The parts in italics are transcripts from Origin (9.03)

Chapter five

The day after, Jack stepped out from the BDS on the first floor of Cheyenne Mountain. He went through security controls and to the elevator, tasting level 26. He had a meeting with Landry at 10.00 to discuss both the BDS and the new Ori menace. He also handed three invitations to a certain wedding, which Siler and Walter were happy to get, at last. On the other hand, Landry was far from expecting that. He was very happy for his friend and Sam, but needed at least a couple of days afterward before he fully realized they were going to marry. He had never suspected a thing, but, to his discharge, he had never seen the two of them together either. The three guests were advised to keep the news for themselves, which they found quite difficult to do because that was, to Siler and Walter, the best news of the century.

Leaving Landry, Jack went to Daniel's office. He found the archaeologist typing feverishly on his laptop. As he looked up, he was surprised to see Jack standing there.

Daniel: Hey. Wow. What the ... hell are you doin' here?
Jack: Nice to see you, too!
Daniel: No, no, sorry! I just wasn't expecting to see you. (Rose and walked around the desk to Jack.)
Jack: Yeah, well ... I was in the neighborhood ... and I've got a little surprise for Mitchell.
Daniel: Oh. Yeah. He really loved the last one, the fact you didn't tell him we were all moving on to different positions ...
Jack: Yeah. Sorry you missed Daedalus.
Daniel: No, you're not.
Jack: You're right. I'm not. ... Listen, I just had a briefing with Landry about ... your stuff, and ...
Daniel: Yeaaaah ...
Jack: Sounds like it could be a problem?
Daniel: Well, we've been up against some pretty bad guys before.
Jack: Yeah, not so pretty ... Overdressed, yes.
Daniel: In some tough situations ...
Jack: That we always won ...
Daniel: Yeah, but didn't you feel that was because we had someone ... lookin' out for us? I don't think I would say this to anyone else, but for the first time, I'm scared.
Jack: I'm hungry.
Daniel: Me too.
Jack: Well ... (tilted his head toward the door and the commissary. They left.)

"By the way, did you come with the beam, or regular plane?" Daniel asked.

"Beam!" grinned Jack. "Actually it's called BDS now. Beaming-Device-System. Sam's doing..." he added proudly.

"Seen her lately?" asked Daniel casually.

"Yep! I had to test the BDS to Area 51 too ya know" Jack smiled knowingly.

"How is she doing?"

"Fine. Just fine. Actually, that's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you" Jack confided, looking around to ensure no one could eavesdrop.

"Oh yeah?" Daniel wondered.

"Yeah. We are getting married" Daniel stood gaping a while before he regained his spirits.

"What?! But that's wonderful Jack! Congratulations! When?" he asked, shaking Jack's hand.

"Saturday, a week from now"

"Wow! That's fast!"

"Well yeah. Time is all relative Daniel. And we had to catch Hammond before he leaves with the Prometheus"

"Good. Good! I'm glad for you guys!"

"We want to keep it discrete. Only the guests will know about it" Jack explained. "But there's something else I want to ask you" Daniel waited, curious.

"Would you be my best man Daniel?"

"Aoh... wow... Yeah, yeah of course Jack" answered Daniel with a wide smile. "I'm honored, thank you"

"Good" said Jack satisfied. "Now let's get some lunch" he added, pushing the door to the commissary open.

(The same afternoon, in a F-302 in full flight, Mitchell is piloting, Jack in the backseat.)
Mitchell: Yeaaaaaaaaaah, man. This is GOOD. Still a rush!
Jack: Yeah.
Mitchell: I don't know why I didn't get back on the horse sooner, except I didn't really know you could take one of these things for a joyride.
Jack: Now, see? That's one of the great things about being a general. You pretty much get to do whatever you want.
Mitchell: I suppose after you've saved the world seven or eight times ...
Jack: Who's counting, huh?
Mitchell: Teal'c. Actually, he mentions it quite often.
Jack: So, Mitchell ... I hear you haven't picked out your team yet.
Mitchell: I'm hoping I won't have to, sir. Why, did General Landry say something about it, sir?
Jack: He did.
Mitchell: Are you going to tell me, sir?
Jack: He said you're going to be FINE, Mitchell.
Mitchell: Thank you, sir. You mind if I kick in the afterburners, sir?
Jack: Oh please.
Mitchell: Thank you, sir.
(The F-302 streaks full speed across the sky.)

Driving the F-302 back to the aircraft hangar, Mitchell was glowing.

"That was really good Sir, thank you!"

"Ya're welcome Mitchell"

"Sir... You didn't come all the way from Washington just to get me back on the horse, did you?"

Jack chuckled. "Well, this baby needed to be tested and I figured you were the man for this. I also had to talk to Landry and Daniel. These Ori priors sound like they could be a problem..."

"Yeah, they sure can.." sighted Mitchell.

They had arrived to the locker room and removed their flying suit.

"Don't wait for me Sir, I have to hit the shower. I've been sweating like a dog from the adrenaline kick!" Mitchell said.

"Go ahead. I have a phone call to give"

When Mitchell stepped out to the parking lot, he found the General standing by the car, still on the phone. As he spotted Mitchell, Jack terminated the call: "Here he comes. I'll call ya later. Bye now"

Mitchell seeing the General clapping his phone shut went toward him.

"I understand you are a personal friend of Colonel Carter.. Sam..?" Jack asked.

"That's correct Sir. We took classes at the Academy together"

"Yeah, so she tells me" said Jack. "Mitchell, we are getting married. We would very much like to have you at the wedding"

It took a moment for the worlds to find their way into Mitchell's brain. Sam had never mentioned a thing about her feelings for the General. Not that they usually had this kind of conversations, but he had known about her engagement to Pete and had been surprised when she had suddenly called the wedding off. Now things were beginning to make sense... Jack was waiting for his answer, amused by the surprise on Mitchell's face. He could almost hear him think. Finally, Mitchell chuckled.

"Well... That comes a little bit as a surprise, I must say! I never thought... Sam never mentioned.."

"No, I don't suppose she did" admitted Jack. Mitchell tilted his head and asked:

"Wait a minute! Would... this have something to do with her assignment to Area 51?"

"Yeah well... kind of. As long as I was commanding the SGC, regulations were in the way so.."

"So she asked to be assigned somewhere else! And you were sent to Washington later on. Right. It all makes sense now!..." said Mitchell, shaking Jack's hand. "Anyway, that's so great Sir! I'm very happy for you. Both of you. I'd be happy to be there"

"Good. Saturday, a week from now. SG-1 and Landry will be coming too of course, but we'd appreciate if no one else was informed. We want to keep things as they always were in our professional relations"

"Count on me Sir. I won't say a word. But when you say SG-1... I suppose you mean Jackson and Teal'c, right?"

"Who else?" smiled Jack.

"My feeling exactly Sir" said Mitchell satisfied. There could not be any other SG-1, and he intended to have it his way on that matter! "Is Sam coming back then?"

Jack chuckled at the obvious maneuver. "Not for the moment Mitchell. Not for the moment..." He started the car.

"OK..." Mitchell surrendered. "What about Vala? You heard about Daniel's little problem with her?"

"Yeah, he mentioned it... Let's hope you find a cure to that in due time!"

Sam and Cassie took the BDS from Area 51 to the Cheyenne Mountain together. Cassie had been overjoyed to learn about Jack and Sam. She had always considered Sam as her auntie, and Jack was the closest she had of a father figure. Together with Daniel and Teal'c, they were her only family since Janet's death. She had been thrilled when Sam asked her to be her bridesmaid! They had decided to go shopping together in Colorado Spring that Saturday. Jack and his best man Daniel were to meet them there to arrange everything for the wedding a week later. Vala followed the girls in their shopping and, thanks to regular meetings with the boys, they managed to avoid any fainting that day despite the fact that they hadn't managed to remove the bracelets yet.

The five of them had crisscrossed the town all afternoon. Everything was under control, although it had been many more details to care about than they first had thought. Now they had a relaxing dinner at O'Malley where Teal'c, Mitchell and Landry had joined them. Then, they decided to continue the evening at Daniel's house. Half of the guests on the wedding's list were present so the night took the looks of a bachelor party, with much drinking and laughing.

Until Landry's mobile pipped.

It was the SGC informing that Ba'al's hologram was requesting an audience in the gate room at once.

"You are in charge Reynolds, do whatever you think you should do!" cried Landry in the phone. "I'm in the middle of a party, I'm not coming back now. I've had far too much wine to hold a diplomatic conversation with a sadist tonight!"

It sounded like Reynolds on the other end of the phone did not enjoy the idea of having to give such a message to the arrogant Goa'uld.

"What does he want anyway?" continued Landry. "Oh yeah, he refuses to tell you, does he now? Would only speak to General O'Neill, really? Who the hell does he think he is? General O'Neill is busy right now, and I'm back on Monday, take it of leave it. Tell him to think twice next time he wants to torture someone, that he does not choose people he might need in the near future. Have a nice evening Colonel"

"Hey Daniel" said Jack "You still have the shield we used against Osiris, right? I don't want to risk having anyone beamed up to Ba'al's ship just now"

"Eeer.. I don't think so" hesitated Daniel. "Sam?"

"I'm afraid it was returned to Area 51 after Osiris was killed. Do you think he could find us here?"

"He found me in Northern Minnesota for cryin' out loud!" said Jack, crossing the living room to reach for Sam in a desperate attempt to protect her from the potential danger. "How much more complicated do you think this is?!"

A flash blinded them all and a terrifying howl gave everyone goosebumps. Opening their eyes, they could see Jack, the howl dying from his chest, all color drained from his face, contemplating the spot where Sam had been standing. She was gone.

Landry was already in the corridor, dialing the SGC to inform them on the situation, instruct them to contact whoever could help and scan for any ship in orbit, although it was obvious that Ba'al had to be their suspect number one. Meanwhile, in the living room, Jack's knees were failing him and he felt slowly on the floor, fists clamped on the head in his agony, groaning lowly as a wounded beast. The rest of the world did not exist anymore, just the awful reality that Ba'al had taken Sam. The feeling was so scary, he was trying to fight it by building up his anger.

As the junior of the team, Mitchell was unsettled to contemplate a senior officer displaying such a sorrow in front of him. Not knowing better, he took a step to help him up but at the unexpected physical contact, the General jumped and jolted at him, blind with fury. Teal'c grabbed Jack to contain him while Daniel and Vala helped Mitchell on his feet. His lip was cut open and the poor lad was still wondering what had happened. Meanwhile, Jack was struggling to free himself from Teal'c who was dragging him out of the room.

"ENOUGH! THAT'S ENOUGH! LEAVE US ALONE! BASTARD!" he yelled toward the sky.

"O'Neill. You need to calm yourself" Teal'c said soberly, entering one of the bedrooms.

"RELEASE ME! THAT SONOFABITCH TOOK HER! BASTARD! BASTARD! LET ME GO TEAL'C! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Jack cried, jumping around to get free.

"You have to calm yourself down before I can release you O'Neill"

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Jack begged. After a couple of minutes, his fury cooled down and he was left to face the bare vertigo of his angst.

"Oh Teal'c!" he sobbed. "What's he gonna do to her?!"

He had stopped struggling against his friend's iron grip, who loosened up as he heard the sob.

"We will find her O'Neill" promised the Jaffa.

Cassie, tears in her eyes, had stood aloof during the whole scene, but as Jack's screaming stopped, she came forth to take over. Reassured that he would not hurt her, Teal'c released him in her care and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"God... Cassie.." said Jack when he saw her, embarrassed that she should witness him in such a state. She opened her arms to hug him and he took the offer, needing the comfort more than he needed to spare his pride. She had never seen him like that. No one had. He had always managed to keep his emotions under control, although Teal'c and Daniel had witnessed some good outbursts of anger during his years in SG-1. The man had had his fill, he could not take anymore. His face buried in Cassie's shoulder, he was crying in silence. She was cradling him softly like a child, fondling his hair, whispering that everything was going to be fine.

The living room was silent, everyone in shock after the outburst but in deep respect for the man's angst which they shared. When the worst was over, Jack regained control of himself, wiped his tears, smiling poorly at Cassie as he left her embrace and he dried the tears on her face. He paused until he had composed himself, then he returned to the living room.

"I'm sorry" he said to his friends.

He went to Mitchell, apologizing again and asking if he was OK. The Colonel could not hold grief against him and assured that he was fine.

Then, Jack took his General's hat back on, consulted Landry to know what the SGC was up to, and they took a cab to the base where they arrived shortly after. Colonel Reynolds returned gladly the command to General Landry and reported the last news. Ba'al's ship was still in orbit and they had contacted him. However, the System Lord still refused to talk to them and had made it clear he would only speak with O'Neill.

When they contacted him again, he appeared as his usual hologram in the gate room. Shaking with cold rage, Jack went down from the control room to meet him, followed by SG-1 and Landry. Cassie, hiding back Daniel and Vala, contemplated the hologram of the man who had tortured her best friends and marveled that Jack dared to address him the way he did, showing no fear..

"Ba'al! What have you done with Carter?!" he required.

"She is on my ship O'Neill" dropped Ba'al.

"Return her immediately!" ordered Jack, provoked by the Goa'uld's everlasting phlegm.

Ba'al chuckled one of his so irritating chuckles "That will have to wait a little, O'Neill. Don't worry, she will not be harmed"

"What do you want with her anyway?!" cried Jack, feeling he could soon loose his temper again.

"As much as I hate saying this, I need her to do a little work for me" posed the smarmy Goa'uld.

"What kind of a work?" hissed Jack.

"You refused to meet me earlier tonight, I had to help myself" smiled Ba'al.

"What kind of a work?" repeated Jack utterly annoyed.

"Never mind O'Neill. She is finished now"

The hologram disappeared and before Jack could brawl his frustration at him, Sam was returned in a flash of blinding light.

Faced with her unexpected appearance, Jack threw himself at her and squeezed her in a desperate hug, relieved to finally have her back but shaking from the fear he had had of loosing her, not caring anymore that any SGC personal would be aware of the unprofessional nature of their relationship. Enough was enough and he didn't care about anything but her return. However, Sam had to pull him away at one point, in order to get some air. He had hold her so tight that she could barely breathe... Their smiling friends were clapping their shoulders, and once Jack had released his grip, she hugged Cassie and the others, as she knew they had been worried for her too.

Landry summoned all of them in to debriefing an hour later, which gave them time to get their adrenaline down and grab something to eat at the commissary, as it was nearly time for breakfast already. Still shaking, Jack couldn't take his eyes from her and he had definitely not come over the episode yet. Although he had resumed his line of conduct as the General he was, it was obvious to the people who knew him well that he hurt badly in his need to hold her and make sure that she was indeed safe. During debriefing, he could not help himself and had to grab her hand under the table. Landry, at the top of the table on his left, and Daniel on Sam's right, could both see it but indulged them with an understanding smile.

"Are you OK Colonel?" General Landry asked. "I did not send you to the infirmary but we can postpone this debriefing if you feel the need to go"

"Thank you General, I'm fine. They didn't hurt me" reassured Sam.

"What did he want with you?" asked Jack, although he already had asked her over breakfast. She had only told him that Ba'al needed her scientific skills, which was far from a satisfactory answer in Jack's mind, but he had not insisted then, knowing that she would fill everyone in later.

"He wanted me to fix a device. I don't know what the device is for, but I suspect it could have something to do with clones, as it reminded me very much of the device I worked on with Sigyn, the Asgard, at Area 51"

"Was it the same device?" Landry asked.

"Not exactly no. I would say, a copy of some sort. I would not be surprised if it was an Ancient version of the Asgard's model"

"Really?" asked Daniel eagerly. "The Asgard would have copied an Ancient device?"

"Well" reflected Sam "The Asgard have access to that knowledge since they downloaded the Ancient repository from General O'Neill's brain into their computers last time. It's reasonable to assume that they could have designed their own version, while Ba'al could have found an original one"

"What would he do with that?" asked Vala.

"I have no idea!" said Sam. "I only had to change a couple of crystals and reconnect some circuits that had been damaged, probably in an explosion, by the look of it"

"Why would he need ya for that?" hissed Jack. "That doesn't sound like somethin' they couldn't fix by themselves, does it?"

"Sir, it looked like the ship was quite deserted. You remember when we were prisoners up there, there was not that many Jaffas either. I did not see more than six then, and I did not see any new face today. I don't think Ba'al has many more than them, he'd probably lost his entire fleet at Dakara, so we could assume that he only has these few Jaffas left, and that none of them knows how to fix these things"

"So he's gonna beam you away each time he needs a mechanic?" Jack grind.

"I'm afraid he could, actually" said Sam bitterly.

There was an odd silence in the room, which Cassie shyly broke after a while.

"Excuse me, I know I'm not part of the team, I'm not even supposed to be here, but if Ba'al has lost his army, wouldn't it be a very good reason for him to need a cloning device?" she offered.

"It would indeed be a very good reason" pointed Teal'c soberly.

"What?" said Jack.

"Yeah! Think about it Jack!" Daniel eagerly explained. "If he lost his army and has, say, six to ten Jaffas left. He is vulnerable, and now that most of the Jaffas are free, they wouldn't join him, so the easiest way to regain his power is to clone the few Jaffas he has left. That makes sense! Very good point Cassie!"

"Damn!" spitted Jack under his breath.

They were all looking proudly at Cassie, who blushed slightly.

"Well, now we know what he is up to at least, and we can hope it was what he wanted the Ancient knowledge for in the first place" General Landry summarized. "Dismissed everyone. I strongly recommend that all of you take some rest now, it's been quite a day and none of us has slept since Friday night" he smiled.

They all stood up and left for their quarters.

Once finally alone in a VIP-room, Jack locked the door and looked miserably at Sam. He needed to hold her but did not want to let her know how scared he had been. She had been taken from him before, but not since they were together, and especially not after the torture they had endured from Ba'al. Somehow, he had kidded himself to believe that once married, nothing could happen anymore. The false feeling of security he had cradled himself into had hit him right in the face and he felt helpless, so vulnerable! He was standing at the door, looking at her like a puppy, and once more, she felt she was the strongest of the two.

"C'mere" she said, opening her arms to him, happy to offer him the comfort she had so often found in his arms. He took the offer and cuddled with her, nuzzling in her neck, his arms swirled around her in a strong but tender embrace. Like Cassie had done some hours ago, she rocked him and fondled his hair until he relaxed.

"You were really scared this time, weren't you?" she asked softly.

He squeezed her in his bear hug, whimpering lowly and tightening his eyes shut at the whiff of the terrifying feeling. Finally, he lifted his head to look her in the eyes.

"I was scared out of my mind Sam. All I could think about was that bastard of Ba'al torturing you again and again and I couldn't help you. I've never felt like that before. Even when you were gone for days on the Prometheus. Even with the Super Soldier on your heels. Even when the Replicators gotcha. I've never been that scared. Never do that to me again!" he said with such an angst written all over his face and in his voice that she felt a lump form in her throat. She sighted and kissed his forehead gently. He returned his head to its place on her shoulder and continued.

"I'm afraid I put quite a scene up at Daniel when you disappeared..."

"Really?"

"Teal'c had to drag me out of the room... I punched Mitchell..." he confessed.

"What? What would you do that for? I wondered what had happened to his lip... "

"Poor lad. He didn't see it come. I s'pose he wanted to help... I was so gone! He touched me and I just.. jolted him... I was so furious.. I hurt so bad..."

"Ssshh... It's over now, I'm here..." she said.

She looked down at him and found his lips, kissing him gently. He reached for her, drinking her kiss, opening up in his desperate need of her, letting her heal his soul. They made love as a present to each other, taking their time, sweet and tender, before they finally fell asleep, limbs tightly intertwined in the comfort of each other's warmth.

They woke up some hours later at the everlasting noise of the base. Teal's had returned to Dakara to inform Ishta about the wedding and invite her, but Daniel and Cassie were at the commissary and the four of them decided to leave to Daniel's house to help him clean up after the party. They fetched Vala on their way to the elevator and took a cab. They managed to relax for the afternoon, then Jack drove Cassie to Denver's airport in the evening.

"You'll be OK?" she asked as he parked the car.

"Yeah Cassie, I'm fine now. Look, I'm sorry I put such a scene up last night, I..."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Jack, we all understand.. Geez, I don't know how you manage to keep your sanity after all you've gone through, you know! That was just too much, too soon... everybody understands" she said, a hand on his forearm.

"Yeah.." he said with a sad smile. "Sometimes I wonder how much sanity I actually have left. Some people would tell you it is not as much as you would think"

"Come on Jack! Don't tell me you listen to such rubbish! You are just as wonderful as you've ever been! Every one can loose it from time to time, and you have every right to loose it after all you've gone through so stop the crap OK?"

He heard so much of himself in her that he just had to smile fondly and kiss her temple before they left the car. He took her bag despite her protests that she was well able to carry her stuff herself.

"Come on Cassie, let me do that for you. I need to feel useful these days..."

She gave him a gentle shove and he put his arm over her shoulder on their way to the terminal.

"Are you coming back on Friday, or Saturday morning?" Jack asked.

"I'll try to make it on Friday. I just have one class in the morning, it should be OK"

"Good. Daniel can probably pick you up, if not Teal'c, alright?"

"Oh.. Don't bother Jack. I'll... I still have some friends in Denver, I'll ask them" she said, blushing lightly. Jack stopped on the spot.

"Cassandra Fraiser?!" he said in a fatherly way. "I don't remember you ever talking about friends in Denver?"

"Well..." she said, a little embarrassed. "You can't expect me to tell you everything about all my friends, can you?"

"Yes I can! What's his name?"

"Jack!" she protested.

"What's his name?" he repeated on the exact same tone.

"Matthew" she admitted, blushing again.

"Ah. Does that mean that you'll be accompanied at the wedding then?" he asked casually.

"Can I?" Cassie couldn't believe her own ears.

"Well. Is it serious?"

"I... dunno... Yeah... yeah.. pretty serious I think"

"Then you'll come with him, right?"

"You are so sweet Jack!" she said, giving him a kiss. "I'll ask him. Thanks!"

He pulled her against him and gave her a friendly hug as they resumed their walk to the security control where Jack would leave her.

"See you soon Shortcake" he teased.

"Bye Jack, see you next week!"

Saturday evening, the bride and her groom were dancing the first waltz, lost in each other's eyes. James Rivers, Walter, Vala, Cassie, Mark's, Siler's and Walter's wives were standing close together, drying their watery eyes as they watched the wonderful couple dancing, moved by the evident love between them. Mark's five year-old daughter was beaming, certain she was witnessing the real version of Cinderella. When the music stopped, Jack kissed his bride and was obviously reluctant to let her go but Daniel stepped in and craved his right to the next dance, as the groom's best man. Jack surrendered after complaining just enough for good measure. Then he turned around to find Cassie, clapping on Matthew's shoulder to steal her from him. The young man was clearly not happy with that but he obliged. Jack's eyes were twinkling when he started dancing with Cassie.

"What?" she said.

"Did I say something?" he answered innocently, trying to refrain from grinning.

"You don't need to. I see it in your eyes!" she giggled.

"Yeah well. How d'you like the party?"

"Jack!" she protested at his obvious maneuver to avoid answering her. He chuckled.

"It's serious isn't it?"

"Why would you say that now?"

"Come on Cassie! I know a man in love when I see one. There's one in my mirror every day!" he grinned.

She clapped his chest friendly, trying to mask the big smile flowering on her face and her blushing. He pulled her head to his shoulder and kissed her hair.

"I'm happy for you Cassie. Really. He looks like a good fella"

"You think so?"

"Of course, I'll have to have a serious talk with the guy. Man to man you know" he added with his fatherly voice.

"Jack! You silly!" she chuckled. "You'll scare him off!"

"All good I swear! I just want to talk to the man!" he assured.

Suddenly serious, Cassie said:

"You know Jack, I don't even remember what my father looked like. I'm glad I have you now"

Moved deeper than he would admit, he hugged her and they continued to dance in silence.

Having danced with every woman present, Jack spotted Sam at the buffet, alone for once. He hurried to her and taking her hand, he tried to drag her after him.

"Come, I need to kiss you!" he whispered.

"Why don't you just do so then?" she said, a little surprised.

"No, I want to kiss you!"

"Oh..." she replied, looking around at all their guests. He raised his eyebrows in a "see-the-problem?" way and she giggled, sliding her arm around his waist as they sneaked outside.

Once in the garden and arms around her waist, he sighted "Finally!". She smiled at him and he tilted his head to kiss her, long and deep, sensual and passionate, making love to her mouth. When they parted, he sighted again, keeping his eyes half closed with a satisfied goofy grin on his face. She chuckled and gave him a friendly shove. "Oh I love you Jack O'Neill!"

"Really?" he teased.

"Yep"

"Really really?"

"Yep"

"Really really really?"

She giggled and kissed him again. Then she sighted and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm happy Jack. Truly happy. I wish my dad could see me now" she smiled.

Jack looked up at the stars, contemplating the blue one which was twinkling at them.

"Well... Maybe he does..." he said.

From his shoulder, Sam followed his gaze.

"Yeah.. Maybe..." she whispered.

THE END