Chapter 1

Jack continued to stare at the disconnected quantum mirror. In all honesty, he didn't know what else to do. When Doctor Carter had kissed him, every nerve ending in his body had reacted in a way he never thought it would. The intensity of the reaction was something he hadn't expected. It was on a scale he had never experienced before – not even with Sara and that surprised him, not to mention made him feel a little guilty.

Now, as he stood and stared at the alien piece of technology, the implications of his actions started to sink in.

He saw Doctor Carter's blue, pain-filled eyes staring back at him as she came to the realization that he really wasn't her husband. But his skin felt like it was on fire from where her fingers had danced along the side of his neck as she had kissed him, and he could taste her on his lips and tongue. He could even smell the faint residue of her perfume on his clothes from where she had leaned against him. It was an assault on his senses and she was overwhelming him.

Jack closed his eyes and tried to push all of the sensations out of his mind. For one, it wasn't his Carter he'd kissed; and two, he quickly remembered that he really shouldn't be thinking of any Carter in that kind of way.

Before his thoughts had time to go down a dangerous road, General Hammond's voice shattered the heavy silence.

"Colonel, I'd like you, Doctor Jackson and Teal'c to visit the infirmary. Doctor Fraiser is expecting you," he added, letting them know their visit wasn't an option. "Then," he hesitated slightly, "I'd like to see you in my office."

"Yes, sir," he replied quietly, his back still to everyone in the room.

He felt the general's gaze linger for a moment before he turned on his heel and left SG-1 alone, but he waited until the sound of Hammond's footsteps had faded before he spoke.

"You heard the general. Daniel, Teal'c – go get checked out," he ordered gently.

His attention never left the mirror, but he knew the instant his friends left the room, leaving him and his Carter alone. He turned slowly and his eyes landed on her. Pursing his lips, he studied her closely. She was so like the other Carter, and yet, so different.

Her hair was shorter, obviously, but still a brilliant shade of blonde. She wasn't dressed in civilian clothing, but in baggy BDUs which hid her tall and slender frame. However, the most striking difference he noticed, was when he risked a quick glance at her left hand and saw no wedding ring. Swallowing hard at the sudden lump in his throat, Jack forced his eyes back up to the Sam's face and froze.

Those eyes. They were the same. The exact damn same. Wide, blue and full of pain. Why the pain was there, Jack wasn't entirely sure, but before he could ask, he slowly and purposefully moved towards her, only stopping when he was millimeters away. He was well within her personal space, and he had probably overstepped a military boundary or three by doing so, but in that moment, he didn't really care.

He heard Sam's sharp intake of breath and felt it tickle his neck when she let it go. He resisted the urge to shudder as his body started to react, his eyes darting down to her lips. He watched as Sam's tongue involuntarily licked her lips. Stifling a moan, he closed his eyes and leaned forward, a hand coming to rest around her wrist.

His lips hovered by her ear, so close he would've sworn he had just leaned in a little too close, and they'd brushed her earlobe. But he immediately dismissed the thought as ridiculous. He couldn't have let his guard down that much… could he?

He took a deep breath.

He couldn't be here, He needed to get away.

"I'm sorry, Carter," he whispered, before brushing past her and leaving her alone with the quantum mirror and a room full of distorted emotions.