"The Way I See It" By Alli Snow

Title: The Way I See It

Spoilers: POV

Rating: PG

Summary: Through Kawalsky's eyes...

*****

It's frustrating. Real frustrating.

I know Doctor C. feels the same way. I know her pretty well; I can tell that even though she feels very strongly towards this Jack, this Colonel O'Neill, she's also disappointed and disturbed by the way things turned out in this 'alternate reality'.

This Jack and Sam serve together. Now THAT'S a crackup... Sam under Jack's command. I can't imagine her ever following his commands... if O'Neill ever gave Samantha an order she'd laugh at him.

But no, I'm thinking of MY O'Neill and MY Samantha, not these strangers.

We know them, but we don't. And as a result the relationships between us can't be the same as they were between our counterparts. We've lived different lives, gone through different events, seen things that the others haven't... especially me, considering here, I'm dead.

But the thing that makes it frustrating are the ways some things are different... but others are the same. That Daniel fellow, now. Nice kid, real nice. I could tell the Colonel liked him, and Jackson looks like the kind of person who could really grow on you.

Teal'c... his presence in the SGA... excuse me, the SGC... was even more unexpected than Jack's. Mere days ago I had seen the bastard murder my best friend... and now here he was, all comfy and cozy in his fatigues, sitting across from the man he had just killed in my reality, talking like they were best buds... and I suppose they are.

I thought things couldn't be more different.

But like I said before, some things aren't. Like Sam and Jack.

There were differences, of course. This Jack was a little more tired, a little more cynical. And as for "Major" Carter... I don't know WHAT to say about that hair. But the similarities were also there in full force. O'Neill's neverending comments. His straightforward attitude and hatred of all things technical. His trust in his people. Sam's beautiful, scientific mind. Her smile. Her tenacity. These were the things that made people who they were, not their hairstyles. Those were the constants.

And their love for one another. That's been a constant for as long as I could remember.

Sam was working here during the initial mission to Abydos. I know she noticed the colonel, and he definately noticed her, but he'd also just gotten through a divorce. I guess his wife, Sara, had found their son, James, playing with one of Jack's guns... something along those lines. Anyway, it touched off a long-running argument and they split.

It was a couple months after that when Jack asked Doctor C. out on a date. My advice. I swear it was. If it wasn't for me, they'd probably still be eyeing each other across the Gate room.

I remember their wedding, over a year ago. I was the best man, of course, and Sam's sister Cynthia was the matron of honor. Boy, was she a fox. If I hadn't been married... I'm kidding, of course. Kidding.

Sam and Jack loved each other with a fire I'd never seen before, even between Jan and me. It wasn't the mushy, flowery, perfumy kind of love ya see in those romance novels, but I don't know, it was romantic all the same. It was the kind of caring and trust that was apparent in every word spoken, every gesture made. Now maybe that's a little sappy, but it's true.

And it's also damn frustrating.

Because from the second I saw THIS Jack and THIS Samantha, I knew... they had that same kind of love.

But they never had a 'thing'.

Maybe that's because of "regulations". Hell, not to give myself any undue credit, but maybe it's because I wasn't here to give Jack that extra little push. Maybe if I hadn't died, I would have, and things would be different.

Not that that's necessarily a GOOD thing... not comparing our two worlds.

Sam, MY Sam, is thinking the same thing, I can tell. Honestly, though, I don't know if it would be worse if, say, this O'Neill and Carter WERE involved. She took it pretty bad as it was. Thankfully, I was able to control my reaction when I saw MY wife a little better. I have to admit, I never thought of her as a doctor.

Still, it's a damn shame.

Life's so short. I've had a good, thorough lesson in mortality these part few days, and I've adopted a bit of a 'live in the moment' spirit. When you find love like Sam and Jack have - no matter how much either of them would like to deny it - you should grab hold, dammit, and never let go. Never.

I guess love is one of those things that never changes. I guess, maybe, whatever alternate reality you go through, some things will always be the same. Different events in different lives might mold the person that you eventually become, but damn it, no matter what universe you're in you have the same soul... the same soul mates.

At least, that's the way I see it.

--THE END--

NOTES: Yes, I know that Jack's son was Charlie, not James, and he died, and also that Sam doesn't have a sister named Cynthia. This is just stuff I added to show the differences in the universes. :)

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