Title: Smoke on the Water
Part: 1/10
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Genre: Adventure, romance
Season: Set between Ark of Truth and Continuum

SPOILERS: SGA 5x01 'Search & Rescue' and Stargate Continuum

Summary: Reunited with her old team, Sam Carter must come to terms with the changes taking place in her life - and help defend Earth against a deadly alien influence. Sequel to 'Smokescreen.'

A/N: It's not necessary to read 'Smokescreen' first in order to enjoy this story. However, the S/J character development does continue on from events in that previous story, so you may wish to read it either before or after 'Smoke on the Water' for a deeper understanding of where those characters are at. Check out the link under my profile.

PART ONE

One year ago – almost to the day – Sam Carter had travelled millions of light years away from home. She had left a great deal behind, but it had all been in aid of something greater: to assume command of the Atlantis expedition, waging war against the Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy. She had seen great things there – great and terrible things. She had met many extraordinary people and faced many horrendous foes.

And yet all it took for her to get home was one simple step through the Atlantis Stargate.

She emerged from the wormhole and heard the familiar clank-clank of the metal ramp beneath her feet. Ahead of her, SGC personnel were casually going about their daily duties, surrounded by the backdrop of grey concrete walls. She smiled at the familiar surroundings, striding down to where Richard Woolsey was waiting at the foot of the ramp.

"Colonel Carter," he said, stepping forward to greet her. He was standing perfectly upright, a serious expression on his face – but Sam, thinking of spending a day or two in old surroundings in the company of old friends, gave him a warm smile.

"Mr. Woolsey," she replied. "How are you?"

"Very well, thank you for asking." He said it with the kind of rigidity she had come to expect from him; she let herself hope this would be just a brief excursion before returning to work in the Pegasus Galaxy.

She said, "So, is this whole evaluation process gonna take very long? I mean, there's a lot of work to be done on Atlantis and I'm kind of anxious to get back."

Woolsey dipped his head in a hesitant nod.

"I'm sure you are," he said. "However... the IOA has decided that perhaps someone with a different... skill set would be more suited to lead the Atlantis expedition now."

She gazed at him a moment. "Excuse me?"

Woolsey looked at her gravely. "I'm here to inform you that effective immediately, you are being removed from command."

No.

She had been afraid of this, had almost said as much to Rodney as she'd passed him in the hallway only five minutes ago. He had been carrying flowers for Teyla and her newborn baby; she could remember the conversation detail-for-detail (the flowers had been white and pink, haphazardly arranged in a small transparent vase), but already it seemed a lifetime ago.

"Um..." She tried to regain her composure, but the sick feeling in her throat was almost intolerable. "Who – who's replacing me?"

"As a matter of fact," said Woolsey, "I am."

He said it calmly, professionally, but somehow that just made it worse. Sam's breath seemed to be caught in her throat. She couldn't believe this; her mind couldn't register the implications.

Their silence was broken by the brisk, familiar voice of Hank Landry.

"Mr. Woolsey," the General said as he strode purposefully into the Gate Room. "You're required in the briefing room."

Woolsey grimaced as though he was being summoned to some excruciating ordeal, but Sam barely noticed; her pain was greater than whatever bureaucratic discussion he was about to endure. He offered her one final, apologetic look, and vanished from the Gate Room. Landry watched him go.

"Welcome back, Colonel Carter," he said in his gentlest, most father-like tone. "I'm sorry you weren't given more warning as to the state of affairs."

Sam's gaze had been fixed on the spot where Woolsey had been standing. Rousing at Landry's expression of regret she replied softly, "Me too."

Landry turned to a nearby soldier. "Airman, take Colonel Carter's bags." To Sam, he added, "Why don't you come up to my office?"

Numbly, Sam nodded and allowed her bags to be taken from her shoulder and followed as her old commander took her along the familiar route to his office. Once they arrived, he closed the door behind her and took up position behind his desk.

"Sit down, Colonel," he invited.

She obeyed. The shock was abating, but now the grief was beginning to set in. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "Does the Air Force have new orders for me, sir?"

"No, Colonel. You can have your pick of assignments. In fact, I have a list of Air Force bases and facilities which have specifically requested–"

"General, with your permission..." She looked up at him with a determined gaze. "I would like to resume my duties on SG-1."

Landry gave her a ready smile. "I thought you might say that. But I do have one other option to offer you."

Sam gazed at him questioningly. He explained: "Colonel, let me be candid here. You have the respect of every member of this command. I could put you in charge of any unit or any department – hell, with your experience in the Pegasus Galaxy I could put you in charge of this whole base! The fact is, I need someone around here I can rely on. I want you to officially take on the role of my second-in-command." She blinked at him and he smiled. "You look surprised."

"Yes, sir, I guess I am."

"You shouldn't be. Don't give me an answer now – but I want you to think about it."

Sam nodded, forcing a smile, and Landry swiftly moved on: "Now, you have an appointment with the IOA representatives at the Pentagon this evening at 1700 hours. I'm sure SG-1 will want to see you before you head out. Colonel Mitchell and the team are currently offworld on a mission to P2R-463..."

Sam glanced to the side, unintentionally phasing out of Landry's explanation. Her thoughts were still wrapped up in the shock of being stripped of command. Her instincts had told her to return to SG-1 as soon as possible because she honestly couldn't imagine doing anything else; but now she was beginning to wonder whether there was still a place for her there.

Her old teammates had operated without her for a full year; would they even need her expertise anymore? Vala had extensive technical knowledge that she could easily have developed in the meantime. All of them were capable fighters – even Daniel could hold his own after ten years of training. Mitchell had been commanding the unit without her long enough to have grown used to it; would he want to go back to sharing the responsibility?

Movement caught her eye. She glanced through the window into the briefing room, expecting to see Woolsey and some other plain-suited figure; but instead she saw Jack O'Neill, dressed in full military uniform and berating poor Woolsey with a fierce expression on his face.

Their eyes met through the glass; Jack's dark expression softened and Sam had to look away for the sheer intensity of emotion that his gaze evoked within her.

"General O'Neill wanted to express his disappointment at how the IOA have treated you regarding all this," Landry told her. Although she didn't realise it, he had stopped talking shortly after her attention had drifted. "He's also here on behalf of the President and the Joint Chiefs. Believe me when I tell you that they weren't impressed when they heard about the IOA's plans to remove you from Atlantis."

Sam gave a half-hearted smile. "That's nice to know, sir, but..."

"Not much use to you," Landry finished. "I understand."

Sam nodded. Landry gave a sigh and continued, "We can talk about this later. Why don't you go and get something to eat? I'm sure General O'Neill will be happy to join you once he's done with Mr. Woolsey."

Sam glanced back through the window, beyond which Woolsey was trying to defend himself against O'Neill's tirade. "Thank you, sir," she said, rose to her feet, and left.

*

Sam left General Landry's office without paying much attention to where she was going. She roamed the SGC's tunnel-like corridors, already missing the tall, panelled walls of Atlantis, the light that flooded in through the expansive windows, the sound of the sea surging somewhere far below. There, she had been surrounded by water and sky; here, only rock.

Sam was almost surprised when she found herself outside her old lab. She reached into her pocket and realised she hadn't been given a security card yet; she was locked out. She stared at the military-grey blast door, not knowing where else to go or what else to do. Vaguely, she wondered where her bags had been taken.

She turned and almost collided with a figure in blue. Blinking, she looked up.

"Jack," she said, and his name issued from her lips as a sigh of exhaustion.

"Here," he said, and swiped his security card through the slot on the wall. The door slid open and he hit the switch inside the door. Electric strip lights blinked on to reveal a room full of boxes. There had been plenty she hadn't been able to take with her when she had left for Atlantis.

Sam stepped into the room and looked around. Jack followed her in silence, his expression serious and compassionate. Neither of them spoke until Sam's gaze came to rest in Jack's eyes and she murmured simply, "You're here."

He drew closer to her, gently touching her arm. "I told you I'd wait for you."

Sam's eyes shone with tears that had not yet fallen. "I didn't even get to say goodbye," she said, and he knew she was referring to the people on Atlantis.

"I know," he murmured, and folded her into his arms. She sighed heavily and buried her head in his shoulder, finally succumbing to the shock and the overwhelming sense of grief. It was as though she had lost a vital part of herself. She thought of all the things she should have said to her team, all the encouragement she should have given. Would they be hurt at the fact she never said goodbye?

She stood there, in Jack's arms, for some time. Eventually she mastered her tears and simply rested in his embrace, concentrating on the feeling that – despite it all – at least she now had Jack.

They heard movement in the doorway and broke apart. It was Teal'c.

"Colonel Carter," he said softly. "It is good to see you."

Sweeping the tears from her cheeks, Sam smiled and replied, "It's good to see you, too, Teal'c."

He entered the room and hugged her. Her grief calming at this second reunion, she added, "I thought you were offworld."

"Not anymore!" called the cheery voice of Cameron Mitchell from around the corner. He appeared in the doorway with Daniel at his shoulder, and Teal'c stepped aside to permit them entry. Mitchell strolled into the lab, then paused in surprise when he saw Jack.

"General," he greeted.

"Mitchell," O'Neill acknowledged, unsmiling. "Daniel."

"Jack," Daniel replied, sounding just as startled as Mitchell. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

Before Jack could reply, Vala bounded around the corner and threw herself at Sam in an excitable hug. "Sam!" she exclaimed gleefully. "I missed you!"

Sam laughed in spite of herself. "I missed you too, Vala."

Beaming, Vala released her and cleared some space on the nearest work surface so that she had somewhere to sit. Mitchell leaned against the table opposite her.

"We just got back," he explained, gesturing their combat gear. "Landry told us you'd be around here somewhere."

Brightly, Vala added: "And so we thought where else would you be, but here?" She spread her arms and looked expectantly around the room.

Daniel, who had caught on quicker than the others that something was amiss, said,

"We're kind of surprised to see you – have you got a meeting with Woolsey or something? I think I saw him in the Control Room."

Sam's smile faltered and she glanced back towards Jack, who had muttered something darkly at the mention of Woolsey's name. He gave an apologetic shrug, but the look in her eyes told him she appreciated the sentiment.

She turned back to the others. "He came to pass on a message from the IOA," she said. "I'm... I'm no longer in command of Atlantis."

There was a stunned silence. Sam heard Jack shift slightly beside her, but didn't trust herself to turn back to him this time.

"Really?" asked Daniel after several seconds had passed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because, Daniel," Jack interjected, "she didn't know until fifteen minutes ago. Woolsey just announced it in the Gate Room, that weasely, underhanded–"

"Jack." Sam's voice was calm and firm. "It's okay. It's not Woolsey's fault."

He fell silent. The others were staring at them, so she explained, "Woolsey's in charge of Atlantis from now on."

"Woolsey?" Vala repeated. "You mean the little man who's always wearing a suit?" The others nodded, and she snorted.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and remarked, "This decision sounds most unwise."

"I don't understand," Vala continued. "What does he know about being in command?"

"Nothing," replied Mitchell. "That's gotta be the point. Now the IOA have more direct control over the leadership on Atlantis."

"That's ridiculous," Daniel said. "Everyone knows that Sam couldn't have done a better job out there."

"Sure, but they never wanted a military commander in the first place," Mitchell pointed out. "Now that the Replicators have been defeated, they probably figure they can go back to a civilian command without having to worry too much about–"

"Hey!" Jack snapped, interrupting their debate. "Quit it. She's just got back and all you can do is talk about the IOA?"

There was an awkward pause. At last Daniel said, "Right. Sorry, Sam."

Sam offered a grateful smile. "It's not that I don't appreciate it," she said. "I do. It's just... I'd really rather not talk about this right now."

"We'll give you some space," Mitchell told her. Sam began to object, but he answered, "We're actually all late for our debriefing. But we'll drop by later, and then you won't be able to get rid of us." He led the way towards the door, adding: "It's good to have you back."

Teal'c nodded in agreement and followed Mitchell out of the lab, resting a consoling hand on Sam's shoulder as he passed. Vala opened her mouth to argue but Daniel took her by the arm and marched her out of the room. Before he vanished out of sight, Daniel offered Sam the kind of sympathetic look she had seen him use many times before; she was unsure as to whether that was a comfort or an irritation to her.

Once they were gone, she turned to Jack, who was looking at her guiltily.

"Sorry," he said, before she could speak. "It's just this whole thing, it... it makes me so..." He trailed off with an indeterminate hand gesture. "Sam, I'm so sorry for this. I swear I did everything I could to get you reinstated."

A small smile emerged on Sam's features. "You mean you're not happy to have me back?"

He stared at her. "Uh... what? No, that's not what I..."

She chuckled. "Relax. I'm kidding."

"Oh." He still looked confused, so she reached up and squeezed his arm gently.

"It's good to see you," she said. He gave a small smile to match her own.

"You too," he murmured. "But I'm still sorry. I know how much Atlantis meant to you."

Sam nodded her appreciation, but couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips. She rested back against the table behind them, leaning her shoulder against his. He looked down at her and asked, "What did Landry say?"

"He apologised, same as you. Apparently I can take my pick of Earth-based assignments," she added, feigning enthusiasm.

Half-smiling at the resignation in her tone, Jack replied, "Never before have I seen so many Air Force generals get so excited. Even the civilians want you. I've already received a dozen requests from non-military organisations asking for you to be assigned to them on loan."

"What did you tell them?"

He shrugged. "That it'd be up to you."

Sam didn't answer immediately, considering her response. At last she said: "General Landry wants to make me second-in-command of the SGC."

"Well, that's great!" Jack began, only to pause at her expression. "And yet, you don't look so sure."

Sam sighed. "A part of me thinks it'd be perfect – it's been so long since I've had chance to work on my own projects, and this would give me that opportunity. But then I think about how much I'd miss being on an SG team. Still... I feel like it's asking too much to rejoin SG-1 and expect everything to be the same."

"You could ask for your own unit," Jack replied.

Sam shook her head. "No. It wouldn't feel right."

Jack smiled at her loyalty. "Sleep on it," he advised. "And, y'know, anytime you wanna talk – about anything..."

"Thanks, Jack." They shared a smile, though hers quickly faded. "I'm sorry about all this. People get reassigned all the time. It shouldn't be such a big deal."

"Are you kidding?" Jack replied. "You just got pulled back from another galaxy. That's hardly standard reassignment."

"I know. I guess I just want to focus on you for a second."

Jack gave a shrug, acting careless but with a twinkle in his eye. "I can handle that. Come on," he added, "we can focus on me in the mess hall. I just flew here from Washington – nothing tastes right at ten thousand feet."

Sam chuckled and they made their way out of the lab. As they left, she asked:

"So – what's with the full dress blues?"

Jack looked down at his formal Air Force uniform and grimaced. "All the better to intimidate Woolsey."

Sam shook her head at him with fond exasperation before regarding her own attire regretfully. "I guess it's back to standard SGC uniform for me."

Jack looked at her. "You're gonna keep that Atlantis outfit, though, right?"

Sam raised her eyebrows; Jack gazed back at her innocently. "You look good in it!" he defended, and she laughed.

End of Part 1.