Author's Note: This is my first offering of short fiction in a while. I came up with this after watching Continuum for the second time. Enjoy it and let me know what you think of it.

Thank you to KrisK and Judyhild who betaed this for me. You guys did a great job, thank you. As always thanks to KEF who keeps me going and is willing to help me out of any corner I write myself into.

It was the beginning of a new day, Sam Carter woke up and looked around her, wrinkling her nose at the slightly musty smell that clung to her house since she hadn't been home for while. Getting out of bed, she walked through the house opening windows to let fresh air in.

Last night when she had arrived home, Sam had collapsed into bed and fallen asleep due to exhaustion from her last mission. She hadn't wanted to think about anything and was glad for the immediate oblivion of sleep. That had not stopped her dreams though.

Not wanting to remember why she was so exhausted or what the subject of her dreams were, she crossed into the kitchen and filled a bowl with some yogurt and granola. She had just taken her first bite when she spotted the pile of mail on the counter.

Pete must have been here while she was gone on her last mission and picked up her mail for her. It was a sweet gesture, but it, annoyed her as well.

All thoughts of Pete were forgotten as she began to open the stack of mail. She separated them into bills, junk mail, and the occasional personal piece of mail. Her hands stilled on one envelope addressed to her in a bold handwriting that she did not recognize. It was from a Colonel Cameron Mitchell. Intrigued, she opened the letter.

You don't know me but I know you. For three years we served together on SG-1 after Jack O'Neill was promoted to Head of Homeworld Security. Through circumstances that I don't want to go into, I was sent back in time to stop Ba'al, he's a System Lord if you haven't run into him yet, from destroying our time line. Working together, Daniel, Teal'c, you and I were able to fix what he messed up.

We have been through a lot together. I sat with you when you almost died, while we hid from some bad guys. I won't go into who they were, it's not important. What's important is that I could see the regret in your eyes when you thought you would die. You told me to deliver some letters for you,. if you died, but you didn't die so I never had the chance. I was thinking about that the other day and I decided to deliver this one instead.

I know what your choices have done to not only yourself but to Jack. I have seen what the two of you have given up and I feel that I have the right to pen this letter to you.

I hope that since I was successful in getting the Stargate to America, the events that we saw will not happen, and the events that spurred me to write this will not happen.

Now I should prove to you that I do know you and I'm not some insane guy writing random letters to beautiful astrophysicists. You have a scar on your stomach from the Brocca incident when your isolation roommate stabbed you. I won't bore you with what you did to the General, actually he might not be a general when you get this.

I read all SG-1's mission reports before I joined the team. Well, actually, for a while, I was the team before I managed to get the band back together, but that is a story for another time. I even managed to get a hold of the mission report about your side trip to 1969. Jack O'Neill is not my father. That was a mean trick you all played on me. It was Teal'c who thought of it wasn't it? I was afraid to meet the General for a long time after you guys told me that.

I want you to know that you guys were my heroes. I wanted to be like you. I fought my way back to active duty just so that I could serve with you, but I saw first hand what that service cost you. I hope this has been enough to prove that I not only know you, but that I know what I'm talking about. I write this because I'm dying and I will never live to see the Stargate opened again. My time on the earth is almost over but I die knowing that the world will be safe because you, Teal'c, Daniel and Jack are out there and will do the job when you are needed.

I have left this in the care of my mother. Although she doesn't know that she is my mother. It's quite a bizarre thing. I have even talked to myself on occasion. Anyway back to you.

Sam, it is time to stop being foolish. You love him and he loves you. Stop dancing around the door to that room and open it up. Do something about how you feel. All you have to do is talk to Hammond.In fact, it won't come as a surprise to him at all. He can make it work, just give him a chance.

If you wait too long, you will run out of time. I saw your face as he died in your arms. Circumstances didn't allow me the time to let you mourn him. Don't put yourself through that again.

Jack won't do anything until you do. He takes his lead from you. He's still waiting for you to take the first step. Put down this letter and go to him. Sam, do it for yourself but if you can't, do it for him. You're both miserable, set him and yourself free.

Do it now before it's too late and you have to watch him die again and experience all those same regrets.

Yours truly Cameron Mitchell

Sam stared at the letter amazed. Was this for real? Who was this Cameron Mitchell, she wondered? Did she really know this man in the future?

Turning to her computer, she typed the name, Cameron Mitchell, into the Armed Force's data base. The only Cameron Mitchell she could find was stationed on the Prometheus as squadron leader of the X302s. The letter was not sent from space, but from Kansas, three days ago. Mitchell had been in space for the last six months.

She turned over the envelope and a photograph fell out landing on the counter. Picking it up, she turned it over and was surprised to see her own face and that of SG-1 smiling at her along with another woman and man. It chilled her to see her face smiling back at her, she was older and her hair longer, but it proved this man's point. Their names were written on the back of the picture in the same handwriting as the letter. Daniel, Teal'c, Me, Vala and you.

He knew her and he was right. She loved Jack and she had done nothing about it. In fact, she had tried to replace him with another, but that hadn't worked either, not really. She loved Pete but not the same way she loved Jack. Well, Jack was Jack. There was really no other way to describe him.

She sighed deeply. The only problem was that Jack was dying. He had stuck his head in the Ancient device again and the re-writing of his brain was killing him. Worst of all, he would never know how she felt.

Picking up the remains of her breakfast, she dumped them into the garbage, uneaten. Cleaning up after herself, she tried to remember just when she started to love Jack. It had come on so gradually that one day she stood beside him on the ramp and she knew, knew that she loved Jack O'Neill.

She knew that it could only cause them pain. She couldn't act on her feelings, too many lives depended on SG-1 and their ability to keep the Goa'uld from either destroying earth or enslaving the planet.

Everything had been complicated by those stupid armbands, the Za'tarc incident, and the memory stamp when they thought they were Jonah and Thera. For a few short days, they were free to love each other and be happy. Some days, when she was lonely, Sam would allow herself a few moments to remember those days. The warmth of sitting next to Jonah knowing it was just where she belonged. Knowing that she was allowed to love and be loved, then she'd give in to the tears.

She looked down at the letter, could it be that easy? Did she only need to tell him and then they would live happily ever after? Nothing was that easy. She sighed and tossed the cloth she was holding at the sink.

It was still early, but something pushed her to see Jack. Mitchell was right, it was time to tell him how she felt. He needed to know how she felt before he died, if he died.

If Mitchell was right, it wouldn't happen this time but there was still a chance that it could still happen another time. They walked on the edge and eventually someone, other than Daniel, would fall off and that meant they would not come back.

Her eyes fell on the photo of her and Pete dancing. Could she really hurt him like this?

As she picked up the photo, she realized that she would hurt him now or later. She loved Jack, so those feelings would hurt Pete in the end. It was time to stop this before it went any further. She knew that she could live with Pete but could she live without Jack.

Picking up the phone, she called Pete and canceled their plans for that night, and then told him that it was over. He wanted to talk about it but she hung up before he could make her feel guilty. Then she unplugged the phone to avoid him further. Stepping away from the phone, she felt liberated and free.

Heading into her bedroom, she opened her closet and tried to decide what to wear. Most of her clothes were slightly out of date. Finally, she just closed her eyes and grabbed something. This was taking too much time, and she need to get to Jack before it was too late or she lost her nerve.

The drive over to his house was the longest of her life. Was this crazy? Was this what she wanted? This Cam seemed to think it was.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled in next to his truck, turned off her car, and thought this through again. Looking up at the house, she knew that he was inside. Gathering her courage, she told herself that she could do this, she needed to do this. Did she really want to stand by and watch him slip away without knowing the truth?

She had been planning to come over even before she found the letter and that probably meant that Teal'c and Daniel would be coming as well. Picking up her cell she called Daniel's cell phone, "Are you planning to visit the Colonel today?"

"I'm on the way to get Teal'c and donuts. Want to join us?" he asked kindly, knowing what this would be doing to her.

Sam looked at the house again and she could see him moving around in the kitchen, "I'm already there. I need a few hours. I need to talk to Jack."

The use of the Colonel's first name made Daniel pause. Something had changed. Sam never called Jack by his first name, it was a taboo that she never broke and Jack did the same. "Okay, you have the time it takes to watch the Phantom Menace and you owe me big time."

"Thank you Daniel. I'll make it up to you." she turned her gaze to the house again. She said, "Wish me luck." and hung up the phone.

Daniel smiled, "Good luck Sam. Please tell him." he said to no one.

Sam stepped out of the car and crossed the lawn to the porch. She felt a little ridiculous but she pushed herself forward. She had to do this for herself and Jack. It was way past time for them to have a little happiness.

Coming to the back door, she knocked, startling him. He looked up to see her standing there. He was so surprised that he dropped the bottle of Guinness in his hand and it shattered on the floor.

Sam could see the annoyance on his face when their eyes met. He opened his mouth to speak but she moved first.

Before he could tell her to go away, Sam opened the door and began to pick up the glass. She could feel the anger radiating off of him but she ignored it and continued to clean up the mess.

After a while, he bent down to help her. In silence, they cleaned up the mess. Sam grabbed a TV dinner box from the garbage and put the glass inside. Then she labeled it before blue bagging it.

That done, she picked up the cloth from the sink and wiped up the remaining mess. A small shard of glass embedded itself in her finger and Sam cried out, holding her injured hand in the other as blood bubbled from the small wound.

Jack grabbed her hand and studied her finger. She's had much worse in the time they had known one another, but there was a strange expression on his face.

Gently he removed the piece of glass and brought the digit to his lips. As they connected, the cut on her finger tingled and when he pulled back, the cut was healed.

Both of them sat there shocked both at what had happened and how. The tension between them increased and became thicker. Jack dropped her hand and got to his feet, "Want something to drink?" he asked, heading to the fridge.

Sam stood as well still staring at her finger. She could still feel his lips, "Sure."

Taking the offered bottle, she followed him into the living room. Jack dropped on to the couch not spilling a drop. Sam hesitated, unsure where to sit. She wanted to sit next to him when she told him what she had to say but beside him seemed too close.

Jack smiled at her confusion and patted the spot beside him, "Sit Carter. I can hear your brain spinning from across the room. Just say what you came to say and get it done. Confess what you need to tell the dying man," he waved the bottle at her.

Suddenly she lost her nerve. Sam put the bottle down on the table and turned to leave. "This was a mistake and I should go."

She was almost out of the room when he caught her hand, "Carter, Sam, stay please. I'm going to make some coffee. Give me a few minutes to sober up. Then we'll talk. Okay?" his eyes looked into hers asking her to stay, telling her that he meant it.

For the first time in their lives, Jack allowed Sam to see what he was feeling. "Okay." Seeing the emotion in his brown eyes, she shivered.

Nodding once, he disappeared into the kitchen while Sam collapsed on the sofa overwhelmed by what she has just seen in Jack's eyes. Dropping her head into her hands, she called herself an idiot in all the languages that Daniel had taught her.

In the kitchen, Jack braced his arms against the counter. He knew why Sam was here and what she wanted to say, unfortunately Jack wasn't sure he was prepared to hear it or to do anything about her words. His eyes fell on a single piece of paper on the counter and he took a deep breath. It was time to stop pretending.

For seven, almost eight, years, they had known each other and for most of that time, he loved her. It had just sprung itself on him one day. He looked over at her across the commissary table while he ate cake and she ate her blue jello; it was like a kick in the gut. Jack O'Neill loved Sam Carter.

He had spent hours trying to locate the first moment it happened but he was never able to untangle his emotions that clearly. He'd always thought that it was one sided until that day they'd stared at one another with the force shield between them. There always seemed to be something standing between them.

For that one moment, it was all there out in the open. She loved him and he loved her and they would die together. It was almost poetic.

Fate or what ever it was, had intervened saving them but they'd just continued as before, pretending they didn't feel that way, being good soldiers and saving the world.

Knowing that she was waiting, Jack grabbed a bowl and a box of Fruit Loops. Turning on the coffeemaker, he wolfed down the cereal.

Since he got home last night, all he'd ingested was a few too many bottles of Guinness to have an intelligent conversation with anyone. He knew that he was a little drunk when Carter arrived and he was afraid of what he would do in that condition. He was angry with the world, it had nothing to do with Sam.

Coffee cups filled, he re-entered the living room. Part of him expected her to be gone, but Sam sat there in the middle of the couch looking lost and scared.

"Here Carter, drink this," he nudged her to the side to make room for himself. "You look like you need this." He handed her one of the cups and leaned back while sipping his own cup.

"So?" he made a motion with his hand, "Why are you here?"

Putting her cup on the table, Sam turned toward Jack, "We've known one another for a long time now." She stopped and fidgeted with her fingers, "Sir-Jack, I-" lifting her hand to touch her face, "I don't want to leave it in that room anymore. I want out. I was the one who put us in there, so I need to be the one to let us out."

"Sam." his voice was rough with emotions, "Are you sure about this because once that door is open, I 'm not going to let you close it up again. I'm so tired of being alone."

Leaning forward, Sam said "Me , too, Jack, me too!" and her lips brushed his.

An hour or so later when Daniel and Teal'c arrived with the donuts there was a note taped to the door.

Daniel and T

We've gone fishing at the Oasis. Be back tonight. Save me a chocolate with sprinkles.

Jack and Sam

Pulling the note off the door, Daniel wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders, "Shall we watch Attack of the Clones, then?"

"Indeed," was all Teal'c had to say.

On the counter sat two forgotten letters, one addressed to Sam Carter, the other to Jack O'Neill but both were letters from Cam....

Well that is that, let me know what you think. Please.

Okay this was originally called A Letter From Cam even though two letters were mentioned but now enough of you have asked for Jack's letter. I am in the process of writing it up. I hope to have the chapter up by Monday. Watch for it. ~Kelleth~