Chapter Text
2006
“Cut it out, kids,” Sam said over her shoulder while trying to keep her eyes on the road. Glancing sideways at Pete, she made an almost imperceptible nod with her head, telling him to end the argument between his children. Tim and Lola kept yelling and Pete just sighed, frustrating her even more. “Pete,” Sam protested, glaring at him when he finally looked at her.
“You heard Sam, stop it,” he scolded. Turning to the backseat he reached between the two children, who were hitting each other, and separated them. “Damn kids,” he muttered under his breath, turning back in his chair, shifting to get comfortable.
She could see Lola glaring at her via the rear-view mirror and locking eyes with her, the four-and-a-half year-old girl stuck out her tongue at Sam in an impudent gesture. Clenching her jaw, Sam had to stop herself from gritting her teeth, instead gripping the steering wheel even harder. This is supposed to be a good and joyful day, she thought, focusing on the road again. Cassie was flying in and they were on their way to the airport to pick her up, after which she would probably stay the weekend, or at least that’s what Sam assumed. Tomorrow, Daniel would finally come back from his two-year stay on Atlantis and they would celebrate him returning to their humble planet that Saturday night.
Daniel had visited their galaxy about every three months, but Sam had only been able to see him about two times a year. In the last two years Teal’c had actually visited her twice together with Daniel, and as she was still working for the SGC, she knew that he came back more often than that. Probably to see the General as well, she mused. He, the General, had actually gone to Atlantis as well as Dakara at least two times, claiming the visits were all business to review the status of Atlantis or strengthen the diplomatic relationship between the Jaffa Nation and Earth. Not that she was tracking his movements or anything, it was just hard to avoid overhearing…
Thankfully, the General would usually visit the SGC on Fridays or the weekend, if not during school holidays and those happened to be her days off, because Pete’s children would visit. This way, she needn’t worry about running into Jack O’Neill. Thinking about him, she let out a deep sigh, which drew Pete’s attention.
“Something wrong?”
“No, I was just thinking,” she replied with a weak smile. She hadn’t seen the General in two years, had hardly heard anything about him because Cassie, Daniel, and Teal’c never spoke about him to her. Per her request but that didn’t stop her from thinking about him… how he was doing, what he was doing, where he was. With whom he was. The General himself had kept his word as well, not contacting her in any way unless it was for work, which had only happened twice and she was pretty sure it had been a standard letter.
Daniel had told her they’d kept in touch through letters, like he did with her and Teal’c. He had also been the one to organize tomorrow’s event and Cassie had helped him prep from Earth, as he was still in the Pegasus Galaxy. It made Sam wonder if the General would be there as well. Secretly, she wanted to know how he was doing and perhaps even wanted to see him.
Mentally kicking herself for her wandering mind she turned the corner as they reached the airport. Cassie didn’t visit often, she claimed to be very busy with med school but Sam knew she still didn’t like Pete. The young alien woman also couldn’t get along with his kids, who still came over every other weekend if not every weekend. Today she would spend the day with Cassie, maybe send Pete out with the children so that they could talk as they used to, with Janet.
“So, I was sitting there and–”
“I want candy,” Lola cried out, interrupting Cassie.
“Lola, calm down,” Sam sighed, walking over to the girl.
Rolling her eyes, Cassie got up from the couch and grabbed her coat. “I’ll just go for a walk or something,” she mumbled, annoyed she couldn’t have a normal conversation with Sam without being interrupted by the little brat.
“Cassie, wait,” Sam exclaimed, as she had finally taken care of Lola. “Don’t go, we were in the middle–”
“Yes, we were in the middle of a conversation, as we were the five previous times she interrupted us. I’m sorry but I can’t talk like that. I probably haven’t said more than ten sentences in total and I’ve been here for over two hours, Sam.”
“Where will you go?”
“I don’t know; I’ll just take a walk. Look around the park, read a bit,” she shrugged, pointing at her bag, which contained a medical journal and walked over to the door. “Call me if I’m getting late for dinner.”
“Sure,” was all Sam could say before Cassie walked out the door. As she looked down, she saw Lola smiling a smug little smile and not for the first time she wondered if the girl actually disliked her. Lola was a smart little brat, who got everything she wanted from her mother and Pete usually gave into everything as well. Sometimes he would listen to her – Sam – and he would try, he really would, until Lola started crying again or just be plain annoying and he just gave her what she wanted, to shut her up. Maybe it was a good thing they didn’t have any children themselves, Sam thought glumly.
They had used the first few months of their marriage to get to know each other better, to adjust to their new life together and trying to handle his two children as well. After six months, they had broached the subject of their own children and she had forced herself to tell him about the consequences of blending with Jolinar again. He’d said he understood but still wanted to try, as did she. Now, she had almost given up. She hadn’t told Pete in so many words, but she figured he knew. Their sex life wasn’t that bad but she wasn’t jumping him when she was ovulating either.
She had resigned herself to the idea of not being able to conceive a child and maybe, just maybe, it was for the best. If they couldn’t handle Lola, how could they handle a baby? Tim was quite easy, although Lola’s influence on him was growing but if they would have a child together that would mean Sam actually had a right to say something about the parenting. Experience had taught her that she and Pete weren’t completely seeing eye to eye on that matter, but it was probably close enough. It would clash with Lola’s upbringing, though, Sam was sure of that. She wasn’t Lola’s mother and didn’t really have the right to judge the other woman but she knew for sure that her child would actually learn what boundaries were and Sam would make sure it wouldn’t turn out a brat like Lola already was. However, if she would have a child with Pete, they couldn’t treat their child differently in front of his two kids because that would be unfair…
Tired of her own thoughts, Sam let out a yawn and a glance at the clock told her that it was almost 1630 hours. Sitting down, she wondered where Pete was. He had been here when they came home… had he told her he’d be gone? Rubbing her tired eyes, she shrugged to no one in particular and lay down on the couch. It wouldn’t hurt to take a little nap, Lola was in her playpen, and Tim was… where was Tim?! Sitting up, all thoughts of sleeping gone, Sam quickly glanced around the living room, while trying to relive the last two hours. She had taken Lola inside, Cassie had followed her and Pete had taken Tim, right? Unsure, she looked in the study and kitchen, not finding any sign of Pete or Tim and decided to go upstairs.
“Babe, what’s for dinner?”
Startled, Sam turned to Pete who was standing in the doorway of their bedroom. “I was looking for you, where is Tim?”
“Napping, I put him to bed when we came home; I was just about to wake him. Why?”
“Nothing, I just realized I didn’t know where he was. Or where you were for that matter.”
Turning around, Pete walked back into their room and settled on the bed. “I was bored and decided to watch a movie, so you and Cassie could talk,” he gestured at the TV as she entered the room.
“Oh, well, that didn’t go too well.”
“It didn’t?” Pete asked surprised, trying to keep his joy at hearing that to himself. He’d never liked Cassandra – which he was sure was mutual – and it had only taken a turn for the worse over the years. He could only be more satisfied if she would completely stop coming by, but that probably wouldn’t happen. Besides, Sam still cared for the girl, so he had to put up with her. Those few times a year he could handle.
“Lola, eh… kept asking for attention,” Sam answered, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.
Not looking away from the screen, Pete just shrugged. “Really?”
“Yeah, Cassie left for a walk to the park, so she could read in silence.”
“Too bad.”
“She’ll be back in time for dinner though, which I’m not cooking by the way,” Sam smiled a bit. Even after being married for two years, she couldn’t cook. Either Pete would cook or they would order in or go out to dinner.
However, since Pete’s demotion last year they kept the dining out to a minimum. She didn’t care much for going out to fancy restaurants if she were honest, especially not if the kids would go with them because Lola just wouldn’t behave. Sam would always end up feeling embarrassed.
So, married life wasn’t what she had expected… did life ever turn out the way you want it?
“Sorry if I’m late,” Cassie said as she opened the door and shed her coat. “I lost track of time.”
“It’s okay,” Sam said happy to see her again. “We ordered pizza, which can be here any minute now.”
“Great,” Cassie smiled, walking over to the couch and coldly greeted Pete who was sitting there. “Sam, do you know what time Daniel will be here tomorrow?”
“No, I don’t, I haven’t been on base all day,” she replied as the doorbell rang. Grabbing her wallet she walked over to it and paid for the food.
“Could you find out?”
“I guess I could call, why? He did say it would be some time in the afternoon.” Placing the pizzas on the dining table, she turned to Cassie. “By the way, I haven’t made the bed in the guest room yet, I’ll do it after dinner, okay?”
“Um… that’s part of the reason I asked,” Cassie bashfully admitted. “I was thinking I’d stay on base, to welcome Daniel tomorrow and go over some last minute details if his gatelag isn’t too bad.”
“You want to stay… on base?”
“Yeah,” Cassie gave her a small smile, really not wanting to stay here with Pete and his kids. It was hard for her to see Sam settle for a life like this, when she could’ve been with Jack… what really hurt, was to see the way Pete didn’t respect her opinion in regard to his kids, Cassie thought. She knew Sam was a great mother, she had been the first to experience that after coming to this planet, but Pete didn’t give her the chance. “I already cleared it, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Frowning, Sam walked over to her and Pete, completely forgetting about dinner. “When did you have the opportunity to ask General Landry?”
“Jack okayed it,” she softly stated. “I would’ve gone to his house, but I lost my key,” she continued. Seeing the conflicting emotions on Sam’s face and in her eyes, Cassie decided to keep it at that because she knew how Sam felt about Jack. Well, not really of course, but she had asked them not to talk about him to her or when she was around and, so far, they had respected her request.
Not that Jack never asked about her, he always asked “How’s Carter?” if she talked to him. Cassie knew he asked Daniel and Teal’c the same question if he saw or spoke to them and it wouldn’t even surprise her if he asked Landry about it. The only reason for Sam not wanting to talk about him was probably because she still cared, Cassie mused. Still, she had a funny way of showing it.
“Oh… he, er… he still has his house here?” Sam stammered a bit, her curiosity getting the best of her. She noticed Cassie was surprised by her question and she quickly held up her hand. “Never mind, just forget I asked.”
“It’s okay to ask, Sam,” Cassie gave her a real smile. “Yes, he still has his house here, where I still have my room.”
Nodding, Sam turned around, the growling of her stomach reminding her that she needed food. “Okay,” she retorted absentmindedly, banning the General from her mind. She had been very close to asking Cassie if he would be there tomorrow during the afternoon, but had kept it to herself. “Food, anyone?”
Hearing the knock on the door of her base guest quarters, Cassie spat out her toothpaste and quickly rinsed her mouth. Towel still in hand, she opened the door to see Sam standing there. “Sam!”
“Hey,” Sam smiled at Cassie, who was obviously getting ready for bed. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”
“Of course not,” she replied, beckoning her inside. “What are you doing here?”
Taking a seat on the bunk, Sam looked at her. “I was called in because of a problem with the ’gate. I figured I’d come by to apologize…”
“Apologize, for what?” Cassie asked, sincerely confused.
Shrugging, Sam gave her a half smile. “For today, I really wanted to talk to you, hear about your life and med school… it’s just that–”
“Kids are hard work, I know that,” she replied in an honest voice. She had seen Jack juggle his work at Homeworld Security with his life as a father to three small children.
“Yeah,” Sam sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. “Siler told me General O’Neill is supposed to be here tomorrow,” she cautiously continued, not knowing why she brought up the subject. She wondered why no one had told her. Of course, she knew she had asked them not to talk about him to her but they could’ve at least given her a warning, she mused. Siler was probably the only one on base who felt he could tell her something like this, she thought, grimacing.
Nodding carefully, Cassie sat down next to her, throwing the towel in a corner. “He called me to tell me he was already here.”
Startled, Sam squealed. “He is?” Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Really?”
Grinning, Cassie slowly bobbed her head. “Just half an hour ago, but it was too late to get a ride over there or just lend a car.”
“I could drop you off,” Sam automatically offered, surprising the both of them.
Stunned, Cassie stared at her. “You could?”
Fidgeting with the woolen blanket Sam shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Not giving her a chance to back out Cassandra immediately jumped up from the bed to grab her bag, throw in her clothes and toiletries, before grabbing her coat. Within three minutes, she was ready to leave. “Let’s go!”
Startled by her sudden energy outburst, Sam slowly got up. What had she gotten myself into? Why did she make the offer? Shaking her head slightly she tried to clear her mind and followed Cassie to the elevators. For some reason she was nervous, which was ridiculous. She would give Cassie a ride to the General’s old house, drop her off, and go home. So what if Pete wouldn’t like it? He probably didn’t mind Cassie staying with the General - he had seemed somewhat relieved when Cassie had told them she would be staying on base – but she knew he didn’t like her going over to the General or just talk to him. She wondered why. Before, it hadn’t mattered to her but lately she found herself thinking about it more and more often. Not just about that, about the General himself as well. Unsettled, she stayed quiet during their rides up with the elevators and silently got into her car, ready to drive Cassie over to his place.
Cassie realized Sam was thinking – when wasn’t she? – and decided not to disturb her, so stayed quiet as well. Smiling slightly she got into the car and looked out the window during the short drive. Every now and then, she’d glance at Sam and notice the emotions in her expressions. Would she finally realize Pete wasn’t the life she wanted? As they neared the turn to Jack’s house Cassie saw Sam’s grip on the wheel tightening, her fingers turning white. “Will you come inside with me?”
Sam’s head snapped up, hearing the innocent tone of Cassie’s voice and she stared at her, her mouth turning dry. Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Cass.”
“I’m sure Jack won’t mind,” Cassie replied, schooling her features in an innocent expression.
“It’s late Cassie and we haven’t spoken for over two years. Besides, me driving you over here doesn’t change anything,” she bluntly retorted.
Biting her lip, Cassie nodded. “Fine. Thanks for the ride.” Grabbing her bag, she got out of the car and slammed the door closed. She jogged past the SUV on the driveway and when she reached the door she rang the bell and waved at Sam, who apparently took that as her sign to leave.
“Pete, please,” Sam said through gritted teeth. “Just take them for a walk in the park or something, that way I can enjoy a nice and quiet bath.”
Rolling his eyes, Pete relented. “Fine, I’ll take them to the park.” He stalked off to grab the stroller and some essentials, before putting the kids their jackets on and walking out with Tim and Lola.
Stretching her tall frame Sam smiled at the peace and quiet in her house. It was strange; the children had only been here for the past week, with their mother being on vacation, but she couldn’t even remember the last time she had been relaxed in her own house. Walking over to the bathroom, she turned on the faucet and padded back to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of iced tea. Hearing the phone ring, she grabbed the receiver and picked it up. “Samantha Carter.”
“Sam?”
“Cassie, what’s up?” She smiled at hearing the younger woman’s voice. For some reason it had felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders after she had dropped off Cassandra at the General’s house last night.
“I was just wondering if you wanted to go shopping for a new outfit for tonight? I brought some things with me but I don’t like them and want to look for a new dress.”
Frowning, Sam walked over to the bathroom to check on the water. “Are you sure?” She remembered one of their two-monthly phone calls from a week and a half ago, in which Cassie had told her she was having some financial problems.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, I just thought about our phone call the other day,” she gently reminded her. She knew college was expensive, especially med school and she also knew Cassie was fitting right in with the other students and liked to party, which probably wasn’t cheap.
“Don’t worry about it, Jack gave me his credit card to buy myself a nice dress.”
Shaking her head slightly, Sam couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It was so like the General to do that for Cassie; even it wasn’t the best approach in her opinion. Thinking about her own wardrobe she decided she should go shopping with Cassie, especially now that Pete took the kids out. “Okay, but I was just about to take a bath.”
“Is half an hour long enough? We could meet at the mall in an hour?”
“Sure, I’ll see you then,” Sam replied, said her goodbyes and hung up. Quickly undressing, she lowered herself in the bathtub.
Pulling up her driveway Sam jumped out of the car, dragging her bags with her. Her little shopping spree with Cassie had been quite a success, even if Sam had been the one who had done most of the shopping. She’d bought some new lingerie, a sweet thin-strapped little black cocktail dress and a new sweater. Cassie had found the perfect dress and had been in heaven the entire afternoon. They had been just in time as Daniel was about to arrive and Cassie had insisted on being there when he came in, claiming she had only seen him once in two years. She and Sam had said their goodbyes at the mall before going their own way.
Walking into the kitchen Sam put the grocery bag on the counter before bringing her clothes to the bedroom. After leaving the mall she had gone out to get some groceries for tomorrow and it had taken longer than she’d expected. Right now, she had to get dressed, put on some makeup, brush her hair and get over to the commissary on base, where the party would be. As she was brushing her teeth Pete came into the bathroom and smiled at her.
“How did the shopping go?”
Rinsing her mouth Sam looked at him via the mirror. “It was nice, we actually had some time to catch up and I bought some new things.”
“Yes, I noticed. You didn’t spend too much money, did you?”
Rolling her eyes, Sam shook her head. After his demotion last year he’d started earning less money and was always worried about not having enough money, even if she was still working. She didn’t get hazard pay anymore since she spent most of her days in the lab and left the frontlines over two years ago, but she still made a good sum of money. “Did you call the sitter?”
“Yeah, she’s still sick and can’t make it,” he sighed. “So, I guess that means I have to stay here with the kids while you go over to Daniel’s party.”
Sam muttered something incomprehensible under her breath at hearing the girl was sick and decided they needed to look for a new sitter. “I guess, too bad,” she gave him a sympathetic smile.
“Don’t worry about it,” he shrugged, winking at her.
Nodding, she walked over to the bedroom and quickly grabbed her little black dress to show him. His whistle made her smile and she ushered him out of the room to get dressed. Undressing, she grabbed a strapless bra and put it and her new dress on. Padding back to the bathroom she put on some light makeup and brushed her hair. Spraying some perfume before going downstairs she hummed at the idea of seeing Daniel again. To have him live on the same planet again!
Putting on her shoes and coat she gave Pete and the kids a quick peck on the cheek before getting into her car. It was only 1600 hours and it was a nice temperature outside with the sunbeams dancing over every surface. Grabbing her sunglasses, she put them on to keep from being blinded and took off. During the ride over to the base, she didn’t even notice she had taken a wrong turn on the road which she had taken for over a decade. Glancing around she realized she was in the General’s neighborhood again. She contemplated driving up to someone’s driveway to turn the car around but decided she could just as easily drive by his house – he probably wouldn’t even notice – and continue her way to work.
The closer to his house she came the faster her heart started beating, which was ridiculous and she cursed herself for acting so stupid. She slowed down a bit as she saw his house coming up and when she passed it she almost had a heart attack. It was hard to miss the blonde, curly-headed woman standing in the front yard… it was almost harder to miss her protruding belly, a clear sign of a pregnant woman.