She hurried through the halls, ignoring all the people she passed. She was late. She should have been here hours ago. But it was so rare she was needed she...well she just hadn't been paying attention. And she hoped her quarry wouldn't pay the ultimate price for her mistake.

A sense of urgency filled her as she stepped into the cold room. She saw with sadness the two guards lying on the floor. After so many years she should be used to this, but it still affected her. She paused for a second and reassured them. Someone would be here for them soon.

Then steeling herself she stood up and strode to the cell. She felt an uncharacteristic anger built within her at the sight before her. "Leave her alone," she snarled at the man...creature.

He didn't respond. She watched as he kept on with his task. For the first time in decades she wished she were corporeal so she could hurt him like he was hurting his victim.

She swallowed a cry as his victim slumped to the cold cement floor. "Stop!" she cried as he knelt over the woman, intent upon finishing his task.

Her heart broke as she heard a soft whimper and weak gurgle as his victim continued to lose her struggle to live.

Gathering all her strength and will, she leaned over the monster and whispered in his ear. "She's dead. You have completed your task. Leave before you are captured." He paused, the device on his hand losing its multicolored glow. She saw him shake his head and re-raise his arm. "They're coming. Go now," she whispered urgently. He frowned and darted his eyes around the cell, as if looking for something.

She slumped in relief as he heard echoing footsteps. She saw him start and look towards the door. He stood up and turned. "Bastard," she flung after his retreating back as he stepped callously over the dead and fled.

Blinking back the tears she knelt beside the fallen figure. She stroked the blond hair not caring that her hand was passing right through the person. "Hold on Sammy," she urged. "He's gone and you're safe now. Just hold on baby," she crooned, wishing she could pick her daughter up and hold her close. She had to be cold lying there. Sam always got cold. No matter where they were stationed, she'd always needed an extra blanket on her bed.

Her eyes caught a movement and she saw two men come into the stark room. It's about time. One of them checked the other men perfunctorily then knelt by her daughter. He gently shook her head, calling her name. "Sam..." The woman felt a little better when she saw her daughter respond to the sensation, her eyes opening a bit. Yes, there was still a spark there. But it was so fragile, so delicate. Like a match in a hurricane. "Get the medics down here." The man ordered roughly. Oddly enough the hard tone of his voice belied his gentle movements. "Sam...Carter, come on, stay with me here," he pleaded. He knelt over and she knew he was checking to see if Sam was still breathing. "Keep that up captain. You just keep breathing and we'll take care of the rest."

At his voice, Sam opened her eyes a bit more. The woman saw a bit of confusion and recognition dance across their sapphire surface. Oh God. She can see me. "Sam. Honey. It's mom. You do what he says, you stay here. It's not your time yet. You need to hang on," she begged. She was telling the truth. It wasn't her daughter's time yet. Not for many, many more years.

"Carter. It's not your time yet. We didn't save the freaking planet for you to buy it here because of some damn snake. You never do know when to quit. And don't you quit now! You hear me Carter. You keep fighting!" The man urged desperately.

She looked at him and saw the raw caring and affection in his brown eyes. He was a friend of Sam's. A good one from the sound of things. Good. Sam needed her friends. She'd never had many growing up. It'd made her independent, but also very lonely.

The second man knelt by Sam's other side. "O'Neill?"

"I don't know what that the hell happened. There's not a mark on her but she's barely breathing. Damnit, where are the freaking medics?" he cried, frustration in his voice.

"They come," the man said evenly. As the woman looked at him she could see the emotion he kept buried deep inside. He also cared deeply for Sam.

The silence of the room was broken by a flurry of people. "They're gone. Carter's still alive," the first man said coldly as the medics started to check on the fallen guards. "Get in here."

"Give me room to work sirs," a petite brunette ordered, nearly pushing the two men away from Sam.
They got to their feet and stood by the bars.

"It isn't her time yet," the woman reassured them, even though she knew they couldn't hear her.

"What happened?" the doctor demanded.

"We don't know. She was like this when we got here. Maybe the snake..."

"Damnit! I just lost her pulse. Get her on the gurney NOW!" she doctor ordered. In seconds the medics had lifted Sam's limp form to the gurney. Without hesitating, the doctor crawled on top of her and started compressing Sam's chest, forcing her heart to pump blood while another medic forced air into her lungs.
They hurried from the room, the two men swiftly following behind.

The woman hesitated a second, stunned. No. It wasn't right. It wasn't her time. Sam still had so much to do. Too impatient to conform to earthly constraints, she let her body sink through the floor, shuddering as she felt the cold concrete flow through her. She hated to do it this way. Though it had been years, she still couldn't get used to it.

She stopped in a white room, its walls covered with monitors. Almost immediately the medics rushed in, bearing their precious cargo.

"Mom?" She looked over to see the shadowy ethereal form of her daughter standing beside her. Her pale face confused.

"Sam," she said, years of longing in her soft voice.

"Mom. What...Oh god. I'm dead," Sam said, horrified, looking at herself lying on the table, barely visible through the scurrying personnel.

"No. Not yet," she reassured her.

"But...I can see you. You're dead. How can I see you if..."

"Honey, don't try to figure it out. You can't," she assured her daughter with a small smile. Evidently little had changed in the past 20 years.

"But...He...It...Oh god, that thing in my head. Mom...He killed me!" she cried, tears filling her eyes.

"Honey I know. I'm sorry but...it was meant to be," she said lamely, wishing she had a better explanation.

"Meant to be! You just said it's not my time and now you tell me he's meant to kill me!" She gets that temper from her father, the woman thought.

"Sam!" she said, grabbing her daughter's arms and forcing her to look her in her eyes. "Some things are meant to be. I was meant to die all those years ago. You were destined to be here."

"I'm destined to die at the hands of some damn Goa'uld?" Sam asked incredulously.

The woman wavered a second then sighed. "No. It wasn't supposed to be that way," she admitted quietly. "They had no idea how your friends would react. You were supposed to return to the Tok'ra...not end like this."

"Tok'ra?…What?…"

"Sam honey, you have a choice," she said, cutting off an explanation she couldn't make. She knew things had changed.

"A choice?"

"You can leave."

"Leave?"

"Leave this place. Come with me. The pain will be gone. It'll all be over. It's actually rather peaceful...where I am."

"You mean die."

"Yes."

"My other option?"

"Stay here."

"I sense a but here."

"If you stay...the road ahead isn't an easy one. This won't be your last obstacle. You will...there will be difficulties, dark places you must traverse. I can't guarantee you'll ever have this choice again."

Sam paused a moment, thinking about her options. "So...I can give up. Let it all go and end it here. I can go with you and ...or I can go back and face what ever comes..."

"Yes."

"Will it hurt?" Sam asked in a small voice. Odd. Here she was being offered a choice between heaven and earth and she was wondering if she'd be comfortable.

"Yes. There will be pain. Not just now but later..." she paused, not wanting to tell her daughter of the dark days ahead, the horrible things to come. The future was fluid. It may not all come to pass, she reassured herself.

Sam looked at her friends, Janet working so hard to bring her back, Teal'c, standing so stoically at the colonel's side, and the colonel...he looked so sad. She didn't even think he looked so bad when Kowalski died... "Will I..."

"You won't remember anything," Her mom promised quietly.

"But I want to remember. I..."

She stepped forward and hugged her daughter, giving silent thanks to the deities that allowed them physical contact. "It doesn't work that way. I'll see you when the time is right Sam," she said, equally sad and ecstatic.

Her daughter faded and she was left holding empty air.

"Wait. I have a pulse."

She turned to see Sam's eyes slowly drift open. If there had been any doubt in the decision it was eased as she saw the openly relieved looks on her friends' faces.

"You did it Sam. You won," the man said proudly.

"Come," a voice said.

She turned to see the tall man, flanked by two confused security guards. "But Andrew, there is still so much..." she protested, not ready to leave yet. It had been so many years. Surely she could have more time.

"She must do the rest on her own," he stated kindly. "You know that."

She hesitated a moment, moving close. "She's hurting so much," she said, stroking Sam's head again. "It will be so tough for her."

"Yes, it will be difficult but she will not do it alone," he said, motioning towards the people gathering around her.

The woman smiled, "Yes. She's not alone anymore," she agreed. She bent over and gave her daughter a ghostly kiss. "Take care of your father. He needs you," she whispered. "And whatever you want to do…remember you have the will within you."

With that the quartet faded away, leaving the living to their lives.

~Fin~

Feedback: sky_diver119@yahoo.com