The Love of Samantha Carter

"You ready?" Jack asked. Sam nodded and let Jack lead her through the gate. They were revisiting a planet, but Sam was hiding her excitement.

Sam had been having an affair with a man here for years now, since they met on her first visit. She wandered away accidentally when using the bathroom, and there he was. Ever since, he'd been waiting for her, and today would be their last visit. Sam was elated, but not looking forward to it. She was in a huge mental dilema.

Everyone went their separate ways, and Sam walked over to Lex. He was eating an apple beneath a pecan tree and had his usual smirk on his face.

"I was wondering when you'd be back," he grinned. Sam sat beside him and put her gun on her lap. He picked it up. "Someone as pretty as you can handle something like this? Damn, you must be some sort of goddess."

"Nothing like that," Sam smiled. His charm was still working on her.

"Well, you must be. I can't stop believing in you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. Sam put her hand in the way.

"We'll never see each other again," she whispered.

"What?"

"This is our last visit. Now that you have a working society, you don't need us anymore. We're not coming back after today."

"You can't do this to me, Sam. I wait for you every time. I've never felt like this before with anyone, and I've been with so many people," Lex said sternly. Sam sighed.

"You knew this wouldn't last forever."

"But it could!" he said sternly. "Look at what I found. It's the last weapon in the city! I could use it to force myself to go back with you!"

"They'll take you into custody and…they'd send you back, probably. Lex, we can't keep seeing each other. You'll just have to get over it."

"What if I can't? Do you enjoy doing this to all of your other male counterparts? Would you do this to your precious Colonel O'Neill? Or Dr. Jackson? What about Teal'c? Would you leave him hanging if he was in love with you?"

"OUr relationship isn't like that!"

"Because you've never expressed love to them, or them to you," Lex whispered. "You're afraid of loving because you've been hurt before. You deserve it for as coldhearted as you are."

"How am I cold hearted? This isn't my choice! And even if it was, I wouldn't have told you!"

"Then it is your choice!"

"No! It's not! It takes money to provide resources for your people, and we can't spend it all on you. There are…so many planets, societies that need us. We haven't even explored every planet we know about yet, but you want us to stick with you. What if…we could bring back a cure to your people and our people, cures that could fix all of our problems? You'd want to keep me to prevent that from happening?"

"So, it's more complicated, just like most loves?"

"Pretty much," Sam replied. She sighed as Jack whistled. "I have to go, but…before I retire, I'll come back and visit."

"DOn't even bother," Lex spat, throwing his apple core onto her lap and walking away. The men watched as Sam put it down beside her.

"Carter? Care to explain?" Jack asked.

"I think I was his first rejection, Sir. I can't explain it," she replied. He nodded as the puddle appeared. Jack led the way, punching in his code.

"Well, he'll get over it. Look there, he's already got a girl," Jack smirked. Lex was hitting on Ruby, the local bartender. Sam scoffed and walked through the gate. Secretly, she hated herself and General Hammond for separating them. Secretly, she thought she had lost her soul mate.