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A Promise Kept

"Tonight, out on the street out in the moonlight
And dammit this feels too right
It´s just like Déjà Vu
Me standin’ here with you

So I´ll be holdin`my own breath
Could this be the end?
Is it that moment when
I find the one that I'll spend forever with?

‘Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares.
Someone to love with my life in their hands.
There´s gotta be somebody for me like that..."

Gotta Be Somebody—Nickelback

A few hours’ worth of preparation had turned one of the conference rooms into a place of celebration. Long tables had been set up end to end, covered with decorative cloths and weighed down with platters of food and drink. Assorted round tables occupied the outer circumference of the room, and the chairs were filled with a variety of personnel from the SGC. The party had been deliberately set up to span the shifts so all who wanted to could partake in the festivities as they had time. The guests of honor were mingling amongst their friends and coworkers, enjoying the well-wishes as well as the relaxed atmosphere. The wedding was going to be a small intimate affair, so this allowed everyone to join in the celebration.

"Five more days." The whispered reminder caused her to smile, the ever-present imp prodding her fiancé to tease her.

"And for punishment, you have to take me shopping tomorrow." She took a sip of the punch to hide her grin, waiting for the expected groan.

"You call that punishment? You don’t know me very well do you, little one?" Cam’s lips brushed the rim of her ear as he murmured his reply, grinning at the trail of goosebumps that action caused along her neck.

"There aren’t many men who wouldn’t call Christmas shopping punishment."

"Well, as you’re soon to find out, I’m not like many men."

The double entendre had her casually crossing her arms over her chest to hide any visible response to his words. They had been engaged in this verbal dance ever since the extent of her dilemma had come to light, and he wasn’t cutting her any slack. Standing behind her, he slipped an arm around her waist as he playfully nuzzled her ear. Her memories were slowly returning to her, but the extent of them seemed to be in tandem with how far their current physical relationship had progressed. Kissing brought a resurgence of like memories, while subtle caresses added another layer of recollection.

"Just for that you get to carry all the bags tomorrow." The chuckle she heard contained no remorse whatsoever.

"I’d like to have everyone’s attention."

Jessie and Cam turned in unison, as did the rest of the partygoers. Jack was standing in the center of the room, a remote control in his hand.

"In honor of this auspicious occasion…"

Casey’s stage whisper to Daniel was heard by most everyone. "Did he just use the word 'auspicious'?"

Jack gave her ‘the look’. "Yes, smart-ass, I did." The ensuing chuckles crested like a wave around the room. "As I was saying, in honor of this auspicious occasion, I, with the help of Walter, put together a little present for the soon-to-be newlyweds."

Jessie looked questioningly at Sam, who shrugged in response. Jack pressed a button on the remote, and a video screen descended from the ceiling at the end of the room. "Walter, the lights, please." On cue, the lights in the room dimmed, and a slideshow began to play. The introductory screen was entitled, "A History: Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Doctor Jessica Watson."

Somehow Jack had managed to gather photos as well as screen grabs from security cameras of both Jessie and Cam from the time they were initially considered for the Stargate Program until the present. He started off with the standard file photos from their files, which he aptly titled "The Archaeologist and The Fly Boy". Snapshots from Jessie’s training were displayed, including a rather dramatic photo of her arguing with Lieutenant Calloway when he tried to fail her on her marksmanship exam. A round of snickers accompanied that photo and a lone voice from the gathering asked, "Whatever happened to Calloway?"

Cam gave an evil grin. "Latrine duty in Oklahoma, the last I heard." More laughter ensued, especially from the females in the room. Calloway’s nasty chauvinistic reputation was well known by many of those present.

The photo that followed surprised Cam. "Sir, how much of a voyeur are you?" It was a shot of Cam holding the target from Jessie’s test, in which the smiley face from the 9-mm ammo was clearly visible. Several appreciative whistles followed, along with "That idiot Calloway tried to fail her?"

It was Jack’s turn to grin. "Son, I know everything that goes on under my watch; I just play stupid with the gizmos."

Shots of Jessie’s first trip through the ‘gate came up next, as well as one of Cam sitting at his desk, file folders stacked up to his ears as he tried to tackle the paperwork. For the shock value alone, he included the next three photos. The first one was of Aylen, the little girl from Nanda. It clearly showed the scarring to the left side of her face. The second photo was of the same child, except in this one her face was pristine.

"Dr. Watson took it upon herself to help this child on her first mission out," Jack narrated. "The second picture is the ‘after’ photo." His voice carried through the silence of the room before he turned and locked eyes with Jessie. "Like I said, I know everything that goes on under my watch." With the press of a button, the third photo popped up, which elicited gasps from three women in the room.

"JACK! How the hell did you get a picture of us practicing at the dance studio?" Casey’s shock was obvious, mirrored by Sam and Jessie.

The General smiled at the flustered seer. "Colette is a sweetheart, isn’t she?" was his only response before he clicked to the next photo…a picture of Cam and Jessie dancing at Quinn’s. "This was the night Cam decided he was going to ‘court’ Jessie. It was also the same date they rescinded the non-frat order." Jack grinned at Sam before turning to Jessie. "Thanks, Jess."

Cam stared at the picture on the screen. "Where did you get these shots from?"

Turning back to the screen, Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "I do know what the round button does," he said as he held up the phone, pointing to the button that activated the camera. More laughter followed, and did so for much of the remaining footage. Scenes from the base, Jessie bent over a table scrutinizing some artifact, Cam sparring with her during self-defense training. A few of the pics were of Cam surreptitiously watching Jessie as she worked, which brought more chuckles, especially when it was followed by Jessie’s landlord, Bertie, holding her six-shooter with a broad grin on her face and the explanation of how she almost shot Cam the day he had been so busy watching Jessie while she was on a ladder. Howls of laughter rang out, though, when Jack showed the pic of SG-7 walking down the ramp after their mission to P3X-973…the one where the chieftain’s daughter decided she wanted Mitchell, and challenged Jessie to a fight for him. The only part recognizable of Jessie was her eyes, the rest of her body being completely covered in mud.

Jessie blushed slightly, not so much for the mud wrestling as for the flickering of memories of what followed with Cam at his apartment. The memories themselves were more like snippets, still heavily edited, but gradually becoming more detailed, more ‘filled in’. Cam’s arm tightened slightly around her waist before he placed a kiss on the back of her head. She knew he was remembering the same thing, too, although his memories were unobstructed.

Jack had put a lot of consideration into what would comprise the slideshow, and while almost all the photos so far had been lighthearted, a good part of the history between the two guests of honor was the exact opposite. In the end, he decided a full disclosure was in order. Clearing his throat, he said, "Not to put a damper on the party, but the next few photos aren’t in the same vein as the preceding ones. Still, I felt it was important to include them." The image that came up on the screen was of SG-7…sans Jessie. The expressions on the three men’s faces were grim, determined, and upon looking closer, they were touched with fear. It was a shot of SG-7 returning from Nanda, where they had tried to get information on what had happened to Jessie.

Cam was the one who spoke. "You had been missing for three days, when Kaitsenko had you. We went to Nanda to talk to Brojorn, hoping he might be able to pinpoint your location. He wasn’t there, but Aylen…she was able to give us the gate address where you were at."

The next slide showed SG-7 and SG-1 in the gate room, walking up the ramp as they embarked on the mission to rescue Jessie. The following frame showed them returning, except this time Cam was carrying Jessie, bruised and battered, in his arms. Jessie’s heart clenched in her chest at the absolute anguish reflected on Cam’s face. If there had been any doubt in anyone’s mind of his love for her, it was erased with that one image. By now Jessie had figured out not to ask Jack how he had obtained some of the photos, and as such she didn’t with the next one.

"Let’s just call this one justice," Jack said as he pressed the button. The image filling the screen was taken on Tanoa. It showed Cam standing over the lifeless body of Kaitsenko, gun in hand, seconds after he had shot him. "This was several hours after Mitchell had fought Kaitsenko, pinned him to the ground, literally, and drove two godsticks into his back. He was kind enough to put him out of his misery."

Jessie had never seen that picture before. She knew Cam had fought Kaitsenko in a battle to the death, had read the details in the mission report, but seeing the primal, unadulterated hatred on Cam’s face as he looked at Kaitsenko sent a shiver up her spine. Placing her hand on the arm he had around her waist, she squeezed it reassuringly. She had seen the warrior before, but this was the first time she had seen vengeance personified. It didn’t phase her, though. It was all part of Cam, of who he is, and she accepted it unconditionally.

The following frame had everyone puzzled, as it appeared to depict a bright light with the sun’s rays radiating from it. It was Daniel who asked the question on everyone’s mind. "Uh, Jack, what’s that one?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, while I’m able to get some pics, I still haven’t perfected the technique of capturing a picture of the dearly departed, or of beings on another plane of existence. This one represents Fergie, since he obviously played such a prominent role in getting Jessie and Cam together."

Cam continued with the explanation, since most there didn’t know the background. "Fergie was my best friend. We trained together, and he died six months before I came to the SGC. When Jessie came out of her coma, she told me she had a message from Fergie. He wanted to know how I liked the birthday present he had handpicked for my birthday, and that it was good for the next sixty years or so." He hugged Jessie close before he finished. "The day I first met Jessie here, it was my birthday."

Jack looked at Daniel. "It’s one hell of a friendship when someone helps you after they’ve ascended, right Space Monkey?"

Daniel grinned, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "Sure is, Jack…it sure is."

The slideshow continued with pics of Cam in flight gear, images of Jessie looking a little worse for the wear after being on the Prometheus, although most in the room didn’t know the underlying cause. A photo of a pack of M&M’s raised some questions, but Jack just replied, "An inside joke." Their inner circle knew the M&M’s provided a needed glucose boost for Jessie after the Destroyer weapon sapped her strength; but only Jack and Jessie knew of their encounter at the pond, his reassurance of Cam’s love for her when she thought all was lost, and the symbolism the candy carried then.

It was then, in the midst of the slideshow, that Jessie felt a now familiar ‘nudge’ of a returning memory. This time, though, it was slightly different. She focused her eyes on Jack, head tilted slightly, reminiscent of Casey when she was receiving a download. Since everyone was busy watching the slideshow and the lights in the room were dim, no one noticed her redirected attention, nor the slight widening of her eyes as another memory was unveiled.

The slideshow continued on, the last few photos taken as recently as the prior week. The last one was of Cam and Jessie, her arms around his shoulders, his around her waist, caught in a private moment as they gazed at each other, smiling. Everyone agreed that Jack had truly outdone himself, documenting the pair’s relationship from the very beginning, and a long round of applause erupted as the lights came back up. Retrieving the DVD, Jack brought it over to Cam and Jessie.

"That was very impressive," Cam said as he took the proffered case containing the disk. "Thank you."

Jack grinned a little self-consciously. "I have my moments." The smile faded slightly as he looked at Jessie. "You feeling okay, Jess? You look a little flushed."

She cleared her throat before answering. "I’m fine…just a little warm in here."

Glancing around the room, he didn’t see anyone else who appeared to be uncomfortable. He turned his gaze back to her. "No getting sick before the wedding—that’s an order, Dr. Watson."

Jessie couldn’t help but smile at the gruffness in his voice. "I’m not planning to, Sir. We have too many things to get done before then." And going through her mental checklist, she added one very important Christmas present to be purchased.

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