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This has not been beta'd, so all mistakes are mine and mine alone.

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General Jack O'Neill sat in the observation room staring down at the man dying on the bed below him. It had come as a shock to them all to find out that the Tok'ra symbiote, Selmak, had died within her host, Jacob Carter, retired Air Force general, and father of the SG1's Colonel Samantha Carter. After their victory at Dakaara, Jacob had told them he was dying. While Selmak had volunteered to leave Jacob's body, Jacob had refused, trying to hold on as long as possible in the struggle to defeat the Goa'uld. Allowing Selmak to die within him, Jacob had signed his own death warrant. Jack scrubbed a hand over his eyes. He suddenly felt the full weight of a command he'd never wanted.

Sam had gotten the word while she'd been standing outside his house, about to tell him something he knew would change their relationship forever. He'd known exactly what she'd planned to say, as he'd wanted to say those same words to her a hundred times in the past. Part of him wanted her to say it, and another part didn't; the part that was scared. He'd never regretted dating Kerry, more than he did at that moment. He'd known when they started dating that she was a poor substitute, and that in the end he'd only end up hurting her.

Jack changed into his uniform and followed Sam almost immediately to the mountain. He'd known Jacob, who he affectionately called 'Dad,' for many years, and the thought that he was now dying, after being saved by the Tok'ra, hit him harder than he had thought it would. He and Jacob had had an uneasy friendship at first, probably because Jacob didn't trust him based on his past, and his intentions toward Sam, but over the years, Jack would like to think they'd become real friends since they'd first met. It would be hard for all of them to lose Selmak, who'd been the voice of reason, and champion of the Tau'ri, or humans as Jack preferred to think of himself, in the Tok'ra council, but to lose Jacob, would be devastating. It would naturally hit Sam harder than anyone, but it would be blow to everyone at the SGC.

He'd sent Sam to freshen up, change, and get something to eat an hour ago, and expected her back at any moment. She'd been sitting with Jacob for more than 10 hours, crying, talking to him and waiting; waiting for him to die. Jack promised to watch over Jacob while she was gone. He'd come up to the observation room while the medical staff came in to check up on him. He'd promised Jacob he'd back as soon as they were done, and headed down to the room as soon as they turned to the door. He met the doctor, whose name he hadn't bothered to learn, outside the door. "How's he doing, doc?"

The doctor looked up from his chart, and gave Jack a grim nod. Jack took a second to glance down at the nametag on the white lab coat: Brightman. "It's not looking good, General. He's got maybe 3 or 4 hours left, tops."

"Damn," Jack muttered under his breath. He nodded to Brightman and stepped into Jacob's room.

Jacob's eyes were closed, but his heartbeat monitor beeped steadily, if slowly, and his chest rose and fell sluggishly, proving that he was still alive, much to Jack's relief. He couldn't imagine how Carter would feel if Jacob died while she wasn't there. He couldn't imagine how much she'd resent him for making her leave for a little while. Clapping his hands together, Jack pasted on a smile on his face and pulled a chair up to Jacob's bed. "So, Dad, how's it going?"

Jacob opened his eyes, and turned his head toward Jack. "Ah, you know," he replied in a raspy voice, "just dying."

"Hey, hey," Jack chided. "None of that, okay? Who knows, you and old Selmak could suddenly rebound and you'll outlive us all. You Tok'ra are a sneaky bunch."

Jacob smiled at the younger man with affection. He'd grown to like and respect Jack over the years, and was glad they would have a moment to speak alone. "Sorry, to disappoint you, but that's just not going to happen this time."

"I'm sorry Jacob. I'm so, so sorry. I wish there was something I could do." Jack said in a soft voice.

Jacob waved a hand at him. "If it weren't for you and the SGC, I'd have died years ago, and never gotten these last few years with Sam and Mark. Don't think I have any regrets in that regard."

Jack sighed. "Well, no regrets is the way to go, I suppose."

"I said had no regrets in that regard; I didn't say I had no regrets, Jack. I've got plenty of those."

Jack shifted in his chair, suddenly uncomfortable. "I'm not here for a confession, Jacob."

He shifted in the bed, trying to sit up, and Jack quickly moved to help him. "I know, but there is one thing I have a great regret about and Selmak has been trying to get me to talk to you about it forever. As this is likely my last chance, I feel that I should." Jack shifted again in his chair, not sure he wanted to hear what Jacob had to say. "Don't worry," Jacob assured him, watching Jack squirm. "It's nothing bad. Well, it's bad because I've never said anything, but it's really good, I promise."

Jack said nothing, but fought the urge to cross his arms and look at the ceiling. Jacob would be gone soon, and Jack knew the man deserved to be listened to. He nodded for Jacob to continue.

"Where's Sam?" Jacob asked.

"She's in the commissary. I can get her if you want," Jack offered, thinking Jacob had changed his mind. He started to rise, but Jacob waved him down.

"No, I just wanted to know where she was. I wanted to make sure she's not coming back right now. It's you I need to talk to."

"Okay, Jake, talk away. I'm all ears."

"Don't be flip Jack, this is serious." Jacob knew for all Jack's bluster and appearance of foolishness, there was a sharp mind behind the façade, and that Jack was always taking everything in the room, and assessing the situation. He knew he didn't need to admonish Jack, but it made him feel better to jab at him just a little. When Jack gave him a mock salute, Jacob smiled slightly. "Jack, I need to talk to you about Sam."

Jack held in a sigh. He did not want to talk about Carter to her dying father. "Jacob, I promise you, Carter will be well taken care of. She's got Mark and Shanahan, and her SGC family to help her get through this."

Searching Jack's eyes, Jacob said, "And what about you, Jack? Will you be there to support her?"

"Of course," was the clipped reply. "She's under my command."

Shaking his head in frustration, Jacob gave Jack a hard look. "Is that all, Jack? She's just another officer under your command?"

"Well, we've been a team for years, and have become…"he searched for the right word, "friends of a sort."

"Don't lie to me, Jack. You are more than friends, and you know it. I've known for a long time how you feel about my daughter. Selmak has too. Hell, half the base and most of the Tok'ra know it, and I'd hazards a guess that at least a few people from every planet you've visited know too. Why are you denying it? Why are you denying her?"

Jack stood and paced the room, agitatedly. "Jake, this is a pointless line of discussion. Sam…Carter," he quickly corrected himself, "is engaged to Shanahan, remember? There are also rules and regulations, and too many years between us, anyway." And now, too many people, he thought. "We may have had some…feelings early on, but that was just, well, I don't know exactly what it was, but it's long faded." At least for Carter, he kept himself from saying. He'd thought one day he might retire, or move from her chain of command, and see if they could make a go of it, but Carter had moved on, and he was happy for her. He told everyone he was at least, even if deep down it he ached at the very thought of her with another man.

Jacob coughed deeply, and began chocking. Jack rushed to his side and was about to call in the docs, when the coughing stopped. "I'm okay, no need to call anyone in. I'm not done talking to you. Sit back down. All that pacing is making me dizzy."

Jack complied and sat back down next to the bed. "As I was saying, I'm tired of watching you two try so hard not to admit your feelings toward each other. I don't have much time left on this world, and I want to know she's going to be happy."

"She's marrying Shanahan, remember? She loves him." Jack tried to keep his voice even, but even he could hear the strain.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Come on, Jack. You and I both know he's a sorry substitute for the man she really wants. Hell, he isn't even a shadow of the man she really wants. I can't figure out what on Earth she sees in him, unless she's hoping that finding the exact opposite will make her forget. Forget you, Jack."

Staring at the ceiling, Jack wanted more than anything to believe Jacob's words, but the hard truth was that Carter would soon be marrying that…he couldn't conjure up a word strong enough to adequately express what he thought of Shanahan. He wasn't even sure what Carter saw in the man, but it was her life, and it wasn't his place to interfere. "But, she agreed to marry him," Jack said quietly.

"One word from you, and she'll drop him in a heartbeat." Jacob tried to reassure him. "Why do you keep denying happiness? It's not just your happiness. You're stealing the happiness Sam deserves. Can you live with that?"

"It's not my choice," Jack said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jacob felt his anger rise. "Dammit Jack, I don't have much time left! Don't let me die knowing you two are too stubborn to get what you really want in this life. If I had a second chance, I would have been there to pick up my wife that night, and maybe our lives, Sam and Mark's lives, would have been better. I wish I had told Sam's mom that I loved her every single day, and not just by rote, but so she knew I really meant it. I couldn't change that, but I did get a second chance with my kids. I wasted so many years denying things or pushing them down in a deep part of me, and now I regret every single day. Do you want to die with so many regrets?"

Jack rubbed a hand slowly down his face. "I already have too many regrets."

"I know you do, Jack. I know. I remember when…well, when it happened." He was referring to Jack's son accidentally killing himself years before, but didn't want to actually say it. He hadn't know Jack personally at the time, but he certainly remembered when the Special Ops colonel went a little nuts, and retired. It had been the talk of the upper brass for quite a while. When Jack had come back to the Air Force to work in 'deep space telemetry,' which was how the Stargate program was still known, everyone had wondered what could have drawn such a daredevil officer back to work in such a dull field. "Please, don't make Sam another regret. Time isn't infinite you know. Even the Tok'ra have only a certain amount. Selmak had many regrets in her almost 2000 years of living, and she felt the same about you two. She's the one who convinced me to talk to you. I'm just sorry I waited so late."

The walls seemed to compress on Jack. He looked around at the familiar drab gray, thinking how cold it really was. He realized the walls had reflected his mood for many years; gray, dark, cold. Carter had brought warmth and sunshine with her, and he realized he never noticed the coldness of the walls when she was in the room. He wondered what his life would be like after Carter was gone from it. He thought there might no longer be sunshine, and that scared him. It scared him more than anything since he'd lost Charlie.

"Jack?" Jacob broke through his thoughts, and Jack turned toward him. "Just answer this. Do you love her?"

"Yes," Jack replied, feeling a weight lift from him at saying it out loud, even it wasn't to Carter.

Jacob smiled. "Then you have to tell her. Tell her before it's too late. Today. Promise me."

Jack swallowed hard. "Jacob, I can't. Certainly not today, when…" he waved his hand vaguely. They both knew he was referring to Jacob's imminate death. "This is hardly the time."

"This is the time, Jack. She will need you more than ever. She will need to know you will be there for her, not just as a friend and commander. She needs to know she's loved. Consider this my last request. You can't deny a dying only man his last request can you? Promise me, Jack. You have to do this. Today."

Nodding, Jack smiled grimly. "I promise. But then what?"

"You'll figure it out, Jack, together," the older man assured him. "You've always been there for each other, even when you didn't realize it. It's always been the two of you, Jack. Always." He seemed to lose his strength, and suddenly closed his eyes.

Jack stood and turned around to go get the medical team, when he heard Jacob speak softly. "What?" He asked turning back to the bed.

Swallowing with some effort, but looking better than he had moments before, Jacob gave him a small smile. "You'll take care of her, won't you? When I'm gone? Not that she needs anyone to take care of her, but…you'll be there, right?"

Reaching over, Jack grabbed Jacob's hand. It was cold and papery, and Jack couldn't reconcile it with the strong vibrant man he'd known. He gave it a small squeeze of comfort. He wasn't normally a demonstrative person, but he needed to do this, to show Jacob his friendship and appreciation. "You know I will. Carter…Sam is my world. If I lost her, I'd lose everything I am; my heart and my soul. If," he swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. "If she'll have me, there will never be a day she doesn't know I'm there for her, even if we're light years apart."

"That's my boy," Jacob said softly. "I'm sorry I won't be around to call you my son."

The door behind Jack opened softly, and he turned to see Carter standing there. His heart leapt at the mere sight of her. "Carter," he greeted her, nervously. He glanced over at Jacob. "As you can see, I've been keeping Dad here company. He's told me quite a few things about you as a child. I'm not sure I believe them all though."

Sam smiled at him, pain clear in her soft blue eyes. "Is that true, Dad? Have you been telling all my secrets and embarrassing me?"

Jacob smiled as she drew closer. He looked between the two of them, and knew he was right to talk to Jack. Sam would be next, but he knew he had to couch it more gently, and far less direct with her, or she'd become skittish. Sam and Jack were both dedicated to the military, but they had to stop putting it between them. "Maybe one or two stories," he lied.

Sam looked down and saw that the General's hand was still over Jacob's. "Everything okay?" She nodded downward.

Jack started to pull his hand away, but Jacob held on with a tighter grip that Jack thought he should be able to have. "Jack was just being a good friend. I appreciate it." He looked up into Jack's eyes. He thought he saw a sheen of moisture in them. "Thank you for being here."

Jack squeezed Jacob's hand lightly. "Thank you, Jacob. For being who you are, and for giving the world such an amazing daughter."

"That was the easiest thing I've ever done," he replied, letting go of Jack's hand.

Looking over at Sam, Jack gave her a brief smile. "I guess I'll leave you two alone for a while."

Sam sat on the edge of Jacob's bed and took the hand Jack had just released. "There's cake in the commissary, Sir," she told him. He knew she was trying to stay upbeat, but her eyes were so bleak and sad. He wished he could take all the pain away.

"Thanks." He strode to the door to leave them for a few last moments alone.

"Jack?" Jacob's voice stopped him. "Promise?" Jack nodded his head. "Good."

"No problem, Jacob. And, um, thank you. For everything."

"Goodbye, Son."

Jack almost lost his composure. Turning suddenly to face the bed, Jack came to attention and snapped off a smart salute to the dying former general. "Goodbye, Dad." He left the room before Carter could say anything. He was sure she was perplexed by their conversation.

TBC