Work Text:
Clearly, I'm getting nothing done on the many papers I have to write this week.
Title: To Have and To Hold
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: It's a Jack/Sam fic. Other characters may make an appearance.
Prompt: 3 - 015 - Marriage
Word Count: 964
Rating: G
Summary: He wondered if she was making the right decision.
Author's Notes: Just a quick little story that popped into my head. I hope it comes off as I intended.
Jack fidgeted as the last bridesmaid walked down the aisle and took her place in the front of the hall. He plucked at the sleeve of his jacket as he nervously waited for the bride to make her appearance. Maybe she wouldn't show up at all. He hadn't seen her today. And really, he couldn't blame her if she bolted. Hell, he was considering making a quick escape. But she wouldn't do that. She had been looking forward to this day for months.
Multiple members of the SGC had offered to walk her down the aisle, General Hammond included, but she had politely turned down all the offers, choosing instead to honor her parents with her solo trip down the aisle. She had explained that it just didn't feel quite right to have anyone else at her side, though she didn't want anyone to take that personally. She had done most of the wedding planning on her own. She just wanted a simple, pretty ceremony, didn't want any of the pomp and circumstance she had experienced at the weddings of so many of her friends. She just wanted a simple dress, some pretty flowers, and a small bridal party. Ever practical, she had let her two bridesmaids choose their own dresses, hoping they would be able to find something that could be worn again. Just because her wedding dress would never be worn again didn't mean that their dresses should suffer the same fate. But her guest list was larger than he had expected. She decided that she wanted everyone who was important in her life invited to the wedding, and that included much of the SGC. This was her family. These people had saved her time and time again, and she wanted to be able to share this day with them. She had opted for a ceremony in a local church, though the ceremony wasn't a religious service. She just liked the ambiance. She knew that the organ would sound beautiful and that the light would stream through the stained glass windows and paint a beautiful picture on the ceremony.
As the crowd waited for the church doors to open to reveal the bride, Jack began to worry. Had she chosen the right man to marry? What if she was making a mistake? Over the years, a number of men had attracted her attention, and multiple times, much to his chagrin, he thought she had found "the one." But this time, she said, this time it was really right. She just knew it in her heart. But he was still worried she wouldn't be happy. He worried that being married would hold back her career. She still had so much to accomplish in her life. He didn't want to see her throw that away. She had promised him that wouldn't happen, but it didn't stop him from worrying. He worried about her a lot. He probably always would.
Maybe she wouldn't show up. It wasn't exactly unheard of for a bride to fail to show up to her wedding. After all, he hadn't seen her yet. She had insisted that only a select few people were allowed to see her in her dress before the ceremony. She said it took away from the moment when she finally began to walk down the aisle if everyone already knew what her dress looked like. But maybe she wasn't even there at all. Maybe that's why it was taking so long for those doors to open. Maybe she had finally come to her senses and decided she didn't want to be married after all. He wasn't sure he could blame her. He wondered where she would run to. He smiled at the thought of her driving down the highway in a convertible with the top down and her veil streaming behind her in the wind.
Thoughts of her running vanished as the church doors opened and she stepped through. Jack felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of her. Her dress was a simple white A-line dress with cap sleeves. Her hair was half pinned up, the rest hanging in gentle curls around her shoulders. She had opted to not wear a veil and instead had some small white flowers pinned into her hair. She clutched a bouquet of Gerbera daisies in her hands, a nod to her mother who loved the brightly colored flowers. Her smile simply beamed as she made her way down the aisle, and he couldn't help but smile back at her. She looked amazing, and so incredibly joyous.
"She looks amazing, doesn't she Jack?" came the soft voice from beside him.
Jack looked over and grasped Sam's hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "She really does," he replied with a smile.
"I wish Janet could be here for this," she added quietly as Cassie finished her trip up to the front of the church, smile still beaming. "She would have loved to help Cassie plan this day."
He leaned into her and gently kissed her neck. "I think she kind of did," he said, looking at the flowers and all of the other little touches that were Cassie's way of honoring her mother on her wedding day. Sam smiled at him and tightened her grip on his hand, leaning into his side.
As Cassie finished her vows, Jack looked over at Sam, who had tears welling up in her eyes. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close to his side. "You ever wish you had done this? The big ceremony, all of it?" he asked quietly.
She shrugged in response. "I always thought I would," she said. "But I think what I have is better."