So this is the final ever chapter. i would just like to say a massive thankyou to all those who have reviewed along the way and aslo to lkhoward88 for co-writing and beta reading this fic.

Oh and I realise that in 1979 O’Neill would have actually been in his late 20’s but I’m going to ignore that because he quotes a ‘hitchhikers guide’ which wasn’t written until ’79. I didn't actually set this fic in any time period and its AU so anything goes right?

Chapter 23

Sam sat with Janet and Daniel, smiling in the audience. It was a bitter sweet day, Jack and the others were graduating after several weeks of gruelling work studying for exams.

Naturally Sam had gotten straight A’s, with a little help from Daniel for her languages. Daniel and Janet had also managed straight A’s, with a little tutoring from Sam in math and physics.

However it was Jack that Sam was most proud of. He’d seemingly done no studying, spending almost all his time playing sports or distracting Sam from her school work.

A large smile spread across Sam’s face as she watched Jack cross the stage, shake hands with the principle and receive his diploma. He’d gotten C’s and B’s in most subjects with an A in PE. It was enough to get Jack into the Air Force Academy and that’s all he cared about.

Ferretti and Kawalsky were also joining the academy and Sam had a feeling that the three boys were going to wreak havoc upon the air force. The nation too, probably.

As Jack walked away from the stage he turned towards the crowd, punched the air and shouted: “So long and thanks for all the fish!”

Jack got himself a laugh from the crowd before he ambled off stage, his gown swishing slightly in the breeze.

The graduation ceremony was taking place outside on the football field where a large stage had been erected and hundreds of chairs had been placed out for the family and friends of the graduating class to sit and watch the action. Or lack of action.

Sam had been sitting in the stands with Daniel and Janet watching countless people they didn’t know graduate whilst waiting for their friends. It had taken an hour to get to the Os where Jack was. Their school was freaking huge, thought Sam as she doodled on Daniel’s arm in blue pen.

“Oi! Stop that,” he said, pulling his arm away only to have Sam reclaim it and carry on with her picture. Daniel turned his head sideways to look around her hand so he could see what it was. Great, a ladybird. Just what he’d always wanted. Janet had taken hold of his other arm and was scrawling ‘Janet woz ere’ in big spiky letters.

After another hour or so everyone had received their diplomas and the principle finally said the words they had been waiting for “I give you the class of 1979!”

The graduating class and the audience erupted into a huge cheer. Hats were thrown by the graduates and the stands and chairs that the audience had been occupying began to clear as the family and friends of the graduates went to meet them.

“Congratulations,” Sam said to Jack leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, only to have him initiate a full blown kiss. Sam moaned into Jack’s mouth as their tongues entwined. Teal’c coughed loudly making the couple part, identical guilty looks across their faces.

“Do I get a congratulations like that?” he asked, mock hopefully.

“Come on then,” joked Sam, moving towards Teal’c with her arms outstretched.

“Ah ah aahh,” Jack’s arms slid round Sam’s waist, pulling her towards him. “Not from her. I’m sure Daniel will be happy to kiss you,”

Daniel made a strange, strangled sound and backed away from Teal’c slightly.

“Oh don’t worry Danny-boy you’re not really Teal’c’s type. Nice ladybird by the way,” Jack grinned as Daniel tried to rub the pen off his arms with some spit.

Janet, who had previously been holding onto Daniel’s hand, moved away looking a little disgusted “So where to now?”

“My house,” Jack said decisively before marching Sam off in the direction of the car park.

As they left Sam could be seen pinching Jack’s ears and shouting “Argh! Stop manhandling me!”

After the others had left Sam lay curled up next to Jack on the couch, half asleep and half watching some movie about the mafia. Jack wasn’t really watching the movie either, he was lost in thought.

Early that day Sam had told him that her family were moving again and it had hit Jack like a bombshell. Even though Jack was moving to the Academy he was still going to be coming home whenever he had leave, and he had hoped that he could still see Sam. But now Sam wasn’t going to be anywhere near home. She was going to Korea.

Jacob had been posted over there for some kind of peace talks and so Sam and Mark had to go with him. Jack thought he could handle not seeing Sam for a month of so at a time, but not seeing Sam until he had the money and the time to fly over there was a whole different matter. He might only get to see her once a year. Long distance relationships didn’t often work and Jack knew that he was going to half to break things off with Sam.

It turns out; Sam had been thinking the same thing. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“It’s not going to work, is it Jack?” she asked sadly. Jack shook his head not trusting himself to speak “Well we’ve got the summer. Forget about what’s going to happen to us in the fall, we’ll just have a good summer and then end it,”

“Yeah sounds g…like a plan,” Jack stumbled upon his words. Sam lent over and kissed Jack slowly before settling back down by his side.

“Hey Jack?”

“Hey Sam?” he replied.

“What’s happening to Teal’c this summer?”

“He’s going to become a monk’s apprentice,” Sam didn’t know if Jack was serious or not. Teal’c had made no plans for life after high school and would no doubt pick to do the thing that sounded the funniest reply for when people asked what career you had.

“He’d suit a bald head,” Sam mumbled before dropping off to sleep.

Jack smiled to himself, it was going to hurt when they had to leave each other but Sam was right. They needed to make the most of what little time they had left with each other.

The End