Chapter 4: The Right Time

Sunday morning saw a frenzy of activity as everyone got ready for church. They all piled into the mini-van and off they went. Sam had been to church often with them, they sat with Mrs. O'Neill, Sister Regina, Jane and her family. It was a big group. Everyone was so happy to see Mike and Sam was grateful to disappear into the woodwork. She was holding Ben and feeding him, in hopes he would take at least a little nap during church.

She didn't escape the watchful eye of Mrs. O'Neill. "Hello, Sam," she said sweetly, "you look good with a baby in your arms. I pray you and Jonathan will be blessed with healthy children." Liz rolled her eyes. Sam went to sit at the end of the pew in case Ben fussed; which he did right in the middle of communion. Sam took him to the courtyard to wait for the rest of the family.

In the courtyard following the Mass, Father Devon came over to say hello to the group and to inquire on Liz's progress. They invited him for dinner. Mrs. O'Neill could be heard inviting some men known to be old classmates of Jack's to the house for dessert that evening and made sure the aunts, uncles and cousins all knew what time dinner was. Finally they made it back to the house. Sam made sure everyone including Mike and Liz, went down for an early nap. She was able to straighten up mostly in peace before the rest of the family and friends arrived. Mrs. O'Neill was busy getting a start on dinner.

A few hours later the house was buzzing with activity. Jack's Mom was in full swing in the kitchen fussing about making the large dinner she invited everyone to and refusing the help that was offered. Mike decided to grill as well, there would be quite a bit of food. Mrs. O'Neill adored Mike, so any decision he made was right with her. She decided she was happy for the assistance.

Jane, Sam, and Liz sat on the deck. Mike brought Sam a beer and the other girls water. It was good to catch up with him. Liz was blissfully happy to have her family together for however a brief moment.

"So, Sam, when is your fiancé going to show up?" Mike smiled, almost laughing, knowing he was aggravating her.

She ignored him. "Liz, let me have Ben. I'll take him in and change him. You need anything while I'm inside?"

"He'll need a bottle." The girls ran past her into the house. Liz should feel guilty, she could have called her cousin Suzanne and stopped it all, but she just couldn't let Sam leave for Nevada without trying. So she let the beast take its course.

Sam left them on deck and took Ben in to change him. When she came out of the baby's room she saw Jack being mauled by the girls. She had heard the commotion, but with this family it really could be anybody. He looked good in his khaki's, white shirt and leather jacket. Classic Jack, she thought.

Jack's Mom made her way from the kitchen for a big hug from her 'baby boy'. "Look who's here, honey." She pointed in Sam's direction.

"Carter." He looked up and acknowledged her. She looked beautiful in the casual blue sun dress and sandals. "How's Ben?"

"He's good and now he's dry. Here why don't you take him out to Liz. I need to get him a bottle.' She avoided eye contact. He took the baby.

With his free hand he grabbed her arm and whispered. "We need to talk. Hammond called me." He said it tersely, but when she looked up into his eyes she saw more concern than the anger she had expected.

"I have to get Ben his bottle." She said. He headed outside and she went to the kitchen.

She leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. "Have a little quarrel, dear? It's alright, just talk to him. It will be okay. All that matters is that you love each other." Mom O'Neill appeased. Sam looked at her and just nodded so she could get out of the kitchen faster.

Sam took the bottle out to Liz, but she didn't have Ben.

"Sam, can you bring John the bottle. He has Ben. He's sitting at the picnic table over there with Katherine and Suzanne." Sam looked over as Suzanne left the table. Sam rolled her eyes at Liz. What has she done? Sam walked over, not sure of what to expect. Jack had his back to her, but Katherine saw her walk up, her lips curled into a wicked smile, one you might expect on a snake or snake head – she mused.

"Well, well look who's here, why it's your fiancé, John." Jack looked up at Katherine, then he turned his head to see Sam. Sam saw the surprised look on his face. He noticed that Sam was not surprised, she just smiled tensely. She handed him the bottle. "Well let me see what kind of ring a General buys his future wife?" Sam closed her eyes, bit her lip and wondered if should she blow Liz's cover story or find a way to go along with this. Jack was offering her no clues.

He shifted Ben into a better position to feed him. Then he looked up at Sam and down at her hand. "Samantha, where's your ring? Did you take it off leave it by the kitchen sink when you were helping my Mom?"

"Oh yeah,…I must have." She came back quickly, and confused. So he was going to go along…she guessed.

"Well go get it. I want to see it." Katherine insisted, wanting solid proof of this gorgeous man's ineligibility.

"Here, Samantha, you take Ben, I'll get it for you."

Sam watched him walk away. He casually stopped by the cooler on the deck reached in, grabbed a beer, twisted the top off, then whispered something in Liz's ear that made her wince, then continued, she said something back to him, pointed up with here finger, and then he went inside. Sam wondered what in the world he was doing and leaving her here with this barracuda of a woman.

"Mrs. O'Neill was surprised when I saw her at the store and I mentioned your engagement." That explained the intensified interrogation, she thought. How were they going to get out of this one? This wasn't a little white lie to one person. Everyone knew and as she looked around the yard, she realized every one did indeed know.

"We had….not…announced it…yet?" Come on Sam you're a Lt. Colonel in the USAF. Get yourself together. You've been in tighter messes than this. Ben wiggled and she realized she needed to burp him before letting him finish the rest of the bottle. She put Ben up on her shoulder and started burping him.

"How long have you known John?"

"About eight years."

"I've known him since I was in grade school with dear, sweet Liz. I think he joined the Air Force when I was in….second grade and now look at him…. a General, a very hot successful General." She said with a predatory look in her eye.

"Yes and he's unavailable." Sam said, surprising herself at the possessive way she said it. For all this woman knew, she really was talking to his fiancé.

"Oh was that inappropriate, dear. I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you. Looking forward to seeing that ring. What could be taking John so long?" Katherine drummed her fingers on the table as a show of her impatience.

"Well you know his mother is in the kitchen. She hasn't seen him in a while and probably wanted to spend some time with him." Yes, what could be taking him so long, what was he doing. Did he just leave her here?

"So how did the two of you meet?"

Ben burped. Sam held him out. "Say excuse me, young man" Sam continued feeding Ben the rest of his bottle. "We work together."

"Oh, you're Air Force?"

"Yes, she is. You're sitting with the one and only Lt. Colonel, Dr. Samantha Carter. The woman who single-handedly changed the way the world looks at wormhole theory, and who can thoroughly kick anyone's ass who begs to differ with her." The familiar voice finally returned.

Sam didn't know if she was relieved or scared. She blushed; she had never heard such pride in his voice. He sat down on the bench next to her, reached for Sam's left hand which was still wrapped around Ben and slipped a ring on her finger. Surprised, she looked into his brown eyes as he looked into her blue eyes with a silent question. Her heart was beating so loudly, she thought she would disturb Ben. "I found it, just where you left it. You need to be more careful with that."

"You did?" she asked. He reached for Ben. "Yes." She said not taking her eyes off of Jack's and handed Ben back to him.

"Yes?" He raised his eyebrows, with the most hopeful look Sam had ever seen on his face.

She leaned in towards him. "Yes." She replied against his lips right before she kissed him. He kissed her back and smiled against her lips. They finally got it right.

"Well, can I see it?" Katherine asked irritably.

Sam looked quickly at the ring, wanting to get a look it before anyone else did, and then held her hand to the woman. As Katherine was looking at the ring, Sam wiped away the single tear that fell with the other hand.

"Impressive, John."

"Thanks, Katherine. She deserves only the best. Sam, my Mom wants to see you in the kitchen." Jack informed her.

"Oh? Okay."

"Well, Katherine, it's been nice chatting with you. Now I'm going to spend some time with my sister." Jack got up and walked away with Sam grabbing her right hand. Neither of them looked at the other. Sam's thumb reached across her hand to feel if the ring was real. The entire situation seemed entirely surreal.

Half way across the yard, she stopped and turned to face him. He turned and faced her.

She stood close enough to make sure the conversation was private. "Who's?" she asked, afraid for the answer.

"Who's what?"

"The ring." She looked down at it.

"Don't you like it?

"It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, sir."

"It's yours– so I think you really ought to drop the Sir. Your transfer out of my command, was official two days ago. The one you went behind my back to get. And, on top of that if I am correct, you did just agreed to marry me. Didn't you?" He asked, suddenly afraid he had misunderstood her.

Neither of them moved from the spot. Sam leaned into him. She still felt this was not real. She leaned her forehead on to his chest, her head next to Ben. She could hear Jack's heart racing at the same pace hers was. It made her smile to think he could possibly be as nervous as she was. He reached up with his now free hand and placed it behind her head, lacing his fingers through her blond curls and lowered his mouth to her ear "Marry me, Sam?" He asked in a whisper so quietly, she was sure even Ben couldn't hear. She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you." He said. She nodded again, certain she could not find her voice. Discreetly she wiped away another tear. He kissed her cheek. She turned her head and kissed him again. As the kiss intensified, they were interrupted.

"Hey, keep it 'G' folks when you're holding my innocent son." Mike liberated Ben from Jack's arm and dramatically covered the baby's eyes.

Jack wrapped both his arms around her and kissed her again. "There's going to be a lot more of that from here on out." He informed her.

"Indeed." She finally found her voice and gave him the smile that belonged only to him.

"My Mom's inside. She wants to congratulate you. Go. I'm going to go have a talk with my little sister."

"Be nice." She demanded.

"You know me, Samantha. I'm always nice." He squeezed her hand and sent her on her way.

Sam smiled. She couldn't stop smiling. She glad she was not Liz at the moment. But, Katherine was still in the yard so Jack would play it cool for now. He would give her a hard time later – and most likely for the rest of her life.

When Sam came back outside she walked to Jack who was talking to an old friend. "Your Mom said she's waited long enough, she wants you to make the announcement, Jack." He put his arm around her. "Excuse me." He got the attention of the yard. "I have an announcement to make. I realize you all already know but Samantha Carter has agreed to marry me. And, although I'm not sure why-"

"Me neither," interrupted one of Jack's friends. Jack just smiled and continued.

"-I'm holding her to it. I would like to take this time to thank my sister. If not for her, this would never have happened. Thanks, sis."

Liz raised her water bottle to him. She would be watching her back and the light posts around town for some time to come but it was worth it.

After being hugged by every O'Neill and friend of the family, Sam sat down with Liz. Jack was sitting on the deck railing with Mike and a couple his friends from the neighborhood who had joined them after dinner. Sam thought he looked really happy, the kind of happiness she had always wanted for him. And, she imagined that she had the same look on her face.

"So, Liz, do you want to tell me what just happened here today?" Liz smiled guiltily.

"You should know me by now, Sam. I'm a brat who always gets her way with her big brother." Liz grabbed her hand and looked at the ring.

"Details." Sam insisted.

"A few years ago-"

"Years?" Sam interrupted in disbelief.

"Yes. Let me finish. A few years ago John was visiting me. Mike had bought me a ring with Maggie's birthstone in it and I had to pick it up from the jeweler because he had added Jenna's to it, but he couldn't be here for Mother's Day. He wanted me to have it, so Johnny took me to pick it up. He was looking at that ring in the case."

"You should buy it for her and get it over with. Just ask her."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me." He held his ground, but she did not give up that easily. "Come on, just buy it and then you'll have it and when the right time comes along, you'll be ready."

"Be ready for something that will never happen… can never happen." For a moment the sadness of the impossible situation washed over him. His thoroughly defeated posture concerned her. What Liz did not know was what a difficult year this had been for him. He had to admit how much he cared for Sam and then when their memories had been stamped in that frozen wasteland of a planet, cleared away of everything he knew, he discovered there was one true thing to him and that was her.

"Buy it. I'll hold on it. It'll happen for you, John. She loves you. Trust me, your time will come."

"Liz, you're a hopeless romantic."

"Maybe, but I'm right. Trust your little sister, Johnny. That's the right ring, she's the right girl and the right time will come." Jack gave into his emotional exhaustion and his sister's hope, bought the ring, left it in her care and tried very hard not to think of it again.

"When he left you at the table with Katherine, he told me that I was 'going to get it'. He stood up and I thought he was just going to walk away, but then he leaned back down and asked me where it was? I told him it was in my top left dresser drawer. You know the rest, Sam." Sam smiled and looked down at the ring.

"You are a lousy best friend, Liz." She hugged her.

"I know, but I'm no liar. You are my future sister-in-law." They laughed. "Now tell me what did I miss?"

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Bittersweet to say goodbye to this story. I hope you liked it. I may write more back stories with Liz/Sam/Jack, I really enjoyed writing the characters. I have had some ideas on additional stories based on some of the flashbacks. So keep an eye out for more.

Thanks for all of your really nice reviews. I really appreciate it.