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

Chapter Summary: Sam finally gets her chance to tell the IOA just how much respect the people on Atlantis deserve.

EPILOGUE

"And finally," said Ms Minsk, looking shrewdly at Sam across the desk, "while it is not directly related to your command on Atlantis, this panel feels that the manner in which you have handled your re-assignment warrants formal recognition. Mr. Woolsey specifically requested that a note of commendation be passed on to your superiors for your obvious dedication to the success of the Atlantis Expedition."

"Thank you," Sam replied, surprised, and Ms Minsk nodded curtly. Next to her, a bespectacled man who reminded Sam slightly of Daniel cast a warm smile around the room and said

"Well, I think that's it from us. Do you have any final remarks, Colonel Carter? For the record, I mean?"

"Yes, Mr. Zimmerman." Sam glanced down at her prepared final statement. "As I'm sure you will all agree, the Atlantis Expedition represents a vital investment – not only in the defence of Earth against the Wraith, but also in the advancement of our own self-understanding and, ultimately, in the development of humankind in this galaxy. Atlantis should therefore be made a priority for all those involved in its oversight and administration.

"I also want to make sure it goes down on record that every member of that Expedition deserves our full backing – not just because of the significance of this mission, but because we call on them to go above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis, and they do it every time. Anything less than our total support loses us the right to ask them to keep doing what they do."

"We agree, Colonel," replied Minsk, coolly. "That is exactly the reason why we have sent our best man for the job."

"To continue your good work," added the chairman of the panel. "Despite the few instances which have since been satisfactorily dealt with over the course of this evaluation, your leadership on Atlantis exceeded expectations – with the thwarting of the Wraith on several occasions, the recovery of team members from enemy hands and, most of all, the defeat of the Replicators." He smiled at her. "Well, you can see why a military commander is no longer required to lead what is, ultimately, a civilian enterprise."

"As we have indicated," Minsk said, "Mr. Woolsey is more suited to the present situation on Atlantis. We do, of course, acknowledge your contribution over the past year, though we should make it clear that you are no longer to concern yourself with Atlantis affairs, or offer advice of any kind regarding the Expedition to those still engaged in the mission, unless specifically called upon to do so by your superiors. Is that clear?"

Sam gave a wholly insincere smile. "Perfectly."

"Good," said the chairman, "then I think we can formally close this evaluation. Thank for your time, Colonel. All the best for the future."

The panel members began to gather up their files; Sam did the same. As she stood up to leave, Zimmerman approached her and said: "Out of interest, Colonel, what are you going to do now?"

Sam looked back at him a twinkle in her eye. "Mr. Zimmerman," she said, "I'm going fishing."

*

Night had fallen by the time they had arrived at Jack's cabin. For miles they had driven along isolated Minnesotan roads, the sun gradually disappearing behind the trees until the magnificent colours of evening darkened into black. When they got there, they had unloaded the car and set the table for dinner. Jack had cooked, badly, and Sam had informed him that she would be giving him cookery lessons from now on.

The meal now over, Jack stepped out of his cabin into cold, still air, fishing rods in hand. He looked up; the stars shone unhindered above him, shepherded by a silver-white moon that passed lazily behind drifting clouds. He was once again reminded why he loved this place so much: he might as well have taken a plane from Washington D.C. to an entirely different planet.

He smiled to himself. He had been looking forward to this trip ever since Sam's return three and a half weeks ago; now, after the mission in Washington, the extraction ceremony and the completion of Sam's long, exhausting IOA evaluation, they were finally here.

He strode onto the little wooden platform on the edge of the lake and set up the rods. Other than the yellow light that slanted onto the water from the windows of the cabin, the clearing was almost entirely in monochrome; the only other light was from the moon. Heavy shadows lined the trees, but he didn't fear what lay behind them: he always felt safe here. He paused to gaze across the water, which shimmered under the endless sky.

He heard movement behind him and remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He ducked under the shelter of the nearby trees and emerged with a backless wooden bench just as Sam reached the edge of the lake.

"I found the blankets," she said.

"Great. On here." He set the bench down on the platform. Sam covered it with one of the blankets as Jack retrieved the fishing rods; they cast their lines and sat in silence for a while, side-by-side.

"Fishing under the stars," Sam mused at last, glancing upwards. Jack followed her gaze.

"Has a kind of ring to it," he said, and gave her a sly look. "I suppose you think this is another date."

"Yep," Sam replied, happily. "A weekend-long date. A cold weekend-long date."

"Hey, if you wanna go back inside..."

She shook her head. "It might be cold, but it's still beautiful."

He smiled in satisfaction, picked up a spare blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She hugged the material close to her and leaned into him.

"So, uh... I had a weird conversation with Teal'c a while ago," he said.

"He wasn't asking for his own hat budget again, was he?" Sam grinned.

"Oh, no, I already put a stop to that. I said: 'T, the Air Force just isn't willing to fork out any more tax-payers' dollars on your headwear. Quit asking me.'"

Sam chuckled. "How did he react?"

"Are you kidding?" Jack replied. "He sulked for a week. And then Mitchell showed him how to use eBay, and now he's constantly bidding for ridiculous headgear. I'm telling you, he's hooked."

Sam reeled in her line a little way, but not completely. The sound of the reel seemed loud in the quietness of the night.

"So what was the weird conversation?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"The weird conversation you had with Teal'c."

"Oh. Right." It had taken place a while ago now – shortly after the whole aliens-in-Washington incident – but it had been playing on his mind ever since. He glanced at her, suddenly unsure of her reaction. "He... asked me what my intentions were towards you."

Sam laughed, much to his relief.

"Jaffa humour, I guess," he continued, smiling now, "although he did have me worried there for a while."

"I don't doubt it," Sam replied, grinning. "It's nice he cares so much, though – for both of us. And I know that Dad would have wanted somebody to do it on his behalf; he would've loved to have subjected you to one of his fatherly warning speeches."

"Like he didn't do that already," Jack smiled. Sam chuckled.

"Yeah." They fell quiet, remembering a time when Jacob had still been with them. Readjusting his grip on his fishing rod, Jack reeled in his line before casting it back out in one fluid motion. It came down in the middle of the lake with a gentle splash.

"He wanted this to happen, you know," Sam told him, her eyes on the ripples in the water.

"'This'?" Jack asked.

"Us."

"Ah." Jack paused for a moment, and then turned his head to look at her. "Really?"

"Yeah." Sam smiled again, though this time it didn't last. "It's funny, really. He saw right through my relationship with Pete; I could fool myself, but not him."

"Yes, well..." Jack mumbled, glancing away. She took hold of his hand, and reluctantly he looked back towards her.

She said, softly: "The one person I wanted I couldn't have, so I was trying to make do." She squeezed his hand briefly and shook her head. "That wasn't good enough for Dad. I realised, then: even though I'd given up all hope of us ever being together... I couldn't commit to being with anyone else. There was still you, Jack; there was always you."

She gazed at him in that determined, penetrating way that always unleashed something so unbearable inside of him: the sheer rawness of his feelings for her, rooted so deep as to be inseparable from his very core. He tried to think of life without her, and met only with blank thoughts.

She looked so beautiful in the moonlight, and so sad. Her gaze had wandered away, distracted by the water and her own mysterious thoughts. Her hair moved minutely in a breath of cold air.

"Sorry," Sam said, smiling gently again. "All I meant to say was, I'm glad Teal'c had that conversation with you, even if it was a little weird..."

"Marry me," he said.

She looked up at him, startled, her eyes reflecting the stars.

He said it again: "Marry me."

"Jack..."

"Hey, I know I'm not much. I know I don't understand half of what you say. But the fact is I've always loved you – for more than a decade, I have loved you. Ever since we met we've been putting all that aside, doing our jobs, pretending. Well, I don't feel like pretending anymore. So marry me."

"Jack." She reached for his hand. He was so dominated by the fear that she might say no that he was intensely confused to see her smiling.

"You only had to ask me once," she said. He continued to stare at her, so she added, "I was going to say yes."

The world snapped back into focus. "You were?"

She looked at him pityingly. "We finally got our chance, Jack. I'm not letting it go."

He stared at her, speechless. He recalled the moment she had confessed her love for him in the darkness of an alien ship above Atlantis, and realised that this was better: this was certain. This wasn't a moment birthed from hurt and longing, but from hope and contentment. Responding in words was simply not enough.

So, with relief and gratitude and disbelief and elation, he kissed her.

And the moon was bright above them, and the stars burned like white fire; and the cold winter air was visible on the surface of the lake, like smoke on the water.

THE END.