Reality
Sequel to “Back to Reality”
Jack O’Neill watched as his team entered the wormhole headed back to the SGC. It had been an uneventful mission, thankfully. Jack was tired of ‘eventful’ missions. Well, except that one a month ago. He could live with that eventful mission!
A wild animal had attacked him, and his team, especially Sam, had taken care of him. He watched his gorgeous 2IC disappear through the wormhole as memories of their last night on that planet drifted through his mind. She had seduced him. Not that it took much to accomplish her mission. They had slept in the same bed for three days when it was finally too much for both of them. It was a night outside of time. They hadn’t discussed it since they got back but their relationship was less strained than it had been in a long time.
Jack entered the wormhole after Sam. The feel of the wormhole around him diverted his thoughts. He stepped onto the ramp in the SGC to see General Hammond waiting for them.
“Welcome back, Colonel. Debriefing in one hour.”
“Thank you, sir! It will be a short debriefing. We came, we saw, we left. That about sums it up.”
General Hammond smiled at his irreverence. He had noticed a marked change in Jack in the last month. He seemed happier than he had been in a long time. He knew it had something to do with the mission where Jack was injured and they met Arunum’s people.
“Colonel, if you don’t stop toying with my instruments, I will have you restrained!”
Sam silently laughed on the other side of the curtain. Janet’s tone was definitely irritated. Sam could imagine Jack over there playing with the hated penlight and anything else that Janet left lying around. She laughed aloud when she heard Jack’s vocal protests about the injection he was about to get.
“Why do you insist on giving me so many shots? I feel like I’m a pincushion!”
Janet’s voice was molasses sweet when she answered him. “Why do you insist on aggravating someone that has the right to give you so many shots?”
Jack’s inflection went up. “I knew it! It’s revenge!”
Sam was bowed over laughing as Janet came through the curtain with a huge grin on her face.
“I haven’t touched a thing,” Sam managed to gasp out between breaths.
Janet’s voice was low as she whispered, “I know. And you don’t have to tell him that you got a shot as well. I want him to think that it just him.”
“I won’t!” Sam giggled. “Just make sure you let Daniel and Teal’c in on it!”
“I can hear you giggling, Major! Against the rules!”
“Yes, sir, Colonel,” Sam said loudly as she and Janet both giggled harder.
They heard Jack make a disgusted sound as he left the infirmary.
“He is in such a good mood these days. I wonder why,” Janet’s voice was slightly accusing.
“I don’t know,” Sam said innocently.
“He’s actually been in a good mood for about a month now.”
“He has, hasn’t he,” Sam replied with a slight grin.
“I would say that he’s been in a good mood since you two got back from the mission on that arctic world.”
“Really?” Sam said with exaggeration. “I hadn’t really noticed.”
“You are holding back on me, girl. I know you are! You’d better watch out or I’ll start giving you extra shots!”
“Needles don’t bother me,” Sam laughed.
As Jack said, the debriefing was quick. They had been searching for naquadah or natives and found neither. They wrapped up quickly and went to file their reports. Sam had just finished hers when Jack appeared in her lab. He was already in civvies, khaki pants and a long sleeved black shirt with the sleeves pushed up to the elbow.
“Wha’cha doin’?”
“Just finishing this report,” she said as she clicked on the print icon to send it to the printer. “What are you doing?”
“Bugging you,” he said as he picked up one of her doohickeys to play with. “Daniel and Teal’c suggested we go get some dinner in town. You wanna go?”
“Sure, give me time to get changed.”
“No problem. I told them we’d meet them at that new Chinese food restaurant in about an hour.”
“You knew I’d say yes?”
“No, but if you said no, then I would meet them in about an hour. It would give me time to bug you some more.”
Sam smiled her mega-watt smile at him. “Ten minutes. I’ll meet you in your office. You shouldn’t be left here unsupervised.” She removed the instrument he’d been playing with from his hands and replaced it on the desk.
“I’m hurt! You don’t trust me with your doohickeys!”
Sam bit her lip to keep from responding the way she really wanted to. Jack saw her look and laughed. He knew exactly which doohickeys she was thinking about!
“Go, I’ll meet you in ten minutes.” She sighed as he left her lab. They were much more comfortable around each other now. The fact that they had actually talked about the situation between them seemed to clear the air. As Sam headed for the women’s locker room, a thought struck her. Janet had noticed the difference and had chalked it up to the events on Arunum’s world. Would anyone else?
For Janet to guess the truth would be one thing, but if General Hammond caught wind of it, that could be trouble. She wondered if she should say something to Jack. She really didn’t want to do anything that would upset their newfound rapport but it could lead to problems. She sighed as she opened her locker to change. Well, she’d think of something.
Sam followed Jack’s truck to the restaurant. Jack had been waiting outside the women’s locker room when she came out. That wasn’t good. She was going to have to say something. He was spending a lot more time in her lab also. They weren’t doing anything but any hint of what happened on the planet could be trouble.
Sam’s memories of that night were as fresh as they had been the morning after. She had loved the feel of his hands and body on her. He was every bit the attentive lover she had imagined him to be in countless fantasies. Reality was even better than the fantasy! A shiver ran through her body at the memory.
‘Okay, Sam. Stop thinking about that now!’ she cautioned herself. She tried to limit thoughts of that night to when she was alone. She could feel the flush on her face rising just thinking about it.
It didn’t help that she and Jack still shared a tent off world. They had agreed that it would look strange if they changed the status quo. It might be a good idea though, since they usually woke up spooned against each other in their sleeping bags. Sam smirked at the memory of the first time it had happened. Jack had his face buried in her neck and his body pressed so close to hers that she could feel his ‘sidearm’ pressed against her butt. They had both been a little shocked that they had ended up that way but it continued to happen more times than not. It wasn’t as if his closeness had no effect on her!
For the most part, this new aspect of their relationship had not affected anything except their relative sleeping arrangements. The missions went smoothly and they were able to continue working together efficiently. There had been a couple of missions that were a little tense when they had run across Jaffa but neither of them reacted any differently toward each other than before.
Sam’s thoughts ended as she pulled up in the parking lot next to Jack’s truck. She quickly got out of her car and met him at his truck.
“I don’t see Daniel’s car? Are we early?” Sam asked.
“Maybe. I don’t think so.”
“Maybe he got tied up with something.”
“Well, let’s go on in and get a table. I’m sure they will be here soon,” Jack said as he led the way in.
They both looked around for Daniel and Teal’c but no sign of them. They told the waiter they needed a table for five, just in case Janet showed up. It seemed that Janet showed up more often where Daniel was involved. They had just sat down and ordered drinks when Jack’s phone rang.
“O’Neill.” He paused for the caller to speak. “Do we need to come back?” Again, a pause. “Okay, you want us to bring you something?” He waited for the response. “Okay, talk to you later.” He was smiling and shaking his head when he hung up.
“What’s wrong?”
“That was Daniel. SG12 just came back with some new rocks that Daniel think has a significant meaning to that city we were talking about.”
Sam nodded her understanding. He was talking about the
“He wants to examine them and he wants Teal’c’s help. He said they would be skipping dinner.”
Sam squirmed a little in her chair. “Maybe we should just go then. I wouldn’t want anyone to think anything if we are seen.”
“What’s to think? Daniel and Teal’c cancelled at the last minute. I mean, we are sitting at a table for five in the middle of the room. Doesn’t look like a secret rendezvous to me.”
“True, it’s just that Janet has been questioning me lately about our change in…moods. She seems to think that something happened on that mission a month ago.”
“Well, something did happen. I got jumped by a really big cat.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “And a really beautiful woman.”
Sam blushed slightly. “Shush… You are so bad.” Her eyes darted around the room to see if anyone was there that might recognize them.
“Relax, Sam. Let’s just have dinner like two friends. We were supposed to meet the guys here and they cancelled. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Sam nodded and tried to relax.
Sam waved at Jack as she pulled out of the parking spot. She had eventually relaxed and they had a wonderful dinner. Of course, Jack had kept her laughing through the whole meal. He was incorrigible. However, that was one of the things that she loved about him. She sighed heavily as she thought about how nice it would have been for him to go home with her after dinner. This platonic agreement until sometime in the future was going to be difficult.
She shook her head as she saw in her rearview mirror his headlights pull out of the parking lot and turn in the other direction.
The wormhole snapped shut behind them. Another tree covered planet but this one had promise of some old naquadah mines on it. Sam led the way with a nod from Jack. The readings from the UAV indicated that the mines were about 20 kilometers north of the gate. There was no evidence of any recent traffic on the path. The vegetation was high and hard to pass through. The temperature was moderate but the M.A.L.P they sent yesterday had indicated low temperatures at night. They would have to stay over at least two nights to accomplish the survey.
Jack called a rest stop about third of the way to the mines. Sam was relieved. She hadn’t slept well the night before and pressing through the high grass and weeds was tiring. Jack came over and sat on the ground near her as she rested on a convenient tree stump.
“What’s up, Carter? You look a little beat.”
“Nothing, sir. I just didn’t sleep well last night. Add the heavy foliage we’re tramping through and I’m just a little tired.”
“Why couldn’t you sleep?”
She turned her head to smile at him so that Teal’c and Daniel couldn’t see her face. “I just kept having interesting dreams that kept waking me up.” The smile let him know exactly what kind of interesting dreams they were.
“Okay, I think I’ll go check on Teal’c and Daniel before I say something I shouldn’t!” He got up and wandered over to the guys.
Sam smirked as she watched him go. He was easily flustered when she made comments or looks like that. She enjoyed watching him squirm. After years of controlling their reactions to each other, she enjoyed knowing that she affected him as much as he affected her.
Sam sat quietly enjoying the cool air and watching the trees around them. She knew that Jack’s irritation at always finding trees was a joke. He loved this kind of surroundings as much as she did. Time seemed to pass too quickly before Jack was urging them on.
It was nearly dark when they finally reached their objective. They quickly set up camp and started a small fire. The readings from the M.A.L.P had indicated that the temperature had dropped sharply the night before. They made sure they had their tents and gear secure before the sun went down. They sat around the fire laughing and talking while they ate but it quickly became too cold to enjoy it any longer.
Teal’c took first watch. Jack would be on second, Sam, third and Daniel last. It was the usual order so there were no orders given. Jack, Sam and Daniel just got up, said good night to Teal’c, and retired to their respective tents.
Jack and Sam faced away from each other as they stripped down to their fatigue pants and t-shirts. They quickly slipped into their sleeping bags and said goodnight. Sam shivered slightly in her sleeping bag waiting for it to warm up. She pulled the edge of the material up over her nose. The temperature had taken a serious drop. She rolled over on her side and curled up to make the most of her body heat.
Jack saw that she had turned her back to him and curled up in a little ball. She liked to sleep like that anyway but it was probably warmer. He was tempted to just roll over next to her. He would in his sleep eventually. He seemed to do it more often these days. Not that he minded waking up with his face buried in her neck, but it could get a little uncomfortable. Being so close to her reminded his body of what it had been like making love to her. That definitely got uncomfortable. Especially if Sam awoke before him and found him that way.
She had been right though. On Arunum’s planet, she said that it would be easier to handle something happening to him if she had at least one night to remember. It seemed easier for him somehow. Also, if they managed to survive their chosen occupation until he retired, they had that one night to remind them of what they were waiting for.
“Oh, the hell with it,” he mumbled as he rolled over behind her. His long legs curled up against hers, his stomach lined her back with warmth. “We’re just going to end up like this anyway!”
Sam giggled as she pushed up against his warmth. “Probably,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by her sleeping bag. “It will be warmer at least. This planet is damned cold!”
He managed to find her hair although her neck was buried in her sleeping bag. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair and lightly pressed his lips against her head, not really a kiss but close enough for now. “Good night,” he whispered.
This was the third tunnel that they had explored. The first two didn’t have anything except trace readings of naquadah indicating played out deposits. Daniel and Teal’c once again would stand guard outside while Jack and Sam investigated the readings. They wanted to make sure that someone was outside of the mines in case something happened. Some of these old mines were not shorn up well and the possibility of cave-ins was always a concern.
Jack and Sam both donned their helmets as a precaution against falling rocks. They used miners’ lights on the helmets in addition to flashlights. It was very dark once they had gotten away from the entrance.
Jack’s voice was almost a whisper to prevent his voice from carrying back to the others. “So, Sam, tell me about those dreams you were having the other night.”
Sam laughed quietly. “I think you can guess the subject matter.”
“Yeah, I probably could but it would be fun to hear anyway.”
Sam knew that he couldn’t see her face from the glare of her miners light in his eyes. He couldn’t see the amusement or the love. “You will just have to wait. These readings are getting stronger.”
“Anything interesting?” The tone of his voice went back to all business.
“Yeah, it looks like there is still a large deposit left here. Although that wouldn’t make sense. Why would the Goa’uld leave here if the mine was still viable?”
“Watch your step. Every time we think we’ve found something we need, we end up with a problem to go along with it.”
Sam nodded as she continued to monitor her readings. “We should probably set up some seismic monitors before we let our people in here. It appears to have quite a few cave-ins down here. It might be that there was too much seismic activity to make mining feasible.”
Jack looked up at the ceiling of the cave uneasily. “Seismic activity, huh?” He wasn’t comfortable in confined places. Chalk it up to spending time in an Iraqi prison cell that was not much more than a box.
“What’s the matter? Claustrophobic?”
“Kinda, not really…” His tone indicated that he didn’t want to discuss it, especially not at the moment, when the cave had narrowed to less than a yard because of a rock fall.
Sam nodded and continued through the narrow passage, skirting the edge of the fallen rocks. “It seems that there are a lot of these. I don’t think it is due to the construction of the mine. It looks like they tried to reinforce it. It has to be due to earthquakes.”
She stopped to look at the solid wall of rocks that lay between her and where her instruments indicated the large deposit was. “I want to place a directional marker here. Maybe our people can get to the naquadah from above and avoid these passageways.”
“Good idea.”
The passageway had narrowed even further for the last twenty feet and turning around with their packs was difficult. Finally, they had to just back out. Sam noticed Jack’s sigh of relief to be in a more open area. Well, relatively more open because although they could turn around now, it was still close quarters.
They could see the dim light that indicated the entrance of the mine when they heard the unmistakable rumble of the earthquake.
“Move, Carter! Now!” Jack yelled as he led the way toward the entrance. Sam was close behind him as the earth began to shake. Dust and rocks tumbled down from the ceiling bouncing off them. Jack could see the light clearly from the entrance as they ran toward it. He kept glancing over his shoulder to check on Sam’s progress. She was less than two feet behind him.
The entrance was there. Daniel and Teal’c were both motioning them to hurry.
“Get away from the entrance,” Jack yelled. He hit daylight and looked over his shoulder just in time to see part of the entrance begin to collapse, just in time to see the shock on Sam’s face as she went down in a hail of rocks.
“SAM!” Jack felt Teal’c’s strong hands restraining him. He knew that he couldn’t help her and would only get injured himself if he ran back into the cave.
As quickly as it had started, the ground shuddered to a stop. The entrance had not completely collapsed. Sam lay on her left side under some dirt and rocks but he was able to get to her. Teal’c and Daniel started to clear away the debris as Jack checked her life signs. His sigh of relief answered the question for the other two. She was alive.
“Get something to make a stretcher. We need to get her out of here but I don’t know if anything is broken.” He had seen her take a rather large rock to the head. If it hadn’t been for her helmet, she would probably be dead! It could have caused a neck or back injury. He wanted something to stabilize her before they moved her.
He was clearing some more of the debris off her legs when he heard her soft whisper.
“Jack…”
He moved quickly to her head. “Sam! How do you feel?”
“Like a ton of bricks fell on me. How do I look?”
Jack smiled softly. “As beautiful as ever,” he whispered.
“Injuries, Jack,” she smiled painfully.
“I can’t tell much. Cuts, scrapes and there will definitely be some bruises. Can you tell me where it hurts?”
“Yeah, but it would probably take less time to tell you where it doesn’t hurt.”
“Well, humor me. Can you move your neck?”
Sam moved it slightly at first and then with a little more confidence.
“Good. Any pain in your back?”
“Some, not too bad.” She moved her arms up and down, checking the joints. She could see torn places in her uniform and some blood mixed with dirt. “My legs feel okay but my left ankle hurts like a son of a bitch.”
Jack moved down to check her ankle. He couldn’t tell if anything was broken because of her boot. He didn’t really want to try to remove it before they got her out of here and settled. “Let’s leave the boot on for the moment. Until we get you out of here, it will act like a splint.”
“Okay and when will that be?”
“The guys are trying to find something to make a stretcher.”
“I think it’s okay for me to get up if you will help me stay off that ankle. I really don’t want us to be sitting here if there are aftershocks.”
Jack nodded. “Okay.” He carefully placed his arms under her to help her sit up. He pulled the quick releases on her pack and let it fall behind her.
She put a hand to her head. “Dizzy.”
“Okay, then let’s do it this way. Put your arms around my neck and hold on.”
She nodded and did as he asked. He slowly stood up, pulling her up with him until she was standing on her good foot.
“Okay?”
She nodded. He leaned down to capture her legs, lifted her into his arms, and carried her clear of the mine. There was a fallen log nearby. He set her carefully on it and waited for Teal’c and Daniel.
She leaned into his chest as his arm moved around her to support her. His other hand unsnapped the chinstrap on her helmet and pulled it off her head. He tried to wipe some of the dust and dirt off her face with his equally dirty fingers. He gave up until he could get something to use clean her up.
“You gave me quite a scare there.”
She chuckled softly. “Gave me one, too!”
His arm held her a little tighter. He heard Daniel and Teal’c returning but he kept his arm around her. It wouldn’t look wrong considering she was injured. He was just holding her up.
“Sam, how are you feeling?” Daniel’s concerned face appeared before her.
“Okay, I guess. I may have broken my ankle or at least sprained it pretty bad.”
“We have constructed something with which to carry you. It will be easier to return to the Stargate,” Teal’c’s voice rumbled from behind her.
She craned her neck around to see a makeshift stretcher. “Thanks, guys, but I don’t think we’ll make it to the gate tonight.”
Jack looked around at the lowering sun. The days on this planet weren’t that long and they had spent far more time in the mines than he realized. In his fear for Sam, he hadn’t noticed that it was getting dark. “True. Okay, Daniel, we will need extra water to get Carter’s wounds cleaned up so look for a water source. You go look while Teal’c and I get her to the campsite. Stay in radio contact.”
Teal’c and Jack carefully put Sam on the stretcher and moved her there. While Jack and Teal’c dealt with Sam. Daniel started a fire. He had found a stream a couple of hundred yards from their campsite. He took Sam and Jack’s helmets and pulled the helmet liners out, leaving the steel shell. He removed the camouflaged helmet covers, went to the stream, and washed the inside out carefully. He filled them both with water and placed them in the fire to heat. He dropped several water purification tablets in each and then went to check on Sam.
Teal’c and Jack moved Sam into the tent and laid her on a ground cover. They carefully removed her BDU’s so they could check her wounds better. Jack finally had to cut through the lacings and part of the boot to get it off her left foot.
Sam groaned as Jack finally managed to remove her boot. “What is this, payback for setting your leg?”
Jack just chuckled at the memory of her setting his broken leg in
“How’s it looking?” Daniel said as he poked his head in the tent. Teal’c and Jack had removed her BDU’s leaving her in her t-shirt and the long black shorts that she liked to wear under her field uniform. There were spots of blood and some tears on her remaining clothing.
“It’s not as bad as these two are making it out to be,” Sam groaned as she tried to find a comfortable position on her bruised back.
Jack just grimaced at her attempt at humor. “She’s got a lot of cuts and scrapes. They’re gonna have to be cleaned and treated.” He ran his hand through his short hair. He wasn’t about to let Daniel or Teal’c see anymore of Sam than they had too. He could do this alone. “Bring me the water when it finishes heating and both of your first aid kits. I don’t know how much of what I am going to need.”
Daniel nodded and glanced at Teal’c. They understood. They had figured out that something had happened between Sam and Jack while they were left behind at Arunum’s village. Jack wasn’t going to let anyone help him if it put Sam in an awkward position. They came back with the first aid kits and one of the steel pots of hot water and then returned to the fire to fix some food. Jack lit both of the camp lanterns and set a flashlight nearby.
“Okay, we need to get you out of the rest of these clothes. There is too much dirt in those wounds.”
Sam just nodded and tried to sit up. Her right arm and shoulder were starting to hurt more. Jack helped ease her up when he saw her grimace of pain.
“Easy…” he said as she tried to remove her t-shirt. “Let me.”
He worked the shirt up under her arms and carefully slipped it over her head. He then slid the shirt forward and down her arms so she didn’t have to lift them.
“Not exactly the way I pictured you undressing me the next time you had the chance,” she said through gritted teeth as he unhooked and removed her bra. She was grateful she wasn’t wearing a sports bra that would have had to come over her head.
“Me either,” he laughed softly. There was one fairly deep cut on the side of her left breast and several cuts and scrapes just below it. “Let’s get the rest of your clothes off so I can get you cleaned up before I treat the cuts.” They weren’t still bleeding but they were encrusted with very fine dust from the cave-in.
Sam nodded as he started to ease her shorts off her. She was glad she had them on when Teal’c was helping remove her BDU’s. She knew the guys just thought of them as shorts but there were really boxer briefs. They work well off world because of the close proximity to the guys. They never realized that she was literally walking around in her underwear.
Jack hissed at the sight of the bruising on her right thigh and hip. She must have been hit pretty hard for it to be so dark already.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked.
“Major bruise on your hip. A lot of scrapes, scratches. Your BDU’s probably protected you from the smaller stuff. But whatever hit you here had to be pretty big.”
Her pale skin was covered in abrasions and rapidly darkening bruises. He tried not to think about the last time that he had touched her soft skin. Such different circumstances then. He started washing her carefully with a warm wet cloth. He took care of all the smaller stuff before he got to the one on her breast. He was afraid that when he washed the dirt away it would start bleeding again. And he was right. He used some saline wash in the first aid kit to irrigate it and then used butterfly bandages to close it. He applied antibiotic cream and a gauze bandage.
She didn’t speak while he was treating her. Her body ached in more ways than one. The pain from her injuries was joined by an ache in her heart for the man that was tenderly cleaning her wounds. They had agreed that they could wait but the pain on his face as he pulled her from the debris of the cave-in showed how difficult it was for him. His face was now neutral but he couldn’t hide the pain in his eyes.
Jack carefully pulled a sleeping bag over Sam and called to Daniel to bring more hot water. He smiled at her as she grimaced in pain. “Almost done, Sam. How’s the head?”
“Hurts but I’ll live,” she said with a small smile.
“Glad to hear that,” his smile disappeared as the image of her falling in the entrance of the cave flashed through his mind.
“I’m okay, Jack,” she whispered as her hand slipped out from under the sleeping bag and rested on his.
Jack just nodded as Daniel opened the tent flap to hand Jack the water he requested. Jack’s hand slipped out from under Sam’s to take it.
Daniel let the tent flap drop. He had noticed Sam’s hand on Jack’s. She was the one injured but it looked like she was comforting him. Daniel knew he was badly shaken up by watching Sam caught in that shower of rocks. He shook his head as he returned to the fire.
Jack dipped a clean cloth in the fresh water and pushed the sleeping bag off Sam. He went back over the cuts and scrapes before he helped her turn over so he could check her back. She had a few good-sized bruises along the right side of her lower back as well. He desperately hoped that there were no internal injuries. One of the worst bruises was close to her right kidney. Most of her back had been protected by her pack.
He cleaned and then treated each cut and scrape with antibiotic ointment. He spread out the sleeping bag near her and helped her slide over on to it. With her on her back again, he treated the rest of her wounds with the ointment.
He wrapped her ankle with a sports bandage. He used another bandage to attach two cold packs from the first aid kit to each side of her ankle. He surveyed his handiwork before covering her up with his sleeping bag.
“I should probably put something on, Jack. It’ll hurt worse in the morning trying to get dressed.”
He nodded and rummaged through her pack until he found a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He pulled the sleeping bag off her and carefully helped her dress. He hadn’t said much during all of this and neither had she. Finally, she was dressed and covered. Jack checked her pupil dilation. She didn’t appear to have a concussion. No nausea, her eyes were dilating okay. He was relieved at that much. He just wished they could have gotten her back to the SGC tonight.
He rummaged through the first aid kit and pulled out a small packet of pills. He grabbed a canteen and helped her sit up enough to take the pills. He sat close to her side and looked at her. “Since I don’t think you have a concussion, you want something to eat.”
“Maybe a little something. Thanks,” she said. She wasn’t that hungry but it seemed to relieve him that she agreed to eat something. She watched as he left the tent.
“How is Major Carter?”
“Okay, I think, Teal’c. There was only one deep cut and a whole lot of scrapes and scratches. She has some amazing bruises already. She’s gonna hurt like hell all the way back to the gate tomorrow. I don’t want to give her anything more than an anti-inflammatory for the pain. I’m afraid to give her anything stronger in case she has internal injuries.”
Daniel nodded. Jack looked worn out. “Teal’c and I will split the watch so you can look after Sam. I think she’ll be more comfortable having you there.”
Jack looked at him sharply. He wasn’t sure how to interpret his comment but he decided he didn’t care. He hadn’t been looking forward to leaving Sam for his watch. He nodded. “Thanks, guys.”
“Thanks are not necessary, O’Neill. We, too, are concerned about Major Carter.”
Jack just nodded at Teal’c before returning to the tent with food for Sam and himself.
Sam was hurting badly. Jack was curled up next to her under the sleeping bag with his hand on her stomach. She didn’t want to wake him up. He looked exhausted by the time he finally agreed to lay down. She knew that she shouldn’t take anything more than an anti-inflammatory until Janet had a chance to check her out but she’d kill for a real pain pill right now.
She couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped her mouth. She felt Jack’s hand stir. She bit her lip to keep from making any more noise but it was too late.
“Sam?” His voice sounded groggy.
“I’m okay,” she said but she couldn’t keep the pain from her voice.
“I’ll get you some more pills,” he said sitting up quickly.
She just nodded slightly in the dark. The lantern blinded her briefly as he searched the first aid kit. He helped elevate her head enough to let her swallow the pills with a drink from the canteen.
“How’s the ankle?”
She managed a small laugh but there was no mirth in it. “It hurts. Just like every part of my body.”
Jack smoothed her hair from her eyes. He could see the unshed tears. “It’s okay to cry, Sam. I know you are in pain. It doesn’t diminish you in anyone’s eyes, especially mine.”
Sam bit her lower lip as a tear escaped one eye and trailed down her bruised cheek. Her throat was tight with the need to let the tears out. A ragged sob escaped as more tears flowed. At first, Jack’s fingers caught the tears but then it was his lips. She reached up to touch his face softly as he continued to kiss her tears away.
“I’m sorry. I should be handling this better.”
“It’s okay to cry, Sam,” he whispered. “You’re in pain. Sometimes crying helps relieve some of the pain.” His forehead rested on hers as his fingers wiped at her tears. It only took a slight twist of his head to find her lips. He kissed her lovingly. “It’s okay.”
Sam nodded and sniffed slightly. She felt his lips against hers again. This time she kissed him back. The distraction of his lips helped ease her misery but not for long. She hissed in pain when she moved her other arm to reach for his face.
Jack pulled back to look at her. “Maybe I should check you out again.”
“No, I’m just really sore. It would hurt too much to move.”
He nodded and reached for the lantern. “Try to get some more sleep. It’s almost dawn. We will leave as soon as it’s light.” He slid his body as close to hers as he could without touching her. His hand came to rest on her stomach. He felt hers grasp his in the dark. He quietly listened to her breathing ease into a fitful sleep. It was going to be a tough day for her.
Tough was an understatement. Sam was in agony by the time they reached the gate. Every step the men took on the rough overgrown path caused more pain in her battered body. She nearly cried with relief when the gate came into view.
Daniel ran ahead as Jack and Teal’c carried the stretcher. He quickly dialed the gate but it didn’t connect. He tried again with the same result.
“What’s wrong?” Jack asked tersely as they lowered Sam to the ground.
“I don’t know. It won’t connect.”
Jack glanced quickly at Sam. “Try it again!”
Daniel dialed once more and this time the gate opened. Jack closed his eyes and exhaled sharply with relief. “Send the code.”
Teal’c and Jack picked up the stretcher and started for the wormhole as Daniel dialed the code into his GDO.
The chaos they emerged into quickly explained the failure of the gate to connect. It must have been open for SG11 and SG3. They were spread out around the gate room. There looked to be numerous serious injuries. Evidently, they had been caught in a firefight. Janet looked up as another injury was carried through the gate.
“What happened?” she asked quickly.
“A cave-in. No broken bones that I can tell but her ankle may be fractured. Severe bruising, multiple scrapes, scratches, and one deep laceration on the side of her left breast. She doesn’t appear to have a concussion. I cleaned and treated all the wounds with antibiotic ointment. The only meds have been anti-inflammatory.”
Janet nodded approvingly at Jack’s quick rundown of the injuries. “Get her to the infirmary and have them x-ray the ankle and I want an MRI and CT scan to look for internal injuries.”
Jack and Teal’c carried the stretcher to a nearby gurney and set Sam gently down. She breathed a sigh of relief as the pressure of the stretcher gave way when they eased down the sides. She closed her eyes as they wheeled her quickly away from the sounds of chaos in the gate room.
The doctors had run them out. Jack didn’t want to leave until he was sure that Sam was okay but it was too busy in the infirmary for non-wounded bystanders. After a quick shower, he headed back up to the infirmary to see if he could find out anything. Janet was directing chaos and Sam wasn’t in there. He guessed that she was in x-ray or the radiology lab. He turned in that direction when General Hammond found him.
“Jack, what happened to Major Carter?”
“She was caught in a cave-in, sir. It appears that the Goa’uld abandoned the naquadah mines because of earthquakes. We had almost cleared the entrance when she twisted her ankle and went down. She caught a lot of debris and several large rocks.”
“What’s Doctor Frasier say about her condition?”
“It’s total chaos in there. I couldn’t ask. I didn’t see Carter, though, so she’s probably in x-ray or something. I don’t know if her ankle is broken or not but the rest of her injuries didn’t seem too bad, painful, but not life threatening. Unless, of course, there were internal injuries. She took a pretty hard blow near her kidney.”
“Thank you, sir,” Jack said as
Jack found Sam getting her ankle x-rayed. “How are you feeling?” he said from the doorway.
“Better, they gave me some real pain pills!” She smiled a tired smile at him. “No internal injuries, just really bad bruises.”
“And the ankle?”
“They don’t think it is broken but the x-ray will determine that.”
The lab tech nodded to Jack as he finished placing Sam’s ankle where he wanted it. “Colonel, you have to leave while we take the x-ray.”
Jack nodded. “I’ll be in the hall, Carter.”
Once outside, he let his relief show. Even if her ankle were broken, she would be all right. He had questioned the decision to stay off world last night when she woke up in so much pain. He knew that it would have been difficult to travel in the dark but if Sam had serious internal injuries, it would have been better to get her back to the SGC as quickly as possible.
He was still mulling over his decision when the door opened and an orderly wheeled Sam out. Jack smiled at Sam and then the orderly. “How long to know whether it’s broken or not?”
“Half an hour or so, sir. We’re kind of busy in here today.”
“I understand.” Jack walked along beside her as the orderly returned her to the infirmary. He managed to sneak into a corner near her gurney before Janet realized he was there. He just wanted the reassurance of being close to her. Her eyelids were heavy as she smiled at him.
“I’ll be okay, sir. You don’t have to wait.”
“As Teal’c would say ‘undomesticated equines…’”
Sam’s smile widened into a grin. “I am really tired. I think I will sleep for a while.”
“You do that, Sam,” his voice was barely a whisper in the noisy room. He leaned against the wall and watched her eyes close. It wasn’t long until her breathing was steady and deep with sleep. He simply watched her until he saw Janet headed his direction.
“I see you managed to get back in here,” she said, her tone amused and irritated at the same time as she pulled an x-ray film out of a large envelope.
“Well, I’m staying out of the way. What does it look like?”
Janet snapped the film into the lighted frame on the wall and examined it closely. “It looks like a very bad sprain. She’ll need to be off of it for at least two weeks, maybe longer.”
“Are you keeping her here?”
Janet snapped off the light and replaced the x-ray in its envelope. “I would like to but as you can see I have a full house tonight. I guess I could send her to my place and let Cassie keep and eye on her.”
“We’ll take care of her,” Jack said softly. “Cassie doesn’t need to be up all night worrying about Sam.”
“We, Colonel?”
“I’ll get Daniel and Teal’c to help. General Hammond gave us all time off until Sam’s better. That’s what a team is for.”
Janet sighed. “Yes, it is. You did a good job, you know. Taking care of her.”
“I was worried I didn’t do enough. I wanted to bring her back last night but I was afraid of hurting her more stumbling around in the dark.”
Janet’s face was soft with understanding. “It’s all right, Jack. You did the right thing. She’ll be okay once that ankle heals. Since there were no internal injuries, I gave her something stronger for the pain. Why don’t you go talk to the guys? She’ll be out of it for a while.”
Jack let his fingers trail down Sam’s arm as he nodded and headed out of the infirmary. Janet just shook her head at the situation between her two friends.
Jack lifted Sam up into the cab of his truck. She was still sleepy and well under the influence of her painkillers so she didn’t feel any pain. Daniel and Teal’c would follow in Daniel’s car. Both men had readily volunteered to help care for Sam. Of course, they all knew that there would be little for them to do other than act as chaperones. Jack would insist on doing everything for her but they knew he needed company to avoid the hint of impropriety. Janet would be by when she could get away to check on her. She had given Jack a list of instructions and a couple of bottles of pain meds as well as some analgesic cream that would help with the sore and bruised muscles.
Jack carefully strapped her in her seatbelt. His hands were careful of the bruises that he knew were beneath her sweat suit. Her hand squeezed the back of his hand as he finished with the belt. She smiled a droopy smile at him.
“Thanks,” she murmured. “I can’t believe that Janet agreed to let me go but I am glad.”
His hands turned over and squeezed her fingers. “What are you hungry for? Daniel and Teal’c are going to go shopping.”
“Not hungry…just sleepy…” she mumbled.
“Okay, you sleep then,” he smiled as he made sure she was clear of the door before he shut it. She was asleep before he could get in the driver’s seat.
Sam was still asleep when Jack pulled up in front of her house. He went to open the front door before he tried to wake her up. She was extremely groggy so he simply carried her into the house and straight to her bedroom.
“Jack,” she mumbled as he quickly pulled back the covers and helped her into bed.
“What is it, Sam?” he said as he pulled the covers up on her.
“I am so sleepy,” she mumbled.
“Well, you can go to sleep now. Just rest, babe. Just rest,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead.
Her hand reached up and her fingers slid down his cheek. “Love you,” she whispered as her hand fell back on the bed. She didn’t hear him say that he loved her too.
Jack sat on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep. The bruise on her left cheek had darkened even more. The scratch that ran through the bruise looked angry and red. His fingers softly brushed her hair off her face. Her helmet had protected her head and she had thrown up her arm over her face when she fell. The damage to her cheek was from where she had hit the ground. Likewise, the cut on the side of her breast was the result of falling on something rather than having something fall on her. Her right hip, thigh and lower part of her back were bruised from the rocks that fell on her once she was down.
He ran his fingers lightly through her hair. It felt right being here. He should be taking care of her. He just wished that he didn’t need the subterfuge of the ‘team’ taking care of her. They had agreed to wait until things were different at the SGC. Neither of them wanted to leave with things the way they were. The search for the
Nevertheless, being here, caring for her injuries…well, it felt right. He wanted to be here for her permanently. Of course, they hadn’t really discussed a future. They had just agreed to wait for each other. What their life together would be was never discussed, only implied. She stirred slightly in her sleep. He removed his hand from her hair, afraid he might wake her. He would have to be content with just watching her.
Her hand moved toward him in her sleep. He moved his hand so she could find it. Her fingers tightened on his. Maybe he wouldn’t have to just watch after all. She wanted contact with him even in her sleep. Her sleepy blue eyes looked up at him through droopy eyelids.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey yourself,” he smiled. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Hold me?” she mumbled.
Jack smiled as he pulled his shirt over his head, leaving his t-shirt on. He kicked off his shoes before he carefully crawled in to the bed beside her. He let her find a spot that was comfortable against him before he cautiously laid an arm over her waist. Her side felt warm and soft against him. Her hand found his and her fingers intertwined through his. With his head propped up on his elbow, he watched her. This felt right. He didn’t think he could wait until the Goa’uld were no longer a threat. He didn’t want to wait.
“What are you thinking about?” her tired voice interrupted his thoughts. “You look so serious.”
He laughed lightly. “Just about how nice this feels. Being here with you.”
“Such a serious look for such a nice idea.”
He sighed. “I guess the serious part is the fact that I want to be here all the time. Not just when you need someone to help you when you’re injured.”
“I know. I like having you take care of me though. It…feels right. Just like when I was taking care of you.”
He smiled at her in the dim light of the room. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”
She moved her head closer to his. “Kiss me…” she whispered.
Jack knew they were crossing the line. They shouldn’t be here like this. But then, they shouldn’t be sleeping spooned against each other off world either. Jack nodded slightly as he leaned over to savor her lips. They were soft and pliable against his. For a long moment, they simply tasted each other’s lips, sampling the texture and feel. Jack felt her tongue slip along his lower lip. Before they realized it, the kiss had deepened into a long, slow exploration of each other’s mouth. Their tongues tangled gently in their investigation. Finally, the kiss softened back into savoring each other’s lips and stopped as Jack’s forehead came to rest on hers.
Sam sighed as the contact between them broke. “I want you…,” she whispered.
Jack smiled softly. “I want you, too, but you are in a bit of pain at the moment. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Besides, Daniel and Teal’c should be here soon.”
Sam tilted her head to lightly kiss his lips again. “I don’t think I can wait until it’s over,” she murmured in between light kisses.
“Until what’s over?” he said, though he was pretty sure he knew what she meant.
“The war with the Goa’uld.” Her lips returned to his.
He let the kiss deepen again, savoring the warmth of her body next to him, the taste and feel of her mouth. “Me either,” he whispered as she released his mouth. His hand rubbed her stomach soothingly.
Their activities and conversation were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. “Guess the guys are here,” he whispered as he planted a tender kiss on her forehead before he rose from the bed.
Sam lay awake for a while thinking about the events of the last month. She didn’t want to wait anymore for a future that might never happen. When Jack was injured last month, it had made her realize how much she wanted to at least talk about a future. The pain in his eyes when he was treating her wounds on the planet made her realize that a murky future wasn’t enough. She wanted the present in case the future never happened.
She gingerly turned over on to her left side. She couldn’t sleep on her back. The cuts on her breast and cheek hurt less to lie on than the bruises on her right side. She buried her face in the pillow. She wanted to be with him now. She let her tears of frustration mingle on the pillow with the slight scent that remained where he had lain. She didn’t know what to do. Sam knew walking away from the SGC would be hard but if she walked away into Jack’s arms…
After they had gotten the supplies put away, Jack came back to check on Sam. She appeared to be sleeping so he quietly closed the door and went back to the living room. Daniel had made himself comfortable on the couch and Teal’c had picked a spot in the floor with his back against a wall. Jack plopped down into the armchair with a sigh.
“Thanks, guys,” he said quietly.
“For what, Jack? She’s our friend too,” Daniel said. “We concerned about her and didn’t like the idea of her having to stay on base or alone either.”
“I know. It’s just…”
“O’Neill, you cannot hide your feelings for Major Carter from us. There are few people that know you well that are not aware of the feelings between the two of you.” Teal’c was straightforward as always.
Jack emitted a half sigh, half laugh at his words. “I know. And I worry about that, too. I don’t know if I can keep on pretending it’s nothing more than friendship. I don’t want Sam to get in trouble and I can’t let her quit the Air Force.” He sighed heavily. “I guess I should just retire again. Maybe
“That would be an unacceptable solution. You are needed where you are. The Tau’ri have few warriors of your ability.”
Daniel shook his head. “He’s right, Jack. You can’t quit now. You know more about the Ancients than any other person on base. We need you too much for you to quit now.”
“But Sam can’t quit! She’s too important and she has too much to lose! She’s got her entire career ahead of her and mine’s pretty much done!” Jack stood up and walked over to look out of the window. “It’s ridiculous. Why would I have to fall for the one person I can’t have?” He was speaking low, more to himself than to his friends. He could still feel the pressure of her lips against his, the warmth of her body next to him. He wanted that to be reality now and not just a promise of the future.
“You need to work something out but quitting isn’t really an option for either one of you.”
Daniel’s voice intruded on his thoughts. He turned around to face his two closest friends. “I know. I just don’t know what to do,” he said quietly. “Can we talk about something else?” He said louder as he sat back down.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Daniel caught Jack’s eye and all three began to laugh.
“I guess not,” Jack said. The laughing helped ease the tension and his friends helped him ease his worries over Sam. They decided to see what they could put together in the kitchen that might tempt Sam to eat when she woke up.
Sam woke up to the smell of food. She couldn’t identify what but it smelled good. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until her stomach processed the aroma of cooking. She turned slowly over on her back to look around. It had been late afternoon when she’d gone to sleep. It was dark now. There was a small night light shining in from the bathroom. She reached painfully for the lamp on the nightstand and switched it on.
She saw the crutches Janet had given her leaning against the nightstand within easy reach. Her mouth felt like sandpaper and tasted of something even worse.
She managed to sit up and reach the crutches. Standing up was a little more difficult. Her right shoulder and arm hurt and using the crutches added to the pain. She grimaced as she made her way to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth, washing her face and trying brush through her unruly hair, she felt better. She thought about trying to change out of the sweat suit she had worn home but decided she couldn’t handle it at the moment.
Sam eased her way out of the bedroom and into the hall. She could hear male voices speaking softly in the kitchen as she turned into the kitchen. A female voice joined them. Sam stopped in the doorway to find Janet and Cassie were here as well as Daniel and Teal’c.
“Having a party and didn’t invite me?” she said to draw their attention to her.
“Sam,” Janet exclaimed as she and Cassie turned toward her. “You should sit down.”
Jack was one step ahead of Janet as he pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and went over to help Sam to it. “Sit here…you can direct traffic. It’s getting a little crowded in here.”
Sam eased herself down into the chair, thankful to get the pressure caused by the crutch away from her shoulder. “Thanks,” she smiled at him.
Jack pulled another chair over with a cushion on it so that she could prop up her foot. Janet had said she needed to keep it elevated. “You want some more pain pills?” he asked quietly.
Sam shook her head. “No, they make me too groggy. I want to be awake for a while.”
He checked his watch. “It’s time to take the anti-inflammatory again. I’ll go get it.” He left the kitchen to go get the pills in the bedroom.
“How are you feeling, Sam,” Janet asked, letting the doctor take over.
“Well, I still hurt but it’s not as bad. Those pain pills you gave me packed quite a punch! I slept solid for several hours.”
“That’s why I gave them to you. You need some rest and you can’t get it when you are in pain.”
“Well, I’m okay for now. Maybe when I go to bed,” Sam said, smiling at her friend.
“You do that,” Janet said as she went back over to help Cassie with the salad they were making.
“What’s for dinner?” Sam asked as her stomach noisily reminded her that she was hungry.
“I have prepared spaghetti,” Teal’c said with a touch of pride in his voice. “It is a recipe that I found while watching a cooking program and have wanted to try for some time now.”
“Sounds great, Teal’c! I’m starving!” Sam grinned at his expression of pride. She knew that he wanted to learn to cook but living on base meant that he didn’t have access to a kitchen. He’d cooked for them several times at Daniel’s or Jack’s but not as much as he wanted to.
Jack came back into the room with Sam’s pills and handed them to her. “You want water or diet coke?”
“Water for now, thanks,” she smiled her thanks as well as he handed her a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
He smiled back as he went back over to his assigned task, fixing garlic bread for their feast.
They had all just sat down for dinner when there was a knock at the door. Jack hastened to answer it before anyone else could get up. He was surprised to find General Hammond waiting on the other side of the door.
“Sir! What brings you here?” Jack exclaimed as he motioned the General to enter.
“I was on my way home and wanted to check on Sam,” he replied as he walked in. “Something smells good in here. I’m not interrupting your dinner, am I?”
“No, we just started and you are more than welcome to join us! Teal’c made spaghetti.” Jack motioned him to precede him into the dining room. Teal’c got up to move another chair to the table while Daniel got another place setting.
“I don’t want to interrupt,” General Hammond protested.
“No, interruption, and there’s plenty of food. Teal’c cooks like he’s trying to feed an army of
“In that case, thank you,”
“What do you want to drink, sir? We have beer, wine, soda, diet soda and water,” Jack said as he headed for the kitchen.
“Beer would be great, Jack. Thanks.”
“Thank you, sir, but I don’t exactly remember the last time you saw me. I think Janet’s drugs had kicked in by that time.”
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he helped himself to some of the salad that Cassie passed him.
“Better. I got a good nap in this afternoon and sleep works wonders. Still real sore but Janet assures me that there is no permanent damage. I should be good as new in a couple of weeks.”
Janet snorted. “We’ll see about that,” she said as she passed the salad on around the table. “You managed to screw that ankle up real good. You could be out a little longer than that. I said you had to stay off of it for a couple of weeks not that you would be well in a couple of weeks.”
Sam made a face at Janet as she scooped spaghetti on to her plate. “We’ll see. I heal fast.”
Jack laughed as he handed the General his beer. “This ought to be fun. Major Sam vs. Doctor Janet. You think we can sell tickets.”
“Will there be a ring of jell-o involved?” Teal’c said with a completely straight face.
Jack nearly snorted his beer while everyone broke up into laughter.
After everyone, including the General chipped in to clean up the kitchen, they managed to find places to sit around Sam’s small living room. General Hammond got the armchair at Sam’s insistence. Teal’c, Daniel and Janet found room in the floor. Sam was firmly ensconced in between Cassie and Jack on the couch with her sore ankle propped up on a cushion on the coffee table.
Jack looked around the room at this strange assortment of friends that he had collected over the years. The only thing that would make it perfect would be if he could put his arm around Sam in front of them without fear of repercussions. Other than that, it had been a wonderful evening.
They talked and reminisced about missions that had gone bad, some that were good and others that were funny until Janet was sleepily leaning on Daniel’s shoulder and Sam and Cassie were propping each other up.
General Hammond smiled at the sight of his people. He was just going to stop by to check on Sam and head home but he was glad he stayed. It confirmed what he always believed about SG1. They were close knit regardless of the individual relationships between any two of them.
Janet opened her eyes with a sigh. “I guess I should go, too, since I need to do the same in the morning.”
“Are you okay to drive?” Daniel asked. Janet had consumed most of the wine she had brought.
“I can drop you off, Doctor, if you need a ride,”
Daniel stood up and helped Janet up from the floor. “I can drop her off. She’s on my way home. Teal’c is staying here to help Jack with Sam. Since she only has one guestroom, we agreed to trade off nights. Of course, Jack gets stuck with the couch since this was his idea.”
Janet gratefully grasped Daniel’s hand as he pulled her up out of the floor. “I can maybe stay one night if you want me too. Or Cassie can.”
General Hammond knew why they were concerned about Jack having ‘help’ with Sam. He knew it was to ward off any hint of an improper relationship between his two officers. He turned to a very sleepy Sam on the couch. “Good night, Sam. I’ll check on you later.”
Sam smiled a sleepy goodbye. “Thank you, sir.”
Daniel, Janet and Cassie got out the door first and Jack stood watching as they piled into Daniel’s car. They would be by in the morning to get Janet’s. Jack had serious doubts about whether Daniel would make it to his house tonight. Jack envied what he saw developing between those two. Daniel as a civilian wouldn’t have any restrictions about seeing Janet.
“Good night, Jack,”
Jack watched as
“Come on. We need to get you to bed,” Jack said offering a hand to Sam.
She shook her head. “Just come sit with me for a minute then I’ll go peacefully.”
Jack grinned at her and sat down close to her. “Okay, just for a minute. You look beat.”
“Thanks, just what every girl wants to hear.” She snuggled up under his arm as he put it around her.
Jack laughed softly as he nuzzled her hair. “You know what I mean.” He kissed her forehead as she leaned back to look at him.
“Yeah, I do and I am tired but I wanted a few minutes alone with you. I was surprised General Hammond showed up. I was afraid it would get a little tense considering you’re staying here.”
“Nope, not at all.” He went back to nuzzling her hair.
Sam let her head fall back against his shoulder and looked up at him with sleepy blue eyes. Jack couldn’t resist leaning over and nibbling at her lips. She began sucked lightly at his lower lip, brushing it softly with her tongue while he did much the same to her top lip. Slowly the kiss deepened until their tongues met and tangled. His arm pulled her gently closer, conscious of her bruises. Her hand slid up his chest and caressed the muscles beneath his shirt.
Gasping for air, she finally spoke again. “Stay with me tonight…in my bed…” she whispered.
He nibbled her lips a few seconds longer. He just nodded. He knew it wasn’t right but she was injured. It was not as if they could do anything anyway. He just wanted to be close to her. He stood up, cautiously pulling her up by the hand. He reached for her crutches to hand them to her but she shook her head.
“You can’t walk on that foot yet,” he protested.
“Those crutches hurt too much. My right arm is still too sore to use them.”
Jack merely nodded and then carefully lifted her into his arms, making sure her left side was toward him and carried her to the bedroom.
“I like this way much better,” she giggled into his neck. She nipped lightly at the scrumptious little mole on his neck, tasting his skin.
“Hmm, I think that I do too,” he gasped. “But if you aren’t careful, I might drop you.”
“Nah uh, you wouldn’t do that,” she whispered as she continued to suckle on his neck. “Nice neck.”
He laughed lightly as he got her carefully down the hall and into the bedroom. He tenderly set her down on the edge of the bed.
“You feel up to a bath. Janet said that you should soak that foot several times a day and you haven’t today.”
Sam’s face lit up with a smile. Her hand caught his and pulled him toward her. He knelt down in front of her. “Will you join me?” she whispered as her hands slid behind his neck to pull his lips to hers.
“Oh, that is the best offer I’ve had in a month! But I think it would be better if I didn’t,” he said as he leaned into her lips. Her mouth was so soft. He nibbled softly at first her top lip and then her bottom. His hands found their way to her back, cautiously sliding up under her sweatshirt. He was almost afraid to touch her for fear of hurting her.
Sam took the lead and deepened the kiss. Her tongue began to explore his mouth slowly, delighting in the feel of his lips on hers. His hands on her skin felt soft and coarse at the same time. His touch was soft but his callused hands sent shivers through her body.
His hands stopped suddenly. Her mouth tried to follow his lips as he pulled away.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked softly.
She smiled and shook her head slowly. “No, no, you didn’t hurt me,” she leaned forward to regain contact. “Your hands feel so good on me,” she whispered as she met his lips again.
His hands resumed their cautious exploration of her back as her tongue invaded his mouth again. He moved slightly forward until his chest came into guarded contact with hers. Mindful of the cut on her breast, he leaned in until there was no space left between them. She pulled him tighter to her chest as he moved his body to snuggle between her thighs. She could feel his growing arousal against her as she urged him to lean into her.
He could feel a tightening in his groin as her hands surveyed his back. Her scent, her taste, he was rapidly falling into her and soon would be beyond caring about anything around them. He pulled back slightly, smiling as she strained her neck forward trying to maintain contact with his mouth. As much as he wanted this to continue, he knew it had to stop.
“Hey, we still have to get you into the bath, remember? I’ll go start the water,” he said as he planted a quick kiss on her forehead.
She sighed and nodded.
She watched him through the open door to the bathroom. He set out towels and washcloths within easy reach of the bathtub before he returned to her.
“Come on,” he said softly as he lifted her up from the bed and carried her the few steps to the bathroom. He set her down on the counter and began to help her undress. Her arm was not as sore as last night but he was still cautious as he lifted the shirt over her head and slid her arms out of it. He helped her to stand on her good foot.
“Hang on to my shoulders,” he said quietly. As she steadied herself, he slid her sweatpants and underwear down her slender legs. He lifted her up on the counter again and carefully worked them over her injured ankle. He knelt near her foot and began to unwind the athletic bandage from her ankle.
His hair was too tempting. She ran her fingers through it as he unwrapped her ankle. She saw the smile that spread across his face at her touch. The bathroom had started to steam up, creating an unreal aura. She sighed softly as she watched him intent on the yards of bandage.
He stood up once the bandage had finally come loose in his hands. He set it on the counter behind her and turned to shut off the water. He lifted her off the counter and set her down on her good foot in the hot water. He steadied her as she sank into the warm depths.
She leaned back against the tub with a sigh. The water felt good although it stung the odd cuts and scrapes on her body. Jack watched her relax before he took her dirty clothes into the bedroom and began searching for her something to wear to sleep in. When he returned to the bathroom, he found her dozing. He knelt down next to the bathtub.
“Sam,” he said softly in her ear. “Wake up. We need to get you out of here.”
“Hmm,” she sighed as her eyes opened slightly and sat up slowly. “I’m sorry. I must have drifted off.”
“It’s okay. It’s been a long day,” he laughed as he reached for the washcloth and the soap.
She realized his intent and softly protested. “Jack, I can bathe myself.”
He just shook his head and smiled as she reached for the washcloth. After he lathered the cloth, he began rubbing the soft cloth across the back of her neck and shoulders. He continued to bathe her carefully, amused by her soft sighs and moans as he tenderly worked through the kinks in her muscles.
He finished with as much of her back as the water line would let him. He moved around to the front of her neck and began to wash her there. She leaned back as he moved slowly down her front. He lathered his fingers to wash the cut on her breast, careful of her stitches. He continued with the washcloth across and under her breasts and then down her stomach and sides as far as the water would allow.
He reached over to pull the stopper on the drain before he continued down her stomach as the water drained to reveal it. She moaned softly as he reached her soft mound. She wanted more, but he was all business about bathing her. He carefully pulled her forward to wash the rest of her back.
He turned on the water a little to wet and lather the washcloth again. He watched her as she settled back against the porcelain in the almost empty tub and closed her eyes. He leaned over and continued to bath her, lifting her long legs, slowly and gently massaging them with the washcloth. He lathered her twisted ankle before he continued on to her feet, his fingers teasing between her toes. Finally, he stood up, pulled the shower massage off the bracket and tested the temperature carefully.
“Sit up,” he whispered as he knelt back down. He tilted her head back and began to wet her hair. He set the showerhead to the side and lathered her hair with shampoo. His long fingers dug soothingly into her scalp, eliciting moans of pleasure from Sam. Convinced that he had covered every strand of hair and massaged her entire scalp, he reached for the showerhead again. Slowly, with his fingers combing through her hair, he rinsed the shampoo away. With her hair finished, he used the showerhead to rinse her body slowly. Her eyes still closed and her mouth slightly opened, Jack was convinced that if she had been a kitten, she would be purring.
“Come on. I need you to stand up now,” he said as he once again set the showerhead down. He carefully lifted her up to stand on her good foot. “Brace yourself against the wall.”
With her hands spread palms flat against the wall, he reached once again for the showerhead and finished rinsing her off. He shut off the water and lifted her over the edge of the tub. He began drying her off as she leaned against the counter for support. Her hands found his shoulders and balanced herself there.
Sam had never felt so cared for in her life. It was incredible. There was nothing sexual about the way he was taking care of her. She had never thought that their relationship was based strictly on sexual attraction, but this confirmed it. This was someone that loved her in every sense of the word. He gave so much without asking for anything in return.
He wrapped a towel around her and then lifted her on to the counter before toweling her hair dry. “You want it dried?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s okay,” she murmured as he continued to massage her head with the towel. He reached for her brush on the counter. He lightly brushed her towel-mussed damp hair back away from her face.
Finished with her hair, he lifted her up and carried her back into the bedroom. He had pulled the covers back while she had been soaking in the bathtub. “I found these for you to sleep in.” Pointing to the nightclothes, he had laid out on the foot of the bed.
“Doesn’t matter,” she mumbled as she pulled the towel around her body away. Her voice was drowsy. The bath and his tender care of her had relaxed her more than she thought possible. He smiled as she leaned toward the pillow that seemed to be calling her name. She crawled up on the bed naked and curled up into a small ball. He tucked the covers around her. He leaned over and kissed her lips lightly.
“Where you going?” she mumbled as he headed back toward the bathroom.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said as he closed the door.
She heard the shower running again. She smiled softly and muttered to herself, “He’ll be back in a few minutes...”
Sam was fast asleep when Jack emerged from the bathroom. He knew she would be and as much as he wanted otherwise, it was better this way. She was still injured and she needed to heal. They didn’t need to complicate things now. He looked longingly at the empty space beside her in the bed. He wished he could crawl under the covers to sleep near her. However, that wouldn’t be a good idea either. He pulled the overnight bag that Daniel had brought him out of the corner and quickly pulled on a pair of loose shorts and a t-shirt. He then quietly left the room.
Sam’s eyes snapped open. It took a minute for her eyes to focus in the dim room. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, lit only by the tiny night-light. She turned slightly to look behind her. She was alone. She sighed into the darkness. She must have fallen asleep waiting for him. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand on the other side of the bed. It was almost 0500.
She turned back over to face the bathroom. Last night had been amazing. She had never felt so pampered in her life. No wonder she fell asleep! After that bath, how could she have done anything else? She sighed as she closed her eyes.
She couldn’t go back to sleep. She knew he was probably asleep on the couch but she wanted to be near him. She sat up carefully, flipped on the lamp and reached for the clothes he had laid out for her to sleep in. Her crutches were still in the living room. She eyed the room trying to identify a way to get from the bed to the wall so she could use it for support. After carefully dressing, she managed her way to the wall, via the nightstand and the dresser.
Sam had made it down the hall when she realized that there was a significant open distance between her hallway and her couch. She leaned against the wall and laughed quietly. This was a really stupid idea, probably the result of too many pain pills. She briefly considered returning to her bedroom but her right leg hurt from using it exclusively and her left ankle was starting to throb.
“Sam?” She heard softly from the living room. “What are you doing?”
She saw his silhouette in the darkness as he looked over the back of the couch at her.
“Oh, just out for an early morning stroll,” she replied with a note of sarcasm in her voice as she leaned with her back against the wall.
She saw him rise from the couch out of the corner of her eye. The next thing she knew he had picked her up and was carrying her back toward her room. His expression told her that he was not amused.
“My crutches are in the living room,” she said by way of explanation.
He set her down on the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
Sam sighed as he left the room. It was rather stupid to try to reach him without help. She could have hurt her ankle worse if she had fallen on it. She sat quietly on the bed until he returned.
Jack set her crutches near the bed so she could reach them. “Lay back down. You should get some more sleep.” His voice was quiet and neutral. Whatever he thought of her nocturnal journey didn’t show in his voice.
Sam laid back on the pillows and let him cover her up. Her hand reached out to grab his before he got out of reach.
“Stay with me,” she whispered. She thought that for a minute he was going to say no. She could see the doubt in his eyes about the wisdom of that request. Slowly his head began to nod slightly. He walked over to the door and closed it quietly before he walked around to the other side of her bed. He pulled back the covers and slipped in next to her.
She was so relieved that tears welled up in her eyes as she quickly reached to turn off the lamp. She felt him move up behind her and his body spoon hers gently. His arm slid around her waist and found her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers. She could feel his breath on her neck as he placed a gentle kiss there.
“Sleep, now, Sam,” he whispered. “Sleep.”
She tried to do as he said but the tears that welled up in her eyes refused to go away. She didn’t think that she could handle not having this, his arms around her, all the time. She must be reacting to the pain and the medication.
Jack felt the soft sobs trembling through her body. “Sam? Are you in pain?”
She just shook her head. She was afraid to speak. She needed him but she couldn’t have him. Her entire body hurt with an ache that was no longer physical. She couldn’t walk away from the SGC. She couldn’t let her personal needs interfere with the importance of their mission. How could she? If there was anything she could do to secure the safety and freedom of her entire planet, how could she walk away because of her love for one person?
His arms tightened guardedly around her waist. He was at a loss for words. He didn’t know what was wrong and she wouldn’t talk to him. Her hands tightened painfully on his hand. He felt her swallowed sobs as they racked her body. He didn’t know what was wrong but he knew the need to let it out.
His lips whispered a kiss on her ear. He felt her body tremble as a low moan escaped her lips. Her hands pulled tightly on his hand and arm, pulling his hand firmly against her chest.
“Sam, it’s okay,” he said quietly.
She held his hand against her heart, hoping the contact would ease the pain that shot through her. She couldn’t stop the first sob when it escaped. It was followed quickly by the second. His whispered voice in her ear caused the third to come out in a cry of anguish. Disregarding the physical pain, she rolled over to face him and buried her face in his chest.
Jack was confused. He didn’t know what was wrong. He held her close as he felt her hot tears soak through his t-shirt. He held her as if she would break, trying to comfort her. He let one hand caress the side of her face as he kissed her forehead. The next thing he knew her lips had found his. Her kisses were desperate, frantic.
“Sam,” he whispered between her hysterical kisses. “What’s wrong? Talk to me, please.”
“No,” she whispered. “Just kiss me.” Her injuries protested as her arms wrapped around him, pulling him tight against her. She couldn’t explain. She just wanted him to hold her.
He attempted to keep the kiss soft but Sam wouldn’t have it. His moan was soft and relenting as her tongue found entrance to his mouth. Her body pressed harder against him as his body reacted to the insistent pressure. Her arms pulled at his back and his neck. Her breath was hot against his lips.
“Easy, Sam, you’re injured,” he whispered as he pulled away from her mouth.
“I don’t care,” was her breathless reply as she sought his mouth again.
His concern for her injuries slipped away as her hand trailed around his waist and along the edge of his shorts. His awareness of anything but the feel of her fled as her hand moved between them and slipped under waistband to grasp his erection. He moaned into her mouth.
“Sam, slow down,” he whispered against her open mouth. “We shouldn’t…”
Her lips cut his off his words. She didn’t want to hear him trying to talk her out of what she wanted. It wouldn’t do any good and it was a waste of energy.
“Make love to me,” she whispered desperately. Her hand increased pressure on him to emphasize her words.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he protested softly.
“You won’t. I need you,” her voice was so close to begging. “Please.”
He found himself getting lost in her touch. Her lips found his again and she aggressively deepened the kiss as she continued to stroke him. She moaned softly as his tongue began to fight back. His hands tangled in her hair and held her lips tight to his.
He gave up trying to talk sense to her. Her hand slipped away from him as he pressed her back on the bed. Her tears had stopped but her face was still streaked with salty wetness. He leaned over and kissed her cheeks, tasting her tears. His mouth moved around her face until their lips joined again. As their tongues dueled in an erotic battle, his hand ran lightly down her stomach and back up again, teasing her ribs on the return to her breasts. He avoided the laceration on the side of her breast but his fingers paid careful attention to her hardening nipple through the soft material of her nightshirt. The kiss slowed as they both gasped for air.
His hand moved back down to the bottom of her shirt and slid up under it, pulling it up as his hand moved back to her breast. His mouth moved slowly down her chin to her throat nibbling lightly until he reached the hollow of her throat. He paused to allow his tongue to taste her skin. He felt as well as heard her gasp as her hand came up to clutch at his shoulder. Her breath was ragged in anticipation as he moved past her bunched up shirt, down to the valley between her breasts. His fingers teased her left nipple as his mouth moved to cover her right. She exhaled sharply as her body arched up towards his mouth.
Sam could feel the heat of his breath against her breast. His mouth, so soft and gentle, created a fire that spread rapidly through her body. She ached for him, for his touch. She couldn’t stop the soft moans and gasps as his tongue flicked lightly at her.
He smiled against her breast as she whimpered slightly. He slowly moved his hand from her left breast and let his fingers trail down her body. He paused to tease her navel before slipping under the waist of her pajama bottoms and continuing down to the soft curls of her pubis. He toyed with the skin beneath the curls before his long fingers continued their journey further south.
Sam clutched desperately at his shoulder with her left hand. Her right was tangled in the bedcovers. Her body was as tight as a wound spring. His hand and mouth were winding her even tighter. She felt his fingers move further down and gently brushed against her. Her eyes rolled back as he searched for her sensitive flesh.
Jack was pleasantly surprised to find her so ready as his fingers slowly dipped into her. She cried out as she arched against his hand, eager for more. Her body was so responsive to his touch. She used her hand to pull his face tighter against her breast. Her moans were soft and gasping as he sucked harder on her nipple. His thumb maintained pressure on her sensitive nub as his fingers plunged deeper and began to stroke her firmly.
Sam’s right hand was still tangled in the sheet as she felt the first wave of pleasure flow from her core. She released the sheet to grab at Jack’s head. She used both hands to pull him to her lips. Greedily, she took his mouth as the second wave hit her. Cries of pleasure punctuated her kisses. His fingers kept their steady motion until she rose to the heights of passion and then continued to caress her as she slowly came down.
“Oh…yes,” she breathed. Her body continued to tremble as her arms wrapped around his neck. The way he made her feel overrode the pain of her bruised body. She kissed his face enthusiastically as his hand slid up to rest on her stomach.
Her hand moved to tug at his t-shirt. He sat up and quickly removed it. She watched as he lay on his back to slide his shorts down his long legs. Gently, he helped her remove her clothes. He lightly kissed her lips as his hands ran up and down her soft skin. The dark bruises showed in the dim light against her paleness. He kissed her lips briefly before he stopped to look into her eyes.
“Sam, are you…” He stopped as her fingers covered his lips. This was not the same thing as their night in Arunum’s village. This was a decision to change their entire relationship in a way that they had agreed they couldn’t.
She nodded slightly as her hand slid around his neck and pulled him closer to her face.
“Yes,” she whispered before their lips met.
He moved carefully to cover her body with his. He knew he had to be cautious because of her battered body but thinking wasn’t his strong suit right now. She pulled her knees up as far as her bruised lower back and hip would allow. He watched her carefully for signs of pain.
The moan that escaped her mouth had nothing to do with pain. Her hands lighted on his shoulders, her nails dug slightly into his skin. He kept his hands on either side of her and his weight on his arms. He inched slowly into her, on guard for any sign of discomfort. When he reached her full depth, he rested slightly until she tried to move against him. She hissed softly when she used her left foot for leverage.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he held himself still.
“Nothing, I tried use my foot,” she grimaced.
He slipped his arm under her left knee and brought her leg up a little so her foot was off the bed. “Better?”
“Yes,” she moaned as her hands cupped his face before slipping around his neck.
Sam was almost delirious with the feel of him. He didn’t just fill her body…he filled her soul. The warmth of his body healed her aching heart. The feel of his skin against hers assuaged her wounds. Her breathing was coming in little gasps as she felt him move within her. She needed him as she had never needed anything in her life.
Her fingers clenched on his neck and shoulders accompanied her panting breath. She moved slowly with him, oblivious to the pain of her injuries and the ache of bruised muscles. The tightening in her lower stomach signaled her impending pleasure. The pressure of his pelvic bone pressing against her sensitive flesh caused her to moan each time their bodies came together.
He watched her face closely for signs of pain. He hadn’t watched her like this when they had made love the first time. He was captivated as he watched the pleasure building in her. Her eyes, closed and her gasps were erratic, punctuated by soft moans. Her fingers tightened on his neck and shoulders almost in sync with her gasps. When she moaned lightly, her nails dug into his shoulder. He was so intent on watching her that he was able to distract his body’s desire to complete its own satisfaction.
He found himself varying his tempo or the pressure against her just to watch her reaction. He was fascinated by the way her eyes rolled when he increased pressure, the way her gasps and moans coincided with certain moves. He watched intently as her movements began to strive to match his and then to push him faster. Her voice was ragged as she began to say his name quietly.
He moved faster, pressing harder into her as she began to pant rapidly. He felt her body tightened, her muscles, internal and external, contracting as she found what she was looking for. The sight and feel of her threw Jack over the edge with her. Their cries mingled together, as did their bodies. Sam’s hands frantically pulled his head down as she tried to attack his mouth. He gently lowered her left leg and braced himself above her on his elbows so he could reach her lips.
Her kisses turned from frantic to passionate to gentle as she came down from the heights she had found in his arms. Her fingers traced light patterns on his face as his forehead met hers.
“You okay?” he whispered.
“Oh…yes…way better than okay,” she said softly. Her arms snaked around his back and pulled at him. “Relax, it’s alright.” She wanted to feel his weight on her.
He gradually lowered himself, watching closely for any sign that it might hurt her. He exhaled softly as he allowed his face to dip into her neck. He lightly nibbled the soft skin he found there.
“Nice neck,” he whispered.
She laughed slightly hearing her words from last night repeated back to her. “You feel good,” she sighed. “This feels good.”
“Yes, it does,” his voice slightly muffled by her neck.
Jack slowly eased off Sam and snuggled up next to her. She shifted over on to her side so he could spoon up behind her. Her neck rested on his arm as he reached down with his other hand to pull the covers up over them.
“Would you like to tell me what that was all about? Earlier?” he whispered as smoothed her hair back toward him.
“I…” she sighed heavily. “I don’t want to wait.”
“I gathered that much,” he said as he kissed her neck. “But this is breaking the regulations.”
“I know. And it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“I can’t let you do that,” he whispered. “I’ll retire.”
She clutched his hand and kissed it.
“I can’t let you do that either.” She turned over to look at him in the brightening morning light. “Jack, you can’t quit. I can’t quit. However, I can’t keep on denying what’s between us. I thought I could, especially after our time on Arunum’s planet. Maybe if I hadn’t gotten hurt. Hadn’t seen the pain in your eyes while you were caring for my wounds...”
Her hand moved to caress his face. Her fingers smoothed his frowning brow.
“Maybe if I hadn’t seen just how much you love me in the way that you have been taking care of me,” she continued. “Maybe I could have done it. But I can’t now. One of us could ask for transfer. But I don’t think that I can stand not being with you on SG1.”
Her hand continued across his face, her fingers trailing down the bridge of his nose to his lips. They were soft as he kissed the tips of her fingers.
“This is the only way. Take what we can, when we can, and hope for the best. If we get caught, well, it’ll be my career but I don’t care anymore.”
“Sam…” he started but she put her fingers over his mouth again.
“It’s really not up for discussion. Unless you don’t want me, then I’ll shut up and things can go back to the way they were. But otherwise, I’ll take what happiness I can.”
Her lips replaced her fingers and ended the discussion. Her hands slid around his neck and pulled him forward. He slowly responded to the intense pressure of her lips. His mind tried to focus on her words but she was too distracting. Her nails drew lines down his back and up again. Her hand spread out across his shoulder and then repeated its journey down his back again.
His hand tightened on her waist slightly as the kiss broke for a moment. Her breath was hot on his neck as she buried her face in it.
“You haven’t said anything,” she whispered.
“I love you,” he said as his eyes closed to contain the moisture he felt there. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“That you love me is a good start.”
He smiled into her hair. “I love you and I don’t want anything to happen to you. I want you. God knows how much I want you. But to risk everything you’ve worked for… How can I do that? How can I let you do that?”
“You aren’t letting me do anything. It’s my choice. I can’t leave SG1 yet. You can’t leave it either.”
“I know. I…I just need to think about this. Maybe there’s another way.”
“If there was, don’t you think we would have thought of it before now?”
She could feel the heavy sigh he made. She was afraid that he might not go along with it. If he decided to go back to the way things were before to keep her safe, she would request a transfer or resign and the hell with the world. She deserved some happiness. She deserved a relationship with the man that she’d been in love with for years.
“I know. You’re right,” he whispered. “I guess if we’re careful…”
She smiled secretly into his neck. She didn’t want him to feel her exultation at winning the argument. She kissed his throat and made her way back to his lips.
“I love you, too, you know,” she whispered against his mouth. The rising sun watched as they sought comfort in each other’s arms.
Sam woke slowly to the feel of Jack’s lips nuzzling her neck. She stretched slightly pressing her body back against him. Her body ached all over but Jack was still next to her. She had been afraid it was all a dream.
“Good morning,” she said sleepily.
“Definitely a good morning,” he whispered as his lips continued to play with her neck. The hand on her waist moved around to her stomach and pulled her carefully back against him.
“Oh, it looks like the morning could get even better!” she giggled as she felt something quite hard and hot press against her. It seemed as good a way as any to work out the soreness in her body.
He growled in her ear as he pressed firmly against her. “You’re giggling.”
“I thought it was allowed as long as there was no pointing,” she laughed as she reminded him of his words from their time together in Arunum’s village.
He groaned as she moved away so she could roll over to face him. One of his arms slipped under her neck pulling her face closer. He felt light an electrical shock ran through him as she ran her hand down his chest. He felt her fingers brush his lower stomach achingly close to his erection. He had awakened snuggled against her back and had been thinking about their lovemaking early this morning. His body had reacted to her closeness and the memory. Now she was well on the way to creating a new memory. Her hand grasped him firmly and began stroking as her lips sought out his neck.
Sam delighted in the feel of him. His soft moans sent shivers down her body and straight to her center. His arm tightened on the back of her neck as his body shuddered at her actions. His other hand moved along her side tenderly before finding its way to her breast. It was her turn to moan as his fingers played lightly along her skin.
A knock at the door brought both of their actions to a rapid halt.
Teal’c’s deep voice penetrated their desire soaked brains. “Major Carter, Daniel Jackson telephoned and said that he would arrive within the hour. I asked him to stop for additional provisions.”
“Thank you, Teal’c,” Sam managed to say. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Very well,” was the only reply.
Sam tried not to laugh at the look of disappointment on Jack’s face. She returned to her earlier actions. “We have a few minutes,” she whispered. “There’s nothing wrong with a quickie when time is at a minimum.”
Jack’s face broke into a lecherous grin.
“Quickie, huh…” he said softly as he proceeded to capture her lips.
Sam and Jack were seated at the table with their coffee while Teal’c was cooking when Daniel arrived. The blankets and pillow that Jack had used on the couch last night were conspicuously still there, although they had been folded.
It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Daniel. He would never do anything intentionally to hurt anyone, much less Jack or Sam, but he might let something slip to Janet. Those two seemed to be spending a lot more time with each other lately. Janet, being military, would be obligated to report any infraction of the regulations. Not that she would, but if things were revealed, it could mean that she would be in trouble right along side Jack and Sam. It was best that they keep this secret just between the two of them. And of course, Teal’c.
Teal’c hadn’t said a word or even raised an eyebrow when Jack emerged from Sam’s bedroom. From his damp hair, it was obvious that Jack had just taken a shower. And, from Sam’s equally wet hair, he probably hadn’t taken it alone.
“Morning, guys,” Daniel said cheerfully as he headed to the kitchen for coffee. “Teal’c, please tell me that you made the coffee. I can’t drink that stuff that Jack calls coffee!”
“As a matter of fact, I did make the coffee,” Teal’c rumbled with a slight smile. “And I am preparing pancakes for breakfast.”
Daniel laughed as he headed over to the table to join Jack and Sam. “If I didn’t know better, I would think Teal’c is enjoying your convalescence, Sam.”
“As a matter of fact, Daniel Jackson, I am indeed enjoying the opportunity to cook. I have decided that it is unnecessary for us to trade nights assisting O’Neill. Unless you object, I would prefer to stay here until assistance is no longer required. Major Carter’s guest quarters are quite comfortable and I am able to experiment with the recipes I have found.”
Jack and Sam deliberately avoided looking at each other. They were dreading Daniel’s nights because they would have to be more cautious when he was around. If Teal’c stayed until Sam was healed, they wouldn’t have to worry as much. They would still need to watch what they did. Teal’c might not feel obligated to answer questions about them to most people, but they both doubted that he would lie to a direct question from General Hammond.
“Are you sure, Teal’c? I don’t mind staying.” Daniel actually seemed a little relieved although his words were the opposite.
“Positive,” Teal’c replied as he brought over a plate stacked full of pancakes and one of bacon. “I find cooking a relaxing and enjoyable hobby and staying here affords me the opportunity to indulge in it.” What he said was true, but that was not the only motivation for his offer. He caught the look of gratitude in Jack’s eye and nodded slightly. “Of course, if it is agreeable to Major Carter.”
Sam reached for the pancakes. “Fine with me, Teal’c. Although I may end up gaining weight out of the deal! I don’t cook much!”
Daniel laughed as Sam snagged a couple of pancakes from the plate. “Well, you better watch it! You don’t want to lose that girlish figure to Teal’c’s cooking!”
“Some additional weight will not harm Major Carter,” Teal’c replied to Daniel as he sat down with them at the table.
Jack just smiled as his foot touched Sam’s surreptitiously. A fork full of pancakes hid Sam’s smile.
Sam had her foot propped up on the coffee table on a cushion and her laptop in her lap. At least she could do a little work while she was at home recuperating. Jack was next to her with his arm around her shoulders. She liked this aspect of having him around. Just being snuggled up on the couch. Of course, he wasn’t particularly interested in her research. He was watching TV. Teal’c had gone to base with Daniel to get some things from his quarters since his stay was going to be longer.
“Teal’c amazes me sometimes,” she said, looking up from her work.
“Why’s that?”
“Well, offering to stay here full time instead of switching off with Daniel. It’s like he realized the predicament that it would put us in if Daniel stayed here.”
“Yep, T’s a lot more observant than you think.” Jack leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Plus I don’t think your room is all that sound proof,” he added in a whisper. “I don’t think he had to be too observant to figure that out.”
Sam blushed and ducked her head. “Oh, crap, I hadn’t thought about that!”
Jack laughed into her hair as he kissed her head. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Teal’c won’t say anything, to you or anyone else.”
Sam snorted a laugh. “It’s not the saying that worries me; it’s just knowing that he can hear us!”
Jack trailed soft kisses down the side of her face. He paused at her temple and nibbled lightly. “Well, he’s not here now and neither is Daniel.”
Sam turned her head to look at him. “Are you just pointing out the obvious or are you suggesting something…” Her voice trailed off as his lips found hers.
“Maybe both,” he whispered between light kisses. He twisted on the couch a little more so that he could kiss her properly. He moved her computer on to the couch next to her.
Sam let him lead. His mouth was insistent and his tongue quickly delved into the soft recesses of her mouth. His touch set her on fire but his kisses came close to causing her core to have a complete meltdown. His hand started at her stomach and roamed up the soft sweatshirt that she wore.
He had helped her dress that morning so he knew that she had no bra on. That fact had been driving him crazy all morning. He caressed her through the material as their kiss deepened. His body reacted to her soft gasp as his hand found what it was searching for. One of her hands covered his with silent urging. Her other hand slipped under his shirt and meandered up his back.
“Maybe we should move this some place else…” Jack whispered against her lips.
Once again, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Oh, who has such bad timing?” Sam moaned into Jack’s neck.
Sam pulled her computer back on her lap and pretended to be interested in what was on the screen while Jack answered the door.
“General Hammond! Good to see you, sir.”
Sam tried to control the gasp as she heard Jack’s words. The one person that they couldn’t afford to have catch them in a compromising situation and he shows up on her doorstep. Sam lifted her head to look at the hall as Jack led the General into the living room.
“Good morning, sir,” Sam smiled one of her biggest smiles. “You just missed breakfast a little while ago. Teal’c made pancakes.”
“Well, he’s decided that he will stay here for the duration so that he can cook! Let Daniel off the hook! Of course, since I can’t exercise, if Teal’c keeps up the cooking, I am going to be in danger of gaining weight!”
Sam and Jack both laughed at his comment.
“That’s what Teal’c told her this morning,” Jack informed the General.
“How’s the ankle feeling today?”
“Better. I am still very sore. I soaked for a while in a hot bath last night and that helped a lot. How are SG 11 and 3 doing?”
“They’ll make it. However, a few of them will be out of action for a while. That’s actually one of the reasons why I am here. We’re somewhat shorthanded with SG1, 3 and 11 all partially out of commission. I need to know how soon I can have the uninjured members of SG1 back.”
Jack grimaced. He had been looking forward to spending some time with Sam but duty comes first. “As soon as you need us, sir. We’ll work something out for Carter.”
“I knew you’d say that, Jack. I’m sorry I have to ask you to come back when I had given you time off but I don’t have much choice. I will make sure that at least one member of SG1 is left off the roster to help Major Carter.”
“It’s really not necessary, sir,” Sam finally piped in. “I can take care of myself. I have crutches and I’ll just keep the phone handy for emergencies.”
“That’s not necessary, Sam. I have three sound members of SG3 and two from SG11. SG3 can operate one short. Two from SG1 can go with SG11. That way we are only one team short until everyone heals. I just hope we can avoid anymore injuries!”
“That’ll work, sir. When do you need me to report?” Jack was disappointed but both he and Sam knew that work would have to come first in their relationship. The relationship they weren’t supposed to have in the first place.
“Not until probably Wednesday. The next mission on the roster is for tomorrow and would have been SG1’s but it needs Dr. Jackson and Teal’c due to some ruins on the planet. You can sit this one out and be ready for the next mission in three days.”
Jack tried to school his expression. He couldn’t stay here with Sam by himself. “Sir, I, eh, well…”
“What?”
“Well, it’s probably not wise to have just one member of SG1 staying with Carter. I, mean, someone could misconstrue the reason that they were here.”
“Ah…I understand,” he said nodding. “And you know what, Colonel. I don’t have a problem with it. I know why you are here and that is all that matters in my book.”
Jack still looked skeptical but the General’s tone didn’t allow argument. “Yes, sir.”
“Well, I need to get going. I promised the granddaughters some quality time this afternoon. They don’t understand that sometimes Grandpa has to work Saturdays,” he said as he stood up. He nodded to Sam as Jack led him back to the door.
“Sir, are you sure about me staying here, with her, alone?”
“Jack, Sam needs help and it’s not as if you are compromising the mission of the SGC by staying here.”
“Well, yes, sir. But…”
“Then I don’t see what the problem is.” With that, he left quickly, leaving Jack with his mouth open in surprise.
Sam tried to read the strange expression on Jack’s face as he sat back down beside her. Finally, she gave up and just asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I think.”
“You think?”
“Well, don’t you think it is strange that he has no objections to me staying here?”
“Yes, but what choice does he have?”
“Well, several, actually. He could require you to stay on base until you are healed. He could have someone else, a female someone else, from the base stay with you. He could have let you stay alone. You are able to use the crutches better.”
“I guess he didn’t think of those.”
“I guess not…” Jack’s voice indicated he wasn’t convinced.
“So we have at least three days, together, alone…” Sam’s mouth hung open at the idea that their senior officer had just approved this situation. She cut her eyes up at Jack, the look on his face as incredulous as hers.
“That’s what it sounds like,” Jack shook his head in disbelief. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?
“Do you think he said something to Teal’c and Daniel?”
Jack just shrugged as his cell phone rang. He reached for where it was sitting on the coffee table.
“O’Neill,” his voice was still confused when he answered. “Okay, see you then.”
“What’s up?”
“That was Daniel. They’ll be back shortly. They’re bringing Cassie and Janet will be over later.”
“So much for our earlier ideas…” With her head leaning back to look at him, her smile let him know exactly which ideas she was referring to.
“Later… Looks like we will have lots of later…” he replied as he kissed her.
The next two weeks flew by. Sam was relieved to be allowed back in her lab but her excuse for Jack staying over at her house was now gone. She felt some trepidation at testing General Hammond’s veiled reassurances. Jack had spent most of the last two weeks with her, gloriously alone. The four nights that he was required to stay off world, her other friends had stayed with her. Teal’c stayed two of those nights, Daniel, one and then Janet and Cassie had a sleep over this past Saturday. Now that she was able to return to duty, albeit light duty, she had no need for assistance at home. She was really going to miss having Jack curled up beside her at night. They agreed that they would exercise extreme caution. There was no need to flaunt the relationship.
But the question was now, how do they continue? She hated the idea of sneaking around on the side but there wasn’t much of a choice. She decided not to think about it now and get to work on trying to figure out the latest toy SG5 had brought back. Janet had her doing physical therapy to strengthen her ankle and she wouldn’t be allowed off world for a couple of more weeks. That gave her plenty of time to catch up on some of her other projects.
Sam had been working for several hours when she heard the claxons announcing a gate activation. She checked her watch and realized that it should be Jack and Teal’c returning with SG11. They had a team night planned at Jack’s house tonight. She looked forward to it but it was going to be difficult being around Jack and controlling her actions. She had become accustom to snuggling up on the couch with him rather fast.
There were no announcements requiring medical assistance so Sam decided that she would just go back to work. Everything must be okay. It was just a meet and greet mission anyway. Some of the rebel
She had gotten back into her train of thought on the instrument in front of her when she heard a tap at her open door. Sam looked up to see a rather wet Jack standing there smiling.
“Hi, there,” Sam grinned. “A little wet on that planet, huh?”
“Yeah, a little… Nothing but rain. How’s it going?”
“Actually got some work done today,” Sam said as she looked at the water that steadily dripped from his uniform. “You’re dripping all over the floor.”
“Ah, yes, I guess I am,” he grinned. “I guess that is a hint that I need to go change clothes.”
Sam bit her lips trying not to grin. “Mmmm…yes.”
“Are you still on for team night?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” she said as eyed the puddle forming at his feet.
“I’m going, I’m going. Later,” he laughed as he headed for the locker room.
Sam was almost to Jack’s house when her cell phone rang.
“Carter,” she answered.
“Sam, it’s Daniel. Have you seen Jack?”
“He left the base over an hour ago. I’m on the way to his house now. What’s up?”
“Teal’c and I are at his house already and he’s not here. He’s also not answering his cell phone.”
“That’s strange. Maybe he stopped to pick up some stuff for tonight?”
“I don’t think so. Teal’c and I brought the food and he said he had plenty of beer. What else would he need to pick up?”
“I’m about five minutes away. I’ll try his phone again.”
“Okay, see you then.”
Sam hit end and then speed dial for Jack’s number. The phone rang five times before rolling over to his voice mail. She left a quick message and then dialed the base security.
“Base security, how may I assist you, sir or ma’am?”
“This is Major Carter. Has Colonel O’Neill left the base yet?”
“Yes, ma’am. He signed out at 1733.”
“Thank you.” Sam quickly hung up the phone.
She was starting to get worried. Jack had stopped by her lab a little after 1700 and said he was leaving. It was now almost 1900. She could understand him not answering his cell phone if something at delayed him on base after he saw her. Cell phone signals wouldn’t penetrate the mountain. But since the airman on duty said that he had left the base, he should answer. She couldn’t understand where he would be.
She pulled up to his house to see Daniel and Teal’c standing on the porch. She quickly ran up the stairs to greet them.
“Have you been inside yet?”
“Yeah,” Daniel replied. “We looked all over. There’s no sign of him.”
“Is there anyplace you can think of that O’Neill might have gone?” Teal’c’s concern showed in his eyes but not his voice.
“No, he was looking forward to team night. He said he was headed home when he left the base. I checked with base security. He signed out at 1733.” Sam checked her watch. It was now 1855. “If something has happened to him that means he’s been missing for at least an hour and a half. We should contact General Hammond. Maybe he sent Jack somewhere.”
Sam knew she was grasping at straws but she didn’t know where to go next except the General. She flipped open her cell phone and made the call.
Daniel and Teal’c stood silently as Sam informed the General of O’Neill’s disappearance. She grimaced as she hung up the phone.
“He says he hasn’t seen or heard from Jack since the debriefing and he hasn’t sent him anywhere. He’s sending over a forensic unit to check the house and he will contact the local authority for an APB on his truck.”
“Isn’t that a little drastic? He’s only been missing for less than two hours.”
“General Hammond doesn’t want to take any chances. Not with the knowledge that Jack has about the SGC. He advised us to wait outside so we don’t disturb anything.”
Jack’s eyes opened slowly. Was team night over? This sure felt like a hangover. His head was pounding as if he had one. He lay still getting his bearings. The room he was in was dark. It felt and smelled damp, rancid. His eyes adjusted to the very dim light that came through under the door. He was alone, laying on some kind of mat in the floor. An exercise mat is what it looked and felt like. He sniffed the air again. A gym…that’s what it smelled like, rancid sweat and body odors.
His mind tried to replay the last thing he remembered. Sam…he remembered telling Sam he was headed home and he would see her later. He signed out and left the parking lot in his truck. There was an accident. Two cars…blocked the road. He remembered getting out to see if he could help. And shock…he felt as if he had been shocked. And…that’s it. That’s the last thing he could remember.
His mind replayed the feeling of being shocked. He was zatted! Someone had zatted him. That could only mean one thing; the NID was somehow involved in his current situation. He stayed still, hoping his head would stop hurting before he attempted to sit up. What could the NID want with him?
Jack heard noises from outside the door. Shortly, he heard the sound of a key in the lock. He closed his eyes to feign unconsciousness.
“He’s still out! How long does one of those things last?” the first voice said.
“I don’t know for sure but I don’t think it’s that long” said the second.
Jack felt a foot tap him in the side. He moved quickly in spite of his headache. He grabbed the offending appendage and toppled its owner onto the floor. Jack jumped up to go for the other guy and found himself looking at the business end of a nine mil. Jack eased back and raised his hands.
“I knew you couldn’t still be out. Welcome back to the land of the living, Colonel. For now.”
Sam sat on the hood of her car with Daniel. Teal’c stood nearby. They watched as the forensic team went in and out of Jack’s house. So far, there was nothing to find. There were no signs of struggle or foul play. It appeared that he had never made it home. Sam looked over her shoulder as another car pulled up behind hers. General Hammond emerged from his car. Sam and Daniel stood up to greet the older man as he walked up to where they were.
“Sir, any word?” Sam’s concern was obvious, in both her voice and expression.
“The local authorities said that someone reported an accident about two miles from here. They said they saw two cars collide and then a truck fitting the Colonel’s stopped at the scene. By the time the police arrived, the two cars and the truck were all gone. The person reporting the accident didn’t leave a name. They are tracking them down from the phone number used to make the call. I’m afraid it’s beginning to sound like the accident was a setup and Jack was abducted.”
Sam’s heart leaped into her throat. She knew she needed to keep her reaction calm in front of General Hammond but she was finding it difficult. There were few people in this world that would want to do Jack harm and the worst of them would be the rogue elements of the NID. But why now?
General Hammond watched as Sam paled and then tried to control her reactions. He knew that she was prepared for anything that happened off world but for something like this to happen two miles from his home. Well, it wasn’t fair.
“We’ll find him, Sam,” General Hammond said soothingly as he patted her shoulder. “We’ll find him.”
Jack found himself tied quite firmly to a chair with a blindfold over his eyes. He hadn’t gotten a good look at his abductors in the darkened room before they blindfolded him. He could hear them moving around in the room. The smell of coffee mixed in with the odors of an old gym. He listened carefully trying to determine if there were more than the two that had come into the room where he was originally held.
“Hey, guys, so what’s the deal here?” Jack said, trying to get them to respond. It wasn’t the first time he’d tried and once again, they didn’t answer. It was rather unnerving knowing they were there and not saying anything. “This set up is a little uncomfortable. You think you could loosen up these ropes a little.”
Again, no response from his captors. Jack sat quietly for a little while just listening. A cell phone broke the silence.
“Okay. We’ll start,” was the answer to the person on the other end or to the person in the room. Jack was unable to tell. He heard the cell phone snap shut.
“He’s in position,” the voice that answered the phone said.
“Okay, then, let’s get started,” the second voice. “Colonel, we’ve requested your presence to present an offer to you. One that we feel you won’t be able to refuse.”
“Requested?” Jack said sarcastically. “This isn’t the usual way to request someone’s presence. I really resent being zatted so let’s just assume that I will refuse your offer in advance and you can let me go now.”
“Ah, but I don’t think you will… You see we have some interesting information regarding your lovely Major Carter. And we believe that you would be interested in keeping it out of the wrong hands.”
Jack tried not to react at the mention of Sam. He thought he knew where this was going now. “What about Carter?”
“Well, let’s just say we have enough on the two of you and your…eh…extracurricular activities to pretty much end the lovely Major’s career. We know that you wouldn’t want that to happen so we are here to offer you a deal.”
“What’s the deal? I work for you?” Jack knew that was not an option. Sam understood the risks that they were taking. She would never expect him to turn traitor to protect her.
“You are smarter than people let on, Colonel. You work for us or we take the information we have to General Hammond.”
“He won’t believe you.”
“Ah, but it’s pretty convincing photographic evidence. I think he would be hard pressed to not believe it. Of course, we could take it higher if he doesn’t see the truth in the evidence.”
Jack strained his memory to think of any time they had been indiscreet in view enough for a picture to be taken. The only time they had acted any different with each other had been at her house. Could they have planted a camera in her house? SGC people had their houses swept for evidence of surveillance devices on a regular basis.
“I don’t believe you have anything. You would have to show me first,” Jack said quietly.
“Why would we bluff, Colonel?”
“Because you think you can get to me through her, but you are wrong.”
Jack heard papers moving around and then footsteps approaching him. He felt tugging at the blindfold. His captors were careful to stay out of sight behind him as a picture was held in front of his face.
It showed him and Sam on the couch in her house. It was the day that General Hammond came by and they had been kissing on the couch. Jack’s hand was quite obviously on Sam’s breast. Jack could tell that the picture had been taken through the window from the quality of the shot but it was clearly them, caught in a very compromising situation.
The picture was quickly pulled from in front of him and the blindfold secured once again. Jack’s mind ranged through the last couple of weeks. They hadn’t done anything more incriminating in view of those windows than that. Everything else that happened between them was in her bedroom. Her bedroom had curtains and blinds. He didn’t think that they could get a picture through that.
“So you see, Colonel, the evidence is quite convincing.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I will cooperate with you. Besides, that could have been a photo manipulation. People do it all the time on home computers.”
“Ah, but we have the negatives. So what’s it going to be, Colonel? You cooperate or we ruin the lovely Major’s career and get you both court martialed?”
Jack kept a neutral face as he thought about the repercussions of his and Sam’s indiscretions. They knew it was possible but they didn’t expect it to happen so soon. He had no choice though. He couldn’t turn traitor over this. Besides, Sam would never forgive him if he did. He knew his answer would be no but the pain in his heart over what it was going to cost Sam was intense. His career was never a concern for him, only hers and her well-being.
“Well, Colonel?”
“I’m afraid the answer is still no,” he said with steel in his voice that he really didn’t feel.
“Too bad. Major Carter had such a promising career.”
Jack heard the flip of a cell phone opening and the tones of a number dialing.
“He refuses,” was the only words spoken before the cell phone snapped shut.
General Hammond was still at his desk at 2000. Jack had been missing for 24 hours now. He didn’t know where to look or who to turn to. The only thing he was sure of was that the NID had to be involved. Who else would want the Colonel?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Walter clearing his throat.
“Yes, Sergeant?”
“Sorry to disturb you, sir, but security just called down to let you know that Senator Kinsey is on his way down to see you.”
“What the hell does he want?”
“They didn’t say, sir, just that he was here to see you.”
“Thank you, son.”
Jack heard the activation of a zat. ‘This is it,’ he thought. ‘Three shots and there wouldn’t even be a body to worry about hiding.’ He always knew that dying was a possibility in his line of work but tied to a chair and blindfolded is not the way he expected to go.
His last thoughts before the zat hit him were ‘I’m sorry, Sam.’
Walter led Kinsey into the General’s office and quickly scampered away. His dislike for the man was barely concealed. Everyone knew how Kinsey had tried to shut down the SGC on numerous occasions, but as the General’s aide, Walter knew more than most.
“How can I help you, Senator?”
“Well, I’m afraid that my visit isn’t going to be very pleasant, General.”
‘Like it ever is,’ thought
Kinsey made himself comfortable in one of the chairs opposite
“Well, anyway, I have proof that the relationship between Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter is in defiance of the fraternization regulations and calls for immediate court martial of them both.”
Again,
Kinsey cleared his throat uncomfortably as he reached into his briefcase. “Here is photographic evidence that they are having an affair and this matter should be addressed immediately.”
“General, you don’t seem to get it. They are in direct violation of the regulations and there is your proof. Aren’t you going to say anything?” Kinsey was getting more and more agitated by
“Senator, I have nothing to say other than this is reprehensible behavior.”
“Finally, you see it my way!” Kinsey seemed to relax back in the chair.
“Not theirs, yours.”
“What!” Kinsey sat back up in the chair.
“Spying on people in their own homes? Taking photographs through windows? You don’t find that reprehensible?”
“I didn’t take the pictures, someone delivered them to me! And they are breaking the regulations! You have to act on this or I will take it to the next level.”
“And what level would that be?”
“I’ll take it to the President. He’ll see to it that they are punished!”
“I’m afraid he won’t. You see, he and I spoke of the possibility of members of the SGC becoming involved over two years ago. Since SGC personnel end up staying assigned here longer than any unit ever considered, the possibility of intimate relationships increased. That’s one reason why the military keeps people moving around every two to three years. With the SGC, that’s not possible. Some of the members have been here for over seven years.”
“What’s that got to do with the fraternization regulations?” Kinsey’s face was turning red with anger as his voice increase in volume.
“Well, the President and I agreed that the SGC fell under the operational necessities clause of the regulations. As long as I feel that the relationship is not damaging to the mission of the SGC, there is no violation. And as far as Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter’s relationship goes, they have never done anything to indicate that it does. So I am content to leave things as they are.”
Kinsey’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as his face turned redder. “You can’t do this!”
“I’m afraid it’s already done. And if I find out that you had anything to do with the abduction of Colonel O’Neill, I will see you thrown into the deepest prison that the federal government can find.”
Walter appeared as if by magic. “Yes, sir.”
“The senator’s business here is concluded. Please escort him to the surface.”
Kinsey stood up sputtering. “You can’t do this…”
“I have, the President has, and now, the good Sergeant will see you out.”
Sam was sitting on the couch trying to concentrate on her computer. It was a waste of time. Jack had been missing for over 24 hours. He had disappeared without a trace. His truck had been found in a mall parking lot across town late last night. Once the mall closed, it was obvious sitting out there by itself and the local police had contacted the base to let them know they had it. Forensics had gone over it with a fine toothcomb but there were no clues as to Jack’s whereabouts.
Sam felt tears well up in her eyes. She had tried to hold them back for the last 24 hours but they were winning. She knew that dying in the line of duty was always a possibility for both of them. That was the reason that she was willing to risk her career to be with him when she could. But this, being kidnapped without a trace in
Sam finally let the dam break on the tears she’d been holding back. She pushed her computer to the side, curled up in the corner of the couch, and let all the sorrow and fear out. Her heart ached for him and for what he must be going through. She cried at the thought of losing him so soon. Her hot tears streamed down her face as her body racked with sobs.
She didn’t know how long she had cried when her sobs finally softened. Sam took a deep breath and got up to find some tissues. She was using her left leg better but she still limped quite a bit. She was standing near her desk when she heard the screech of tires as a car came to a sudden stop. She limped over to the window in time to see a van open its back doors and a body unceremoniously dumped out. The van burned more rubber leaving the scene.
Her heart leapt into her throat as she ran for the door, oblivious to the pain her actions caused her ankle. She nearly fell down the stairs as she attempted to run for the prone figure lying in the middle of the street. She knew that figure well.
“Please, let him be alive!” she murmured repeatedly as she made her way to him.
She fell to the street next to him, feeling for a pulse. She sobbed her relief at finding one, strong and steady. She carefully began to check him for injuries. His hands were bound behind him and there was a blindfold across his eyes that had fallen down slightly from the impact of his landing. He had a scrape along his jaw where he’d made contact with the pavement and another on his hand. She quickly unbound his hands and slipped the blindfold off his face..
“Jack, talk to me,” she said breathlessly. “Please wake up.”
He began to stir slightly, moaning as his brain regained consciousness. “Sam?” he whispered.
“Yes, Jack, it’s me,” Sam’s tears of relief fell on his face. “Are you injured? Can you walk?”
His hand reached up to trace the tears. “I think…I think I can walk.”
Sam helped him up as much as she could with her bum ankle. He appeared to be favoring his right knee. He must have hit it when he was thrown from the van. Between the two of them, they managed to get into the house and to the couch. She helped him down on the couch carefully.
“Your knee?” she mumbled.
“It’ll be okay… Sam, they were trying to blackmail me. They have pictures of us, here, on the couch. Incriminating pictures. I’m sorry, Sam. I couldn’t do what they ask! I’m so sorry!”
Sam let realization of what he was saying sink in. So this was it. She risked her career and now it was going to happen. But he was right. He couldn’t do what they asked. Not just to keep her from trouble.
Sam nodded slowly. “Don’t worry, Jack. You did the right thing. I knew there was the possibility of being caught. I’m sorry you had to go through this because of it. It’s my fault for insisting.” Her hand brushed through his hair and down behind his ear. “It’s okay. I need to call the base and tell them you are here. And then we need to get you to the infirmary and get you checked out.”
“Sam…” His eyes were worried and full of sorrow.
“Shush, it’s no one’s fault but my own. I take responsibility for my actions. You did the right thing.” She leaned over and lightly kissed his lips. She felt his uninjured hand slide up through her hair, holding her lips to his. He increased the pressure on her lips. He felt like a man dying of thirst drinking from a fountain of cool, pure water. Her kiss rejuvenated him.
Sam drank in his kiss. She had gotten to the point of despairing that she would never taste his lips again. Her arms slipped gently around his neck as he held her close. They both had feared never to see the other again.
“Jack,” Sam whispered as she pulled away reluctantly. “We need to let the authorities know that you are safe and you’ve got to see Janet.”
His hand trailed down her cheek as he nodded. “And we have to talk to
Sam nodded seriously as she stood up to make the phone call.
Sam stood uncomfortably silent waiting near General Hammond. Teal’c and Daniel arrived shortly afterward.
“What happened, Sam?” Daniel said as he entered. “Is Jack okay?”
“He’s alright. He thinks it was the NID although they didn’t identify themselves. They were trying to blackmail him into helping them gain access to technology we brought back.”
“Why would they think they could do that? What could they possibly have on Jack that would make them think he, of all people, would turn over technology?”
Sam bowed her head silently. She blushed slightly as Daniel’s face showed understanding. Thankfully, he stopped talking. They all stood in painful silence as they waited for Janet’s assessment of Jack’s condition.
Janet’s appearance put an end to the waiting. “Well, I don’t think he’s any worse for the wear. His knee is sore but I think it is just bruised. I want to get some x-rays anyway. I also want to draw some blood to check on any drugs they may have used although he says he’s pretty sure that all they did was zat him. I should be finished with him in an hour or so. Maybe you could all wait somewhere else.”
They took Janet’s not so subtle hint and filed out of the infirmary.
“General Hammond, I would like to speak with you in private, if it is convenient for you.” Sam’s request sounded very formal to Daniel and Teal’c. They knew what she wanted to talk to him about so they walked away and left them in the hall alone.
“Major, why don’t we wait until the Colonel is able to join us?”
Sam nodded. “Thank you, sir.” She watched him as he retreated down the hall. He knew. They had already gotten to him. And Sam knew that he would have no choice but to enforce the regs. She hated putting him in this position. He was like an uncle to her, considering his long-standing friendship with her father.
Her father! Oh, she would have to explain this to her father! Sam felt the blood rush to her head. She leaned against the wall for support. He would be so disappointed in her. Sam felt tears rushing up again. She’d managed to screw up everything. Why couldn’t she have waited?
She began to shake her head. She refused to regret the little happiness that she had found with Jack. It had been years since she had felt as alive as he made her feel. She had made the decision with both eyes open and refused to regret it that she had been caught. She stood up and squared her shoulders. Since the cat was out of the bag, there was no sense in pretending. She walked back into the infirmary to see how Jack was doing.
Jack and Sam had both changed into uniform before they went to
They moved slowly up the stairs to the briefing room. Sam paused at the top and looked at Jack. She couldn’t help but smile. They both looked like they were headed to a firing squad. He caught the smile and grinned back. Whatever happened, it was worth it.
“At ease,”
Jack and Sam complied. They had yet to look at each other since they walked in the door.
“First, let me say that I am disappointed that you two would not feel that you could confide in me when it came to the changes in your relationship. If you had, we might have been able to avoid some of the embarrassment that you are unquestionably experiencing at the moment.”
Sam’s eyes lowered as a slow blush mounted her face. “It’s my fault, sir. I take full responsibility for the breach of the regulations. The Colonel…”
“Stop, Major. I am not looking to assign blame. And if I remember correctly, it takes two to tango.”
Jack felt a blush trying to form on his own face.
“The point I am trying to make is that you should have come to me as soon as you returned from Arunum’s planet rather than trying to keep this under wraps.”
Both of their mouths dropped at his words. How had he found out?
“I am not blind,”
“Kinsey!” Jack’s voice was immediately angry. “That son of a bitch!”
“Calm down, Colonel. I’m sure he felt he was just doing his duty,”
Jack and Sam looked astonished. “Sir,” Jack spoke up, “I don’t know what the photo you received is of, but the one I saw…”
Both of Jack and Sam had their mouths hanging open.
“Sir, are you saying…” Sam tried to express her thoughts but they didn’t come out.
“I’m saying that there has been no infraction of the regulations at this time. It will be up to you to guarantee that there is none in the future. Of course, discretion is always a good option and professional behavior on duty is required.”
With that,
Jack and Sam didn’t say a word as they headed for the surface. They stood there so long that the SF on duty came over to ask if they needed assistance.
“Uh, no thanks,” Jack mumbled shaking his head. “We, uh, well, we are trying to decide how we’re going to get home.” He laughed as he pointed to their respective canes. Sam’s car was out of the question since she drove a standard. He had no idea where his truck was, not that he could drive it with his knee the way it was.
“Your truck was put in
“Thank you, Sergeant.” They continued to stand in incredulous silence as they waited for the SF to return. When he came back, he had another airman with him.
“Sir, I will go get your truck for you if you will wait here,” said the new airman.
“Thank you,” Jack mumbled.
Finally, in his truck with Sam driving, they found their voices.
“Where to?” Sam asked.
“Doesn’t matter, your place I guess,” Jack said. The silence was uncomfortable. So many things could have gone wrong and it turned out all right. How many times had this been the situation with them and SG1? One of these days, their luck was going to run out. But not today. Jack’s somber face began to loosen into a smile. By the time Sam looked over at him again, it was a full-blown grin.
“What?” she said, unable to stop the answering grin.
“We have permission.”
Sam giggled slightly. “Yes, we do.”
“On second thought, let’s go to my house. It’s closer.” His hand found its way across the seat to her thigh.
“Yeah, sure, you betcha.” Sam pressed harder on the accelerator and hoped there were no cops between here and his house.
The End
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