Exile I ch 3

Chapter Three



“Ah...just like home.”  Jack said serenely.  “No fish here either.”

Jack was standing on the edge of the lake Gabriel had told him about.  He’d traded his watch for a simple fishing pole with one of the few remaining villagers of Idlewyld.  He considered it a fine trade since the watch was useless to him these days.  Idlewyld didn’t even have a twenty-four hour day.

He had just reeled in his baitless hook when he heard the crunching leaves of someone approaching.  Turning around he discovered Sam coming down the small path.  She was beautiful as ever, maybe even more so, a thought he quickly pushed to the back of his mind.  He had come here to try and escape her, but clearly there was no escape other than the Stargate.  When she reached him he forced a casual smile.

“Hey, Carter.”

“Hey...um...”

“You can call me ‘Jack’ now.”

“I’m not sure I can, anymore than you can call me ‘Sam’.”

“Good point.”  Jack grinned.  “Okay, I guess formally my name is actually ‘Jonathan’.”

“’Samantha’.”

“Nice to meet you, Samantha.”

Jack held out his hand for her to shake.  Smiling she rolled her eyes and shook his hand.  Having done introductions they just stared at one another.  In need of something to do with his hands Jack began to fidget with the sharp fishing hook.

“So...”  Jack said awkwardly.

“I...I have something to say, but I really don’t know how.”

“Ask Daniel, he’s good with words.”

“I already talked to him, he had a suggestion...but this is one of those things that is actually easier done than said.”

“Car...Samantha, I have no idea what you’re talking about.  As usua...”

“I’m pregnant.”

“Yeeaaouch!”

Jack’s hand had slipped upon hearing the news and the hook had sunk into his index finger.  Sam gasped, but before she could help he yanked it out himself.  He put his finger in his mouth for a moment.  When the bleeding stopped he narrowed his eyes and went to head up the path towards the Temple.

“Sir?  Where are you going?”

“To kill Gabriel.”

“Gabriel?”

“Daniel then?”

“What?  No, no, believe me: no.”  Sam said as she stopped him.  “Si...Jonathan, Jack, you...you’re the father.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”  Sam was forced to smile as his apparent shock.

“But...Neith...once...”

“Once is more than enough...uh...I mean...”

“I know what you mean.”  Jack smiled.  “I guess I’m just surprised...I’m not exactly young anymore.”

“Technically, neither am I.  There are so many risks involved here.  Which is why...”  Sam hesitated.  “Which is why I’ve asked Gabriel to end it.”

Jack couldn’t help the shock that spread across his face.  He composed himself as quickly as possible and nodded.  Sam began her tell tale sign of stress by licking her lips.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even want to tell you any of this.”  Sam admitted.

“Why did you?”

“Gabriel wouldn’t help me if you didn’t know.”

“I always knew he hated me.”  Jack muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“He is right, you deserve to know.  What I need to know how you feel about this.”

“I understand.”

“Understand?”  Sam repeated.  “Understanding isn’t an emotion.  I need to know if you’ll forgive me.”

“No.”  Jack said firmly.  “I could never forgive you, because in order to do that I’d first have to blame you and that’s something I could never do.  I may be the father, you’re not the mother.  This was Neith’s choice and you shouldn’t have to live with it.”

Sam nodded, but she still looked unsure of herself.  Jack shifted his weight uncomfortably.  He didn’t want to lose another child, but he was not about to tell Sam what to do with her life.  

“What is it like?”  Sam asked suddenly.

“What is what like?”

“Being a parent.”

“Honestly...the greatest experience of my life.  But that has nothing to do with this.  Sarah and I made the decision together, we planed it, we had a somewhat stable life...”

“You knew the child would be human.”  Sam added.  

“I didn’t even think of that.  You’ve made the right choice.”

“Yeah.”  Sam agreed halfheartedly.

“Come on, I’ll take you to Gabriel.”

“No, I...I’m not ready.”

“Carter?”

Fighting against the tears only made things worse.  Jack instinctively engulfed Sam in a comforting embrace.  She didn’t really cry, she just trembled slightly while the tears soaked his shirt silently.

“Easy,” Jack soothed  “take a deep breath.”  

Sam did as she was told and drew the warm afternoon air into her lungs.  She pulled away from him and angrily rubbed away the tears.

“Better?”

Sam just nodded.

“I’m sorry I did this to you.”

“There was nothing you could do.  Daniel doesn’t blame himself for what happened with Hathor, you shouldn’t blame yourself for this.”

“It’s not the same, he didn’t love her...”

The pair froze solid at Jack’s slip, unsure of what to do next.  They had spent so many years avoiding this, coming up with reasons why it could never work.  Out of the Air Force, out of the entire Solar System that had held them back there were suddenly no excuses.  

“I have to do this.”  Sam broke the silence.  “We have to go to Gabriel.”

“Carter, stop talking about what you think you have to do.  What do you want?”

“I don’t know.”

“Really?”

Sam sighed heavily.  She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the ground like a child after being scolded.  Jack could only watch her like this for so long.  She was still trying to be a solider, a failsafe he knew well.

“Samantha?”

“I...I want to be a mother.”  Sam admitted quietly.

“Then there is no reason why you shouldn’t be.”

“What about you?  What do you want?”

“I would give anything for another chance.”

“Why didn’t you say that before?”  Sam demanded.  

“Because I’m stubborn as a mule and twice as slow.”

Despite everything Sam laughed.  Jack chuckled as well and drew her into a warm hug.  She laid her head against his chest and just listened to the racing of his heart.  He gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her and holding her out at arm’s length.

“So, are you going to make an honest man out of me or what?”

“Wha...what?”

Sam was still confused as Jack took her hands gently in his own.  It wasn’t until he knelt down into the traditional one knee stance that she realized what was happening.  Sam blushed violently, unable to contain a bright smile.  Jack looked up at her with a similar grin.

“Carter...will you marry me?”

“Yes, Sir.”


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