TITLE: Sway
AUTHOR: Allison West
SPOILERS: Point of View.
RATING: PG, S/J Romance.
SUMMARY: Epilogue to POV. Sam and Jack confront their feelings as alternate realities catch up with them.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the obligatory post-Point of View fic. This turned out different than I had planned. It was supposed to be short and simple. Why does everything always have to manifest itself into some big D&M? I get all sappy when I write at night. Anyways, I'd love to know what you thought, feedback is always appreciated.


As SG-1 sat around the briefing room table Jack was acutely aware of the shadow of sadness that resided in Sam's eyes. She was quiet, almost distant, sitting there silently listening Daniel recount the events that had occurred on their mission through the quantum mirror. She kept her gaze downcast at the notepad in front of her, her pen gliding over the paper as she pretended to write.

He watched her, trying to catch her eye like he always did during briefings. He enjoyed their shared glances across the table; their eyes connecting just long enough to convey some undefinable, forbidden feeling. They would test each other, seeing how long they could hold each other's gaze until one of them was forced to pull away. He'd always felt like he was falling into an ocean when he looked into her blue eyes.

But this time she deliberately avoided his gaze. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly. In three years she had never avoided his gaze. Now, he suddenly felt a coldness at the removal of her eyes from his.

Her eyes were a canvas for the way she was feeling. They could be serious when they were faced with a crisis or soft and tender when she was happy. They twinkled with excitement when she discovered some new scientific thing or cautious and alert when they were off-world. And sometimes, when they looked into his, they conveyed something else entirely. Something Jack didn't have the guts to face or understand, but was somehow thankful that it was there.

Now they were sad. An emotion her rarely saw on her face.

Before he had time to ponder the reason why she looked so glum, General Hammond had adjourned their briefing and she was getting up swiftly and pushing her chair under the table. She'd left the room before he had a chance to even speak to her. Not that he knew what he'd say exactly.

As he sat alone in the briefing room his mind tried to find reasons why all of a sudden his second in command should be so upset. As much as he tried to avoid it, his mind always seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. The kiss. The kiss he had shared with Samantha. As egotistical and illogical as it sounded he couldn't help but feel that that was the reason why she was so upset. He imagined it would be rather disconcerting to see what was essentially yourself kissing your commanding officer.

Should he talk to her? Say something to put her at ease? Wasn't that what a commanding officer was supposed to do?

The truth was he did want to talk to her. Not to tell her that everything would be okay, that her twin was gone or that she didn't have to worry about anything, but to tell her that he wished it was her that he had been kissing.

The more he thought about it the more he began to realise how much he wished it was her arms encircling his neck, her fingers in his hair, her lips touching his. But he knew that wasn't possible. If anything, Dr. Carter's visit had been a major wake up call, reminding him of the things he couldn't have and the places he couldn't go, of the boundaries he couldn't cross.

She'd served not only as a reminder of all that they couldn't have in this reality, but as a reminder of all the things they did seem to have in every other reality. It was like the rest of the universe was gloating at them, reminding them with malicious satisfaction of what they couldn't have. Like a sick joke. One he wasn't laughing at.

He sighed. Now he knew how Sam felt. He closed the cover of his notebook and stood up, tucking it under his arm. He had to talk to her.

This was only something they could work out together.

*****************

Sam opened the door to her house and walked inside. Flicking on the lights, she dumped her bag and her keys in the foyer. She walked into the lounge and collapsed onto the couch. "What a day," she sighed to herself. She closed her eyes for a few moments before they fluttered open again, unable to get the image of Samantha and the Colonel out of her mind.

She'd kissed him.

It was weird. She had stood there witnessing something she'd only ever seen in dreams. The difference this time was that even though it looked like her, her lips pressed so intimately to his, it wasn't.

It was someone else.

What was happening to her? She asked in silent despair. Why was this unsettling her so much? He had every right to kiss whomever he pleased.

She sat up and undid the laces of her boots. Pulling them off, she stood and placed them on the hearth. Running her fingers through her hair she walked into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and, tossing her fatigues haphazardly on the floor, she climbed in.

The water warmed her and managed to take her mind off the things for a period of about two minutes before her thoughts drifted again.

What was the universe trying to tell them? That they should be together?

But that was the exact opposite of what the military was telling them!

She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her body. Putting on a pair of pyjama bottoms and a singlet top, she walked back into the lounge room and flicked on the television.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. She flicked off the television and hauled herself off the couch. She opened the door to find him standing there.

Their eyes met.

After he'd left the briefing room he had gone to her lab but must have just missed her. Now here he was on her doorstep, still in his fatigues. "Sir?" she said, looking up at him. "What are you doing here?"

He was taken aback by her state of dress. His eyes travelled down her body and he momentarily lost his train of thought. So this was the body that always got hidden away under those fatigues. She was even thinner than he thought. Her clothes hugged her figure and accentuated the curves of her body. He closed his eyes, shaking those kind of thoughts from his mind. "Can I come in?" he asked softly

"Sure," she said quietly stepping aside to let him pass. She led him through to the lounge room and offered him a seat. He sat down in the arm chair while she resumed her place on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest. Silence ensued between them for several moments before Sam spoke. "Sir?" she pressed him, waiting for him to explain the reason why he was here.

"Umm, you seemed a little upset tonight," he started. "I just thought I...well, I just wanted to know if you were alright."

"I'm fine," she answered quickly, turning her eyes to the floor. Her denial was too quick to be the truth. He recognised her conditioned response, hell he'd invented it. He'd had enough people in his life asking him if he was alright. He'd learned well to brush them off with a quick dismissal.

"I know that's not true," he said simply, but gently. She looked up at him, her eyes meeting with his. She said nothing. "I know why you're upset, Sam. These last few days have been awkward for both of us."

"Look, I'm fine," she said frustratedly, getting up and moving to the window. "It's just been a long day that's all. I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that something was wrong, but really, I'm fine." She didn't want to hear his excuses or his explanations and she wasn't in the mood for some deep and meaningful.

What was the point? It's not like there was anywhere for them to go.

He rose from his chair and walked to stand with her at the window. She gazed out at the dark night. He studied her features. Her eyes still portrayed the sadness he had seen earlier. Tentatively, he reached up and touched her chin with his fingertips, turning her head to look at him. Her breath caught at the gentle contact. His dark brown eyes bore into hers. "Talk to me," he said softly. She took a breath and looked at him before turning her head away, letting his hand fall away from her face.

"What do you want me to say?" she whispered. "That I didn't like having Samantha here. How stupid is that?" she said. "I hated myself."

"Why didn't you say something when I asked you in the hall last night?" he asked her gently.

"Because I was okay then. It was only after..." she broke off, her voice shaky.

"After she kissed me," Jack finished. Sam nodded, avoiding his gaze.

"When she kissed me," Jack began. "The one thing I kept thinking was how I wished it was you who was kissing me." Her blue eyes looked up at him then. Until that moment she hadn't been aware of how close he was standing next to her, the way his body curved intimately towards hers. She could feel the heat emanating from his skin and smell his sweet scent. He leaned towards her slowly, their mouths just centimetres apart before she turned her head away. "We can't," she whispered. Jack closed his eyes, his head dropping to his chest.

He hated those words. They were like a giant wall between them. He didn't want to hear them anymore.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. Her gaze was turned towards the ground. He reached up and cradled her face in his hands, turning her face to his. "We can," he said fiercely, before his voice softened. "We can."

His eyes searched hers, holding her gaze for longer than they had ever done across the briefing room table. He fell into that ocean again, drowning in the blue depths of her eyes.

Sam's head was battling with her heart as she stared into his eyes. Her logic was left behind as she reached up and cradled his cheek, mirroring his pose. Ever so slowly they moved towards each other, their lips meeting in the most gentle kiss. His lips explored hers with a tenderness that was so sweet. It was a kiss that was a thousand times better than that he had shared with her alternate counterpart, because this time it was her. This time it was Sam.

Jack traced the contours of her mouth delicately before their lips parted. He pulled her into his embrace and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her tight, so glad of the feeling of her in his arms.

After what seemed liked forever, Sam pulled back slightly. "This is going to be hard you know," Sam said softly, referring to the line they had just crossed, the rules they were going to break, the reality they were going to have to face.

"I know," Jack said softly, looking down at her. "But we can handle it." He smiled softly at her, taking in her beautiful features.

His smile put her at ease and the honesty in his eyes told her that they were going to be alright. "We can," she agreed, smiling at him. She layed into his embrace again, burying her head in his neck.

Reaching down, she took him by the hand and led him towards the bedroom.

The End.