Title: What's Left Unsaid
Author: Moonshayde
Season: Ten
Category: Angst
Spoilers: Quest Pt 2, Line in the Sand
Pairing/Character: Sam/Jack
Summary: Sam visits Jack to say one last goodbye before she
goes to battle the Ori.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 814
Rating: PG
Disclaimer:
Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and all of its characters, titles, names, and
back-story are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko
Productions, SciFi Channel, and Showtime/Viacom. All other characters, the
story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story
cannot be printed anywhere without the sole permission of the author. Realize this is for entertainment purposes
only; no financial gain or profit has been gained from this fiction. This story
is not meant to be an infringement on the rights of the above-mentioned
establishments
She knew she shouldn't have
come.
Sam stood in front of the
apartment door, wringing her hands as she contemplated what she would say and
what she would do. Part of her had the urge to just walk away, like all the
previous times she'd come, leave everything unsaid, leave everything safe. But
there was that other part of her, that part of her that knew all too well just
how dangerous her job was and that she might never have this chance again.
She was lucky to have this
chance at all.
Taking a deep breath, Sam
steeled herself and knocked on the door.
A loud crash resounded
throughout the apartment, accompanied by a string of curses. Sam found herself
smiling despite the situation, her thoughts turning to fond memories of the SGC
before the Ori, before all the changes. She cleared her throat and shook the
thoughts away, focusing on the doorknob as it turned.
O'Neill threw the door open
and blinked. "Carter."
She forced a smile.
"Sir."
"This is a
surprise."
"I was in the
neighborhood."
O'Neill arched his eyebrows.
"In Washington D.C.?"
Inwardly, she cringed,
wondering why she just couldn't be straightforward in situations like these.
"General Landry sent me to D.C. to speak before the Appropriations
Committee to argue for more funding on the phase technology we're currently
developing."
"Ah," he said with
a nod. Then, he grew quiet. "That's Daniel's usual gig."
Sam gave a slight nod,
biting back the pain that surfaced at the mention of his name. It had been
nearly two weeks, and they still hadn't heard anything. Every time she let her
mind slow, she was assaulted with image after image of what they could be doing
to Daniel. She should have stayed. They should have dragged him through the
Gate.
But she just couldn't let
those thoughts continue to throw her. She had to keep focused.
"In fact," she
said, struggling to box away her anxiety, "that is one of the reasons I
came by to see you. We believe mastering Merlin's device will give us a
distinct advantage over the Ori. If they feel threatened, they may show their
hand and we'll have a better shot at finding Daniel."
"Well, that's good
news." He paused. "Right?"
She nodded. "Yes, it
is."
His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Then why do I sense this is goodbye?"
"The phase technology
is unstable. We already –" She swallowed down the lump in her throat.
"As you know, the test on P9C-882 was unsuccessful."
"You got it to work in
the end," he said simply, though she didn't miss the pain in his eyes.
"The IOA is behind this
one-hundred percent," Sam said. "But there are still risks. If this
works, we'll be going into the heart of the Ori controlled sectors to retrieve
Daniel."
"You don't know where
he is."
"Teal'c has new leads
every day from the Jaffa. Vala Mal Doran is pulling some strings with her old
contacts. Colonel Mitchell is coordinating reconnaissance efforts with Colonel
Reynolds." She held her chin a little higher. "No matter what, we're
determined to succeed."
"I have no doubt,"
he said quietly.
There was a flash of regret
in his eyes. Sam knew that he wanted to be at the SGC with them, helping them,
and wanted more than anything to go through the Stargate to eliminate the Ori
and to find Daniel. She knew that feeling more than anyone. But she also knew
he had more important duties here. General O'Neill could do more here.
And he knew that as well.
Sam sighed again, finding it
difficult to look into his eyes. The truth was that over the next few months no
one knew what would happen. Daniel could be dead. The Ori could continue to
advance through the galaxy. And there were the new wounds that were still
fresh: Teal'c had become increasing restless with the state of the Jaffa; she
nearly hadn't made it off P9C-882.
Finally, she brought her
gaze back to O'Neill. "I just wanted to say –"
"I know."
She nodded. Refusing to
break down in front of him, Sam took a step back to leave, but he took an equal
step to meet her. With the wave of his hand, he urged her forward and opened
his arms. Sam stepped into his arms and exhaled, calmed by the familiarity of
his embrace.
"Maybe someday things
can be different," Sam said, holding onto him tight.
"They will," he
told her. "Besides, I expect you to come back for the rest."
She laughed as she squeezed
him tight. With just those few words, she felt more confident and more at ease.
While she knew that the dangers were real and that they might not all make it
out of this war, this moment was enough.
For now.
And that was all she needed.
THE END
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