Because in a sky full of stars,
I think I see you
When Samantha Carter was eight years old, her parents took her and her brother out to their first meteor shower. She remembers her fatigued confusion when her mother started shaking her awake even though the sky outside was still dark.
"C'mon, Sam," her mother whispered, bundling her up in warm winter clothing. "Your dad and I have a small surprise for you and Mark."
"Where's the sun?" Sam asked as she was lead into the living room to her father and an equally tired older brother.
"It's going to come up in a few hours," her father replied. "It's still nighttime. We need to get to the vista before sunrise. Let's go."
Sam remembers the car ride; silent except for the rumbling of the wheels against asphalt and the radio playing oldies tunes at a low volume. No one said anything, not even a repetitive "Where are we going?" or "Are we there yet?" She remembers looking out the window during the whole trip, watching as her father drove away from the city and her neighborhood and towards the mountains. She remembers looking up at the night sky, watching as more stars appeared in the sky the farther they drove away from the city.
After driving through a small road surrounded by forest, they reached the edge of the mountain, a small scenic point overlooking the terrain of Colorado. There was a small grassy area near the edge with people on blankets pointing up towards the night sky. The sky, at this point, was littered with stars like the pictures she would always see in her science books.
Her family found their own spot on the grass, spreading out a blanket and fitting snugly on it. Mark and her father at on one side of the blanket while Sam rested with her mother on her lap.
"Watch the sky," her mother said, her finger pointing towards the sky.
Sam looked up and watched stars, confused at what exactly she was supposed to be looking for.
But, after just a few minutes, she spotted something just below the horizon. A thin line of light was slicing through the sky, gliding up from the horizon towards outer space and disappearing into the sea of stars.
"Whoa!" Mark exclaimed. "Is that a shooting star?!"
"Yeah," her father replied. "You know what they say about shooting stars? You have to make a wish if you see one. Keep watching, there's much more coming our way."
Sam, her interest piquing, glanced out at the sky, watching with an intensity. She found another shooting star coming from what looks to be outer space. The star ran straight down towards the horizon, as if slicing the night sky in two.
"Make a wish, Sammie," her mother whispered in her ear.
Sam closed her eyes and thought about happy things.
She forgot how cold Washington, DC could be.
Sam steps out of the taxi, her fingers gripping the silky fabric of her gown. Cold winds of autumn wash over her body, making her shiver despite the long sleeves gripping her arms. After a quick thank you to the driver, she stands in front of the luxury hotel, taking a moment to stare at the ancient building. After hearing the engine of the cab fade off into the distance, she checks the time. 8:34pm. She's definitely late.
She walks inside, the warmth of the hotel's central heating cooling the goosebumps on her skin. At first, she is amazed at the Victorian-styled architecture. Polished marble columns are lined up throughout the lobby, adjacent to the equally polished marble floor. Plants with intricately decorated vases and Persian rugs enhance the old-fashioned feel of the lobby. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, creating a warm and golden glow that screams "rich and luxurious."
"Hello," a voice from check-in says. A woman stands behind a shiny wooden desk flashing a smile. "May I help you?"
"Hi," Sam replies. "I'm Samantha. I'm attending the Annual Air Force Ball?"
The woman glances down at what looks to be a check-in list of visitors. "Colonel Samantha Carter?"
"Yes."
"Alright. You have been checked off. The venue is down that hallway at the very end."
"Thank you."
It's not too hard to find the ballroom venue; she finds it in seconds.
Walking into the soiree almost leaves Sam disoriented. The ballroom is just as luxuriously decorated as it is in the lobby. Everyone in the room is either in formal wear like Sam or in their dress blues; dancing on the polished floor of the ballroom to orchestra music or standing and sitting on the sidelines making small talk. This is not Sam's type of crowd; right away, she feels out of place.
Before she could take the time to settle, she hears a familiar voice calling her way.
"Sam!"
She glances right and finds Daniel Jackson walking towards her with a huge smile on his face. She lets out a breath of relief, thankful that there is at least one person in the room she recognizes.
"Hey, Daniel," Sam greets, reaching in for a hug.
"It's great to see you," Daniel replies. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up."
"Yeah, I had a bit of a flight issue earlier."
As they talked, Sam and Daniel head towards the open bar where they are offered champagne.
"How have you been?" Daniel asks. "How's Nevada?"
"It's great," Sam replies. "I finally get a chance to tinker with weird alien doohickeys, which is always really fun. Most of the time. How about you and Atlantis?"
"It's sorta like a more sci-fi version of Stargate Command, I'm not gonna lie. But I love it. Working there is a great experience."
Sam smiles. "That's great."
"Sometimes I think about SG-1, though. I kinda miss the old team."
"Yeah," Sam replies, after taking a huge gulp of champagne. "Me too. You know Colonel Mitchell is trying to get us back together."
"Cameron Mitchell? The new SG-1 commander?"
"Yeah."
"I guess time will tell," Daniel says. His words seem to pass over Sam. At the mention of her old team, Sam's focus is away from Daniel and out towards the people. Her eyes scan each person hoping to find a certain familiar face. When she couldn't find his face lurking in the crowds, her heart drops a bit.
"I'm sure Colonel Mitchell is here somewhere," Daniel says, shooting Sam a strange look.
"Sorry," Sam replies, snapping out of her trance. "I'm not looking for Mitchell. I, uh... I'm just, uh, people watching."
Daniel doesn't reply, staring at Sam with narrowed eyes. It's the look he gives people when he knows something is up.
"Are you looking for Jack?" he asks.
"What?" Sam replies almost instantly. "No! I, um... I'm just looking for people in general. Y'know. Just seeing how if there's anyone else I know. I barely know half of these people!"
"You're looking for Jack." It's not a question anymore. It's a statement.
Damn him.
"Fine. Maybe I'm looking for him. But I mean, I'm just looking for familiar faces just in case you get pulled away by the next politician or something and I'm left alone. I feel kinda awkward here, to be honest. It's not my crowd."
Sam cringes. She's rambling. And Daniel can completely see through her bullshit.
"Didn't you guys sort things out at the cabin?" Daniel says.
"What do you mean?"
"I thought you guys were in a relationship and decided not to tell anyone just yet?"
Sam's eyes widen at Daniel's suggestion, but her stomach can't help flutter at the idea of being with Jack.
"What?" is all she could muster.
"I mean, I thought it was kinda obvious. You guys were cozying up to each other when you were fishing. Even Teal'c noticed it."
Sam flushes, remembering shared smiles and a lack of dwelling.
"Oh," she replies. "We never really talked about... that."
Daniel raises an eyebrow at her; Teal'c would be so proud.
"I mean," she continues. "We were supposed to, I guess, but somehow it just never happened. Suddenly, the cabin trip was over and then Washington happened for him and Nevada happened for me and our lives just got a bit more busy."
"And you haven't talked to him since then?"
Sam shrugs. "I tried to contact him, but it's really hard to get to the Head of Homeworld Security."
"Well," Daniel says, finishing off his drink. "He's definitely here. I don't know where he is. I think everyone in the entire political world of DC wants to talk to him, so yeah, he is a bit busy. Oh, there he is!"
Daniel tilts his head towards one corner of the room. Following his direction, Sam finds Jack O'Neill near the chocolate fountain deep in conversation with two men in dress blues. Sam couldn't help but smile at the glaze in his eye and his distant expression. He's definitely not paying attention to what they're talking about.
"You should go and save his life," Daniel says. "He looks a bit miserable."
"I dunno," Sam replies. "It looks like an important conversation."
"God. You both are hopeless."
Before Sam could make a witty comeback, a man in a suit and tie approaches Daniel, whisking him away to talk about Ancient Technology.
"Talk to him," Daniel says before running off.
Sam sighs, taking a huge gulp of her champagne. She lets the alcohol sting her taste buds and warm up her skin. She grabs another glass, downs the drink, and braces the Washington DC crowd.
After a few exhausting conversations about astrophysics, Stargate technology, and politics, Sam finds herself heading out into the hotel's gardens. There's a limit to how many small talk conversations she could handle, especially with people who are trying to outsmart her.
When she steps outside, the cold winds once again wash over her. It feels almost relieving, especially after feeling suffocated in the ballroom.
The garden is dark and only sparsely lit by small lights along the cobblestone paths. She follows the sound of trickling water until she finds herself at a koi fish pond surrounded by heavy greenery: a perfect hideaway.
Taking a seat at a nearby wooden bench, she listens to the water's calming sound and tries to breathe to calm herself down. She leans back, her head craning up to stare at the sky.
She did try to approach Jack, but every time she fished her way out of the conversation, another one was next in line to pull her back into a conversation about the future of Stargate Command. The conversations remind her of the reason why she avoids these kinds of events. It makes her feel weird.
She isn't even sure if he knows she's here. Her meeting Jack is probably a lost cause at this point because she is just about ready to leave.
At the corner of her eye, she notices something at the corner of her eye. Shifting her gaze to the right, Sam finds a small streak of light slice through the night sky before disappearing in a few mere seconds.
Sam frowns. That definitely is not an airplane. She thinks about the date. November 18. It's the peak of the Leonids meteor shower. For a moment, she's stares at the sky, confused. Is it a meteor? That's impossible, she's too deep in DC's metropolitan area to even get a decent view of the stars.
Despite her logical mind shouting protests at star visibility, Sam thinks about her family and her childhood, spending years on that mountain in Colorado with her mother and father and Mark wishing on shooting stars. She thinks about fishing and boyish smiles.
"Hey."
Sam freezes. She turns her head to find none other than General Jack O'Neill at the entrance of the koi fish pond. She stands up almost too eagerly.
"Sir," she says. "Hi."
It's almost strange, seeing him after months of no contact. Is he the same as he was when they were at the cabin? Did he move on with his life? Is he just excited to see Sam as she is with him?
"I caught you walking out," he says, burying his hands in his pocket. "I could have gone to you earlier—scratch that, I actually wanted to go to you—but you know how it is with these kinds of shindigs with people trying to brown nose their way to the top."
"I understand," Sam replies.
"I missed you at dinner."
"Yeah. The flight got delayed."
"Ah. What a shame. The steak was delicious."
Sam smiles. "I bet."
An awkward silence falls over the two. Sam could feel her heart pound beneath her chest even over the pond's trickling water.
"So," Jack says. "How are you? How's Area 51?"
"I'm doing alright, Sir," Sam replies. "I love the new job. I mean, most of the decade has been me going off-world and almost dying. It's nice to go back to science and research without fearing for my life."
"That sounds great. I'm glad you enjoy it there."
"How about you?"
Jack sighs. "It's going as great as you would expect it to be. Y'know. Working in DC."
"So, not so great."
"I mean, it's alright, I guess. Most days I have to deal with political BS. But I mean, someone's gotta do the job."
Sam nods. Another moment of silence falls over the two; she couldn't help but cringe at the awkwardness of the situation.
Are things supposed to feel this weird?
"You look beautiful," Jack then adds.
There's something in his gaze that makes Sam's cheek burn and her heart pound that much faster.
"Thank you," she replies. "You clean up nicely, as well. Look, um," Sam reaches her hand out to brush a piece of lint off his collar. She swallows when the very tips of her fingers rest against the skin of Jack's neck. "There's a meteor shower going on right now. Leonids. Today is the peak. Do you wanna ditch this party and go watch the meteors?"
Jack beams. "Of course. I was planning to leave anyways."
After a small coffee run to Starbucks, Sam and Jack take a nightly stroll along the Tidal Basin. Jack's suit is draped over Sam's shoulders due to an increase in the chilly winds.
"I guess it sorta became second nature for me and my family," Sam says. "I practically have every major meteor shower memorized."
"Was it what got you interested in astrophysics?" Jack asks, throwing an empty cup of coffee in the park's trash.
"I guess so," Sam replies. "I wanted to know where the shooting stars came from and how they worked. I did a lot of research at the library."
"And look what it birthed: one of the smartest people the nation could ever have."
Sam smiles, unable to stop the burn from her cheeks. They both glance up and find another shooting star tearing towards the sky.
"Charlie loved the stars," Jack says. "That telescope on my roof was supposed to be his. He wanted every book on astronomy. I just wonder... if he grew up… what if..."
Sam's heart almost breaks when his voice breaks. As a response, she takes his hand in hers, weaving their fingers together.
"I'm so sorry," she whispers, squeezing his hand. They stop at a spot in front of the Tidal Basin under a dim park lamp. Sam faces him, trailing her fingers down his cheek before grabbing ahold of the other hand.
"I missed you," he whispers, lifting a pair of joined hands so he could kiss the back of her hand. "It's so hard to get ahold of you on the phone."
"Please," Sam replies, trying to concentrate while his lips are against her skin. "You're no better than I am, Mister Head-of-Homeworld-Security."
Jack chuckles, releasing his grip from Sam's hands. He grazes the side of her head with his fingertips before tucking her hair behind her ear. He then cups both hands around her jaw as he leans his forehead against hers, their bodies becoming that much closer to each other.
"I missed you so much," Jack whispers once again, his hand stroking her hair.
"I missed you, too," Sam replies. Her lips are so close to his that every move of her mouth barely comes into contact with his.
"I can't believe we didn't do this back at the cabin. It would have saved me months of agonizing."
"Well, let's not dwell."
He leans in, his lips meeting hers in a soft kiss. She responds in equal fervor, her arms reaching out to wrap around his neck.
Above them, the stars twinkle.
She forgot what it was like to be with someone else, to share something beautiful like the feeling of relief and happiness.
She stumbles backwards into Jack's bedroom, her lips locked with his, her hands unbuttoning his shirt. Her dress is already off; undone with just a zipper on her backside. Jack's hands skim through the skin of her sides and through her back, the feeling almost taking her breath away.
Her back falls back onto Jack's bed, with him following after. He hovers over her, pressing kisses all over her body, kissing away all the years they couldn't be together, all the years they left the proverbial door closed.
It feels so wonderful Sam thinks, placing equally passionate kisses along Jack's shoulder. It feels so, so wonderful to have a massive weight being lifted off their shoulders.
She feels almost weightless as if she's flying through the stars and the skies.
A few hours later, Jack and Sam lay in a mess of sweat and sheets and limbs, exhausted yet satisfied. She curls up against him, her fingers tracing small patterns on his chest while his fingers trickle up and down her back, sending small shivers down her spine.
"When are you heading back to 51?" Jack asks, his mouth moving against the top of her head.
"In a week," Sam replies.
"Hmm, I think I can spare a few vacation days."
Sam smiles, her face burying into his shoulder blade. "I can't wait."
She turns her body, shifting so she's laying on top of him. She stares into his eyes, almost twinkling like stars, and leans in to plant another deep kiss.
God, she could kiss him all day.
Jack grunts, succumbing to a lengthy make-out session until he pulls away, breathless and satiated.
"Let's go to sleep," he says, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her head. "We have a long day tomorrow."
Sam nods, curling up against Jack again. She leans her head against his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest and the soft beating of his heart.
She falls asleep thinking about happy things.
A/N: title comes from: 'never be alone' - shawn mendes; intro quote comes from 'sky full of stars' - coldplay
pardon any mistakes. once again i don't have any beta readers. i hope the subtle tense change makes sense? welp anyways
thanks for reading!