups my face in his hands.

What I see in his eyes gives me the courage I need to continue. "Without telling you how I feel. It's a bitch that this is happening now when there's so little time left to us but I don't want to leave this life, I don't want the end to come without you knowing that I love you. If we have do die then I want nothing more to die in your arms." I tell him and can't stop the tears from falling.

"Sammy." Jack murmurs softly and his thumbs wipe the tears from my cheeks. "I love you." he whispers, so softly that I almost don't hear him. His hands drop to curl around my waist and draw me tight against him. "I love you." he tells me again as his lips lightly brush against mine.

"Love me, Jack." I whisper against his lips. "I don't want to think anymore, I just want to feel, make me forget."

His reply is to pull me tighter to him and crush his lips to mine in a bruising kiss. I welcome it with a sigh and greet the plundering invasion of his tongue with my own.

We are soon lost in sweet arousal, the horrors of the world and the fate that awaits us is pushed away for a few brief hours as we lose ourselves in each other. We take our time undressing each other. I feel the softness of the mattress beneath me as Jack lowers me gently to the bed and then his hands explore my body and his touch is gentle, almost reverent.

His caresses are exquisite torture and I melt in ecstasy. Then he is above me and inside me and the feeling is so erotic that I gasp. We move together, desire and ecstasy bathing us as we strive for release. When my mother first explained love making to me she told that sex was a pleasureable thing but when shared with one you truly loved you were not only sharing your bodies and giving each other pleasure but there was a point when you actually shared your souls. Until this moment I never had experienced that part of making love. Now, my senses are so filled with Jack, I taste him on my lips, feel him, feel his heart beating so close to mine, I breathe in the scent that is his alone. He surrounds me, and fills me and I know that at last I have found the other half of my soul. I look up at him and see in his eyes that he feels the same way. We watch each other, our eyes locked together and our souls meld together as our release arrives within seconds of each other. I go over first and as the waves of pleasure suffuse throughout my body I hold my lover tight as he shudders and fills me with his warm essence.

Jack looks down at me and I can see the tears in his eyes as he leans down to kiss me. Our tears blend together as we are drawn into desire once again.

Much later, Jack pulls me close to the warmth of his body and I settle my head on his chest. His fingers comb through my hair in a gentle caress and his lips brush against my temple as he murmurs. "Sleep, Sammy. It'll be over soon. Sleep. I'll hold you, I won't let go."

I hold him tighter as I close my eyes and cannot hold tiredness at bay any longer.

When I awake, I feel Jack still close beside me, his arms wrapped tight around me. As I open my eyes I realize that something is wrong. I turn to look at the battery operated clock on my night stand and when I see the hour I realize what it is. Our supposed end should have happened nearly four hours earlier, yet here we were obviously still alive. "Jack." I call out and shake him.

"Hmmm, what?" he mumbles sleepily and turns to face me.

"Look at the time." I tell him as I get out of bed and fumble in the dark for my robe.

"What are you doing?" he questions as he turns and finds me pulling on my robe.

"They were wrong, Jack." I tell him as I head for the door. "We're still alive." I end and head for the stair well to the surface.

"Sam, don't!" Jack's anxious voice follows me as enter and start up the stairs.

It's a long climb, almost 50 levels and my strength has nearly left me by the time I reach the top landing and the door leading to the outside. I stop in front of the door and reach out a hand, laying it against the metal. The door is warm beneath my hand, but not burning hot.

I hear Jack behind me and turn to see him coming up the last flight. "Sam." he calls, out of breath from the exertion of the climb.

"Don't you see, Jack." I explain. "If we're alive then maybe, just maybe it didn't happen as they predicted."

Jack stops by my side and slips his hand into mine. "Okay, open it." he says and I take a deep breath before opening the door.

The first thing that greets us is the stench of burning wood. We step out onto the mountain top and the earth beneath our feet is still fire warm. The devastation around us nearly stops my heart cold. Almost nothing of the magnificent forest remains, it holds now only the scorched skeltons of the once proud trees. Down below, in the distance we can see the fires still burning in what was once Colorado Springs. Jack pulls me tight against his side as we take in the enormity of what our eyes tell us. I look up and through the haze of smoke, I can see the glow of the sunrise.

"I don't understand, what happened?" Jack asks softly.

"It must have been a massive solar flare. One strong enough to cause this devastation but not destroy the sun or the atmosphere. There may be people somewhere who survived." I tell Jack quietly.

"So we've been given a second chance." Jack says softly.

"Yes. We're still alive and the road ahead isn't going to be easy. We're totally alone and have only what is inside the base to help us survive. But the trees and vegetation will regrow as long as the roots haven't been destroyed. We can survive this, I know we can." I tell Jack softly.

He turns to face me and pulls me close. He smiles softly and touches my cheek gently. "As long as I have you with me Sammy I can get through anything." he whispers and as his lips capture mine I smile as I realize that Jack and I will share many more sunrises, many more sunsets and each one will be greeted as the one that we had thought was our last.

~~~~~~~FIN~~~~~~~

And before you ask, Yes I am planning a sequel. :o)