DISCLAIMER: We do not own either of these two characters. The powers that be are welcome to them (or something like this <g>)
DEDICATION: If this is collaboration number 2 here's to collaboration 22
SPOILERS: 100 days

On Top of the Mountain
By b and Debbie

It was a beautiful windy day. The man had been standing there for about 10 minutes, not far away from the only other occupant on top of the mountain. Deciding that he had given the other person enough time to be alone, he moved slowly towards her.

He arrived just in time to hear that she was crying her heart out. Wishing he could take her in his arms and soothe her sobs away, he just stood there until her sobs dies down. Once he could hear she was more in control of her emotions, he was still loath to invade her privacy. So he waited some more.

As he watched, the young blond woman took a piece of paper from her pocket. She read the words so obviously contained within. The man shuddered as he saw tears in her eyes threatening once more to fall.

'I hope you fulfill your dreams my darling. You must know I can no longer live with his presence in our relationship. Forgive me, I need space to accept we are finished. Goodbye. x'

The man watched all this with dread in his heart. Finally he made a move, 'Time's up! Now or never.' With quiet steps so that he wouldn't shatter the comfortable yet deafening silence, he inched closer to the woman.

Taking a deep breath and ignoring the heartache he felt within, he stood a moment longer to collect his thoughts. Suddenly, his deep voice punctured the silence, "Carter?"

Lost in her thoughts, memories flooding her brain, the blond remained perfectly still... Edora, leaving Jack behind, hours and days locked in her lab, making the breakthrough, his safe return... gradually the Colonel's voice penetrated the fog surrounding her, "CARTER?"

Major Samantha Carter was so deep within herself she almost jumped at the sound of her name. Almost, but not quite, her military training never failed her, especially at times like these. Coming to attention quickly, she brushes her tears with the sleeve of her blouse, and turns to face her CO, "Sir?"

Jack heard a voice hoarse from all the crying. Military protocol over-riding his anguish at the sound he simply whispers, "At ease, Major Carter, at ease." Slowly, he took a step closer to his second in command.

"Sir," Sam tried to contain the tears that welled in her eyes. A hard thing to do when here stood the man that was at the root of all her heartache. Here was the man that had caused such problems between herself and Janet. Here was the man that was unconsciously tearing them apart.

Remembering so completely she bowed her head in despair... nights and days locked in her lab, visits from Janet pleading for her to rest, mugs of hot coffee appearing with a smile, Janet's quiet acceptance of the Major's neglect... until, "he means something to you"... Sam's refusal to deny the allegation, Janet's sad look as she left the lab, Sam's refusal to follow... the doctor's final demand for some commitment and her inability to give it... culminating in the note she now wrung between worried fingers... for a moment she lifted her eyes to the skies, as if in silent prayer.

O'Neill, sensing this inner turmoil, and appreciating his presence was probably a part of it, looked away to the horizon. His voice appeared calm and collected as he whispered; "You shouldn't be here Sam. You should be at Janet's. Kneel if you need, beg and grovel if you must. Just do something, Sam. Don't let the Doc go."

Gradually turning to face his second in command, O'Neill continued without giving Sam a chance to reply, "I'm deeply grateful for everything you've done to get me back here, Sam. And I'm sorry if this has been the reason for your tears."

This time Sam's tears rained unchecked. He was a good friend but that was all he could ever be to her, she had... didn't she?... something much more special and important.

"Sam, what you and the Doc have is so precious. Don't let your fear drive it away. I should know. I have let fear chase everything precious from my life Sam. Don't make the same mistakes I did." O'Neill's own eyes watered at all the sad images in his mind.

Looking into his eyes for the first time the major murmured, "She doesn't want me anymore, Sir. She has said it's over. Just that, Sir, over. She said as much." She knew she was babbling, knew she was sobbing, but really didn't care, she just had to share her heartache with O'Neill.

The Colonel smiled grimly. "If she loves you just half as much as the love I can see in your face Sam, she couldn't just let you go. As he spoke, Jack thought to himself that there was the crux of his knowledge. There in Sam's eyes, and in the doctor's for that matter, was all the evidence he had needed to know he never stood a cat's chance in hell of being the major's significant other. One only needed to watch the two together, to see all the love and adoration two people could share, exclusive to each other.

"Sam, she loves you. Even if she wanted, she couldn't forget so easily. Just go to her. Fight to get her back Sam," continued Jack O'Neill. All the time wishing he were the recipient of such love in Sam's eyes, he implored, "She's an amazing woman Sam. Don't ever let her go." That said, he took a deep breath and once more looked out to the horizon.

Jack held another vision to his eyes. This time he saw the doctor's ebony eyes boring into him as they returned from Edora. Sam hadn't seen her watching, but he had, reading the situation perfectly in such expressive eyes. Fraiser could no more hide her feelings from O'Neill than any of his chosen team members. She was as much a part of his circle of command than any of SG-1 and, as such, was as much a part of his family. There was no way Jack O'Neill could step between the love his second in command and his Chief Medical Officer so obviously shared.

"Go Sam. Now. Don't wait any longer." O'Neill uttered as he turned back to the blonde. Smiling to give her some courage, he just nodded at the woman, seemingly to dismiss her before turning to the horizon again.

A stunned Major Carter just stared at her Commanding Officer. Gradually coming to her senses, who would have thought the man at the root of her distress would hold all the answers. More in control of herself now, she finally managed to say, "Thank you Sir. For your support."

She turned, almost wishing she could use the Stargate to appear immediately at Janet's door, her face was brimming with smiles of hope now. She needed to see Janet, needed to explain the situation, needed to make things right. She looked at Jack and smiled gratefully, nodding to herself she touched his shoulder. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips to his cheek and whispered, Thank you Jack," and was gone.

Wistfully watching his second in command leave; the Colonel acknowledged the use of his first name with a gentle smile. He touched his cheek, knowing his name was said as friend to friend hurt him more than she would ever know. Giving Samantha Carter up in his heart and in his mind, was one of the stupidest things he had done in a long, long time. But, Sam's heart was taken elsewhere, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about that, except give Sam back to her doctor. Smiling sadly to himself, he turned on his heel with one last thought, 'I sure hope Doctor Janet Fraiser is less of a dumbass than Colonel Jack O'Neill is."

Laughing out loud, he knew that was a given.

The End

Return to Stargate Fiction

Return to Main Page