Title : From an End, to a new Beginning.

Author : DiBee

Summary : A look over Sam's behavior during Unending, and a message she had asked Teal'c to forward to 'herself', plus the repercussions of said message. Answer to the third challenge of the Penguins based on a quote by Kahlil Gibran. Drama/Romance

Spoiler : Unending, obviously.

Rating : K+

Disclaimer : I don't own anything nor gain anything from writing this.

N/A : Another Fanfiction written while feeling very very down. Yet another happy ending; I really am an hopeless romantic^^ English still isn't my first language, and for those more comfortable with French, I've translated this story and posted it under the title : D'une fin à un nouveau commencement.

Challenge n°3

Quote :

Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.

~Kahlil Gibran

Look toward the horizon. Always. Never look back. No matter how hard she tried, it was hard not to be tempted and glance back, even figuratively, at what they had, what they could have gotten.

Plus there was no horizon, not anymore. They were surrounded by a pure lack of time in an ocean of eternity. Never had she thought before of the negative point of a 'for all eternity' engagement. Hell, now, she did.

She had kept her dog tags, all way long. Not so much for her, nor the others, nor the regulations. Just because it reminded her of him.

She worked, day after day, night after night, decade after decade, to find a solution she knew wouldn't come.

And she played her instrument, over and over, in the remaining hope that someone could listen, and understand. Understand who she was, what she meant, and how broken she had become. As to the day they were stuck on that ship together, growing old as a team, she had become a machine, living only for her work, and music, forgetting about anything else. Her sole hope was to find a way to get back, that she knew wouldn't come, not after all those desperate years of research. But she couldn't give up a dream she had taken so long to fully imagine, her dream of a family, or at least a love that could last a forever that wasn't doomed, and that she knew she would never experience, not in this lifetime, nor in any other.

She confided in Teal'c, and made him swear to her that, once he got back, he would tell 'herself' something, that he should look upon with as much care as the crystal. Nothing that would change in any way what will be, but enough to get 'herself' the life she would never get otherwise, be brave enough to face her feelings and fight for, instead of against them. Screw the regulations, it may have taken her half a lifetime to end up with that conclusion, but the longer she ran away from her feelings, the less time she would have to possibly enjoy, even once, the love she had been craving for for years. And that, that she couldn't give up, not even after all those years, and the certainty that she would never experience it as herself.

But damn if she wouldn't give 'herself' a little push in the back. She simply asked the Jaffa to plead her to 'remember Dad.' It should suffice. It would, the words were too strong to be forgotten, not after all those years.

Because life was indeed too short, things came to those who waited, and God has she waited long enough for her 'moment'.

Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.

~Kahlil Gibran

You deserve to love someone and be loved in return.
Jacob Carter, Grace

Sam gulped down, and knocked at the door, letting her brain wander around whether is was safe or not for her to be here, in any way, not caring anymore. She had made her choice.

Teal'c had delivered the crystal, and, in whispered words, the message, a way heavier burden. Whatever he had witnessed in those fifty-plus years of team moments, he had looked at her in a way she had never experienced before. Somewhere along a brother and a father, a guide of some sort. And, on this one, with this expression on his face, she had been prompt to follow his advice as soon as they had been put off-duty, skipping for once a team-night, knowing that, whatever reality they were living in, there would be handful of others, and surely more amusing ones than the StarWars reruns that night.

She was startled when the sound of heavy footsteps made her jump out of her thought, reminding her of where she was. Of what she was about to do.

The man opened the door, and she simply smiled. He didn't say anything, acknowledging her presence as he let her in, and waited for her to speak.

« Teal'c reminded me of something, today. Something important, that someone else had told me, not that long ago. I simply wanted to tell you that I would really enjoy the fishing you invited me for, if the offer is still up. »

The words were not the one she had intended for. But while she said those, the others, pure and plain, could be read in her eyes. The intensity of her glance made her interlocutor shiver, and take a step toward her. He embraced her, one of his hands at the back of her head, putting her close, whispering in her ear.

« Sure, anytime. »

Once again, there was more. But things are sometimes better left unsaid, when it doesn't jeopardize the chances of their happening.

He kissed her temple, and he could hear her smile in her sight. He knew her that well. He smiled at himself, and sunk in the feel of her presence in his arms. It was so real, yet so unexpected that he feared it could vanish if he didn't keep her close enough. She began humming, and he found it sweet. He recognized the song, and his heart broke. She whispered : 'you're my star, Jack' and the pieces got back together as quickly as they had shattered. It was their way of saying 'I love you', their way of expressing over a decade of silent admiration and attraction. Their way of being together. Outside of the house, the sun was just about to set down. Their relationship, however, was just settling in.

Note : For those of you who haven't seen the (great) episode 'Grace' for a long time, the quote is from there, and so is what she is humming : 'Twinkle, twinkle little star';)