Story Summary - While on a mission to alternate realities, Sam finds much more than she was expecting. Not
only does she find out what they must do to defeat the Ori, she also finds many parts of her past alive, well, and
willing to relocate.
Characters: Jack, Daniel, Vala, General Landry, General O’Neill, Sam, Jacob/Selmak, Martouf/Lantash, Janet,
Egeria
Pairing: Sam/Martouf/Lantash
Rating: PG
Colonel Samantha Carter looked into another camera in another SGC and explained to
another General Hammond why she was here. What her reality had decided they needed
to find out. She also gave them the antidote to the plague spread by the Priors…just in
case they needed it. Many did. Many had never heard of the priors. They were still
fighting the Goa’uld. Whenever she needed to and could, she explained about the
download of the ancients and Colonel O’Neill’s trip to Othalla. It was an important
turning point, an important fork in the road.
After several hundred realities, she pretty much knew what to tell them. It took her only
minutes to come to her decisions based on what they told her about their worlds. A
definite pattern had emerged.
Now, after well over five hundred alternate realities, she was sure her hypotheses were
correct and she did what she could to help their alternate selves. Some were beyond
anything she could do, and would have to find some other way to save themselves, others
would take a lot of difficult work to save, and some were well on their way to being saved.
Some had already saved themselves…and they were the ones from which she'd gained the
most important knowledge. They'd already taken the correct forks in the road. Now all
their own reality had to do was follow, if they could. She was doing her best to assemble
exactly what they were going to need, plus a few extras.
Each reality was different, of course, some widely, some not so far from their reality. She
smiled tiredly at the General before her. She'd not realized how hard this would be on
her. Being in reality after reality where her counter-part was alive had taken a toll on her
physically.
Of course, it helped that she always returned to her own reality and left from there. At
least, she had done so until recently. Now, she always returned to one of the many, many
alternates, first, then onto her own.
Still, it almost felt as if she was leaving a shadow of herself in each of the realities she
visited. Some of them she was glad to do it, others not so much.
The ones without General Hammond from the beginning were the most at risk as far as
she was concerned, and she felt as if she lost more of herself in them. Not only did they
tend not to believe her, they were the ones she had come the closest to being trapped in.
Taking a chance on being held in one of those had helped her make her decision. This
was the last alternate reality she was going to visit. She had the information they needed,
she'd helped many alternate realities avoid total destruction, and now…she was going
home.
“So, Colonel Carter, it appears we're far behind you in our timeline of events.”
“Yes, sir, that's true; however, consider yourself lucky. At least, you not only know what
you need to protect earth, you also know what you have to do to avert disaster. You're
ahead of many of the realities I've visited. You only have a few people you need to
contact. I've been to some, where the program is very new, and they didn't even know
what the mirror was. Then in some, well, some of the key people were already dead. I'm
afraid I couldn't do much for them, but I did do what I could.”
She shuddered. “I've had to “prove” what the mirror does in some realities, and I'm lucky
I haven't been jailed in some.” She smiled wryly. “I believe that you're the last I'm going
to visit. I think I have a very good overview as to what we need to keep Earth safe.
Luckily, there appears to be more than one road to safety; it's just that some appear easier
to navigate than the other ones do. And, of course, we don’t know what will happen to
those “safe” realities, either. There's always the possibility that some of them will fall to
either the Goa’uld or the Ori, if they take or make a wrong choice at some point. All I can
do is hope that I've made enough of a difference to avert the more readily discernable
disasters that are waiting to happen in some of them.”
General Hammond nodded. “We must hope so, Colonel. We also thank you for your
information.” He looked at the disk she had shown him and then copied for them to use
as a roadmap of sorts. All they needed to do was find Dr. Jackson. The sooner the better.
Their Sam Carter, for the moment anyway, didn't particularly care for Colonel O’Neill,
which, from what he could tell, was a very good thing. They had to stop that from
happening and the one way she had seen to do it, if she was not in the military, was to
ensure that she met Dr. Daniel Jackson. So be it. He didn't care if they had to abduct
the man, he would work at the mountain. His other option was death at the hands of the
Goa’uld. The General didn't think he'd put up too much of a fuss once he met Sam Carter
and learned what fate would soon be throwing at them.
Sam stood and saluted before turning to the mirror. One last smile and she placed her
hand on it. She, no, they, were going home.
Emerging on the other side, she was met and greeted with smiles and hugs. The man
standing beside her sent a short salute and a smile through to his old friend, George
Hammond, but then he turned to hug his daughter. “You ready to go to your home reality
now, Sam?”
“Yes, I think so, Dad. This entire mission is based on my determination of what I do or
don't need to do. Everything, from which reality to pick, to when to return permanently,
was put into my hands, so all we have to do now is find my reality, and we know where it
is on the dial, so let’s go. There's going to be a very long debriefing when we return, so we
might as well get going.
Jacob Carter nodded his agreement and handed the control to his daughter. She swiftly
turned the dial to the point she had determined long ago was her reality. Reaching out
they each placed their hands on the mirror and transported into a room that was
completely empty except for the mirror and a picture of Martouf/Lantash. She was home.
Walking to the nearest wall, she pressed a button and spoke into the speaker, “General
Landry, I've returned permanently. Mission accomplished as well as it can be. I don’t
believe there's anymore I can learn out there at this point and the risks are beginning to
outweigh the advantages to be gained.”
Even though she couldn't see it, General Landry nodded his head, “This was your mission,
your call, Colonel Carter. If you believe you've learned all you can, or that to continue
would put you at too much risk, then I believe you're correct to call a halt to it. Report to
the infirmary and from there to debriefing.”
“Ah, yes, General, about that. I've brought a few people home with me; a few people that
I've, er, sort of met along the way.”
“Colonel? Is this a good idea?”
“Yes, I believe it is very much so, General. From the Intel I've managed to gather, we need
them here. At least, we need some of them. In fact, I'd say their presence, while not
imperative to Earth’s continued freedom in this reality, will perhaps tip the balance a little
more in our direction.”
“I see. Well, Colonel, take them and go to the infirmary. I'll inform your team that you've
ended the mission, and reported back safely. I'll meet you there. Once you, and I assume
“they”, are cleared, we'll get down to business,” General Landry stated briskly.
“Yes, sir. If you'll check the security camera, you'll see who I have with me. You may or
may not recognize them, but I assure you they are legitimate allies of Earth.”
“Very well, Colonel. I'll join you shortly. There's someone extra here today, as well, and
they'll be with me.”
“Yes, sir. I'll look forward to it. Tell General O’Neill I said hello, sir.”
“Carter, how’d you know it was me?” Jack groused.
“It seemed logical, sir.”
“Right. See you shortly.”
General Landry and General O’Neill walked swiftly down the hall toward the infirmary.
They hoped Sam Carter had come up with a workable scenario for Earth. Every day
brought them closer to destruction by the Ori. He wondered who she brought back with
her to help. They didn't bother checking the security camera. Stepping into the
infirmary, General’s Landry and O’Neill stopped, nonplused.
Jack finally burst into speech, “Jeez, Carter, of all the people you could've brought back
with you, you brought dead Tok’Ra?”
“Not so dead Tok’Ra, Jack. How you doin’? Jacob Carter grinned at him.
Jack glowered at Martouf and Lantash. “I was better until a bit ago. It’s not that I'm not
happy to see you, Jacob. I mean, I can understand Carter bringing her father back,
but…” His voice trailed off before he put his foot any farther down his throat. A change in
topic would be good. “Who is the, er, lady?” He asked, to hide his embarrassment. He
had yet to spot the one sitting behind her.
“This is Egeria/Kairen, Jack. I understand that in this reality, she didn't make it. In
ours, she did, but we didn't know it until about a year ago. By then, all we could do was
rescue her, help her to find suitable waters for her to spawn in, and high tail it back to
Earth, which is pretty much the only home Martouf, Lantash, Selmak and I have known
for several years, now. She left her children behind on a few worlds, and in a few years
they'll be able to blend and help out their Tau'ri allies, what few there are left, that is.”
“What few there are left?”
“Yes, sir. I think we'll probably cover that in the briefing.”
General Landry nodded his agreement. “There's no point in going over it more than once.
Your team should be back soon.” Turning to Dr. Lam, he asked, “Any problems?”
“No, there are none that I found, although the blood work isn't back, yet. If anything
turns up, I'll let you know.”
The other woman chose that point to step out from behind Egeria. Jack’s jaw dropped.
“Janet?”
“Yes, sir. I decided to come. There really wasn't much I could do on my world. They
destroyed just about everything on my Earth. Sam actually found me just after the Jaffa
left me for dead. She got me through the mirror and then to an abandoned Goa’uld world
where there was a sarcophagus. I wouldn't have made it otherwise. So, there was
nothing left for me in my reality. Nothing at all, so, well, here I am.”
Dr. Lam returned from a phone call, saying, “They're cleared for now, sir. They can go
shower and, er, change, if they want to.”
General Landry nodded. Some of their clothes had seen better days, of that there was
little doubt.
It didn't take the five of them long to shower and don clean clothes. The women showered
first, and then waited on the two men. Sam frowned. She was really tired, but she no
longer felt as if her body was trying to melt. It hadn't taken her long to realize she'd have
to return to her own reality fairly often, so that her body could settle down. It had made
the entire mission longer, but she'd stayed healthier. She was glad it was over.
They entered the briefing room together and Sam watched Vala’s eyes light up as her gaze
settled on Martouf. She grinned at her, before saying, “Not this one, Vala. This is Martouf
and Lantash, and they have a sign on them. It reads, Property of Colonel Samantha
Carter. Sorry.”
Vala laughed. “Understood and accepted.” The two women, as unlikely as it seemed, had
become friends and, as soon as she heard his name, Vala understood. This man belonged
to Sam, no questions asked.
After Sam made the introductions, General Landry began the briefing. “Well, Colonel, it's
been several months now. Not much has occurred here, while you were away, although
we think we may be closer to finding Merlin’s weapon. What do you have for us?”
Sam nodded. “We now know where the weapon is, and how to get to it. A few of the SG
teams in the other realities have already found it and used it. It works, but Adria may or
may not be a problem, depending, of course, on the decisions we make as we go to get it. I
think you will all find the information I've gathered and printed out interesting.”
General O’Neill nodded. “We’re all ears, Carter, so let’s hear it. I assume that your Intel
led you to believe we needed Jacob, Martouf, and, er, Egeria?”
“There were very few realities that had already defeated the Ori with minimal casualties,
General,” Sam stated quietly. “Of those that did, all except two had both Martouf and
Lantash and Jacob and Selmak as members of SG-1. In the other two, one had Martouf
and Lantash; the other had Selmak and Dad. In fact, in all of the realities that beat the
Ori, SG-1 was a much larger team, often with as many as eight or nine members.”
She continued, “Since they were often working on more than one avenue of discovery at
the same time, it made sense that we could be split into two or more smaller units, but
because we worked so well together, it was decided that we would all be on SG-1. The
presidents in each affected reality absolutely refused to break up his, er, or her, “most
capable” SG team. There were a few that didn't like it and muttered about fraternization,
but we weren't broken up. Cam and I were co-leaders, and we did save the world that one
last time.”
“Understood, Colonel. Now, how about you start at the beginning.”
Sam nodded, saying, “Yes, sir, I would be happy to. As you know, my mission was to visit
as many alternate realities as I could and find out anything that might help us. As I've
just said, there weren't many that had already taken out the Ori, but there were a few.
I'm quite sure that had I continued looking there would have been more; however, Janet
and I both felt that my body, even though I returned here and waited for everything to
“settle” was beginning to show the signs of the stress it was under on a molecular level.
We believe that the constant contact with my other selves was beginning to have a
cumulative effect.”
There were days when I visited up to three or four realities. I visited over five hundred
realities in just a few months. In order for me to accomplish that, I had to visit as many
as possible in as short a time as possible. Janet and I discussed it, and we decided that I
would draw my hypotheses from the data I already gathered. Between almost being
arrested in some realities, and the stress of meeting so many duplicates of myself, it was
just getting to be too stressful on my body for me to continue. The risks became greater
than what I would gain, as I believe I have a very comprehensive overview of what does
and what does not work.”
She opened the files on her laptop and said, “The files in front of you contain this same
data, if you want to follow along.”
She waited until the files were opened and then continued, “After analyzing all of the
realities that defeated the major threats to Earth, that being the Goa’uld, the Ashen, the
foothold aliens, the replicators, the rogue N.I.D., the Trust, and the Ori, I came up with
some very startling facts.”
“In every unconquered reality, there appeared to be some major contributing factors. In
each of those realities, I joined the military, and both Daniel and Teal'c joined SG-1. In
none of the unconquered realities did I become involved with General O’Neill in any way
outside of the friendship type of love he and I have always felt for each other and for each
of our teammates.”
“I will state for the record, here, that there was never a, I guess you would say, romantic,
relationship between us. Contrary to popular belief,” she said somewhat sardonically,
“there has never been anything other than a friendship type of relationship between us in
this reality; regardless what anyone thought was said during the za'tarc incident.
“Caring” for a teammate “more than we should”, did not, then or now, mean a romantic
feeling; we were simply closer than teammates are usually allowed to become and remain
on the same team. It was recognized, even then, that it was the unique bonds between us
that kept us together and safe, nothing more.”
“However, to return to what we were discussing. We also found that in instances where
Daniel did join the program, but I was not military, I often married him, not Colonel O’
Neill, and those realities also defeated the Goa’uld, although some of them still had to
contend with attacks on Earth and more casualties. Still, those realities did better than
some of the others in avoiding, or lessening, those attacks. Also, in most of those realities,
the ones where I married Daniel, that is, Martouf was a za'tarc and died. There were also
a few of the more successful realities where he was a za’tarc, but through a combined
effort between Janet, at least one other of our surgeons, and the Tok’Ra and their healing
devices, he didn't die. In those realities, I didn't marry Daniel, even though I wasn't
military. I married Martouf and Lantash, instead.”
“Another factor that seemed to weigh in on the degree of damage Earth ended up
enduring, was that the Tok’Ra-Tau'ri alliance didn't end as ours did, nor did Selmak, and
therefore Jacob, die of old age. It was discovered that he was being poisoned, and the
traitor was caught. Malek, Lantash, Janet, and Anise, or in some instances just Malek,
Janet, and Anise, worked together to find the antidote, as well as the traitor. Therefore,
those things affected how hard it was for Earth to remain unconquered. There were also a
few realities that remained free and intact that didn't discover his poisoning and the
traitor, either. Most of those did come under a certain amount of destruction at one point
or another.”
“In other words, in the realities where the discoveries were made, the paths to successfully
defending against the numerous enemies we have encountered, as well as the Goa’uld
and the Ori were not completely dependent on that particular circumstance, the
circumstance of the alliance. We can still win, even though our alliance was broken. I
believe that we may well be able to put a new alliance into effect, though, once these
things come to light, and Egeria is returned to the Tok’Ra. We know who the traitor was,
so that would be a huge benefit to the Tok’Ra, too. It might still make our way a little
easier, even though the original forks taken were the wrong ones.”
She paused after looking around the table, “The opposite of these things proved to be true,
as well. If I did not join the military, but I became engaged to or married Colonel O’Neill,
then that reality either fell completely, or was decimated by the Goa’uld. Many of those
realities used the mirror and found another reality that could help them, so quite a few of
them survived, but in each case Earth was well on its way to being destroyed by the time
the Asgard arrived to help. Two other major points in those realities seemed to be that
Daniel did not join the program, and Teal’c never left Apophis. It seemed that those two
facts, when put together were almost always a road to destruction.”
She paused looking around the table. “As you can see, there was one scenario that came
up again and again in the successful realities. I was military. Daniel was a member of
SG-1, Teal'c was a member of SG-1. Dad was either not poisoned, or was healed. There
was one other point within the most successful realities; Martouf and Lantash did not die,
and we were married. Egeria was viable in some of them, and Janet did not die in any of
the most successful realities.”
Jack waved his hand toward Martouf, Jacob, Janet, and Egeria. “Why did they leave
viable realities to come here to one that is on the brink of destruction? Why would
Martouf and Lantash leave your other self, Carter?” He groaned, “Tell me. Tell me you do
not die.”
Sam shook her head. “No, General, I don't die. They didn't leave me, General. They're
from a non-viable reality. A reality that's under Goa’uld control. It was a reality where I
married you, and the Tok’Ra were all but wiped out. It was the same scenario I saw over
and over again, but in that one, they were alive and well. I don't know if they were still
alive in the others that were like that, but if they were, then I didn't meet up with them.
Other than the one reality, the one they came from, I only saw them in the realities where
I was married to them.”
“We chose to come here, Jack, because our reality was pretty much under Goa’uld control
and our people, meaning the Tok’Ra, were destroyed, even if the Tau'ri themselves weren’t
yet. When we heard what Sam had discovered, it made sense to come back with her and
help you in exchange for a viable reality.”
Lantash came forward and smiled wryly, “Martouf and I came to help, as well, but in all
honesty, our main reason was to be with Samantha. We have always loved her. Here, we
have a chance to be with her.”
Egeria bowed her head, acknowledging them all, before saying quietly, “The—reality—
where Martouf, Lantash, Selmak and Jacob found me, and Samantha found us, was all
but destroyed by the Goa’uld. I left many thousands of my children on worlds within that
reality, along with some Tau’ri guardians to watch over them until they can attain
adulthood and become viable fighters. I also left them a queen, something I intend to do
here, as well, in case something happens to me. I am still healthy and strong, since they
found me in stasis, so I can still bear many young. My race here, in this reality, does not
have to die out as it is doing.”
Janet gave a brief answer next, saying, “I believe I mentioned earlier, that Sam found me
and took me to another reality to be healed. Without her, I wouldn't be here, either.
Since I remained alive in the most viable of the realities, it made sense to go to one where
I might make a difference. That's why I came. I had nothing left to stay for, anyway.
They were all dead.” Grief clouded her features, reminding those listening that these
people had lost most, if not all, of their friends and families. It was a sobering thought.
“That is pretty amazing, Sam,” Daniel said quietly. “Do you think you tested enough
realities to be fairly sure you are right about these things?” He was staring at the figures
and the graphs she had made up. He shook his head, even though he asked the
question, as he realized that she was correct. There were several hundred realities and
they sorted out exactly as she had stated. She and Jack O’Neill together as a romantic
mated couple were pretty much a sentence of doom to a reality.
“No doubt, there are other variables, Daniel, but these seemed to be the ones that jumped
out at you as soon as you started comparing the realities.”
He nodded. There was no doubt about that once you really looked at it.
Jack shut the folder and frowned. “So, you what, decided that you needed to simply bring
Martouf and Lantash back, and it would guarantee the destruction of the Ori?”
Daniel snorted. “Good grief, Jack. It's not that simple, and I'm quite sure that Sam is
aware of that. One mistake is all it will take for us to end up destroyed.”
“Daniel's right, sir. I'm very much aware that their presence doesn't give us an automatic
win. However, it's a second chance for me to have them in my life again, and as selfish as
it might seem to some, I want that chance. There hasn't been a day go by that I haven't
missed them, General. I don't plan on allowing this opportunity to pass me by.”
General Landry nodded. “I can understand that, Colonel Carter, and we'll not ask you to.
While it is true that their presence, General Carter’s presence, and Dr. Fraiser’s presence
won't allow us an automatic winning of the war, it might put us one-step closer, for all we
know, and I have no problem with stacking the deck in our favor in any way we can. I, for
one, hope it works out for you.”
Sam smiled at him. “All I can tell you is that I was very happy in those other realities,
whether with Daniel or Martouf and Lantash, and I have no doubt that I will be in this
one, too. Furthermore, since you do feel that way, sir, would you marry us? We've
already joined by the Tok’Ra joining ritual, but we would also like to be married.”
“I would be delighted. Any particular time you would like to do this?”
Sam turned to look at Martouf, a question in her eyes. Turning back to the General, he
said, in his quiet way, “The sooner the better, General. We will be ready, whenever you
are.”
“Then I'll get the forms and while I do that we'll all take a short break. Fifteen minutes
sound all right to all of you?”
At the murmurs of assent, he nodded and left the room, but Jack turned to Sam and
pulled her to one side. “Don’t you think you’re rushing things, Carter?” Jack asked. To
him it seemed as if they had only met. They had not seen one another in several years
except for one day not long ago when many SG-1 teams from many different realities had
made their home in this reality for a while.
“No, sir, I don’t. We've spent the last several months together, getting to know each other,
and as I said, we've already joined by the Tok’Ra ritual. This is just another way to feel
closer to each other.” She grinned at him, “Lantash wants to do it so that Dad will stop
grumping and throwing him dirty looks when we go off alone together.”
Looking closely at his former 2IC, he gave in and smiled. Nodding his head, he clapped
his hands together, and asked, “So, is this going to be a big affair, or is it just a private
little ceremony?”
“Anyone that wants to attend is welcome to, sir, but we aren't doing the dress and flowers
bit, if that's what you mean.”
“Yup, that's exactly what I mean.” He frowned. “Why aren’t you doing the whole thing? Is
there some problem of which I’m not aware?”
Sam shook her head at him, saying, “No, General, there are no problems. That said, now
that we know where to go to retrieve the weapon, we feel we should go a.s.a.p. That's what
we need to cover next when we all get back to the briefing room. A lot will depend on
Daniel, I'm afraid, but we can do it. The others did it. We have details from several
different realities that succeeded, and while they're each a little different, they all have the
same basics. As for the ceremony, we want to be married before we go, that's all.”
“All right, Carter, as long as you’re sure this is what you want.”
“More than anything I've wanted for a very long time.”
Realizing that the others had all left the briefing room, Jack smiled at her, before saying
quietly, “In that case, Carter, I wish you every happiness.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”
“No, problem, Carter, no problem at all.” Sensing his sadness, Sam continued softly, “It
would never have worked, General. We both know that. All there ever was between us
was some sexual tension that eventually turned into a comfortable friendship.”
Jack let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, before he smiled a real smile at
her, this time. “I know, but I wasn’t sure you did.”
Sam laughed lightly, “Yes, sir, for quite a while now.” She sobered, saying, “I do love
them. I always have; I just didn't always know it. Seeing them again recently…well, let’s
just say that I've been living with a lot of regret, and I don’t plan on living with it any
longer, not now that I have my second chance.”
Jack nodded. “Well, then, let’s go. The sooner we get this next mission out of the way, the
faster you can go on a honeymoon.”
“Yes, sir. That sounds like a plan to me.” Sam smiled at him.
The impromptu wedding went well and was followed by a briefing that allowed Sam to tell
them all she had found out about the steps they needed to take to defeat the Ori. It was
decided that they would leave in the morning on what they hoped would be a successful
mission that would bring about the fall of the Ori. The SGC waited.
Well, things could have been worse. They had defeated the Ori, as far as they knew, but
there were still those Ori ships out there…and Adria. At any rate, there was nothing more
they could do at the moment. President Hayes joined the SGC for a banquet, where he
had dedicated a sculpture to the fallen heroes of the SGC, and handed out promotions to
many of the SGC Staff.
Then, he had dedicated and presented a very special medal, one that would not be known
about, possibly for many more years to come, but was none the less important for all that.
Daniel Jackson had been awarded other medals and tributes by the office of the
president; however, this one, a first of its kind, was to honor the man for his unfailing
striving for the betterment of humankind and his tireless quest for alliances with, and
understanding of, other species. It was for opening the Stargate to Earth, for dying for
Earth, and most important of all, for living for Earth. He was a special man, and someday,
the entire world would know it. For now, he should know that he had his country’s and
his countrymen’s deepest thanks, as well as, those of their allies on Earth.
The members of the SGC were delighted. At long last, their favorite archaeologist received
a special acknowledgement for everything he accomplished for Earth. He deserved it.
The president had enjoyed talking to him, too, but more than that, he had been thrilled to
renew the alliance with the Tok’Ra, something brought about through the efforts of
Daniel, Martouf, Lantash, Jacob, Selmak, and Egeria/Kairen. Per’sus, Garshaw, Malek,
and Anise had also worked hard to reform the pact.
He fully intended to start to look for hosts as well. It had not been done seriously before.
It would be now. There were more than enough people on Earth. He imagined there
would be many that would jump at the chance to become Tok’Ra. In fact, he would
seriously consider it for himself and his wife…after his term/terms in office were over. His
wife would be enthralled, almost as much so as he was. Yes, in this president, science
fact had met up with science fiction and come out a winner.
The evening ended and they were alone at last, in their own quarters on base. It had
been deemed too dangerous for Martouf and Lantash to live off base. They could go off-
base, they could even travel around the country, but a permanent off base home was
considered too dangerous. After giving it much thought, they had to agree. There were
still rogue elements out there that would love to get their hands on a Tok’Ra to experiment
on. Sam was not willing to accept the risk, and after finding their Samantha again,
neither were Martouf and Lantash.
Therefore, they retired to bed, in their enlarged on base quarters. Not exactly spacious,
but livable.
Pulling their Samantha into their arms, Lantash came forward. “We are very pleased that
when the road showed you different paths, you chose the one you did, and it led you back
to us, Samantha. We love you, still, so very much, after all this time. The feel of you in
our arms, the touch of your lips on ours, these things bring our passion to the fore and
can leave us breathless with our desire for you. Seeing the answering gleam, that flare of
desire in your eyes…it all but brings us to our knees with wanting and loving you.
Always, always loving you. We do not care if you only brought us back with you because it
increases the odds that Earth will survive. We will do everything in our power to cause
you to fall as deeply in love with us, as we are with you.”
Sam smiled at them and shook her head gently. “I love you, too. Both of you. I'm very
glad I decided to take on that mission. I almost didn't, you know. I came very close to
going with Cam on a trip instead and maybe trying the mission later. I'm glad I decided
the mission was more important and that I needed to complete it as soon as possible.
There's a chance that if I'd waited, you wouldn't have been there the day I arrived. It's so
very easy to overlook one road for another or to take the wrong fork, even if you're on the
right road. I'm so very glad that I took the right fork. Moreover, as for bringing you back
because of the odds? Well, I didn't run into the first reality with us as a couple, until after
I found you and we got together. So you see, my love is already deep and abiding. I
promise you, both of you.”
Martouf and Lantash looked down into the blue eyes of their mate with love shining from
their eyes to hers. “As we promise you, our Samantha, as we promise you.”
Sam reached over and turned off the light. “Perhaps we should show each other just how
deep our love is.”
“Mm.”
No more words were heard for a very long time.
Fin.
Story Two Home Table of Contents
only does she find out what they must do to defeat the Ori, she also finds many parts of her past alive, well, and
willing to relocate.
Characters: Jack, Daniel, Vala, General Landry, General O’Neill, Sam, Jacob/Selmak, Martouf/Lantash, Janet,
Egeria
Pairing: Sam/Martouf/Lantash
Rating: PG
Colonel Samantha Carter looked into another camera in another SGC and explained to
another General Hammond why she was here. What her reality had decided they needed
to find out. She also gave them the antidote to the plague spread by the Priors…just in
case they needed it. Many did. Many had never heard of the priors. They were still
fighting the Goa’uld. Whenever she needed to and could, she explained about the
download of the ancients and Colonel O’Neill’s trip to Othalla. It was an important
turning point, an important fork in the road.
After several hundred realities, she pretty much knew what to tell them. It took her only
minutes to come to her decisions based on what they told her about their worlds. A
definite pattern had emerged.
Now, after well over five hundred alternate realities, she was sure her hypotheses were
correct and she did what she could to help their alternate selves. Some were beyond
anything she could do, and would have to find some other way to save themselves, others
would take a lot of difficult work to save, and some were well on their way to being saved.
Some had already saved themselves…and they were the ones from which she'd gained the
most important knowledge. They'd already taken the correct forks in the road. Now all
their own reality had to do was follow, if they could. She was doing her best to assemble
exactly what they were going to need, plus a few extras.
Each reality was different, of course, some widely, some not so far from their reality. She
smiled tiredly at the General before her. She'd not realized how hard this would be on
her. Being in reality after reality where her counter-part was alive had taken a toll on her
physically.
Of course, it helped that she always returned to her own reality and left from there. At
least, she had done so until recently. Now, she always returned to one of the many, many
alternates, first, then onto her own.
Still, it almost felt as if she was leaving a shadow of herself in each of the realities she
visited. Some of them she was glad to do it, others not so much.
The ones without General Hammond from the beginning were the most at risk as far as
she was concerned, and she felt as if she lost more of herself in them. Not only did they
tend not to believe her, they were the ones she had come the closest to being trapped in.
Taking a chance on being held in one of those had helped her make her decision. This
was the last alternate reality she was going to visit. She had the information they needed,
she'd helped many alternate realities avoid total destruction, and now…she was going
home.
“So, Colonel Carter, it appears we're far behind you in our timeline of events.”
“Yes, sir, that's true; however, consider yourself lucky. At least, you not only know what
you need to protect earth, you also know what you have to do to avert disaster. You're
ahead of many of the realities I've visited. You only have a few people you need to
contact. I've been to some, where the program is very new, and they didn't even know
what the mirror was. Then in some, well, some of the key people were already dead. I'm
afraid I couldn't do much for them, but I did do what I could.”
She shuddered. “I've had to “prove” what the mirror does in some realities, and I'm lucky
I haven't been jailed in some.” She smiled wryly. “I believe that you're the last I'm going
to visit. I think I have a very good overview as to what we need to keep Earth safe.
Luckily, there appears to be more than one road to safety; it's just that some appear easier
to navigate than the other ones do. And, of course, we don’t know what will happen to
those “safe” realities, either. There's always the possibility that some of them will fall to
either the Goa’uld or the Ori, if they take or make a wrong choice at some point. All I can
do is hope that I've made enough of a difference to avert the more readily discernable
disasters that are waiting to happen in some of them.”
General Hammond nodded. “We must hope so, Colonel. We also thank you for your
information.” He looked at the disk she had shown him and then copied for them to use
as a roadmap of sorts. All they needed to do was find Dr. Jackson. The sooner the better.
Their Sam Carter, for the moment anyway, didn't particularly care for Colonel O’Neill,
which, from what he could tell, was a very good thing. They had to stop that from
happening and the one way she had seen to do it, if she was not in the military, was to
ensure that she met Dr. Daniel Jackson. So be it. He didn't care if they had to abduct
the man, he would work at the mountain. His other option was death at the hands of the
Goa’uld. The General didn't think he'd put up too much of a fuss once he met Sam Carter
and learned what fate would soon be throwing at them.
Sam stood and saluted before turning to the mirror. One last smile and she placed her
hand on it. She, no, they, were going home.
Emerging on the other side, she was met and greeted with smiles and hugs. The man
standing beside her sent a short salute and a smile through to his old friend, George
Hammond, but then he turned to hug his daughter. “You ready to go to your home reality
now, Sam?”
“Yes, I think so, Dad. This entire mission is based on my determination of what I do or
don't need to do. Everything, from which reality to pick, to when to return permanently,
was put into my hands, so all we have to do now is find my reality, and we know where it
is on the dial, so let’s go. There's going to be a very long debriefing when we return, so we
might as well get going.
Jacob Carter nodded his agreement and handed the control to his daughter. She swiftly
turned the dial to the point she had determined long ago was her reality. Reaching out
they each placed their hands on the mirror and transported into a room that was
completely empty except for the mirror and a picture of Martouf/Lantash. She was home.
Walking to the nearest wall, she pressed a button and spoke into the speaker, “General
Landry, I've returned permanently. Mission accomplished as well as it can be. I don’t
believe there's anymore I can learn out there at this point and the risks are beginning to
outweigh the advantages to be gained.”
Even though she couldn't see it, General Landry nodded his head, “This was your mission,
your call, Colonel Carter. If you believe you've learned all you can, or that to continue
would put you at too much risk, then I believe you're correct to call a halt to it. Report to
the infirmary and from there to debriefing.”
“Ah, yes, General, about that. I've brought a few people home with me; a few people that
I've, er, sort of met along the way.”
“Colonel? Is this a good idea?”
“Yes, I believe it is very much so, General. From the Intel I've managed to gather, we need
them here. At least, we need some of them. In fact, I'd say their presence, while not
imperative to Earth’s continued freedom in this reality, will perhaps tip the balance a little
more in our direction.”
“I see. Well, Colonel, take them and go to the infirmary. I'll inform your team that you've
ended the mission, and reported back safely. I'll meet you there. Once you, and I assume
“they”, are cleared, we'll get down to business,” General Landry stated briskly.
“Yes, sir. If you'll check the security camera, you'll see who I have with me. You may or
may not recognize them, but I assure you they are legitimate allies of Earth.”
“Very well, Colonel. I'll join you shortly. There's someone extra here today, as well, and
they'll be with me.”
“Yes, sir. I'll look forward to it. Tell General O’Neill I said hello, sir.”
“Carter, how’d you know it was me?” Jack groused.
“It seemed logical, sir.”
“Right. See you shortly.”
General Landry and General O’Neill walked swiftly down the hall toward the infirmary.
They hoped Sam Carter had come up with a workable scenario for Earth. Every day
brought them closer to destruction by the Ori. He wondered who she brought back with
her to help. They didn't bother checking the security camera. Stepping into the
infirmary, General’s Landry and O’Neill stopped, nonplused.
Jack finally burst into speech, “Jeez, Carter, of all the people you could've brought back
with you, you brought dead Tok’Ra?”
“Not so dead Tok’Ra, Jack. How you doin’? Jacob Carter grinned at him.
Jack glowered at Martouf and Lantash. “I was better until a bit ago. It’s not that I'm not
happy to see you, Jacob. I mean, I can understand Carter bringing her father back,
but…” His voice trailed off before he put his foot any farther down his throat. A change in
topic would be good. “Who is the, er, lady?” He asked, to hide his embarrassment. He
had yet to spot the one sitting behind her.
“This is Egeria/Kairen, Jack. I understand that in this reality, she didn't make it. In
ours, she did, but we didn't know it until about a year ago. By then, all we could do was
rescue her, help her to find suitable waters for her to spawn in, and high tail it back to
Earth, which is pretty much the only home Martouf, Lantash, Selmak and I have known
for several years, now. She left her children behind on a few worlds, and in a few years
they'll be able to blend and help out their Tau'ri allies, what few there are left, that is.”
“What few there are left?”
“Yes, sir. I think we'll probably cover that in the briefing.”
General Landry nodded his agreement. “There's no point in going over it more than once.
Your team should be back soon.” Turning to Dr. Lam, he asked, “Any problems?”
“No, there are none that I found, although the blood work isn't back, yet. If anything
turns up, I'll let you know.”
The other woman chose that point to step out from behind Egeria. Jack’s jaw dropped.
“Janet?”
“Yes, sir. I decided to come. There really wasn't much I could do on my world. They
destroyed just about everything on my Earth. Sam actually found me just after the Jaffa
left me for dead. She got me through the mirror and then to an abandoned Goa’uld world
where there was a sarcophagus. I wouldn't have made it otherwise. So, there was
nothing left for me in my reality. Nothing at all, so, well, here I am.”
Dr. Lam returned from a phone call, saying, “They're cleared for now, sir. They can go
shower and, er, change, if they want to.”
General Landry nodded. Some of their clothes had seen better days, of that there was
little doubt.
It didn't take the five of them long to shower and don clean clothes. The women showered
first, and then waited on the two men. Sam frowned. She was really tired, but she no
longer felt as if her body was trying to melt. It hadn't taken her long to realize she'd have
to return to her own reality fairly often, so that her body could settle down. It had made
the entire mission longer, but she'd stayed healthier. She was glad it was over.
They entered the briefing room together and Sam watched Vala’s eyes light up as her gaze
settled on Martouf. She grinned at her, before saying, “Not this one, Vala. This is Martouf
and Lantash, and they have a sign on them. It reads, Property of Colonel Samantha
Carter. Sorry.”
Vala laughed. “Understood and accepted.” The two women, as unlikely as it seemed, had
become friends and, as soon as she heard his name, Vala understood. This man belonged
to Sam, no questions asked.
After Sam made the introductions, General Landry began the briefing. “Well, Colonel, it's
been several months now. Not much has occurred here, while you were away, although
we think we may be closer to finding Merlin’s weapon. What do you have for us?”
Sam nodded. “We now know where the weapon is, and how to get to it. A few of the SG
teams in the other realities have already found it and used it. It works, but Adria may or
may not be a problem, depending, of course, on the decisions we make as we go to get it. I
think you will all find the information I've gathered and printed out interesting.”
General O’Neill nodded. “We’re all ears, Carter, so let’s hear it. I assume that your Intel
led you to believe we needed Jacob, Martouf, and, er, Egeria?”
“There were very few realities that had already defeated the Ori with minimal casualties,
General,” Sam stated quietly. “Of those that did, all except two had both Martouf and
Lantash and Jacob and Selmak as members of SG-1. In the other two, one had Martouf
and Lantash; the other had Selmak and Dad. In fact, in all of the realities that beat the
Ori, SG-1 was a much larger team, often with as many as eight or nine members.”
She continued, “Since they were often working on more than one avenue of discovery at
the same time, it made sense that we could be split into two or more smaller units, but
because we worked so well together, it was decided that we would all be on SG-1. The
presidents in each affected reality absolutely refused to break up his, er, or her, “most
capable” SG team. There were a few that didn't like it and muttered about fraternization,
but we weren't broken up. Cam and I were co-leaders, and we did save the world that one
last time.”
“Understood, Colonel. Now, how about you start at the beginning.”
Sam nodded, saying, “Yes, sir, I would be happy to. As you know, my mission was to visit
as many alternate realities as I could and find out anything that might help us. As I've
just said, there weren't many that had already taken out the Ori, but there were a few.
I'm quite sure that had I continued looking there would have been more; however, Janet
and I both felt that my body, even though I returned here and waited for everything to
“settle” was beginning to show the signs of the stress it was under on a molecular level.
We believe that the constant contact with my other selves was beginning to have a
cumulative effect.”
There were days when I visited up to three or four realities. I visited over five hundred
realities in just a few months. In order for me to accomplish that, I had to visit as many
as possible in as short a time as possible. Janet and I discussed it, and we decided that I
would draw my hypotheses from the data I already gathered. Between almost being
arrested in some realities, and the stress of meeting so many duplicates of myself, it was
just getting to be too stressful on my body for me to continue. The risks became greater
than what I would gain, as I believe I have a very comprehensive overview of what does
and what does not work.”
She opened the files on her laptop and said, “The files in front of you contain this same
data, if you want to follow along.”
She waited until the files were opened and then continued, “After analyzing all of the
realities that defeated the major threats to Earth, that being the Goa’uld, the Ashen, the
foothold aliens, the replicators, the rogue N.I.D., the Trust, and the Ori, I came up with
some very startling facts.”
“In every unconquered reality, there appeared to be some major contributing factors. In
each of those realities, I joined the military, and both Daniel and Teal'c joined SG-1. In
none of the unconquered realities did I become involved with General O’Neill in any way
outside of the friendship type of love he and I have always felt for each other and for each
of our teammates.”
“I will state for the record, here, that there was never a, I guess you would say, romantic,
relationship between us. Contrary to popular belief,” she said somewhat sardonically,
“there has never been anything other than a friendship type of relationship between us in
this reality; regardless what anyone thought was said during the za'tarc incident.
“Caring” for a teammate “more than we should”, did not, then or now, mean a romantic
feeling; we were simply closer than teammates are usually allowed to become and remain
on the same team. It was recognized, even then, that it was the unique bonds between us
that kept us together and safe, nothing more.”
“However, to return to what we were discussing. We also found that in instances where
Daniel did join the program, but I was not military, I often married him, not Colonel O’
Neill, and those realities also defeated the Goa’uld, although some of them still had to
contend with attacks on Earth and more casualties. Still, those realities did better than
some of the others in avoiding, or lessening, those attacks. Also, in most of those realities,
the ones where I married Daniel, that is, Martouf was a za'tarc and died. There were also
a few of the more successful realities where he was a za’tarc, but through a combined
effort between Janet, at least one other of our surgeons, and the Tok’Ra and their healing
devices, he didn't die. In those realities, I didn't marry Daniel, even though I wasn't
military. I married Martouf and Lantash, instead.”
“Another factor that seemed to weigh in on the degree of damage Earth ended up
enduring, was that the Tok’Ra-Tau'ri alliance didn't end as ours did, nor did Selmak, and
therefore Jacob, die of old age. It was discovered that he was being poisoned, and the
traitor was caught. Malek, Lantash, Janet, and Anise, or in some instances just Malek,
Janet, and Anise, worked together to find the antidote, as well as the traitor. Therefore,
those things affected how hard it was for Earth to remain unconquered. There were also a
few realities that remained free and intact that didn't discover his poisoning and the
traitor, either. Most of those did come under a certain amount of destruction at one point
or another.”
“In other words, in the realities where the discoveries were made, the paths to successfully
defending against the numerous enemies we have encountered, as well as the Goa’uld
and the Ori were not completely dependent on that particular circumstance, the
circumstance of the alliance. We can still win, even though our alliance was broken. I
believe that we may well be able to put a new alliance into effect, though, once these
things come to light, and Egeria is returned to the Tok’Ra. We know who the traitor was,
so that would be a huge benefit to the Tok’Ra, too. It might still make our way a little
easier, even though the original forks taken were the wrong ones.”
She paused after looking around the table, “The opposite of these things proved to be true,
as well. If I did not join the military, but I became engaged to or married Colonel O’Neill,
then that reality either fell completely, or was decimated by the Goa’uld. Many of those
realities used the mirror and found another reality that could help them, so quite a few of
them survived, but in each case Earth was well on its way to being destroyed by the time
the Asgard arrived to help. Two other major points in those realities seemed to be that
Daniel did not join the program, and Teal’c never left Apophis. It seemed that those two
facts, when put together were almost always a road to destruction.”
She paused looking around the table. “As you can see, there was one scenario that came
up again and again in the successful realities. I was military. Daniel was a member of
SG-1, Teal'c was a member of SG-1. Dad was either not poisoned, or was healed. There
was one other point within the most successful realities; Martouf and Lantash did not die,
and we were married. Egeria was viable in some of them, and Janet did not die in any of
the most successful realities.”
Jack waved his hand toward Martouf, Jacob, Janet, and Egeria. “Why did they leave
viable realities to come here to one that is on the brink of destruction? Why would
Martouf and Lantash leave your other self, Carter?” He groaned, “Tell me. Tell me you do
not die.”
Sam shook her head. “No, General, I don't die. They didn't leave me, General. They're
from a non-viable reality. A reality that's under Goa’uld control. It was a reality where I
married you, and the Tok’Ra were all but wiped out. It was the same scenario I saw over
and over again, but in that one, they were alive and well. I don't know if they were still
alive in the others that were like that, but if they were, then I didn't meet up with them.
Other than the one reality, the one they came from, I only saw them in the realities where
I was married to them.”
“We chose to come here, Jack, because our reality was pretty much under Goa’uld control
and our people, meaning the Tok’Ra, were destroyed, even if the Tau'ri themselves weren’t
yet. When we heard what Sam had discovered, it made sense to come back with her and
help you in exchange for a viable reality.”
Lantash came forward and smiled wryly, “Martouf and I came to help, as well, but in all
honesty, our main reason was to be with Samantha. We have always loved her. Here, we
have a chance to be with her.”
Egeria bowed her head, acknowledging them all, before saying quietly, “The—reality—
where Martouf, Lantash, Selmak and Jacob found me, and Samantha found us, was all
but destroyed by the Goa’uld. I left many thousands of my children on worlds within that
reality, along with some Tau’ri guardians to watch over them until they can attain
adulthood and become viable fighters. I also left them a queen, something I intend to do
here, as well, in case something happens to me. I am still healthy and strong, since they
found me in stasis, so I can still bear many young. My race here, in this reality, does not
have to die out as it is doing.”
Janet gave a brief answer next, saying, “I believe I mentioned earlier, that Sam found me
and took me to another reality to be healed. Without her, I wouldn't be here, either.
Since I remained alive in the most viable of the realities, it made sense to go to one where
I might make a difference. That's why I came. I had nothing left to stay for, anyway.
They were all dead.” Grief clouded her features, reminding those listening that these
people had lost most, if not all, of their friends and families. It was a sobering thought.
“That is pretty amazing, Sam,” Daniel said quietly. “Do you think you tested enough
realities to be fairly sure you are right about these things?” He was staring at the figures
and the graphs she had made up. He shook his head, even though he asked the
question, as he realized that she was correct. There were several hundred realities and
they sorted out exactly as she had stated. She and Jack O’Neill together as a romantic
mated couple were pretty much a sentence of doom to a reality.
“No doubt, there are other variables, Daniel, but these seemed to be the ones that jumped
out at you as soon as you started comparing the realities.”
He nodded. There was no doubt about that once you really looked at it.
Jack shut the folder and frowned. “So, you what, decided that you needed to simply bring
Martouf and Lantash back, and it would guarantee the destruction of the Ori?”
Daniel snorted. “Good grief, Jack. It's not that simple, and I'm quite sure that Sam is
aware of that. One mistake is all it will take for us to end up destroyed.”
“Daniel's right, sir. I'm very much aware that their presence doesn't give us an automatic
win. However, it's a second chance for me to have them in my life again, and as selfish as
it might seem to some, I want that chance. There hasn't been a day go by that I haven't
missed them, General. I don't plan on allowing this opportunity to pass me by.”
General Landry nodded. “I can understand that, Colonel Carter, and we'll not ask you to.
While it is true that their presence, General Carter’s presence, and Dr. Fraiser’s presence
won't allow us an automatic winning of the war, it might put us one-step closer, for all we
know, and I have no problem with stacking the deck in our favor in any way we can. I, for
one, hope it works out for you.”
Sam smiled at him. “All I can tell you is that I was very happy in those other realities,
whether with Daniel or Martouf and Lantash, and I have no doubt that I will be in this
one, too. Furthermore, since you do feel that way, sir, would you marry us? We've
already joined by the Tok’Ra joining ritual, but we would also like to be married.”
“I would be delighted. Any particular time you would like to do this?”
Sam turned to look at Martouf, a question in her eyes. Turning back to the General, he
said, in his quiet way, “The sooner the better, General. We will be ready, whenever you
are.”
“Then I'll get the forms and while I do that we'll all take a short break. Fifteen minutes
sound all right to all of you?”
At the murmurs of assent, he nodded and left the room, but Jack turned to Sam and
pulled her to one side. “Don’t you think you’re rushing things, Carter?” Jack asked. To
him it seemed as if they had only met. They had not seen one another in several years
except for one day not long ago when many SG-1 teams from many different realities had
made their home in this reality for a while.
“No, sir, I don’t. We've spent the last several months together, getting to know each other,
and as I said, we've already joined by the Tok’Ra ritual. This is just another way to feel
closer to each other.” She grinned at him, “Lantash wants to do it so that Dad will stop
grumping and throwing him dirty looks when we go off alone together.”
Looking closely at his former 2IC, he gave in and smiled. Nodding his head, he clapped
his hands together, and asked, “So, is this going to be a big affair, or is it just a private
little ceremony?”
“Anyone that wants to attend is welcome to, sir, but we aren't doing the dress and flowers
bit, if that's what you mean.”
“Yup, that's exactly what I mean.” He frowned. “Why aren’t you doing the whole thing? Is
there some problem of which I’m not aware?”
Sam shook her head at him, saying, “No, General, there are no problems. That said, now
that we know where to go to retrieve the weapon, we feel we should go a.s.a.p. That's what
we need to cover next when we all get back to the briefing room. A lot will depend on
Daniel, I'm afraid, but we can do it. The others did it. We have details from several
different realities that succeeded, and while they're each a little different, they all have the
same basics. As for the ceremony, we want to be married before we go, that's all.”
“All right, Carter, as long as you’re sure this is what you want.”
“More than anything I've wanted for a very long time.”
Realizing that the others had all left the briefing room, Jack smiled at her, before saying
quietly, “In that case, Carter, I wish you every happiness.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”
“No, problem, Carter, no problem at all.” Sensing his sadness, Sam continued softly, “It
would never have worked, General. We both know that. All there ever was between us
was some sexual tension that eventually turned into a comfortable friendship.”
Jack let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, before he smiled a real smile at
her, this time. “I know, but I wasn’t sure you did.”
Sam laughed lightly, “Yes, sir, for quite a while now.” She sobered, saying, “I do love
them. I always have; I just didn't always know it. Seeing them again recently…well, let’s
just say that I've been living with a lot of regret, and I don’t plan on living with it any
longer, not now that I have my second chance.”
Jack nodded. “Well, then, let’s go. The sooner we get this next mission out of the way, the
faster you can go on a honeymoon.”
“Yes, sir. That sounds like a plan to me.” Sam smiled at him.
The impromptu wedding went well and was followed by a briefing that allowed Sam to tell
them all she had found out about the steps they needed to take to defeat the Ori. It was
decided that they would leave in the morning on what they hoped would be a successful
mission that would bring about the fall of the Ori. The SGC waited.
Well, things could have been worse. They had defeated the Ori, as far as they knew, but
there were still those Ori ships out there…and Adria. At any rate, there was nothing more
they could do at the moment. President Hayes joined the SGC for a banquet, where he
had dedicated a sculpture to the fallen heroes of the SGC, and handed out promotions to
many of the SGC Staff.
Then, he had dedicated and presented a very special medal, one that would not be known
about, possibly for many more years to come, but was none the less important for all that.
Daniel Jackson had been awarded other medals and tributes by the office of the
president; however, this one, a first of its kind, was to honor the man for his unfailing
striving for the betterment of humankind and his tireless quest for alliances with, and
understanding of, other species. It was for opening the Stargate to Earth, for dying for
Earth, and most important of all, for living for Earth. He was a special man, and someday,
the entire world would know it. For now, he should know that he had his country’s and
his countrymen’s deepest thanks, as well as, those of their allies on Earth.
The members of the SGC were delighted. At long last, their favorite archaeologist received
a special acknowledgement for everything he accomplished for Earth. He deserved it.
The president had enjoyed talking to him, too, but more than that, he had been thrilled to
renew the alliance with the Tok’Ra, something brought about through the efforts of
Daniel, Martouf, Lantash, Jacob, Selmak, and Egeria/Kairen. Per’sus, Garshaw, Malek,
and Anise had also worked hard to reform the pact.
He fully intended to start to look for hosts as well. It had not been done seriously before.
It would be now. There were more than enough people on Earth. He imagined there
would be many that would jump at the chance to become Tok’Ra. In fact, he would
seriously consider it for himself and his wife…after his term/terms in office were over. His
wife would be enthralled, almost as much so as he was. Yes, in this president, science
fact had met up with science fiction and come out a winner.
The evening ended and they were alone at last, in their own quarters on base. It had
been deemed too dangerous for Martouf and Lantash to live off base. They could go off-
base, they could even travel around the country, but a permanent off base home was
considered too dangerous. After giving it much thought, they had to agree. There were
still rogue elements out there that would love to get their hands on a Tok’Ra to experiment
on. Sam was not willing to accept the risk, and after finding their Samantha again,
neither were Martouf and Lantash.
Therefore, they retired to bed, in their enlarged on base quarters. Not exactly spacious,
but livable.
Pulling their Samantha into their arms, Lantash came forward. “We are very pleased that
when the road showed you different paths, you chose the one you did, and it led you back
to us, Samantha. We love you, still, so very much, after all this time. The feel of you in
our arms, the touch of your lips on ours, these things bring our passion to the fore and
can leave us breathless with our desire for you. Seeing the answering gleam, that flare of
desire in your eyes…it all but brings us to our knees with wanting and loving you.
Always, always loving you. We do not care if you only brought us back with you because it
increases the odds that Earth will survive. We will do everything in our power to cause
you to fall as deeply in love with us, as we are with you.”
Sam smiled at them and shook her head gently. “I love you, too. Both of you. I'm very
glad I decided to take on that mission. I almost didn't, you know. I came very close to
going with Cam on a trip instead and maybe trying the mission later. I'm glad I decided
the mission was more important and that I needed to complete it as soon as possible.
There's a chance that if I'd waited, you wouldn't have been there the day I arrived. It's so
very easy to overlook one road for another or to take the wrong fork, even if you're on the
right road. I'm so very glad that I took the right fork. Moreover, as for bringing you back
because of the odds? Well, I didn't run into the first reality with us as a couple, until after
I found you and we got together. So you see, my love is already deep and abiding. I
promise you, both of you.”
Martouf and Lantash looked down into the blue eyes of their mate with love shining from
their eyes to hers. “As we promise you, our Samantha, as we promise you.”
Sam reached over and turned off the light. “Perhaps we should show each other just how
deep our love is.”
“Mm.”
No more words were heard for a very long time.
Fin.
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