1. Chapter 1

_**Since I'm in Colorado I was inspired to do a bit of a 'Jack-centric, whump story'. It shouldn't be too long, but wil be full of whump, at least some allusions to S/J - and who knows what else. Please R&amp;R as you see fit! Thanks,**_

"Going to your cabin Sir?" Carter asked as they walked down the hallway. They'd just gotten back from a lengthy and exhausting mission to PX-something or other and Hammond had told them to take the rest of the week off. They all needed the break, although as far as Jack was concerned it was more because he'd had to spend the last five days with a couple of Tokra operatives than because the mission itself was hard. God, he couldn't stand those guys!

"Not sure yet Carter", he answered cordially. He hadn't had time to give it any real thought, although getting away to his cabin sounded like a good idea. He glanced down at his 2IC and briefly entertained the idea of inviting her once more. Quickly admitting it wasn't a good idea, he sighed.

"Everything okay Sir?" she asked, glancing over at him worriedly.

"Yeah – just tired Major. What about you? Any plans?"

"Nothing really, although my house could use a good spring cleaning."

"Doesn't sound like very much fun. You should take some time off and – I don't know – visit someone or something."

"Actually, cleaning out my cupboards sounds more appealing than that right now", she admitted. "I don't know if I'm really up to doing much visiting."

"Tokra tired you out too did they?" he grinned.

She laughed. "I'm afraid so Sir. They do kind of – get on your nerves."

"You mean they're a bunch of pains in the – uh -"

"Ass Sir – ass."

This time he was the one who laughed. God, he wished he could invite her to his cabin and that she could accept. Oh well, even if he couldn't have her with him he _could_ spend the next few days relaxing and fantasizing – not smart maybe, but very appealing. "Well, whatever you decide to do Sam, make sure you relax. We need you back in fighting form!"

"Yes Sir – and you too." She smiled at him and continued on her way.

He watched her for a few seconds, refusing to acknowledge the yearning he felt, but finally headed towards the men's locker room. He suddenly felt rather melancholy and even though he was looking forward to some time off, he really didn't feel like being alone. He wondered briefly if either Daniel or Teal'c would be interested in going to the cabin with him.

"Probably not", he muttered.

"Probably not _what_ Jack?"

Speak of the devil! "Daniel – you startled me. Whatcha doing?"

"Just got out of the shower", he explained, although the fact that his hair was still dripping made the explanation rather unnecessary. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah – Hammond just wanted to check in with Carter and me about upcoming officer evaluations."

"Nothing serious I hope."

"Nah, just routine. So – any plans for your time off?"

"I'm going to work on my book", the archaeologist and linguist told him. "I've been wanting to get to it for a while but haven't had time. I'm looking forward to actually getting back to it."

Jack stared at him for a second and then blinked. "Your book?"

"Yeah – you know – the one I started writing a few months ago." His statement was met with silence, at which point he rolled his eyes. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Uh – remember what?"

"I told you all about it. I was sitting in your living room, drinking a beer with you, and I must have spent twenty or thirty minutes explaining it."

"Oh. Uh – no."

"No? No what?"

"I don't remember."

Daniel sighed and shook his head, deciding not to even bother explaining. "It's just a book."

"Not about -" Jack waived his arms around, somehow trying to indicate the SGC.

"What?" Daniel looked puzzled for a moment and then his face cleared. "Of course I'm not going to write a book about our work here. I _do_ understand classified, Jack. I'm writing about ancient Sumarian gods and their relationship to the Egyptian pantheon. It's really fasci -"

"Mmm hmm", Jack nodded and slapped him on the shoulder. "Have a great time and I'm sure those Sumatran gods are fascinating. Uh – do you happen to know where Teal'c is?"

Daniel looked resigned and simply took a deep breath. "I think he went to see General Hammond to get permission to visit his family."

"Mmm", Jack nodded, not surprised. Well there went the idea of having company. He supposed he could invite a few friends from the community over to his house – he and the police chief were buddies – but somehow he was too tired to try and deal with people he had to hide things from. Maybe he _should_ go to his cabin.

"You going to your cabin?" Daniel asked, suddenly echoing his thoughts.

"Probably", Jack nodded. "Not much else to do."

"Well, have fun", his friend told him as he headed out of the locker room, his hair still damp. "Travel safely."

"Yeah – thanks Daniel", he gave a short wave and again sighed. Stripping off his uniform he padded his way over to the shower, wishing he didn't feel so – blue. He needed to find a hobby – something other than running around the galaxy. With another deep sign he turned on the shower, somehow hoping the hot water would wash away his black mood.

He settled on his couch, a cold beer and a sandwich close at hand. Reaching for the remote he turned on the TV and settled down to watch something mindless. He needed to get his thoughts off arrogant villains, pain-in-the-ass – supposed – allies, and beautiful and sexy subordinates. He took a swig of beer.

After a few moments he hit the remote. He wanted mindless – not moronic! After flipping through countless channels– how could he possibly have two hundred channels and find absolutely nothing he wanted to watch – he turned off the TV. He looked down at his sandwich and decided he wasn't really hungry after all. He took another swig – and realized that he didn't want a beer either.

With a soft groan he pushed himself to his feet and walked to the kitchen, depositing his uneaten meal and half full bottle on the counter. He then wandered back to his living room and stood looking out the window at the darkening evening.

Damn! Maybe he should have gone to his cabin. At least there he could have enjoyed the fresh air and wilderness while being bored. He glanced at his watch. Should he call someone? But who?

After a moment's hesitation he walked to the phone and picked it up. He'd call Daniel. Surely he wasn't writing about the Samaritan's at this time? He dialed the number but before it had a chance to ring he hung up. He was pretty sure Daniel would humor him by talking, but he probably really wanted to write and Jack knew his team members all deserved some real down time. How writing about some old dead gods was restful was beyond him.

Sam? Should he call her? But what could he say? It's not like he could invite her to come over to watch a movie or play a game. He smirked. He knew _exactly_ what kind of game he'd like to play with her. He snorted, suddenly imagining hearing Daniel say _'Spin the Bottle! – aren't you a bit old for that Jack?'_

Ha! One was _never_ too old for Spin the Bottle, not when it was with someone like Samantha Carter. But no – he couldn't call her, as much as he wanted to.

Teal'c was gone. What about George? He was pretty sure the General wouldn't mind, but then again, as much as he liked the man, he didn't know if spending time with his boss, when on down time, was a good idea. Anyway, George was probably spending time with his own family.

His watch told the same tale as the hall clock, which repeated that of the stove clock, and the flashing time on the DVD player – it was still only early evening and he had four whole days to get through. There was still time to go to the cabin but he didn't know if he really felt like going now. It would mean arriving early in the morning and then he'd have to sleep during the day and – it just wasn't worth it.

"So what the hell are you going to do Jack?" he muttered to himself. "There has to be _something_." He checking out his watch – a whole five minutes had passed. "Damn!"

It was at that moment that he decided he'd do something if it killed him! He'd been on one mission after the other for weeks so there should at least be some chore around the house he could do? His cleaning lady kept the house clean, it was too late to mow the lawn, he hadn't been around enough to need to empty the garbage and – as far as he could remember – there was nothing to repair. Where was a leaky pipe when you needed one?

_The basement!_ That's _it_, he realized. He'd been meaning to get to the basement and organize it for – well, for_ever_. In fact, he hadn't really done anything down there since he and Sara had split and he'd moved into this house. He'd simply piled a bunch of boxes in a corner, planning to get to them when he had time. By now he couldn't even remember what was in them.

All of the really important things – mostly Charlie's stuff – and a few of his mementos from over the years – were carefully stored in his bedroom or the upstairs closet. He figured most of the basement boxes were filled with junk – old books and clothes, knick-knacks and toys he's purchased for himself but had grown tired of. With a determined look he headed towards the basement. With a grin he thought of Carter and her spring cleaning. Maybe she had the right idea after all.

What a stupid idea Carter, he said to himself after a couple of hours. He sneezed, for the fourth or fifth time, and wondered why in the world he'd thought this was a good idea. He perused the basement – which was now a total disaster – and wished he'd just taken the boxes and tossed them.

So okay – there were a few things he would have missed if he'd thrown them away. He'd enjoyed looking at the old photo album of his parents' that he'd found. It had brought back a whole bunch of memories and caused him to suddenly miss them terribly, something he hadn't done in a while. The photos also made him realize he really needed to contact his brother and sister. Although they tried to keep in touch, it had been awhile since they'd talked. He should consider going and visiting them both – although the fact that they were at opposite ends of the country made that a bit tricky.

Still – most of the stuff had been junk. _Why_ had he kept an old pair of boots that looked like they'd been found in an alley somewhere? He wasn't ever going to wear them again and they were too worn out to give away. And then there was the stack of magazines, most of which he hadn't enjoyed the first time around. It's not like they were even some of Sara's – he was pretty sure someone must have sneaked them into his house when he wasn't looking. Hey – maybe Daniel would like them? He stared at them for a moment and then shook his head. He didn't think Daniel would be into the _Bacon Buster's Monthly_, although the article on Babes and Boars looked intriguing. Nope – not for Daniel. _Teal'c_ on the other hand …

He then glanced over at the one thing he _was _really glad he'd uncovered – his father's tackle box and fishing equipment. It too brought back memories that caused a lump to appear in his throat. God, he remembered so many good times fishing with his Dad. The two of them – more than either Dave or Kate – had loved to fish. He still did and couldn't believe he'd forgotten this was here.

He'd spent quite a bit of time looking through the box, pulling out the various flies, clamps, lanyards and other bits and pieces of equipment. Finding his father's scaling knife was an even more special find. He remembered how many times, as a kid, he'd begged his father to be able to hold it and try it. He'd always been told 'no' – until finally, one day, his father had simply handed it to him.

That had been an incredibly special moment for him. It had been a strange and wonderful acknowledgement that he was growing up – that his father trusted him – and that he was now old enough to join his father completely in their shared passion. He had taken it gingerly, but had known it was something to handle carefully, respectfully.

After looking at it for a long time – simply allowing the memories to wash over him – he'd laid it down carefully. It was dull and tarnished, but tomorrow he'd take it and sharpen it and put it away until it was time to go to his cabin. He would then add it to his own tackle box. He returned to searching through more boxes, but found little else to interest him.

It was much later that he glanced again at his watch this time was surprised to see it was almost midnight. Okay, he'd managed to spend some real time and had accomplished – well – he looked at the mess – he _had_ thrown away the boots.

Might as well head to bed, he decided. He could finish this tomorrow. He took one last look at the pile of stuff and turned sharply towards the stairs. What happened next was like something from a cartoon – except it left him far from laughing. In fact, it left him close to dying.


	2. Das Boot

_**Because you all asked so nicely (okay, so some of you begged), I've posted another chapter. Thanks as always for the amazing reviews. Have a good whump-filled evening/morning/day. Vini**_

It shouldn't have happened. In fact, the chances of it _actually_ happening were infinitely low. But the fact was, it _did_ happen and the consequences were disastrous.

He'd travelled the galaxy. He'd been through hazards the people on Earth had never even heard of. He'd been blown up, shot at, hit, stabbed, zatted, etc, etc. He'd walked over terrain that was more than treacherous, with booby traps both natural and man-made, and he'd survived. He was experienced. He was skilled. And he was usually lucky.

But not today. It was an accident, a fluke a freak occurrence and it was going to leave him fighting for his life.

He turned to head back upstairs, tired after his attempt at cleaning. He was also hungry and thirsty, from having skipped dinner. He figured that's what had done it. He wasn't his usually coordinated and careful self. Instead he'd caught his foot on something – some piece of junk he was probably planning on throwing away. It had caused him to trip and he'd taken a couple of running hops and skips to keep himself from falling. He'd thought he'd made it, that he was safe with what had been no more than an embarrassing dance, which fortunately no one had been around to see. But he was wrong. Just as he thought he was going to make it an old ping pong ball rolled out from under another pile of junk, right under his foot.

That caused him to stumble again and this time, with a wild wave of his arms and a loud curse, he'd gone hurtling to the ground. He'd known it was going to hurt and he braced himself. And it flashed through his mind quickly that he must be cursed - he'd never actually owned a ping pong table in his life.

As he went down he briefly closed his eyes. If he was lucky he was going to get by with nothing but a few bruises. He waited for the moment of impact and pain he knew he was going to feel as he landed on the hard cement floor.

That would have been it – a few bruises, a few curses, a limp up the stairs and a hot bath and some Tylenol, except for one slight thing. When he'd fallen he'd knocked into the pile of magazines, which had fallen into the pile of old video tapes, which had careened into the ceramic garden gnome (he _knew_ he hadn't bought that one) which tipped over onto the box – which held his father's hunting knife. Now even that wouldn't have been a problem, except the knife went flying into the air, turning slowing over – once, twice, three times – until it landed.

Now, the rule of nature suggests that a knife when dropped, not thrown – because of its very shape and size – will usually land either on its side, or blade side down. That would have been true except for one small thing – or maybe not so small a thing – and that was Jack's old pair of boots.

For some strange and terrible – reason, after the knife did it's slow and almost lyrical movement in the air, it landed inside one of those old boots headed for the trash. It landed with the handle right in the hole where your foot normally goes. The blade – the long, dull, serrated blade - stuck straight up from the boot like some malevolent bud in a very old and dirty vase.

Even this event would normally have occurred with few, if any, negative consequences. This time however, the forces which had aligned against Jack combined to ensure that it _did_ have consequences and very, very bad ones.

As he went down he didn't see the blade sticking up in his path, thinking only of the concrete and his bones. The thought that his flesh was about to be pierced didn't even cross his mind – that is until he felt the molten agony that flooded through his chest when he hit the ground.

"Gaaahh!" he gasped – the pain too sharp for a scream. It took him a moment - quite a few moments actually – to try and make sense of what had happened. Of course it took even longer than normal because he had to concentrate on breathing, something that was way harder than it was supposed to be.

What the hell happened, he asked himself? He tried to pull in a breath but something was stopping him – something that hurt – a lot. It reminded him slightly of the feeling he'd gotten when down in – oh hell no! He took another breath, this time managing to get some air in his lungs and then forced himself to look down.

Shit, shit, shit! He had a knife – his father's knife – sticking out from his chest. He swallowed and knew that he was in big, big trouble.

Okay Jack – get off your ass, or in this case your side, and move. You need help and you need it fast. He glanced down again and could see the red stain spreading rapidly on his shirt. That, and the burning agony, forced him to move, something he really didn't want to do.

"Aaargh!" he choked, the sound coming from his throat a strangled cry for help. He managed to make it to his back and lay there, staring at the multitude of black spots that swam before his eyes. He didn't know how long he stayed like that but all he knew was that if he moved another inch, if he tried to breathe too deeply, to speak, to yell, to cry – or even to scream bloody murder – he'd pass out.

Eventually the world returned to some semblance of normalcy, even if it was filled with almost unbearable pain. It was only as things became clearer – his eyesight and his awareness both – that he realized his chest wasn't the only problem. "F**K!" His leg was killing him too.

Shades of Antarctica came rushing back. A broken leg, most likely a punctured lung, a lot of pain and stuck. The only difference was here he was bleeding on the outside, rather than on the inside.

The other difference, of course, was that there was no Samantha Carter here to help him and to give him a reason to go on. Not that he was giving up – never that – but he knew that there was nothing he wanted more than to hear her voice at this moment.

Ain't gonna happen Jack! They all think you've gone to your cabin and they're off doing their own thing. If you want to make it out of here, you're gonna have to do it yourself.

He allowed his head to flop to the side – he couldn't really claim he'd moved it using any kind of muscle control, and peered towards the stairs. It wasn't that far. He could make it. All he had to do was drag himself over there, and then up thirteen stairs to the kitchen, where he could pull himself to a standing position and grab the phone. He'd make one simple little 911 call and then he'd spend a few merry days in the hospital or infirmary. Piece of cake O'Neill. You'd better get on it.

There was one slight problem of course, and that was that he was bleeding all over his floor and if he didn't do something quick he'd never live to _make_ it up those stairs. So – stop the bleeding, _don't_ pull out the knife, as much as you want to, and _then_ pull yourself out of here, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Another head flop, this time the other way. There had to be something in this mess that he could use to stop the bleeding. His eyes wandered all over the even more useless junk until he came across an old ripped Air Force T-shirt. He prayed it was clean, although at this point it didn't matter that much. He'd die of blood loss way before infection – and there were those wonderful things called antibiotics.

Okay, he decided as the world again swam and his non-existent dinner wanted to make an appearance all over the ever-reddening basement floor, _don't_ try and move so quickly. With a gulp, an attempt at a deep breath and a slow reach of his arm he tried to snag the T-shirt.

Of _course_ it was too far away. He'd have to move, which was really stupid as it was in the wrong direction, away from the stairs. Still – blood loss Jack – not good, very not good. With another breath – which were still difficult – he managed to inch himself towards the shirt. At one point he felt like he was going to pass out and stopped, forcing himself to stay conscious and not succumb to the pain and ever growing weakness. "You – can – do it – O'Neill", he gasped. Another thing to remember. Don't talk. There's no one to hear you except yourself and you need the oxygen too badly to waste it on an empty room.

God Sam – where are you when I need you?

Success! He finally managed to grab the shirt and slowly pulled it towards himself. The next thing he had to do, which he had no desire to even attempt, was to staunch the blood. The knife was still sticking up, mocking him, and he was going to have to work around it. He had an almost overwhelming desire to yank it out, but knew that most likey _would_ be the death of him.

"Ow, ow, ow", he muttered, forgetting his own thoughts about being quiet. It _hurt_! He attempted to clumsily wrap the shirt around the knife and press as firmly as he could bear. Tears instantly filled his eyes and he jerked his head sideways, as if that could alleviate some of the burning pain.

He wasn't sure how successful he had been in stopping the blood, but he couldn't wait to find out. He had to make it upstairs to the phone, or he was a dead man.

So began the excruciating journey across his basement floor. He had to use one hand to keep the shirt pressed against his chest, the other was used to attempt to drag himself. He also used his leg, the non-broken one. He would reach with his arm and bend his leg at the same time. He pull with his arm and push with his leg, trying to gain as much purchase as he could.

At this rate he'd make it to the bottom of the stairs by Monday, he thought. Still, he didn't know what else he could do.

Maybe the best thing would be to get up on his knees – or at least one knee, and try to crawl. It would be painful and definitely ungainly, but he might make better time – and time was now of the essence.

Pushing himself over onto his side made the knife sway and move. He let out a gasp and instantly felt the hot blood seep out of the wound at a faster pace. His breathing hitched – the awkward position making it even harder to get air in his lungs. After a moment things settled down and he moved, inch by inch until he was finally leaning on one arm, almost facing the ground again.

"Here – goes – O'Neill", he gasped to himself. He pulled up his good led until it was under him and transferred his weight onto it and his arm. He groaned and stayed perfectly still until things stopped swimming. "Kay – get – ass – in gear!" He slowly moved forward an inch, and then another, and another. He forced himself forward, ignoring the steady drip, drip, drip of his blood on the floor underneath him. He had to continue to press, not just on the shirt, but on the knife as well. The position he was in had caused it to move.

"God!" he groaned as he moved another few inches. Things were going black and there was a loud wooshing noise in his ears, almost as if he was by the ocean. The gorge rose in his throat and he was terrified he would start to vomit – which would surely kill him.

Keep going O'Neill! He glanced up and the distance to the stairs looked unsurmountable. But he couldn't – wouldn't stop. He _had_ to make it. He had too much to live for now – he would not give up.

* * *

Sam wandered aimlessly around her house. She'd spent all of three hours cleaning, only to come to the realization that she was barely home enough to make her house dirty – and there was little or nothing left to do.

"You were right Colonel", she muttered to herself. "Spring cleaning was not the best thing to do on my down time!" She finally plunked herself on her couch and tried to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her time off.

Well, actually she _knew_ what she wanted to do and that was to go with the Colonel to his cabin. That couldn't happen though – even if she decided to be courageous and go for it. The fact was – it was too late. He would already have left for Minnesota!

She could call Daniel. He was working on his book but she figured he wouldn't mind spending some time with her. She laughed. What was wrong with her that she spent all her days with these guys but then when she had some time away all she wanted to do was get together with them. Was that sick? She hoped not.

What she did know is that they were her best friends. They understood what she did and who she was better than anyone in the universe. She could be honest with those guys – okay _almost_ honest. She thought about the Colonel. They had to retain some barriers or else … Well, they both knew the 'or else'. Nope, she couldn't go to the cabin, but she could call Daniel.

She glanced at her watch. Damn! It was almost 12 o'clock. Too late to call him. She sighed and decided she might as well go to bed. She'd give him a call in the morning.

As she padded her way into her bedroom, with her soft flannel pajamas and her piggy slippers (a gift from the Colonel for Christmas) she thought again of her boys. She smiled as she thought of Teal'c spending time with R'yac and Daniel writing his book. She hoped the Colonel was enjoying his time at the cabin.

It was only as her head touched the pillow that she got a strange feeling – a feeling as if something was wrong. She frowned and stared at her ceiling. After a few moments she shrugged and decided she was imagining it. If something had happened they would call her.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She really wished she was at the cabin with Jack O'Neill.


	3. Open Window

_**Continued thanks to my wonderful readers. I wasn't going to update today but your reviews inspired me - and I didn't want to leave you hanging for too long. Enjoy!**_

The first thing he became aware of was that he was cold, freezing in fact. The second bit of awareness told him that his face was planted directly on concrete – probably one of the reasons he was so cold.

At least concrete indicated some kind of sophistication, so he most likely wasn't on a primitive planet – which would have meant lying on dirt, - at least he was pretty sure it would. Of course the problem was that other than that one idea, he didn't have anything else. He groaned softly and then wondered where that had come from. Probably because I'm cold, he thought.

His mind was sluggish and besides being cold he was so, so tired. Maybe he should just sleep for a while. His team would watch out for him.

His team! God – what about them? He groaned again and forced his eyes open. He didn't have a clue where he was, or what had happened, but he knew he had a responsibility to his team. He had to find out if they were okay and get them home.

After what seemed like hours he managed to lift his eyelids, although they kept wanting to drift closed. So – what did he see? Yes, his face was on concrete, that much was confirmed. Other than that? He tried to lift his head, at which time the terrible coldness gave way to scorching agony.

"God!" he hissed. The pain started in his chest and then burnt all the way down to his legs. What the hell was wrong with him?

He tried turning his head and managed to move it a few inches. Still not sure what was happening or where he was, he tried to look around even though the pain made movement – and thought – almost impossible.

His eyes lighted on a pile of – magazines? What the hell? Other than Earth he didn't remember any planet they'd been on that had magazines – at least not ones that looked like he could have bought them at the local corner store.

His head moved a few more inches as he attempted to focus his eyes, which didn't seem to want to work properly. Still no teammates – which could be good or bad – but there was certainly a lot of junk piled around him. It made no sense. Where was he and why was he here?

He made one final attempt to move – gasping and choking. Damn – there was something really wrong with him. It was at that moment of realization that he eyes focused on an object that looked – hell – it couldn't be! It was his father's tackle box.

What was it doing here? And where _was_ here? Was this some alien device that had gotten into his head and made him think he was home? Home? Home! - Hell he was at home.

Everything suddenly came rushing back to him. He was in his own basement. He'd been cleaning and he'd fallen and – he looked down suddenly. Oh God – he'd stabbed himself and he was bleeding like a stuck pig.

He reached up to the wound, the T-shirt now completely saturated in his blood. He'd obviously collapsed, unconscious, while on his way to the stairs. Fortunately it looked like he hadn't landed on the knife, which probably would have killed him instantly. As it was, he knew he was dying slowing as his blood oozed out of the vicious wound.

"Idiot", he murmured. He had to keep going. He managed to lift his head, only to let it fall down in disappointment. He'd barely made it half way. How was he going to do this?

Stop it O'Neill, he told himself fiercely. You _can_ do this. You've been in worse situations and made it out alive. Hell, you've _died_ – repeatedly – and made it out alive so stop whining and get going.

Yeah, but you had a sarcophagus handy, a little voice in his head told him. No sarcophagus here, not at your home Jack. Not only that – no one – not his friends, nor his enemies had the slightest idea that he was bleeding to death in his basement. So – move it soldier! Your life depends on it.

* * *

Sam woke up and checked her bedside clock. It was just after 5:30 am. She didn't know what woke her but for some strange reason, she knew there was no way she was going to make it back to sleep. She had that strange feeling she'd had the night before and it was driving her crazy. She almost picked up the phone to call the base but knew she was being paranoid. If they had been attacked or something else was wrong they would have called her. It must just be that she was so used to being on missions that her body hadn't figured out how to stop and relax.

After getting up and taking a shower she still felt restless. What could she do? She thought about taking a quick run, but decided that what she really needed was speed! She hadn't ridden her motorcycle for weeks now. A good long ride would blow the cobwebs right out of her brain. And after that she'd stop by and see Daniel and invite him out for a hearty breakfast. Yeah – that sounded great.

She put on her leathers and retrieved her helmet. After locking the door she made her way out to her garage and pulled out the Indian – her pride and joy. With a quick grin she mounted the bike and in a few seconds was riding down the street. Her neighbors doubtless were unhappy to hear the engine roar at this time of the morning – but for once she didn't care. She needed this.

As she rode she kept expecting to feel that glorious feeling she got when on her bike. This time however, that niggling feeling followed her. It was telling her to do something – she just wished she could figure out what it was.

Find some company – that's what it was. She needed company. She wanted someone to ride with her – to go out into the country and spend a day enjoying the freedom and fresh air.

But who? The only person she knew who also had a bike was the Colonel, and he was in Minnesota. Or was he? He'd said he _might_ go, but he hadn't been sure. What if he'd decided to stay in Colorado Springs? It wouldn't be wrong to ask if he wanted to go for a ride, would it? And it's not like it was inappropriate or anything – two friends simply enjoying the day.

She'd do it! She'd ride over to his house and check to see if he was home. If not – well nothing lost. If he _was_, well, she'd just have to gather up the courage to see if he wanted to spend the day with her. Taking a deep breath she turned her bike and headed towards the Colonel's.

She changed her mind at least a half a dozen times on her way there. One moment she figured the Colonel would be happy she asked – the next she could picture him giving her the superior officer eyebrow and telling her it was inappropriate. She laughed to herself at that. There's no way he'd do that – not after he'd invited her to go fishing with him. That was _much_ more inappropriate.

She finally made it to his street and slowed down a few houses away. She turned off the engine on her bike and sat there, looking at his house and trying to gather the courage to wring his doorbell.

Well, his truck was in the driveway so he might be home. But then again, he could have called a cab to take him to the airport, rather than leave his vehicle parked in a public lot for the weekend.

Don't be ridiculous Sam, she told herself. Just go and ring the man's doorbell. If he's home he'll answer it, if not he won't. Nothing ventured …. She put the kickstand down on her bike and stood. She strode over to his house, taking off her helmet as she walked.

With another deep breath she reached out a finger and rang the bell. Oh God – what if he was sleeping? She glanced at her watch – it was just after 7:00 and it was his day off. He was going to kill her!

She waited a few moments and when no one answered took her courage in her hands and rang the doorbell again. By this time she was sure he wasn't home, and had to swallow down her disappointment.

"I hope you're having a good time Sir", she said quietly to herself as she turned away and headed back to her bike. "I just wish I could have gone fishing with you."

* * *

Jack started on his journey to the stairs once more. He was so weak he was trembling and his breathing was becoming more and more difficult. This time he knew he didn't have the energy to crawl so he resumed his push/pull technique with his arm and leg. It was unbearably slow, but he kept telling himself that at least he was going in the right direction. If he could keep from passing out this time he could make it.

As he pulled himself along the floor he thought back to the book of photos he'd been looking at last night. He started to think about his childhood to keep his mind off the all-encompassing pain. He thought about the wonderful times he'd spent growing up in Minnesota, about his parents, both of whom were older when he and his siblings had been born, but they hadn't let that stop them. He'd had a great childhood – running wild at the cabin, playing with his brother and sister and embarking on all sorts of great adventures with them.

Charlie had been so much like him, he suddenly thought. He was grateful his parents had known Charlie – and also that they'd both died before his son. They would have been devastated at his death.

He thought suddenly of his nephew and nieces and wished he lived closer to them. Even though he no longer had a child he _could_ be a favorite uncle. When he got out of this mess he needed to spend more time with them. Maybe he'd invite his brother and sister and their families up to the cabin. It had been years since they'd all been here together.

How old was Mark, his oldest nephew? He must be – hell – almost 18 by now. He wondered what he was planning on doing. And then there was Emma, and Calli and James. Yup – he'd definitely have to get in touch.

He felt a wave of sadness wash over him. As great as it was to be an uncle – he wished with all his might that he could still be a Dad. Maybe, if he _didn't_ get out of this it would be okay – at least he could see Charlie again.

"Don't – think – that way – Jack", he gasped. He _couldn't_ let himself think he wasn't going to make it. He _had_ to get to those stairs. He _had_ to make it _up_ those stairs and to a phone. For the first time he cursed himself for leaving his cell on the coffee table. In the future Jack, keep the damn thing with you when you go to the basement.

Not that he planned to come down here again for a while. So okay – his laundry was down here – but he wasn't ever going to spring clean ever again, that was for sure.

Of course that made him think instantly of Carter – his Carter. No, not his. But he _wished_ she was his. Damn how he wished that. He wished there weren't any regulations, that he wasn't so much older than her, that he could be a dad again and that _there wasn't a god-damned knife sticking out of his chest_!

He pulled himself forward another few centimeters – he was no longer counting in inches. He was so tired he needed a rest. He put his head down on the concrete – its cool temperature feeling good on his burning skin, even though the rest of him was still freezing. Just a short rest – he'd sleep for just a few seconds and then he'd get going again.

* * *

Sam kick started her bike and pulled away from the curb. She gave the Colonel's house one last look, letting go of a regretful sigh. She looked behind her and then pulled a U-turn in the middle of the street. She was just about to speed up when something stopped her.

She slowed down and pulled back over to the curb, this time on the Colonel's side of the street. Something wasn't right but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Again lowering the kick stand she threw her leg over the bike and slowly twisted around to look back at the house.

He must have gone to Minnesota or he would have answered the door. She knew he was a light sleeper and if he'd been there he would have heard her. So what was wrong? She looked again and then she saw it. A second floor window – the one she thought was his bedroom – was open.

If there was anything she knew about the Colonel it was that he would _never_ leave his house for days without making sure it was locked up tight. Oh, he could be careless about leaving his door unlocked, but that was only when he was gone to the store or somewhere close by. Nope – he wouldn't leave a window open, of that she was sure.

So why hadn't he opened the door? Could it be that he was just sleeping or that he'd decided to ignore the doorbell? For a moment she decided that was the case and that he wouldn't want her to bother him again, but then she remembered her feeling last night and this morning that something was wrong.

She was probably being paranoid and the guys would tease her unmercifully, but she knew that didn't matter. She had to check this out – to make sure he was okay. They'd been through too many bizarre experiences together not to look out for each other. If she was wrong – fine, she'd make a fool of herself. That was still better than ignoring what could be a serious problem.

She walked slowly back to the Colonel's house and again tried the bell. After a moment, when there was still no answer, she knocked. She knocked again and then a third time with no results. He probably _was_ in Minnesota.

She stepped back from the door and decided to take a look around. She just hoped the neighbors didn't think she was a thief come to rob him. Swinging her helmet in her hand she made her way around the back.

Everything looked fine. There was nothing out of place and the door to the deck was locked. She peeked in the window and carefully checked everything. It was then she noticed that the kitchen light was on.

Okay, that proved it. Jack might forget a window – he wouldn't forget _both_ a window and a light. He had to be home – unless of course he'd run out early this morning.

God – that was probably it! She suddenly felt like a fool. What if he'd done the same thing as she had done and gone for an early morning ride – or even a run? She should just forget about this and go home.

She walked slowly back to the front, trying to figure out what to do. _Was _she being paranoid? Should she forget it and go home or should she double check?

To use one of the Colonel's hated cliché's – better safe than sorry. With that thought she reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone. She hit speed dial and lifted it to her ear.

"Daniel? Hi – sorry to bother you so early, but do you have a key to Colonel O'Neill's house?"

* * *

He'd reached the stairs! He would have shouted in victory if he had enough air in his lungs. As it was, he barely had enough to keep breathing.

The pain was still bad, although it had started to subside a bit. He knew this wasn't a good thing – it simply meant his body was shutting down. He'd lost too much blood and it had been too long. He knew it was a miracle he'd made it this far. His shirt was saturated as were the top of his pants and he could barely see, the black having taken over most of his sight. Even his leg no longer hurt so badly – it was pretty numb by now.

He reached out with a hand – a hand that was shaking so badly he wondered briefly if it was going to stay attacked – and touched the edge of the stairs. He'd thought – the whole agonizing journey – that if he reached the stairs he could make it. He had been fooling himself.

He looked up – up to the top where salvation lay – and knew there was no hope. He almost laughed at that, would have if he'd had the energy – it was almost a metaphor for his life. He remembered Daniel wanting him to ascend and his response. He had been sure than – and was almost sure now – that he didn't deserve salvation. He rested his head on the cold floor and knew this was the end.

He couldn't get up those stairs. He was too weak, too close to death. He would lie here until the last drop of blood, the last breath left his body. He had hated the thought of dying like this – but now it didn't matter. He was too tired and it was time.

"I'm sorry guys", he whispered. "Sorry to leave you but you'll be okay. Daniel – you're such a good man and one day you'll find happiness again. You so deserve it. And Teal'c – I wish I could be there with you when your people attain their freedom. You are my brother Teal'c – I'll miss you but I know you'll do fine.

"Sam – Sam I wish – I wish things could have been different. You know I felt for you – way more than I was supposed to – what you don't know is that I love you and wish we could have spent our lives together. You're an amazing woman and an amazing officer and you'll go far. I just hope – that sometimes you'll remember your old commander with affection."

His eyes slowly began to close. "God – if you're really there – and if you truly care for old soldiers like me then – please, let me see my son again. I know I don't deserve that but – I love him so much. That has to count for something, doesn't it? I just want to see Charlie – that's all I ask."

With that his eyes closed and he rested – letting go of the world around him.

* * *

"Daniel!" Sam walked up to his car as it pulled behind the Colonel's truck. "Did you bring the key?"

"Yeah", he answered as he got out of his car. "Sorry it took me a while – I had a bit of trouble remembering where I'd put it. Still no answer?"

"No and I think the neighbors are getting suspicious. I'm probably crazy and he's gone to Minnesota."

"Probably, but even if he has he wouldn't want his window left open so at least we can shut it – and we'll check on things quickly. He won't mind."

"I hope not." The two of them walked up to Jack's front door and Daniel pulled out the key.

"So, what were you doing over here in the first place?" her friend asked casually as he pushed the door open.

"Huh? Oh, I was out for a ride on my bike and I thought I'd see if the Colonel would like to accompany me for a bit. I know he has a motorcycle too. I know it was crazy, but for some reason I didn't feel like being alone and since you were writing your book and Teal'c was away …

"Yeah", Daniel agreed, not seeming to think there was anything suspicious in her answer. "I kind of felt the same. I tried writing yesterday and couldn't get into it. I thought about giving you a call, but didn't want to bug you", he grinned.

She laughed. "We're strange, aren't we? I was going to invite you out to breakfast this morning if the Colonel wasn't around." The two of them were standing in O'Neill's hallway as they were talking. "Uh – everything looks fine."

"Why don't you check out the living room and I'll go make sure he isn't just sleeping in."

"Okay – but be careful Daniel. If he _is_ here we don't want him to think we're intruders."

"No, you're right. _JACK_!" Daniel yelled, giving her another grin. "That way he won't shoot me."

She giggled and headed towards the living room. It only took a couple of seconds to realize everything was in order and there was no evidence of anything bad having happened. She then went into the kitchen. At first things looked fine but then she noticed the sandwich and half full bottle of beer. She immediately frowned. Okay – something was definitely off. The Colonel wouldn't leave food out if he was planning on being gone for days.

"Nothing upstairs", Daniel said as he suddenly appeared in the kitchen. "Hey – that's not right", he said, nodding towards the food. "Jack wouldn't leave food out like that."

"I know. I'm afraid something's wrong Daniel", Sam said, her voice full of worry. "It looks like he left suddenly – but his truck is still here. This doesn't make sense."

"Do you think – could he have been kidnapped?"

Sam continued to frown. It was a possibility, although one she didn't want to contemplate. "There's no sign of a struggle", she told him. "Although he could have been knocked out I suppose."

"Hard to surprise Jack like that. And who would have done it? The NID aren't _that_ stupid, are they?"

"I hope not." She continued to look around the kitchen, hoping something would jump out at her that would give her a clue as to what had happened. "I wonder if we should call General Hammond."

Daniel's eyebrows went up but then he nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. If he has been kidnapped the sooner we get people on it the better. I can call." Daniel pulled his cell out of his pocket and began to look up the General's home number.

While he was doing that Sam walked out of the kitchen and noticed a door that was slightly ajar. She frowned slightly, trying to remember – oh yeah – the Colonel's basement. They hadn't checked there. She walked over to it slowly and only when she arrived did she realize that the stair lights were on.

"Daniel", she called. She had a sudden premonition that she was going to find something – and she was afraid. "The basement – the light's on."

He turned his phone off and hurried over to her. "You think – could there be someone down there?"

"I don't know but – I'm going to look." Opening the door up wider she stepped down onto the first step. It was then that she looked down and instantly saw something – "Oh God!" She rushed down the steps, having recognized that it was a body at the base of the steps – and she was pretty sure whose it was.

"Sam?" Daniel called after her.

"It's the Colonel", she shouted back at him. In a second she was at the bottom and kneeling beside him. "Oh my God", she gasped as she saw the blood that covered him – and the trail that was smeared across half the basement floor.

"Is he -?" Daniel asked fearfully as he descended behind her and as she felt for a pulse. There was silence for a moment, as she searched, and the archaeologist stood, not breathing.

"He's alive", she finally muttered, "but his pulse is really weak and slow. Call for an ambulance and tell them to get here quickly."

He nodded and immediately lifted his phone once more. "Shit – no signal. I'm going upstairs."

"After you call look for his first aid kit. He's still bleeding."

Daniel nodded and then raced upstairs while Sam sat next to the dying Colonel.

"What did you do Jack?" she cried. She gently reached out and touched him – it was only then that she saw the knife sticking out of his chest. She gasped. "What the hell!" She immediately looked around the basement as if someone was lurking, waiting to attack her. "Who did this Sir?" She felt again for his pulse, relieved that it was still there, but worried at how faint it was. By the amount of blood around she knew he was in desperate shape.

"Here", Daniel leapt down the stairs, taking two and three at a time. He passed her the first aid box. "The ambulance is on its way. I left the front door open and told them we were in the basement. I'll go up in a second and direct them down. What can I do?" he asked as he watched her open the kit and rummage around for bandages.

"Not much", she said. "I don't even think there's much I can do. Wait – you can help me turn him on his side and get him into the recovery position."

"Shit – Sam, he's been stabbed", Daniel exclaimed when he saw the lethal looking knife sticking out of his friend.

"I know Daniel", she answered calmly – which was far from how she felt. "I don't' think whoever did this is still here. Come on – help me – oh crap!"

"What?"

"His leg – I think it's broken."

"Broken? But how – why?"

"Probably so he couldn't make it up the stairs. It looks like he was trying." She indicated the trail of blood and Daniel flinched.

"God – Jack! What the hell happened down here?"

"I need a blanket, or something to keep him warm." Sam had gingerly removed the soaked T-shirt and was trying to wrap bandages around the knife to hopefully stop the blood. She knew it was an almost hopeless task, and wanted to cry but knew she couldn't – not yet.

Her companion stood swiftly and looked around the basement. It didn't take him long to find a cupboard by the washer and dryer filled with old – but clean – linens. He grabbed a handful and made his way back to Sam – over piles of junk.

"Looks like someone was looking for something", he said. "That must be what happened."

"But what? The Colonel wouldn't keep anything classified at his house", she answered as she covered the Colonel as best she could.

"Maybe it didn't have anything to do with the program", he answered. "Maybe it was something personal."

She glanced at her friend, wondering what in the world the Colonel could possibly be involved in that would result in this. She didn't spend long thinking about it though as she could hear – faintly – the sound of sirens. "The ambulance."

Daniel nodded and again stood. "I'll bring them down." He raced back up the stairs.

Sam waited. There was nothing more she could do – nothing except pray. The Colonel looked like death. His face was completely gray and his lips were blue. She could tell, by his labored breathing, that the wound had affected at least one lung. She could also see a small trail of blood from his mouth. Great – not only was he bleeding out, there were obviously internal wounds as well.

"Oh Jack", she said softly, reaching for and holding his cold, cold hand. "Don't you die. Don't you dare die!"

She heard the clatter of boots on the stairs and the next thing she knew the paramedics were there. She breathed a sigh of relief and scooted back to allow them room to work.

By the almost frantic pace of their work – and the orders and requests that were barked out by the two men and one woman paramedic – she knew it didn't look good. They were working as quickly as possible to get him to the hospital.

They threw quick questions at her and she answered as well as she could. She could give his age, his general health (good) and whether or not he had allergies and whether he was on medication. She didn't know who his next of kin was but she gave the General's contact information, sure he would know.

"Okay – let's go", one of the paramedics said. They quickly placed the Colonel on a gurney, and had him up the stairs and out to the ambulance in the space of just a few minutes. Things must be _really_ bad, she thought.

"We can take one person", one of the medics called. "But we have to go now."

Sam looked at Daniel, who gave her a faint smile. "You go Sam. I'll call General Hammond and meet you at the hospital."

"Thanks Daniel." She jumped into the back of the ambulance and instantly they pulled out. She watched the Colonel – and the medic who was again checking his vitals. "It's bad, isn't it?" she asked softly.

The woman lifted her head briefly from her patient. "I won't lie", she said softly. "He's in serious condition but don't give up hope. He looks like a fighter."

Sam gave a choked laugh. "Oh – he is."

"Good – then he just needs to keep fighting." The medic gave her a smile. "Why don't you move up and sit with him. In fact – hold his hand. It often helps to have someone they know close by. You can encourage him not to give up."

Sam smiled – a shaky one it was true – but the medic's words gave her hope. The Colonel _was_ a fighter. "Don't you give up Sir", she told him again. "You keep fighting. We're all here for you and when you're better we'll take you out for cake." Her voice broke and the tears started. He can't die. She wouldn't let him die!

"Come on Jack", she told him softly. "After you get better – you and I are going to go fishing!"


	4. Waiting

_**Thank you again for the lovely reviews! Hope you're feeling better soon Allimoo - I missed you! I'll try and get back to you individually tomorrow. I've been writing and then sleeping. Thanks again.**_

_**Oh - and I hope I haven't screwed up the medical stuff. I try and look it up so if there are mistakes, blame the internet!**_

They almost lost him on the way to the hospital. Sam had watched as the paramedics desperately worked to keep him alive long enough to get him to where the doctors were waiting. She had rarely felt so helpless in her life – all her knowledge and intelligence and skills were useless here – and couldn't help one of the most important people in her life.

She had a brief flashback to Antarctica – but at least there she had tried to do something to help, even if her efforts had only been partially successful. She was also reminded of the time that the Colonel was pinned to the wall, in agony. She _had_ managed to use her skills then to help him. There were other times of course, the most recent being his time spent with Ba'al. Saving him had been a group effort, but at least she'd played an important role.

Now however, all she could do was sit and watch and pray. She thought briefly of the healing device, but knew there wasn't time to bring it back from Nevada, even if it was still usable.

The Tokra were a possibility, but hadn't always been prompt when called – and she knew that Jack would absolutely refuse another symbiote, in case that's all they could do. No – now it was time for Earth medicine to try and save him. She hoped it would be enough.

They pulled into the emergency entrance to the hospital and the Colonel was unloaded and raced inside before she could even blink. One of the paramedics directed her to the emergency waiting area but then hurried after his colleagues. In a matter of moments she was standing alone, wondering what had happened and why. Her mind refused to dwell on the future for it was too frightening to contemplate. She had seen his face as they'd whisked him away – and it had looked like the face of someone who was already leaving this world.

It wasn't until one of the nurses spoke to her that she blinked and came out of her semi-trancelike state. She dutifully followed the woman over to the desk and gave her all the information she could on the Colonel.

"Uh, I'm sorry – I didn't bring his things. I don't – I know he has insurance – he works at Cheyenne Mountain – he's with the Air Force."

"I've got his wallet Sam." Daniel's voice came from behind her and she turned quickly, suddenly wanting to throw her arms around him. He was opening up the Colonel's wallet and soon had the insurance card, which he handed to the nurse. "How is he?"

"I – don't know. He was alive when we arrived but we almost lost him on the way here. They've taken him to the triage unit and told me to wait here."

Daniel was clearly frightened as well, but he could see that Sam was on the verge of breaking so he quickly stepped forward and put his arms around her.

That was all she needed to collapse. She felt the hot tears begin to roll and soon she was shaking, only held up by the strong arms around her. "He looked – he looked -"

"I know Sam", he whispered into her hair. "But he's strong. You know him – he's too stubborn to give up. He'll make it through."

"But he almost died Daniel. They could barely keep him alive long enough to get here."

"But they did, and now the doctors are with him. You have to be strong for him Sam – you can't give up."

"I know – but, why him? Why do these things always happen to him?"

"Sam, we do a dangerous job", he told her gently as he led her to the couch. "_All_ of us have had bad things happen, but it's because we're standing up for what is right and we're fighting against tyranny. That puts us in the way of a lot of bad people and we've had to bear the consequences – and Jack often is the first to throw himself in front of those bad people. But remember – we've always come through – _he's_ always come through and is okay in the end."

"I guess", she agreed half-heartedly. "It just feels like the Colonel has had more than his fair share." She suddenly lifted her head. "Who did this? Why would they want to kill him?"

"I don't know but I contacted Hammond and he's sending over a security team. The police are also on it because of the 911 call. They'll look into it and find whoever was responsible. In the meantime we need to be thinking of Jack."

She nodded. "What about Janet?"

"Hammond said he'd call. I expect she'll be here shortly." True to his word, Janet arrived just a few minutes later and both of them breathed a sigh of relief. If there was anyone they trusted it was Janet Frasier.

The doctor sat beside Sam and reached out and took her hands, which were still covered in dried blood. Janet glanced over at Daniel and nodded to him. "Tell me", was all she said.

Both Sam and Daniel explained all that had happened, or at least all that they knew. "They took him into emergency but we haven't heard anything since then", Sam said, a hiccup in her voice. "I don't know what's happening."

"I'll find out", Janet told her reassuringly. "It's actually good that you haven't heard", she comforted. "That means he's still in there fighting – and the doctors are doing their part. I know it's hard to wait, but the best thing for you is to go get cleaned up -" she held up her hand as Sam attempted to speak. "Sam, it's not helping you or anyone else to have you sit here covered in blood. I'll ask the nurses if they can get you some scrubs and then I want you to wash up. You'll feel better and there's nothing you can do but wait anyway. Daniel, you need to clean up as well. In the meantime I'll find out what's going on."

Both of them finally nodded and watched as the Doctor headed towards the desk. A few minutes later a nurse showed up with some scrubs, towels and soap and pointed them to a place they could wash up.

Sam quickly washed and changed, worried that if she wasn't in the waiting room when Janet got back it would be bad. Logically she knew that wasn't true, but right now she wasn't thinking with the logical side of her brain. In fact, she wasn't thinking at all – she was _feeling._

It was only seconds after she got back to the waiting room, feeling slightly refreshed and much cleaner, that Daniel arrived from his own clean up. She gave him a small smile. "Janet was right", she indicated her new clothes.

"She usually is", Daniel agreed, sitting down beside her and looking her over closely. He was worried about her. Sam was usually the one that was able to keep things together but this time – this time she was close to losing it.

"I'll be okay", Sam assured him, seeming to sense his worry. "It was just - this shouldn't happen, not when we're on down time."

"It should never happen" Daniel corrected her. "No word yet I take it?"

"No. I mean, I know Janet said that's probably a good thing but – I'm so worried Daniel."

He nodded, not knowing what else to say. He was worried too. "He'll make it", he said, trying to reassure himself as much as her. The two of them sat quietly, nothing else really left to say, and waited for word.

It was almost an hour later before Janet returned. By the look on her face it wasn't particularly good news – but it wasn't the worst either. Both Sam and Daniel had learned to read the Doctor's face over the years, and could tell when she was preparing to give bad news.

"So?" Daniel tilted his head back and looked up at the tiny doctor who was standing in front of them.

She sighed and before answering grabbed a chair and pulled it over so that she was closer to her two friends. "He's still alive", she said bluntly, knowing that was the most important fact for now.

"But?" Daniel got to the heart of the matter quickly.

"He's in critical condition. The knife pierced his lung and nicked the pulmonary artery. By the time he was brought in he'd gone into hypovolemic shock due to blood loss. They've been working to stabilize him and replace his blood volume. He's just gone into surgery to repair the chest wound but -"

"But?" he asked again.

"It doesn't look good Daniel. Even if he survives the surgery – which is in question – there's no way of knowing the damage that's been done."

"What kind of damage", Sam asked quietly.

Janet sighed and rubbed her eyes. "With that much blood loss we're talking major organ failure – as of right now his kidneys may or may not have shut down permanently, there could be gangrene in his limbs- the broken leg is especially at risk -"

"_Gangrene_?" Daniel gasped. "How in hell could he get _gangrene_?"

"When the body loses that much blood, what's left in the body goes to the organs – it's the body's way of protecting vital functions. That means that the extremities are in danger of not receiving an adequate blood supply for too long. Look – I'm just telling you what _could_ happen. I don't know anything for sure at this point."

"So, major organ failure and gangrene?"

"That's not all", Janet said, her eyes not wanting to meet those of her friends.

"What Janet – we need the truth." Sam expression was calm, but only because she knew if she allowed the slightest break she'd lose it completely. As it was she was barely hanging on and the news about Jack was devastating, to say the least.

Janet took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Brain damage", she said bluntly. "It's highly likely that the Colonel suffered some kind of brain damage. We won't know how much until – if – he wakes up."

Sam closed her eyes. No – there was nothing worse that she could think of than that. The Colonel would rather die. "You're positive?"

"Sam – at this point I'm not positive about anything. You know as well as I do that the human body is unpredictable. The Colonel may come out of this with little or no long term affects – he could have major permanent damage. I just can't say right now."

"It doesn't matter anyway", Daniel said fiercely, standing up and walking towards the small window looking out over the parking lot. "He's going to live, that's all that matters right now – and we'll be there for him regardless of what happens."

There was silence as both of the women looked at him, but slowly Sam nodded. "He's right. What's important is that he survives. The rest – well, we can deal with that later. I can contact – my Dad – and have him bring a – you know what. That should take care of any problem."

Janet nodded although she looked rather doubtful. She didn't know how well a healing device would work on the injuries the Colonel had, but she was certainly willing to try. Just then she glanced up, to see General Hammond walking towards them. He was dressed in his civilian clothes and looked tired.

"Major, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Frasier. Is there any word?"

Janet went through everything again, explaining to the General that O'Neill was still in surgery. He didn't say much, although it was obvious that he was worried about his officer – and friend.

"Any idea who did this to him General?" Daniel wanted to know once Janet was finished.

"No. The security forces have checked his house out carefully but there don't appear to be any clues as to who attacked the Colonel. We'll have to wait and see what he has to say when he wakes up."

For some reason, Hammond's confidence that the Colonel _was_ going to wake up and that he was going to tell them what happened, gave her more hope than anything had done to this moment. And, although Sam knew he really couldn't do anything, she also knew that General Hammond wasn't going to let something like this take away his best officer. She could feel hope begin to seep in.

The four of them remained in the waiting room for hours. Occasionally Janet went to see if she could get an update, but all they told her was that Jack was still in surgery. Hammond also checked in to see if there was any news from the SF's and to check and make sure everything was running smoothly on base. There was no news and everything else was fine, so he sat and waited.

It had been almost nine hours since the Colonel had been brought to the hospital and it was getting close to dinner time. None of them had had more than a coffee and it was Janet who finally looked around and realized she had gotten so caught up in the vigil that she'd ignored the health and well-being of her colleagues.

"Okay everyone – it's time we all got something to eat. I know, I know", she held up her hand, "you aren't hungry. But we need to be here for the Colonel when he gets out of surgery and we won't be any use to him or anyone if we pass out from hunger and exhaustion." She looked over to the General for support.

"Dr. Frasier is correct", he agreed. "I'm going to suggest that we eat in shifts. Two of us can stay here and wait – and call if there's any news. The other two will go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."

"And I want everyone to step outside and get some fresh air for a few moments. A short walk would be good too. Look, I know it's hard and we all want to be here in case someone comes – but we're not helping the Colonel. Come one – who is going to go first?"

Sam wanted to kick her heels and refuse to move – but one look at Janet and then at the General and she knew she didn't have a choice. With a small groan she stood – her limbs had grown stiff from sitting so long. "I'll go."

"Good." Janet stood up too. "I'll come with you if it's okay with the men?" Both Hammond and Daniel nodded. "We'll be back in a little while and then you can go. Come on Sam."

The two women walked slowly down the hallway towards the cafeteria, both too caught up in their thoughts to speak. It wasn't until they'd both served themselves some food and sat down that they began to talk.

"What are we going to do Janet? What if it's – bad?"

"We'll take one day at a time Sam."

Sam snorted. "A cliché Janet?"

That made the doctor laugh. "The Colonel would never let me live that down, would he?"

"No – but I guess it's a cliché because it's true. There really isn't anything we _can_ do, is there?"

"We can be there for him – I know, another cliché, but also true. He'd going to need us, especially if there's -" she stopped talking and shrugged.

"But there is a possibility right? I mean, he could be okay?"

"Of course. He's one of the toughest people I've ever seen Sam – if anyone can get through this it's the Colonel. And then there's the – uh – thing your father has – hopefully that will work if we need it."

There was a pause and then Sam looked up directly at her friend. "I think I made a mistake Janet."

The doctor frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The zatarc test – I made a mistake. I – shouldn't have agreed to keep it in the room. Oh God Janet", she suddenly cried, dropping her head down. "I – I love him and I could lose him and never have the chance to tell him!"

Janet stared at her for a moment, her eyebrows raised. After a second she reached out and covered the other woman's hand. "I know Sam. And – you still have time, I'm sure of it."

"But even if he gets better, the regulations are still there. I don't know what to do."

"Look– there _is_ time to figure that out. Let's get the Colonel back on his feet and then you and he can talk. I agree you need to resolve this, but now is not the time to be worrying about it."

"No", Sam laughed bitterly. "I'll wait until he's all better and then things will just go back to the way they were before. That's always what happens."

"Well, this time it's up to you to make sure they don't. Look, you know the Colonel will never say or do anything – he _can't_ – not if he doesn't want to get into trouble. So you have to decide what you want. But again, this _isn't_ the time to make that decision. You will have time to do that later. Now finish your dinner! It's time to get back and let the men eat."

Sam sighed and then laughed – a small one, but this time it was real. "What would I do without you Janet?" she asked.

Her friend grinned and stood up and then reached her hand down. "Come on, let's get going. And what would you do? Oh, you'd keep getting into trouble with your teammates – but there wouldn't be anyone there to heal your butts. Now stop worrying and let's go see how the Colonel is doing."

Daniel and the General went and grabbed a quick bite but soon returned to the waiting room. By this time everyone was exhausted but there was no way they were going to leave until they heard how the Colonel was doing.

"I wish Teal'c was here", Sam suddenly broke the silence.

"Yeah, me too", Daniel agreed. "He has a knack for making you think everything's going to be okay."

Just then the doors to the emergency wing opened and a man walked out. He was wearing a white medical coat and the four people waiting looked at him expectantly.

"Are you here for Jonathan O'Neill?" he asked.

"Yes", Daniel rose up and spoke. "You're his surgeon?"

"Yes, I'm Dr. Laroque – uh, can I ask – are any of you family?"

"I'm Colonel O'Neill's commanding officer", George stepped forward and shook the doctor's hand, "and this is his doctor, Dr. Frasier. These two are members of his team and are like family. I'm afraid he doesn't have any actual family who live close by. I've informed his brother and sister, but they won't be here until tomorrow."

"I see", Dr. Laroque looked curiously at the four of them but then gave a small smile. "So, to cut to the chase, Colonel O'Neill made it out of surgery and he's in recovery right now. He'll be taken to the Intensive Care Unit shortly."

"How is he doctor?" Janet stepped forward.

"Well, the wound was a serious one, but could have been worse. If it had been even a fraction of a millimeter over he wouldn't have made it. I'm afraid the worst thing we're dealing with is the loss of blood. We're still watching him closely to see how he's responding to the surgery and to the increase in blood volume. We've placed a heart catheter to monitor him and we're also checking his kidney and liver function carefully. He's on a respirator and will be for the foreseeable future – at least until his lung heals. Fortunately his leg seems to be fine – it was a simple break and there doesn't appear to be any residual effects from the blood loss. As much as I hate to say it because I know it sounds trite – but, well, the next 24 to 48 hours are critical. If he makes it through those, then his prognosis is good."

"Can we see him?" Sam stepped forward, not having said anything until this point.

"I can allow one person in for just for a few minutes each hour. The nurses have to have access to him and it's rather crowded in there. I'll have one of the nurses come and tell you when he's settled and you can decide who should go in." He turned to leave but then looked back with a sincere expression on his face. "I know this is hard – but stay positive when you're with him. As long as he keeps fighting he should make it."

"Thank you doctor", Hammond stepped forward and put out his hand. "We can't tell you how much we appreciate what you've done. Jack O'Neill is – special – to a lot of people."

"I'm just doing my job", Laroque said with a smile, "although I must admit I'm pleased when someone like the Colonel makes it through. I doubted for a while there – but he's a tough one." With another smile he nodded at his patient's friends and headed back toward the emergency ward.

The four people he left all stood there, staring after him. They were exhausted, and worried but now full of a tiny bit of hope. It was Daniel who first moved. "He's going to be okay."

"Yes – yes he is", Janet nodded. She wasn't going to let any doubts in – not now, not when the Colonel needed them to be strong.

"Like the doctor said, Jack's a tough one. In fact, I don't think I've ever met anyone tougher. He's going to be just fine." Hammond stood tall – even without his uniform looking the general he was. He too was going to make sure he stayed strong and positive – and be sure that Jack was going to survive.

Suddenly all three of them turned and faced Sam. She hadn't said anything since her question to the doctor, and was still looking at where the doctor had disappeared. Finally, with a deep breath, she lifted her head and smiled. "Of course he's going to be okay. He's Jack O'Neill and he _has_ to be okay."


	5. ICU

_**This story won't be too long - probably 2 or 3 more chapters. Hope you're still enjoying and remember - reviews DO make me write faster (hint, hint).**_

In the end everyone agreed that Janet should be the one to go in and see Jack. She could report back, in greater detail, how he was doing. The good doctor gave one intent glance at the Major, but at Sam's quick shake of her head Janet nodded and said she'd go in first.

The nurse who appeared moments later gave them all a sympathetic smile and then led the SGC's medic away with her. "Hi Dr. Frasier", she said quietly as they walked down the corridor. "You probably don't remember me – Nurse Flynn – I used to work at the Academy Hospital."

"I thought you looked familiar Nurse", Janet's lipped moved in an upward motion, although she was still too raw to feel anything but worry.

"Don't worry Doctor – we'll take good care of Colonel O'Neill", Flynn said. "I know of him from my days at Academy. He's a fighter."

"That he is." This time Janet's smile reached her eyes. At that instant they arrived at the ICU and seconds later she was standing beside the Colonel's bed. "Oh Jack!" She should be used to this, after all these years, but when it was a friend it was always hard. She reached out and gently swept his hair off his forehead. "When are you going to learn to stay out of trouble Sir?"

She stood, simply watching him as the minutes ticked by. It was when she saw the movement of the ICU nurse out of the corner of her eye that she finally moved. "Can I see his chart?"

"Sure." Nurse Flynn handed it to her, knowing that Janet was his doctor and as such could have access to his records. "He's stable, although his temperature is a bit high and his blood pressure is still too low. It's improving though."

Janet nodded and looked down at the chart. Normally she was quick at reading what the numbers had to say but this time she had to look at them twice before they meant anything to her. She was tired – tired and terribly worried. Jack was in critical shape and she knew that what his surgeon had said was true – the next couple of days would be crucial.

She raised her head from the paperwork to look at the actual patient. As much as she relied on modern tests and technology, she knew that sometimes the personal touch was what was needed. She examined his face, shocked again by the pallor of his skin – the grey undertones giving the appearance of someone on the verge of death. If it wasn't for the steady hiss of the ventilator attesting to the fact that he was still breathing – even if only with help – she would have worried that he'd already died.

It had only been a day, no longer, since this happened but she could have sworn that he'd already lost weight. He looked gaunt and drawn – the skin on his face appearing as if worn leather stretched over bone.

Perhaps the worst thing of all – and yet something she should have been immune to – was all the machines, tubes and cords that surrounded him. She knew they were keeping him alive – monitoring him, pumping in life-saving fluids, carrying away wastes and poisons – and yet it looked like the ultimate violation of a strong and brave man. He looked so lost – so vulnerable – so alone lying there, that she wanted to cry. Suddenly she was glad it was she who had come. She didn't know how, or if, the others could deal with seeing him like this. General Hammond could handle it and maybe Teal'c – it would have been devastating for Daniel and especially for Sam.

She reached out again at that and gently laid her hand atop that of the Colonel. "They send their love Jack – all of your team and General Hammond – and the men and women on the base. I'm to tell you to stay tough and not to give up. We all know you can get through this and we're here for you." She pressed her lips together, breathing quickly so as not to cry. It was only when she was sure she could continue that she spoke.

"Sam – Sam is here. She cares for you Colonel – do you know that? If you – if you refuse to fight and let go then you'll be leaving her behind and you know what you always say about that. She needs you Colonel – we all need you, so don't you dare give up."

She sat for a long time – the nurses not bothering her even though she stayed longer than was usually permitted in ICU. They knew she was a doctor – his doctor – and they also knew that sometimes the presence of a friend or loved one meant the difference between a patient who lived and one who died.

Finally realizing that she should get back Janet stood slowly. She leaned forward and gave Jack a soft kiss on the cheek. "That's from Sam and me", she told him softly. With a gentle smile and another sweep of his hair she stepped away from the bed. "You keep fighting Jack!"

* * *

"How is he?" Sam looked up quickly as Janet entered the waiting area, her eyes like two burnt sockets. Daniel and Hammond looked as bad and the doctor sighed. She'd have to do something about this.

"He's holding his own", she said. "As the doctor said, we won't know for sure until a day or two has passed, but for now he's steady."

"How does he look?" Daniel asked, although his expression gave evidence to the fact that he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know or not.

"He looks like someone who is hurt and sick", Janet said gently. "But everyone looks that way in ICU and it doesn't mean anything. The nurses are great – one of them came from the Academy Hospital and knows of Colonel O'Neill and promised me they'd take extra good care of him." Janet knew that they took excellent care of all their patients, but she thought it was something that might help the Colonel's friends to think he was getting extra care.

"When can we go back in?"

"I'll go back and check on him in a while. I don't think there's any need for any of you – not now. He's unconscious and hooked up to a myriad of machines. It's – distressing, although it's what he needs. Let me handle this for now and you can see him as soon as he's awake."

"No Janet", Sam shook her head, calmly but vehemently. "He needs to know we're here for him – _with_ him. I'll go in next."

"But Sam -"

"The Major's right doctor." This time Hammond backed up Major Carter. "I know it's difficult seeing a friend like that – but it's worse imagining it. We appreciate that you're here and know you'll watch out for him but – I think his team need to be there as well."

Janet Frasier nodded. They were both right. As much as she wanted to protect them, it was better that they be able to spend time with him. "Okay, but not everyone should stay in the waiting room. I'm going to arrange a room here and we're going to take turns resting. Doctor's orders – and I don't want any arguments – even from you Sir!"

Hammond chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it Doctor. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get back to the SGC anyway – I spoke to Walter and everyone is wondering what's going on. I need to speak to the folks there and let them know. I'll come back in a few hours and go in to see Jack then." He looked sternly at Doc Frasier. "You'll call me if anything …?"

"Of course Sir", she nodded. "Don't worry, and thank you General."

The General gave them some words of encouragement and headed towards the door. As he passed Sam he reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. As she watched him leave it crossed her mind that maybe he knew more about her feelings for the Colonel than she knew. If he did, however, he had never said anything.

* * *

"Sam, Sam."

"Wha – ". Someone was shaking her. Was it time to get up already? "Let me sleep Dad", she muttered. She was so tired.

"_Sam_!"

Her eyes snapped open and her eyes met the concerned ones of Janet Frasier, who was leaning over her cot.

"What?" She turned her head, confused. Where was she? It took her a moment but then everything came rushing back and she sat up suddenly, almost cracking heads with her friend.

"Whoa Sam – it's okay. You made me promise to wake you up after a couple of hours."

"Janet – the Colonel? How is he? Is he okay? Is something wrong?"

Janet sat on the cot beside her and reached out and put her hands on Sam's arms. "He's fine Sam – he's still stable. I just thought that maybe you'd like to go and see him and let Daniel sleep for a while."

At that Sam looked over the doc's shoulders to see a very bleary eyed Daniel smiling at her. "Janet and I got bored of playing Gin Rummy", he explained.

Her eyes flickered between her two friends. "You're sure he's okay?"

"He is", Daniel nodded. "I went and saw him about an hour ago and the nurse said he's hanging in there. You can go now if you want."

She didn't need any more encouragement, but swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, so quickly that the blood rushed to her head and Daniel had to rush over and steady her.

"Hey, be careful", he cautioned. "We don't need you getting hurt too."

"I'm fine." She tried to pull away from him but Janet reached out and again held onto her.

"Sam – go to the bathroom and wash your face and freshen up. It'll only take a minute and you'll feel better. You don't want to go see the Colonel with sand in your eyes and sheet marks all over your face."

Sam lifted her hand to her face at that and then let out a tired giggle. "The Colonel would tease me no end, wouldn't he."

"You betcha!" Janet smiled back at her. "Come on, I'll go with you. Daniel", she pointed to the cot. "Sleep!"

"Hey – what about you?" the tired archaeologist complained half-heartedly. "You've got to be exhausted too."

"I am. Nurse Flynn told me I can bunk down in the doctor's resting room. There's no one else there now. As soon as I take Sam to the Colonel's room I'm going to crash for a while. They know where to find me if they need me."

* * *

Sam stood outside Colonel O'Neill's room and took a deep breath. She was desperate to see him – but frightened at the same time. Both Daniel and Janet had warned her that he looked terribly ill so she was prepared, at least as prepared as you could ever be. She thought back briefly to Antarctica and remembered the Colonel dying in front of her. She'd gotten through that – she could get through this.

With that she pushed open the door and walked in.

The first thing she noticed were the low lights – and how quiet everything was, except for the gentle hum and whoosh of the machines that surrounded him. She walked slowly to his side and let out a small whimper. God – he looked so – pale, so lifeless. The tube sticking out of his mouth, which was helping him breathe, was a reminder of the dreadful wound he'd suffered. She felt a wave of anger – if she ever found out who had done this she'd make them wish they'd never been born!

"Oh Jack!" She wanted to reach out and touch him, but was worried that she'd do something to hurt him. Her hand hovered helplessly above him.

"It's okay", a soft voice startled her. "You can touch him. In fact, it helps."

Sam moved until she saw a young nurse standing smiling at her.

"You're sure?"

"Oh yes. Just watch the IV's. Are you related to the Colonel?" the young woman – her name tag said 'Irene Zemenko' – asked.

"Uh – no. I'm on his team. I'm Air Force", she explained. "The Colonel is my commanding officer."

The nurse looked surprised, but then smiled again. "Just pull up a chair and let him know you're here. Like I said, touch is good – I think it helps them to know someone they care about is here."

Sam gave a tentative smile back and nodded. She could do that. She pulled the chair closer and took the Colonel's hand. It was hot – too hot – and very dry, but at the same time she could feel the strength that was contained in his hands. She's always loved them – the long fingers, so strong and yet often so gentle. She rubbed her fingers lightly over the calluses and spoke to him.

"Hi Colonel", she said softly and then could have kicked herself. Right now this wasn't about his rank or her professional relationship to him. She was here as his friend. "Jack", she corrected. "I guess Janet and Daniel have both been to see you. I'm glad it's my turn." She continued to caress his hand, wishing that he would respond but knowing he was too deeply unconscious to really feel it.

"We were worried about you, but the doctors say you're going to be okay. You just need to stay strong. We're going to stay here with you until you're up and around and bugging Daniel again." She could feel the tears start to gather in her eyes – looking at him was so hard. This wasn't the Colonel, not this still, pale looking man. He was usually so full of energy, of life. This looked like nothing so much as a shell of the real man. "Oh Jack", she said again as she lifted his hand and pressed it to her cheek. She then turned it and kissed the back of it gently. "You have to get better, okay? We miss you …. we miss you so much!"

* * *

He felt strange. No – I take that back, he thought – I don't feel anything, which in itself was strange. He tried to figure out where he was, but everything was blank. He certainly couldn't see which was rather disconcerting, but for some reason it didn't bother him quite the way he thought it should. So, he couldn't see or feel – then how did he know he was even alive? Hell, maybe he wasn't. Was this death? Had he died and gone to – uh – nowhere?

If he had died, and this was all there was, then it wasn't that great. Again, he thought he should be more upset about it but maybe that was a good thing. It could be that he was in limbo and there was nothing – no sights or sounds or feeling – no worries, no regrets – nothing.

But wait … there _were_ sounds. He strained to hear them again but it had been fleeting – almost the awareness of sound rather than actually hearing something. No – there it was again. But _what_ was it?

"_Jack."_ There, his name was whispered softly. Who was calling him? He heard something else and for some reason he felt himself relax. He wanted to laugh at that reaction, but couldn't even do that. He was relaxing when he hadn't even known he'd felt tense – or anything at all for that matter. But the sound, whatever it was, was soothing – it made him think that everything was okay, or at least _would_ be okay. Wherever he was, there was something out there – something that was connected to him.

And then – oh God – touch! He felt something. There was a fleeting feeling on his – he thought it was his hand but wasn't quite sure. God this was frustrating. He couldn't quite tell where his body started or ended – and whether the sound or the touch was someone else or just the imaginings of his mind.

It happened again and he felt a burst of – relief, joy, _something_. It _was_ someone else. There was someone there, someone who cared and was keeping him connected. Connected? To what? To life idiot, a small voice said.

So – I'm not dead. He made a mental frown – he didn't know if he could _actually_ frown, since he couldn't feel his forehead, but inside he knew he was frowning. For some reason he thought he _should_ be dead. Hadn't he been dying? He was pretty sure he had been, but how or why he had no idea.

"_We miss you so much …"_

Okay – he'd heard that! He really had. _And_ he knew what it said. The person talking missed him. Why – where did he go? Oh, maybe he'd died and they … no, he wasn't dead, he wasn't. He was alive, he was sure of it. So, if he was alive, why did they miss him?

He could feel that mental frown deepen. He was tired, so tired, and wanted to sleep. He didn't understand anything but at that moment decided not to let it worry him. He was not dead and there was someone there – or here, he didn't know which – who cared and who would stay with him. That's all he needed to know.

Oh that thought he allowed himself to fade out. He was just so tired ….

* * *

"His vital signs look like they're improving", Irene smiled at her. She was doing the quarter-hour check. "His blood pressure is up – it's still a bit low but it's getting better. Most of his other vitals are looking better too."

"Most?" Sam instantly caught that qualifier – too trained to look and listen for details to miss it.

"Well, some things take longer to come back", the nurse told her gently. "His kidney function isn't what it should be – not yet, but there's still time for that."

"What about – what about his brain? The doctor mentioned the possibility …?"

"I'm afraid we won't really know until he wakes up", she was told. "There's plenty of brain activity, so that's good, but until the doctors do some tests it's impossible to really tell. But right now things are looking really good", she encouraged. "So have hope."

"I do", Sam smiled, glancing down again at the man who meant so much to her. "He's a stubborn one", she suddenly confided. "If anyone will refuse to let this get him down, it's Jack O'Neill."

"Doesn't surprise me", Irene grinned. "I can usually tell just by looking at people. When I saw your Colonel I knew he was trouble." When Sam looked at her in surprise she grinned even wider. "Those are the ones that do the best", she told the woman seated by the bed. "They're the ones that refuse to let anything defeat them."

"Yeah", Sam chuckled lightly. "That's the Colonel all right."

"Look – I know I probably should let the doctor tell you this, but just stay strong and stay with him. I have a feeling he's going to make it, but it's going to be hard. He has a fight in front of him – and there will probably be setbacks – but with you by his side he'll make it."

Sam looked at her, startled. "But I'm not – I just – he's my CO."

"Of course he is!" Irene gently patted her shoulder and then returned to her desk outside the glass window where she began to record the latest results on her computer.

Sam snorted softly and glanced over at the Colonel. He did look a bit better. "Well Sir – you're doing well, so now's the time to be your stubborn self!"

* * *

Over the next 36 hours the three of them continued to visit Jack whenever they could. The nurses allowed them to stay longer than their allotted time, seeming to be okay with working around them. The General stopped by a few times and had a chance to sit with the Colonel on two occasions. He came out looking serious and rather pale, but on hearing that Jack was improving just nodded. "Of course he is", he agreed.

He brought numerous greetings and well-wishes from the base. "Everyone wants to do something, but I've told them to wait until the Colonel is out of ICU. I think they've already started to collect money to buy things for his recovery." He laughed softly. "The medical staff here don't know it yet, but they're going to be very grateful when people start bringing things to keep him occupied."

"You'll have him stay here?" Daniel asked in surprise. "I thought you'd have him transferred to the Infirmary when he's well enough to travel."

"No – maybe to the Academy hospital", the General told him. "Dr. Frasier and I agree that it's better for him to be in a place he can have access to outside and sunlight. Since this wasn't anything caused by – outside forces – there's no security risk."

* * *

It was almost 48 hours after he'd been brought in that the Colonel decided to wake up. It was Daniel who was with him at the time – and it took a few seconds before he actually realized that Jack's eyes were open – even if only at half-mast – and he was watching the archaeologist.

"Jack!" Daniel started and almost fell off his chair when he realized. "Oh God – you're awake!"

Jack frowned slightly, although it was obvious even that small effort was hard. He tried to speak but couldn't. He then tried to lift his hand – but was too weak. The heart monitor started to speed up as he began to panic.

"Jack – _Jack_! It's okay." Daniel placed his hands on Jack's arms. "Listen to me – you have a breathing tube in – let it do the work. Just relax!" He looked in relief as the duty nurse hurried in, a syringe in her hand.

"It's okay Colonel", she soothed as she uncapped the needle and placed it in the IV port. "You're okay." She looked at Daniel. "Keep talking to him and trying to calm him down. He's fighting the ventilator."

"Jack – look at me." Daniel put his hands on Jack's face. "You are on a ventilator – you're okay. Just relax!" It took a few seconds, but finally Daniel's voice – and the sedative – managed to calm him down. Soon his breathing steadied and the monitors quieted. At that point his eyes began to wander around the room as if he was trying to make sense of everything.

"Jack – you were hurt", Daniel again reached out and put his hands on the other man's face and turned him slightly to look at him. "You're in hospital. You'll be okay – you had an injury to a lung which is why they have you on the breathing tube. Do you understand?"

Jack blinked at him blearily a couple of times and Daniel was sure his friend didn't understand. It worried him – God, did this mean there was brain damage? After a couple of beats, however, Jack gave a small nod.

That instantly made Daniel grin – and want to holler. "Great! Jack – you're going to be okay, I promise. You just need to rest and get better. Soon they'll take this thing out, okay?"

Another nod, but then the eyes began to shift. Two small lines again appeared on his forehead and he grew restless, as if he wanted to ask something but couldn't.

"What is it Jack?" Daniel knew that his friend was frustrated at not being able to speak. He wondered briefly if he should bring in some paper and a pencil although he doubled Jack was up to writing anything. As the wounded man's eyes kept moving, it suddenly dawned on Daniel that he was looking for something – or someone! "Jack – the others are waiting outside. Janet and Sam and even General Hammond have all been at the hospital with you. Teal'c's still visiting his family. They'll only let one of us in at a time so that's why I'm here now. This is the Intensive Care Unit." At that the Colonel's eyes snapped back to Daniel and he gave another small nod. He then grew even calmer and soon his eyes began to slowly drift shut.

"That was great Dr. Jackson", the nurse, who was still standing to one side of the bed, looked at him and beamed. "He understood you and he responded. That's the best news we could have! I'm going to call the doctor and let him know the Colonel was awake and responsive. You might want to let your friends know."

"Yeah", Jackson grinned again. "Yeah, I'll let them know right now!"

He walked swiftly down the corridor towards the cafeteria where he knew that Sam and Janet were having a cup of coffee. When he arrived he looked around the room until he saw the two exhausted and somber looking women sitting at a table. He hurried over.

"Daniel?" Sam glanced up at his swift approach. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing Sam", Daniel smiled. "He woke up – and he understood me and responded. He's going to be okay!"

"Oh thank God!" Sam bowed her head and burst into tears.

_**Since I am so remiss in writing individual thank you's to all of you who take the time to read and review, I wanted to acknowledge you here. It means a huge amount to me to get your comments and to know you enjoy my stories. Some of you are incredibly faithful reviewers (you know who you are) – so thank you for always taking the time to write. I love you! And thanks to all you new reviewers, anonymous reviewers or those who only think to do it occasionally – it means a lot and I can't say enough in thanks to you! So, in the order in which I received your review, thank you to: **_Schatze, Crazy Woman, pain in the mitka, Fanka, Froggy, Smiffy, Elizabeth, Yol, awishaway, Kahuna, EVM1, Saissa, RhizOneill, Susant, dpdp, AnnaCecilia, PatriciaS, PhoenixFire, dcmom, Kathy, Zoser, djenie, Demetra, Alimoo, Katetanic, and of course all the guests who leave anonymous (but greatly appreciated) reviews.


	6. Breathing

_**Wow - thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! it was so great to hear from you - and, in appreciate for taking the time to read and review, here is my next chapter. I'll keep them coming fast and furious.**_

"Colonel O'Neill."

"Jack."

"Come on Sir – you can do it."

The voices were disturbing him again. He used the word 'again' because he was pretty sure he'd heard them before. They kept calling his name, and he kept ignoring them, because somewhere, at a deep level, he knew that to pay attention, to respond was to invite in something he really didn't want.

He was comfortable in this 'nothingness'. He didn't have to worry about anyone or anything and he didn't have to feel anything. He could simply exist in a void, and for now he was happy to be there.

"_Colonel O'Neill?"_

Except the damn voices were becoming ever more insistent and ever more annoying. He let go an inner sigh, knowing that sooner or later he'd have to answer them. But not right now – and maybe not soon. Later – he'd respond – later.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Daniel's voice was tight with worry. "It's been almost three days. Shouldn't he be waking up by now?"

Janet exhaled, not knowing who she was more frustrated at – the Colonel, for not waking up, or Daniel for not _shutting_ up. "Daniel, I've _told _you – he'll wake up when he's ready to wake up."

"But shouldn't he be ready? I mean, the doctor says he's doing better. There's no reason for him to still be unconscious."

"The doctor said he's doing _better_", the doctor answered. "That doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet. He's still very sick Daniel."

"Maybe he doesn't want to wake up", Sam said softly, peering down at the still form of Jack O'Neill. He looked terrible, although not quite as badly as those first couple of days. There was a bit of color in his cheeks, although they were still way too pale. The respirator hadn't yet been removed – the doctor didn't want to chance it until the Colonel was conscious and he was confident his blood oxygen would stay level.

"What do you mean?" Daniel looked at her in shock. "Why wouldn't he want to wake up?"

"Daniel, his last waking memory must have been of crawling across his basement floor, trying to get help. He probably thought he was going to die down there." Her voice cracked and she clenched her fists. "What if he doesn't realize that we found him, that he's safe?"

The archaeologist swallowed and then took a deep breath. "Oh God – I hadn't thought of that. Could that be true Janet?"

Janet looked as if she didn't want to answer but finally she shrugged. "I don't know, but it's a possibility. It's not uncommon for victims to wake up, not knowing they're okay, but still thinking they're back in the same bad situation as when they were hurt."

"What should we do?" This time the younger man was staring down at his friend, clearly wanting to help but not sure how.

"Talk to him", Janet said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Let him know that he's safe, that we're here. Eventually we should get through to him and he'll want to come around."

"I think only one of us should speak to him at a time", Sam was also still looking at the Colonel. "He's probably hearing a bunch of voices and it's confusing him."

"I agree. Look, I'm going to go and see if I can talk to his doctor and see if the latest test results are back. Daniel – why don't you go and get some coffee and let Sam stay here for a while. She can talk to the Colonel without all of us bothering him."

Daniel laughed sheepishly. "You know, that's probably exactly the problem. There's no one who can tune people out quite like Jack when he doesn't want to hear what you have to say. I know – he's done it to me a million times."

Janet snorted and patted him on the back as they walked to the door. "Sam – we're leaving you in charge of the Colonel. Just talk to him gently, maybe that will bring him around. But don't get upset if it doesn't work. He'll wake up in his own time. Remember – it's the Colonel!"

She couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped as her friends left and she remained with the unconscious man. "Don't tell me you're just being obstinate Jack O'Neill", she told him quietly. "We want to see those beautiful eyes again. Daniel told us you woke up once, so you can do it again."

The ICU nurse came in at that moment and checked the Colonel's IV and his blood pressure and oxygen levels. She smiled at Sam. "Still looking good", was all she said and then she left.

Sam was silent all the while the nurse was checking the still unconscious man but after she'd gone Sam started speaking again. "You know Sir, Daniel is going to be hurt if you refuse to wake up for him. He may just come back and start telling you all about the ruins we found on the planet Hadrasha. She chuckled again. "Hey – I know what to do – I'll start talking technobabble to you if you _don't_ wake up. How about that for an incentive? I know how much you enjoy it and that you'll do _anything_ to get out of listening to it. So, let's see … hmmm – why don't I tell you about cosmic inflation? And no – I don't mean blowing up the cosmos like a balloon – nor do I mean the rising prices across the galaxy!" She looked at Jack closely, but he hadn't moved at all and certainly didn't seem aware of anything. She sighed.

"So, the question is, if inflation happened at one point, is it self-sustaining through inflation of quantum-mechanical fluctuations, and thus ongoing in some extremely distant place?" When the Colonel didn't respond to that she went on to discuss in detail the extremely difficult question that physicists had grappled with for years. At first she watched the Colonel carefully, to see if there was any reaction (which there wasn't), but after a while she got carried away by her own soliloquy. It was actually an extremely interesting question and she wondered briefly if the Asgard knew the answer. She'd have to ask them.

Something touched her hand and she squealed in surprise, her heart beating a mile a minute. "What?" She looked around, expecting to see Daniel or Janet, but when it was clear no one had entered she paused. It took her two more seconds to realize – and then she looked down.

"Oh my God – Jack!" O'Neill was gazing out at her with open eyes, although they looked hazy and unfocused. His hand had moved slightly and had touched hers, but he clearly didn't have the strength to do any more than that. "You're awake!" She smiled and put her hand over his, giving it a slight squeeze. She was even more thrilled when she could feel his hand move slightly – it wasn't a return squeeze, but it was clearly a response.

"Oh Jack – it's so good to see you awake Sir! You're okay." She squeezed his hand again. If what Janet had said was true, he would need reassurance that everything was fine. "You're in the hospital but you're going to be okay. You were hurt but the doctor says you'll soon be better."

She could see him suddenly trying to swallow and then he frowned. She could tell by the heart monitor that he was beginning to panic and she stood up and leaned over him, her hands now holding both of his. "Listen to me Sir", she said plainly. "You have a breathing tube in – it's to help you. The doctor will take it out soon, but don't fight it. You're okay – I'm here and I won't leave you. You're okay Jack", she repeated.

He finally seemed to understand what she was saying and she could tell he was making a conscious effort to calm down. The heart monitor slowed down and his hands became relaxed. He continued to gaze at her, although every few seconds he would blink a few times as if to try and clear his vision – or maybe it was his mind.

"I bet it was my talk on cosmic inflation that woke you up Sir – wasn't it?" She smiled at him, hoping to see him try and grin in return. He only looked confused at her words and she wanted to kick herself. He wasn't in any shape to be teasing him. "It's okay – I'm here with you. Daniel went to get coffee but he'll be back soon."

That received a small nod and he relaxed even more. She smiled at him. "Janet will be here soon too – she's making sure the doctors are taking good care of you." At the sudden frown lines on the Colonel's face she tilted her head, wondering what was worrying him now. She thought back to what she's said.

He continued to stare at her and look worried so she started to explain, hopefully to relieve his mind.

"You're at Memorial Hospital, not in the Infirmary. They brought you here after you were hurt. Janet is monitoring you closely however. You know her – she'll make sure her chicks are well looked after."

Again O'Neill nodded, although his eyes looked as if they were growing heavy. The nurses had explained that he'd have trouble staying awake for quite a while once he started recuperating. His body had been through a major trauma – that and the extreme blood loss would cause exhaustion for quite a long time.

"You sleep Sir", Sam told him softly, reaching up and gently running her fingers through his hair. He continued to watch her until his eyes closed for the last time and he was sound asleep.

It was another few minutes before Daniel returned, followed almost immediately by Janet.

"He woke up", she told them with a smile. "He was awake longer this time and I think he understood me. He just fell asleep a few minutes ago."

"That's great Sam", Janet beamed and walked over to take a closer look at the man she still regarded as _her_ patient. "His vitals look good", she said, for the first time sounding optimistic.

"How did you do it?" Daniel wanted to know as he handed her a coffee.

"I talked about cosmic inflation", she told them, and then giggled at their stares. "Well, you know how much the Colonel hates my technobabble – I figured if I started talking about physics he'd wake up just to make me stop."

Janet continued to stare for a minute and then burst out laughing. "Oh my God Sam – that's brilliant."

Even Daniel was laughing and soon all three of them were practically rolling on the floor. It wasn't really that funny – but for the first time since they'd found Jack they felt like there was real hope that he'd be okay. It was the relief from stress and anguish that caused their reactions.

The duty nurse walked in at that moment and smiled as well. She didn't scold them for disturbing the Colonel, rather she knew that being surrounded by laughter and happiness could only be good for him.

* * *

Laughter? He was sure he heard people laughing. He questioned briefly if he should be worried, but then realized he liked it. He allowed it to surround him and he slept.

The next thing he heard was something about Sumerians. He didn't have a clue what they were, but somehow knew he didn't _want_ to know. Fortunately the voice stopped as soon as his eyes opened.

"Jack!" the voice said joyfully. "It worked again!"

He had no idea what had worked, but he was pleased to see Daniel sitting beside him. He was still unsure of what was going on, but he did know that he liked having his friends close by. He blinked a couple of times and looked around the room. Sam? Wasn't she here?

"Sam just went home to shower and change", Daniel told him, moving up and leaning down so that he was closer to his friend. "We were all getting pretty ripe."

Jack frowned at that, not sure what Daniel meant. He tried to speak and realized again that something was in his throat. He started to panic, but after a second figured out that it was helping him breathe. Damn – he hated that! Besides the discomfort, its presence must mean he was hurt pretty badly – which instantly worried him.

What was wrong with him? He could barely move – had he lost a limb? Was he paralyzed? God – he wished someone would –

"Jack! Relax!" Daniel's hand touched his arm and he looked at the man with the desperate question clear in his eyes.

"You're okay Jack" the younger man told him clearly. "You were stabbed in the chest, but you're getting better. The doctor just wanted to keep the ventilator in to give your lung a chance to heal. Other than that you just have a broken leg." For some reason, at Jack's serious frown Daniel felt the urge to laugh. He could just hear the Colonel start to bitch and complain about _another_ broken leg. "It's not a bad break", he explained. "You should be up and around in no time."

This time Jack gave a small nod and allowed himself to relax and simply stare at the archaeologist. Daniel couldn't help but smile – even though Jack still looked like hell, he was alive and he was getting better. "So, you want me to tell you some more about the Sumerians?"

The look of panic on Jack's face made him laugh. "I was just kidding." The look of complete relief that greeted his statement made him want to laugh again, but this time he held back. He didn't think his friend was quite up to teasing, even though he hadn't been able to resist doing it a bit.

Instead he simply spoke gently to his friend, telling him how they missed him and about the various nurses who had been looking after him. It wasn't long before the man's eyes drooped and soon he was sound asleep.

"Doctor", Janet smiled at the pulmonary specialist who had been assigned to Jack's case. She was extremely pleased at the care the Colonel had been given and knew that this man had been largely responsible for keeping the officer alive – he and Dr. Laroque, the surgeon.

"Doctor Frasier hello – and how's our patient today?" He glanced over at Jack, who was lying staring at the ceiling. It had been four days since he was admitted and he'd been awake half a dozen times. For the last few times he'd begun to demand that they remove the breathing tube and even though he couldn't actually speak, his wishes had been loud and clear.

"He seems to be doing better although he's still pretty groggy. He also wants to get rid of the ventilator."

"Mmm", Dr. Benjamin looked again at the chart. "Grogginess is to be expected and he'll probably be that way for a while, both from the blood loss and all the medication he's on." He gave Janet a kind smile. "I know you know that. Uh, his oxygen levels are up, athough not quite where I'd like them to be. We can try and remove it but we'll have to monitor him closely and if it looks like his levels are dropping we'll have to re-intubate."

Janet nodded, knowing what the doctor was saying was reasonable. "May I tell him?"

"Of course. I'll just tell the nurse and we can get this done in the next few minutes. I'm sure the Colonel is anxious to be able to communicate and breathe on his own. Uh – you might want to have his wife with him when we take it out. It will help to have someone he cares about by his side. "

"The Colonel's not married", she told him quickly, although she decided at that moment that Sam _should_ be here. She'd go and get her from the cafeteria in a minute.

"Oh, I'm sorry – I just assumed when I saw the young lady …"

"Samantha Carter – she's – uh – I'll go get her as soon as I tell the Colonel. He does care for her and I think it will be good to have her here."

The doctor nodded, not really caring what the relationship was, as long as it helped his patient. He left the room to get the nurse and have her prepare everything in case they needed to reinsert a breathing tube.

"Colonel", Janet gently touched his shoulder. "Wake up Sir."

At least this time he didn't resist waking up, although it remained difficult for him. He was so tired that it took all his energy to try and listen to those around him.

"Sir – the doctor is going to remove your breathing tube." Jack's eyes opened wide at that and Janet wondered what he was thinking. "They're going to be monitoring your oxygen levels carefully Colonel – and if they go down they'll have to put it back in. You have to understand that, okay?"

He looked, for a moment, like he either didn't understand or didn't want to acknowledge that but finally he nodded. He wanted the damn thing out now!

"Colonel O'Neill – this is going to be a bit uncomfortable when we remove this – but just try and relax, okay?" Dr. Benjamin was standing beside his bed, all the equipment at the ready in case this failed.

Sam was standing beside the bed, his hand held in hers and Janet was over by the door, watching carefully but keeping out of the way. Daniel had been relegated to the hallway, which he didn't like, but there wasn't enough room for everyone so he'd shrugged and agreed to stand outside.

The Colonel looked tense and clutched Sam's hand as tightly as he could. He knew he wanted to get the tube out of his throat, but he was still feeling confused by everything and was having trouble understanding what people were saying to him.

Since he'd woken up he'd felt only partially here – it was hard to explain. He felt calmer when someone was with him that he knew, but he felt anxious when they spoke and smiled and laughed. Nothing much made sense, although occasionally something got through to him. For the most part he simply nodded and agreed, which seemed to make them happy. But there was something wrong and it frightened him.

Sam – he at least knew her, although he had trouble remembering quite what their relationship was. It bothered him, but for now he was grateful to have her with him. Right now she was his lifeline. As the doctor bent over him, and told him something, it was Sam who guided him – who made him feel safe.

"Jack – he's just going to remove the tube. You're to breathe out when he pulls it, okay?"

He nodded – he was pretty sure he got that. The tube began to move in his throat and his eyes grew round and he frantically searched for Sam.

"Jack – breathe! Come on!"

He remembered then – he breathed out and gagged as the tube left his throat. It hurt – but more than anything it made him want to throw up. He continued to gag for a moment, and had trouble catching his breath. It was the hand rubbing his back that finally calmed him – and he took a slow, shaking breath in.

"That's it", her voice encouraged him. He kept his eyes trained on her and wished that someone would do something about the raw meat that was his throat.

"Here Colonel", another feminine voice spoke to him from the side and his eyes moved over, to see Janet with a spoon. He dutifully opened his mouth and the next moment was relishing the icy cold that was soothing his throat.

"How are his oxygen levels?" Dr. Benjamin asked the nurse quickly.

She was watching the monitor. "They're dropping – 92, 90, 89, 87."

"Damn!" The doctor told her to prepare for re-intubating. "It looks like it's too soon", he told everyone. "I'm sorry Col -"

"Sir – they're going back up", the nurse said calmly. "It's back up to 88, 89, 90", there was a short pause. "It looks like it's stabilizing at 93 %."

Dr. Benjamin looked at Jack carefully. His patient's breathing was improving, although it obviously continued to hurt him. Still, the entreaty in his eyes made him hesitate. "As long as they stay there, we can leave him be. Colonel, it's very important that you stay relaxed and breathe as deeply as you can. I don't want to intubate you again, and I'm sure you don't want that either. Just keep breathing and you should be okay." He turned to the nurse. "Watch him carefully and at the first sign of a drop we'll need to act."

"Yes Doctor", she told him. She gave another look to the monitor. "It's at 94% now."

"Good – good. Okay Colonel, you rest now." He smiled at Janet and Sam. "Hopefully he'll be good after this. I'll check on him in a couple of hours."

"Thank you Doctor", Janet nodded to her colleague and then looked back at Jack. "How are you doing Sir?"

Jack blinked at her and then tried to speak. What came out didn't nearly resemble English and he looked frustrated. He tried again. "Wa –ter?"

"How about some more ice? You need to take it easy so that you don't choke. In a little while I'll get a cup and a straw, okay?'

"Kay", he nodded, opening his mouth like a little bird waiting to be fed. Janet spooned in another ice cube. "I'll go and get Daniel. Sam – you stay with the Colonel. It's good to see you doing better Sir", Janet smiled and headed for the door.

Sam was still holding on to the Colonel's hand and suddenly felt rather embarrassed. She tried to pull away but Jack frowned and tugged on her hand. It wouldn't have taken much to get him to release her – he was still incredibly weak – but she didn't have the heart. He was looking at her with eyes that looked confused and frightened.

"It's okay Sir", she told him softly. "You're getting better. Just do as the doctor says and close your eyes and sleep."

He nodded and allowed his eyes to drift. It felt so much better not to have the tube in his throat any longer, but now there was no excuse for not talking. The problem was – he didn't know if he could actually say anything remotely sensible. There was something wrong with him – and he was frightened.


	7. Frustration

**_A bit of a shorter chapter tonight - sorry - but because you guys are such amazing reviewers I am determined to give you a chapter a night until I'm finished with this story. Thank you!_**

"Hi Jack! How're you feeling today?" Daniel approached his friend's bed and tried to keep his expression from calling out his concern. The bleary face of the injured man turned to him, but there was little other reaction. Daniel could feel his headache grow.

A few seconds passed and then Jack licked his lips and opened his mouth. He attempted to speak, but what came out barely sounded like words. He frowned and shook his head, clearly frustrated and angry and, if Daniel knew him - embarrassed.

"Take it easy", Daniel put his hand on the agitated man's arm. "It's okay. The doctor said you still have a lot of drugs in your system so it might be hard to talk. And remember, you had that ventilator in for a long time – your throat has got to be sore!"

Jack simply looked at him and then closed his eyes and Daniel grew really worried when he saw a lone tear escape and trail down the older man's face. "Jack – it's okay, really!" He sat on the bed beside his friend, while continuing to touch his arm. "Hey, guess what! I just spoke with the nurse – she's kind of cute, did you notice", he bent over and whispered. "Anyway, she said that you're going to be moved out of the ICU and into a regular room. An orderly is coming to get you in a little while. It'll be way better – more room and you won't be bothered every few minutes. Mind you", he mused, "you won't get as much a chance to flirt with the nurses." He hoped that something would get through to the Colonel but so far nothing really had.

When Jack didn't respond Daniel sighed. None of them knew what to do. Since he'd woken up the day before he hadn't said anything except for asking for water. The doctor _had_ said it could be the medication, although the concerned look in his eyes indicated it could be something more serious. It was still too early, he'd told them.

"Until he's stronger, and we've reduced the painkillers, any tests we could do won't tell us the true story", Dr. Benjamin had explained. "The good news is his kidney function is improving and the puncture wound is healing. And he's also very very lucky to have escaped a major infection. It can be a real danger with stab wounds."

So, they'd decided to take what they could get for now and try and be positive. Still, it was hard to see the Colonel like this. He usually bounced back quickly after injuries and they all wondered at how slowly he seemed to be improving.

"It's not that slowly", Janet had tried to say to them. "It was a major injury with extreme blood loss – and the Colonel isn't as young as he used to be. It's not surprising that it's taking him longer to get better. But don't give up hope!"

So, Daniel and Sam and even General Hammond tried to put on an optimistic face any time they visited. If they left – and let their true emotions show – at least Jack didn't see it.

"Here he is Jack", Daniel stood up as the orderly entered, bringing with him a bed. "They're going to move you to the executive suite now!"

That didn't get any reaction either so again Daniel sighed and watched as the orderly wheeled a bed up beside Jack's.

"Hi Colonel O'Neill. I'm going to take you to your new room." He turned and smiled as the ICU nurse walked in and began to sort out all the wires and tubes.

"You'll be glad to know we can get rid of some of these Colonel", she told him as she unhooked some of the monitors. "You're doing so much better that we don't need to have you plugged in to so many machines. I'm afraid some of it will have to stay", she told him as she carefully unhooked the bag from under his bed which led from the catheter. "But Dr. Benjamin says that this can probably go in a day or so. I'm sure you'll be glad to get rid of it." She continued to talk, explaining everything to her patient as she worked. He continued to lie there, with little or no reaction.

Finally he was moved, with the assistance of both the orderly and the nurse, to the new bed and soon was being wheeled down the hallway. Daniel followed with the small bag of things he'd collected from the Colonel's house.

Once Jack was situated in his new room, it took him only a couple of minutes for him to fall asleep. The short trip had exhausted him.

Daniel continued to watch his friend, feeling helpless. He wanted to do something to help – he just didn't know what.

"Daniel Jackson?"

"Teal'c!" Daniel stood up quickly upon hearing the voice of his Jaffa friend. "When did you get back?" He was startled – but incredibly touched – when Teal'c walked over to him and gave him the Jaffa version of a hug. He had to blink rapidly so as not to disgrace himself by letting tears escape.

"I returned just a short while ago", he informed his friend. "General Hammond explained what had happened and I came as soon as I was cleared by Dr. Frasier. How is he?" Teal'c was regarding Jack carefully, a somber look on his face. Daniel would have sworn that the big man had become paler as he looked at the Colonel, although he knew that was pretty impossible.

"Uh – he's getting better – physically", Daniel told him quietly. "He's still -"

"Yes, Dr. Frasier explained. He shall improve, I am sure of it." Teal'c sounded so positive that Daniel could feel himself start to relax.

"God, I hope so. They think it might be the medicine but it's hard to see him like this. He just -"

Teal'c raised his eyebrows, silently asking Daniel to continue.

"He's just – not himself. He's barely spoken and he seems to have trouble even understanding us."

Teal'c nodded, but continued to watch his friend. "Have they found who did this thing to him?"

"No, at least not the last I heard. General Hammond didn't say anything?"

"He did not. He simply informed me that O'Neill had been badly injured due to an attack and was in the hospital."

"Yeah – well I know they're looking, but all I've heard is that there were no clues. Whoever did this might get away with it unless Jack can identify him – or her."

"Has he been asked?"

"No – and I don't think there's any point, not yet. Janet thinks it would be too stressful, even if he could answer."

Teal'c sat for another few moments until finally he focused his eyes on the archaeologist. "I am happy to stay with O'Neill if you wish to return home to rest. I understand that you have remained in the hospital for many days."

"Well – Sam and I have been kind of taking turns. The General and Janet have been here too, but they have responsibilities on base so it's harder for them. I'm totally fine to stay."

"Please Daniel Jackson – you must go and rest. Dr. Frasier is concerned and you look very tired. I do not mind staying. In fact, I look forward to the opportunity to remain with my brother."

It was then that Daniel realized that Teal'c needed to be there. Knowing him, he was feeling guilty for having been away when all this happened and probably needed to spend some 'alone time' with Jack. Upon that realization he stood up – slowly – Teal'c was right, he _was_ tired. "Okay – thanks Teal'c. I'll head home for a while and get some sleep – and probably a shower! Uh – if they come with dinner, try and get him to eat. He refused to have anything for lunch and he's losing weight."

"I shall", he gave a single nod of the head and Daniel suddenly felt sorry for Jack. Teal'c was going to take him in hand.

As he walked down the hallway he let out a huge sigh of relief. Thank God Teal'c was here.

Teal'c felt terrible as he looked down at O'Neill – at the incredibly brave and honorable man who was his friend. He could not imagine what any of them would do if O'Neill _didn't _come back. Not only that, Teal'c knew his friend would hate to live this way. Teal'c swore, there and then, he'd do what he had to to ensure that his friend _didn't_ have to live a half-life.

He'd been there, sitting quietly, for over an hour before the Colonel began to wake up. At first there was nothing more than a slight bit of movement. The next thing he was aware of were O'Neill's eyes beginning to move under his eyelids. Finally those eyelids opened – but the eyes, which looked bleary and out of focus, simply stared at the ceiling.

"O'Neill", he spoke in a soft, melodious voice so as not to startle the Colonel. "How are you my friend?"

Teal'c was surprised – no _shocked_ was the better word – at how long it took O'Neill to respond. He simply blinked a few times, and then tried to track things with his eyes. It was only after several minutes, and another 'O'Neill?" uttered by Teal'c, that he managed to turn, first his eyes, and then his head to the side.

"Hello my friend", he spoke again, reaching out with his hand and putting over O'Neill's. "I am sorry not to have been here for you. How are you feeling?"

It was eerie, Teal'c discovered. Eerie to watch someone as normally vibrant and full of life as the Colonel simply lie there, as if there was very little left of him. He didn't show any reaction to Teal'c's presence, other than the initial movement. Teal'c hated how it made him feel – hated that his friend was – absent.

"They told me that you were injured", he started speaking, not sure what else to do. "I am sorry. You did not deserve this my friend. And do not worry – I will make sure that the one who did this shall pay for his actions."

That finally got a reaction from the Colonel, but not one Teal'c expected. At first his response was little more than a twitch of his forehead. A second later and he began to frown and finally he began to grow agitated. Teal'c wanted to hit himself. Why had he thought it would be a good idea to mention the Colonel's assault?

"I am sorry", he repeated again. "Do not worry about this now. You must concentrate on getting well."

Rather than help relax the Colonel, Teal'c's words seemed to make him increasingly upset. He began to try and vocalize, which made the friend watching over him look even more distressed. It was awful hearing someone try and speak, who could barely get one coherent word out.

"Relax my friend", he attempted to soothe the Colonel. "There is no purpose in getting upset. Everything is fine."

He was actually making whimpering noises when Major Carter walked in. The sounds coming from the Colonel – horrible sounding – caused her to stop dead as she entered. "Oh – Sir!" After a moment of shock she moved quickly over to the other side of the bed from Teal'c and reached out and took Jack's face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Sir! Jack – come on, look at me. It's okay. You're okay. Please, relax."

It took a few minutes – although it seemed much longer to Teal'c – before the Colonel grew calm. There were tears running down his face, but he was no longer attempting to thrash about wildly.

"That's it Sir." Sam sat back, panting lightly after both the mental and physical strain of trying to calm the Colonel down. "You're doing just fine." She glanced over at Teal'c, the distress on both their faces extremely evident.

"Teal'c – it's good to see you."

"And it is good to see you as well, Major Carter." The alien who had become her friend lifted his head and it was only then that Sam could see how hard he was taking this. "I am sorry – I believe I caused this reaction in O'Neill."

"No – no you didn't. I think – he's just frustrated." She reached out and suddenly drew the big man to her and gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Teal'c hugged her back, the two of them offering comfort to one another. It was only at a sound from the man in the bed that they let go of each other and returned their attention to him.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you Sir!" Sam gave a half laugh and rubbed the moisture from her cheeks. "Isn't it great to see Teal'c?"

There was a small movement from the Colonel and then suddenly he nodded.

"Oh Jack!" Sam saw it and her voice quavered. She returned to his bedside and took his hand.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c had caught the small movement and his face lit up in a smile. "It is very good to see you my friend", he repeated. He moved back to the other side of the bed and began to softly tell the Colonel about his visit home and about seeing his son.

Jack tried to listen, to understand, but he wanted to speak – desperately. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing would come out but awful noises. He was horribly frustrated and terribly frightened. He couldn't respond, couldn't talk – and even though his mind was slightly clearer than it had been, he still had trouble catching what everyone was saying – and it was driving him insane.

It had been good to see Teal'c though. There was something about his friend that made him feel like things _could_ be okay. He knew that the Jaffa warrior didn't have any special powers – other than supreme confidence in those he called friend.

Maybe that was enough, Jack thought. Maybe he simply had to believe he was going to get better and he'd wake up one morning, back to his old self.

He felt Sam's hand and that of Teal'c both. They were on either side of him, offering him their strength and their hope. It meant the world to him, but he knew it wouldn't be enough – and that eventually they would grow weary of their vigil. They had lives to lead, and spending hours and days – and he was pretty sure it be weeks and months – at his side could not be allowed to happen. He was going to have to walk this journey alone – because he couldn't bear to see his friends pulled down by him.

His eyes began to close – he was so tired of being tired – but with his last waking thought he knew it was going to take more than confidence or belief, or even the presence of his friends to heal him. It was going to take a miracle – and he was pretty sure he'd run out of those.


	8. And Eat it Too!

_**So - sorry I missed posting last night. I confess to watching the series ending of my (current) favorite TV show (sniff, sniff).**_

_**One of my wonderful reviewers asked me whether I was still in Colorado - nope - I'm in Washington DC this week, attending**_**two separate conferences/meetings. I have to give a speech tomorrow, in front of a few hundred people so of course I'm writing about Jack and Sam! Much more fun, I assure you.**

**Oh - I'm not going to write too many chapters for this story - I will finish off my other story soon and I still have one which I've started and that's waiting to get published.**

**And really good news ... I"m home next week and not going ANYWHERE! Yeah - I get to reintroduce myself to my family.**

**And so ... on to the world of Stargate ...**

"Where the hell is he?"

"Probably undercover somewhere. You know he'd come if he could."

"He would – if they've even told him what's happened. Knowing them they've kept it from him for some greater good. God damn it, the Colonel's right – they're a bunch of snake-headed ass-holes!"

"Uh Sam, I don't think that's anatomically possible. And anyway you _do _know your father is one of those – uh – ass-holes now, don't you?"

"Of course I do." She suddenly frowned. "I didn't mean that the way it came out. I know he'd be here if he could – but I expect the damn Tokra haven't told him."

"You're probably right, but I'm sure they'll tell him as soon as they can."

Sam turned quickly and glared at her friend. "How come you're defending them all of a sudden? Have you suddenly become best friends with the Tokra?"

"Of course not, but there's no point in getting mad at them. They are what they are -"

"_Aaaargh!" _she screamed, looking like she wanted to shoot him. "I _know_ that – but they're still ass-holes! And if the Colonel was here he'd agree with me."

"If Jack was here we wouldn't be having this conversation", Daniel answered gently.

That stopped her dead, and she looked at Daniel, her eyes going glassy with unshed tears.

"Oh God Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that." Daniel stuck his hand through his hair. "I'm frustrated too – it's just that it's not going to do any good to shout at the Tokra. For one, they're not here and two, it wouldn't change their minds if they were. I _know_ they're a pain – but sooner or later your father _will_ show up, and then we can ask him to help Jack."

"What if he can't help?" she asked in a small voice. "What if it's too late, or the healing device doesn't work. There's no way he'd accept another symbiote."

"No, and none of us would ask him to. Look – I don't know if the healing device will work or not, but at least it's something and we've got to try. In the meantime, let's concentrate on Jack and not waste time cursing out moronic, egotistical, arrogant bastards of aliens who are only concerned with themselves and only bother contacting us when they want something." Daniel stopped and took a deep breath, practically hyperventilating after his outburst.

Sam stared and then her face slowly broke into a smile. Suddenly she was laughing and Daniel responded with a single raised eyebrow.

"Uh – can I ask what brought this on?" he wanted to know.

"You hate them as much as I do", she choked. "And you can't deny it!"

"Who's denying it", he smirked, pleased that he'd been able to lighten the mood. "Come on – we should go before it gets too late. Teal'c's been there all afternoon and probably needs a break."

That sobered Sam up immediately and she nodded. "I'll get my jacket." As she made her way to her closet she couldn't help the wave of despair that suddenly washed over her. She knew that her anger at the Tokra was partly a defense mechanism. It kept her from getting too depressed over the Colonel's condition.

Janet kept saying that it was early days yet, but even she was starting to not believe her own words. It had been a week now, and Jack was healing rapidly from his wound and from the broken leg. At least he was healing physically. She thought back to the conversation that Janet told her she'd had with the Colonel's doctor.

Dr. Benjamin was going to start testing him the next day – but according to Frasier, he was beginning to think there _had_ been some permanent damage. _How_ permanent he didn't know.

"It's too early to tell", he'd calmly explained to Janet. "What I do know is that the sooner we get him going on therapy the better."

Janet had explained everything to Teal'c, Daniel and her – but it hadn't been news that they'd wanted to hear. And, as far as Sam could tell, Teal'c had simply refused to believe it.

"O'Neill shall get better", the warrior said calmly. "He is strong and will not let this overcome him."

"Uh Teal'c – we all agree that Jack's strong, but there are some things that even someone like him can't overcome. It's not really a matter of will.

"I do not believe that his condition is that serious", Teal'c stated definitively. "Dr. Frasier herself said that he did not suffer a head wound so there is no reason for this to be permanent."

"I didn't say that he received any head wounds", Frasier said gently. "But that doesn't mean he can't suffer some – that it won't affect his brain. Teal'c, the Colonel suffered massive blood loss and that _can_ lead to brain damage."

"I do not believe it", the former Jaffa warrior said. "O'Neill shall be well."

Sam wanted to believe him, wanted to be as confident as he was, but all it took was one look at the Colonel to begin to doubt.

He hadn't spoken since that first word and now would barely acknowledge their presence. He seemed to do nothing more than stare at the wall or the ceiling and she was growing ever more afraid. They all knew what the Colonel could be like. He didn't handle weakness well – it wasn't who he was – and she didn't know whether he could deal with any kind of long-term disability.

Janet said it was depression – common after a major trauma – and that he'd eventually snap out of it. Sam wasn't so sure.

As she walked down the hospital corridor, Daniel silent at her side, she felt a sudden wash of guilt as she realized she didn't want to step foot into that room. She didn't want to see the Colonel like this. It wasn't his physical state that bothered her so much as the fact that he looked like he was giving up already. She hated that and wanted to scream at him – or burst into tears.

"Hi Jack!" Daniel sounded cheerful as they entered O'Neill's room, but she knew he was faking it. He was doing a better job than she was of trying to hold things together, but she was also aware how much of that was a façade. He was feeling it too, and, like her, didn't know what to do.

"How's he doing Teal'c?" Daniel asked when there was no response from the Colonel.

"He is O'Neill", was Teal'c's cryptic reply. "I have been explaining to him that we are all waiting for him to get well and leave this place so that we may return to fighting our enemies."

"Oh – yeah – right. That's right Jack. You need to – uh – anyway – right. So, you must be hungry Teal'c."

"I am not."

"Okay." Silence returned to the room, with everyone standing awkwardly – or in Teal'c's case, sitting and simply staring at them.

Sam took a step towards the Colonel's bed but then stopped. She didn't know what to do or to say. She knew he'd ignore her and she was tired of talking to herself. She felt badly for him, but also felt a tiny spark of anger. Fight damn you Sir! You're not going to get better if you don't fight this.

"Sam and I thought you might want a break so we came to sit with Jack for a while. Is that okay Jack? Do you mind having us here instead of Teal'c?"

Of course that got much the same reaction as had everything over the last couple of days – absolutely none. Daniel was sure Jack had blinked, but that was the only reaction he could see. He sighed. "Go on Teal'c. You've been here for hours and you need to get back to base. We'll stay."

Teal'c nodded his head and stood up. "O'Neill, I shall go now. Stay strong my friend." When Jack – again – didn't answer the big man turned quietly and exited the room. That left Daniel and Sam, still standing anxiously in the middle of the room.

"So Jack." Daniel finally made his way over to the chair just vacated by Teal'c. "How are you feeling today? You're awfully quiet."

Sam snorted – she couldn't help it. She knew it was mainly nerves, but for some reason she wanted to laugh. She figured it was either that or start throwing a tantrum.

She was surprised when the Colonel suddenly turned his head and looked at her. It was the first real reaction he'd had. "Uh – hi Colonel", she said.

He blinked again and then gave a small nod – which surprised her even more. So he _could_ respond if he wanted to. Then why didn't he? "How _are _you feeling?"

That got a slight sneer, although she wasn't sure if it was directed at her for asking, or to indicate how he was feeling. For some reason this made her want to laugh – another nervous reaction. Well, at least he could understand her. "Not feeling well I see. I'm sorry. Is there anything we can do?"

At that he closed his eyes and turned his head away. Alright then – that was pretty obvious. He doesn't want any help. Well screw you Colonel!

Suddenly she felt guilty – again. He was hurt and probably frightened and of course he was acting like this. This was Colonel O'Neill and his first reaction was always to run away and lick his wounds in private. It must be killing him to feel so helpless in front of them.

"I'm hungry", she suddenly announced. "I think I'm going to go get something to eat. Would either of you gentlemen like something? Sir – how about some chocolate cake?"

At least that got him to open his eyes. She was pretty sure she saw a gleam in them – although whether because he wanted cake, or because he knew what she was trying to do, she couldn't tell. "I'll bring you some just in case, okay? How about you Daniel?"

"Uh – I'll have some coffee and – oh a donut or something." He looked at her quizzically, clearly wondering what she was up to.

What _was_ she up to, she asked herself as she walked towards the cafeteria. She knew damn well a piece of cake wasn't going to fix the Colonel. No – but treating him normally might help. They had to stop pussy-footing around him. That would only make him more aware of his disability – which she prayed was temporary.

She returned a few minutes later with a piece of cake and a donut and coffee for Daniel. She wasn't in the least hungry, although she'd bought herself a juice.

"I thought you went to get something to eat?" Daniel asked when she returned. She glared at him and he raised an eyebrow. "Uh -"

"I ate it there", she quickly interjected. "Here Sir, your cake." She pulled out the wheeled table over his bed and placed the cake in front of him. "Shall I raise your bed? It'll be too hard to eat lying down."

"I don't think he -"

"Yes he can", she told her friend. "I asked the nurse and she said it's fine to raise it. I'll do it slowly and you let me know if it hurts, okay Sir?"

Jack glared at her but didn't do anything to try and stop her. She realized briefly that without a voice it would be difficult for him to object. Once he was sitting up slightly she moved the tray closer and held out a fork. "Here you go", she told him. "Dig in or Daniel might eat it."

He didn't reach for the fork, instead he simply continued to glare. She could feel herself start to sweat – she wasn't used to interacting this way with Colonel O'Neill – but at the same time she knew she couldn't _let_ him intimidate her. Being easy on him wasn't going to help.

"Oh, do you want me to feed you?" she asked sweetly. "I'm sure it must be too hard for you to eat it while you're recuperating. Here." She reached over and cut a piece of cake with the fork.

The small sound that came from the Colonel made her want to laugh. How a man could make it that obvious that he was angry, just by breathing through his nose, she didn't know. What she _did_ know is that the next moment her hand was being pushed away. Unfortunately, it was the hand with the fork and the piece of cake flew off and landed square on the Colonel's neck.

"Oops", she said with a grimace. "Let me get that Sir." She grabbed a kleenex and went to pick up the gooey cake when her wrist was again grabbed.

O'Neill made a soft sound – this time he actually vocalized it, although it wasn't really a word – and removed the Kleenex from her hand. He then proceeded to try and get at the cake.

She wanted to help him – not because she pitied him- but because his hand was shaking so badly from still being weak that he was smearing icing all over his neck and upper chest. "Uh – I'll grab a cloth Sir", she finally told him. "I'm afraid there's – icing -" she grimaced again at his glare.

"Here", she knew enough not to try and help him this time so she just handed him the damp cloth she'd retrieved from the small bathroom adjoining his room. "Right – there", she pointed to where the icing was on his neck.

It took him a few moments, but he finally managed to get himself clean. He then glanced down at the cake and this time she _did_ laugh – or giggle. He was looking at the cake as if it had tried to kill him. She was pretty sure that if he'd had a zat he would have murdered the poor thing. When he heard her he raised his eyes, the question obvious.

"Uh – sorry Sir – it's just – you look like you're going to murder the cake. It really wasn't its fault you know. It's a perfectly innocent piece of cake."

Even Daniel snorted at that, although he valued his life enough not to say anything. It didn't matter because Jack's eyes swiveled over to him, narrowing as they contemplated the friend who had betrayed him by laughing.

"Sam's right", Daniel finally got the courage to speak. "It really is innocent – and probably quite delicious."

That caused the Colonel to return his focus to the cake.

Sam noticed a twitch on O'Neill's cheek and abruptly frowned. What had she been thinking – the man had almost died and was still recuperating. Why in hell was she teasing him like this?

There was another movement and Sam looked closely at her Commanding Officer. He was – what? What was he -?" Oh God – he wasn't _crying_ was he? She watched and after a moment Jack lifted his head and began to – laugh!

He laughed so hard that he automatically brought his hand up to his chest. Swiftly realizing that it must hurt, Daniel grabbed an extra pillow from the closet and handed it to his friend. Jack placed it against his chest and continued to laugh.

"Uh – the cake wasn't _that_ funny", Daniel protested, although there was a definite glimmer of laughter in his own eyes.

Sam grew slightly worried as sweat broke out on Jack's face and he began looking a bit pale and winded. As much as they said laughter was good medicine, she was sure it had to hurt. The wound on his chest was still raw and tender – and she didn't want him to break his stitches.

"Here Sir", she handed him a glass of water. "I think you need to calm down before you hurt yourself." This time Jack just nodded and worked to stop laughing. After a few seconds he took a drink and calmed down, although there was still a slight grin on his face.

"So – you want to tell me what all that was about?" Daniel looked at Jack, at the cake and then at Sam.

"I think it was the Colonel's murderous intent Daniel." She was still smiling too. "Sir – _would_ you like a piece of cake?'

This time he nodded and put his hand out. She grabbed the fork from where it had fallen on his bed, wiped it swiftly and handed it to him. "Just be careful or the nurses are going to have to change your sheets."

He nodded and shakily reached over and cut a piece and then took a bite. Instantly his eyes closed and he lay there looking as if he was enjoying the flavor. He managed a couple more bites before putting the fork down. He still didn't really have an appetite, and was beginning to look very tired. It was Daniel who noticed and gave her a look.

She nodded and pushed the table to the side of his bed, moving his water so he could reach it easily. She removed the cake. "I'll throw this away." She wanted to laugh again at his pained look. "Don't worry Sir – the cafeteria has a good supply. I'll bring you another piece when you want some more."

This time he nodded but then allowed his head to drop back and his eyes to begin to close. Daniel regarded his companion and gestured with his head towards the door.

"We'll be going now Sir", Sam said quietly. "You take it easy. We'll be back tomorrow." The Colonel gave a small nod, his eyes completely closed. He was almost out for the night.

"See ya Jack", Daniel told him, also very quietly. "You take care of yourself." This time the Colonel didn't respond and they assumed he was asleep.

It was only after Daniel had left and Sam was at the doorway that she heard a sound. She turned, to see the Colonel's eyes opened slightly, his lips turned up in one corner.

"Th – nks", he whispered.

She smiled. Maybe Teal'c was right after all.


	9. Confession

"We're almost done Colonel", the doctor said with composure. Jack felt a moment of admiration for the man who had been caring for him the last week. He dealt with everything I threw at him with nary a blink.

Jack knew he could be an obnoxious patient, especially when he felt helpless or worried. His way of dealing with those emotions was to lash out at those around him – at least those in a medical setting. It was awful of him, and deep down he felt badly – but he still did it.

He'd spent the morning going through a series of tests. He knew it was for his own good, but he also knew he was terrified of the results. He therefore made every attempt to _not_ cooperate, as if that would ensure he wouldn't get any bad news. Still, the doctor and nursing staff continued to do what they had to do and in the end they got what they needed.

He was exhausted by the end of it and wanted nothing so much as to curl up in a corner and pass out. But no – of course that wasn't going to happen. As swiftly as the doctor and nurses left in came Janet and Daniel. To give her credit, Sam didn't show up. She knew he probably needed some time to recuperate.

"Jack! How'd it go?" Daniel hurried over to the bed. "You look tired. Was it tiring? What did they do?"

"Daniel", Janet said sharply and clicked her way over to the bed right behind the archaeologist. "Don't bother the Colonel with all those questions. He most likely _is_ tired."

Well glory be! Jack wanted to hug the little power-monger – if he'd had the energy. He could feel his eyes droop and looked forward to a long, solitary sleep – when suddenly his wrist was grabbed and good old Doc Frasier was checking his pulse.

He opened one eye – he didn't feel like opening both of them – and glared at her. He needed to _sleep_. He'd just been checked over thoroughly, so why she had to check his damn pulse was beyond him. What? Did she think Dr. Benjamin would leave him if there was something wrong? If he didn't have a pulse he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been left alone – for all of thirty seconds.

"A little fast Colonel", she informed him.

Of _course_ it's fast, he thought. I'm PISSED! He opened the second eye and gave her the benefit of a death glare from _both_ his brown orbs. It didn't work. God – he'd have to talk to Jacob and figure out how to do a good death glare. Even without the Tokra symbiote Jacob could pull it off like no one he'd known. He bet Sam could do it too if she wanted to. He'd have to find out.

"Let me just check your temperature -"

"Nmmph!" he jerked his head away. He wanted to be able to open his mouth and shout at her, but he didn't know if he could and he was too afraid to try and find out.

"Colonel, now don't be childish! I just want to check you out to make sure everything is okay. It won't take a minute."

"Nuh uh!" he muttered and turned his face away. Poor Daniel, who was now standing on the other side of the bed, got the full effect of a thoroughly enraged Jack O'Neill.

"Uh – Doc – I don't think Jack wants to do this right now."

Bingo Danny! He nodded sharply at the genius in front of him. Now just take Frasier and go. Of course Daniel wasn't quite up to mind reading yet – so he continued to just stand there, looking slightly panicked.

There was a heavy sigh behind his back and then 'clickety clack' – the heels of doom walked around the bed until she was gazing down at him with long-suffering eyes. Hey _you_ think you've got to be long suffering, Jack said silently. Try lying here and feeling like you have no power over your own body. People can just come in and touch it, test it, prick it, and poke it. He'd had enough.

"G – w'ay", he managed to get out. Another sigh from the doctor and her hand again moved towards his forehead. Okay, he'd officially had enough. With a strangled yell he reached down and flipped off the blanket covering him and forced himself to sit up. It burned and his vision became a bit wonky, but he persevered. He was going to get away if it killed him.

"_Colonel_! What are you doing?" Janet reached out to stop him but he pulled his arm away. "NO!" There, that came out clearly.

He turned in the bed so that his legs were hanging over the side. It was uncomfortable with the heavy cast on his lower leg, but he didn't care. He was getting out of here!

"You can't walk on that yet!" Janet practically screamed. She raced around the bed and tried to stand in front of him to stop him. He ignored her and dropped to the ground. His good leg, which had to take all his weight, just about collapsed but he managed to hold onto the bed. His hospital gown was gaping in the back and he could feel the cold air hitting him – and he still didn't care.

"Uh Janet – I think you need to -" Daniel was standing, looking as if he didn't know whether to help or to make a break for it. He was leaning towards the latter.

"I need to get him back to bed. Colonel, you can't do this! You're not ready to get out of that bed and I _order_ you to lie down!"

"C-nt!" he glared at her.

For a moment she thought he had sworn at her and looked at him in shock. It was Daniel who clarified.

"I think he said 'can't' Janet."

"Oh." She relaxed slightly. "Sir – you _have _to."

"C-n't –_'rdr me!"_

"Uh he said -"

"I _know_ what he said Daniel – and yes I can. I'm his doctor and he has to listen to me."

"Well, technically you're _not_ his doctor – not here", Daniel pointed out. "Dr. Benjamin is his doctor."

Jack nodded and hopped forward, his leg still feeling like it was going to buckle. He really had no idea where he was going to go, all he knew was he had to get away. He couldn't stand this anymore. He felt like he couldn't breathe and that he was about to panic. He needed people to leave him alone.

"_SIR!_" Janet reached out again at the same time Jack tried to step forward. In trying to avoid her he lost his balance and – eyes wide in shock – he went hurtling forward. Janet screamed, Daniel yelled and …

"What the hell – ooph!" General Hammond suddenly found himself with an armful of Colonel. He would have tumbled to the ground himself if it hadn't been for Teal'c behind him holding on to him.

It took a few minutes to sort out the tangle of arms, legs and IV's – Jack had forgotten that he was still hooked up. Teal'c took care of the swaying, pale and angry officer by simply picking him up and plunking him down on the bed. Janet went to rearrange his covers but the glare from the Colonel stopped her.

It was Sam – standing quietly in the doorway – who finally stepped forward and helped the Colonel straighten his bedclothes. He glanced at her, his eyes narrowed. He was almost positive she was trying not to laugh. It was a good thing she didn't, he decided – he'd make her pay at some future point in time if she had.

Once he was settled and everyone had calmed down, the General again repeated his first words. "What the _hell_ was that about?"

Jack bit his lip and laid back down and closed his eyes. He had the excuse of not having to answer since he still couldn't talk – at least not very well. And he was sick – he could get away with this. He took a quick peek at Doc Frasier, to see her looking rather pale herself. Good! He hoped the General lambasted her.

"Uh Dr. Frasier was trying to examine Jack and he didn't want her to. He got out of bed – I assume to get away – when you came in."

Wow – General Hammond must have been a phenomenal Dad, Jack suddenly realized. He had The Look down to perfection. He suddenly felt like he was about to be grounded and Janet was squirming and sweating. _Good!_ She deserved it.

"Dr. Frasier, care to explain?"

"I just wanted to check to make sure he was okay Sir", she explained, trying to sound calm. "I only wanted to check his temperature and pulse and -"

The General's eyes swung to Jack. "And you didn't want her to do that?"

Jack shook his head, his lips pressed tightly together. He suddenly wanted to explain and unlike a moment ago, hated the fact that he couldn't talk.

Hammond sighed and looked again towards Daniel. "Do you have any idea why the Colonel was so adamant in not getting checked over?"

Daniel looked at his friend, and gave him a small smile. "I expect it was because he had just finished a morning of tests with Dr. Benjamin. We all know how much Jack likes medical tests – so I expect he'd had enough."

"Is this true?" Hammond regarded Dr. Frasier, who shuffled her feet nervously. "I mean about the tests?"

"I – yes, I guess so – but I'm his physician and -"

"Are there not charts that detail how O'Neill is doing?" Teal'c said gently.

You go for it Teal'c! Jack wanted to cheer his friend on but instead grinned at him. He wondered briefly if the Jaffa knew that his next physical was going to entail _really_ big needles. He also wondered if Teal'c had ever been subjected to an Infirmary enema. You're probably going to experience one soon big guy, he thought. Big. Brave. Teal'c. He loved the guy.

"Yes, of course there are charts Teal'c." Janet shot daggers at the alien.

Oooh – I was right! Teal'c you are in _such_ deep -"

"Then I suggest you look at them next time Doctor before insisting on examining someone." When Jack snorted the General turned his evil, beady little eyes on him. "As for _you_ Colonel – use some common sense before trying to get away on a broken leg and a major chest wound. You could have killed yourself!"

Jack looked down and nodded, knowing he'd been a bit of a fool. Still, he'd felt like he had no choice – the claustrophobia driving him insane.

"I think Colonel O'Neill needs to rest", Sam suddenly broke into the ever more tense atmosphere. "He's looking extremely tired and after his tests and the –uh – short walk, he probably needs to sleep."

Bless you Major Carter, her commanding officer thought. But _you_ can stay. In fact, why don't you stay and hold my hand and caress my fevered brow? It was only Daniel's eyebrows, practically at ceiling height, and Sam's flushed cheeks that made him realize he must have been looking at her with a besotted expression on his face.

Hey – he could claim he was on drugs. That, and the fact that she'd saved him – many times – would certainly make it appropriate for him to look at her – however he was looking at her. On that thought his eyes again began to drift closed and he grew less and less aware of the people around him. Soon he was sound asleep.

The General gestured with his head for his people to leave the room quietly. He watched his second for a few seconds, a frown appearing on his face. He _did_ look tired – tired and way too pale. The man wasn't out of the woods yet and needed peace and quiet – _not_ the shameful display he'd seen when he'd walked in.

"Okay", he turned to them all once they'd reached the deserted patients lounge at the end of the hall. "I do not _ever_ want to see something like that again. Colonel O'Neill is still a sick man, and to cause him to try and flee his room is unacceptable."

Janet closed her eyes and nodded. "Sorry Sir – I'm just – worried about him."

"I understand", he said more gently. "But there are other ways to let him know that. You all know how much he hates feeling helpless. We need to be there for him while not hovering over him or making him feel even more helpless. Do you have confidence in his doctor?" Hammond had turned to Janet and quickly asked her opinion.

"Dr. Benjamin? Yes – he's an excellent doctor."

"Good – then while he's here Janet, Colonel O'Neill is your friend, _not_ your patient. He's getting good care and doesn't need more medical people checking on him. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good – now I want all of you to go home and get some rest. Teal'c is going to stay and will be there when the Colonel wakes up. I know we've all been worried, but he's out of immediate danger and right now he needs some time and space to heal. He can't get that if we're all hovering over him."

When Jack woke up he was feeling groggy and out of sorts. Once he'd fully woken up he also realized he was sore. Why the hell was he – oh, the spectacular fall onto General Hammond. Talk about embarrassing. Thank God they had been there though and had been there to catch him. He didn't know what would have happened if he'd fallen to the floor.

He cautiously opened his eyes and allowed them to wander around the room. The only one here was Teal'c, who happened to be reading a book. It still threw him when he'd catch his alien friend engaging in such human behavior. He didn't think he'd ever seen a Jaffa reading anything other than instruments on a ship's panel.

"T", he said softly, but it was enough to cause his friend to lift his head and look at him.

"O'Neill." He set the book down and walked slowly over to the bed. "How are you my friend?"

He shrugged, which was about all he wanted to do. He was pretty sure Teal'c understood. He raised his eyebrow and Teal'c answered his unspoken question.

"General Hammond made them return to their homes for rest. Everyone is very tired. We have been worried about you."

Jack groaned and let his head drop back onto his pillow. "S- ry" he hissed out, hoping his friend would get what he was trying to say.

"I know my friend, and Dr. Frasier knows as well. She was worried about you and that takes the form of her – what do you call it? Fussing."

Jack laughed. Yeah, that was exactly it. He really should be flattered that the Doc cared so much. He just wish she do it more like Sam and just bring him cake.

"We all are worried O'Neill. You must cooperate with the doctors if you are to get well. They only have your best interests at heart."

He nodded, knowing that he had to stop – doing what he usually did. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he knew he couldn't stand living like this. He'd have to try.

His mind was starting to feel clearer, which was a relief, although he still had trouble concentrating for more than a few minutes. And of course he was tired all the time. The doctor had explained that that was normal and would improve over time.

Finally there was the speech – or in his case the lack of it. No one seemed to quite know why he was having problems. Doc Benjamin hypothesized that the blood loss might have caused something like a minor stroke which affected the part of brain related to speech. He had told Jack that with therapy, he should be able to get full use of his voice back. He hoped so, because he wouldn't be himself without the ability to speak.

Even now he was so frustrated he wanted to throw something. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe, to calm down. It was only when he heard footsteps approach the bed that he remembered poor Teal'c and opened his eyes.

To find the big guy handing him something. He looked down in confusion and then gave a short laugh. A pad of paper and a pen – of course! It would make things easier.

He grabbed both of them and quickly wrote a note and handed it back to his friend. It simply said:

Food?

"Of course O'Neill. Shall I bring you cake?"

Jack considered a moment and then put out his hand for the tablet. He wrote one more thing and handed it back.

Pie? Blueberry – and coffee.

As he watched Teal'c leave the room, on the quest for food, he couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have friends like these. He let out a huff of breath. I'll have to start treating them better, he said to himself, starting with Janet.

Over the course of the next week he worked hard to try and get back his voice. Well, it wasn't actually the voice that was the problem. He could make sounds just fine – there was nothing wrong with his voice box. It was definitely his brain that didn't want to work properly.

He could get out a few simple words, although even that took time and a lot of concentration – and even then he sometimes got it wrong. He'd actually asked Daniel to get him a cow from the cafeteria. He had no idea where the word had come from and even though everyone had laughed, thinking it was intentional, inside he'd been worried. He certainly hadn't meant to say that but it had come out of his mouth very definitively.

When he was alone he tried to speak as much as he could, hoping that being alone would release any tension and make it easier. It didn't help. He was no better when alone then with the therapist. The words just wouldn't come.

His leg was improving and they'd put a walking cast on him and he was now able to get around. He still felt weak, although was improving every day. It frustrated him how long it was taking to get over the stab wound, but again, the doctor said that was normal.

"You lost a lot of blood Colonel and it takes the body time to replace it fully. You're still somewhat anemic and that will make you tired. Don't let it worry you – you will get better."

At least he had that to look forward to, he thought. Soon he'd be able to go home and then he was sure things would get better.

"Hey Jack, I brought you a present." Daniel practically bounced into the room, looking more cheerful than he had since before the accident. Jack was glad and knew that a big part of that was because of him. He'd forced himself to not appear so depressed – and to let his team fuss over him a bit. He realized – or actually the General made him realize – that they needed to do that.

"Jack – they almost lost you and it terrified them. Just let them look after you. It makes them feel better – they want to help you. And it's not going to kill you to let them!"

He'd groaned but then he'd agreed, knowing the General was right. So – he took their fussing and fretting, mollycoddling and mothering and accepted it. His team were thrilled.

His mind – traitor that it was – then switched to that moment, a few days ago, when he'd been asked to identify his attacker. He cringed even now, thinking about it, and knew that he would probably never live this down. He wished he could stop remembering the embarrassment.

The General had entered, followed closely by Janet. Teal'c, Sam and Daniel were already in his room – reading, working and playing chess with him in that order. His eyes were getting heavy and he had been just about to suggest to Daniel that they postpone the game. He still couldn't stay awake for more than 30 to 40 minutes at a time.

This was the first time Janet had been back since his – tantrum – and she was looking rather sheepish. Jack had to admit that he felt pretty badly himself. So – he decided he needed to ease the way. He still couldn't say anything, but when he saw her he gave her a big smile and a thumbs up.

She'd immediately relaxed and smiled back. "Hi Sir – you're looking better. No, no", she cried at his look, "I'm not here to examine you. That was simply the honest comment from a friend." She then deposited the bag she'd been carrying on his table. "I brought you some walnut chocolate chip cookies", she told him. "Cassie and I baked them last night."

The grin grew wider and he instantly grabbed the bag and started digging. After eating one of them in practically a single bite, he finally looked up to see his team laughing at him. He frowned and then shrugged. So what – he loved cookies.

"Good to see you looking better Jack", the General had commented. "I'm afraid I needed to come back to ask you a couple of questions about what happened. The SF's are getting on me as are the police."

Jack frowned and looked rather confused. Why was everyone so concerned about what had happened? It had been an accident – a gruesome one – but just an accident. He shrugged and nodded, although he really didn't want to have to confess his own stupidity. It was going to be very humiliating.

"Major Carter, would you take notes?" Hammond asked.

Sam immediately nodded and created a blank word document on her laptop. "Is this okay Sir?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh yes, that's great Major, thank you. So Jack – I know you probably don't want to think about this, but we do need to get some leads."

Jack looked back and forth between his friends. What the hell was the General talking about? "Huh?"

Hammond sighed. "Did you know your attacker, Jack?" he finally asked.

Attacker? What was Hammond talking about?

"We're trying to determine who did this", his CO told him, patiently. "Anything you can tell us about what happened will help."

Oh God! His head landed hard on his pillow and he closed his eyes. They thought he'd been _attacked_! They'd probably had the police and security checking out his house and looking all over creation for some homicidal maniac – or worse – maybe they thought it was someone involved in the program.

Crap! This made it even worse. He'd had no idea that they didn't know what had happened and he really didn't want to confess to it now. He could always just pretend that he hadn't seen anyone. Oh yeah, that will fly – with a stab wound to the chest he would have to have been blind or drunk not to have seen his attacker – if there had been one. Any anyway, there really wasn't any way he could lie to his friends.

"Jack?" Hammond's voice brought him back to the present and the realization that things really sucked. He opened his eyes and sighed. He then gestured with his hand for the pad and paper, which Daniel gave him.

He shook his head slightly and began to write. After a very few moments he stopped and handed the tablet to the General – and again laid back with closed eyes.

"What?" General Hammond read the paper and then looked up, confusion written all over his face. "Jack, what does this mean?"

The Colonel made a frustrated noise in his throat and forced himself to sit up straighter and to look the General in the eye. He gestured to the paper and nodded.

"What is it Sir?" Janet was looking back and forth between the two men, her curiosity piqued.

Hammond looked at the others in the room, his face now showing surprise. "It says, '_No attacker. I was a klutz."_

Daniel and Sam were wearing identical frowns, Janet opened her mouth as if to ask a question and then froze, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow. It took all of them a few seconds before they began to speak at once.

"No attacker – but how could that be?"

"What do you mean you were a klutz Jack?"

"That doesn't make sense Sir."

"I do not understand O'Neill."

Jack sighed and asked silently for the pad of paper. The General handed it to him and he again spent a few seconds writing. This time he handed it back to Daniel.

"What does it say?" Janet asked.

"Uh – it says – _There was no attacker. I was spring cleaning and tripped and landed on the knife. My own stupidity – NO ATTACKER_!"

"Oh my God Jack", Daniel was staring at him with huge eyes. "You mean to tell me – this was an _accident_?"

Jack sighed and nodded. He checked out the faces of his friends – to see identical expressions of shock and disbelief. He knew what was coming so he took a deep breath and waited.

It was actually Janet who started, which surprised him a little. She was swiftly followed by Daniel, and then even by General Hammond (although to be fair to him he simply smiled and didn't engage in the hysterics of the other two). Sam – well she got a slight grin, but then simply walked over to the bed and touched his arm.

"I'm sorry Sir. That must have been horribly frightening."

She was the only one of the bunch who seemed to realize that getting stabbed in the chest, even if you did it to yourself, wasn't in the slightest funny. It had been horrible – he'd thought he was going to die. He looked at her gratefully, again realizing how much this woman meant to him.

Now his other friends … well, they were going to get theirs one day soon. He groaned when he thought about the fact that this would swiftly make the rounds of the base. Hell, it would probably make the rounds of the entire Air Force within a couple of days. He was doomed.

"Okay – enough everyone", General Hammond said seriously. "I don't think the Colonel found it all that funny. It was a horrible accident and he almost died."

The others instantly stopped laughing only then seeming to realize that Jack hadn't joined in. In fact, he was looking both tired and somber.

"Hey Jack – we're not laughing that you got hurt", Daniel explained quickly, sounding guilty about his momentary hilarity. "It was just that we've been trying to figure out who could have done this – we've had lots of theories – and I think it was just a shock to realize that _you_ were our culprit all along."

"I'm sorry Colonel", Janet said sincerely. "I shouldn't have laughed. I _know_ how hard this has been on you."

"I too regret my reaction O'Neill."

Jack waved his arm. He really wasn't that upset – he was mostly ready to collapse from fatigue. "S- kay",he murmured, his eyes beginning to droop.

"I think we should all promise not to tell anyone what happened", Sam suddenly spoke. "I'm sure the Colonel would prefer not to have it known all over what happened."

"But we'll have to say _something_ Sam. We can't let everyone think there was an attacker who could still be out there."

"I'm afraid he's right Major", the General agreed. "But we don't need to give out any details. All I'll say is that it was a tragic accident, and leave it at that. Are you okay with that Colonel?"

Everyone turned to look at Jack, to see how he'd react. It was only then that they all realized the Colonel was sound asleep.


	10. Not Again!

The Doc told him they were going to release him tomorrow. There was really no reason to keep him longer, he said, other than the fact that they couldn't figure out why he was still so tired, or why he couldn't speak.

They'd done so many tests on him that he felt like a human pincushion. His blood had been tested, his brain had been scanned and he'd been looked at from every angle and – nothing. He was a walking mystery, as far as the medical profession was concerned, although in the end they all agreed that his brain had been damaged by lack of blood and that it would eventually get better – or not.

He had immediately wanted to throw something, preferably the doctors, but he'd restrained himself. He'd made a promise, even if a silent one, to be good – at least while still in the hospital. If he wanted to go home and throw a tantrum well, he'd damn well do it.

He was actually more depressed than angry and acting out was just too much effort. The exhaustion that he still felt also made it more difficult to be pissy with people. For the most part he slept and tried to ignore the fact that his career and probably his life was pretty much finished.

On that lovely note he decided to have another nap, a small part of his mind wondering if this was all he had to look forward to. He was out in seconds.

"Hey J -" Daniel stopped himself as soon as he saw that his friend was sound asleep. He then let out a deep and very worried sigh and pulled up a chair. It felt like Jack did nothing but sleep these days. He knew the doctors couldn't figure it out and that Janet and all of them were concerned. There was something very wrong but no one knew what it could be.

He sat there watching his friend for a long time, the silence not doing anything to soothe his anxiety. Even the steady breathing, the good color, the signs of returning health in the other man didn't alleviate the unease he felt as he watched him sleep.

Without warning Daniel noticed that his sleeping friend's lips had begin to move. Jack appeared to be trying to talk in his sleep, even though no sounds were coming out. God - even in his sleep he couldn't talk.

"Pl – aduv – me", the other man unexpectedly muttered, putting the lie to Daniel's thought about his inability to vocalize.

Still, it wasn't really any better because now he was just speaking gibberish. It was rather bizarre, Daniel thought, that he could make sounds and speak nonsense words, but couldn't manage more than simple English words.

"Adu – may."

Daniel frowned. What the hell was he saying? Adu? The 'may' sounded almost like the Spanish or Italian word for 'me'. He snorted softly – yeah, as if Jack would be speaking either of those. As far as he knew, the only languages Jack spoke were English and a little Russian. And then there was the little bit of Ancient he probably retained from the time - ! He froze.

"Oh my God!" he whispered. "_Ancient_." He moved his chair closer and observed the sleeping man carefully – the man who continued to mutter a number of words.

"Hab – exire."

"Hab?" Daniel thought. Could it be Hab- _eo? Habeo _exire? What the hell are you saying Jack? Habeo exire means – let's see – it means _I have to go_." Daniel frowned and continued, speaking softly to himself. "And before he was saying something like Adu – aduv – aduv may. What – damn it! Aduve me – _help me!_" He sat watching to see if he could decipher anything else, but by this time Jack's lips were moving but no sounds were emanating from his mouth.

What the hell does this _mean_? Daniel was now even more worried than he'd been before. Had the accident somehow rebooted the Ancient download? But Thor had said he'd taken care of it. He had said it was gone. Why then was Jack speaking Ancient?

It had to merely be words and phrases he'd learned during the time loop. That was it – it couldn't actually be the download. For one thing, Jack continued to understand them when they spoke and that wasn't what had happened before. He'd slowly lost the ability to both speak _and_ understand. No – it was just things he was remembering, that's all.

"Quod hic agis Daniel?"

It took him a few minutes to realize that Jack was awake and had spoken to him – in _Ancient_. This was bad, very bad. He groaned. "Jack?"

"Sic?"

"Okay – I'm assuming you meant to say 'yes', right?"

Jack cocked his head to the side and gave Daniel a strange look. "Huh?"

"You do realize you were speaking Ancient, don't you?"

The Colonel's face went instantly blank – although Daniel could see the stark denial in his eyes. "No!"

"I'm sorry Jack, but you were. You were even talking in your sleep in Ancient. Uh", he grimaced slightly. "Can you understand me?"

Jack licked his lips nervously and then nodded. He could understand Daniel right now, but suddenly he thought back to the times, over the last few days, when he'd felt like he'd blanked out and missed what people were saying. He'd told himself it was just that he was tired – or that people were talking too softly. But now – now he wondered if, in fact, he was beginning to lose the ability to communicate in English.

Crap – don't tell him that that whole thing was starting up again! He let out a strangled groan – he did _not_ want to go Ancient.

He lifted his eyes to the concerned face of his friend, his eyes asking a question he knew the other man couldn't really answer. What the hell were they going to do?

Daniel pulled the chair right up to Jack's bed. "We'll figure this out, don't worry. I expect it's just your brain trying to pull out a bunch of stuff as it heals – and right now it's probably thinking back to the time loop. That was a pretty intensive few months for you and Teal'c, and it was all about learning a new language. Maybe your mind equates equates its need to heal with learning a new language".

Jack gave him a skeptical look, although It sounded as plausible as anything else. But then there was the fact that he was having trouble understanding English – although thankfully not all the time. He motioned for the paper and pen and started scribbling madly.

"_Sometimes I can't understand", _he wrote. "_Maybe going Ancient_?"

"No – I doubt it Jack", Daniel answered, although he didn't sound 100 percent sure. "I mean – the download was wiped from your mind so there's no way it would be affecting you, not now. Tell me, is your understanding getting worse or is it – sporadic?"

Jack thought for a moment and then wrote on the pad. "Sporadic. I can understand you now."

"See, that's good. So I bet this has something to do with the accident. It'll probably go away after a while.

Jack hoped so, but if that was the case, why wasn't his language improving as his health improved? Why couldn't he talk for God's sake? All he could manage were grunts and a few simple words. It was frustrating as hell.

"I'll ask General Hammond to see if he can get in touch with Thor and have him come and check you out, just to make sure. Oh – and I meant to tell you – we just heard back from the Tokra."

Jack perked up at that – not because he had any love for the bastards, but because he was hoping that Jacob would come bearing gifts – or one gift, at least - a healing device. Normally he hated alien technology (at least the technology that was used on him) but in this case he really wanted to get better and get on his feet.

"Unfortunately Jacob's busy so they're going to send someone else."

Jack looked at him suspiciously and when Daniel grinned he let his head fall on the pillow. "No!" This time he managed to actually croak out a word, although that was pretty much because of desperation.

"Yes, I'm afraid Anise/Freya is going to come and use the healing device on you. Come on Jack", the archaeologist and traitor said, laughing, "you've got to admit that she's one fine looking Tokra!"

The Colonel rolled his eyes. He had no interest in the woman – women – whatever. In fact as far as he was concerned she could take her big – her attributes and stay away from him. Still, if she brought the healing device he'd be grateful.

The next day Daniel and Teal'c came together to collect him and take him home. He was rather disappointed that Sam hadn't come, until the guys told him she'd gone to his house to get it ready for him and she'd be there waiting for them.

Cheered by that thought, he was able to deal with the final tests and advice from Dr. Benjamin. He had to continue his therapy – as useless as it appeared to be – and was given a whole list of do's and don't's. Finally he was given an appointment to come back to see the doctor in a week. With a final nod and a handshake – to signify his honest thanks – Jack turned and headed home.

The moment the sunlight hit his face he could feel himself relax. He hated hospitals and there was nothing he wanted more than to collapse on his own bed, in his own house, and have Sam and the guys there with him.

He laughed, which caused Daniel to glance over at him, but he simply shrugged and shook his head. Sometimes not being able to speak was a blessing.

"Daniel Jackson informed us that you are now speaking in Ancient O'Neill." Ah Teal'c – always one for subtlety.

"Mmm hmm", he nodded. He actually didn't know if he _was_ speaking Ancient, at least beyond a few words. It seemed to him he didn't have much more luck with Ancient than he did with English right now. Hey, maybe that was it. He'd grown so frustrated with being unable to speak English that his brain had decided to try something new. Once that didn't work out he'd switch back to – hell, what if he suddenly started speaking Russian? Crap – this could be bad.

As it was, he was going to refuse to open his mouth to try and speak, at least until he was sure he was better. He was somehow convinced that if he didn't talk, he wouldn't turn Ancient.

"Have you said anything else Jack?" Daniel instantly got to the issue, like he always seemed to do.

He shook his head. He was _not_ going to open his mouth. And anyway, how the hell would he know? He couldn't tell when he was speaking Ancient, English or nonsense – it was all the same to him when he spoke.

"Come on Jack – say something."

He shook his head, refusing to even open his mouth in case something sneaked out.

"Daniel Jackson, you must stop bothering O'Neill. He will speak when he wishes and not before."

There ya go Teal'c! Jack kept his lips pressed tightly together but smiled at the big guy. Just then they pulled into his driveway – he had rarely been so happy to see his house.

He walked in using the crutches, followed closely by Daniel and Teal'c. He opened the front door, anxious to get in and lie down. He was ready for another nap even though …

"Sir!"

He practically jumped out of his skin when Sam's face appeared in the doorway. He cursed silently. What the hell was wrong with him that he was so jumpy?

He breathed deeply and then smiled, instantly wiping away her guilty look. After a pause she seemed to realize she was in his way and gave a self-conscious laugh.

"Sorry", she muttered, stepping back. "Come in."

His eyebrow went up at her inviting him into his own house, which naturally added to her embarrassment. He had a terrible urge to laugh.

"Sorry", she repeated. "I mean – I'll just get out of your way. Welcome home Sir."

He nodded and slowly limped his way into his hallway. He stood for a few seconds and then decided he really wanted to take a nap. He debated whether to try for the couch or his bed. But suddenly, the thought of that soft mattress was too appealing. He turned as quickly as he could with crutches and hobbled his way up the few stairs to his bedroom. At the top he turned around and looked down at his three friends, frowning and not quite sure what to do.

"It's okay Jack", Daniel finally spoke. "We'll just make ourselves at home. Have a nap and we'll fix something for dinner."

Jack nodded gratefully and made his way into his bedroom. In a matter of minutes he was sound asleep.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Daniel ran his hands through his hair as he looked out the window into Jack's back yard. He turned and faced his two companions, both of whom were sitting with a drink in their hands.

"We wait for Anise", Sam said calmly. "Hopefully the healing device will heal him."

"Maybe but I think this may be a Thor job."

"A Thor job?" she asked, her brows raised.

"Yeah – cause I'm sure this has something to do with the Ancients."

"God – I hope not."

* * *

Jack took in a deep breath and relaxed. He knew he was home – it smelled right – and felt right – and he could feel himself start to relax for the first time since he'd landed in hospital. Surely he'd get better being home.

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling hungry as he remembered Daniel's promise that they'd make dinner. With another breath he turned to kick his legs over the side of the –

"_Aaargh!" _he let out a short scream. What the hell? Two eyes were peering at him – two eyes attached to a voluptuous and scantily clad woman. Anise/Freya! Damn – so much for relaxing.

"Colonel O'Neill", the Tokra woman said formally. "We have been waiting for you to awaken."

He scowled at her and continued to move until he was sitting up. He was just grateful that he hadn't stripped naked before going to bed. He'd been too tired and had simply fallen in after only removing his shoes.

"I am here to attempt to use the healing device. Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter told me to come and see if you were awake."

He rolled his eyes. He was going to have to punish those two! He just hoped his friends had explained –

"I understand you cannot speak. However, if you will lie back down I will use the device."

Well, she certainly got to the point! It was clearly Anise talking. Too bad – he preferred Freya. Although he stopped that thought when he remembered that _Freya_ preferred _him_. Nope – didn't want that or need it.

With a mild sigh of exasperation he managed to turn himself until he was again lying flat. He regarded her suspiciously, wishing that one of his friends was here.

"Hey Jack?"

Speak of the devil. He smiled at Daniel and waved him over. He felt better knowing a team member would be with him.

"I thought you might want one of us to stay with you?"

He nodded vigorously, not concerned whether he was offending the Tokra woman or not. He frowned briefly. He wondered if it was _possible_ to offend her – them. Damn it, he hated dealing with the Tokra.

"Okay. I'll just – uh – stand over here then. Let me know if there's anything you need."

Jack nodded although he wasn't sure if Daniel was speaking to him or to Anise/Freya. In the end it didn't matter because all he had to do was lie there while the Tokra passed the healing device over him.

He sighed and closed his eyes, sure that Daniel would watch out for him. He was just so tired …

"Is he sleeping?" Daniel asked in surprise, stepping closer to the bed.

"I believe so. Please Dr. Jackson, do not speak. I must concentrate if I am to do this."

He nodded and stepped back again, although he kept his eyes on Jack. Soon Freya had picked up the healing device and closed her eyes. It took few short seconds, but soon she had it working and she began to pass it over the Colonel.

By the end of the session – almost fifteen minutes later – Freya stopped, clearly exhausted.

"Did it work?"

She lifted her eyes. "I was able to heal his leg", she told him, "and a few other minor things. I do not think I was able to do more."

"You don't _think_?"

Freya turned her eyes on him – and this time it was she who spoke. "I am sorry Dr. Jackson – it is not an exact science. As Anise has said, we were able to do something, but whether we were able to cure him it is hard to say. There was something -"

"Something?" Daniel asked softly when she stopped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean – his mind – there is something that is either protecting it or keeping us out. It felt as if there was some – power – pushing back. We have never experienced it before and I do not know what effect the healing device will have had."

"Damn", Daniel spoke softly but fiercely. "Well, at least we can get the cast off so he can get around. What about the tiredness? Any idea about that?"

She shook her head. "No. Again, I believe it might be related to something in his mind, but I cannot discover what. I am sorry Dr. Jackson – I wished I could have been of more help."

"No, no – we thank you for coming and trying. It's not your fault – not at all."

She smiled at him – and he wasn't quite sure who was in charge, until the Tokra turned to Jack. It's Freya, he realized then. He could tell from her face that she was clearly smitten with the Colonel. "Uh, would you like something to eat?"

"That would be excellent, thank you", she replied formally. Anise was back.

"Uh Jack?" Daniel approached the bed. "Jack – time to wake up?"

Jack opened his eyes and immediately knew. "Stercus!", he swore. His head felt like it was going to explode – and he knew he was going Ancient – again.


	11. Going Ancient

_**No excuses - just RL. I'm so sorry for leaving you all hanging and thank you for the lovely comments and nudges from a few of you. I promise to finish all my stories - I just find it hard to make time with everything in my life right now. I'll be updating my other stories in the next couple of days. Thanks for your patience.**_

"She said your leg is healed Jack. You can probably take the brace off now." Daniel was looking down at his friend, trying to hide his concern but, being Daniel, wasn't doing a great job at it.

Jack nodded but continued to stare at the ceiling. He'd counted on the healing device working although he should have known better. Murphy's law reigned supreme again. The good news was he felt better physically. The bad? Well, his brain felt weird, if fact it felt weirder than before the healing device. It was almost as if the damn thing had activated something – or maybe caused whatever was in his head to kick into high gear. At this moment his brain felt like it didn't quite fit in his skull; an unpleasant feeling to say the least. He frowned – what if it _was_ swelling? What if it exploded? It would be like something out of a horror movie, with brains all over his living room. No, he laughed suddenly. He had to stop his imagination from getting away from him. And he had to figure out what the hell was going on. For that he needed Jackson and Thor and – Carter! Hell, he'd always needed Carter and now more than ever. He sat for a few seconds thinking about – his Second. He laughed again.

"Jack?"

He started and turned to face his friend, finally brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the other man's voice. He glanced at Daniel and sighed - and then pushed himself up. He did a quick knee bend – at least as much of a one as he could with the brace still on. Well, at least his leg was better – and the rest of him felt good too – stronger than since his accident. With another deep breath he leaned over and began to release the Velcro straps that secured the brace. Once it was off he tossed it over to the side of his room and then looked up at Daniel, a wry grin across his face.

"Eamus", he held out his hand, indicating that it was time to leave his bedroom.

Daniel grimaced but nodded and wished to hell he knew what to do.

He threw the bottle across the room and watched as it smashed against the wall, dripping beer and foam down the surface and onto his floor. Well, wasn't _that_ a mature thing to do, he asked himself? Yup, he was going insane and if he wasn't careful they'd soon take him away in a strait-jacket and place him in a padded room like the one in which they'd kept Daniel.

Sighing, he went and collected a broom and dustpan as well as some rags and spent the next twenty minutes cleaning up the mess. He had to get out of the house and _do_ something. He'd been back over a week and was bored out of his mind. Of course, along with boredom was the fear that he would be stuck like this for the rest of his life. _That_ he tried to ignore, but the thoughts kept creeping up on him, especially when he was alone

No matter what he tried, he couldn't seem to speak English. And he had lost the ability to tell whether he was _thinking_ in English or whether everything was now in Ancient. Surprisingly, he could usually understand what people were saying although there was still the odd time when he couldn't – and that was just plain weird. Even Daniel didn't have a theory for that.

Of course, all this made it extremely difficult for him to go anywhere. He could pretend that he was a foreigner who didn't speak English, although he quickly grew frustrated at not being able to interact with people and had to have Daniel or Sam accompany him. It had been too humiliating and he'd instead stayed home.

He had tried to spend some time outside rather than stay stuck in his house but that ended up being even worse. His neighbor had come over to speak with him and he'd had to pretend to have laryngitis. He figured Barry had believed it, but that would only work for a few days. After that episode he'd stayed inside.

Nope – he couldn't do this anymore. With a frustrated groan he threw down the cleaning cloth and strode to the front door. Grabbing his keys he quickly made his escape.

* * *

"Colonel." Captain Jamison nodded as he passed the man in the hallway. He grunted in return, not knowing, and right now not particularly caring, if everyone knew of his – difficulty – or not.

"Colonel O'Neill?" The general looked up from his paper work, startled to see his senior officer standing in his doorway. "I didn't know you were here today. Come in, come in."

Jack nodded and strode through the doorway until he was in front of his superior's desk. He suddenly seemed to realize that this was rather a stupid move on his part. It's not like he could actually _speak _with Hammond.

He made a small sound of irritation, causing the general to give a sympathetic smile.

"Sit down Jack", Hammond indicated the chair. "Still not speaking?"

Jack shook his head, looking even more frustrated. He held up his hand and rolled his eyes, trying to demonstrate how he was feeling. He figured he didn't really have to do that however – he was pretty sure George had at least an inkling of how - angry and frustrated he was.

"We still haven't heard from Thor", Hammond told him, assuming correctly that he'd want to know. "We are continuing to send messages and I'm sure we'll hear something soon."

Jack nodded and gave a small smile, even though he didn't feel in the least bit happy. Okay. Now what? He looked at the general rather helplessly, not knowing what else to do.

"How are you doing Jack?" Hammond frowned, looking and sounding concerned.

Jack shrugged. How should he be doing?

The general sighed and pushed his chair back. "Look son – I know this is difficult, but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do until Thor gets here. I know that Major Carter and Dr. Frasier are looking into everything possible. Just try and be patient."

He scowled but nodded. There was really nothing else he _could_ do. With a sigh he stood up. There was no point in staying any longer since he couldn't say anything the general would understand. Hammond was right. He just had to be patient.

"Don't worry Colonel – we'll find a solution to this."

"Gratias general", Jack said, a slight twist to his lips. He then stood straight and saluted – unnecessary he knew, but it was a way to say thanks and show his respect to this man, who he knew was doing everything he could.

He next wandered down to Daniel's lab to bug the space monkey and try and get his mind off everything, He was rather surprised, when he got there, to see both Carter and Teal'c in with his intended tormentee. He simply raised his eyebrows, the question obvious.

"Oh, hi Jack", Daniel glanced up, sounding distracted. "We were just going over some things here. I was checking on some of my Ancient writings to determine if there was anything that might help."

When Jack looked over, curiously, to Carter and Teal'c, it was the Major who answered. "We're helping him Sir", she explained. "He's got us going through a number of the translations to see if anything sticks out."

He nodded, knowing there was nothing he could say. He _hated_ this. With a sigh he wandered over to Daniel's table and sat down on a high stool. He listlessly reached out and grabbed one of the texts, figuring that maybe he could help. He missed the look that passed between his teammates – the look of worry and fear.

God, the Ancients were arrogant! Jack flipped another page in the book he was reading and had to restrain himself from throwing the dam thing against the wall, like he'd done with his beer. Of course, this wouldn't be nearly as satisfying – that and he'd have to contend with an irate Daniel. You just didn't screw around with books with Jackson in the vicinity.

He began to twirl around on the bench – still bored and no closer to a solution than when he'd sat down. The others glanced up at him, clearly wanting to tell him to stop but either too careful not to object to the actions of a superior officer (in Sam's case), too distracted (in Daniel's), or too long-suffering (Teal'c) to actually say anything. He was just about to jump up and head to the commissary for something to eat – preferably something filled with sinful but delicious calories, when the claxons sounded, indicating that something was happening.

He immediately jumped down and headed towards the door, completely forgetting that he was on leave. He was followed closely by the rest of his team, all wanting to know what was going on.

He asked one of the SF's who ran past, but the man looked at him strangely and continued on. It took him a moment to realize that the man wasn't being insubordinate – he simply hadn't understood. He'd asked the question in Ancient. Jack growled in frustration and reached out and grabbed Daniel's arm.

"Quod facto est?"

"Uh – I don't know any more than you do Jack", Daniel answered.

"Ipsicoris!"

"Okay, okay."

"What's he saying Daniel?" Sam was walking quickly beside the men, all of them heading towards the Gate room.

"He wants me to find out what's going on." Just then they spotted one of the medics rushing ahead of them. "Hey – Stevens – what's happening?"

"Sg-5 and 6 came in hot", he called in reply. "There are injuries."

"Damnato!" Jack exclaimed, beginning to run faster. They soon arrived at the Gate room, to see all in chaos. A medical team was there but was already on its way to the Infirmary when they arrived. From the frantic voices and the speed with which they moved, it didn't look good for whoever had been injured.

A second team was looking at another soldier, collapsed on the ramp. They too moved quickly and soon the fallen person – a woman – was being gently lifted onto a gurney and was whisked off. Everyone else had obviously already gone or been taken to the Infirmary.

The whole thing had taken a few seconds and now the only things that remained were the Gate room SF's and lots of blood and equipment – dropped by the returning teams. Jack moved slowly to look at General Hammond, who was standing out of the way, looking shocked. He could see the older man take a deep breath and instantly he was back in full control.

"Clear everything out here people and find out what the hell happened!" He began to turn away when he noticed the members of Sg-1 standing off to one side. He sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing you can do folks. It's up to the medical staff now."

"What happened Sir?" Sam stepped forward. Normally she would have waited for the Colonel to speak but now –.

"We don't know yet Major. A radio message came through just as the gate opened – Captain Shaw said they were under attack and were coming in hot. A moment later they ran through the gate – all of them injured, a couple of them seriously. I'll wait until Dr. Frasier gives the go ahead and then I'll try and find out. In the meantime – there's nothing you can do. I suggest everyone clear out. Dr. Frasier will have things under control."

"Thank you Sir." Carter nodded and looked back at her team. They were all standing quietly, concerned about their fellow officers but knowing there was really nothing they could do to help. The situation they had just witnessed was one they all dreaded – but knew could happen to any of them. They just prayed that no one would die or had been injured too badly.

"Anybody for a cup of coffee?" Daniel asked.

"I believe that would be good Daniel Jackson", Teal'c agreed. Sam nodded and the three of them turned. It was Daniel who looked back at Jack.

"You coming?"

"Hmm?" he blinked and seemed to notice the others for the first time since entering the Gate room. He nodded and stepped in behind them.

They'd made it half-way to the Commissary when Jack suddenly stopped. Something was bothering him – but he couldn't figure out what it was. Without warning he turned and moved in the opposite direction – knowing he had no choice but to follow whatever force was moving him.

"Jack! Where are you going?"

He glanced back at Daniel and shrugged but then kept walking.

"What's he doing?" the archaeologist asked his companions. Sam shrugged in imitation of her commanding officer and Teal'c lifted an eyebrow. With a sigh Daniel turned and followed the Colonel. A second later so too did the other members of their team. Where Jack went – they followed.

"I'm sorry Sir", the nurse glanced up. "I'm afraid we have an emergency. The doctor can't see you right now."

Jack ignored her and kept walking back towards the area from which all the sounds were emanating.

"_Sir_!" she called after him.

"It's okay Lieutenant", Major Carter spoke to her kindly. "He's – uh – don't worry. We'll tell Dr. Frasier you tried to stop him."

"Oh – okay Major – but – wait", she called as Carter moved on too. "You can't go in there."

Carter ignored the poor woman, as did Daniel. It was Teal'c who stopped and spoke with her.

"Do not worry Lieutenant Bigelow. Colonel O'Neill is here to help. I will ensure he does not get in the way."

Bigelow sighed, and put her hand through her hair. She'd always been told that Sg-1 was a force unto itself – and so who was she to try and stop it. Dr. Frasier could deal with them. "Okay – but I'm not taking responsibility if anything happens."

"Of course you will not." With that Teal'c turned and followed his friends, leaving the nurse who wasn't quite sure whether she'd been shown sympathy or had been insulted.

"Colonel!" Janet looked up from the battered body of the soldier in front of her. "What are you doing here? You have to leave. I've got severely injured men and women here – I don't have time to deal with you now."

Janet was nothing if not blunt when she needed to be, thought Jack, although he soon forget about her and everything else in the room. He had eyes for no one else but Morrison – the soldier on the table.

It didn't take an expert to know that there was no way the young woman could survive. She'd taken a staff blast, or something similar, directly to her chest. The wound was horrible – he could see blood and tissue and bone. He wondered for a second if she was still alive but then realized that Janet wouldn't still be standing there if she was dead. He stepped closer.

Janet had turned back to her patient and was issuing sharp orders to her staff. Her voice clearly indicated she knew it was hopeless – but also that she wouldn't give up until she had no other choice.

Jack stepped even closer, his eyes steady on the body of the young soldier. He remembered her. She had been in one of his training groups and he'd seen her potential. She was young and green – and idealistic – but smart. In many ways she had reminded him of a young Sam Carter. And there was no way in hell he was going to let her die.

"_Colonel_!" Janet had noticed that he hadn't left. "What the hell – you have to leave _now!"_

He continued to ignore her but walked up to the table until he was right next to Morrison. He could tell – he didn't know how – that she had but seconds left to live.

"_Colonel_!" Janet sounded frantic and reached out to grab him. It was then that Daniel stepped forward.

"No Janet – let him."

"But Daniel -"

"Look", he nodded his head towards Jack, who had put out his hands and gently laid them down directly on the young woman's wound.

"He can't – Daniel, what's going on?"

"He's trying to heal her. I think – he's gone Ancient."

Janet looked on, stunned, and swallowed. She knew there was nothing she could do for Morrison – her wounds were too grave. She hadn't given up, because she never would, but they had all known the young soldier was going to die. It was for that reason that she stilled now. She didn't think this was going to work, but if there was even a small chance that Daniel was right, she'd have to let the Colonel try.

They all stood and watched as O'Neill stood there, a look of intense concentration on his face. Nothing seemed to be happening – at least not at first. It must have been almost five minutes later before anything changed. Morrison – who had been still as death – suddenly took a deep breath, a small groan leaving her throat.

"What the -" Janet stepped forward, not knowing what to do but feeling like she had to do _something_. An arm reached out and again held her back. This time it was Sam's. Her head lifted and her eyes connected with those of her friend. "Sam?"

"I don't know Janet", she said softly. "But this way she might have a chance." Sam had known, just as had Jack, that Susan Morrison was dying. If he couldn't help her then there _was_ no chance for her.

"Look", Daniel whispered, pointing to Susan's chest. "It's working."

And it was. The wound – although still terrible looking – was starting to heal. Jack continued to stand there, his hands touching her. His eyes were glazed and he appeared to be in a trance, his whole being focused on the young woman in front of him.

It was another ten minutes before they knew for sure that Lieutenant Morrison was going to live. By that time the wound was healed – the skin still pink and tender looking, but now closed. She was breathing deeply and color was returning to her bleach white skin. Janet was checking her vital signs and was shaking her head – not with despair, but with disbelief.

"Her pulse is 60, her blood pressure 110 over 65. Her temperature is almost normal. What the hell just happened?"

"Jack", Daniel whispered. "Jack happened."

It was at that moment that the Colonel withdrew his hands. His eyes lifted and he stared directly at Carter, a look of shock on his face. His mouth opened as if to speak but before anything came out his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed. He would have fallen to the floor if it wasn't for Teal'c, who caught him.

The last thing that ran through Jack's mind, right before he lost consciousness, was 'holy crap – I'm a damned Ancient!"


	12. Complications

_**Another chapter ... sorry for the Ancient - I'm afraid mine isn't very good!**_

"How's he doing Janet?" Sam looked through the window at the Colonel, who was lying quietly in the Infirmary bed. He was hooked up to various monitors, but the fact that he was alone now seemed to indicate he was okay.

"He's fine now", the petite doctor replied, also looking through the glass at the sleeping officer. "His vitals dipped pretty seriously and I was worried for a while, but things seem to be coming back. His temperature, blood pressure and pulse are all still low, but almost within normal ranges. He should be fine."

"And Lieutenant Morrison?"

"She's totally okay. As far as I can tell she's healthy as a horse. I'm keeping her for 24 hours observation, but it looks like he healed her completely."

The two women fell silent, both contemplating what had happened. It was obvious now that the Colonel had gone Ancient – whatever that meant. Sam felt a cold sense of foreboding wash over her. Did this mean he was going to die?

"Janet – what about –?"

The doctor turned and looked at her friend, noticing for the first time how pale and frightened Sam appeared. "Hey, what's this?"

"I'm just – the last time this happened – the Colonel almost died. Does this mean -"

"No – no I don't think so", Janet assured her quickly. "I did another brain scan, and although there are changes, it doesn't look like last time. I don't think his brain is being – overwritten – not like it was before. Whatever is happening, it's different. I'm sure he'll be okay Sam."

"But – he can't speak Janet. I know it's driving him insane – it would any of us. He can't communicate and that's everything to him. What's he going to do?"

"Honey – let's wait until Thor gets here. I'm sure he'll be able to help. In the meantime, we just have to be there for the Colonel. I'm sure it won't be long. Thor will – do whatever he does to clear this stuff out of his brain and the next thing we'll know the Colonel will be back to his usual sarcastic, irascible self!"

Sam snorted, hoping that what Janet was saying would turn out to be true. Damn it – where the hell was Thor?

* * *

"Hey Jack." Daniel spoke softly to the still sleeping man. It had been almost 24 hours since he'd healed the Lieutenant and he still hadn't woken up. Janet said it was probably just exhaustion, but Daniel was worried. "Hey sleepyhead", he said again. "You're missing the hockey game."

Daniel almost laughed when Jack's eyes shot open. It took a few seconds for the other man to focus and then he slowly turned his head. "Daniel?" he croaked.

"Hi. Decided to wake up finally I see. Here, have some water." Daniel held out the cup with a straw and Jack took a couple of sips.

Once he was finished Jack put his head back down and frowned slightly – obviously still somewhat disoriented. His eyes wandered around the room for a moment and then he looked back at his friend. "Infirmorum?"

"Yup – do you remember what happened?"

Again the furrow appeared between the Colonel's eyes. He tried to think back. "Uh - ?"

"Two Sg teams returned from off-world – they'd gotten into a fire fight and some of them were injured. You came down to the Infirmary and saw that Lieutenant Morrison was badly hurt." Daniel watched him for a second to see if he remembered. When the Colonel continued to look uncertain he sighed and continued. "You healed her Jack – you put her hands on her chest and healed her."

Jack's eyes grew round and then he grew pale. He started to shake his head, although the memories were starting to come back. "No way – Daniel – no!"

Daniel didn't know whether to be surprised at Jack's denial or at the fact that he'd spoken in English. "Uh – yes, I'm afraid that's what happened. Don't you remember?"

"Non etay me." He shook his head firmly. He hadn't done it – he refused to believe it.

Well, so much for the English, thought Daniel. He'd have to think about that later. "Yes, it was. Jack, we all saw it. I think – you seem to have gotten back the healing power of the Ancients." He winced as Jack's head fell back and his eyes closed. Damn it – this was so unfair.

"Me cerebro mutato est?" O'Neill asked softly.

"Uh – yeah, a bit – but Janet says it's not like last time. She's sure this isn't going to kill you – it's not – what did she say 'overwriting your brain' like it did before. The changes are much more gradual and seemed to have stopped. It may be -"

"Quod?"

Daniel wished that he wasn't the only one who could understand Jack, because right now he wanted someone else – anyone else – to be here. This was really Janet's territory, not his. "Janet thinks -"

"_Quod Daniel_?"

"Janet thinks this may be a natural change – that it's your own brain or body that's doing this in response to your injury. She figures that maybe the Ancient gene kicked in to save you when you almost died and – and that it's become somehow dominant."

The Colonel blinked, not quite sure what to say – or to think for that matter. If what Daniel, and Janet, said was true – did that mean Thor wouldn't be able to fix it, fix him? No – his little gray friend had to be able to do something. There was no way in hell he was going through life as some freak who couldn't even speak. And if what Daniel was saying was true – why the hell _couldn't_ he speak – English that was. Surely he'd be able to at least relearn his own language? But that didn't seem to work. No matter how hard he tried the words just wouldn't come out. His head fell back again and he took a deep breath.

"Quid ego nunc faciam?"

"What do you do now? Just rest Jack. The healing took a lot out of you. I'm here – hell, we're all here for you – and as soon as Thor arrives he'll fix this. In the meantime, just take it easy."

* * *

"What do you mean the NID want him?" Daniel stared at General Hammond, whose own face registered his anger.

"Just that Dr. Jackson. They found out about the healing and now they want to take him away and examine him. We have a snake in the grass who must have informed them. I'll find out who, but in the meantime someone is coming this afternoon to take him to Area 52."

"Sir, you can't let them", Sam said forcefully. "You know that if they get their hands on him they'll never let him go. They'll use him as a guinea pig!"

"I know Major but I'm afraid my hands are tied. This comes down from the top. I've been ordered to cooperate fully. Look, I even put in a call to the President, but he's not answering. Someone is pulling some strings and there's nothing else I can do."

"We cannot let them have Colonel O'Neill", Teal'c said calmly and quietly – although both Sam and Daniel recognized the sound of danger in their friend's voice. Now was definitely not the time to mess with the former Jaffa warrior.

"What are we going to do? When are they coming Sir?" Daniel stood with his arms wrapped around his chest, the glasses falling down on his nose. He was not going to let this happen.

"In about an hour son", Hammond told him. "The plane is just about to land at Petersen."

"Well then, I guess we should go and say goodbye to Jack. If you'll excuse me Sir?" Daniel barely waited for Hammond's nod before turning and striding out of his officer.

"Uh – Sir, does Colonel O'Neill know?"

"Not yet Major. Maybe you could tell him?"

"Yes Sir. Teal'c, are you coming?"

"Indeed Major Carter. Thank you General Hammond."

"You're welcome Teal'c and – good luck, both of you."

The two of them scurried after Daniel, meeting up with him just outside the Infirmary. "What are we going to do Daniel, Teal'c?" Sam asked quietly. "We can't let them have him."

"No, I know. Look, I think the only thing we can do is get him through the gate."

"How? There's no way they'll let us through. The General would get in huge trouble."

"We've done it before Sam", Daniel reminded her. "We'll just have to do it again. And somehow – I think the General won't be watching too closely."

Sam nodded, not likely what they had to do, but knowing they had little choice. "You get the Colonel – Teal'c and I will get our equipment and meet you outside the gate room in – twenty?"

"Yeah", Daniel nodded and headed into the Infirmary. He watched for a second as Sam and Teal'c headed off to collect their equipment. This was going to be close.

* * *

"How's Jack?"

Janet looked up from her desk when she heard Daniel enter the Infirmary. "Hi Daniel. He's doing fine – still tired, but he should be back up to speed in a day or so. Go ahead and go in – I think he's bored and could use the company."

"Uh Janet." Daniel grimaced, unsure of what to tell the Doc. He really didn't want her to get into trouble.

"What is it?" She looked at him in surprise – there was something wrong.

"It's just – the NID know about Jack."

"They do? How?"

"General Hammond doesn't know. Someone from here must be working for them and obviously told them about the healing. Anyway, they're on their way to get him."

"Colonel O'Neill?"

"Yup – they'll be here in less than an hour."

"Oh my God – what's the general going to do?"

"There isn't anything he _can_ do. I'm going to go and tell Jack now."

"Crap – he isn't going to be happy."

"No – uh Janet?"

"What?" she looked at him with a frown.

"I think – maybe – isn't it time for your coffee break?"

"My _what_?"

"Coffee break. You've been here for a while and I thought maybe – you know – you might want to go to the commissary for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. I mean, you said yourself that Jack is okay. I'm sure it's fine if you leave him for a bit."

Frasier's face suddenly changed and by the look in her eyes she was beginning to realize what was going on. "I – guess I could. Yes, a coffee sounds good."

"What about your nursing staff?" Daniel asked. "Any of them here that might like to go?"

"Just Nurse Gomez. I think – I need to send her to pick up some test results from the science lab. Just let me tell her and then I'll go grab that coffee. As long as I know you're here I don't mind leaving the Colonel."

"Thanks Janet", Daniel said softly.

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into", the doctor answered, equally as softly. She then reached over and buzzed for the nurse on duty. "Gomez, can you go down to the labs and get the latest tests on Colonel O'Neill? I want to check his blood work."

"Of course Dr. Frasier." The nurse left quickly at which point Janet stood up. "She'll be back in less than ten minutes. I'm off for coffee. Good luck."

"Thanks Janet." With that he hurried into Colonel O'Neill's room. "Hey Jack – get out of bed. We have to hurry."

"Quod?"

"Don't argue Jack – just get up. Here", he tossed the Colonel a clean pair of BDU's which were in the closet and then grabbed his boots from under his bed. "The NID is coming for you. They heard about you going – Ancient – and they want to take you to Area 52. We only have a few minutes. Come on."

Jack didn't need any more urging. He quickly stood– and would have fallen over except for Daniel, who grabbed him and steadied him. With a quick nod of thanks he held on to the bed but dressed as fast as he could.

"Let's go."

"Quo?"

"To the gate room. We figured the only safe place was to go through the gate to a safe planet. Here on Earth they'll be sure to find us."

"Qui nos?"

"Us – you, Sam, Teal'c, me – Sg-1."

"Non!"

"Yes Jack – come on, don't argue. We've got to go."

Jack clenched his jaw and proceeded to inform Daniel that his team was _not_ going. He could go on his own, he argued. He was _not_ about to let his teammates get into trouble to help him. If they left Earth they'd all be labeled as traitors and there was no way he would let this come down on them. After a few moments he realized that if they didn't move it wouldn't be an issue – he'd be captured. He followed Daniel to the gate room, refusing to continue the argument now. But when he got to the gate he'd stand firm.

Teal'c and Sam were waiting in the hallway outside, a pile of equipment at their side. Without saying a word Sam handed him his flak vest, jacket and weapons. "Okay Sir – ready to go?"

"Non", he repeated. He looked over at Daniel in frustration. "Daniel!"

"Jack says he's going alone – he refuses to let us accompany him."

"No way– we're going with him."

"That is correct", Teal'c agreed. "Come we must be going."

Jack shook his head at his 2IC. He could at least order her to stand down.

"Sorry Sir – what was that? I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Sam!" he hissed. He couldn't exactly order her to stay since she could claim she didn't understand, so instead he turned to Daniel and told him.

"Sorry Jack – what's that? I'm afraid I'm having trouble understanding you. Sam, we'd better get the gate open. They'll be here any minute."

Sam nodded and turned to head up into the Control room. She prayed that whoever was there wouldn't stop them. "Oh hello Sergeant."

"Major." Walter looked up, surprised to see Major Carter. "What's happening Ma'am?"

"I'm here to do the diagnostic", she told him, acting as if he should know what she was talking about.

"Diagnostic?"

"Yes, didn't Siler tell you?"

"Siler? No Ma'am, he didn't say anything."

She sighed. "Darn it! I told him to tell you _and_ to have the equipment here. Look Sergeant – could you page Siler and have him go to my office and bring my diagnostic equipment here? Damn!" she cursed. "On second thought – could you go down and get it for me? I just remembered that Siler is helping Chloe out with an experiment today. I hate to ask you, but I strained my shoulder and Dr. Frasier told me not to lift anything for a few days. I'll wait here and guard the gate for you."

Walter was surprised at the request – it wasn't at all like Major Carter. However, she was one of his favorite officers and rarely asked him to do anything for her. Besides which, it was nice to be able to stretch his legs for a bit. "Sure Major", he said, standing up.

"Look – why don't you grab yourself a coffee on the way down. I'm sure you'd like a bit of a break. I'll just log on to the computer and look at some of the files while I'm waiting. I don't' mind – it's kind of nice having the gate room to myself for a change."

"Sure Ma'am", he smiled. He knew the feeling. He also enjoyed sitting there just looking at the Stargate. It was soothing somehow. With a nod he left.

Sam waited for a few seconds until she was sure he was gone and then immediately began dialing. She had to think for a moment but then decided on the Land of Light. She knew there would be no problem going there – they were good allies and friends.

As soon as the Stargate started turning she closed the blast doors and hurried down into the gate room, to find Daniel, Teal'c and the Colonel waiting. At least Daniel and Teal'c were waiting – the Colonel was speaking furiously in Ancient.

"He's insisting we stay", Daniel said, although she really didn't need the explanation.

Just then there was a pounding on the door. They could hear faint shouting coming from the hallway. Damn it – they'd been discovered. At the same moment the event horizon opened. "Come on", she shouted. "We have to go."

With a curse muttered in Ancient Jack started up the ramp, followed closely by the rest of his team. He glanced back, just before hitting the horizon, to see the blast doors begin to open. He stepped through, knowing that his team was with him. He didn't know whether to be happy – or furious. In the end he figured he was a bit of both.

The event horizon snapped shut as soon as they all exited on the Land of Light, but Sam knew they had to hurry. The NID would quickly discover where they went and would follow them. They had to dial out quickly before the Gate engaged and they were trapped. She ran to the DHD and immediately began to input a new destination.

"Quo tendimus?" Jack asked, still seething over what was happening.

"Uh – I'm not sure. Sam", Daniel called. "Where are we going?"

"PXK 8RS", she replied. She hit the final symbol and the gate 'kawooshed' behind them. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's go."

It was only as they were stepping through that Jack realized – he had no idea where the hell PXK 8RS _was_. Oh well, it was a good thing he trusted Carter.


	13. PXK 8RS

_**Just a short one tonight folks. Have had a serious eye infection so haven't been able to write much but I did manage this. Hope you enjoy and, as always, your reviews keep me energized to write more! Thanks all.**_

So _this_ is PXK 8RS. Damn! He sighed as he looked around, remembering their last visit to this planet. Of all the planets, in all the galaxies, they would have to come here.

"Sorry Sir", Sam said softly, standing by his side. "I know it's not your favorite place, but it _is_ safe and I figured it would be one of the last places they'd look. It's been months since we've been here and since there wasn't anything particularly special about it …"

He nodded and gave her a smile. He hoped it looked sincere, and he _was_ grateful to her, but he still could have wished for anywhere but here.

"It'll be okay Jack", Daniel said as he walked down the short staircase to the ground below. "I mean, the natives were relatively friendly, the climate isn't bad, and as Sam said, it's safe."

"Sed _arboribus_ Daniel!"

"What did he say?" Sam wanted to know, at Daniel's sharp bark of laughter.

"He was complaining about the trees", her friend told her with a grin.

She grinned back and then glanced over at a despondent looking Colonel. "I _am_ really sorry Sir. I guess I should have tried for prairies or deserts."

"Ts'okay Major", O'Neill replied. After a moment of silence – and seeing the huge eyes of his second in command staring at him – he scowled. "What?"

"Uh Sir – you're speaking English."

"Num?" he asked, getting rather tired of this back and forth with languages. Although as far as he could tell he was speaking the same one all the time.

"Well, you were." Sam said, sounding slightly disappointed, but also rather curious. "Daniel?"

"I don't know. He did it once before. Maybe his brain is starting to -"

"To do what Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c had spent the last few minutes doing a perimeter check and had now returned to where his teammates were standing.

"Look, I really don't have any idea _what's_ going on, but I think this is a good thing. Jack, you can still understand us, right?"

"Yeah", he nodded. It was very clear to his friends that he had no idea whether he was speaking English or Ancient at any given moment. They could only hope that he'd begin to retrieve his ability to speak his native language. Right now, however, they needed to get situated for the night. They didn't have long before it began to get dark.

"See, that's good. Maybe it's just a matter of him relaxing and not worrying about it and it will all come back."

Jack grimaced but started to feel relieved. He hated not being able to communicate, except to Daniel and _hated_ that he was speaking Ancient. Even with the archaeologist he didn't want to talk too much, keeping his sentences short. He sucked in a deep breath of air and then did a 360 of the area. It was going to be dark before long and they needed to set up camp. He supposed they could make their way to the town, but he would really prefer to postpone the reunion with the natives.

He was about to open his mouth, to instruct Daniel to tell the others, when Carter beat him to the punch.

"Should we look for a place to set up camp Colonel?"

He gave her a nod, and then moved forward, glancing around the area again, just to make sure none of his less than favorite natives had shown up. He was followed, after a few seconds, by the rest of his team. They walked at a steady pace, away from the gate and towards where they knew there was a fresh water supply.

They'd spent almost a week here on their previous visit and had gotten to know the area between the village and the gate quite well. There had been some indication of Naquada on this world, and they'd been ordered to stay and determine whether it was of sufficient quality and quantity to try and initiate a treaty with the local residents. In their forays they had found a small lake a few miles from the nearest town. It was in a secluded area, surrounded on three sides by trees and on the forth by a sharp cliff with a waterfall descending into the lake. Even Jack had had to admit, when they'd stumbled on it, that it was a lovely spot. At the time he'd thought that it would be a great place to camp, especially if there were fish in the lake.

Well, it looked like he was going to get a chance to find out. He had no idea how long they'd be here – they really hadn't even had time to figure out next steps. All he'd known was that there was no way in hell he'd let the NID get their hands on him. He'd end up spending the rest of his life as a lab rat.

Mind you, he snorted, the locals here weren't that much better than his friendly neighborhood weasels from Washington. The Senecksi seemed to be a mild race and had treated them relatively well so he wasn't quite sure _why_ he disliked them so much – certainly the rest of his team hadn't had the same intense reaction. All he knew was that they had given him the creeps from the first day. He'd felt this strange shiver run down his spine when the first alien – Chkultay - had appeared from the dark green forest to greet them on behalf of his people.

"How about here Sir?" Sam's voice interrupted his thoughts and it was only then that he realized they'd arrived. It certainly was a pretty spot, he had to concede. Well, if they had to remain here for the indeterminate future, they might as well be somewhere nice.

"Looks good Carter. Let's do it."

The smile he received was almost blinding in its intensity. He tilted his head, asking her silently why she looked at him with that expression. Not that he didn't like it – but it wasn't her usual response to one of his orders.

"You spoke in English again Sir", she told him. "I think Daniel's right and it's coming back."

He couldn't help it. He grinned at her and the two of them shared a small moment – just as if there was no one else on P –

"Are we setting up here Jack?" Daniel shouted, totally destroying the moment.

"Sic", he shouted back. With only a small glance towards Sam, who looked as disappointed as he did at the interruption, he swung off his pack and began to make camp.

As he worked his mind returned to the Senecksi to try and figure out what it was about them that had bothered him the last time. They were a small race, reminding him somewhat of pictures he'd seen of the tribes of the Kalahari. From what Daniel had told him, they were totally egalitarian, with decisions being made by all the adults of the tribe – both men and women. They were also, their resident archaeologist and historian told them, a non-violent people and they lived in harmony with each other and their environment.

That all sounded great and had reminded him somewhat of the Nox. What had creeped him out, however, was their reaction to _him_. At first he thought he was imagining it but after a while he became convinced that they were suspicious of him. He'd asked Daniel and Teal'c both and the two men had looked at him as if he was crazy.

"They do not treat you differently O'Neill", Teal'c had told him bluntly. "I believe you are simply being overly cautious."

Paranoid is what he'd meant, although the former Jaffa was too polite to tell him that bluntly. Daniel, of course, wasn't.

"Come on Jack! For once just accept the people for what they are. They are _not_ trying to kill us or enslave us or anything like that. As far as I can tell they've had no contact with the Goa'uld and they have little in the way of technology. Just relax."

He'd sighed and tried to convince himself that he was being silly. They certainly hadn't done anything _overt_. It was more – a feeling he got when they were close by. He was also sure he'd seen a few of them staring at him when he wasn't looking directly at them. It had been creepy but nothing he could point to directly. In the end he'd simply been glad to leave the planet and had hoped never to return. Since they hadn't found any real Naquada deposits that were extensive enough to use, he'd been sure that he would get his wish.

And yet – here he was. Life always seemed to have a way of coming back and kicking you in the ass!

"O'Neill, do you wish to contact the natives tomorrow?" Teal'c had just returned from his turn on watch and must have heard Jack's thoughts and decided to have a bit of cruel fun with him.

"Nope", he shook his head, standing up and stretching from where he'd been sitting by the fire with Daniel. "But non habemus much choice."

Teal'c's eyebrow went up and he turned towards Daniel.

"Yeah, he's been doing that all evening. It's the reverse of what happened when he went Ancient before. Now English words are creeping in to his speech, although he appears to have no idea when he's using them."

"This is good news O'Neill. Soon you shall be able to communicate in English."

Jack lifted his cup and gave Teal'c a toast. He then took a final sip of coffee and set it down on the ground by the fire. "Yup. Well it's hora somni. Ne mordents bedbugs guys!" With a small wave he headed out to take his watch, pausing only briefly by Carter's tent. She had crashed earlier as she was on watch after him. When they were on away missions she always bunked with Daniel or Teal'c. Just once he wished – stop it O'Neill, he said to himself fiercely. He was usually always careful to control those kind of thoughts. This planet must be getting to him. That, or the Ancient stuff. He sighed and headed off into the night.

"Why did O'Neill speak of bedbugs?" Teal'c wanted to know, his brow crested with a deep seated frown. "They are most unpleasant."

"Yeah", Daniel laughed. "It's just an expression Teal'c. The full expression is '_sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite'. _ It's a way some humans have of bidding you good night.

Teal'c nodded ponderously and then turned his face towards his friend. "I have spent many years now, with humans, and still some of your customs confuse me."

Daniel stared in the night after Jack. He'd seen the Colonel's slight hesitation outside Sam's tent and wondered briefly what it had meant. "Yeah, me too Teal'c. Me too."

It was an uneventful night, which they all agreed was a good thing. The last thing they needed right now was to worry about any new threat. What they had to do was figure out how to handle the NID and Jack's going Ancient. For now though, they all agreed they had to let the Senecksi know they had returned.

"Do we have to?" Jack had whined. His three teammates turned to him, all of them looking inordinately pleased. "Fecit illud, didn't I?"

"Yeah", Daniel nodded and then explained to the others. "He said he did it again. Jack, the good news is that you're speaking more and more English. I bet the Ancient will soon be gone."

"We may soon be wishing that his English did not return so quickly", Teal'c added, expressionless. "It has been something of a rest to not have to listen to all of O'Neill's jokes."

"Et tu Teal'c?"

Daniel and Sam laughed, neither of them knowing, or caring if the Latin/Ancient was intentional that time. It was just good to hear the Colonel joking around – Teal'c's words notwithstanding.

"Uh, we should probably get going", Daniel prodded them. "We wouldn't want the Senecksi to think we were sneaking around."

Jack rolled his eyes, clearly not too worried about upsetting the locals. He wouldn't do anything to actively insult or harm them, but he didn't really want to go out of his way, either, to accommodate them. Still, he nodded and indicated that they should go. They would leave their camp intact and return later in the day.

It was a short walk – no more than about 45 minutes – to the Senecksi town. Jack would have called it more of a village, but according to Daniel there were a number of buildings that seemed to indicate a more structured society. He'd tried to find out more details, but either the people were shy or they were trying to hide something. It didn't help that they were an incredibly _quiet_ people. In fact, he couldn't remember hearing more than a few words from them when they were greeting the strangers that had appeared through the gate. In the end it didn't really matter what they called the damn place. Jack just wanted to get here, get the mission completed, and return home to rousing night watching TV.

They were a few minutes from the village when they heard the sounds of children playing. Jack couldn't help but smile. He loved kids and ever the Senecksi kids had been pretty special. He liked them _way_ better than their parents and had attempted to spend as much time with them as he could. Of course it hadn't been nearly enough – not with the good Doctors Jackson and Carter on his case.

Just then they walked into a clearing, to see the kids playing with the rudimentary bat and ball he'd crafted. From what he could see, they were attempting a convoluted version of baseball – a game he'd taught them, even though he couldn't speak their language. It hadn't seemed to matter though, as he found he could always communicate with children. Right now he was itching to stop and play – knowing it was only partly because he liked kids. Mostly it was because he wanted to avoid their parents.

"Come on Jack", Daniel grinned, totally aware of the little boy inside the Colonel that wanted to come out and play. "You can play later. First we have to speak to the adults."

Jack groaned but nodded. He dutifully followed his teammates, although he stopped and gave a wave to the kids when he heard them call out 'Chack!'

They arrived in the town a few minutes later. At first no one noticed them, but within moments a small group of women, who had been chatting on a street corner, looked over and they were discovered. There were a few puzzled looks, and then some smiles. One of the women – Jack recalled that her name was Tirania – started to walk towards them, followed slowly by the others.

"Daneel Chasson", she called out (Daniel was always their favorite, thought Jack with a snicker) et Samanta, Teeuk." She looked happy to see them, which at least made him relax slightly.

But then Jack wondered why he hadn't been greeted. It could have been that they hadn't seen him yet – but more likely this was confirmation that they just didn't like him. At that moment Tirania reached them and Jack went to move out from behind Teal'c in case she hadn't seen him. At the very moment she became aware of him she instantly froze, her face blanching.

Yup, he thought, they _didn't_ like him. He'd been right the last time. Something was definitely wrong and it was directed solely at him. He began to feel uncomfortable as Tirania continued to stare at him – along with the other women. In fact, he realized that they all looked as if they'd seen a ghost – and _he_ was it.

"Uh guys?" he checked out his teammates to see if they knew what was going on but he received blank looks in reply. They had no more idea than he did as to what was going on. He had a sudden and infantile urge to say 'told you so' to his friends. Before he had a chance however he realized something.

His words had seemed to wake the women up, and without warning all four of them cried out and fell to their knees directly in front of him.

For a few seconds he gazed at them in confusion and then slowly lifted his head. "What the _hell_ is wrong quid enam?"

At that Tirania raised her head, as if in wonder. "Ipse est!"

"Daniel?" Sam whispered. "What did she say?"

"She said -" he paused and glanced at Jack, looking perturbed, "she said, 'it's him!"


	14. Senecksi

_**A**_**million apologies. What can I say other than that i am really, really busy. Thank you to my readers who gave me a gentle and encouraging kick in mitka to get me writing again. I'll try and get at least a couple of chapters posted a week (keep those reviews coming - as you see - they _do_ work).**

"What the hell is she talking about?" Jack asked. "And why are they doing that?" he indicated the women lying flat on the ground in front of him. The whole thing was starting to freak him out. He _knew_ the people on this planet had it in for him. He turned suddenly and glared at his companions. "I _told_ you so!"

"You did Sir, I'm sorry", Sam replied. "We should have listened to you."

"_Ha_! You never listen to me", he whined. At Carter's surprised look he shrugged and got a bit shame-faced. "Okay – so you listen to me, but Daniel doesn't." This time he let his glare linger on his friend. "I told you they had it in for me."

"Well, it doesn't exactly look like they have it in for you now. It looks like they're worshipping you."

"Well I don't _want_ them to worship me. Tell them to stand up."

Daniel nodded and turned to the women. Speaking in their native language he told them to please stand. They completely ignored him. He then spoke in Ancient, and while it looked like Tirania twitched at that, still none of them moved. "Uh, it's not working Jack."

"I can see that Daniel. Try something else."

"Hey, why don't you try? You're the one in front of whom they're prostrating themselves."

"Fine!" Jack turned and faced the women on the ground. "Please exigariste."

Immediately the women pushed themselves to a standing position, although they continued to stare at him.

"For heaven's sake, _what do they want_?" Jack had had enough of this and was ready to turn around and head back to the Stargate. They could either find a new planet or he'd return to Earth and take his chances with the NID.

"We apologize O'Neill", the woman named Tirania finally spoke. She turned to the rest of Sg1. "When you were here before, many of us thought that O'Neio was The One – but when he did not say anything, or seem to understand the Holy Words, we thought we had made a mistake. But now – we see that our initial belief was correct."

"Uh, what do you mean by The One", Daniel interjected quickly, as he noticed Jack beginning to look upset.

"He is the chosen one", she replied. "The knowledge that he would one day come were passed down for many generations from the Senex."

"The – Senex? Oh my God", Daniel looked as if he wanted to hit himself in the head. "Why didn't I see it?"

"See what? What are you talking about Daniel?" Jack was frowning, not sure whether to be angry or confused. After a moment he realized he was both.

"Senex – _Senecksi_!"

"Okay – but what does that mean?"

"Senex – the Ancient word for – well _Ancient_. The Senecksi is another way of saying the Ancients. They must be descendants. God, why didn't I figure that out the last time we were here?"

"Probably enjoying the _simple people_ Daniel. You kept telling me to just relax and not to let anything worry me. You thought I was paranoid!"

"Okay Jack, we all admit that you were right and we were wrong. I still can't believe I didn't figure it out." He shook his head and then glanced at a pissed off looking Colonel. "We _said_ we were sorry Jack. Get over it."

"Fine", Jack answered, sounding sulky. "Although technically Carter apologized." Before Daniel had a chance to answer he went on. "So, what does it mean that they're descended from the Ancients – other than the fact that they go around throwing themselves to the ground in front of virtual strangers!"

"You are not a stranger O'Neill", one of the women told him. "You are The -"

"- One – yes, I know. But I still don't know what the hell that means."

"Come with us", Tirania said, "and everything will be explained.

"And what if I don't _want_ to go with you?" he snarked, really hating this thing more and more with each passing second.

"Sir - I think we need to find out what's going on", Carter told him gently. "I know this has to be frustrating for you, but I think you'll feel better once you know what it's about."

Jack considered her for a moment. It was always hard for him to refuse Carter. He glanced at Daniel, who had his mouth open to speak, and he scowled. _Daniel_ on the other hand was much easier to refuse.

The archaeologist suddenly seemed to realize that maybe he should let Sam deal with the Colonel and slammed his mouth shut. He was pretty sure that Teal'c wined at him.

"Fine", Jack said again. "I'll go, but not if they keep calling me The One. It makes me sound like some kind of pervert."

Sam bit her lips but nodded. She turned to the Senecksi women. "We will come, but you heard Colonel O'Neill. If you can refrain from referring to him -"

Tirania nodded. "We shall not, although I cannot promise what others of my people will do. Please, let us go."

In the end, Jack agreed that they should go with the women. He did want to find out what was going on and this seemed to be the best way.

"Jack", Daniel spoke softly as they walked towards the town. "Have you noticed that you're speaking English now?"

"I am?" The Colonel looked slightly relieved.

"Mmm hmm. You've barely used any Ancient words at all."

"Well, since I can't tell the difference between when I'm using Ancient or English then no – I didn't notice." At the younger man's disappointed looks Jack relented. "But I'm glad you told me. I hated not being able to make myself understood. Daniel", he paused briefly. "Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?"

Daniel realized suddenly – or maybe he'd known all along and had just not bothered to listen to his friend – that's Jack's mood was caused by worry and uncertainty. Jack had had to deal with a huge amount since his accident and this had to be terribly overwhelming. He sighed to himself. He had to really try and be more understanding.

"No, not really, but I don't think it's bad. These people must be descendants of the Ancients and they see you as this person who will one day return. I expect it's because of your ancient gene."

"But what about the last time I was here? I don't get what's going on."

"Whatever has been happening to you seems to have", he grimaced slightly, "uh – increased your abilities and your -"

"Ancientness", Jack mumbled.

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it. Look, I don't believe you're this 'One' they're talking about, but it won't hurt to find out more."

"And if they realize I'm not this one, what then?"

The younger man shrugged. "I doubt they'll do anything – not if you keep telling them it's not you – and as long as you don't touch anything." Here Daniel glanced at his friend and grinned.

Jack barked out a laugh. "That's you Space Monkey – not me. _I_ don't go around touching things I'm not supposed to."

"Really? What about the time -" Daniel and Jack continued to trade stories as they walked towards the center of town. Both Teal'c and Sam glanced back occasionally; trading grins at seeing Jack relax for the first time in a long time

At least he was relaxed until they reached the building that seemed to be the town hall or something similar. Chkultay, the man who had greeted them on their arrival during their first trip, came out the door, a frown on his face.

"What is happening?" he turned towards the women. "Why have you brought them here?" He glanced at Sg1 as he spoke, although most of his attention seemed to be on the women.

Sam looked on as the women seemed to transmit some kind of message without really speaking. She suddenly wondered if –

"Damn it!" Jack grabbed his head as if in pain. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong Sir?" Sam rushed over to him and attempted to pull his hands away. "What happened?"

"Nothing – I", he groaned, but after a few seconds things seemed to get better and he dropped his hands. "Whoa! That was a head rush."

"What transpired O'Neill?" Teal'c had lifted his staff weapon and was sweeping the area for suspicious activity.

"Jack? What happened?"

"I don't know", their CO answered. "All of a sudden if felt like – I don't know, like I was, was _hearing_ something, although I couldn't make out the words. You know, kind of like when you pick up a radio signal but all you get is static."

"What could it be?" Daniel was looking at him in concern.

Sam glanced over at the aliens, to see them looking – upset. Her eyes narrowed as she realized they knew _exactly_ what was going on. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chkultay beat her to it.

"Welcome back", he said softly, his eyes flitting once or twice over to Carter.

He knows, she thought. He knows that _I_ know. She suddenly began to worry – finally believing the Colonel that these people were more than they had let on.

"Tirania and Orlana say that they believe you are The One", the alien man said – sounding calm, although both Daniel and Sam caught the underlying excitement. "Is this true?"

"NO", Jack answered sharply. "No, it's not true. We simply came here on a visit and these ladies suddenly got it in their heads that I was this – this _one_. I am a simple man from Earth, with no special powers, no special destiny and certainly no _desire_ to have people prostrate themselves in front of me."

Chkultay frowned. "You are speaking the Holy language", he said, as if this proved what the women were saying was true.

"_What_?" Jack looked in confusion at his team.

"Uh – you were just speaking in Ancient Jack", Daniel explained.

"What the – you're telling me that – God, am I talking Ancient now?"

"No – now it's English."

"God DAMN IT", Jack shouted. "How the hell can I be speaking and not even _know_ what language I'm talking. And I'm not the damned ONE!"

Chkultay and the women all looked shocked and looked at each other, clearly wondering if O'Neill had gone mad. It was Tirania who spoke.

"I believe you are hungry and tired", she said gently. "Why do you not rest – you are welcome to stay in our guest house – and eat. Tomorrow we can assemble in the Hall of the Senex and discuss." Before Jack had a chance to speak she turned to Chkultay. "Let us tell the elders and they can explain and show O'Neio and his companions. At that point we will know."

The alien man nodded. "That seems reasonable. O'Neio? Doctor? Major? Teal'c? Does that sound agreeable to you? Please understand that we wish you no harm. We will show you our holy place and explain everything. If you do not believe, at that point, they you are free to leave us – or to remain as our friends."

Daniel looked over at Jack, who was clearly struggling to stay polite, although he must have realized that the Senecksi hadn't done anything wrong. After a few seconds he nodded. "That sounds fine."

Everyone smiled and soon Sg1 was being taken to their local guest house. It was like an old-fashioned Inn or bed and breakfast and was quite charming. After they all spent some time cleaning up, they were able to sit down to a meal and simply relax.

"God, that feels good", Daniel said, stretching his legs out in front of himself and taking a bite of a piece of fruit that reminded him of a cross between a banana and a peach. It was really quite delicious.

"It does indeed Daniel Jackson." Teal'c was resting on a long couch and was biting into something that resembled a sandwich. "I was hungry."

"You're always hungry, bit guy", Jack commented, his head leaning back against the chair.

"Indeed O'Neill", Teal'c answered agreeably.

"It sounds like your English is all back Sir', Carter announced happily. "How are you feeling?"

"Mmm – fine Major. A little tired, but that's from all the walking – and being worshipped", he rolled his eyes and she laughed. "But actually, I'm feeling better than I have since -"

"Spring cleaning?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah. You realize don't you Carter that this whole thing is your fault?"

"_My_ fault Sir?" she looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah. I never would have tried to spring clean my basement if you hadn't given me the idea."

"Uh – I don't think I want to take responsibility for that Colonel", she shook her head. "And anyway, _I_ didn't make you trip and fall."

"Yeah Jack – how _did_ that happen? I mean – you've hiked through jungles and swamps and over mountains – and then you fall in your basement and stab yourself. How does one do that?"

Sam giggled and it was only then that Jack thought back to the Senecksi and their 'The One'. He sighed. _"One_, doesn't. As for me – I stepped on a ping pong ball and lost my footing. The knife – hell, I don't know how it got there. I must have knocked it over when I fell and it was bad luck I guess."

"Ping pong ball? I didn't know you had a table?" Daniel commented.

"I don't."

That shut everyone up for a few minutes. Of course it was Daniel who again broke the silence. "So – no ping pong table but you have _balls_?"

The Colonel grinned and took a sip of his drink. "So I've been told Daniel."

Sam choked on her drink and Jack ended up having to pat her on the back. "Sorry Carter", he apologized, although he didn't look very sorry.

"No problem Sir", she grinned. "I mean – really – you couldn't possibly have let that one go."

He chuckled, suddenly feeling better than he had in a while. He glanced over at Daniel, who was looking suitably disgusted. "Hey – you gotta admit you walked right into that one."

"Yeah – okay", Daniel shook his head. "Well, I'm just glad that everything seems to be going back to normal. We were worried about you."

"Thanks guys", Jack said seriously. "I know I don't always – well, I mean – hell, you know. Just – thanks."

"You're welcome Sir." Sam smiled at him and the four friends sat quietly, simply enjoying the evening. At least they did until Jack introduced the topic they'd so far managed to ignore.

"So campers – what are we going to do about the NID? We can't stay here forever."

"We should try and see if we can contact Thor", Sam said. "If he tells the President that you haven't gone Ancient, he'll tell the NID to leave you alone."

"Maybe, although I still won't trust the bastards.", Jack said, "And anyway, how are we going to find Thor? It's not like we have an -" he stopped as Sam reached into her backpack and pulled up a small, egg-shaped article.'

" – Asgard communicator", he shook his head in wonder. "Carter – how the hell did you get that?"

"Well Sir – we have two at the SGC. One of them is kept ready for when or if we want to contact the Asgard. The other is kept in safe-keeping, with only the General, Siler and myself knowing where it is - oh, and you Sir."

Jack nodded – he'd known about the 'spare' but hadn't really given it a thought since this whole thing had started. Carter, of course, _had_. "Wow Major – you must have a heluva CO", he murmured.

"Sir?" she frowned, looking confused.

"To have taught you so well. So, are you going to contact the little guy?"

She grinned at him, and held out the communicator. "I thought you'd like to do that Sir. He likes you."

"He does, doesn't he. I'll call him first thing in the morning", he answered her, returning her grin. For a moment it was as if no one else was in the room except the two of them. It was only Teal'c's cough that brought him out of the brief moment of – Teal'c's _cough_? "Teal'c? What -?" He glanced over at his friend – who _never _coughed and who strangely wasn't looking at him. Daniel looked as if he had discovered something growing out of his arm and was staring down at it in awe. Jack frowned, wondering what was going on. It was only when he glanced at Sam – who was bright red – that he realized. Ah hell – he hadn't had he?

It had been a long time since he'd allowed himself the luxury of dreaming about Samantha Carter and the _what if's_. He'd forced himself to stop that when it began to lead him into dangerous territory and to interfere with his work. Now it looked like he was drifting back into the slightly flirtatious, wishful thinking mode. He sighed and shook his head. He'd better stop this now, before he got them both into trouble.

"I don't know about you guys" he said, abruptly standing up, "but I'm ready for bed. Tomorrow sounds like a long and interesting day."

"You're right Sir", Sam agreed, standing up as well. "I think I'll head to bed myself." She turned to the Colonel and smiled. "I am really glad you're doing better Sir. It's nice to hear you speak again."

He smiled back – what the hell – it was just a smile. "Thanks Major. It's nice to be _able_ to speak again! Have a good night everyone." With a small wave to his teammates he headed off to bed. He was tired and ready for some happy – possibly Carter-filled dreams.

After Sam had left as well, Daniel and Teal'c regarded one another. "Do you think they'll finally admit how they feel?" Daniel asked his companion.

"I do not know." Teal'c shook his head. "They are both obstinate – and they also put duty before all."

"Yeah, but, I don't know, it feels like things are changing. It would be great if -"

"It would indeed", Teal'c nodded. His lips then began to turn up in a rare smile. "Maybe we can assist them?"

Daniel's eyes grew big and then his own smile began to grow. "You devil you! So when do we start?"


	15. Stairway to 'What the Hell'

_**It's been a tough week so this is a short one tonight. I did want to give you something as a special thank you to all the wonderful folks who reviewed. Thank you and keep em coming. It sooooo helps me write.**_

"Come", Chkoltay stood at the door to the guest-house and waited while they grabbed their things. Daniel was the first one out, excited about what they were going to see. He was followed by an inscrutable looking Teal'c, who stood ready to defend his comrades from anything and everything they might possibly encounter.

Sam was next – the good soldier, prepared and ready to do whatever was required of her. She also stood in support of her commander, her friend and her comrade.

The last person to leave the guest-house, and the most important for this mission, was O'Neill himself. It was not usual for him to be last. He tried to always be ready and waiting for his team, to show them the way and lead them to whatever adventure was next for them. This time, however, he waited until the end because this was not about Earth, not about his team or his people. No, this was about him and he hated it. He didn't want this _thing_ – this whatever that had been given him. He wanted to go back to the way it had been with him the soldier, the leader, but not The One.

He sighed as he walked – slowly – towards his team. "Okay campers, let's get this over with."

"You okay Jack?" Daniel stepped in beside him as they followed their alien host out of the building.

"Fine Daniel. I just want to get this over with so we can figure out what to do about the NID."

They watched as three other Senecksi, who had been standing outside waiting, approached and began to walk with Chkoltay.

"My fellow elders will accompany us", the alien man informed them. "You have met Tirania. This is Tirrel. He is our expert on the ancestors."

Jack could feel Daniel perk up at that and the archaeologist, linguist and resident scholar immediately made his way over to Tirrel and started a dialogue with him.

"I think Daniel is enjoying this", Sam spoke softly at his side.

"I'm sure he is", Jack answered, glancing dow and giving Carter a smile. "There's nothing he loves better than uncovering some civilization's ancient mysteries." He sighed again. "I just wish I wasn't involved."

"Hopefully it will prove to be nothing Sir", Carter attempted to set his mind at ease.

"Oh, with my luck I expect it will be _something_", he answered gloomily. "I'll probably be expected to undertake some kind of test to 'prove my worthiness'."

"I think you've been reading too many Fairy stories Sir", she answered with a grin.

He smirked but then grew serious. "I don't know Carter, this looks like that kind of place. Yeah, it'll be ten highly dangerous tests of courage and strength. I'll have ten days to perform all of them and will come close to dying many times, but in the end I'll be victorious!"

"I have no doubt you will be Sir", she laughed softly. "And what then?"

"Then? Well, I'll be given the keys to the kingdom."

"What kingdom?"

He stopped and stared at her in shock. _"What_ kingdom? Carter, Carter, Carter – the _magic_ kingdom, of course."

"Oh, of course Sir. Silly me."

"Just don't let it happen again Major."

"I won't Sir. And after you get the magic kingdom, what then?"

"Then? Well, I'll get the girl."

"The girl? Of course there's a girl. Uh, who is she Sir?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked. She's the princess of the magic kingdom, who has been kept locked up by the evil witch – who is a Goa'uld by the way – but who was able to escape because of the handsome – uh – me. So then she's mine."

"Is she nice?"

"She's a _princess_ Carter – and one that's been locked up by an evil witch. It doesn't_ matter _if she's nice."

"But is she beautiful?" she giggled.

"Of course she's beautiful. She's a –"

"- princess, I know. And I assume she has skin as white as snow, hair as black as coal, and lips as red as blood?"

"Uh no. Skin – yeah sure. Lips yeah - but her hair is as fair as the sunlight. And then there are her eyes."

"What about them Sir?"

By this time O'Neill was staring off into space, caught up in his own story. "Eyes as blue as sapphires", he murmured.

There was a brief pause and then Sam spoke, a strange tone to her voice. "So you prefer Rose Red to Snow White?" she asked softly.

"What?" he looked at her in surprise, suddenly realizing that he'd gotten a bit carried away by his 'fairy tale'. "Oh – uh – yeah, I guess. I mean – I never – hey, it looks like we've arrived."

Sam watched as Jack hurried ahead and didn't know whether to laugh or to scream. _Why_ the hell did the Air Force –

"So, what were you two talking about so intently?" Daniel quirked an eyebrow at the Colonel.

"Fairy tales", Jack answered curtly.

"_Fairy tales_? What, like Cinderella?"

"Rose Red. So, is this the place?"

Daniel looked at him curiously and then over at Sam, who was talking to Teal'c. Sometimes the two of them confused him. At that moment Tirania, who had been speaking softly to her two companions, approached them.

"We are ready to enter."

"Okay – good. Come on guys, let's get going." Suddenly Jack sounded eager to see whatever they'd come to see.

"They cannot enter" Tirania told him, her eyes flashing something almost sinister. "It is only you who may cross the threshold."

"Just me? No way, I don't think so."

"It is written that The One is to enter. The rest must remain here."

"I do not believe that is wise O'Neill", Teal'c said softly.

"Yeah, me either. Look, I'm perfectly happy _not_ to go in", Jack explained. "Since I know I'm not this One – or _that_ one", he smirked, "it doesn't really matter to me." He turned to his teammates. "Let's go guys."

"But Jack -"

"What Daniel? You want me to go in _alone_?"

Daniel scowled but finally shook his head. If there was any rule Jack was firm about, it was no one went into dangerous or unknown situations on his or her own. He rather suspected that Jack was perfectly happy to use that as an excuse to forego the visit, but he knew enough not to suggest that.

"No! You must enter", Chkoltay looked terribly upset. "It is written!"

"Sorry – not written anywhere in my book", Jack answered. He gave a small salute and started to turn back.

"Wait!" Chkoltay was looking panicked and turned towards his fellow elders. After a moment Tirell called him over and the three of them spoke softly to one another. Jack and the others waited, some more patiently than others.

It was Tirania who stepped out of their small circle and approached the humans from Earth. "We have conferred."

"Well, isn't that nice -"

"_Jack_", Daniel gave him a nudge.

"Okay – fine. And about _what_ did you confer?" Jack asked, ever so sweetly.

"The woman may enter with you."

"The – you mean _Carter_?"

Said woman – Carter – frowned at her Commander. He didn't have to sound so _shocked_ she thought. What was wrong with her going in with him?

"Uh – why her and not the others?" After a brief heartbeat of a pause he seemed to realize something and turned to his second in command "It's not that I have a problem with her – in fact she's the best damn soldier I've ever worked with – but I'm wondering why my other friends can't go?"

"It is written", was all anyone would answer.

"Jack I think you and Sam should go inside", Daniel reasoned. "I mean, who knows _what_ you might find. And you'll have backup and she _is_ good at figuring things out – if you need to that is."

Jack shook his head. He should have known that Daniel's insatiable curiosity would make it hard for him to resist having someone see whatever was inside. He looked over at his 2IC. "So Carter – what do you say? Are you game?"

"Of course Sir", she answered, trying not to sound excited at the prospect. "And as Daniel said, I can give you back-up."

"Mmm", Jack answered. "I guess that settles it then." He turned to the aliens. "Okay, fine. Carter'll come with me as my back-up."

"That is acceptable", Chkoltay said, sounding relieved. "We shall wait outside until you are ready."

"Uh, okay. So, do we have to do anything special?" Jack eyed the simple looking wooden door in front of him.

"No, you simply enter the room. You will know what to do then."

"Okay – fine. Carter – I'll bet you anything there are tests."

"I'm happy to take that bet Sir", she replied with a grin. "I say there are just a few old musty writings on the wall, some dusty artifacts and not much else."

"If I win Major, what'll you give me?" he grinned, knowing he was putting off opening the damn door.

"Uh – what would you like Sir?"

His eyes narrowed for a moment and then he got a knowing look on his face. "You'll come fishing with me."

She stared at him in shock, but before it grew obvious she nodded. "Okay fine. But if _I_ win -"

"Yeah – if you win?"

"You'll have to come with me to the Conference of phototonic crystals and plasmonics."

Jack regarded her with a completely blank expression – which accurately reflected his level of understanding of what she'd just said. "Uh – that's really cruel Sam", he finally told her. You realize that I'll make _sure_ there's something in there now."

"You're that worried about losing?" she chuckled.

"Oh yeah!"

"Hey you guys, are you ever going to open the door?" Daniel called.

Jack glanced back and realized that everyone was regarding them impatiently. With a sigh he turned to his major. "Shall we?"

"Yes Sir!" She stood straighter and watched as the Colonel placed his hand on the door. She gave a brief prayer that Jack would indeed have to do some 'tests'. She would finally have no way out of going fishing.

"So – this is – boring." Jack was checking out the small room but so far there was nothing to see. Nothing that is but a musty room and dusty – junk. He sighed, figuring that he was going to have to go to a physics conference. Having to go to it wasn't what was depressing him however. It was actually the fact of losing out to Carter. He'd really hoped that this time she'd _have_ to go fishing with him.

"There's nothing here Sir", Sam finally told him after examining the room carefully. "It must have been nothing more than a myth."

"Yeah", he agreed, checking out the room one more time. "I wonder if any of the Senecksi have actually _been_ in this room", he commented softly. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here for years."

"Probably not, especially if they've been waiting for this chosen person."

Jack sighed and wandered slowly over to what looked like a small cabinet placed up against the wall. "I wonder if there's anything in here." He reached out to pull open a drawer when suddenly things changed.

"Sir?"

"I don't know Sam." The lights in the room suddenly dimmed, although a moment later Jack realized there _were_ no lights. Why then did things suddenly go dark? The next thing he noticed was a noise –a soft sound almost like someone was shuffling across the floor. It sent chills up his spine and he instantly wanted to turn around and leave this place. Instead, he stayed frozen in place.

"Any idea what's happening?" Sam whispered voice almost caused him to leap out of his skin. She had appeared at his side without warning and it had scared the pants of him.

"No", he whispered back. "Stay close." Of course he wanted her to think he wanted her beside him to protect him – which was definitely true – but he also liked having her close. It took some of the creepiness away.

The next thing both of them knew, there was a hole in the floor – and light was shining out of it. Jack walked tentatively, carefully forward, Sam walking directly behind him. Once at the edge of the hole he leaned over.

"What is it Colonel?" she asked softly.

"Stairs", he told her with a comforting smile. "Just stairs. I guess this is a passageway and I have a feeling someone or something wants us to go down."

"One of the towns-people?"

"No way of knowing. Could be someone long gone. I guess we'd better go down."

"But Sir -"

"I know Carter but – Daniel will kill us if we don't check it out."

"He wouldn't know unless we told him" Carter murmured.

"Hah! He'd know. I think he can _smell_ artifacts and mysteries and all that stuff. And anyway, there may be _technology_", he told her, as if offering a treat. He almost laughed when her eyes lit up. Oh yeah – both his geniuses were _so_ predictable. "Wanna go now?"

She laughed. "You know me too well Sir. Yes, I definitely want to go."

"Okee dokee then. Let me just radio Teal'c and Daniel and tell them what's happening." He took his radio out of his vest and quickly gave them an update. He could almost feel Daniel's disappointment at not being able to go down the magic staircase. "All right Major, let's go."

They walked down the eerily lit stairs, Jack in the lead with his weapon drawn. You never knew what you might find on alien planets. He also kept his eyes open for anything that might want to get close and suck his head. There was no way in hell he'd do _that_ again.

When they arrived a the bottom of the short staircase they came up against a door – but this time it wasn't made of wood, but of some other substance.

"Nacquada", Sam said softly. "The door's made of nacquada."

"Hmm and I don't see a handle or anything." Jack was looking at it closely, although not yet touching it. "I don't see any way of getting in."

Sam stepped forward and also looked but couldn't find any kind of handle or operating pad. "I don't know", she said with a frown. "Surely they must have something that can open it."

Jack moved closer and held up his hand. He didn't think he'd been planning to touch the damn thing, but he'd wanted to do something. What he hadn't expected was that the door would suddenly slide open, soundlessly.

"Well that's convenient", he muttered. With a swift lift of his eyebrows he stepped forward into the dark room. Instantly the room was illuminated and the two travellers from Earth could see everything.

"Holy Hannah Sir", Sam breathed.

Jack slowly scrutinized the room. He took a deep breath and turned to Sam. "Carter, what the hell is this?"


	16. Sound and Fury Signifying Everything

_**Writers block, new computer, cooking, cleaning, shopping, working, motherhood, being a wife, etc, etc. Vini's ongoing excuses for slow updates. I will update my other stories soon. Sorry!**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers - for the encouragement but also the ideas, some of which I'm incorporating. I'm so appreciative of you all ...**_

"So Tirrel – why did you say Sam could go?" Daniel asked the Senecksi historian.

"Who is -? Oh, you mean the woman?"

"Uh yeah. Why did you say she could go?" Daniel tried to sound matter-of-fact, but he was, in reality, feeling quite put out. _He _should have been the one to go with Jack. He _was_ their resident expert on all things Ancient after all.

"It was written", Tirell answered distractedly. He was staring at the small building that Sam and Jack had just entered as if wishing he too could have gone.

"Written? Where? And what did it say?"

Tirrel glanced at him and Daniel was sure the alien man sighed. "In our Holy writings", was all he said. He shook his head slightly as Daniel continued to look at him expectantly. "Our writings speak many things about The One. They also tell of his consort – the woman with hair the color of the sun and eyes the color of the sea. She is the only one who can enter with him."

"O- kay", Daniel said slowly. "Uh – Tirrel?"

"Yes Daniel?"

"What happens if someone else goes in? I mean, someone who _isn't_ his – uh – consort?"

"That is simple", the other man said, still regarding the building. "He or she will perish. The temple is only for The One and -"

" – his consort", Daniel said, completing the other man's sentence. He too turned and faced the small building. "Crap!" He reached for his radio to contact either Jack or Sam. After a moment he gave up. He couldn't get through. Not sure what to do, he approached Teal'c.

* * *

She was in heaven. At least that was her first thought when she saw what was in the room, her second that they had somehow wandered into a Harry Potter book. The sight before them was – unreal, to say the least. She probably would have said she was in space, except she'd been there and this didn't look like the vast darkness and seemingly emptiness of space. This – this was a symphony of swirling colors and sounds and – and _feelings_.

It was, quite simply, stunningly beautiful.

After a few seconds, however, everything faded out, until they were simply standing in the doorway to a darkened room. Sam frowned and turned towards her CO – to see him frozen with an expression she'd rarely if ever seen on him.

"Sir?" she asked softly. He was staring into the room, a look of absolute wonder on his face. She went to speak again, when he slowly turned his head.

"Sam", he breathed, his eyes sparkling with some inner awareness. "Did you see that?"

"I did. Do you know what it was?"

He didn't answer, instead he again faced forward and, without hesitation, took a step.

"Colonel", she warned, reaching out and grasping his arm. She was afraid that he was in some kind of trance that prohibited him from recognizing danger. She knew she had to step in to keep him from doing anything crazy.

His hand reached out and covered hers. He then looked at her again, this time appearing more himself, although his face showed a seriousness, and a gentleness that she rarely saw. "It's okay" he told her softly.

"But Sir, we don't know what this is. We should check it out first. Let me use my -"

"It's _okay_ Sam. Trust me." Letting go of her hand he took another step forward. Instantly a light seemed to glow around him. The strange thing was, it was impossible to say what the source of it was.

Sam briefly closed her eyes. If the Colonel thought it was safe, she might as well follow, just as she'd been doing for all these years. She took a step – or at least she _tried_ – but nothing happened. She tried again, but still stood frozen in the same spot. She could move backward, so it wasn't something with her, but she could not move into the room. She watched as the _Colonel_ moved while something was holding her back.

"Colonel", she called softly. He instantly turned towards her.

"What is it Carter?"

"I can't move. Something's keeping me out of the room."

He nodded, as if it was perfectly logical that he could move forward and she couldn't. He didn't say anything but simply turned and headed the few steps back towards her. He held out his hand. "Take it", he said, a small smile on his face.

With a quirk of her brows she reached out and took his hand. She started at the slight vibration that went through her at his touch. She didn't know whether to mention it but before she could decide he'd spoken.

"Wow, did you feel that?"

"I – yes. What caused it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but it was kind of nice" he told her with a naughty look. He then began to move and this time Sam was able to follow. As they both stepped into the room the light – whatever it was – followed them, illuminating their path but growing darker behind them.

"Sir, are you sure this is safe?"

"Hmm?" He glanced at her and again smiled, that same serious but gentle smile from before. "I'm sure." He stopped and turned to face her full on. "Look Sam, I don't know quite what this is all about, but for the first time I feel -". He stopped.

"You feel?"

"That – that this is right, that I'm _supposed_ to be here. And wherever or whatever here is, I'm sure it's safe and _good._"

"So – you are The One?"

"I – maybe", he grimaced. "You realize Daniel will never let me live this down."

"No, I'm sure he won't. But what does it mean?"

"I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure I'm – _we're _about to find out."

"Do you think I should be here? I mean, it tried to keep me out."

"I think as long as you're with me you're fine, so hold on tight."

"I will Sir", she smiled. She then took a deep breath. "Shall we", she nodded ahead.

He laughed. "Yes Major Carter – let's."

* * *

"They're not answering Teal'c", Daniel complained for about the tenth time. "_Why_ aren't they answering?"

"I do not know Daniel Jackson. However the Senecksi do not seem worried."

"Maybe we should go in. They could be in danger."

"You cannot", Chkoltay informed them.

He had approached silently and Daniel practically jumped out of his skin when the other man spoke. "Why not?" he asked the alien.

"Because it will not let you inside. Only The One and his consort may enter. All others are prohibited. I know", he smiled suddenly "because I and my friends tried. In fact, I'm sure that most Senecksi youth have, at one time or another, tried to enter the room. There is something that keeps all out. The fact that O'Neill was able to enter and has not returned proves that we were correct. He is The One we have waited for".

* * *

They had been taking steps for a few minutes but as yet hadn't arrived at anything that would explain what this was all about. Sam kept glancing at the Colonel, trying to read him. He seemed different than what she was used to – more serious and yet not quite in 'Colonel' mode. There was a quietness and a _sureness _in him she had not witnessed before. It was beyond his usual confidence and she didn't quite know what to make of it. Oh, she knew he _was_ confident, when it came to his leadership skills, and he was smart – much smarter than he usually let on, although she knew that she was sometimes guilty of falling for his 'stupid' act.

She knew he didn't care much for science and usually appeared as if he didn't have a clue what anything was about. Again she had to remind herself that he was an accomplished pilot so he must have a reasonable understanding of the physics behind flight and all the other things you had to learn to fly jets for the Air Force. The fact that he was a senior officer also gave evidence to the fact that he must be smart. Why he spent so much time pretending not to be she hadn't quite been able to figure out. It may have been partly so his enemies would underestimate him, although that didn't explain why he continued to act with his closest friends and comrades.

She also suspected that he was much more sophisticated than he usually liked to appear. Oh, he liked beer (although Guinness was a step above the usual brew most of the guys she knew liked) and he liked sports, especially hockey, so in those senses he was one of the guys. But she'd caught glimpses of him which didn't quite fit the picture of a common soldier.

She remembered the time he'd given her a ride when her car had been in the garage. She'd asked if she could turn on the radio and when she'd hit the dial a classical music station had come on. He'd looked almost embarrassed, although she'd actually found it rather charming. Then there were the times she'd caught him unconsciously humming arias from a variety of operas. Once she'd even caught him singing – in Italian no less. He'd claimed that Teal'c had forced him to take him to an opera and the song was stuck in his head. She knew better.

And of course she couldn't forget all those times he'd made some statement – seemingly out of the blue – that led them to the solution to a sticky problem. He'd always shrug and act like it was nothing, but she knew better. He _was_ smart and incredibly capable. Why then did his present demeanor surprise her?

It was as if he was totally focused on something he understood, but she couldn't. It wasn't that he was _doing_ anything, it was just the complete confidence and serenity with which he moved. She sighed in frustration, not able to even put it into words for herself. Jack O'Neill had always been a bit of an enigma to her, and she somehow thought this wasn't going to help things.

"Carter?"

It was only then she realized they had stopped and he was staring at her, clearly wondering what she was thinking.

"Sorry Sir – just wondering what this is all about."

"Yes – well – I think we're about to find out." He stepped closer to her. "Uh Sam?"

"Yes Colonel?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but -"

"What?"

"I – uh – think I need to put my arms around you – to keep you safe", he finished quickly. "I'm not quite sure what's going to happen and I don't want anything to hurt you."

"Oh." She licked her lips, suddenly frightened, although a small part of her liked the idea of the Colonel – _stop it_ Sam. "Okay."

They awkwardly moved closer to each other. Jack went to put his arms around her at the same time she moved and they ended up in a comedic tangle of limbs. Sam laughed self-consciously, feeling like a teenager going for her first kiss and took a short step back.

Jack rubbed his face ruefully. "Uh let's try that again Carter." He stepped forward and lifted his arms. He stopped and checked to make sure she was still okay with this and at her nod he put his arms around her and drew her close. He didn't really have to have her so close – but enjoyed the contact and decided to make the most of it. "Okay hold on tight Major."

"Always Sir", she answered softly. She was pretty sure she could feel him grin at her response – although he could have been frowning. She decided to go with the grin.

"Follow my lead Carter."

"Uh – I don't think I have much choice Sir", she said, her voice muffled in his chest. She could no longer see anything but a close up view of her commander. She could also smell his scent – and she admitted to herself that she was rather enjoying it.

They began to move, a little stiffly because of the awkward position they were in. After a few moments of semi-coordinated movement they stopped and the Colonel held on to her even more tightly. She opened her mouth, to ask him what was happening, when suddenly everything changed.

Later on she would try and describe what exactly happened, but even then, when she wasn't in the middle of things, she couldn't. Right now, at this moment, all she knew was that she was thankful the Colonel was holding her so tightly, otherwise she was sure she would have been hurt or even killed.

It was as if they were caught in some kind of torrential storm. No, she decided, in her terror – it wasn't a storm – it was a vortex that was trying to pull them in. She thought back briefly to the black hole which had almost destroyed Earth, and which had killed Colonel Cromwell and almost killed the Colonel. As things howled and whistled around her, as a huge force tried to pull her away, she _knew_ that what they were experiencing wasn't anything human-made. It was too raw, too powerful – too elemental.

She tried to speak – to call out to him – but no sound emerged from her mouth. She couldn't look up to see if he was okay and she could hear nothing. But all the time the world around her was in chaos, she felt his arms held securely around her, keeping her safe and keeping her from being pulled away.

She relaxed into him, knowing that her salvation, her very life, depended on his arms. She continued to breathe in his scent and to feel his heart beating under her ear. She drew even closer, suddenly feeling almost as if she was going to dissolve into him. In some strange way it felt like they were melding into one person – it was the strangest and yet most beautiful feeling – but one she could bareky describe. Instead, she allowed herself to trust him and to be held by him.

* * *

As soon as the door to the room had opened, Jack had known that he had some how arrived at the place he'd been travelling to his whole life. He didn't know _how_ he knew – and if he had thought about it he would have laughed in derision. This was _not_ the kind of thing he believed in. This was more Daniel's world – or even Teal'c's – not Jack O'Neill, smartass and cynical Air Force officer. As much as he always claimed to hate science, in many ways he was just like those cynical practitioners who believed in data, evidence and the practical and had no time for the mystical.

He'd given up the notion of God or the divine the moment that shot had sounded that had taken the most precious thing in his life away from him forever. If he hadn't – he would have spent the rest of his life blaming and hating that ever-powerful being. No, it had been easier not to believe at all then to become a person filled with hate. Of course all that had done was turn the hate inward. It would have destroyed him, except for the person of Daniel Jackson – and later Sam Carter and Teal'c. Those three people had saved him – not just his life – but his soul.

And now here he was – soul intact if a little damaged. He was where his destiny had led him. He thought briefly of that accident in his basement and wondered if the cosmos did things like that or if it could have been something else that would one day bring him here.

In the end he guessed it really didn't matter. What _did_ matter was that he was here, now. And even more than that – he was here with _her_. He knew, in the depths of his heart, that she was where she had to be, that they_ needed _to be together in this. He didn't know if she realized, or if she ever would, but his soul was no longer his – it belonged also to her.

He held her closer as the torrent outside of him raged. He knew they were safe, that together they were stronger than whatever force whirled around them. He realized then that it wasn't an accident, wasn't coincidence or convenience that had brought her. No, without her he _couldn't _have survived this. In fact, without her, without each of his friends, he never would have made it this far. He could feel his eyes, but more importantly his heart, well up at the realization of how lucky he really was. He loved these people – and he was loved by them in return.

Suddenly, without warning, something struck him in the back. It wasn't painful although for a few moments he couldn't breathe. It was overwhelming and frightening and he wondered if he was going to die. Then it changed – it changed to an overwhelming sense of joy and, and _rightness_. His body was suffused with power and he was able to take a deep breath. The breath filled him with something - he didn't know what – except that it had changed him. He prayed it was for the better.

* * *

Strangely Sam had fallen into a sort of a doze, lost in the myriad sensations around her. She had no idea how long they'd stood here like this, instead she rested and allowed herself to feel the Colonel – no, to feel _Jack_. She was shocked, then, when all of a sudden something seemed to move through her. It was almost as if she had gotten an electric shock, even though whatever it was didn't hurt.

She stayed totally still and it was only then that she noticed that Jack was not breathing. She stopped breathing as well, wondering if this was the end. A time – an indeterminate time – later, she again felt him take a breath – a deep breath. She started to relax thinking that everything was fine, when again something shot through her.

"Jack?" she finally cried out. What had happened? She still felt safe – safer than ever – and warm and, and _complete_, as if she hadn't been whole until this very moment. It was an incredible feeling but it confused her.

Just then – or maybe an eternity later, neither of them could tell which – things grew quiet. From a deluge of sensations there was suddenly – nothing. It was quiet and dark and still. Neither of them moved for a long time.

"Sam?" Jack finally whispered, almost surprised that he could still speak.

He heard a soft sound and then the warm body pressed into him moved slightly.

"Are you okay Sam?" he asked, suddenly worried.

"Mmm hmm", she murmured into his chest. At that she began to pull away, although he still held on to her. "I'm okay. What about you?"

"Yeah – I'm – I'm fine", he told her hesitatingly. It wasn't that there was something wrong, it's just – he wasn't sure _how_ he was feeling. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yes", she smiled and looked up at him. "I'm good. Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"For keeping me safe through – whatever that was."

"Yes, and what _was_ that", he asked, his face scrunching in confusion. It was only then that he realized the room was lit up. He stepped slightly back, keeping his hands on Sam's arms but the rest of them now separate. His eyes did a sweep of the room – the well-lit, seemingly normal room. What the hell had just happened? He tried hard to focus his mind and to become the competent soldier. It was difficult as all sorts of emotions and thoughts were running through his mind.

"What is it?" Sam too had checked out their surroundings, although like the Colonel her mind was in confusion. She breathed deeply and forced herself to concentrate. She could see that they were in some kind of lab and that there were machines around the perimeter. She didn't know what they were, although she was certain she could figure them out as they looked like normal – whatever that was – pieces of technology. They did not look like something out of Harry Potter.

"Looks like I don't have to go to that physics conference after all Carter", the Colonel said as he looked around. "Nothing old or musty here."

"No - but you also didn't have to do any tests", she reminded him, refusing to acknowledge how disappointed she was.

He turned to her in surprise "Yes I did" he told her, sounding completely serious. "What do you think that was that we just experienced?"

"I don't know – some kind of technologically induced hallucination?"

"_Sam_", Jack said. "You know as well as I that that was no hallucination! Nope, that was a test – a test to see if we were the right ones. And when this is all over – you're goin' fishin' with me!"

She shook her head, not in disagreement, but because only the Colonel would worry about things like that at a time like this.

"Okay, if it _was _a test, and I'm not conceding that it was, what was it for? What kind of test was it? And wasn't this supposed to be about you? I don't think I was included in this."

"Yes you were", he said softly, regarding her directly for the first time since the storm – or whatever it had been. "You are a much a part of this as I am Sam. As for what – I'm not quite sure yet, but I think these machines may help and I'm gonna need you to figure them out, because the fish are waiting!" He grinned at her – the Jack O'Neill special, 'I'm too cute to ignore' grin.

She stared at him for a moment, a shiver running through her. She didn't want to examine her feelings too closely right then, although she was pretty sure things had changed since they entered this room. Sadly, that would have to wait. Instead she took a deep breath and nodded. She had work to do. She could try and figure out the rest later. "I guess – I'd better look at them."

Jack nodded, his eyes continuing to regard her. After a moment he too nodded. "Let's get to it then."

As Sam headed towards the machines to check them out, she glanced down at her watch to check the time. She'd lost track since they'd been in the room. As soon as her eyes focused on the timepiece she stopped dead.

"Carter? What's wrong?"

"What time do you have Sir?" she asked.

"Uh", he pulled the flap back on his watch and read – "what the hell? That can't be the right time!"

"I think it is Sir", she answered. "And check out the date as well."

"_What_! But that means we've been here -"

"Over 24 hours", she answered.

He shook his head and then laughed softly. "No wonder I was thinkin' I had to go. Hey, maybe the – whatever it was – screwed with our watches?"

"Could be. Maybe we should check in with Daniel and Teal'c."

He agreed and pulled out his radio from his vest. It had to be a problem with their watches because there was no way he had been standing there for over a day, although the thought of being able to hold Carter for that long was rather appealing.

"Daniel! Come in Daniel."

"_Oh my God Jack – is that you?"_

"Uh – who else would it be?"

"_Holy – Jack, what happened to you guys? We couldn't make it into the building. Are you okay? Is Sam okay?"_

"We're fine Daniel. Uh, just one thing; can you tell me how long we've been here?"

"_How – Jack, you guys have been gone for over a day. But surely you know that?"_

Oops! Jack grimaced and looked at Sam, who was frowning and looking rather worried. "Oh – I guess time flew by quicker than we realized", he said, sounding rather lame. "Uh, we're just checking out some of their technology Daniel. Everything is fine."

"_But what __**happened**__?"_

"We'll tell you about it when we get out of here. In the meantime, don't worry. I'll check in every hour."

After he'd signed off he glanced at Carter. "So – they're right. I don't know about you, but that didn't feel like a full day."

"No, it didn't. Colonel, what happened to us?"

"I don't know Carter", he said softly. "But let's find out."


	17. Sleeping On It

"What the hell is going on Teal'c?" Daniel asked. He and his teammate were camped out beside the small building Jack and Sam had entered more than a day ago. The Senecksi had left, although they came back regularly to check that things were okay and to provide their Earth visitors with food and drink.

"I do not know", Teal'c answered, sounded irritated. Even his famed patience was wearing thin with Daniel's repeated questions. "We shall find out. We know that they are safe and that is all that matters for now."

"I know, but -"

"Enough Daniel Jackson", Teal'c glared at him. "We shall find out when O'Neill and Major Carter return."

Daniel sighed. "I just wish Jack would tell us something other than they're okay. I mean, what are they _doing_?"

Teal'c sighed and closed his eyes. He too hoped O'Neill would soon tell them something, otherwise he might not be responsible for what he did to his companion. He was usually able to exercise extreme self-control when faced with the incomprehensible actions of his human friends, but there were days when that restraint wore thin.

* * *

Sam watched as the Colonel approached one of the Ancient consoles, slightly nervous about what would happen. She remembered clearly the time that the Ancient library had been downloaded in his brain, and didn't want a repeat of that episode.

"Sir?" she warned as he reached a hand out.

He stopped and turned his face towards her, that serene smile again appearing. "It's _okay_ Carter, really. You worry too much."

"But you always tell Daniel not to touch Sir", she reminded him. At that his face broke into a grin.

"Yeah, but he gets us in trouble."

There was a very pregnant pause in which Sam bit her tongue. The Colonel swung around. "Major!" he said warningly.

This time she grinned. "I didn't say anything Sir."

"No, but you were thinking it. I promise, I won't get us in trouble."

"Okay Sir – if you say so. Just – be careful, please."

"Of course." At that he again reached out his hand. Before he'd even had a chance to touch the panel in front of him, the whole place lit up. It didn't seem to faze him at all, although Sam had to shade her eyes for a moment until they grew used to the brightness.

"There, that's better", O'Neill murmured. He moved his hand again, and suddenly writing and pictures showed up all around him.

Sam tried to figure out what she was seeing, but other than the fact that the language was Ancient – she recognized it from Daniel's various artifacts – she had no idea what she was looking at. She went to ask the Colonel but saw that he was seemingly mesmerized by what was in front of him.

The graphics and words started slowly but began speeding up, moving so fast that she could no longer discern anything about what they were seeing. It became so fast that she began to feel dizzy from watching it. The Colonel, on the other hand, seemed to be following everything. They stood there for a long time – although for how long she wasn't quite sure – until abruptly the images slowed down and eventually stopped.

"Uh – what was that Sir?" she asked softly.

It took a moment for him to reply, but finally he took a deep breath and answered her. "See, I told you it was okay."

"Yes, but what _was_ it?"

"I guess you could call it – school?" he answered. He stepped back from the console and swung around to face her, a strange look on his face. "I think – it was trying to teach me things."

"Teach you – what kinds of things?"

"Oh – stuff about the universe and the history of the Ancients and science – all that sort of stuff"

"All of that? In just a few minutes?"

He looked vaguely surprised but then nodded. "I guess I'm a fast reader."

"And did you understand it Colonel?" she was curious to know.

"I uh – yeah, kind of." He took another deep breath and stepped forward, until he was much closer than he usually stood to her. He reached out with his hands and gently clasped her arms. "Sam I'm not sure what this is all about, not yet, but I don't think it's anything bad. This place – it's kind of like the repository, but it didn't just dump information in my brain. It _taught_ me, but only enough for me to handle. I don't know why or what it means but -" he shrugged. "It's kind of neat."

"Kind of _neat_ Sir?" she asked, bemused. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh yeah", he smiled widely. "I'm more than okay. I'm great. I feel – stronger than I have in a long time, healthier." At her worried look he gave her a tiny shake. "It's nothing weird Major. I'm not going to start levitating or something. It's just – I don't know, I think that this place is just really – good for me."

"Right, like a spa", she answered cynically. This whole thing was beginning to worry her, although she couldn't put her finger on why. Even as she was thinking these things she began to feel slightly sleepy and began to relax. It dawned on her that they'd been in this room without food, water, rest or even a bathroom break for over 24 hours. It was no wonder she was tired.

She slowly leaned forward until her head was resting on Jack's chest. It felt so good – so _right_ to be there. She sighed and threaded her arms around his waist. "Hold me Jack", she murmured. Her eyes closed and her breathing slowed. It was so safe and peaceful with him.

Jack looked down at the head resting on him and wondered what the hell had just happened. One minute Carter was in full 'Second-in-command' worry mode, the next she was acting like – hell, like something she wasn't supposed to act like around him.

He stood for a moment, unsure of what to do. He decided the best thing was to gently untangle her arms from around him and wake her up. They needed to head back to where Daniel and Teal'c were waiting. Their two friends must be getting anxious and were probably also bored.

He sighed and went to remove her arms, when he began to feel rather sleepy himself. God, it had been a long time since he'd slept. He just needed to close his eyes for a second. He leaned his head so that it was resting gently on top of Carter's. He breathed in her scent and thought back to those moments where the storm had raged around them. That had been – incredible. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer.

Why had he thought this was wrong? This was where he _should_ be, where _she_ should be. He pulled her even closer and she murmured softly, her breath lightly tickling the skin on his chest. Yes, he thought as his breathing began to slow. This is where he had to be.

* * *

"Colonel?" Sam was standing in the middle of a trail in what looked like a tropical jungle. "Are you here Sir?"

"I'm here Sam – but no 'Colonel', okay? Call me Jack." He was standing beside her, looking with curiosity down the trail.

"Okay – Jack it is", she grinned. "Uh, where are we _Jack_?"

"We're -" he looked around, his lips pursed. "We're here", he said, as if imparting something totally revolutionary.

"Yes, we are indeed here", she agreed, accepting his answer seriously.

"Hey Sam, you sound just like -" he frowned. "I can't remember, but you definitely sound like someone I know."

"Really?" she thought for a moment. "I don't think I know anyone that sounds like me." She bit her lip and pondered for a moment. "In fact, I don't think I know _anyone_ – but you of course."

"Of course", he agreed with a smile. "You don't need to know anyone else and neither do I. So, shall we go take a look at _here_?"

"Sure", she smiled and stepped forward, her hand outstretched. Jack took it without any hesitation and held on tightly. Together the two of them turned and headed down the small trail in front of them.

They walked, quietly but contentedly together, listening to the soft rustling of the leaves and the sounds of the small creatures who lived in the jungle. They didn't see anything larger than a tiny bird and nothing dangerous or sentient. But they weren't really looking and didn't really care.

"This is nice", Sam commented. "I've wanted to do this for a long time."

"You have?" Jack looked at her in surprise. "What? Walk through a jungle?"

She frowned, considering her words. "Uh, I don't know. I just said that and – I don't really remember if I wanted this. I guess – it doesn't really matter. It's just nice."

"Walking in a jungle or walking with me?" he looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

"Oh, the jungle, definitely", she quipped. "Well, you're kind of nice too."

"Yes and so are you."

They continued to walk in silence until they came to a clearing. When it opened up they both gasped at the splendor in front of them. There was a clear pond, being fed by the most magnificent waterfall. Surrounding the pond were plants and trees and flowers – an abundance of colors and smells and beauty.

"Oh my", Sam breathed. "This is – amazing."

"Isn't it?" Jack agreed, looking around the clearing. He suddenly got a rather devilish look on his face. "Looks like a perfect place to go for a swim", he announced.

Sam looked at the still and crystal blue water. "It does", she said, sounding hesitant, "but we don't have suits."

"I know", he waggled his eyebrow. "Last one in is a rotten egg!" With that he tore off his vest and quickly began to unbutton his shirt.

Sam watched for a few brief seconds and then realized that a skinny dip sounded heavenly. With a grin she began to quickly undress, determined to beat the Colonel.

The two of them continued to smile as they worked to beat each other into the pool. Sam removed her shirt and bra without hesitation and then chuckled as Jack stopped and stared. While he looked she started on her pants and was soon ahead of him in undressing.

"Hey – that's no fair", he complained when he realized what she'd done. He'd have to hurry if she wasn't going to beat him.

"All's fair in love and skinny dipping", she told him. "Damn!"

"What's wrong", he grinned as he quickly threw off his boots. He watched as her BDU pants pooled around her ankles, overtop her combat boots. It was going to be much more difficult getting those off with her pants in the way. He'd been smarter – boots first, _then_ pants.

He tossed one boot and followed it with the second one. He then unbuckled his belt and his pants were shortly flung away, to land on top of a very exotic looking plant. He smirked when it became obvious that he was now in the lead. All that was left were his socks – which went quickly – and his boxers.

"So – I'm gonna win Carter", he told the woman. He then frowned. "Uh, I mean Sam." He pulled down his boxers and stood there watching as she loosened her belt. "No point trying to beat the master of stripping!" With a cheeky grin he turned and sauntered over to the pool. He knew very well that she was watching closely so, rather than jumping straight in, he slowly stuck one toe in the water. "Mmm, nice", he told her. He then glanced at her and saw she was almost done undressing, so he walked into the water – backwards. There was no way he was going to miss seeing Sam remove that last piece of clothing.

She flung her panties in a perfect arc – landing them right on top of Jack's boxers.

"Nice throw", he called.

She nodded and walked, slowly and deliberately to the edge of the water, also sticking her toe in like he had done. "How's the water?" she asked.

"Perfect", he breathed staring at her. "Coming in?"

"Of course." She walked into the water, leisurely and sensuously letting the water cover her as she kept her eyes on the man in the water.

"You lost, you know", he whispered as he watched her. "And I win."

"Mmm", she agreed. "So, what does that mean?"

"That I deserve something really nice."

She moved towards him, her eyes trained on him fully. When she was within a few inches she stopped. "Do you think I'm nice?" she asked softly.

"Mmm hmm, very nice."

"Then you can have me", she murmured, walking right up to him and pressing herself against him.

It was a short time later before Jack was able to think one thought clearly – that it was a good thing the water was cool or he would have been burnt alive with the heat they generated. It was only a brief thought however, and soon was gone as he instead allowed himself to do nothing but feel. What use was thinking at a time like this?

Afterward they lay on the grass beside the water, arms and legs entwined. They both dozed although every few minutes one or the other of them would stroke the other or trail soft kisses along various tender and sensitive spots.

"Jack?" Sam asked softly, almost asleep on the chest of the man with her.

"Mmm hmm", he answered, his eyes slowly drooping closed.

"Where are we?"

"Uh – I don't know", he answered drowsily. "Does it matter?"

"No, not really." There was a pause and then she asked another question. "Jack, _who_ are we?"

He sighed, not wanting to be disturbed to deal with anything that remotely resembled thinking. "I'm Jack, you're Sam", he said after a moment.

"Right. But who _are_ we? I'm mean, all I know is your name and my name and nothing else."

He thought for a few seconds and then repeated his earlier reply. "Does it matter?"

"No", she sighed and placed her head back on his chest "I guess not."

"We're together Sam, that's all that matters." He moved slightly until he was leaning over, a look of desire in his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her, his body and mind ready for more.

Sam kissed him back and opened her arms to him. "Love me", she said. And he did.

* * *

She awoke with a start, her head pressed into the Colonel's shirt. It took her a moment to realize they were standing in the Ancient room, the lights around them still on, although dimmed. The Colonel's was holding her – hell, she was also holding the Colonel! What the hell?

"Uh Sir?" she pulled back slightly, wincing when his arms tightened around her. "Colonel?"

He groaned softly and stirred. It took a few moments but he finally opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear them. "Carter?"

"Yes Sir. Uh – can you let go?"

He frowned, clearly confused, and then seemed to realize how they were standing. "Oh", he pulled back suddenly dropping his arms and letting her go. "Sorry Major. I don't -"

"That's okay Sir. I think we were really tired and must have dozed off."

"Yes – well – but I shouldn't have – I didn't mean – I'm sorry", he repeated.

She gave him a small smile. "Really Sir, it's alright. I think maybe we should get out of here. We both need sleep and something to eat."

"Yeah, I think you're right Carter." Jack looked around the room, and quickly realized that he was done here. Whatever information existed in this place had already been shown to him. He knew that his brain was swimming with information, but he wasn't going to think about it right now. Carter was right. They needed to eat and rest – hell, and to _pee_ – before worrying about anything else.

"After you Major", he gestured towards the stairs that had led them down. "I'm sure Daniel is wetting his pants about now."

"Probably", she grinned as she turned to head back.

Jack watched as she walked away from him and frowned. He had a sudden vision of a very naked Carter walking _towards_ him. He shook his head. Where the hell did _that_ come from? He thought he'd dealt with those particular fantasies year's ago. He'd realized a long time ago that nothing good could possibly come out of him fantasizing about his 2IC and had forced himself to stop.

"Sir?" Sam was looking at him curiously, wondering why he'd stopped. "Is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry." He swallowed and headed towards her and the stairs. He couldn't get that damned picture out of his mind. What was worse were the other things that began to crowd into his brain – skinning dipping, swimming in a tropical paradise, seeing Sam naked, making love to her – _stop!_

"Sir – really, are you okay?"

He realized he'd again come to a stop and took a deep breath. He had to get a handle on himself. "Yeah Major – just a bit tired I think. Let's get going." He stepped forward and began to hurry up the stairs, in front of Carter. It wasn't normally something he'd do, but walking behind her was way too distracting.

As Sam watched her CO march ahead of her something began to bother her. She had a fleeting memory of Colonel O'Neill _naked_. Stop it Sam, she told herself. For one thing, it definitely wasn't a memory and there was no way she was going to start allowing herself to dream. He was an attractive man, and she knew she already felt more for him than she should – but she was _not_ going to let herself fall into the trap of fantasizing about him. That was the way to trouble.

As they walked through the small building towards the outside she continued to have flashes. They felt like memories, but she knew they were simply – what? - figments of her imagination caused by lack of sleep and food. Yes, that's what it was because there was no way she had ever made love with the Colonel in and by a tropical pool, or anywhere for that matter. She shook her head. Stop thinking about it.

* * *

"Jack! Sam! Thank God – we've been so worried. Is everything okay?" Daniel rushed up to them and looked them over carefully. "Are you alright?" he asked when they didn't reply.

"Yes Daniel", Jack said, "we're fine. Hungry, tired, but fine. Uh, where are the natives?"

"They returned to their houses to eat and sleep O'Neill", Teal'c informed them. "They will speak with you once you have had time to rest."

"Okay – right. So, shall we head back to camp?" Jack said tiredly.

"But Jack – what _happened_?" Daniel begged. "Come on – you've been gone almost two days. What was in there? What did you do? Did you see some Ancient artifacts? Technology? Come on, spill!"

Jack groaned, but knew that he couldn't blame Daniel. He'd be just as curious in the other man's shoes. "It was an Ancient – I guess you could call it a learning lab. It was pretty spectacular – lots of lights and weird pictures and stuff. I was able to read a lot of it and it's floating around in my brain, but I'm really too tired to tell you about it now."

"In your _brain_? Not like the download?" Daniel asked worriedly.

"No – it just showed the information and the Colonel read it Daniel", Sam explained.

"So could you read it?" the archaeologist, linguist and expert in all things Ancient asked his fellow scientist.

"Me? No – just the Colonel."

"So what did you do while you were there?" Daniel wanted to know. By this time the four teammates had begun to head back to their camp.

"Not much Daniel. Look, we'll tell you more after we've rested, okay?" she asked. "I'm really exhausted right now and it's hard to concentrate on much beside the thought of a good meal and a warm sleeping bag.

Daniel nodded, realizing it wasn't fair to bother his teammates about what they'd seen, although he was finding it extremely difficult to restrain himself. He kept an eye on both O'Neill and Sam and noticed that Teal'c was doing the same thing. The good news was that both of them looked healthy and – normal – if a little tired

"Okay", he finally told her. "I won't bug you – for _now_."

"Thanks Danny-boy", Jack slapped him on the back. "I know how hard that is but we do appreciate it."

The team walked for another thirty minutes before reaching their camp. Both the Colonel and Carter sat and rested, suddenly realizing they'd been on their feet the whole time – except for the time by the water, Jack thought to himself. He then froze. That was a _fantasy_, a _dream._ He certainly hadn't gone skinny dipping or made love with the Major. He had to stop this.

* * *

"Thanks guys" he said as he put his dish down. "I was hungry."

"You were indeed O'Neill", Teal'c agreed, looking at the empty MRE packages lying on the ground. "You are looking tired. I suggest you and Major Carter retire to your tents. Daniel Jackson and I will stand watch."

"Thanks buddy", Jack yawned and stood up. "Carter, you get to bed too. You look like you're ready to fall asleep on your feet."

"I will Sir", Sam said, standing slowly. She was stiff and sore. It was only as she headed towards her tent that she realized she was sore in places that didn't have anything to do with standing. She decided that it must have been that storm they went through that caused it. It was the only explanation. "Sleep well Colonel."

"You too Major. Sweet dreams!"

"Thanks Sir", she smiled, wondering if those dreams would include scenes of a Jack O'Neill standing naked … stop it Sam. She entered her tent.

She felt like falling directly into her sleeping bag and letting herself go to sleep instantly. With a sigh she decided she first had to undress. She'd feel more comfortable in the long run. Going to her pack she pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt – her standard night wear when off world. She had stripped off her clothes and grabbed the shorts, when she looked down.

And froze. What? She leaned over and examined her inner thighs. There were marks there – finger shaped marks. And they were definitely in a place where there shouldn't be any marks.

Oh No! She closed her eyes and tried to figure it out. Finally she allowed herself to simply _feel_. "God", she breathed after a moment, opening her eyes. There was no doubt about it – she was slightly sore and felt – exactly like she'd just made love. What the hell was going on?

* * *

Jack quickly ripped off his black t-shirt and went to unbuckle his pants when he noticed something on his chest, right by his nipple. Squinting down he peered at whatever it was. There was a mark – that looked like …

"Hell!" he put his hand up and stretched the skin to see if he could see it more clearly. His eyes closed. It was very definitely a bite mark, a _human_ bit mark. "Okay Jack", he murmured, "what the hell happened?" How in the name of all that's human did he get that?

He groaned and flopped back on his sleeping bag. He suddenly knew he was screwed and then he laughed – almost hysterically. The fact was, he was pretty sure he wasn't just screwed but that, in fact, he _had_ screwed. He laughed agains. Not the time for bad puns Jack. What the heck happened and what are you going to do about it?

He sighed and closed his eyes. For now, he'd sleep on it.


	18. Ignorance is Bliss, or Really Irritating

_**Hi everyone. I haven't forgotten this or my other stories. Sadly I had to go to Canada to see my mother who is very ill with cancer. She is doing better but I didn't have time to write. I'm trying to finish up this story and then get back to my others and finish them. I do promise not to leave you hanging on any of my stories. Thanks,**_

He took a deep breath, feeling rested and relaxed. In fact, he was feeling better than he had in a long, long time. The sleep had been good, what he'd needed after the craziness that was the last few days. Hell – the last few _years_. He laughed softly. Crazy yes it was true, but also amazing. He thought of the adventures he'd had, the things that he'd seen and experienced and the friendships he'd made. He had to admit that when he'd joined the Air Force the last thing he'd expected was to travel through space and meet aliens. Hell, not just meet them but get to know them and to call at least one of them a close friend.

He heard a noise and grinned. Another of his friends, although this was definitely from Earth, was sound asleep in the tent with him, snoring happily probably in some ancient ruin dreamland.

"Daniel", he called. He knew it was mean but he wanted to talk to him. He was feeling great this morning and he needed to share that with his friends. Not, of course that he'd _tell _them that. He did have a reputation to uphold, but still, he wanted to be happy with his someone else. He thought briefly of Teal'c but his alien friend was probably making sure their camp was secure. He then thought of Carter which made him frown slightly, although he didn't quite know why. He considered her a good friend too, although his relationship was different with her than with the men. Sadly it had to be. But still, it was as if there was something just out of reach about her. Oh well, he wasn't going to let it bother him, not now, not today.

"_Daniel_" he called, louder this time. "Wakey, wakey."

"Hrmph, mm'slp."

"Daniel, I don't know what the hell you just said, but it's time to wake up."

The younger man groaned and pulled his sleeping bag up over his face. A second later the snores resumed.

Jack shook his head. Daniel the teenage boy! _**"Daniel**_**".**

"**What?"**

"Time to wake up."

"Why?"

"Because it's morning."

"So. I'm tired."

"So", he answered right back. "You still have to wake up. Of course if you _don't_ I could always come over there and -"

"Fine!" Daniel pulled down the sleeping bag and glared at Jack. "_Why_ do I have to get up? We don't have any plans today and I spent the last two days waiting for you and Sam to come out of that alien shack. _And _you wouldn't tell me what was going on _and_ Teal'c and I had to share watch last night, so I'm _tired_, okay? Now, why did you wake me up?"

Of course Jack instantly felt guilty. He'd forgotten that the two men had done the watch on their own in order to allow Sam and him to sleep. On top of that they had to have been worried about what was happening and yet had exercised real restraint in bugging him about answers.

"Sorry Danny", he sighed, flopping his head back down. "Just wanted to talk I guess."

There was silence in the tent and then Daniel moved. A moment later he was sitting up, looking over at his friend. "No, I'm sorry Jack. I'm just grumpy when I'm tired. So, what did you want to talk about?"

Jack almost laughed at the look of expectation on the other man's face. He _so_ wanted to ask about what had happened in that room, but was trying to be good. This time Jack was reminded of a young Charlie, who used to get that exact expression when he was hoping his father was about to give him a treat, but he didn't want to jinx it by coming out and asking for it. He shook his head and allowed himself to chuckle. For that Jackson deserved _something_.

"Uh nothing in particular. Look Daniel, I'll tell you and Teal'c everything I can remember from the Ancient room, but I'd rather not tell it twice, so can you wait a bit?"

"Of course Jack." Suddenly Daniel's face changed, from serious and sincere friend, to impish child. "But you can't take too long because I'll explode."

"I'm sure you will" Jack laughed and pushed himself up. He had a moment's sense of confusion – that was way too easy. Nothing felt stiff or sore this morning, which isn't how he'd woken up for – hell, for years. He'd worn out his joints and back through years of missions and being wounded. Janet had warned him that he probably didn't have that much time left in the field although he'd laughed and told her he had a ways to go yet before he retired. Well today he felt like a kid of twenty. He better not get used to this, he figured. It had to be temporary.

"Everything okay?" Daniel asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, just fine. In fact I feel great. Uh Daniel, I _am_ speaking English, right?"

"Uh huh. In fact, I haven't heard you use one Ancient word. It sounds like whatever was happening has sorted itself out now."

"I hope so. You hungry?"

"I guess so."

"Good, cause I'm starving." Jack pushed himself to his feet, amazed again at how limber he felt. He stretched. "God, that feels good."

"You're looking great too", his friend told him as he too got to his feet. "Better than I've seen you in a while." There was a brief pause while Daniel considered something. "Do you think it had anything to do with whatever happened in that room?"

Jack considered that for a moment. He tried thinking back to before entering and then nodded. "Yeah, possibly. Maybe it had some kind of healing properties. I bet that's why I'm not talking Ancient at all any more. It healed whatever was wrong with my brain."

Daniel looked doubtful but didn't say any more. He finished putting on his boots and then lifted the tent flap. "I smell coffee", he murmured with pleasure. "Teal'c must have prepared it."

"Or Carter", Jack nodded. "Let's go eat."

The two men made there way over to the small fire pit, to see Teal'c sitting there by himself. So it wasn't Carter, Jack thought, and was surprised at the swift stab of disappointment. Come on, he told himself. She's here and she'll be out shortly. What the hell is your problem O'Neill?

"O'Neill", Teal'c nodded, welcoming him to the breakfast fire "You are looking well."

"I'm feeling great Teal'c. Uh, can I have a – oh thanks", he said when Teal'c handed him the cup. He took a sip and closed his eyes. That was exactly what he'd needed. "Mmm great coffee."

The former Jaffa raised a brow in surprise. "It is our usual coffee O'Neill. You mentioned on more than one occasion that it tastes like – I believe you said brake fluid."

"Yeah, well I guess I had a craving for brake fluid this morning." He took another drink. "Yup, just what I wanted. What's to eat?"

"MRE's", Daniel told him with a grimace.

"Good – we have the scrambled eggs and bacon one?"

Daniel rummaged through his pack and then tossed one to the older man. "Here. I wonder if we can get some food off the natives?"

Jack quickly heated the package and soon was wolfing down the food. "Mmm", he murmured. "Delicious. That hits the spot."

"An _MRE_?" Daniel asked in surprise. "I mean, I know they're better than starving, but you've never called them delicious before."

"Hey, I'm hungry. Anything tastes good when you're hungry."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow but didn't speak. The three men sat quietly, each of them drinking their coffee and finishing breakfast. It was Jack who broke the silence.

"So – where's Carter?"

"Sleeping still I guess", Daniel took another sip of coffee. "You want me to wake her up?"

"Nah. She's probably tired. I just wondered." After a few seconds though he began to worry. What if something was wrong? What if she'd been affected by her time with him? What if she was sick – "Where are you going?" Jack's thoughts were interrupted when Daniel stood up.

"I'm gonna check on Sam", he said, putting down his cup.

"Why?" Jack frowned. Now he was really worried.

Daniel grinned. "Because you're looking at her tent like you think she's been abducted or something. I just want to show you she's fine."

"Oh." Jack looked down at his cup, feeling slightly embarrassed. He hadn't thought he was that obvious. "I guess it's just – after yesterday – I want to make sure she wasn't harmed by the Ancient stuff."

"She was fine when I looked in on her earlier O'Neill", Teal'c told him calmly. Although the fact that their teammate had checked showed he wasn't the only one who worried. "I made sure you were fine as well."

At that Jack raised _his _brow. "Really? Uh, thanks."

By this time Daniel was carefully lifting the flap on Sam's tent. "Sam?" he called softly. They heard a murmur in reply and the next second Daniel had disappeared inside.

Jack tried to listen to what was being said, but they two were speaking too softly. For some unknown reason he felt a swift pang that had to have been indigestion from eating the MRE too quickly. It certainly was _not _jealousy that Daniel could enter her tent without anyone thinking anything of it.

A few seconds later Daniel exited from the tent. "She's fine, great, in fact. She just slept in a bit." He grinned widely. "Now she feels guilty so I expect we'll see her soon."

"Of course she does", Jack snorted. "Carter is nothing if not overly hard on herself."

"And a soldier." Daniel settled himself at the fire again.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked mildly, knowing his friend didn't mean anything negative – or at least not _too _negative by his comment."

"Oh, just that duty, etc. is always her first thought. I think she feels that sleeping in means she's falling down on her job."

Jack nodded. Yeah, he was sure that was exactly what it was. He'd have to work on getting her to relax a bit more – at least when they weren't on a mission.

That thought caused him to scowl. They _were_ on a mission. It might not be a _sanctioned_ one, but certainly none of them should be letting their guard down. So why was he so relaxed? He glanced around and decided it must be a combination of this place and the fact that he was feeling so good – and that the Ancient – _whatever -_had seemed to disappear.

It was only a couple of minutes later that Carter appeared, her hair combed and her clothes looking fresh and clean. She'd obviously taken those few minutes to get herself ready for the day. He glanced down at himself and grimaced. He was pretty sure he looked like he'd just gotten out of bed – which of course, he had.

"Mornin' Carter", he smiled. For some reason he'd been feeling great since he'd gotten up. Now, he was feeling _beyond_ great. There was no way he was going to admit that it had anything at all to do seeing his 2IC – nope! But he was sure going to enjoy it.

"Morning Sir." Her smile practically blinded the three men looking at her. "Sorry about sleeping in."

"No need to apologize Major", he waved her off. "You deserved it." He looked closely at her and frowned. She was looking – fantastic. "Uh, you're looking – rested this morning Carter." There, 'rested' couldn't be misconstrued. What he really wanted to tell her was that she was looking gorgeous.

"You do indeed look well Major Carter", Teal'c told her, almost sounding surprised, which Jack thought was a strange.

Daniel – of course – was a bit more blunt. "God Sam, that was some sleep. You're looking – amazing this morning."

Carter's face immediately turned bright red, and she quickly accepted the coffee that Daniel was holding out for her. "Thanks", she murmured into her cup. "I guess I was tired."

The four friends and teammates sat quietly, relishing the peace of a beautiful morning. It was Teal'c who, uncharacteristically, broke the silence.

"Will you tell us what occurred O'Neill?" the big man asked quietly. "Daniel Jackson is ready to explode with curiosity."

"Hah! It's not just me Teal'c. Admit it, you're every bit as curious as me."

Teal'c gave a stately bow of his head. "Indeed." He stretched his long legs in front of him and folded his arms, calmly regarding his friend and brother.

Jack sighed and set down his cup. He had been enjoying not thinking about anything in particular, except how wonderful the day was and how beautiful Carter was. He didn't want to concentrate on anything serious, not right now.

"Okay", he finally sighed. "Carter, you jump in if I forget something, okay?"

"Yes Sir." Her voice quavered slightly, as if she was fearful of what was about to be revealed. Jack's eyes tracked her face carefully, suddenly concerned. Had he missed something? His mind flipped back to that moment in the alien room. It _had_ been a dream, hadn't it? Of course it had and it wasn't something he was about to reveal anyway. He continued to study the woman opposite him, his concern growing as she avoided his eyes.

"Jack?" It was Daniel's voice that brought him back. His breath hissed in and he blinked.

"Sorry. Uh so – we discovered the entrance to an underground room …" He continued the story, trying to remember details that seemed to already be slipping out of his grasp. He could clearly remember the impressions, the feelings he'd had while there, it was harder to remember what had actually happened.

"Wow! What do you think it meant?" Daniel asked, when both he and Sam tried to describe the incredible sights and storm they'd experienced. "Was it _real_?"

"I have no idea", Jack said shortly. For some reason he didn't _want_ to try and explain it. It had happened, they'd lived through it, and it had changed them. That's all he knew, all he _wanted _to know. He scanned Carter's face, expecting her to pull out her usual analytical, science persona, but she too seemed to be unwilling, or maybe it was unable, to explain things further.

"Sam? What do you think it was?" See, there was Daniel, turning to his buddy in geekish crime, also expecting her to do her usual thing and try to analyze what had happened.

"I have no idea either Daniel", she repeated. "All I know is that it was – incredible." Her eyes moved over to the Colonel's and she couldn't help the small quirk of her lips. "I don't think either of us can explain it."

"But – what does it _mean_?" Daniel was eaten up with curiosity and if there was anything he hated, it was an unsolved mystery. "And what if it hurt you? I mean, Janet isn't here to check you out and it could have done something to you."

"I believe they are well Daniel Jackson", Teal'c defended. "They will tell us if something is the matter. Can you tell us what happened next?" he aimed his question to both O'Neill and Major Carter.

Jack went on to tell about the Ancient library, although he quickly downplayed what had actually happened. It wasn't that he was trying to hide it from his friends, he was, in fact, hiding it equally from himself.

Somewhere in the back of his brain things were floating around, lots and lots and lots of things. Facts, knowledge, _understanding_ of the way the universe worked, of concepts not understood yet by humanity, of places and peoples as yet undiscovered. Part of him was excited by the glimpses he'd received, but most of him was terrified.

He didn't want to be the bearer of such knowledge. He didn't know what to do with it or how to handle it. He was mortally afraid that if he let it out it would consume him, not like the previous Ancient download, but instead it would change who he was, what his purpose was in life. And he wasn't ready for that.

"So, you got to read all the materials in this Ancient library", Daniel frowned. "How much of it do you remember? And you're _sure_ it's not like before?"

"I'm sure", he answered Daniel's second question first. "It's not taking over my brain. It's more like I went on a speed reading course. As for how much I remember – I don't know. Right now, not much. I just have a few little facts running around in my brain, but nothing that's very useful."

"Facts? Like what?" the insatiable man asked.

"Oh – let's see." He thought for a moment. "Did you know that the male Krepler bird from the planet Orius turns bright pink during mating season, but afterward loses it's feathers and goes completely bald?"

Silence met his piece of trivia, the only movement being Teal'c's Spockish brow. Daniel took a deep breath. "Uh, that's -"

"Interesting Sir", Sam finished. "What other things did you learn?"

He turned to her and grinned, knowing exactly what she was doing. He could always count on Carter to cover for him.

"Well, on Tursa Minor it's illegal for traders to have pockets in their clothing. And on Mardana you can only eat troshlic on a day with a full moon, otherwise you have to pay a fine."

"Jack, what do these things _mean_?" Daniel asked in frustration. "And where are these places? I've never heard of them."

"I have no idea", Jack shrugged. "I told you, I just have some facts running around in my brain. I don't think they're very important."

"You mean to tell me we went through all that and the Senecksi have waited for years for you – and all you found out was some stupid customs on various planets?"

"Daniel", Jack said, sounding vaguely shocked. "Did I just hear you say _stupid_ customs? That's – not like you."

"What is troshlic, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked calmly.

Carter choked, trying to hold back her laughter. O'Neill turned to face his friend, his expression serious. "I have absolutely no idea Teal'c, but it sounds disgusting."

Teal'c nodded. "So, now we must worry about what is happening on Earth and what we are to do."

"Yeah", Jack sighed, once again becoming serious. He knew that Daniel wasn't going to leave his 'knowledge' alone, he'd want to know more. For now though, Jack figured he had successfully sidetracked his companions. He knew a lot more than he'd suggested, but how much more he was still frightened to find out.

"Maybe we should just go back to Earth", Daniel said. "I mean, if the Ancient is gone, there's no reason for the NID to take you."

"Right. I'll just tell them it was all a mistake and they'll leave me alone", Jack answered sarcastically.

"Well, what if we get Thor to vouch for you. They'll believe him."

"Maybe", Jack scowled, "although I wouldn't bet on it. I do think it's a good idea to contact Thor though. Who has the communicator? We should signal him again and hope he gets our message."

"What about the Senecksi Sir?" Carter asked. "They still believe you are The One and probably want to see you again."

"Yeah, I know." Jack sighed and slowly stood. "I say we rest here for today and then tomorrow head back to town. I need a bit of a break from the Senecksi and from all of this. I declare today a day off!"

Daniel appeared to be the only one who didn't appreciate the idea of a day relaxing. Still, he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere, at least right now, so he decided to hold off. In the meantime, he too could rest

Jack stood and eyed the pool of water. There was something about it that beckoned to him. He felt hot and sticky after yesterday and relished the idea of a swim. He didn't exactly have a suit, but his boxers would probably do. He glanced at Sam, who was looking away from him, still avoiding looking directly at him his. He briefly had a vision of her skinny dipping in the pool and had to quickly reign in his thoughts.

"So Carter – you up for a swim?" he asked, once his heart and his libido had slowed down.

Her head whipped around, startled. "Uh – I don't have a suit Sir", she told him, echoing his thoughts.

Now was _not _the time to make an inappropriate quip. "Well, I'm gonna improvise Carter", he grinned. "You might want to do the same. You only live once!

"A cliché Sir?" she finally grinned.

Jack sighed dramatically. "I couldn't help myself. It must be having a day off, or maybe being in paradise weakened my resolve."

She laughed softly and watched as he turned. Her eyes became gentle as she regarded her friend and her commander. He was right, a swim did sound good and she could improvise. With a light step she turned to head back to her tent. She was going to go swimming.

He was whistling as he entered the tent. For some reason the day had just gotten even better. Aliens be-damned. His friends were here, he had a day off and he damn well was going to fantasize about nude Carter. He deserved it. With that he began to pull off his clothes. He was going swimming.


	19. Cool Waters

_**Hi guys. I'm back and apologize for the really long delay. The following chapter is both short and pretty meaningless. I'll be on to more adventure after this.**_

_**By the way, thank you to whoever nominated my stories for the Sam and Jack Media awards. I have no idea who it was (they?) but I greatly appreciate the honor. If you haven't nominated your favorite author, check out their website.**_

_**Thanks,**_

The cold water took his breath away, but at the same time he felt invigorated. He took a deep breath and plunged under the water, allowing the cold liquid to rush over his head and face. When he surfaced had wiped the water from his eyes, just in time to see Carter approach the pool.

He grinned when he realized that she had improvised by obviously borrowing a pair of Daniel's boxers, paired with one of her AF issued t-shirts. It wasn't the most sexy outfit in the world, but on her –hell, on her BDU's looked sexy.

"Come on in Carter", he yelled. "The water's nice and warm."

She stopped at the edge and looked at him suspiciously. Then, continuing to watch him carefully, she slowly dipped in one toe. "Uh huh", she scowled, "warm!"

"Hey, it feels warm now. You just have to go for it and jump in. It's great, I promise."

She hesitated for a moment but then walked straight in without pausing until she was up to her neck. She let out one adorable groan and then submerged herself, coming up a few seconds later almost directly beside him. "That was mean Sir", she scolded him. "The water's freezing."

"You need to get your blood moving Major. Come on, I'll race you to the waterfall!"

With a splash of water the Colonel turned, his body rippling through the water with a grace that made Sam stare. But that lasted only a second when her naturally competitive nature took over. With a frown she threw herself into the water and swam as if her life depended on it.

At first she grew close and thought that she might actually have a chance of beating the Colonel. It crossed her mind, briefly, that she'd never actually seen him swim before and she had no idea how strong a swimmer he was. That he had to be competent, she knew. It was a requirement for a field officer. But, as she increased her speed she figured she had a chance. She was a damn good swimmer.

The Colonel looked over his shoulder once, and allowed himself a smirk. That was his Carter, swimming like a tank-full of sharks was after her. He allowed her to grow closer and even that she might even win. About three meters from the waterfall he simply sped up, beating her to it by well over a meter. He dropped his legs down and began a slow dog-paddle. "Warm now Major?"

"Yes", she growled, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she asked, very obviously dropping his honorific.

"What?" he looked at her innocently.

"Let me think I could beat you."

"Maybe next time you will", he shrugged, which somehow didn't have quite the impact when he was floating in the water. "You're a good swimmer."

"Mmm", her eyes narrowed. "And you – you're _really_ good."

"Well, I did spend lots of summers at the cabin, _by a lake_. I've been swimming since before I could walk. Haven't done it in a while though", he frowned, although there was a strange and fleeting feeling that he _had_ been swimming just a while ago. He couldn't quite grasp it and soon the memory, or whatever it was, just left.

"I do feel warmer though", she commented, twirling herself around in the water. "This is so beautiful. I feel like I could stay here forever."

"Yeah, I know the feeling, although we'd turn into prunes and I suspect you'd get bored."

She lifted her brow and quirked her head. "Really?"

"No doohickeys", he told her, as if that was answer enough.

And maybe it was, she pondered. It was true that she needed things to challenge her, to keep her mind interested. She looked at the Colonel – who at the moment was looking away from her – and snorted. She was pretty sure that she'd find him challenging enough to keep her from getting bored that is if she had the _chance_ to find him challenging. The thought made her frown. Sadly, she would never get that chance.

"Whatcha thinkin' Carter?" he asked suddenly, after catching sight of her expression.

"Oh nothing Sir", she told him, and immediately turned and headed back towards the small grassy beach.

"You guys are crazy", Daniel called out to them. He and Teal'c were standing at the edge of the pond watching the two of them. "The water's freezing."

"It's refreshing Daniel. You should try it", Sam grinned.

"Yeah – no. I've got a book and I'm gonna sit here and read. Oh, by the way, one of the Senecksi came by a few minutes ago."

Jack sighed and slowly swam toward the edge of the pool. "And what did he, or she, want?"

"To invite us to a party tomorrow. You're the guest of honor."

Jack's eyebrows quirked. "Why? And what does _that_ mean?"

"I believe it is to celebrate the fact that you are The One they have been waiting for. We asked what it entailed and all that ? would tell us is that it is nothing harmful or bad. I believe there will be a required amount of eating and imbibing of strong drinks. You shall also be given the seat of honor."

"And probably have to listen to a bunch of speeches", he sighed. "Maybe we should sneak away tonight and try a different planet. Surely there's a nice tropical paradise planet out there somewhere with no aliens on it?"

"That would be mean Jack", Daniel scolded him. "They've been nothing if not hospitable and this is a big deal for them. All we have to do is go and be there and let them celebrate. There's no harm in that."

"Famous last words Daniel. These things are _never_ as simple as planned. Oh well', he sighed again and began to walk out of the water, "I guess I can put up with it for one day. But I'm _not_ marrying any of the native women", he informed them bluntly.

"They would not expect it O'Neill", Teal'c informed him. "They believe you to be mated already."

"_What_?" he stood dripping at the side of the pond, his arm held out to help the Major out of the water. At Teal'c's words his armed dropped by his side and Sam stayed still in the water. "They think I'm _mated_? How the hell – why do they think that?" He turned his eyes towards Daniel, positive the younger man had something to do with this.

"Hey, don't look at me! It was ? – he was the one that assumed you and Sam – "

"He _assumed_? Why the hell did he do that? You must have said or done something."

"He did not O'Neill. Daniel Jackson is correct. The Senecksi said that Major Carter could accompany you as you were mated. They indicated that she was the only person who _could_."

"I – well", he rubbed his face and abruptly turned to the water. "Geesh – sorry Carter." He again held out his hand and helped her out. He knew she was perfectly capable of doing it on her own, but for some reason she had frozen when Teal'c had mentioned being mated.

"That's okay Sir", she answered softly. She slowly got out of the water, feeling a slight shiver run through her. She felt chilled and strangely upset.

"So Daniel", Jack once again faced his friend. "What does this mean?"

"Uh – nothing, I think. It just means I doubt they'll try and match you up with anyone. It's probably a good thing actually. It's not like they expect you to sleep together or something."

"Daniel, you could have gone all day without saying that", Sam muttered, her eyes closed in embarrassment.

"Sorry", he quipped, although he didn't look very repentant. "Look, what's the big deal. We've done this before on planets that are – misogynistic. Sam, how many times have you and I pretended to be married."

She shrugged. "I don't know – five, six times."

"And nothing happened other than the fact that the men on the planets in question left you alone. So, I wouldn't worry about it."

"He's right Carter", O'Neill said seriously. Truth to tell, he was feeling rather uncomfortable himself, and he knew it was because of those damn dreams, or visions, or whatever the hell they were, and not just the 'being mated' situation. Still, it really wasn't _that_ big a deal. Daniel was right. They'd done this a few times in the past, although it had always been Sam and Daniel who were paired, never Carter and him. "I promise not to demand my conjugal rights", he suddenly blurted, trying to lighten the situation.

Ah shit! Why had he said that? He peeked over at the Major – who was giggling.

"Sorry Sir - I – thank you, I appreciate that."

"You're welcome", he suddenly grinned back, feeling much better. "Although I gotta tell ya Carter, it doesn't do a man's ego much good to have a woman thank him for not wanting – uh - that."

"I'm sure it doesn't Sir", she teased. "But I promise I won't demand mine either."

"It's a deal Major, although if you change your mind ….?"

Daniel rolled his eyes and glanced at Teal'c, who had a very strange expression on his face. He was regarding the two Air Force officers with a puzzled look, as if there was something he couldn't quite grasp. Daniel turned back to Jack and Sam and caught a glimpse of something as well, something that passed between the two that he'd never seen before. He shook himself. He had to be imagining it.

"Hey, you guys better dry off. It's not that warm and you're both turning blue."

Sam agreed and quickly made her way to her tent to grab a towel and get dressed. She also needed to spend a few minutes alone, to think, in private, about this 'mated' thing. While she knew it didn't mean a thing – it bothered her. Now because she was upset, but because she liked the idea way too much.

"Maybe I'll be lucky enough to get a cold and miss tomorrow" Jack harrumphed as he made his way to his tent. He hated alien parties, _especially_ where he was the guest of honor.

"No getting out of it I'm afraid Jack", Daniel called after him. "Just remember, try and be polite."

Jack didn't even turn around; he simply lifted his hand and flipped his friend the finger. He then pushed the flap aside on his tent and crawled inside.

"Very mature Jack." Daniel grinned at his companion. "You know Teal'c, I think it's gonna be a good day."

Teal'c regarded him with no expression. "In fact, I think it may be a very interesting day", he replied. He slowly twisted until he was regarding the tents that his two teammates had just entered. "Something has changed between them, Daniel Jackson and I don't think they know it as of yet."

"What do you mean?" Daniel stared at the big man, his manner suddenly becoming serious.

"I do not quite know, but I do know things changed while they were in the Ancient dwelling. I do not know what happened, but I suggest we keep our eyes on them."

"Okay", Daniel stood quietly, even after Teal'c had wandered away. The big man was right. Something _was_ going on. He just hoped it was nothing bad.

"Are you sure we have to go", whined Jack for the tenth time. "You can tell them I'm sick or something. In fact, I do feel a bit warm", he placed his hand on his forehead.

"That's because we're walking and it's hot out", Daniel told him, as they headed towards the alien town.

"I hate this kind of thing", Jack griped. He wanted to go back to the pool and go swimming with Carter again. He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face at the memory.

"You look fine", Daniel pointed out, a rather suspicious look on his face. "What are you thinking about now?"

"Hmm?" Jack asked, trying to sound innocent. "Nothing. What do you think they're going to do?"

"You mean the Senecksi?"

"No, the leprechauns!" the Colonel said sarcastically. "Of _course_ the damn Senecksi!"

"O'Neill, we are pleased to welcome you back among us." Chkoltay stood directly in Jack's path, no expression on his face.

Damn, thought Jack. Wouldn't you know the guy would be right there, right now? Feeling slightly embarrassed he looked directly at the Senecski man. "Uh hi Chkoltay. Happy to be here." There, Daniel couldn't fault him for that, could he? He glanced at their unofficial diplomat, who was shaking his head and looking rather disgusted. Jack simply shrugged, his attempt at an apology.

"My people await", the alien bowed slightly and turned towards the town, clearly expecting the humans to follow.

"Jack, watch what you say. We're guests here", hissed Daniel as they began to follow Chkoltay.

"I know", Jack sighed. "Look, I didn't know he was there. I'm not going to do anything stupid. I _get_ the fact that we're here at their discretion and they've been – okay – with us. I just wish I didn't have to do – whatever it is I'm gonna have to do."

"I doubt you'll have to _do_ anything", Daniel told him, clearly trying to be encouraging. "They probably just want to honor you, like Teal'c said."

"Right, well I could do without that too." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Let's get this over with."

When they reached the dwellings on the outskirts of the town, it was to the sight of completely empty streets and the sounds of utter silence. There was no one around anywhere. Jack gave a puzzled glance to his companions but they had no idea either and Chkoltay was moving forward quickly, seeming not to notice anything amiss.

"Uh Chkoltay", Jack finally called. The alien stopped and turned towards him, an impatient frown on his face. "I'm just wondering why it's so quiet?"

"My people await you ahead", he answered. "Come, we must hurry."

"I'm sure it will be okay Sir", Sam told him, appearing silently at his side.

"Yeah – I much preferred swimming with you Carter", he sighed, glancing down at the woman at his side.

"Me too Colonel", she smiled. "After this is over we can go back."

He smiled. "Sounds l like a deal Major."

It was a few minutes later that they reached the center of the town, to see what looked like thousands of people milling about. The humans all stopped and watched for a few seconds, all of them instinctively checking to make sure they weren't walking into a dangerous situation.

"It looks peaceful O'Neill", Teal'c finally announced.

"Peaceful _hell_! It looks like a damn party."

It was true. The people were definitely dressed up in wildly colorful clothes. There were flowers and bowls and decorations everywhere. Children were playing and laughing and running around. The mood was indeed party-like. Jack shook his head, but felt slightly better.

The noise and the speaking and the laughter of the crowd slowly but surely began to die out as one after another of the Senecksi caught site of the humans. Within moments the crowd of people were completely silent, looking intently, not at all of the visitors to their planet – but directly at Jack.

"He has arrived", Chkoltay announced. The crowd erupted in joyous shouts and surged towards the Colonel.

"Oh crap", he muttered, having a strong urge to flee.

"Just enjoy it Sir", Sam said in his ear. She was standing directly beside him, also looking at the surging crowd.

"Okay Major – as long as you stay and protect me!"

She peered up at him, her expression totally serious. "Of course Sir. Always."

Suddenly not carrying what his teammates thought, Jack reached out and grabbed Carter's hand and took a deep breath.

The circus had begun.


	20. Dancing til Dawn

_**Huge, big, gigantic, humungous, ridiculously large apology to my readers. I'm sure many of you wondered whether or not I'd dropped this story. The fact is, I am definitely going to finish (a huge pet peeve of mine are stories that are never completed). It was just a really rough summer and I realized, when I came back from Europe, that I needed a bit of a break from Stargate. Instead I've been watching The Mentalist and writing fic on it and absolutely loving it.**_

_**So – here finally, is the next chapter of Spring Cleaning. I will try and keep updating regularly from now on. Thanks for all your patience.**_

The celebration went on all night. The Senecksi ate and drank, sang and danced. The normally quiet, staid people seemed to have almost gone crazy with joy and excitement.

At first the people from Earth watched but soon were caught up in the revelry, all of them except Jack that was. He sat quietly and watched. He wasn't disturbed – exactly – but he felt strange about the celebration. There was something a bit too abandoned about the whole thing, something that didn't fit with the people they'd gotten to know.

Each of his team came by at different points to ask him if he was okay. He'd smiled at each of them and told them he was fine – that he was enjoying sitting and watching everyone have fun. In actual fact, he was keeping an eye on things to make sure that nothing bad happened. He still didn't trust these people.

"O'Neill, you are not taking part in the celebration. It is in your honor." Chkoltay knelt down beside him, his face flushed with something – whether alcohol, excitement or something more sinister, Jack didn't know.

"Yeah – and I appreciate it. I'm enjoying just watching everyone."

"Please, you must join us."

"No – no that's okay. I'm fine right where I am."

The Senecksi looked perturbed and continued to try and get Jack to stand up and take part in the celebration. The more he tried, the more worried Jack became.

"I'm sorry", he finally said. "I don't _want_ to dance", he told the other man angrily. "I'm perfectly fine where I am."

Chkoltay stood up slowly. "Please O'Neill, I beg of you to join us."

Jack was becoming more and more convinced that something was off. He stood up slowly, and instantly saw the relief in the man's eyes. "Where are my friends?" he asked, trying to sound calm.

Chkoltay turned around. "They are here somewhere. I am sure they are enjoying the celebration. Come, you must join them."

"I tell you what, why don't you bring them here and then I'll join them. I'm afraid I'll lose them in the crowd and I'd feel more comfortable if I was with them."

There was a moment when the alien man didn't move, but he finally nodded. "I will find them and then I would ask that you join us in the Troila."

"The – troilette? What's that?"

"It is the dance of joy. It is the culmination of the evening."

"Okay – yeah – sure. Just find my teammates and then I'm happy to dance."

Jack watched as the Senecksi elder walked away. He quickly looked around, relieved that no one else seemed to be paying attention to him. Everyone was now caught up in the increasingly frenzied dancing. Even the children were part of it. Jack began to back up slowly, checking to see that there was no one behind him. He wished he had more than just his pistol with him. Daniel had given him a hard time about bringing _that_ but he had been too leery of everything that had gone on to leave it behind.

A few minutes later he saw Teal'c walking towards him, a silly grin on his face. Jack frowned – that wasn't like Teal'c.

"O'Neill, why do you not join us? It is invigorating."

"Sorry big guy – not much of a dancer."

"I believe you would enjoy it, especially if you were dancing with Major Carter."

Jack scowled. "Teal'c? What's with you?"

"There is nothing with me O'Neill. I just wish to see you enjoy yourself."

"Hey Jack!" Daniel called out to him. He was closely followed by Sam and Chkoltay, who looked pleased with himself.

"Daniel", Jack nodded. "What's up?"

"How come you're not out here? It's great fun."

"Yes Sir", Sam said, a big grin on her face. "It's wonderful. Come on, dance with me." She held out her hand, looking happy and excited.

Jack glanced at the alien, who was looking at him expectantly. "Uh – thanks Chkoltay. Just give me a moment with my friends and I'll be right with you."

The man stood frozen, clearly deciding whether or not it was okay to leave. After a searching glance at the others he nodded. "I shall return shortly."

The moment the man left Jack turned to his teammates. "What the hell's wrong with everyone?" he hissed.

"Wrong?" Daniel frowned. "Nothing's wrong Jack. We're just enjoying ourselves."

"Well we're not staying here. Come on, let's go."

"What? No." Daniel shook his head. "Don't be a party pooper. Just come and dance and relax."

"Daniel, you may not be able to see it, but there is something definitely wrong here. _Look _at those people." He pointed to the Senecksi, who were dancing frenetically, all of them appearing to be in some kind of insane trance. "Just _look_."

All three of his companions turned and watched the dancers. "They look like they're having fun Jack", Daniel told him. "Nothing more than that."

"I agree O'Neill", Teal'c told him. "You need to relax and enjoy my friend."

"God – don't you see it Sam?" Jack reached out and grabbed her arm. "There is something wrong."

"Sir I don't see -", her voice faded and stopped. Suddenly she was looking at the dancers differently. "Oh God", she whispered. "What's going on Sir?"

"Thank God! I don't know Carter, but we've got to get out of here –_now_!"

Sam nodded. "Daniel, Teal'c, come on. The Colonel is right. Something is going on and we need to get out of here."

"Sam, not you too? What's wrong with the two of you? You both need to relax and let down your hair a bit. You're both too uptight."

"You are correct Daniel Jackson."

"I know", Daniel smiled. "You need to sleep together. That's your problem. Too much unresolved sexual tension."

"_Daniel!"_ Jack said furiously. "What the hell are you doing? That was completely out of line."

"Oh, relax Jack", Daniel laughed. "We all know it's the truth. Come on – don't be a stick in the mud. Just come and dance."

Just then Jack saw Chkoltay through the crowd. He was looking in their direction. He knew it would only be moments before the man returned to his side. "Come _on_." He reached out and grabbed Daniel's arm.

"No, I'm staying hear. You go if you want to Jack. Teal'c, are you gonna stay with me?"

"Yes Daniel Jackson. I do not wish to be a party popper like O'Neill."

"That's _pooper_ Teal'c", Daniel laughed.

"Why would I wish to be a pooper? Does not that imply one who -"

"That's _it_! The two of you get moving. We're going back to camp and that's a bloody _order_!"

Daniel and Teal'c turned to look at him, a frown on each of their faces. "What?" Daniel asked. "You're ordering us to go with you? I don't think so Jack. I wanna stay."

"Sir? What should we do?"

Jack didn't know. There was no way he could force the two men to return with him, not in the state they were in. He didn't know if they'd been drugged or hypnotized or what, but something was definitely wrong. He was grateful that Sam had snapped out of whatever it was, but didn't know how to help the guys. Feeling slightly sick he reached into the back of his pants and pulled out his pistol.

"You're coming with me", he pointed the gun at Daniel. "I don't want to have to shoot, but I will."

"Jack – what the hell?" Daniel stared at the pistol as if he couldn't figure out what it was. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get you to move." He looked up and saw Chkoltay starting to walk towards them. He only had a couple of minutes. "Come on, I'll explain later."

"You're not going to shoot me Jack", Daniel told him. "You wouldn't do that."

"Well, maybe not, but I _will_ shoot one of the Senecksi if you don't move." He turned the pistol slightly, until it was pointing at an unsuspecting woman who was dancing with her child.

"_Jack! _No – you can't do that."

"Why not?" he asked calmly. "You know I've never liked them."

He could only hope that Daniel was so out of it he wasn't thinking straight or else he'd know that Jack could never shoot innocent people. He glanced at Teal'c, who was wearing a confused frown.

"I'll count to three Daniel – and then I'm shooting. One – two – "

"Okay – fine. I'll come but I'm gonna come back later. You're crazy you know."

"Teal'c?" Jack asked.

"I agree that you are disturbed but I too shall come."

"Fine – let's go _now!"_

Jack waved his gun away from the crowd of people and slowly – way too slowly Daniel and Teal'c began to walk, followed by Sam and then him. As soon as they began to move he looked over his shoulder. Chkoltay had stopped and was looking at them, horrified.

A moment later he shouted, but the noise from the music and the dancing drowned out his yells.

"Move it people", Jack pushed his teammates. "We've got to get out of here. Come on – hurry up."

Daniel sighed but walked a bit faster. Teal'c too began to hurry although he still seemed confused by what was going on.

"Over here", Jack pointed off the trail. "We're not going to outrun them so we're gonna hide."

"Hide from what Jack? A bunch of dancers?"

Jack sighed and moved his people off the trail and into the forest. He figured if they could just make it through the night they'd be safe. Why he had no idea.

After about twenty minutes they began to double back, circling around the town. Jack figured the Senecksi, if they were following, would head out towards their camp, which was directly to the south (at least the south they had determined on this planet). Instead he planned to take his team all the way back around until they were on the north side of the town. He prayed it would work.

They had walked for over two hours until finally he called a rest. He hadn't heard any pursuit for over an hour and was pretty sure they'd lost the Senecksi. He had heard the music in the distance the entire way, although in the last few minutes it had quit.

By the time they stopped, both Daniel and Teal'c were coming out of whatever state they'd been in. Daniel looked slightly green and Teal'c was even more confused. Neither of them said much, for which Jack was thankful. He'd had a hell of a time keeping them quiet during their trek.

"So, what was that all this about?" Daniel finally asked. He was sitting, leaning up against a tree.

"I don't know. It just – felt off. The alien guy was trying to get me to dance – he was very insistent and I knew we had to get out of there."

"Do you think they were trying to hurt us?" Sam questioned. "They seemed so nice before that."

"To you maybe", Jack sighed. "I always found them creepy."

"So you have said O'Neill, many times."

"Yeah, and none of you listened. You were all drugged or something – so I'm perfectly happy if you each say a nice 'I told you so'."

Sam chuckled. "Yes, you told us so Sir. And I'm sorry – I should have been more careful."

"Pfft Carter", Jack waved a hand at her. "We don't even know what they did to you guys so I don't see how you could have watched for it."

"Okay Jack – you were right. But I still don't see what the big deal was. It was just a dance?"

"Was it?" Teal'c interjected. "There was something very strange about what occurred. I do believe O'Neill was wise to get us out of there."

"But they believe Colonel O'Neill is their Chosen One. Why would they hurt him?"

None of them could answer that, so instead they rested. It was well into the morning before Jack declared it was time to return and see what had happened.

"I think we should split up", he told his team. "That way if there's still something going on we're in a better position to defend ourselves. Carter, you go with Teal'c. Daniel, you're with me."

They headed towards the town, each duo coming from a different direction. As O'Neill approached he was surprised at how quiet everything was.

"They must all be passed out after their party", Daniel whispered.

Jack nodded, although he had a very strange feeling about everything. The hairs on the back of his neck were sky high.

They were almost at the town when he held up his hand, signaling that they stop. He gave a couple of more hand signals, telling Daniel to wait while he went ahead to reconnoiter.

When he arrived at the outskirts of the Senecksi town he froze. Looking around carefully he was surprised to see not a single person anywhere. Maybe Daniel was right and they were all sleeping. They could have gone inside their homes.

He moved forward, slowly, his eyes moving carefully to check that no one was hidden or watching him. As he advanced he again got an eerie feeling. He was pretty sure that there was no one here – no one at all.

A moment later his radio clicked. He lifted it to his mouth. "O'Neill", he said softly.

"Sir, it's Carter. It doesn't appear as if there's anyone here. The place is deserted."

"Yeah, it looks the same over here. Check things out but be careful. It could be a trick."

"Yes Sir. Carter out."

With a signal to Daniel to come, Jack moved into the town. Carefully moving from building to building he checked to see if there was anyone – anyone at all. Like Carter had said, it appeared to be deserted.

"Where are they all Jack" Daniel asked, sounding puzzled? "How could they all have disappeared."

"I don't know Daniel", he answered, although there was something in the back of his mind, something he felt he should know.

After searching for almost an hour he contacted Carter. "Let's meet in front of the building", he told her. He knew she'd know which one – the one with the Ancient 'library'.

He and Daniel got there five minutes later, to find Sam and Teal'c already there. They were both staring at the blackened shell of the building where the Ancient library had once stood.

"What the hell happened?" O'Neill wanted to know. He checked the area carefully but, like the rest of the town, it was deserted.

"I don't know", Sam answered. "It looks like they destroyed it on purpose."

"But why?" Daniel wanted to know. "What is this all about?"

"O'Neill?" Teal'c was watching his commander. "What is it? You know something."

The other two turned to look at the Colonel. "Jack? Do you know what's going on?"

Jack licked his lips – the thoughts that had been floating around in his brain starting to coalesce. "I – maybe", he answered softly. "Oh God!"

"What is it Sir?" Sam asked, placing her hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine but I think I know where they are."

"How could you possibly know that?" Daniel regarded him with a strange look. "What's going on?"

"I – when I was here", he nodded at the building. "I told you – I read a bunch of stuff from the Ancients. I think – Oh God – I think you were right. The Senecksi are – were – the Ancients."

"You mean their descendants", Daniel clarified.

"No – not the descendants. They were the _actual_ Ancients. The writings talk about a group that was ready to ascend when they were asked to stay. It had been prophesied that someone would come one day – yes, The One. They were to wait and prepare that person, after which they would then be free to ascend." He stopped talking at that point. Instead he regarded his friends, all of whom had a shocked look on their faces.

"You mean – Sir, are you saying that they've all _ascended_?"

"I think so", he told her quietly. "I think that was their plan all along."

"But – what did they want with us?" Daniel wanted to know. "Why did they try and get you to dance."

"They wanted me with them", Jack answered quietly. "The original plan called for them to train m – ur – The One, and then they would ascend. Over the years – millennia – that changed and they decided that this person should ascend with them."

"But why?' Sam wondered. "What difference would it make for you – or this One – to ascend?"

"I don't know", Jack shook his head. "There was nothing in there that talked about that. It may have been for very altruistic reasons – thinking that would be something I'd want – or more selfish ones. I do think we're lucky though. We may have found ourselves ascended without wanting to be."

"I do not believe I would have ascended. As a former host to a Goa'uld I believe I am unable to attain ascension."

"I don't know about that Teal'c. It's not like you still have junior. They probably would have let you join."

"I think the point is Jack, we _weren't_ ascended", Daniel pointed out. "So instead we're stuck here on an empty planet. I gotta say, I'm beginning to agree with you that I wished we had visited any other planet but this one."

"Right – well let's head back to camp and decide what we're going to do. It may be time to find another place to chill for a while." Jack ushered the others out of the eerie ghost town towards their camp. The entire way back he tried to figure out how they were going to resolve all of these issues. He was almost convinced he should just go back to Earth and take his chances with the NID. It would certainly be the best thing for his team.

Yup – he was going to make a deal with the NID. As long as none of his teammates were punished for helping him escape, he'd agree to cooperate with them. He wasn't looking forward to it, but knew it was probably the best solution – unless Thor came through in the next little –

"O'Neill. It is good to see you."

Jack blinked and looked down. "Thor – am I glad to see you."


	21. Hey Thor

_**Proud of me folks? Another chapter. And thank you for those who reviewed. It's lovely hearing from my faithful SG readers. And for those of you who asked - it was a difficult summer. I lost my Mom to cancer in July so have taken some time to deal with that. But life goes on. So - any hints needed? I don't think so because you all know I LOVE reviews. Thank you.**_

"Hey Thor, can you beam up the rest of my team?" Jack asked as he looked around the Asgard ship.

"I can O'Neill. Just one moment." Thor fiddled with the crystal thingy the Asgard liked to use and the next second his teammates were standing in front of him, all looking a bit bemused by the sudden transfer.

"Hey Thor, it's good to see you." Daniel was the first to recover. He was followed by Sam and finally Teal'c, who simply bowed his head at the little gray alien.

"So O'Neill, you requested my presence."

"Yeah – in fact we've been trying to get you for quite a while. Been busy?"

"Indeed, my apologies. We have been dealing with some remaining replicators and I was only able to respond now to your message."

"Yeah, well, I can understand that. Pesky little beggars."

He got the requisite 'blink' for that and wanted to grin. It was great having the little guy here. Maybe now they could get this thing figured out and he could get all the Ancient crap out of his head.

"What can I do for you O'Neill?"

"Well, I've been havin' a little trouble with some returning Ancient crap in my brain. I'd like you to get rid of it and then we'd like you to convince the NID that I'm back to normal and I don't have any special powers."

Again Thor blinked, three times after O'Neill's monologue, evidence of his confusion. "I am sorry O'Neill, I do not understand. Are you saying that you _again_ put your head into an Ancient repository."

"Nah. It just kind of happened on it's own."

Daniel sighed and stepped forward. "It's kind of a long story Thor. Is there anywhere we could go and sit down and we'll explain everything to you."

"Yes." The next thing they knew they were in another room on the ship, a table surrounded by Earth-sized chairs in the middle. One of the chairs had a step stool in front and Thor immediately made his way to that.

"Now, please tell me what has transpired so that I may assist you."

For the next half hour the three members of Sg1 explained all that had happened to Colonel O'Neill. He interjected a few times, which usually had the effect of confusing things. It was clear to all of them that all he cared about was getting his brain 'de-Anciented' as he called it and couldn't have cared less about the process.

"I will need to do a scan to determine what is required O'Neill", Thor told him at the end of the explanation. While most humans found the Asgard hard to read, Jack had deciphering blinks down to an art. What he read off Thor kind of worried him.

"Sure, no problem. Where do you want me?"

"You may remain here", Thor informed him. A moment later a cool blue light passed over O'Neill. While it was happening he wasn't able to move, but it only lasted for a few seconds, and he quickly relaxed.

"So?" he asked Thor two seconds later.

"I am still determining what it says O'Neill."

"Okay." There was a brief pause. "Anything?"

"I have not had sufficient time to decipher all the data O'Neill."

"Sure – fine." This time he waited all of five seconds. "So, what does it say? Can you get rid of everything for me?"

"I don't think you want to get rid of _everything_ Jack", Daniel snickered. "Then you'd be a Marine."

Jack snorted. "Yeah okay. So Thor, how bought getting rid of the Ancient crap now?"

"O'Neill, will you please be quiet!" the little, highly irritated alien snapped at him. "In fact, why do you not return to the planet and receive your belongings. I will bring you back to my ship in two of your Earth hours. I should have all the data read by then."

"But Thor – damn", Jack looked around. He was once again standing on the Senecksi planet. "I wish he wouldn't do that", he informed Daniel, who was standing beside him. "Hey, where's Carter?" Teal'c was also with them, but not his second officer.

"Thor probably kept her so she could help. She's smart."

"And quiet", Teal'c added, clearly irritated that he'd been sent back to the planet. And Thor hadn't even sent them close to their camp. It would take almost 45 minutes to walk there, and then they had to pack everything up.

"Come on campers", Jack sighed. "The sooner we get going the sooner we can get back."

"Thor said two hours. I don't think how fast we move is going to make any difference", Daniel informed Jack as they began to move out.

"Yes it will", Jack answered. "And anyway, time is relative and I want _my_ time to go quickly."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at Daniel but didn't speak. The three men practically raced through the forest to get to their camp.

"It's kind of eerie knowing that everyone is gone", Daniel commented a while later. "I mean, a whole community ascended?"

"What about Abydos", Jack pointed out gently. "Same thing happened there."

"Yeah." They walked for a few more minutes in silence. "It just seems wrong."

"It is wrong", Jack agreed. "Especially since they had plans to -" He stopped dead.

"What?" Daniel looked at him curiously. "You said they had plans to – what Jack?"

Jack's eyes moved to Daniel and then to Teal'c, his head not moving at all. "To take over the universe."

"_What_?"

"Of what do you speak O'Neill?" Teal'c looked at him, worry evident on his face – which was rather unusual for the big guy.

"That's the reason they wanted me", he whispered, his eyes glazed and looking somewhere neither Daniel nor Teal'c could see. "After they were assured that I was 'The One' they activated something – something that the Ancients had created long ago. Once it started it couldn't stop – that's why the dance and the party. They needed us there – they needed _me_ there. I think the dancing induced some kind of trance. I don't know – I think just a few of them were involved. Most of the people didn't know. God – they essentially killed their own people!"

"Jack, ascendance isn't death -"

"Maybe not to you", Jack interrupted harshly, "but from where I stand that's _exactly_ what it is."

Daniel shook his head, deciding not to argue. "You said something about taking over the universe. What did you mean?"

"Exactly that. These aren't your usual, run-of-the-mill Ancients. This group was prohibited from ascending because they were looking to start a coup and control everything. They didn't believe in non-interference at all."

"But – why would they be left here to wait for this – for you."

"They weren't. They came here later – much later. They somehow found out that the – library – or whatever that was, was here. They believed that it would help them ascend but the problem was, they couldn't access it. Something had been done to them or to the Ancient equipment, that kept them from accessing anything."

"But they were waiting for The One", Daniel reminded him, and that turned out to be you."

"No, I think they were simply waiting for the one – small letters – who could open up the library. They could recognize my Ancient gene, but the first time I came it wasn't strong enough. I think they tried a few times to get me to do stuff – Ancient stuff – but it didn't work. Remember I told you I felt like they were watching me and following me?"

"Yeah, we thought you were paranoid."

"Well I wasn't. They _were_ watching me, to see if I could get things going for them."

"So, when we returned, we played right into their hands!"

"Exactly. I was able to open the library and after that they could arrange to ascend. They must have been able to access it after Sam and I had gone."

"So they ascended and wanted to take you – but why?"

"To help them I think."

"To help them? Why you?"

"I don't know Daniel", Jack sighed. "That's all I can figure out. But all I know is that it's a good thing that they didn't take me with them."

"It's all kind of creepy."

"That's what I said all along."

Daniel sighed. He wondered if they were ever going to live it down.

They arrived a couple of minutes later and quickly packed up their supplies. They'd barely finished when they were suddenly on Thor's ship again.

"Ya gotta give us a bit of a warning there Thor", Jack said as he straightened. He'd just bent over to pick something up and the sudden transfer had almost knocked him on his ass.

"I am sorry O'Neill, but I did say two hours."

"Yes, yes you did. So, what did you find out."

"Let us go and sit down again and I shall tell you."

"And then you'll take it all out, right?"

Jack appeared, along with the other two men, back in the room with the table. Sam was already seated there, and it was telling that she wasn't looking at him.

"So Thor, when can you take it out?" He wanted to cut right to the chase.

"I am sorry O'Neill, but there is nothing I can do."

"What?" Jack frowned, then looked at each of his teammates. "Sam? You were here. What's going on?"

"Uh – I think Thor should explain it Sir."

"Okay Thor – go ahead. Why the hell can't you do what you did last time and just zap me back to my old self."

"Because this is the self you are now O'Neill."

"Okay – now see – I hate that mumbo jumbo Oma Desala stuff. Just give it to me plainly."

Thor took a deep breath – Jack had to wonder how much air that teeny mouth could actually suck in – and began to explain. "Your brain was not overwritten – is that the correct word Major Carter?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Good. So you see, unlike previous times, your brain was not overwritten. Major Carter explained to me your injuries. I could also see these on the scan."

"Right – so?"

"So, it appears as if the damage was extensive. You lost a great deal of blood, which reduced your oxygen levels to your body and brain."

"Yeah, I know all this Thor. Get to the good stuff."

"I do not know if it is good or not O'Neill."

"Thor – just tell me what happened?"

"I was attempting to do so O'Neil."

"Okay fine, I'm sorry. Now please continue."

"Because of the severe blood loss your brain was damaged", Thor said, sounding very clinical. Jack, in turn, blanched. "I would expect quite extensively."

"Good to know", Jack muttered.

"I believe what happened was that the Ancient gene – which contains the healing gene, probably recognized you were in danger. It activated itself – and I have no idea how or why – and helped repair the damage. Unfortunately, the only way it could do that was by restoring all the other abilities of the Ancients."

"I couldn't _speak_", Jack murmured, obviously still dealing with the stress from that.

"I believe your mind could only handle so much at one time. The area in your mind that processed speech may have been damaged. The ability to speak Ancient would have been identified as a priority."

"Great! But why can't you get rid of it like last time?"

"Because the previous times it was an external input of information from a separate source. I was able to remove the data."

"Okay – so?"

"So this time it is not just data. Your brain has undergone a change. The Ancient gene had rewritten your own code. There is no way to remove that without leaving you -"

"Leaving me _what_?"

"A vegetable Sir", Sam said softly.

He stared at her blankly for all of three minutes. "So – what does that mean?"

"That there's nothing that Thor can do", Daniel told him bluntly.

"But – what about all the stuff from the library. That was a download, wasn't it?"

"I do not believe so O'Neill", Thor informed him. "You learned things from the library, that is all."

"So – it's still stuff."

"No it's not Sir. It's knowledge – not like the repository. That was actual data – _units_ of data that were downloaded, just like a computer. This time your own brain learned facts and processed information. It's – different."

"Okay – so basically I learned a few things from the library, I guess that's okay. As far as the other – look, I don't feel any different. Well, maybe a little better, but the Ancient thing isn't affecting me at all so now so – so I don't need to worry about it, right?"

The three humans and one alien simply stared at him until he wanted to stick pound his hands and kick his heels. "Right?" he repeated.

"We do not know O'Neill", Thor told him honestly. "Samantha Carter informed me that you healed someone near death?"

"Yeah", he admitted softly. "It was nothing. I'm sure she would have been fine without me."

"That is most difficult and implies a high degree of sophistication", Thor told him. "I would like to test you to see what other abilities you may have."

"Uh uh" Jack shook his head. "I don't have any other abilities. In fact I'm pretty sure things are going back to normal already. Nope", he said, after thinking for a moment, "no abilities."

"Sir", Sam reached out and gently touched his hand. "Can you answer a question for me?"

"Sure Carter, what is it?"

"I want you to be honest, and if you know the answer, tell me, okay?"

He looked at her carefully, knowing this was a test but unable to refuse her. He was such a sap! "Okay, as long as it's not personal. I am _not_ about to tell you whether I wear boxers or briefs!"

She laughed, although could feel herself grow slightly pink. The fact was, she already knew. "Okay Sir, I promise."

"So, what's your question?"

She thought for a moment. "Alright, and answer as quickly as you can. What is the difference between centripetal acceleration and centrifugal force?"

For a moment he looked at her as if she had two heads. "Carter?" he whined.

"Just think Sir and see if you can answer it?"

"Fine!" He closed his eyes, although almost instantly they popped open again. With a frightened expression he looked at her. "Uh, centripetal acceleration is the acceleration an object experiences as it travels a certain velocity along an arc. Centrifugal force is the imaginary force an unrestrained object experiences as it moves around an arc."

There was silence for a few heartbeats. Sam sat back in her chair, an arrested look on her face. "Yes, that's right."

"Okay – that doesn't mean anything", Jack quickly stood up. "I'm sure I learned that in flight school and it was buried in my brain, that's all."

"O'Neill, can you explain how the Stargate system works?" Teal'c was looking at him, his expression a total blank.

Jack opened his mouth and instantly closed it. He didn't want to answer.

"Do you know Jack?" Daniel pushed him.

"Yes", he answered, but wouldn't say more.

There was a deep silence in the room, as everyone contemplated what this meant. O'Neill had been affected, dramatically, by what had happened to him and by the Ancient library. The problem was, none of them knew what to do about it.

"You need to go home", Jack finally said, softly.

"What? No Sir, not until we figure this out."

"Yes Sam – because we don't even know if we _can_ figure it out and the last thing the three of you need is to be sailing around the galaxy in an Asgard ship – no offense Thor."

"None taken O'Neill."

"But Jack, what are you going to do? If you go back the NID will grab you."

"I know, and I don't want that. Thor – are you okay if I hang around with you for a while – at least until I figure this out."

"Of course", his little buddy nodded. "You are welcome to stay with the Asgard as long as you like O'Neill. You are greatly respected among our people and we would be glad to welcome you."

"Thanks", Jack gave him a small smile. "There ya go campers – all settled."

"But Jack you can't live with the Asgard for who knows how long. We can figure this out. Maybe there's some way Thor can mask the effects? We can simply lie to the NID and the Air Force and no one but us will know."

Jack considered that for a moment. "Is there a way to hide the effects?"

"I do not believe so O'Neill", Thor told him. "You could pretend not to know things, you could also refuse to heal anyone you saw hurt – although I expect that would be difficult for you. The problem is I see no way of disguising the changes in your body chemistry or brain patterns. Although Earth medicine is not as sophisticated as ours, it is still advanced enough to detect these things."

"Right – so sorry Danny – I think I'm looking at a vacation on Othalla, at least for the near future."

"I'll go with you Sir", Sam said, looking remarkably determined and remarkably beautiful.

"I appreciate it Sam", he told her softly, "but no. You have a life back home and I'm counting on you to figure this out. Look, I know all of you are loyal to me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that, but you'll do me more good on Earth. You can work with George to convince the powers that be to leave me alone. And I can spend some time -" he paused, "uh – what is there to do on Othalla Thor?"

"We would be happy to help you discover your increased abilities and potential O'Neill." When that didn't appear to excite the human officer he sighed. "We also have many beautiful places that you may wish to discover on our homeworld."

"There ya go – maybe I'll go camping. Okay Thor – let's head to Earth and we'll drop these folks off."

His team spent the next few hours trying to convince him that what he proposed was a bad idea.

"Jack, they're going to come after us you know, especially if we return without you."

"George will make sure that doesn't happen. I'll just let them know you didn't know."

"Right, like they're going to believe that!"

"What do you want me to do Daniel", Jack finally asked, running his hands through his hair? "I don't want you having to go on the run because of me."

"They will attempt to use us as leverage O'Neill."

"Damn!" He'd avoided thinking about it, but it was true. The fact was, there really was only one thing he could do. He nodded slightly. "Okay", he said, "you're right."

"So you'll take us with you?" Daniel looked at him expectantly.

"O'Neill, we have arrived", Thor announced over the speaker.

"Uh Thor – can I talk to you?"

"Certainly O'Neill." The next moment Jack had disappeared to the control room, leaving his teammates behind.

"What is he planning?" Daniel wanted to know.

Sam shook her head. "I don't know, but I don't like this." The next thing she knew, she was standing in the gate room. Beside her were Daniel and Teal'c and – the Colonel! "Sir, what are you doing here?"

"Turning myself in", he told her with a crooked smile. "Come on – let's go talk to General Hammond."


	22. Lab Rat

_**Hmmm? I need about a hundred ways to apologize to my readers for leaving you so long without an update. I actually had most of this chapter written a long time ago but just didn't get to finishing it. I'm afraid my Stargate mojo has rather left me! I will finish this one – I promise. I just can't guarantee super quick updates (I'll try and be better though).**_

_**I find that there is so little new Sg1 fic that I enjoy that it's hard to get caught up in this universe (most new stories seem to be about Vala/Daniel, etc – not my cup of tea I'm afraid). If some people would write some good old-fashioned original team or S/J fic I'd be thrilled!**_

"Colonel O'Neill!" General Hammond made his way quickly down into the gate room. "Where in the world have you been?"

"Uh – we took a little trip Sir", O'Neill said. "To see Thor."

"I'm glad to see you're back Colonel O'Neill, and your team with you." Another man, also a Colonel, had followed Hammond into the gate room.

"Uh, who are you?" the Colonel asked, his eyes narrowing. He had a suspicion he already knew, but needed to have it confirmed.

"My name is Colonel Mark Hubbard."

"The Colonel is with the NID", Hammond said heavily, his face expressionless, but his eyes flashing angrily. O'Neill was grateful to see the anger wasn't directed at him or his team, but at Hubbard.

"I am indeed", Hubbard smiled. "And I'm here to take you back with me Colonel. I've had quite a wait. I understand you left without permission?"

"Thor asked for my help and you know him – terribly impatient. And of course my team simply followed my orders. They didn't know the trip was unauthorized." He could feel his teammates shift at this and was sure Daniel was about to open his mouth so he gave him a quick look. Fortunately they knew each other well enough by now that the others immediately settled down, not saying anything. He was fully aware, however, that he would hear about it later.

"Yes, well - " the Colonel smirked but let that pass. "It's a good thing _I'm_ a patient man Colonel". He gestured with his arm towards the door. "Shall we?"

Jack simply raised his brows and looked over towards Hammond. "Sir?"

George sighed. "I'm afraid I have no say in this Colonel", he told O'Neill. "Orders came from the top. You are to go with Colonel Hubbard. However", and here he looked sternly at the man from the NID, "Colonel O'Neill and the others will go to the Infirmary first to be checked out."

"Oh no General", Hubbard started to object but stopped when the General held up his hand.

"That is protocol Colonel – and it is a procedure which will _not_ be broken, for you or anyone, including the President. No man or woman comes through the gate without receiving a medical check. You can have the Colonel once that is done."

Hubbard nodded sharply, obviously not liking it but knowing he had little choice. "Fine, but my men will stand outside of the Infirmary to ensure Colonel O'Neill doesn't try another little stunt and run off again."

O'Neill looked as if he wanted to hit his fellow Colonel, but instead turned and stomped off towards the Infirmary. His team started to follow, but were stopped by Hubbard,

"The rest of you are under arrest and will be detained following your medical check.

"_Under arrest_?" Daniel asked. "What for?"

"For disobeying orders, for unauthorized use of the Stargate, for theft of government property – need I go on?"

"You little shit!" O'Neill ground out. "They did none of those things! I told you – they were simply obeying my orders."

"Well, we'll see about that at their trial, won't we Colonel? Come on – we don't' have all day. Go and get checked out and then we're leaving."

"General?" Jack glanced over at his CO – who was standing there with a furious look on his face.

"I'll do what I can Jack but I don't know how much I can help. They're doing this to blackmail you."

Jack looked at Hubbard and sneered. "And here we worry about the snakes out in space and we're surrounded by them right here on Earth." He looked over at his team. "Don't worry folks, I'll fix this." With that he turned on his heal and headed towards the Infirmary.

Janet was fuming. If the idiot from the NID ever needed any care in her Infirmary she knew _exactly_ what she'd do to him. She'd take the biggest damn needle and –

"Ow! Watch that Janet." Jack rubbed his arm and glared at the tiny doctor. "Geesh! What did I do?"

"I'm sorry Colonel", she said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm just so damned angry at those asses at the NID. I didn't mean to get rough with you."

"Hey, it's okay. They're enough to drive anyone to uh – poke people! Hey, don't worry. I'll be okay."

"But Sir", she said softly. "Who knows what they're going to do to you. They'll try and force you to reveal all sorts of things."

"Like what?" he grinned. "The recipe for my famous Guinness pancakes? I assure you I'll _never_ tell them about the time I kissed Sophie Miller in the custodian's closet."

"_Sir_ – Jack! This isn't a joke – it's bad."

Jack grew serious at that. "I know Janet", he said softly. "I just – don't know what to do right now."

"Is it true they're arresting your team?"

Jack snorted. "Yeah – the bastards. I'm sure they're using it to blackmail me – Hammond is too. He'll get working on it."

She shook her head as she pulled off her rubber gloves and threw them into the garbage. "What about Thor?"

Jack shrugged. "He has to be careful", Jack said calmly. "The Asgard are pretty sensitive about interfering with a planet's sovereign government and I expect this whole thing has been sanctioned by the President."

"Bastard!" Janet hissed.

"Careful Janet", Jack looked around. "You could get in trouble for that."

"I don't care. This is – it's a violation of your rights. We've got to do something."

He reached out and took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Janet, I appreciate it but the best thing you can do for me is look after my team. Make sure they don't do anything stupid", he grinned slightly, "and if they do, fix them up. I'll be _fine_, I promise."

"You can't promise that Sir", she said softly, but she pressed his hand. "And of course I'll look after your team – I always do."

"Yes", he smiled, "you do Janet." He hopped off the table. "So, am I fit to go with dear Colonel Hubbard?"

"Yes", she said, looking disgusted. "Take care of yourself Colonel."

He gave her a smile and then headed out of the Infirmary, looking far more confident then he felt.

The guards at the door immediately took him into custody and he was hustled out of the mountain and into an armored vehicle before he had a chance to speak with anyone. He demanded to talk to General Hammond, but was ignored. Once in the vehicle they brought out chains and manacled his wrists and ankles. A long chain ran through them and was attached to the floor. He definitely wasn't going anywhere.

"Sorry Colonel", Hubbard said as he pulled himself into the back of the vehicle. "We can't take any chances."

O'Neill leaned back and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to say anything until he knew more of what was going on. Instead he sat quietly, worrying about his team.

His teammates were all being held in the brig and were furious. Sam and Daniel both demanded to see a lawyer and were ignored. Teal'c sat quietly, his eyes closed, looking as if he was once again doing Kel'noreem.

"Hey you – I want to speak with General Hammond", Daniel shouted. Again he was ignored and could feel panic start to build. What the hell was going on?

Jack was transferred to a plane and again bolted in. He still refused to speak, even though Hubbard tried to talk to him numerous times. Eventually the man quit, although Jack was pretty sure things would get much rougher soon. This time, as he lay back in the seat, he spent his time contemplating ways in which he was going to seriously hurt Colonel Mark Hubbard. He wondered if Ba'al would like a new toy?

By the time they arrived – Jack had no idea where – it was dark. He was hustled into a car, between two burly soldiers – and they drove for almost an hour before arriving at what looked to be a simple farmhouse. Somehow Jack knew that was nothing but a façade.

"Here we are Colonel", Hubbard said cheerfully, "your home away from home for the foreseeable future. Bring him", he said to the two guards.

He was pushed and shoved into the house and down a short hallway. One of the guards opened a door and he was made to walk through – and down a long set of stairs. Arriving at the bottom he nodded. He had been right. This was no farmhouse. In the basement there was a long corridor, made of concrete, with metal doors. They were in some kind of military facility.

He was practically thrown into a room – nothing more than a cell – with a cot and a toilet. They didn't remove the manacles but slammed the door behind him. He made his way to the cot and sat down, knowing that he was in a very bad situation. Lying back he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, knowing that whatever happened next wasn't going to be pleasant.

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were held in the cells under the mountain for a week with no contact with anyone except the guards who brought them regular meals. No one would answer any questions or tell them what was happening. Sam was sure she was going to go crazy, although not as crazy as Daniel. Teal'c had said very little, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't want to be any of the people who had done this – not when Teal'c was released.

Finally they received a visitor – someone they didn't know. He introduced himself as Gerald Bragg. He told them he was their lawyer and he was here to talk to them about the charges against them.

It was clear, almost immediately, that he was working for – or at least in cooperation with – the NID. After that none of them would speak with him at all. Eventually he sighed and picked up his briefcase. "You're just harming yourselves", he said finally.

"T'rochik drak goa'uld t'e mitka." Teal'c said to him as he left. Daniel laughed.

"Okay – what was that?" Sam asked, curious at what Teal'c had said.

"Uh – he basically told the lawyer he hoped a Goa'uld would find its way up his – rear end."

Sam laughed, she couldn't help herself. "I'll have to learn that one." She sighed. "What are we going to do? And where's General Hammond?"

"I have no idea Sam. I have a really bad feeling about this."

"It is O'Neill that I am worried about", Teal'c said. "I fear things may be very bad."

For the first couple of days Jack was left pretty much on his own. Food was passed through a slot near the floor but other than that he didn't see or hear anyone. He figured they were using regular interrogation techniques, like leaving people alone to grow fearful. It tended to soften people up before being interviewed. He snorted. He was pretty sure they'd graduate to other methods pretty soon because they had to have read his file. This sort of thing wouldn't faze him.

"Colonel", Hubbard was standing there and spoke as soon as the door to his cell was open. "Bring him." He spoke to the guards who were with him. They entered the cell and soon had Jack on his feet and moving out to the hallway.

They knew how to pick them, thought Jack. These guards reminded him of the ones Ba'al had had when he'd been captured. They were huge and intimidating. The thought gave him a strange and horrible sense of deja-vu as he was being practically dragged down the hallway. He really wasn't looking forward to what was coming.

He was taken into a room that was either an operating room or a torture chamber – neither one very appealing. There was what looked like an operating table with straps and all sorts of medical equipment surrounding it. Over to one side was a nurse and someone he assumed was a doctor.

He was forced onto the table – although this time he fought. He knew it wasn't going to do any good, not while he was manacled and not with the goons, but he felt he had to at least try and put up a fight.

Soon he was strapped to the table – and he could feel the cold sweat break out all over his body. His breathing sped up, even though he tried hard to stay calm.

No one spoke – which made things even more frightening. The nurse came over and without looking at him took a pair of scissors and began to cut off his shirt. He sighed in relief when she put the scissors down. It looked like he'd be spared at least a smidgeon of dignity.

"I'm sorry for this Colonel", Hubbard finally spoke, a pleasant expression on his face. "But it is for national security."

"No it's not you bastard", O'Neill spit at him. "This is so you can try and exploit whatever you think I have."

"Now Colonel, don't you feel you have a duty to your country?"

"This isn't about duty. This is about torture and greed. Don't try and dress it up as anything else because we all know that's not the case.'

"Tsk tsk", the NID man shook his head. "So bitter Colonel." He nodded at the nurse who proceeded to hook up an IV in Jack's arm. "Just think of all the things we're going to learn that will help us in our fight against the Goa'uld."

Jack closed his eyes, knowing that there was no purpose in trying to argue – or curse – Hubbard or anyone in the room. The doctor and nurse – well, they could have come straight from Nazi Germany, by the look of them. The guards – they were either from Nazi Germany or on loan from some sadistic Goa'uld. There was no hope for him there.

In fact he was pretty sure there wasn't much hope for him anywhere. He suddenly wished he'd gone off with Thor. He'd known the NID would want to get hold of him, but he had no idea they'd go this far – or that Hammond or the Air Force wouldn't at least _try_ and protect him. Suddenly he felt angry and betrayed. Where were his people? Why were they leaving him like this?

He heard the doctor murmuring something, although he tried to not pay attention. The next moment he felt something cool in his hand and knew that they'd started giving him something. A moment later he was out.

"_Colonel? Colonel O'Neill_?" He heard someone calling him, but the sound was fuzzy and distant. He was so tired. He felt himself drifting back to sleep.

"_COLONEL_!"

This time things were more distinct and he forced his eyes open. Someone wanted him. He needed to get up.

"There you guy Colonel."

He blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what was going on and where he was. "Hubbard?" he croaked, as everything came flooding back. "Damn! I hoped you'd been eaten by some disgusting alien bug!"

"Now, now Colonel, there's no need to be like that!"

O'Neill glared at him, but then felt his eyes begin to close. He was so sleepy he could barely stay awake.

"Can we give him something?" he could hear Hubbard ask.

"I can, but this should wear off on its own in just a minute. It takes a while for the drug to clear his system.

As much as he wanted to sleep, and hopefully wake up to a different reality, he knew there was no point. He was here and Hubbard wanted to speak with him. He sighed and forced his eyes back open.

"That's it Colonel", Hubbard nodded. "I need to talk with you."

Jack blinked at him but didn't say anything. He wouldn't tell this guy what day of the week it was – if, of course, he knew, which he didn't.

"You're not cooperating with us Colonel", the NID man complained. "We need to find out what happened to you."

Jack lifted an eyebrow but remained silent.

"Don't you understand – you'll never leave here if you don't cooperate."

"When? Now?" he finally asked. He glanced down at where he could see his wrists, manacled to the bars on either side of the mattress. He tried lifting his feet but they too were chained. "What is it you'd like me to do?"

"I told you – I want you to cooperate! We got nothing from you – nothing but nonsense and mumbles. This won't do Colonel. You have to tell us what happened to you."

O'Neill narrowed his eyes and looked at the man incredulously. "Are you telling me I have to cooperate _when I'm unconscious_?"

Hubbard huffed and crossed his arms. "Listen, I know you're consciously avoiding telling the truth. The drugs are to make you _talk_ – not tell stupid jokes."

He could feel his face split into a grin. "I told jokes? Were they any good?"

"Take him back to his cell!" Hubbard hissed. "Maybe a few days alone will convince you that it's in your best interest to cooperate with us."

"Hmm – nah, don't think so. But I am looking forward to some peace and quiet. Did anyone ever tell you you talk to much Hubbard?"

He was sure he heard someone in the room snort, but his range of vision was limited so he didn't know who it was. From Hubbard's glare he'd noticed too. Some poor guy was going to get disciplined.

The manacles were unlocked from the bed frame and he was forced to his feet. It was a good thing that the goons were there, because he would have fallen right over. He was incredibly dizzy and disoriented. He was immediately shuffled back down the hallway towards his shell, the two guards holding on to him tightly. He wished that he had the strength to fight, but as it was he could barely walk.

He was thrown into his cell and landed hard on the cement floor. He cursed the guards as the door was slammed and forced himself up and onto the bed. He was cold as he was not wearing a shirt, so he grabbed the single blanket and wrapped it around himself.

He sighed and rubbed his neck and - "what the hell!" He put his hand on his scalp and only then realized.

The bastards had shaved his head!


	23. Rumors and Rescues

_**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and comments. I won't quit writing Stargate stories although once this is finished I might take a short break. And just to correct something I said before - there still are a few wonderful writers out there - just not so many original team stories. So hint, hint all you writers!**_

"Damn it! Why did they have to shave his head? Teal'c would probably laugh if he could see him – and he and Hammond would invite him to join the brotherhood of the bald.

"Damn NID", he muttered. He knew that the reason for it had to do with something he really didn't want to think about. They were screwing around with his brain!

At least he hadn't given any information away – other than the punch line to a few jokes and they hadn't done anything invasive – yet. He felt his head again and shivered, not liking the feeling of smooth skin where there should be hair. But there were no holes, at least none that weren't supposed to be there.

Although he was pretty sure that was probably next on the agenda. He didn't want to think about them probing around in his brain, or even cutting it up. Maybe he shouldn't have had Thor beam him back to Earth.

But he had known that this was what would happen – he just gambled on his team being absolved of any wrongdoing if came along. He knew the NID would use them against him if he'd gone off with Thor. And there had been no way he would have let them come along. They didn't need to become fugitives for his sake. Now, of course, he had no idea what was happening to them and until he did he wasn't going to do anything to help these scum bags no matter what they did to the old cerebrum and cerebellum.

He sighed and stared at his feet, which he began to move back and forth. At least he was still in one piece even though he was feeling a bit groggy, probably from the drugs they'd pumped into him. He hated that thought too so decided to turn his mind to something more positive. Sadly, he'd had lots of experience being held captive and of figuring out how not to go crazy.

So, what should he think about? He stared at the gray ceiling for a few seconds and then decided, what the hell, he might as well go for it. What difference did it really make what he fantasized about?

He let himself think about Sam Carter – a very naked Sam Carter. He sighed, closed his eyes, and smiled, remembering – no _imagining_ what she looked like stepping out of the pond, the water droplets sliding slowly down her translucent skin. Oh how he would like to be one of those droplets.

The men looking at him through the camera feed frowned. How was it that O'Neill actually looked happy?

* * *

"Open the doors _now."_ Hammond's voice carried throughout the brig and Daniel, Teal'c and Sam all stood and walked to their cell doors.

"General Hammond!" Sam called. A moment later the guard was unlocking the door and she hurried out – right into the arms of the General, who gave her a fierce hug. Soon the other two cells were opened, and although he didn't hug either Daniel or Teal'c, there was no doubt that the General was relieved and happy to see them.

"What's happening Sir?" she asked.

"Where's Jack?" Daniel immediately demanded.

Teal'c regarded the General quietly; the only sign that he was either curious or worried were his raised eyebrows.

"I'll tell you everything I know, but why don't we head up to the briefing room. I've had coffee and some food sent up there and I've asked Colonel Reynolds and Dixon to join us."

Once they were all seated, plates of food and cups of coffee in front of them, George began to speak.

"As you all know, the NID have Colonel O'Neill. They were able to get the President to sign off on them holding the Colonel as a matter of national security."

"_What_?" exclaimed Daniel. "How the hell could they claim that – and how could the President be such an idiot!"

"_Dr. Jackson_", Hammond rebuked sharply. "You're speaking of our Commander in Chief!"

"I don't care if he's the angel Gabriel, he's still an idiot!" Daniel replied, looking and sounding adamant.

George sighed. Personally he agreed, even though he couldn't say it. "Well, it is true that Colonel O'Neill experienced _something_ as a result of visiting the Ancient site. He does have to be checked out."

"By Dr. Frasier", Teal'c said solemnly, "not by the NID."

"Yes, I tried to tell the President that, but obviously someone got to him. Anyway, it's out of our hands, at least for now. I've spoken to the Chief of Staff and he's trying to convince the President to release the Colonel back to the Air Force."

"What are they doing to him? Do we know?" Carter asked, her manner somber but her voice sounding worried.

"According to Colonel Hubbard, O'Neill is fine."

"Have you talked to Jack?" Dixon asked. "I wouldn't trust Hubbard as far as I could spit."

"No, I haven't", Hammond sighed. "And I tend to agree about Colonel Hubbard. However, he claims that O'Neill is in a secure facility and isn't able to communicate with the outside world."

"God", Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Who knows what they're doing to him."

Everyone was silent, all thinking about the Colonel. They knew the NID well enough to be sure that they had few scruples.

It was Hammond who broke the silence. "There is one thing however", he said to those assembled. "and that's the fact that the three of you were released, with paperwork signed by the President, saying that you were absolved of all charges."

"You think Jack had something to do with it?", Reynolds asked.

Hammond nodded. "I suspect so. I'm sure he's agreed to cooperate in exchange for the safety of his team."

"Damn it Jack!" Daniel stood up quickly, flipping his chair back to the floor. "Why the hell would he do that? He knows he can't give the NID any information about the Ancients. That's why we should never have let him come back!"

"Daniel, we couldn't have stopped him", Sam said softly.

"She is correct, Daniel Jackson", Teal'c told him. "You know what O'Neill is like when he has decided on a course of action." He looked towards General Hammond. "I do not believe we need to despair. I am positive that O'Neill would not give any information to the NID that he did not wish to."

"But what if he was _forced_ to give it to them", Daniel practically shouted.

"If that was the case, then there would have been no need for him to arrange for us to go free", Teal'c pointed out logically. "And we do not know if O'Neill is even able to access the knowledge and power of the Ancients."

"All of this is just academic", Sam suddenly pointed out. "The question is, what are we going to do? We can't leave the Colonel where he is – because Daniel's right – we don't know what they're doing to him. They could seriously hurt or even kill him if we leave him there."

"You understand people, I am under strict orders to do _nothing_", Hammond told them plainly. "I cannot order you to find the Colonel, or to try and rescue him. Anyone _from Earth _who attempted it would be arrested and charged."

The five members of the SGC all stared at Hammond but it was Daniel who, as usual, started speaking first. "So, if the Asgard or Tokra or someone like that rescued him it wouldn't be a problem?"

"Not for anyone who worked for the SGC", he nodded.

"But how would they find him?" Sam asked. "None of them know where the Colonel is being kept."

"That's true", Hammond nodded. "And of course _no one_ in the NID has told us a thing."

Sam's eyes immediately went to the General, who gave a tiny nod. Barrett – it had to be him. She finally felt a small bit of relief. Maybe they really could rescue the Colonel.

"So then, there's nothing we – ur – our allies can do?" Dixon glanced around the table and wanted to grin at everyone's calculating looks.

"Probably not", he sighed. "However, there _is _a lot of – space gossip – and if one of our allies happened to hear something – not from us of course – about the Colonel being at a secure location two miles due west of Leavenworth, in what looks like a dilapidated farm house, but is actually a front for a secure military facility, then it wouldn't be our fault."

"No Sir", Reynolds grinned. "That pesky space gossip is almost impossible to stop."

"That is true General Hammond", Teal'c nodded. "Even the Goa'uld found it difficult to contain gossip and rumors."

"So people", Hammond continued, "enough about Colonel O'Neill. I'm sure he is in good hands with the NID. I'd like to talk to you about your next mission."

"Our mission Sir?" Reynolds asked. "I'm assuming this is a mission for Sg1 and -"

"And your team, Reynolds, and yours Dixon. The Tokra have asked for our help in relocating to a new planet and I told them I'd send our best. You can suit up and be off in the next two hours."

"Of course General", both the two Colonels grinned. "We'll do the SGC proud – Sir."

"I'm sure you will." Hammond slowly rose. "That's all people, you're dismissed. And I don't want to hear anything other than you were a great help to the Tokra."

"Yes Sirs" came from all around the table. As soon as the General was gone Dixon and Reynolds both grew serious. Reynolds was the first to speak. "Okay people, let's get a move on. We have lots to do before we head out to – help – the Tokra. Major", he looked at Carter, "why don't you prepare whatever equipment you think – appropriate. Daniel, I suggest you and I do a little research. It's always wise to be prepared when going to unknown places. And Teal'c, you and Dixon can collect any supplies and weapons. We'll meet in an hour and go over our plans."

"Ya gotta love that space gossip", Daniel whispered to Teal'c as they left the briefing room.

"Indeed Daniel Jackson – indeed!"

* * *

Jack wasn't sure how long he had been left alone, although it couldn't have been more than eight or ten hours. He'd spent some of the time daydreaming and the rest sleeping. He'd already determined there was no way out of his cell, so he decided to simply try and relax as much as possible.

He heard the footsteps coming down the hall and couldn't help but tense up, although by the time the door opened he again looked relaxed and as if he didn't have a care in the world.

The guards that entered told him to 'come with them'. They ignored him when he tried to talk to them so he began a one-sided conversation all the way down the hall.

"Ya know, you might want to try some deep breathing exercises – hey, maybe yoga", he told the biggest guard. "You're looking rather tense and I've heard it's very relaxing." He began to whistle the Simpson's tune, and immediately he saw the second guard's lips twitching.

Good to know, thought O'Neill. The man had a sense of humor and probably even watched the Simpsons. Couldn't be all bad then, he decided. "Did you see the latest episode?" he asked the guard. The man's eyes flickered to him briefly, and then to his fellow guard. He didn't respond.

So, big guy one is in charge and is definitely scarier. If he could get the little guy alone, he might be able to convince him to let him go. Not likely, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

He was taken to a new room at the end of the hall. The guards opened the door and escorted him inside. He was made to sit on a – very uncomfortable – metal chair and his wrists and ankles were manacled to it.

"That's not very comfortable you know", he said pleasantly. "And it's definitely not legal. I've been deprived of my rights and am being held illegally – just so you know."

Again guard number 2 looked uncomfortable. Guard 1 didn't even blink. They soon left and he was again alone, but this time was much more uncomfortable.

Fortunately he didn't have to wait for long before Colonel Hubbard entered the room. Jack sighed. "I was worried it would be you", he said contemptuously.

"Do I frighten you Colonel?"

Jack let out a bark of laughter. "_Frighten_ me? Good God, no. I've dealt with _much_ scarier guys – and aliens – than you. What you do is _disgust_ me", he said with a smile. "Traitors and idiots are the lowest form of life in the universe and you happen to be both."

Hubbard looked angry although he sneered. "You can call me all the names you want O'Neill, but _you_ are the one trapped in the chair."

"Yes", he agreed, "but at least I'm not an idiot."

"No, but you soon may be dead – or worse – if you don't cooperate!" he hissed.

Jack sighed. "You really ought to take lessons. The Goa'uld are much more threatening. By the way", Jack went on quickly, "what the hell were you thinking?"

Hubbard frowned, clearly confused both by Jack's manner and his question. "What do you mean?"

"My _hair_? I mean, really! Couldn't you think of something other than to shave my head? It's really humiliating."

The NID Colonel simply stared at the man in the chair. After a moment he shook his head. "You're crazy O'Neill. What the hell difference does it make if we shaved your head? Your _life_ is in danger."

"Yes, but it's the thought of dying without my hair that terrifies me." He sighed. "My hair – you really are a sadist."

"_Enough!_ You will stop this ridiculous behavior. I've told you – if you don't cooperate we're going to have to get serious."

"So you haven't been serious until now? Oh good – I thought it was just me that thought you were a joke but now I see you _meant_ it."

Hubbard walked over and stood in front of Jack and then took his fist and swung it at Jack's chin. His head jerked back and was slammed into the back of the chair.

Damn – that hurt _and _he was going to have bruises on both his chin and his head. "You didn't need to get nasty" he slurred. "Geesh!"

"There's more of that if you don't stop this right now. Oh, and by the way, we're holding your team. They're all being charged with treason."

"You bastard!" For the first time O'Neill showed his anger, which then pissed him off when he saw Hubbard's grin. He had to get a handle on himself. "What do you want?"

"I told you. I want you to tell me what you learned from the Ancients. I know it was something – so begin talking."

"Not until my team is safe", he answered. "Once you've done that – then I'll cooperate."

Hubbard considered him for a moment, but then his face cracked into a smile. This is what he'd been waiting for. "Fine. All I have to do is make one phone call and your teammates will be pardoned. Then you'll talk to me."

"Fine, but you'll have to prove it to me."

Hubbard nodded and left the room. A few minutes later he returned, this time with a cell phone. "Here – you should recognize the voice." Hubbard held the phone up to his ear.

"Colonel O'Neill?" It was the President on the line.

"Yes Mr. President", Jack said sarcastically. "What can I do for you today – other than sit here chained to a chair."

The man one the other end sighed. "Jack – you know I don't want to do this, but you have to cooperate. It's for the safety and security of the planet."

"You just keep telling yourself that Mr. President. I'm sure you've justified this in your own mind already."

"I've signed the papers Jack", Hayes ignored him. " and they've been delivered to Hammond. Your teammates won't be charged with anything. They're free to go."

"How can I trust you?" Jack asked.

"I know you hate me right now Jack, but I promise I'm telling the truth. All we want you to do is tell us what happened and use any powers you received for the good of the Earth. That's all."

Jack took a deep breath. He was pretty sure Hayes was telling the truth, although he had no real way of knowing. In the end it didn't matter – either his team were free or they weren't and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"Fine", he said. "Oh, and by the way Henry – you've lost my vote." He nodded up at Hubbard and then leaned back, his eyes closed. He didn't want to talk to the President any more."

Hubbard spoke to the Commander in Chief for a couple of more seconds and then hung up. "Okay – now it's time to cooperate. Your teammates are free. Tell me what we need to know."

Jack sighed. "Okay – fine. I didn't want to tell you – but it looks like you're going to insist. You just have to keep this as quiet as possible, okay?"

Hubbard was looking at him suspiciously, but O'Neill's manner had become serious so he grabbed another chair and sat across from the Air Force Colonel. "Fine – just get going."

Jack sighed again and leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. "Well, Burns is actually a Goa'uld. He was planted here years ago, although no one knew."

"Burns?" Hubbard looked confused. "I don't know any Burns. Who is he?"

"You don't know?" whispered Jack, sitting up and looking straight at Hubbard. "He's the owner of the nuclear plant."

"Nuclear – _which_ nuclear plant?"

"The one in Springfield, of course."

The NID Colonel stared at him for quite a few minutes, clearly trying to figure out what O'Neill was talking about. All at once his face grew red and he surged to his feet. "You _bastard_!" He swung his fist again, this time hitting Jack on the cheek. Again his head flew back now, when it flopped forward he was out like a light.

"You bastard, O'Neill", Hubbard repeated, looking down at the unconscious man. "You think you're so funny – well we'll show you!" He strode up to the door and yanked it open. "Take O'Neill to the operating theater and call the doctor!"

By the time Jack came to he was tied back to the metal table. He groaned softly – his head and cheek were throbbing in time to his heartbeat – which was going way too fast. Speaking of idiots, he thought to himself, you're a giant one O'Neill.

He was pretty sure his cheek was broken and just hoped there were no shards of bone ready to pierce his brain. But looking at where he was, he was pretty sure that was already on the menu. He sighed and closed his eyes. He just prayed he'd die quickly and that they wouldn't leave him a vegetable.

"You think you're so funny", Hubbard hissed. "Well, I told you if you wouldn't cooperate we'd get serious. You think this is serious enough?"

Jack opened his eyes and slowly turned his head until he was looking directly at the Colonel. "You're a traitor Hubbard, and I don't cooperate with traitors." With that he closed his eyes and waited for what was to come.

He had trouble not flinching when he heard what sounded like a drill. A few seconds later the sound stopped, but then he felt something cold on his head. His breathing sped up – he couldn't help it – and he felt like throwing up. He knew what was coming.

The sound started again and this time he wanted to die.

* * *

"Dad!" Sam opened her arms and gave her father a big hug. He was waiting for them as soon as they stepped through the gate. "It's so good to see you."

"You too Sammy." Jacob looked up and smiled at the others. "And you guys too. Come on, let's get moving. We don't have a lot of time if we're going to get O'Neill."

"You heard what's happened?" Sam asked as she walked beside her father.

"Just the bare details. George sent a rather cryptic message but said you'd tell me the 'gossip' when you got here. I gotta say, I've never heard George talk quite like that before."

It was Reynolds who took up the story and explained to Jacob exactly what had happened.

"So you can rescue him?" Sam asked, looking hopefully at her father.

He grimaced. "I can try, although it'll be risky. It can't be an official mission because the Tokra High Council wouldn't allow it. I was authorized to contact George and to ask for help to move us to a new planet. We've gotten word that our location was leaked and the System Lords are planning to attack. However, Bra'tak got a message to me from George about what had happened to O'Neill."

"Bra'tac?" Sam looked at him in surprise. She then glanced over at Teal'c, who looked completely expressionless.

"Mmm hmm." Then Jacob grinned. "He's a terrible gossip."

The humans all laughed and even Teal'c looked amused. But soon they were down to business, explaining what they knew about why Jack was taken and where he was. "We've brought supplies and Major Carter has some equipment she thought would be helpful. We can't accompany you though", Dixon told him apologetically. "We're under strict orders from the President and Joint Chiefs."

"Ya gotta love those guys", Jacob said in disgust. "Okay – I can probably get help from Ta'man – he owes Selmak a favor, but you folks are going to have to go and give us a hand with moving."

"Will there be Pizza and beer?" Reynolds asked.

Jacob laughed. "I wish. It would certainly make the moving go a lot faster. Once you've helped me load all the supplies onto my Tel'tak, you can head through to the planet where the Tokra are presently. You'll have lots of witnesses that can attest to the fact that you weren't involved in O'Neill's rescue."

Reynolds nodded, this time looking serious. "Okay – so let's get moving."

It took them just a few minutes to load up the supplies. They went over the details once more with Jacob and then each shook his hand. "Thanks Jacob – we owe you", Dixon told him.

"You don't owe me anything", the Tokra and former General answered. "We don't leave our people behind – at least us humans don't, and Selmak agrees. Jack would be the first to rescue me if our situations were reversed. Besides that – who would piss off the system lords if we lost him?"

Everyone laughed and said their goodbyes. Jacob watched as the SG teams left and then returned to his camp where Ta'man was waiting to gather their things for the Teltak.

Dixon, Reynolds and their teams, along with the three Sg1 teammates arrived at the gate. Daniel dialed and Reynolds sent everyone through as soon as the event horizon opened.

"Damn it!" Sam was just about to walk through when she stopped and looked around.

"What is it Major?" Reynolds asked. He was the only other person who hadn't gone through yet.

"I'm sorry Sir but I left my weapon at my Dad's camp. I took it off when I was loading up the equipment and forgot to grab it."

Reynolds frowned at her. "You left your _weapon_? That's something a raw recruit would do Major. What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry Sir", she hung her head. "I've been worried about the Colonel and I just forgot it."

The Colonel sighed. "I'll wait here for you. Just hurry up."

"You don't need to Sir. The gate will be open for a few more minutes. You can go through now. I won't be long and will follow you through."

Reynolds regarded her, a sudden realization dawning on his face. "You sure you know what you're doing Major?"

"Yes Sir", she said, standing straight and looking him in the eye. "I do."

The senior officer nodded once. "Okay – but – good luck – getting your weapon that is. I'll see you – soon."

"Thank you Colonel." She stood and saluted the man, who snapped a salute back. She then turned and hurried away. A minute later Reynolds stepped through the event horizon with a sigh. Hammond was going to kill him.

Jacob and Ta'man checked everything one last time and then boarded the Teltak. This was going to be a tricky mission and one he hoped the Council never heard anything about. He gave his fellow Tokra a look and received a small grin in return. He was thankful that Ta'man was with him. He was one of the few Tokra Jacob really liked.

"So – let's get going and see if we can retrieve an errant Air Force Colonel." Jacob sat down in the control seat and soon they were flying through space. He estimated it would take them close to 30 hours to arrive in Earth's orbit. He just prayed that Jack was still alive – and in one piece.

"Can you take over Ta'man", he asked a few hours later, standing and stretching. "I need to use the facilities and then I'm going to have a bite to eat and sleep for a while. We have another 20 hours to go."

He headed to the back of the ship and opened the door to the Tokra version of the loo. He quickly took a leak and washed his hands and returned to the small room in the back, which contained a couple of bunks for sleeping. He climbed in the bottom one and closed his eyes.

A moment later his eyes flew open and he stared at the bottom of the bed above him. Quietly grabbing a zat, which he kept in a pocket by the bed, he slowly sat up. With a quick move he stood and pointed the zat at the lump on the bed above his.

"If you move a muscle I'm gonna shoot you!"

"Uh okay – I'm not moving."

"_Sam_? What the _hell_ are you doing here?" he dropped the zat and pulled the covers off the person in the bunk.

"Hi Dad", she sat up slowly, her feet over the side. "I'm here to help you rescue Colonel O'Neill."


	24. Two-Carter System

"I am not letting you do this Sam", her father fumed. "It will destroy your career. No, worse than that, it'll put you in prison!"

"I don't care", she snapped back. "There is no way in _hell_ I'm leaving the Colonel in the hands of those bastards. He wouldn't leave any of us and I'm going to help get him out."

"Sam, Ta'man and I can do it, without you being involved."

"No you can't. No disrespect Dad, Ta'man, but I know the type of security they'll use, plus you need another person. Who's going to stay with the Tel'tak and retrieve you when you find the Colonel? Look, it's a secret military site and you need all the help you can get. Besides that, I brought my own equipment, which you wouldn't even know how to use."

Jacob sighed and shook his head. "How in hell did you get so obstinate?"

Sam grinned. "Uh – I hate to tell you, but it's pretty much a genetic trait."

"Yeah, I guess so. Your mother _could_ be obstinate."

She hit him on the shoulder, but then gave him a hug. "Dad, I thought about this long and hard before I stowed away. This isn't just an impulse. I _have_ to help rescue him. He's too – important to me, to us. Please say you understand?"

"No, I don't, but I _do_ know when it's useless to argue. You realize that neither of you will be able to go back to Earth until and unless they agree not to prosecute you?"

"Yeah, I know", she said quietly. "That's why I'm doing this on my own. Do you think the Tok'ra will have us?"

Jacob sighed and rubbed his hands through his head. "I don't know. The High Council may decide they need Earth as an ally too much to piss off Hayes. Sel'mak can talk to them and try and convince them, but I don't know how successful she'll be."

Sam nodded. She'd known the risks when she'd decided to do this, but, as she told her father, she'd had no choice. She was not about to leave O'Neill in the hands of the NID.

"So, since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful Sam. We'll be there in about fifteen hours and we still don't have an exact location _or_ a plan. Go check out that equipment of yours and figure out how we're going to save O'Neill."

"Yes Sir", she grinned and then walked over to where her things were stored. She collected what she needed and then walked to one of the Tel'taks panels, opened it and began to work.

"I hope you know what you're doing?" Jacob called over. "I'd hate to break down in the middle of space. It's a long way to any inhabitable planet."

Sam's tongue was peeking out of her mouth as she contemplated the inside of the panel. "Don't worry", she murmured as she began to pull out two of the crystals. Her father just shook his head and for once she was glad the Colonel wasn't here. He'd be harassing her about what she was doing and how long it was taking. Her father knew enough to just leave her alone.

After a few minutes she got everything hooked up and looked down in satisfaction. "Okay! _Now_ you're gonna tell me where they have the Colonel stashed."

"What did you do Sam?" the former Air Force general frowned at her. He had a sudden memory of a small Sam standing in front of him, holding an oddly shaped appliance, telling him she'd 'fixed' the toaster and now it would work better. They'd had to buy another toaster the next day as that one never worked again – and practically burnt the house down.

"Uh Sam?"

"Mmm?"

"Remember the toaster!"

It took her a few seconds but then she began to frown and finally turned to her father. "The toaster?"

"Mmm hmm. You were seven and you decided to 'improve' it. The first time we tried it it blew up and fried our electrical panel. So – I just hope you've learned something since then."

Sam rolled her eyes at her father. "Yes Dad, I have learned a few things and _no_, I'm not going to blow up the ship. I've just connected to the NID database and intranet system. I'm checking out all correspondence and files to and from Colonel Hubbard, to see if there's anything about their location."

"You can do that?" Jacob asked, impressed.

"Yes – with the addition of some specialized technology." She grinned. "Which I just happened to have brought along. And you know the ironic thing?"

"No, what?"

"This was technology that the NID discovered during the Mayborne years. They were never able to figure out what it did so they sent it to me to look over." Her grin grew wider. "I figured it out."

"Good for you", her father laughed. "Hoist by their own petard! Now, go and find that correspondence. I want to get Jack out of their hands as soon as possible."

Sam grew serious and then nodded. "Me too Dad." For the next two hours she scanned all the emails, reports, letters, and briefs that were sent by or to Mark Hubbard. She honed in on the area that Hammond had mentioned and proceeded to look at potential sites. Most of them were meaningless, although a couple of them referred to their 'target'. She was pretty sure they were talking about O'Neill.

It was just over three hours into her search when she found it. She was so bleary eyed by then that she almost missed it and had to reread before she realized what it said.

The email was from a General Emory Caine – she'd never heard of him, although that didn't matter– and it authorized Colonel Hubbard to find and apprehend Colonel Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill and to hold him at Butrick's Farm to determine what knowledge, power or information he had received from the Ancient site. The email went on to say that Hubbard had permission to keep O'Neill there until satisfied that he had fully cooperated or was of no further use or danger to the United States or to Earth.

"Crap!" she growled.

"What's that Sam?" her father swung his head, looking at her in concern. "Weren't you able to find anything?"

"Oh yeah, I found out where he's being held – at least the name of the place – but that's not why I was angry. They were planning on keeping the Colonel indefinitely!"

"I figured as much", Jacob nodded. "They couldn't let him go – either he would be a threat, or he'd go after them. And they probably know enough about him to let that scare them."

"I hope he _does_ get the bastards!" Sam said sharply, "unless we get a couple of them ourselves."

"Now don't think that way Sam", her father admonished. "We want to try and do this without anyone even knowing we were there. Killing the ones responsible _might_ just give us away."

She gave a snort of laughter but nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I can dream can't I? And anyway, they'll know we were there as soon as they find out the Colonel is gone."

"Yes, but they won't know _who_ was there or how we got him out. It'll drive them crazy!"

She laughed at that. "Not quite as good as zatting the hell out of them but close – very close."

Sam spent the next hour researching Butrick's Farm. At first she couldn't find anything, but just an hour before they reached Earth she discovered it. It was an old map of the area and right in the middle of it, in bold letters it said '_Butrick's Homestead'._

"There!" she pointed to the map on the screen. "That's where the Colonel is."

"You're sure?"

"Yes – well, at least _pretty _sure. Once we're closer I can tell more clearly. If it _is_ a government facility, there will be EM readings and other things that you wouldn't find if it were a normal farm. There has to be security and probably high tech communications technology there."

"We should be close enough to get some readings in just a couple of minutes. Ta'man will stay with the ship and pull us out when we're ready to leave."

Once they were sure they had found the right spot, Jacob and Sam quickly went over their plans again. It was going to be a risky job, but they'd had tougher ones.

"Okay kiddo, you got everything? Then let's go."

The next moment they appeared in a small clearing half a mile from the farmhouse.

"You're sure about the entrance?" Jacob said softly.

"Yes. It looks like it may have been put in as a kind of 'back door' to the facility," Sam answered. "There don't appear to be any guards, but they might have electronic surveillance. We'll have to be careful."

"As opposed to jumping up and down and shouting 'Eureka, we found it!" Jacob asked.

Sam rolled her eyes and grimaced at her father. "I hope Sel'mak thinks you're funny", she said sarcastically.

"Because you don't?" he grinned. "I'd think you'd be used to humor, having worked so many years with O'Neill."

"Yes", she sighed, "I am – although that doesn't mean I think it's _good_ humor. Now come on – let's get the Colonel."

The hatch, which opened to a passageway to the farmhouse was completely covered over by what looked like years of growth. At first Sam wondered if it had been placed there as camouflage, but after having to actually dig some of the plant life up, she admitted that it must have grown naturally, over time. She wondered if someone had screwed up and allowed the back door to be overlooked. "Looks like they don't use this entrance," she whispered.

"Or they've forgotten that it even exists!"

"That would be nice", she nodded. "But we should assume that they do know and that it's booby trapped somehow."

He agreed, although for once he'd love something simple and straightforward. Somehow, however, he didn't think that was going to be the case.

In the end they made it through without coming across any human being or – at least as far as they could tell – any security devices or technology. The fact that the passage was musty and damp and showed only evidence of small animals and insects, Jacob thought that for once they may have simply lucked out.

"Thank God for Goa'uld technology", he whispered at one point. His daughter turned and glared at him. "Well, you can't say you haven't found it useful", he reminded her, indicating the device she held.

"Yes, but it's also because of their technology that they've practically taken over the entire galaxy."

"Well, not really _their_ technology. They just scavenge and steal it."

"Mmm hmm – and then adapt it in really nifty enslaving and murderous ways."

"Okay fine", Jacob sighed dramatically, "I take it back. Are we there yet?"

Sam lifted her arm, indicating silence. There was a curve ahead in the passageway, and things felt a little different. Jacob thought it might be because he now felt a light draft around his legs. Whatever it was, Sam was taking no chance. She advanced slowly until she reached the turn and then knelt down until she was crouching. She then carefully held out a small mirror around the curve to see what was there.

Jacob held his breath. It was during times like these that the father side of him roared to the fore. He wanted to grab Sam and pull her back out of harm's way. He wanted to send her back to her lab, where she'd be safe. He wanted to take back the dream to have her follow in his footsteps.

"It looks okay", she whispered, waving him forward.

He sighed in relief. He was so damned proud of her!

"There's a grate up ahead," she pointed. "It appears to have been welded shut."

"Can you get it open?" her father asked.

She turned to him with a grin. "Oh yeah."

Yup – damned proud!

* * *

Jack woke up, slowly. He felt completely disoriented and he couldn't figure out where he was or why he didn't seem to be able to move.

He lay still for a long time – at least he thought it was a long time. He really had no perception of time – or space for that matter. He knew he was somewhere, and that he hurt like hell. Other than that things were a little – foggy.

"Hello?" At least that's what he tried to say. It came out more as a breathy gasp. He attempted to swallow and it was then that he realized he was parched. He desperately needed a drink.

He again tried to speak, but all he managed was a soft moan. When no one responded, he decided he was alone. He didn't feel too worried by that fact and instead felt rather floaty and calm - although he was _vaguely_ curious about where he was and about what had happened to him.

He slowly turned his head and blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear them. Eventually he could see, although things were rather fuzzy. His eyes sluggishly scoped out the area around him, or at least the area he could see without having to move his head again.

Okay – he was in a room. He felt a sense of satisfaction that he'd figured that out. He was in a room. Now that he knew that, he needed to rest a few minutes. He could figure out the rest later.

When next he opened his eyes he was pretty sure he must have rested for longer than he'd planned. In fact, he'd probably fell asleep. That didn't worry him because as far as he could tell things hadn't changed. He again perused the room – and again wondered vaguely where he was. He was definitely somewhere and he was pretty sure he couldn't move. That was about all he knew.

He slept some more, but the next time he woke up there was a person standing beside wherever he was. He stared at the – man, yes, it was a man – and thought he should know him, but if so the knowledge flew just outside his grasp.

The man opened his mouth and said something, but Jack was too tired to try and decipher his words. Instead he let his eyelids drift shut. It was only when the standing man grabbed his head that he opened his eyes again. He blinked slowly, still unsure as to what was happening.

The man shouted something at him and he tried to listen, but it was difficult. He was so tired. He opened his mouth to tell the man that, but the words didn't want to come. He sighed and his eyes drifted closed again. He just needed to sleep.

"Damn it!" Hubbard was worried. They'd done a number of tests on O'Neill, using some of the technology they'd discovered from various enemies, both from Earth and from other places in the Galaxy. So far he'd gotten nothing; nothing that was but an almost dead Colonel.

He'd had to stop the experiments after O'Neill had gone into cardiac arrest during one of their sessions. Since that time the Colonel had been unconscious or sleeping. On the few occasions he's been awake, he had been listless and incoherent. The doctor had assured him it probably wasn't anything permanent, but had recommended that they leave the Colonel for a while, to give him a chance to recuperate.

He didn't have much time though. As he looked down at the pale and ill-looking man he was filled again with anger. Why couldn't O'Neill just cooperate? It would make all their lives easier. He had to report back to his superiors that he'd made progress, otherwise they were going to bring in someone else. This was his chance, his shot to prove himself and get a promotion. He couldn't fail or he'd be sent to some facility in the middle of nowhere.

"You _will_ answer my questions Colonel", he hissed to the sleeping man. "Even if I have to pry them out of your brain myself!" He stood watching him for another few minutes and then turned and left. There had to be _something_ that would get O'Neill talking. He was going to have another discussion with those idiot scientists.

* * *

Sam finished unscrewing the last bolt and, with her father's help, slowly moved the grate to the side. "Okay, I'll go first", she whispered. "I'll give you the go-ahead when it's safe."

Jacob nodded, again worried but knowing it would be a waste of time – and ultimately more dangerous – to argue. He waited while Sam hoisted her up and out of the space left by the grate.

What felt like a long time later, but could only have been a few seconds, she leaned back in. "Okay, it's all clear."

Jacob nodded and a moment later had pulled himself up so that he was standing by his daughter. "Any ideas?" he asked softly.

Sam was looking around, trying to orient herself based on other facilities she'd been in. She didn't have any kind of blueprint for this one, so it was pretty much going to be an educated guess.

She nodded with her head to the left and, after a moment Jacob agreed. She prayed they found the Colonel before anyone found them.

They'd looked in half a dozen rooms, all of which had been deserted. They had almost reached the end of the corridor when they both heard a sound coming from the hallway, which branched off the one they were in. They both stopped when they heard footsteps approach.

With a quick gesture Sam indicated they should go into the last room they had checked. Jacob opened the door and they managed to get inside and close the door – softly – before the footsteps turned the corner.

They waited for almost five minutes before deciding it was safe to open the door. A quick look down the corridor indicated it was again empty. The two-Carter rescue team headed out, again searching for the Colonel.

Sam peeked around the corner into the next hallway. Thankfully it was empty, although the lights were brighter here. This must be where something was happening, she figured. She stepped forward carefully, hoping there was no one else around.

She opened two more doors and they were empty – of people, at least. The last room she had looked in had appeared to be an operating theater. There were all sorts of medical implements as well as bins of dirty linens and bandages. Someone had been treated – she refused to even _think_ torture – in this room.

She reached the next room, her father checking carefully behind them. She put her hand out to open the door when a feeling washed over her, making her stop.

"What is it?" her father whispered, noticing her frozen appearance.

"He's here", she finally managed to gasp. Without another look at her father she turned the handle and opened the door. "Damn it!" She hurried over to the man on the gurney. "Colonel? Can you hear me?"

Damn it was right, thought Jacob as he got a look at the other man. Although there was no obvious sign of trauma, other than the shaved head and what looked like wounds in his scalp, it was obvious that O'Neill wasn't doing well. He was bone white and completely still. Besides that he looked as if he'd lost a tremendous amount of weight, his bones sticking out sharply.

"Is he alive?" he asked Sam. He couldn't tell from the doorway whether or not the Colonel was breathing.

"Yes", she nodded. "But his breathing is pretty shallow. Colonel? Can you hear me Sir?" she asked again.

This time there was some response as O'Neill moved his head restlessly. After a moment his eyes slowly began to open, although they focused on the ceiling rather than on her.

"Sir?"

That made O'Neill blink and after what seemed like a long time, his eyes turned towards Sam. He blinked a couple of times more and then his eyes began to droop.

"Sir! Do you understand me?" She reached out and grabbed his head between her two hands and forced him to turn towards her. "Colonel?"

He did nothing but blink again and she began to really worry. "Oh God Dad, I don't know what they've done to him."

"We can't worry about that right now Sam", Jacob told her bluntly. "It may just be that he's drugged. If we're going to get out of here we're going to have to leave _now_."

She nodded, knowing that her Dad was right. "Sir, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us", she told the Colonel, who was still staring at her. "I don't know if you understand me or not, but I'm going to take these straps off of you and then I'm afraid you're going to have to stand up and walk. Can you do that Colonel?"

He continued to gaze at her, but he didn't respond.

"Okay, here we go", she said when it became obvious she wasn't going to get anything from him. "She finished unbuckling the straps that were keeping him immobile and once that was done she spoke to him again. "Sir, you're going to have to help me, okay? I'm going to put my arm behind your back and get you standing. You can do that, right? Just relax."

It took a few seconds – longer than Jacob wanted it to – but in the end they had the Colonel standing, even if he looked like a walking corpse. He was shaking terribly and Sam had to keep her arm wrapped around him to keep him from falling to the ground.

"We gotta go Sam", Jacob hissed. He was pretty sure that someone would be back soon to check on the Colonel.

"I _know_", she hissed back. "Let's go Colonel", she said to the man at her side. When he didn't move she looked at her father in despair. "I can't carry him but he won't move."

At that Jacob approached Jack and put on his best General's face. "Colonel O'Neill! You will get your act together soldier, and you will walk. Do you understand me?"

For the first time Jack seemed to respond. He gave a small nod and then placed one foot forward. He almost fell, but Sam continued to hold him and soon they were making progress – slow and ungainly progress – but they were moving.

She could feel the tremors that continuously ran through the Colonel, and was terrified by his vacant looking eyes. He was moving however – at least there was a chance to get him away.

They walked as quickly as they could back down the corridor, trying to help the Colonel move without falling. As it was he stumbled and lurched from side to side, held steady only by Sam's arm around his waist.

Jacob watched carefully for the enemy, wanting to help Sam but knowing it was more important he watched their backs. He cursed at what had been done to O'Neill, even if he didn't as yet know the details.

The man had clearly been abused, if his gaunt appearance and almost catatonic state were anything to go by. He just prayed that there wasn't permanent damage, although the sight of the wounds in his scalp indicated it was a strong possibility. He also knew that if Jack had the choice, he'd prefer to die than to suffer brain damage.

By the time they made it back to the grate both Sam and her father were sweating; Sam because of the energy it had taken to support the Colonel – her dad because of the fear that they were going to get caught any minute.

"Here we are", Jacob finally hissed. Taking a quick look around to make sure they were still alone, they bent and moved the grate out of the way. After that Jacob climbed down into the passageway. "Hand O'Neill to me", he instructed his daughter.

She immediately obliged and helped the Colonel climb through the grate to the passage below. Immediately he was in she looked around, checking to see that no one had found the site. When it appeared clear she climbed in the grate and dropped lightly to the floor. Without saying anything more she pulled the grate back in place and proceeded to screw it in.

They started walking again, back through the dark and dank tunnel. It took them almost an hour to get out of the maze and back into the light. It was only as they found themselves back outside that they both breathed a sigh of relief. Jacob flipped open his communication device.

"Ta'man, bring us back. There are three of us." The next moment saw them being deposited on the Tel'tak's floor. "Let's get out of here before Earth starts to look for us.

Soon they were underway, and both Jacob and Sam turned their attention to the unconscious man on the floor. Sam knelt down and reached out her hand to touch his hair.

"Oh Sir – what have you gotten yourself in to now?"


	25. Saving O'Neill

**_I hope all my American readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving. _**

**_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've been getting for this story. It has re-inspired me, so tonight you'll get two chapters! Keep the reviews coming because they help reinvigorate my mojo!_**

"Are you telling me that there's an entrance to this place _you didn't know existed_?" Hubbard practically yelled. "This is supposed to be a secret and _secure_ military facility. How the hell did someone not know about this? And how did someone _else_ find out about it?"

He was staring at the men and one woman responsible for security at the Farm. None of them would look at him directly, and he was sure the blame would be passed on to someone else somewhere else and everyone of these idiots would disclaim all responsibility.

"I cannot believe that someone was able to waltz in here and help perhaps the most important prisoner we have ever had escape!"

"Prisoner Sir?" Lieutenant Caley looked at him curiously. "I thought Colonel O'Neill was a hero?"

Hubbard pressed his lips together, breathing hard. He had to restrain himself from going over and slugging the impertinent officer. "What he _was_ makes no difference," he hissed. "It's where he _is_ that matters. I want all roads in a hundred mile radius blocked. I want search parties out immediately – get dogs, choppers, whatever you need. You _will_ find O'Neill!"

The people shuffled out slowly – so slowly he wanted to kick their asses. He rubbed his hands through his hair. Shit! He now had to call the General and tell him their prize had disappeared.

"Where the hell are you O'Neill?"

* * *

"He _what_?" Daniel yelped.

"He escaped, Daniel Jackson", Teal'c repeated for him. "General Hammond was very clear on the matter."

"He _escaped?_" Daniel broke out into a grin. "Thank God! How did he do it?" After a second he frowned. "And how do we know?"

Hammond sighed and wished he had hair so that he could run his hands through it. "I got a call from Colonel Hubbard – threatening me with all sorts of dire consequences if I, or any member of the SGC – was responsible for removing Colonel O'Neill from the secure facility he was in."

"And where was that?" Reynolds asked. The senior officers, along with the remaining members of Sg1 had been called to the Briefing room to be – well, briefed – on the situation.

"He didn't say", Hammond snorted. "I assume he thinks one of us knows."

"But – it wasn't us?" Daniel frowned.

"No Dr. Jackson. As far as I know, no one here at the SGC was responsible."

"But what about -"

"Daniel Jackson, I believe it is best not to speculate", Teal'c told him sternly.

"I'm not speculating, I was just wondering about –"

"Uh – I don't think you should do that either Daniel", Ferretti told him. "I think we need to be _very_ careful about what ideas or names we throw around."

Daniel opened his mouth, but the stares of everyone around the table finally got through to him. "Oh. Yeah. Right." He nodded. But he couldn't help but think. God Sam – what have you done?

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Griff asked the General.

"We are to do an internal investigation, to determine if anyone here had anything to do with O'Neill's disappearance. And all gate travel is suspended until we receive word from the Pentagon."

"_What_?" The response came from a number of people around the table. "They're shutting down the gate?" Reynolds sounded angry although no more so than many of the others. "Why?"

"I believe they are concerned that we might be tempted to allow Colonel O'Neill to escape through the Stargate," Teal'c speculated.

"This is the work of the NID", Ferretti spat out. "They're bastards."

"I tend to agree Colonel", Hammond nodded, although he knew he shouldn't really say anything. "However the matter is out of my hands. Colonel Reynolds, you are to organize the investigation and report any findings to me."

"Yes Sir. Uh General? What about members of the SGC who are not – present? Do I need to investigate them?"

"You can include anything pertinent in your report," he answered vaguely. "I'm sure someone will follow up if they want more information, but for now only include anything you know for a fact."

Reynolds nodded, and thought back to that moment on the planet. God, Carter. What have you gotten yourself into?

* * *

"How is he?" Jacob asked, squatting down beside his daughter and the comatose man beside her.

"About the same", she answered. She had covered the Colonel with a blanket and had rolled another one for under his head. He hadn't been wearing a shirt when they rescued him and only a pair of scrub pants. His skin had been cold – too cold – and she was attempting to warm him. Other than that there really wasn't anything she could do.

"Did you bring a healing device?" she asked her father. Maybe it could help where she couldn't.

"No, unfortunately I didn't. They're in rather short supply and it's hard to get one now. If we can return to Te'letha I can probably find one."

"Any word from the High Council?" she asked. As soon as they had retrieved the Colonel Sel'mak had contacted the Council to ask for sanctuary for her and O'Neill. So far they hadn't heard anything back.

Jacob bent his head. When he lifted it his eyes flashed and Sel'mac spoke. "We have not, but I do not expect it to be good news", she admitted. "Although O'Neill is liked, many on the Council believe that the Tauri are essential in our battle to defeat the Goa'uld. They will not want to destroy our relationship with Earth over one man."

"Earth isn't going to cancel their treaty because of Colonel O'Neill," she scoffed. "it's important to them too."

"I know that, and you know that, but I'm afraid the Council may not."

"So, what if the Council orders you to bring Colonel O'Neill in – or to hand him over to Earth?"

Sel'mac blinked – or maybe it was her father, she never quite knew. "We will accidentally misplace him. If, in that time, he escapes to another place, we cannot be held responsible."

Sam laughed softly. "Thank you Sel'mac. I appreciate it – and I know the Colonel would too. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

Unfortunately it did. Shortly after their conversation they received a message from the Tokra High Council. It told them that they were unable to offer Colonel O'Neill refugee status. What was even worse was the fact that they were sending out a ship to _escort_ their Tel'tak and ensure O'Neill arrived safely on Te'letha .

"Damn idiots", Jacob grumbled under his breath. He looked down at his daughter and the Colonel, one of the bravest, most honorable men he knew and sighed. "We have about twelve hours to come up with something", he told her.

Sam nodded. It was what she had expected. In her mind she could hear the Colonel say something sarcastic about the Tokra and, at this moment, she agreed wholeheartedly with him. With a couple of exceptions they were an opportunistic bunch who only ever thought of themselves.

"What about the Asgard?" Jacob asked. He knew that Thor and Jack had a good relationship. "They like O'Neill and I'm sure would be willing to help."

"They might", Sam nodded. "Although I don't know how easy it would be to live on Othalla. They're so different and their food is terrible."

"You've tried the little squares and triangles, have you?" Jacob grinned.

"Oh yeah", she grimaced. "Can you imagine what the Colonel would say?"

"Say? It's what he'd _do_ that worries me."

"Yeah", she laughed, although she glanced down at the Colonel as she did so, and immediately felt guilty when she saw the ill man. "Even if they would help, I don't think we have time to contact them – not before the Tokra arrive. I think what we need to do is go to a planet the NID won't suspect, because I doubt if they'll give up looking for him."

"Probably not", Jacob agreed. "I still think it would be good to try and contact them. We might luck out and they could be close."

"Go ahead and try, but we need to have an alternate plan. I think you may have to drop us off somewhere."

Jacob agreed to start sending out a message to Thor – or any Asgard in the vicinity, which basically meant the Milky Way. He prayed they would answer; otherwise Plan B was in order.

Plan B was actually a small planet by the name of Pendar, only a few light years away. It was small, uninteresting, and indistinguishable from a billion other similar planets. What made it special, however, is that it had a gate.

"The best thing to do", her father said, "is to go to Pendar and gate through to another planet, and from their to another – and another, or as long as you want to keep going. The Tokra won't know where you went – and neither will we, if you don't want to tell us."

"I probably shouldn't", she smiled. "That way you can claim plausible deniability."

He nodded his head and then kissed her on the forehead. "I'm so proud of you Sammy."

"Thanks Dad – and I feel the same."

While her father set a course for Pendar – and as he kept sending regular messages to the Asgard, she returned to the Colonel's side. She reached out for perhaps the twentieth time, to feel the Colonel's forehead. He didn't have a fever, and, in fact, was still way too cold – cold and still. He hadn't moved a muscle since they'd arrived on the ship and it was freaking her out. The Colonel was never still.

She knew they had to get him some help but the problem was where. If the Asgard answered, they would definitely provide assistance but other than that it was going to be difficult.

She wished her father had been able to bring a healing device, although she wasn't even sure _that_ would have helped. She didn't know what was wrong with the Colonel, although she had a horrible feeling they had done something to his brain. The wounds in his head were very obviously holes that had been drilled through his skull. "God Sir – you'd better be alright."

"Sam."

"What is it?"

Her father stood, leaving Ta'man in charge of piloting the vessel. "Ta'man just heard from the Tokra. Their ship will be here in twenty minutes. We need to get you down to the planet."

"No word from the Asgard?"

"No", he looked regretful. "I'm sorry."

She nodded and pushed herself up off the floor. "Okay – time to go I guess. I'd better see if I can wake up the Colonel." She gathered her pack, with all her things, and placed a few more items for the Colonel into it, including whatever medical supplies the ship had. Once she was ready she squatted down and touched him gently. "Sir. You have to wake up." When nothing happened she shook him gently. "Sir? Colonel O'Neill? _Jack_!"

That did it and his eyes opened gradually. He stared blankly for a few seconds and then slowly turned his head until he was looking at Sam. His mouth opened, as if to speak, but only a soft moan escaped. He closed his eyes at that, looking terribly frustrated.

"It's okay Sir", she told him. "I'll help you. Unfortunately we have to go. Can you sit up?"

She wasn't sure if he understood her or not, but after a few seconds he struggled to sit. She reached down and helped him, all the while speaking encouragingly. "Good – now let's get you to your feet."

"Here, I'll help Sam, Jack." Jacob came over and between the two of them they got O'Neill on his feet. He wobbled a bit but seemed to be able to hold himself upright. Jacob then helped him put on a shirt and jacket. "I know you probably don't want to wear Tokra clothes, but I'm afraid that's all we have."

The Colonel didn't respond at all, which was disconcerting to the two Carters who were used to his continual, and usually inappropriate quips when it came to the Tokra.

"Okay – you have everything Sam? Jack, there's a pack for you too. I know it's going to be hard for you to carry it, but let's see if you can try."

"Jacob/Sel'mak, a vessel is approaching," Ta'man announced. "We must send you to the planet below."

"Okay – to the rings you two." Jacob helped Jack walk over to the platform and then left him there. "Try and contact Thor, if you can", he told Sam. "He can let me know where you are and that you're safe. I expect they'll monitor me pretty closely for a while, so I wouldn't try and contact me directly."

"Okay Dad – and thank you!"

"It's okay kiddo. You just take care of yourself and Jack. I'll see you soon."

She nodded and put her arms around the Colonel. A moment later the rings appeared and then they were gone.

"I hope", whispered Jacob when they were gone.

"Ja'nel of the Tokra is calling us Jacob," Ta'man called to him. "He wishes to know if we have O'Neill."

"Yeah – well, tell him I'm busy and will get back to him in a minute." He walked over to the controls, next to Ta'man, and sat down. He gave his fellow Tokra a small smile. "It's about to hit the fan Ta'man. Thank you for what you've done."

His companion gave him a grin. "Bo'rek and I have not had this much fun in many years", he answered, speaking for both himself and his symbiote. "And the High Council are a bunch of scared old men and women. I thank you Jacob/Sel'mac. Shall we respond to Ja'nel?"

"Okay", Jacob sighed. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

The rings deposited them less than a hundred meters from the gate and they immediately moved towards it. O'Neill was able to walk, although slowly, and seemed to be able to understand her instructions. He still handed shown any emotion and didn't speak, but at least he was awake. Sam prayed that whatever was wrong with him would simply wear off. It may have been the drugs he'd clearly been given.

She gated them through to PW9 4X4 – another deserted but safe planet. She then sent them through three more gates, wanting to make sure that they wouldn't – couldn't – be followed.

Unfortunately, none of the planets they travelled to were appropriate for any long-term visit. None of them had a local indigenous population – or enough resources to support them for more than a few days. No, they needed to find a planet with local inhabitants that would welcome them, or at least not try and kill them or send them away.

The problem was, any of the friendly planets that had established some contact with Earth would be first on the NID's list of places to investigate. There might be one or two that would defend them, but she really didn't want to put any of their friends through that.

"Damn it Sir", she muttered, after they'd gone through their fifth gate and were resting for a few minutes. "I'm just not sure where we should go!"

Jack stared at her, his blank face giving her the shivers. Was he even in there? But after a few minutes he began to struggle to his feet.

"What? Sir – what are you doing?" She jumped up and helped him, when it became obvious he wasn't going to rest. Maybe he had to use the facilities, and she began to look for a convenient tree. But then O'Neill began to move towards the gate so it couldn't be that. "Sir?" she asked again.

He didn't respond but eventually made it to the DHD. As soon as he arrived he grabbed onto it, resting against its solid presence. A moment later he reached out shaking arms and hit one of the glyphs. That was followed by a second one, which immediately lit up.

"Colonel, what are you doing?" she asked nervously. He turned his eyes on her – those empty seeming eyes – although this time she was positive he was trying to convey something to her. His hands had stopped, although the first two glyphs were still lit. "Are you taking us somewhere?" she asked.

He continued to stare and she wanted to scream but knew it wouldn't help. "Colonel – do you know where we can go? Do you have a planet it mind?" After a couple of seconds more he turned and reached for a third glyph. She shrugged and let him go on, deciding to trust him.

It could be that he _did_ know something – maybe he was accessing information from the Ancient library – _or_ he could be leading them to their death. She knew she would have to make the decision in a moment – one of the tougher ones of her life.

Eventually all the glyphs were lit. Again O'Neill turned to her, his eyes boring into hers. She got the strange impression he was asking her permission. After a couple of heartbeats she nodded. "Go for it Sir."

His eyes moved back to the DHD and he reached out – somewhat tentatively this time, and pushed the center. Immediately the event horizon _whooshed _out towards them, and then settled back into the usual sea of blue.

"So, I suppose you want us to go through", she asked, sounding almost casual. She didn't look at him this time, but instead kept her eyes focused on the event horizon. She sighed. "I really hope you know what you're doing and we don't end on some frozen glacier again – or into the hands of some trusty Goa'uld." She sighed again. "Let's get our things Sir and then it's off to I don't know where."

She collected his pack and helped him put it on. She then gathered her things and stepped to the DHD, where O'Neill continued to stand. "Come on then Colonel – let's go."

This time he actually placed his arm around her shoulder as she grasped his waist and together they made their way up the stairs. He even looked down at her before they went through. "I really hope you know what you're doing." On that the two of them stepped forward, through the event horizon and off into the unkown.

_**Evil cliffy**_


	26. Irresistible Force

_**Chapter 2 tonight! Yes, and I believe this deserves **__**lots**__** of reviews (no hints - blatant begging). Thank you in advance.**_

She hadn't been this terrified going through the gate since those first few times. Fortunately it only lasted a few seconds but still, they were some of the worst seconds she'd ever experienced. She compared it to jumping blind into a black pit, not knowing what was at the bottom.

When they finally walked through the gate, the first thing she noticed was that it was warm – not hot, not cold – simply warm. The next was that there was a soft breeze and the smell of water – salt water. She stopped, the Colonel held tightly at her side, and gazed out in front of her.

Leave it to the Colonel to take them to a tropical paradise. The gate was situated at the edge of a lush, green jungle. Laid out before them was a pristine beach, the clean, white sand twinkling in the sunlight. Beyond it was the ocean – at least she assumed it was an ocean. The water was blue, the gentle waves topped by white. It was a scene taken from paradise.

"Wow Sir, you can really pick them!" She moved slightly so that she could see the quiet man at her side. He wasn't even looking at the scenery but instead had his eyes focused downward toward the platform. She sighed and held him more tightly.

"I guess we'd better go find a place to set up camp. After that I can find out if there's anyone else here. It would be nice to settle down for a little while. I don't know about you, but I've travelled through enough gates for one day."

Of course the Colonel didn't respond. He didn't even move but continued to stare down. She wondered if he was actually looking at anything or was simply in a daze.

"Come on, let's go Colonel." With that he began to move, although his steps were more halting now and she had to struggle harder to hold him up. "Getting tired are you?" she asked, as cheerfully as she could. "Me too. I could also manage a bite to eat."

They worked their way down to where there was a small outcropping of rocks at the edge of the jungle. It would serve to keep them hidden slightly, in case there were less-than-friendly people around. "Here you go Sir", she helped lower him to the ground. "I'm going to set up camp now but first, have some water." She held the canteen out to him but he didn't move, so she wiggled closer and held it to his lips. At that he did drink, again seeming to respond to direct orders or instructions but not able to take the initiative himself.

She quickly grabbed a sleeping bag and laid it out beside him and then gently helped him on top. "Just rest Sir. I'll be right here."

For the next forty-five minutes she set up a small camp. She only had one small tent, which would be rather cozy for the two of them, but decided to put it up in case. Although it was warm right now, and would probably remain pretty temperate through the night, she didn't know what might be lurking around and decided that the minimal protection of a tent would be better than nothing.

Once everything was set up she returned to check on the Colonel, to find him sleeping. He appeared to be resting comfortably and peacefully, but couldn't really tell for sure. Whatever was wrong with him made it difficult to tell.

She realized she was starving and decided to pull out some food. She had enough rations to last a week, but would soon need to make a decision about what they were going to do.

By the time her meal was heated up the Colonel was awake. He lay quietly, his eyes on hers, again not moving. She was so worried about him but didn't know what to do beyond make sure he got food and water and rest. "Hungry Sir? I've just heated up some food – I don't even know what it is, but it tastes like chicken. Would you like some?"

She moved over beside him and helped him sit up so that he was leaning against the large boulders at the edge of their camp. He sat quietly; his arms limp by his sides, his eyes gazing at something in the vicinity of his knees. She wanted to scream, to see if _something_, _anything_, would pull him out of this trance-like state. She restrained herself, knowing it would do little good and could actually harm the Colonel.

Sam reached out and touched his arm. "Come on Jack – let's see if you can eat something." She tried to feed him small bites of the MRE but he wouldn't open his mouth. He wouldn't even look at the spoon, his eyes continuing to stare downward. After a few minutes she gave up and ate the meal herself. Wanting to weep with fear and frustration and tiredness, instead she went and got the canteen and offered him a drink.

As before he accepted the water, drinking from the canteen when she held it to his mouth. When she pulled it away he stopped and didn't look at it or respond to her in anyway. If he was still thirsty he didn't show it, seeming to accept that she'd finished giving him the water. She experimented briefly by holding it to his lips again and again he drank.

Regarding him through narrowed eyes she wondered about his reactions. She'd noticed it before – he responded to her – mostly, but wasn't able to initiate anything. Barring a couple of brief looks at her, for the most part he seemed to remain in some kind of stupor. She had no idea how to get through to him, or even whether she could.

She pushed herself to her feet and stretched. "I'm just going into the bushes a ways Sir", she told him, "to the latrine. Just stay here, okay?"

As she walked off she snorted softly. "Right – as if he's going to get up and go exploring!" It was only as she was finished – pulling up her pants and zipping them – that she thought about the Colonel. "Crap!" He'd had something to drink – numerous times. He _must_ have to go. Now how in hell was she going to manage this? The thought of 'handling' things on her own definitely didn't appeal, not when it was the Colonel.

She made her way back to him, not surprised to notice that he hadn't moved from the position in which she'd left him. "Uh Sir?" No reaction. "Do you – uh – have to go to the bathroom?" She watched him carefully, but there was no reaction to that at all. She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. She was clearly going to have to take charge. "I think that maybe we should head to the latrine. It's been a while since you've gone." In fact he hadn't gone – not since they'd found him. He must be terribly uncomfortable.

"Come on Sir – I have to get you up. I know, this is going to be uncomfortable for you – but you'll feel better afterward."

She managed to walk him a little ways into the jungle but decided not to go too far. At least they weren't on a hill! She choked slightly on that, but knew her laughter was more from nerves than true humor.

"Okay Colonel – here we are. I don't suppose you can do this on your own?" This time he was staring at a tree rather than at his feet – which she supposed might have been progress, although right now she really wanted him to say something sarcastic and send her away. "No? Okay then, I'm gonna help you – although so help me, if you _ever_ mention this I will deny it!"

She leaned him up against a tree, not sure how steady he was on his feet. She then took a deep breath and reached for his fly. Oh God – she couldn't believe she was doing this. Just pretend you're a nurse Sam, she told herself. There is absolutely no reason to be embarrassed. Right – no reason – but she was anyway. She pulled down the zipper and decided to undo the button as well. Might as well make this as easy as possible.

She paused then, not quite sure what to do. Okay, that was a lie. She _knew_ what to do – she just didn't want to. With a quick prayer she reached out, only to have her hand knocked away.

"What?" she glanced up, startled, to see the Colonel staring at her, still with no expression, but he _was_ looking at her. "You want to do this on your own?" she asked. No answer – not even any reaction – but somehow she knew that that was exactly what the Colonel wanted. "Okay – I'll just give you some privacy. Uh – let me know when you're finished?"

She observed him carefully for a few seconds, but he seemed steady enough. With a sigh she turned and moved a few feet away, behind another tree. "Okay Colonel – I'm not looking."

She stayed perfectly still, wondering if this was going to work. She prayed it was because she _so_ didn't want to have to help him any further than she had. A moment later she could hear the sound of him peeing and breathed a sigh of relief. So he _was_ able to do some tasks on his own. She wondered what it was that made him able to do some things but not others.

"All done Sir?" she called after a few more minutes. When there was no reply – which she had been expecting – she headed back to his location, making lots of noise to let him know she was on the way. By the time she arrived he was in exactly the same position as she'd left him. She glanced down to see that he was put together – his button done up and his pants zipped, and breathed a sigh of relief. "All done? Good. Now let's get you back." She went to reach out to him when his hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked up, startled. "What is it Sir?"

He was again looking at her but this time – oh God – this time she could see some life in his eyes. It wasn't much, and it wasn't the spark of life and mischief that was usually the Colonel - but it was something. She wanted to cry but instead she patted his hand. "You're welcome Sir", she said softly. "You're getting better and soon you're gonna be fine!"

He continued to grasp her arm the entire way back to camp, but when they arrived he let go and practically slid to the ground. He was asleep within moments.

The next day she tried to get him to eat but again he refused. This time she gave him some broth to drink and at least he accepted that. They again took the trip to the jungle and again she left him to take care of business on his own. She didn't unzip his pants this time but he seemed to manage that on his own. She was truly grateful.

She spent a little time helping him wash. Well, if truth were told, _she_ did the washing, while he sat quietly. She wondered what would have happened if she'd simply left him. Would he have done it himself? She decided not to try and find out – not today. And anyway, she had to admit to herself that _this_ she enjoyed. "There you go Sir – all clean. Now why don't you lie back and rest. I'm going to do a little exploring." She waited until he was lying back down and then placed the canteen and his radio by his side. She debated whether or not to leave his gun, but in the end decided not to. He wasn't in any shape to fire it and could end up hurting himself. She just hoped there were no dangers in the vicinity.

She hated leaving him, and looked back every few feet, but knew that she had little choice. They _had_ to find some kind of civilization or move on to another planet. "Where could we go where the NID won't find us?" she muttered to herself as she made her way down the beach. Sadly, she couldn't think of anywhere they had visited – where she might want to return – which the NID wouldn't have on their list.

As she walked she sighed. Maybe they'd luck out and she'd find some nice, friendly natives.

Well, if there were any they were well hidden, she decided after a few hours of hunting. She'd returned to check on the Colonel twice – both times finding him asleep. She'd woken him up and given him a drink and the second time had taken him to what was now their 'latrine'. He was back to staring aimlessly, initiating no eye contact with her. However she knew he had it in him and continued to be hopeful that he'd improve.

By that evening she was tired, but no closer to finding anyone on their tropical paradise planet. She'd observed a few fruits that were probably edible, but other than that – and maybe catching some fish, she didn't know if they'd be able to find enough food to survive. She also couldn't claim to be good at fishing, at least not fishing in the ocean, and they didn't have any equipment. "Sir – I certainly wish you were better", she'd muttered at one point, "because I'm not quite sure what to do. If we don't find anything in the next couple of days, I think we'll have to try another planet."

She was getting very tired of talking to herself, at least that's what it felt like. It was eerie speaking to someone who didn't respond at all. It was almost as if he wasn't there. She began to feel guilty for the fact that they hadn't found the Colonel sooner. If they had, maybe he wouldn't be in the state he was in. "Damn it!" she'd whispered. "Why did this have to happen Jack? Why the hell did you agree to go to Earth? You should have left with Thor and then you wouldn't be – like this!" She impatiently rubbed the tears from her cheeks, knowing this was accomplishing nothing, but deciding to allow a few moments of self-pity. Tomorrow she'd be back to being the tough Air Force officer – tonight she was a sad, lonely and frightened woman.

"Good morning Sir!" she said cheerily. She was pleased when she actually got a few blinks in response to her greeting. "Been hangin' around Thor I see", she teased him. "I just wished I was as good at 'blink-reading' as you are. So, I hope you're hungry this morning because you _are_ going to eat! No more of this picky behavior Sir. You need to keep up your strength because I am _not_ going to carry you. I know – you'd like that, wouldn't you? But nope – you're going to eat a wonderful -" she pulled out one of her MRE's and looked at it "a wonderful meal of scrambled eggs and hash browns. Mmm – doesn't that sound yummy?"

She realized, ten minutes later, that she was living a well-known conundrum: the irresistible force had just run up against the immovable object. She was still waiting to see which one would win.

"You _have_ to eat Sir", she said patiently, for about the twentieth time. "I will sit here until you eat this, even if we have to stay like this for the next ten years." When the Colonel didn't reply – surprise, surprise, she wanted to throw the eggs at him, but restrained herself. Her arm, the one holding the spoon, eventually got tired so she switched arms. "Did I ever tell you Colonel, that Jacob Carter was known to be one of the most stubborn General's the Air Force ever had? Yes, it's true. And you know what else? I am definitely his daughter. I once sat at the dinner table for six hours, refusing to eat my cauliflower. Eventually my parents gave in. So, we're in this for the long haul." She moved the spoon closer to his mouth, just touching it with the edge. "Come on Sir – it's just scrambled eggs!"

He completely ignored her – and the spoon, so she continued to sit, every few minutes switching the spoon to the other hand. After about forty minutes she'd decided she needed to do something to keep herself amused, and so started to hum.

She hummed all of the TV show theme songs she could think of and then moved on to children's songs. Once that was done she switched to Christmas music and then went back to TV themes. She was heartily sick of all of them, but singing – or humming – was better than dumping a tray of scrambled eggs and hash over the Colonel's – "Whoa!"

She almost _did_ spill the eggs when the Colonel suddenly – and almost violently – took the bite of cold and congealed eggs that had been sitting on the spoon for an hour and a half. She watched as he chewed it and swallowed. She was so surprised she just stared, but after a moment made a small sound and scooped up another spoonful.

The Colonel managed to eat almost the entire MRE and Sam was pretty sure he'd hated the whole thing, even though his expression hadn't changed. She knew that if – no _when_, the Colonel was better she'd get serious payback for this one.

But right now, she didn't care! She wanted to dance – to _sing_. The Colonel had eaten finally. She looked at him and smiled. "That's great Sir – thank you!" She picked up the almost empty tray and stood up to place it in the garbage, humming as she went. She stopped suddenly when she heard what sounded like a groan. She glanced at Jack, to see him with an expression – an actual expression on his face. It was faint, but it was t here. "Sir", she breathed, watching him closely. He almost looked like he was in pain.

"What's wrong Sir?" she asked. His face evened out and the expression was gone, leaving her wondering what that was about, or whether she'd imagined it. She watched him for a few more seconds and then stood, this time quietly. Not looking at him, she missed the relief in his eyes.

The next morning started out much the same as the previous one. The Colonel was the same but she felt a little bit better, having seen glimpses of reaction from him. She convinced herself that it was just a matter of time before he was on the road to recovery.

Once the morning routine was taken care of, she sat beside the Colonel. "I'm going to go exploring again Sir. I'm heading west this time. I've left some food and drink for you as well as the radio. I'll call in regularly. Take it easy Colonel." She reached out and gave him a light touch on his shoulder and then stood quickly and was gone.

She'd been gone for just about an hour when she first spotted signs of life. A number of trees had been cut, obviously with a tool, and there were footprints all around. They looked human, which made her give a sigh of relief. She moved around the site slowly and carefully to see if there was anything else she could discover.

The only thing she found was a trail leading away from the trees and deeper into the jungle. She stopped and debated whether or not she should follow or whether to return to the Colonel. She hated leaving him alone, but knew it was important to find whoever lived here. After a moment she pulled out her radio. "Colonel", she said, "I've found some footprints, about an hour due west of camp. I'm going to follow them for a while. I hope everything is okay." She went to put her radio back in her vest when she heard a 'click' and then a soft hissing noise. The Colonel must have hit the talk button, although he wasn't saying anything. She wondered briefly if he had done it accidentally. "Sir?"

Suddenly she heard shouting and the sounds of branches cracking and leaves rustling. "_Sir_!" She turned around and began running back to camp, cursing at herself for having left the Colonel all alone.

She heard more noise – more shouting, and suddenly the radio went dead.

She ran faster than she ever had in her life.


	27. Ailani

_**Belated Merry Christmas! I'm finally getting back to this story after way too long a delay. I hope to have a chance to get more chapters out over the holidays since I have a few days off.**_

_**I hope all of you have had, or are having, a wonderful holiday!**_

She slowed down before she reached the camp even though all her instincts said to rush and save the Colonel. Fortunately her training overcame those instincts and she approached the campsite cautiously, making sure she made no sound and kept to the thick undergrowth.

When she was finally able to see what was going on she cursed – silently. The Colonel was lying on his side, curled up into a ball. He was surrounded by a group of men – men clad in loincloths and pointing weapons at him. Two of the men were arguing loudly with one another, while the other four kept strict watch on the Colonel.

Fortunately the weapons they carried were primitive. Each man was armed with a long lance-like object. As far as she could tell it was made of wood, although the sharpened end looked like it may have been made of stone, or possibly a rough metal, pounded to a point.

She almost rushed forward as one of the men started to prod the Colonel in the side with his weapon. O'Neill made a noise and tried to roll away, but was stopped by another lance being shoved at him from the other side.

One of the natives who'd been arguing spoke sharply, and the other men pulled their weapons back, although they continued to guard the Colonel.

Sam debated what she should do. There were six of them, and she could probably take out three or four with either her gun or the zat. That would still leave two – at least two that she could see. She had no idea if there were any others in the vicinity. And then there was the problem of getting O'Neill back to the gate before the alarm was raised. She cursed again. Why had she left him alone?

She stopped that line of thought almost immediately. The Colonel himself had taught her that guilt and recriminations were best left until _after _a mission. Right now they'd get in the way of finding a solution. So, putting everything out of her mind except trying to figure out how to get out of this situation, she continued to watch.

The man who'd spoken a moment ago – the taller of the two - appeared to be the leader as the others glanced to him occasionally, clearly following his directions. The other man, with whom he'd been arguing, seemed to have accepted whatever had been said, although she could tell he was still angry. She guessed he resented the authority of the other man, although he wasn't about to say anything quite yet. She wondered if the leader knew he had a rival?

The tall man spoke again, sharply, and Sam watched as two others began to collect their supplies. Sam cursed as she saw their things thrown haphazardly into a sack and carried off. The leader then nodded and made a motion and two more of the men bent down to O'Neill and pulled him to his feet.

She watched as he swayed, and would have fallen, except that the two who had pulled him up were able to brace him on either side. A moment later they'd taken a length of rope from their supplies and had tied the Colonel's arms behind his back, leaving a five-foot length of rope hanging behind him.

She watched O'Neill to see how he was reacting to being captured. She grimaced at the non-expression on his face. His face was completely blank and he didn't appear to care, or even have noticed that he had been captured.

She wondered briefly if his mind had been permanently damaged by whatever had been done to him. She'd refused to believe it before, but now – she'd never seen him accept capture so passively, as if he didn't care. She felt a moment's despair, but then forced that thought from her mind too. Now was not the time to worry about anything but getting him back and to safety.

It wasn't long before the small troop of natives – she wondered if they were fighting men or hunters – headed out, away from the campsite. O'Neill was forced to move by a shove from one of the men. He stumbled and would have fallen except that someone had grabbed the rope behind him and when he almost fell, pulled him up with it. Sam winced, knowing it must have hurt like hell as his arms were wrenched backward, but he didn't react.

She followed them for hours, keeping well back so that she wasn't discovered. They made brief stops, usually to stop and drink, although once they pulled out some rations and each of them had something to eat. She was relieved to see they gave something to the Colonel. He refused to eat – no surprise – but he did accept water. Although he stumbled occasionally, and would be jerked upright by the man holding his rope, he appeared to be steadier on his feet than before. Maybe he was getting better.

They made camp before dark and Sam watched as one of the men untied the Colonel and led him into the trees. After a few minutes they returned and he was pushed to the ground where he immediately curled up again. There was still no expression on his face.

Sam didn't get much sleep that night, although she was able to doze off and on. She checked regularly to see that the Colonel was okay, but as far as she could tell he slept the whole night. No one appeared to bother him.

The next morning they got going early and this time the Colonel's hands were left free, although he was watched carefully and there was always someone next to him. Sam continued to follow them, still trying to figure out a way to get him away from his captors. She was getting more worried the farther away from the gate they walked.

It was early afternoon before anything happened. The men were walking, some of them talking and laughing, when all of a sudden there was a shout. Sam dropped to the ground and watched, praying that it wasn't anything that would harm O'Neill. She waited, observing as the six men all looked towards the direction from which the shout had come. A few seconds later a young boy, no more than about ten years old, ran into view. He was followed, almost immediately, by a group of five or six more children.

Most of the men dropped to their knees, their arms held out. The children all ran forward and threw themselves at the men. All were laughing and talking – all except the leader, who continued to watch the prisoner. A few moments later he spoke and everyone stood and turned back in the direction they'd been heading. Sam stood up slowly and went to follow.

"Who are you?" a young voice asked behind her. She almost fainted.

When she'd gotten her equilibrium back she turned around, to see a boy – also about ten or eleven years old, standing and watching her. He was dressed, like the men, in nothing more than a loincloth. He had a shock of brown hair, much of which was hanging in his eyes. He was regarding her intently, a look of seriousness on his face which belied his young age.

"Who are you and why are you following my father?"

"Your father?" she asked, trying hard to figure out what to do.

The boy nodded. "My father is Ailani", he told her, as if that explained everything.

"Ailani?"

"Yes", he frowned. "He is chief of our clan. He is powerful – more powerful than our enemies and keeps us safe."

"Oh", she nodded. "Yes, I'm sure he is."

"So, who are you and why are you here?"

"Uh, I'm Sam – antha", she replied. "What's your name?"

"I am Kamalei, first son of Ailani", he replied. Suddenly, without warning, he opened his mouth and shouted for his father. "You are a spy", he told her angrily. "You are from the Ngati-Keaka and come to destroy us!"

She heard a shout and then the sound of feet pounding towards her. She clasped her weapon carefully and waited. For a brief moment she thought about grabbing the boy to use as a bargaining chip, but quickly decided against that. It would only increase the distrust and solidify, in the minds of the natives, that she was an enemy.

A few more seconds and two men burst upon them, their weapons raised threateningly. It was only as they stood beside her that she realized how huge the natives were. One of them looked to be almost 6'8" or 6'9" . He was huge. "What is this son?" the taller of the two asked sharply – he must be Ailani Sam decided. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"She is a spy, father", Kamalei replied. "She was following you. Her name is Sam – ata. She is from the Ngati-Keaka and has come to destroy us."

Ailani's eyebrows went up and his eyes swiveled towards her. "Is this true?" he asked.

"No. I am no spy – and I am not from the – from the Ngati-Keaka. I don't even know what that is."

"You were following us", Ailani said – and it wasn't a question.

Sam sighed, deciding she would be better off telling at least a part of the truth. "Yes, I was. You captured my friend and I was following to see where you were taking him and to make sure you didn't hurt him."

"Your friend?" Ailani asked, sounding confused. "The man with us? He is your mate?"

"My – uh, no. Like I said, we're friends."

"Friends? Women and men are not friends", he stated categorically, starting to look angry.

Great! They'd come to one of _those_ planets. Just what she needed, a place where a woman's worth was measured in terms of her status as mother, wife or daughter. She sighed, acknowledging to herself that it was for the greater good so she just had to suck it up. She debated for a moment telling them that the Colonel was her brother, or uncle, but decided it might be safer if she was attached. "Uh – we're betrothed", she said finally.

"Betrothed?" Ailani questioned. "What is this?"

"It means we will become mates, that we are promised to one another."

"Oh", he nodded. "But why are you travelling together if you are only promised? It is not seemly."

She thought quickly. "He was ill, and I was taking him to the waters to be healed."

"The waters?"

"Yes, you must know of them? Uh – the waters of Niagara, that is their name. They are very powerful and will heal people."

"I have not heard of this Nia - gara. You are in the land of the Ati-Makani, _my_ land. There are no magical waters here."

"What? Oh drat. I must have taken a wrong turn at the circle. I'm so sorry. I'll just take the – my betrothed – and we'll be out of your hair."

"My hair?"

"I mean we'll leave your land and not disturb you anymore. We didn't mean to trespass. I got lost."

"You said at the Circle. You were there?"

"Yes", she looked at him carefully. Had she just made a tactical error in admitting that? Different planets viewed the Stargate in different ways. For those who knew it's purpose it was generally viewed as little more than a gateway. For others it was a blessed or holy site and for still others it was a cursed place, a place to be avoided. She prayed the people of Ati-Makani weren't in that last category.

The man with Ailani looked startled and opened his mouth as if to say something. The leader lifted his hand, stopping his companion from speaking. "You must come with us", he told her, his face relaxing into a neutral expression. "You will be welcome to stay until your promised one is healed."

"Uh – that's okay. I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"You will not be a burden", he replied. Suddenly, with little warning, Ailani smiled. He went from being an intimidating warrior to a pleasant looking man. If Sam hadn't learned to be cautious and always suspicious (a trait she'd picked up from the Colonel), she might have relaxed. As it was she kept her guard up as the man gestured for her to follow.

At least he hadn't demanded she give up her weapons. Although it might have been that he didn't recognize that they _were_ weapons. Still, he was walking as if he trusted her, which did relax her a bit.

However she wouldn't let her guard down until she saw the Colonel and they got away from this place. As beautiful as it was, she was beginning to wonder if they'd picked the wrong planet.

Kamalei chatted non-stop the entire way. Now that his father was with them he was no longer frightened or wary but seemed to have accepted her as a visitor – a welcome visitor. He spent the next few minutes asking her all sorts of questions. It might have been tricky except for the fact that he barely let her answer before moving on to the next question.

The other man with them – she found out his name was Ponui – glanced at her as they walked. He didn't seem frightened or angry, but there was definitely something about her that interested him. She didn't _think_ it was her personally, but rather her mention of the gate that had caused that interest.

A few minutes later she heard talking and suddenly they were with the rest of the group. Sam didn't stop to think but raced up to the Colonel. "Sir, are you okay?" she asked softly. She grabbed his arms and turned him so that he faced her. There was a brief flicker of something – she assumed it was recognition – but then his face went slack and his eyes moved down, to again stare at the ground.

She wanted to scream at him, to get him to look at her, to _respond_ to her. "Colonel!" she said sharply, tugging on his arms. "_Look at me Sir_!" When he didn't respond she put her finger under his chin and lifted his head. His eyes still remained focused downward.

"What the hell are you looking at", she snapped at him. "I know you can hear me so why don't you answer me?" Still no reaction. She sighed and allowed her hand to drop. Closing her eyes she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. There was no point getting angry at him. It wasn't his fault.

She forced herself to lift her head and face Ailani. "I'm sorry", she tried to smile. "He is very ill – but don't worry – it is not contagious. Uh – you can't get it from him. He was injured."

"He is not here", Ailani said softly.

"What?"

"His mana – it is absent. It is with the gods and that is why he is as he is."

"I – okay", she nodded, not sure what he was trying to say, but feeling too tired to try and decipher what he was saying.

"Come! We must return to the village. Our people await."

"What about the – what about Jack and me?"

"Jack?"

"My – promised."

"You will come with us. And do not worry. You will be our guests."

After a pause, during which she regarded the man carefully, she finally nodded. He seemed sincere and really, she didn't have a choice anyway. And if their culture was like many more primitive ones, to be a guest was sacred. They wouldn't be hurt.

Looking at the Colonel she recognized that he was about ready to collapse. They both needed rest. "Okay, thank you. We will accompany you."

She continued to stand beside O'Neill as they readied to depart. She took a deep breath, not sure what was going to happen next but knowing that right now she needed to get him to a place where he could lie down. Before she had time to move she felt a hand sneak into hers. She glanced sharply right, to see the Colonel staring straight ahead, his face still blank. But he'd reached for he hand and had grasped it with his. For the first time that day she felt like maybe there was hope.

She gave his hand a squeeze. "We're gonna be okay Sir."

They started walking towards the village, and her hand remained tightly clasped in that of the Colonel's.


	28. Land of the Living

There was so much to learn, so much to see and to understand that he knew it would take a lifetime.

He didn't really understand or know where he was, or what was happening. All he knew was that it was amazing and beautiful and that he didn't want to leave. It was as if someone had uncovered all the mysteries of the universe and were unfolding them just for him.

He had a vague sense, sometimes, that there was something else, _somewhere_ else other than the wonders that existed in his mind. He felt small things impinging on what he was seeing and experiencing, but for the most part he was able to ignore them. He wanted to keep seeing and hearing and feeling and _sensing_ the miracles that surrounded him.

He'd lost the connection to the physical world, to other people, to _self_. He had no real idea of who he was or even what he was. Instead it was all about the mysteries that were unfolding in his mind.

He did find himself occasionally disturbed by small things – things he wished he could ignore but which poked at him. He grew thirsty and so when liquid was presented he responded and drank. Hunger he could ignore, and almost always did (expect for the one time when he ate to stop the noise that repeated and repeated in his consciousness). His other bodily functions he couldn't ignore and _did_ feel a brief moment of relief when he emptied his bladder.

But other than those things he was able to exist completely in his mind and ignore the inconsequential things that were going on around him.

Pain didn't really register, although he was aware of it in a strange, distant way. The sounds and sights around him, those he could easily ignore. He didn't really even see or hear things, although again he knew they were there and sometimes was able to navigate, when he had to. No, there was nothing that he really wanted to allow into his consciousness – nothing except _her._

He didn't even know what that meant – or who or what that was. _She, her _– it was something that wouldn't let him go, wouldn't let him exist solely for the knowledge, the wonder, the joy that was in his mind.

He felt something briefly at that thought – at the thought of _her_. It was as if something was nudging him, pushing him out of the state in which he existed. He resisted, and then felt guilty. He couldn't forget _her_ – he couldn't let her go – _could he_?

* * *

They arrived at the village in a few minutes. People moved out of their small huts and greeted the returning men. There were smiles and shouts and laughter. Clearly it was a joyous reunion. Sam wondered why the men had been gone in the first place. They didn't have any game with them so she didn't think it could have been a hunting party. Maybe they were warriors?

She and Jack were noticed soon after the initial greetings and the group grew quiet. Ailani spread his arms and spoke in a loud, authoritarian voice. "These are our guests. This man – Jack – is not with us. His mana is visiting the gods. He is to be cared for and honored for his journey."

There was murmuring and some of the people looked frightened, although no one spoke out loud. Sam was curious about the idea of Jack's 'mana'.

"This woman – Sam – ata – is Jack's Promised One. She accompanied him to look after him while he journeyed to the gods. She too is to be treated as a guest and to be honored for her service to her Promised One."

Ailani looked at an older woman. "Mother, see to their comfort."

The old woman nodded and scurried over to Sam. "Come, you shall bring your man so that he can rest."

Sam smiled and thanked her. She pulled the Colonel after her as she followed the older woman. The crowd of people opened up to let her pass, their eyes following her, but no one spoke.

"Here, you can stay here", the woman pointed to a small hut. "We shall bring you food and blankets. I am Merenui, mother of Ailani. You must ask me if you need anything." The woman glanced over at Jack, who continued to stand quietly. "Your man – he may not return", she stated. "It is hard to leave the gods", she whispered. "I hear it is beautiful there."

"Mmm", Sam smiled. Even though she didn't understand this whole 'visiting the gods' thing, she was grateful that the people seemed to see it as something positive. In many cultures anyone who suffered any kind of mental illness would have been viewed with fear or hatred.

"Does he love you?" Merenui asked suddenly.

"Uh – what?"

"Your Promised, does he love you?"

"I – I guess", she said, sounding unsure.

The old woman sighed. "If he loved you truly, then there is hope that he will return, otherwise – he will simply fade away until he is with them completely. I am sorry – I would not wish this on a woman. But if that happens, you will still find joy in another man." She grinned suddenly. "There are many here who would be interested in you. You are a beautiful woman and that hair – you have been blessed by the gods."

Sam thanked the old woman as she left, although she was definitely relieved to have a few minutes alone. She glanced at the Colonel and groaned. She really wasn't alone, even though she felt like it. "Come on Sir - why don't you sit down. I'll get you some water and then you can rest."

She managed to get some liquid into the Colonel and within moments he was sound asleep. She observed him carefully as he slept, feeling a horrible sadness wash over her. "Is this it Colonel?" she whispered. "Is this how you're going to live the rest of your life? Oh Jack", she cried, the tears starting. "Please, please come back to me." She reached out and gently touched his cheek. "Please Jack – don't do this. Come back to me. I need you. I _love_ you."

She lay down beside him and allowed herself to cry. She put her arm around his chest and held on tightly. She kept waiting for him to make some quip – to make her laugh and let her know he was in there. But he didn't. He didn't move, didn't respond. Maybe the old lady was right. Maybe he'd found some place better, more beautiful than here.

She pulled herself up and gave the Colonel a soft kiss on the cheek. "I hope wherever you are it is beautiful Sir. You deserve that." With a sigh she scooted down and closed her eyes. She was so tired.

The days continued, each one sliding into the next with little variation. The Colonel remained the same. She managed to coax small amounts of food into him, but she knew he wouldn't survive long on what he ate. He was already looking guant and his clothes were starting to hang off of him.

He did drink and he was able to walk to the forest a couple of times a day to take a leak. Other than that he did nothing.

Sam was starting to go crazy. She was bored and depressed and not sure what her next stop should be. She figured she and the Colonel should head back to the gate. She could try and take him somewhere where he could get help – preferably the Asgard. The problem was, she didn't think he would make it. With the lack of food he was growing steadily weaker and a two-day walk to the Stargate would be almost impossible.

She'd hoped that as she got to know the Ati-Makani that they'd begin to trust her and then she could ask for help getting the Colonel to the gate. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be happening.

Oh, the people were hospitable, offering food and anything else she could need, but they certainly didn't reach out to her to include her in village life. She spent most of her days alone in her hut.

The exception was Ailani and his family. He visited frequently and sometimes brought his son or his mother with him. Sam learned about him – how he'd inherited his position from his father. He'd married at a young age to Moheia, Kamalei's mother. She had died giving birth to the boy and he'd never remarried. According to Merenui, he'd buried his heart with his young bride.

"He puts all his love into that boy", Merenui exclaimed. "He could have his pick of women to take as a wife but he doesn't look at any of them." She grinned then. "Except you."

"What?" Sam's head whipped around. "_Me_? What are you talking about?"

"My son – he admires you. No, he _desires_ you."

"He does not", Sam said sharply. "And anyway, I'm promised."

"Yes, to the vacant one. He will soon go completely with the gods. He is dying now. After that you must look to your future. Ailani is a good man and will make a good husband." On those words the old woman stood and walked away.

Sam went back and sat beside the Colonel – her usual place now days. She looked at him carefully, wanting to deny what Merenui had said. But she couldn't. Jack _was_ dying, there could be no doubt. He was slowly starving to death and she didn't know what to do to stop it.

* * *

"You are allowing your desire to get in the way of your sense Ailani!" Teina barked at him. "Just because she is a beautiful woman does not mean that she is safe. You do now know why they are here."

"They are here to find the magic waters to cure the man", Ailani told his younger brother. He and Teina, although born of the same parents, had never seen eye to eye. Unlike some siblings who had a fast and true bond, the two of them had been rivals since they were small.

Teina resented the fact that since he was the younger he would miss out on the power and prestige that his brother received as tribe leader. He felt his brother was too soft, too careless in the way he led the tribe. It he was the clan chief he would have been much stricter – and he would have waged war against their neighbors to win territory and honor.

The woman, and her imbecile man, were a distraction and one the tribe didn't need. Teina also felt an instinctive fear of the two, and he knew he had to get rid of them, by one means or another. If it took killing them he would do it, although his first choice was to have Ailani cast them out and send them back from where they came.

Although there was something which intrigued Teina and made him rethink his plan to get rid of the woman. He had never heard of Nia – gara and nor, did it seem, had anyone else. He also found out from Ponui that the woman had spoken of the circle. He needed to find out more about that from her. Maybe he'd even consider taking her as his wife – then she'd have to tell him about the circle. Once he knew its powers then he would continue with his plan to take over as chief. Part of that plan included getting rid of Kamalei, heir to the throne.

* * *

"You must join us Sam–ata", Ailani stood in front of her, her hand in his. He came by everyday and she appreciated it, although since his mother's visit she was more self-conscious. The last thing she needed was a problem with a love-sick Chief. Jack, where are you when I need you, she said to herself?

"I – thank you Ailani, but I need to stay with Jack", she told him. She'd been invited by Ailani and his mother to a celebration down by the beach. The tribe had discovered a whale (or this planet's equivalent – the tribe called it a koloha) that had beached itself. After a few days it had died and they immediately began cutting it up and collecting the blubber and the meat. It was a huge haul for the tribe, proving enough meat for a long time to come.

Ailani had declared that they must have a day and a night of celebration and everyone was going down to the beach. "One of the old ones can watch Jack. You must come."

She wanted to refuse, but felt an abrupt longing for something other than watching him just lie there. She needed to _breathe_ – to get away and think of something other than him. With a stab of grief and guilt she took a breath and nodded. "Alright, but please make sure someone stays with him."

Ailani smiled and a few minutes later returned with one of the old women of the tribe. Sam had a moment's hesitation but then decided it would be okay. It's not as if the Colonel was going to get up and wander off. She gave the woman instructions – basically to watch him – and then followed the chief down towards the beach.

* * *

Jack became aware that something was different. He didn't know quite what it was, and was going to ignore it and go back to his contemplation of the universe, when a sound got through to him. He forced himself to be aware, if only vaguely, of the world around him.

"Iriata", a voice whispered. The old lady started and looked furtively into the growing shadows of the hut.

"What? Who are you?" she hissed back.

"It is I – Temoe, the dusk. You must leave this place."

"What?" she asked fearfully. "I cannot. Ailani told me to stay."

"The gods want this one – they want the man. If you remain they will take you with them. Do you want that? Do you want to go with the gods?"

"No", she answered, "no. I am not ready." She stood and backed away from the body of the sleeping man. "Please, I do not want to go."

"Then leave now, but tell no one that Temoe warned you or the gods will enact vengeance on both of us. Just leave quietly and no harm will befall you."

With that Iriata fled the hut, her soft cries going unheard in the night.

The one calling himself Temoe entered the hut and looked down at the man in front of him, a smile on his face. "It is time for you to go with the gods stranger", he whispered menacingly. "Your woman will then be free and I will take her and find out the secret of the circle."

He knelt down beside the man and lifted his arm. In his hand he held a dagger. It descended quickly toward the sleeping man's chest. Just as it fell a shaft of light entered through the small window in the hut, illuminating the assassin's face. It was Teina.

Jack heard the voice and instantly knew something was wrong. He could sense evil intent on the part of the one speaking. He barely heard when the woman spoke and didn't know when she left. Instead he waited until the evil presence approached, replacing the old one that had been sitting near him.

He forced his ears to really listen this time, understanding that this was important. He didn't know why, but when the evil one spoke of 'his woman' it brought him even further back to reality.

He felt, rather than saw, the movement towards him. Too weak to do much he thrust up his arm, deflecting the course of the object. Still, it was able to continue its path and there was a brief moment of agony as something pierced his chest.

The pain, on top of the thoughts of the woman, _his_ woman, brought him fully back to the present. He felt the object pull out of him and the man above him rush off. His eyes followed him as he left.

For the first time in days Jack was aware of his surroundings, although part of him - a _large_ part of him, wished he wasn't. The pain in his chest was excruciating. He wasn't quite aware enough to know what exactly had happened, but he did know that the man who had just left had tried to hurt him – had _succeeded_ in hurting him. He rather expected the man's intent had been to kill him – but he hadn't succeeded, although Jack rather thought he might need some assistance to ensure that didn't happen anytime soon.

Where was he? He slowly looked around the room. It was dark, with only a bit of moonlight, but he could tell he was in some kind of primitive hut. He was lying on a mat on the ground and there was a blanket over him – or at least it had been over him. It had been knocked to the side during the brief – what – fight, assassination attempt? He next looked down at himself and realized the moonlight was shining directly on his chest. He stared for a moment, wondering what was glowing so brightly in the silver light.

He finally reached with his hand – his very shaky hand – and touched the shiny spot. It was wet. He pulled his hand away and stared for another few seconds at his hand. Why was it wet?

He moved his hand to his face and smelled – blood. It was blood. It was – oh God – it was _his blood. _

The pain again shot through him and a groan escaped. He checked out his chest again and realized that the spot was growing – way too quickly. He was hurt, and badly, and needed help. His mind fully clicked back into the painful reality of the present.

But where was he? Was he a prisoner? Why had someone tried to kill him? And where was his team? He shook his head, trying to clear it. After a few moments he realized that if he wanted to live he needed help and he was going to have to find it himself.

He struggled to his feet – the weakness and pain making it almost impossible. But he wasn't going to let little things like that stop him. He needed to find his teammates. They'd help him. They'd take him to Janet and she'd fix him up and all would be well.

He took a step and almost ended up flat on his back. He had to breath through the pain to keep himself from fainting or from throwing up. He knew he needed to stop the bleeding and quickly. He could feel the blood soaking his shirt and trailing down his stomach into the waist of his pants.

Trying to see in the dark room was difficult, but eventually he found a pack – he wasn't sure if it was his, but that didn't matter. What he needed was to find a first aid kit. He stumbled over to it and knelt down – again almost falling – and began to pull things out indiscriminately. He knew almost immediately that it wasn't his, but didn't really care, especially since he found the kit.

He set it down beside him with shaking hands and opened it, praying that there'd be something to help him. He had to blink a couple of times to clear his eyes and then he looked to see what would help. "Thank God", he whispered, when he saw the packet of QuickClot. He grabbed it and almost laughed when he couldn't get the damn thing open.

It was as he tried to tear it with his teeth that he realized. "Idiot!" He stopped trying to open the package so that he could pull up his shirt. He needed to see the damn wound before he could pour the stuff on it.

"Damn!" It looked worse than he'd hoped. It was almost hard to see the wound itself since there was so much blood all over his chest and stomach. "Bleeding like a pig O'Neill", he told himself. He reached back in the pack and grabbed the super absorbent towel that was there. He hoped it was clean, but right now infection was the last thing on his mind. He had to stop the damned bleeding first.

He wiped up as much blood as he could with the towel, tossing it away when he could do no more, especially since the wound continued to bleed. At least now he was able to see the two-inch gash right above his left nipple. The man who had tried to kill him had clearly been aiming for his heart. It was only with luck that Jack had been able to divert the downward thrust of what he assumed was a knife. Still, the wound was deep and he could survive the initial attack and end up bleeding to death if he didn't deal with this.

He returned to the packet of QuickClot and managed to open it with the small scissors in the first aid kit. He had to take a deep breath before he poured the stuff on the wound – both because he knew it was going to hurt like hell, and also because he was shaking so badly he was afraid he'd miss.

"Gaaaah!" he yelled softly as the stuff hit the wound. It bubbled and hissed but he _thought_ it was working. He waited a few moments and then looked down again at the wound. He sighed in relief to see that the stuff had done its job and seemed to have stopped the bleeding. Still, he knew this was only a temporary measure and he needed help fast. Grabbing a bottle of antibiotics and some painkillers he forced himself to his feet.

He did a quick check of the hut and found what he was looking for - a canteen which had been beside his mat on the floor. Grimacing as he knelt to pick it up, he told himself he needed to hydrate himself after loosing so much blood. He also needed something to help with the pain and to keep infection at bay. He downed a few of the pills, wishing he could have injected himself with one of the morphine ampules that Janet included, but knowing that he needed all his faculties if he was going to get help.

He waited a moment, trying to tell himself that he was feeling better after taking the pain medication. Knowing he didn't have a huge amount of time left, he headed towards the door.

* * *

Sam tried to get into the spirit of the evening. There was a feast and dancing and singing. A number of the women actually came up to her and tried to be friendly. It was the first time that anyone had actually reached out to her from the tribe and she forced herself to respond pleasantly. In reality all she wanted to do was to rush back to the village and check on the Colonel.

She knew it was ridiculous, knew she was worrying for nothing, but _something_ was bothering her. She had this strange feeling that Jack – no, that Colonel O'Neill needed her.

"Hah", she said softly, "he needs a lot more than I can give him. Damn it Sir – how can I help you?"

"You must relax Sam–ata", Ailani sat down beside her. She had been resting, leaning up against a log and trying to enjoy the beautiful, warm evening. She stopped herself from moving away from the chief and instead gave him a friendly smile.

"I am relaxing", she told him untruthfully. "It's a beautiful evening."

"Yes. But you are not. You are worried about your friend."

Sam noticed that he didn't refer to the Colonel as her Promised One and suddenly wondered if the old woman was right. Was Ailani interested in her? Damn it, she hoped not.

"Yes", she acknowledged. "I am. In fact, I think I should go back and check on him. I don't like to leave him for too long."

Ailani frowned. "You cannot help him", he told her bluntly. "He has chosen his path. You must let him go."

"Let him go? Where? He's sick and needs time to heal."

"He is not sick. He is with the gods."

"You keep saying that. It doesn't mean anything to me. He is not with anyone. He is sick – he was injured – and needs time to heal, that's all."

"You delude yourself Sam-ata. Let him go. He will be at peace and you will be free."

She got to her feet angrily. She was so furious she wanted to strike out at the man who continued to sit on the beach. "I do not _want_ to be free", she practically yelled. Others stopped and watched as she stood over their chief, various expressions of surprise, fear and awe on their faces. Few stood up to Ailani.

"I want him to get better", she cried. "I want him to heal and then I want us to leave here and go home. He isn't going to go with any gods. He is going to stay with me and I'm going to look after him!"

"Good", a strangled voice came out of the night. "Because – I think – I'm gonna need you – Sam." With that she turned just in time to see Jack O'Neil fall at her feet.


	29. Something Borrowed, Something Blue

With the help of Ailani and some of the other men they were able to get Jack back to the village. Sam stayed right by his side, his hand in hers. Even in the moonlight she could see the blood on his shirt and knew that he'd been wounded but how, and why, she had no idea.

As soon as they got him into the hut she asked for lights and immediately opened his shirt. "Damn it!" She could instantly tell that he'd been stabbed, although again by what or whom it was impossible to say. She checked the wound carefully and was surprised to see that it looked as if something was on it. Giving a quick glance around the now lit hut she saw the opened first aid kit and the empty packet of QuickClot.

"Good for you Sir", she murmured. Sam then gathered what supplies she had. "I need boiling water and clean cloths", she instructed whoever was in the room with her.

Ailani answered. "They are on the way. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just make sure I get what I need as quickly as possible."

For the next hour she worked to clean the wound as best she could, and then stitched it up. She was grateful that Janet had made them all learn how to deal with these kinds of injuries and to do stitches. It wasn't her favorite thing, but at least she could do it.

When she finished she injected the Colonel with one of the ampules of broad-based antibiotics included in the kit. She noticed he'd taken some pills, but the injection was much stronger and she knew how bad puncture wounds could be. She prayed that what she had in her kit would be enough to stave off infection. It should help, at least until she was able to get the Colonel somewhere with more advanced medicine.

Finally there was no more she could do so she sat back and heaved a deep sigh. She was exhausted.

"You must rest", Ailani spoke softly behind her. "One of the women will look after him."

She hissed a breath and turned on him. "You left someone in charge while I went to the beach. You told me she would watch him and look what happened to him! Thank you but I'm going to stay here with him. I don't trust any of your women!"

Ailani looked angry and started to speak, but then he closed his eyes and nodded. "You are correct. I am sorry. I will speak with Iriata and she will be punished for leaving him."

"I don't want her punished. I just want to find out what happened. Someone stabbed him and I want to know who and why."

"You do not know it was someone. It could have been O'Neill who did it to himself."

"_What_? You're telling me that he took some kind of knife and stabbed himself and then he made his way all the way to the beach to tell me? That's ridiculous."

"It could have been an accident", Ailani answered angrily.

"Right – an accident! If that's the case, how did he fall on his chest like that and where's the weapon? Do you think he got up, fell on a knife, and then hid it?"

"I do not know but what I am sure of is that I will not accuse anyone until we know the facts."

"That's what I'm _saying_", she answered in frustration. "Talk to the old woman and find out what happened. Until then, I will not leave the Colonel."

The Chief gave a curt nod and exited the hut. The two women who had brought the supplies followed him out, leaving Sam alone with the Colonel.

"You were – kinda hard on the – poor guy", the Colonel said softly, his voice sounding weak and papery thin.

"_Sir_!" She moved quickly until she was sitting right beside him and reached out and took his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore", he admitted.

"Sore?" she snorted. "You have a stab wound in your chest. I think it has to be more than sore."

"Thanks Carter", he answered sarcastically, although still faintly. "I needed a reminder."

She giggled – she couldn't help it. It was the Colonel and he was back. His sarcasm was his way of dealing with pain and she welcomed it. "Sorry Sir", she told him. "I've got some morphine with your name on it to help the 'soreness'."

"Thanks Carter, but I'll wait a bit. I want to hear – what happened."

"You don't remember?"

"Not really – just vague impressions. The last thing I remember clearly was being with dear Colonel Hubbard. After that things are a little – fuzzy."

Suddenly, without warning, Sam felt weak and grabbed the Colonel's arm to keep from toppling over. Of course he noticed and tried to sit up and help, causing all the color to leave his face and to send him flat, panting for breath.

The dizziness was over in a minute and Sam took in a lungful of air. "Lie still Sir!" she told him sharply. "I'm fine – just a bit tired."

He was lying flat, his face paper white and his breathing fast and shallow. She could see the sweat on his upper lip and on his forehead. "Damn it Sir – I'm going to give you some morphine."

The fact that he didn't object proved to her how much pain he had to be in because there was little that Jack O'Neill hated more than heavy-duty pain killers. She retrieved the automatic ampule and before he had a chance to change his mind she'd injected him in the thigh.

"That should help", she told him gently.

"You okay?" he asked after a moment. He still had his eyes closed, but there was some color returning to his cheeks.

"I'm fine- just got a little dizzy for a moment. It's you I'm worried about."

"I'm fine", he told her. "A few days and I'll be as good as new."

"I'm sure you will Colonel. Now go to sleep. I'll be here."

"Mmm", he murmured. After a few seconds he seemed to rouse himself. "You lie down too. No need to sit and watch me." His eyes opened and focused on her. "It's kinda creepy anyway", he told her, tongue in cheek.

"Hah! Creepy? I seem to remember you doing the same on occasion. And it's not creepy it's -"

His eyebrows went up. "It's -?

"Friendly! Now go to sleep."

He smiled and closed his eyes. "Yes Ma'am", he murmured. His hand reached out and searched until he found hers. He clasped it and within moments was sound asleep.

Contrary to his orders, she did keep watching him. It wasn't just that he'd been injured but more that she couldn't believe he was suddenly back with her. That had been the reason for her brief spell. She'd been overwhelmed with relief. Relief that he was once again _The Colonel_ – he was the old Jack and she was so grateful she wanted to cry.

She wondered briefly what it was that had brought him back, but then decided it really didn't matter. He was himself, that's what was important.

After an hour of sitting, holding his hand, Sam realized she had to lie down or she was going to collapse. Carefully letting go of his now relaxed hand, she made her way to the door of the hut and piled a bunch of their things in front of it. It wouldn't stop an intruder, but it would slow that person down. Next she changed into a t-shirt and sweat pants, needing to feel comfortable, and pulled her sleeping bag right next to the Colonel's. She snuggled up to him and gently laid her hand on his stomach, well below the wound. "Goodnight Jack", she whispered. "I'm glad you're back."

The next morning the Colonel had a slight fever and she again injected him with the antibiotic. She only had four more vials so hoped it was doing some good.

He spoke to her briefly, but was obviously in pain and so she again gave him some morphine and told him to sleep. He ended up sleeping most of the day, awake for only brief periods of time.

Ailani came by a few times as did some of the women. He told her about the old woman and what had happened. "She grew frightened, thinking it was the spirit of the dusk that approached her. She feels terrible and would like to come and apologize to you and your man."

Sam sighed, knowing the poor woman couldn't be blamed, although she was frustrated to again be in a place of such superstition. "Tell her she can visit once Jack is better. I'm not really up for visitors until then."

Ailani nodded and left shortly afterward. He came back a couple of times to tell her the tribal leaders were investigating and would find who had done this. She answered distractedly, her eyes and attention on O'Neill. "Thank you", she told him.

As soon as he realized that Sam-ata was focused only on the man, he sighed and left. He still had hope that O'Neill would remain with the gods and that he would have a chance with the beautiful and strong woman. He believed she was a fit consort for the Chief.

Sam realized, after Ailani had left, that other than Jack's few words at the beach, the Chief hadn't seen him awake or lucid. She wondered if the villagers still believed him to be 'gone'. It might be better for them to keep thinking that until they found who had hurt the Colonel. With that in mind she entered the hut and sat beside the sleeping officer.

A short while later he awoke and she reached over and held the canteen to his lips. "Drink Sir. You lost a lot of blood."

"Don't see what fillin' my bladder up has to do with losin' blood", he grumbled, although he did drink deeply from the canteen.

"Your body is dehydrated and you need to replenish liquids lost. And you know all this Sir. You took the same first-aid courses I did."

"Yeah, but you actually _listened_ Carter."

She laughed. "You did too Sir. I saw your test results, remember."

"You won't believe that I bribed the instructor?"

"Nope. I know you're smart Colonel – no point in trying to hide it from me."

"Damn!" he said, although there was a definite twinkle in his eyes. "Although I'm not as smart as you Carter."

"Mmm", she looked at him speculatively. "Right." The only thing she got from him was a grin so she decided to change the subject.

"How are you feeling Sir – and tell the truth. I need to know."

He sighed. "I feel like crap", he told her. "My chest hurts, my head hurts and I gotta pee. Getting stabbed is definitely not what it's cracked up to be."

"No, I'm sure it's not", she smiled. "Well, I can give you some more morphine -"

"No! No more Carter. I'll be fine without it."

"No you won't Sr. But I'll agree to give you some other painkillers – as long as you take them. We can leave the morphine for the next time."

"I'll take the tablets", he agreed, "And I don't plan on there being a next time!"

"That would be nice", she agreed as she pulled out the bottle of pills. "Here, take 3. They should help a bit." She watched as he tossed back the pills and drank from the canteen. "So now that we've dealt with the pain, we'd better deal the other matter."

"What other matter?" he looked at her suspiciously.

"You said you had to pee" she replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh." He closed his eyes. "I do. You gonna help me get up?"

"Nope."

His one eye opened and he peered at her out of it. "You gonna get that big guy to help me?"

"Nope."

He closed his eye. "Bottle?"

"Yup."

"Damn!"

"I will ask one of the men to come in and help you though", she told him gently.

"I'm fine Carter. I've been in the Infirmary enough times to know how to handle things."

She had to press her lips together and take deep breaths from her nose to keep from smiling.

"What?" he looked at her suspiciously.

"Uh – I'm glad you know how to handle things Sir", she choked out. "I'll just – here", she handed him a clay container that one of the women had given her. "I'll just leave you alone for a few minutes."

"You do that Carter", he said, his eyes narrowed. He waited until she left and then let out a small chuckle. Leave it to his Major to cheer him up.

He took care of business, although it was more difficult than he'd expected. He was shaking terribly and he hurt when he tried to move. Still, it was better than getting some stranger in and _way_ better than having Carter try and help him. He knew she would have done it without the blink of an eye if it had been needed, but it was something he didn't really want to have to experience.

He set the container down beside him when he was finished and lay back with a sigh. He was feeling pretty miserable although at least it seemed as if they were safe here – wherever _here_ was. They hadn't really talked about it. In fact, they hadn't really talked about anything and he knew they needed to. But it could wait. Right now he just wanted to - he yawned – sleep.

By the time Sam re-entered the hut the Colonel was dozing. He wasn't quite asleep but she knew it wouldn't be long. She took the container outside and emptied it and then sat down in the sunlight, enjoying the peace and solitude.

Unfortunately neither lasted for long as Ailani approached and asked if he could sit beside her.

"Of course", she smiled, although inside she was wishing him away. "It's beautiful today."

The man looked around and shrugged. It was no different than most days and something to which he gave little or no thought.

Sam laughed to herself realizing that living in paradise one probably got used to beautiful days.

"Your man – he is doing well?"

"Yes. He still has lots of healing to do, but he will be okay."

"That is good", Ailani said, although his voice lacked conviction. "He is still with the gods?"

"Uh – no. He's – his mind -" she sighed. "He is back with us." She had planned to keep that quiet, but decided that deceiving Ailani probably wasn't smart.

Ailani nodded and let out a deep breath. "You will take him now as your mate?"

"Uh – when he is better, of course."

"You must not wait too long", he warned. "It is not seemly for a woman to be with a man not her husband. There has already been much talk. Some are demanding that you not be allowed to care for him and that the older women take over."

"I've already told you that won't happen", she snapped. "I am his Promised. I will look after him."

"You are living with my people now and you will obey my laws." He stood and looked down at her, the gentle giant disappearing and the fierce leader now in full control. "I will give you one more day and then you shall either take him as your mate or you will be prohibited from being with him." With that Ailani strode away from the hut.

"Shit!" she muttered as she made her way back into the small structure she was sharing with her 'Promised One'. "Stupid damned primitive cultures! Idiotic chauvinistic _pig_! Ridiculous and asinine laws that _we shouldn't have to follow_!"

"Uh- unhappy about something Major?"

Her head whipped up and she cursed, this time silently. She thought the Colonel was sound asleep and wouldn't hear her muttering. "Uh – no?"

O'Neill struggled to get more comfortable and then looked at his second in command with _that_ look – the one that meant _I'm your commanding officer and you will not bullshit me_! "Carter!" he warned.

She sighed and flopped down beside him. "It's just – the stupid primitive cultures who see women as chattels, that's all."

"Did someone say or do something to you Major?" he frowned, ready to leap out of his sick bed and kill the bastard who would hurt his – uh – Carter.

"No. Well yes. No."

"Carter – what happened?" he said with a sigh. He really wasn't up to playing guessing games right now.

"Well, you see, the tribe captured you."

"_Captured_ me? I thought we were guests?"

"We are – but not at the beginning. You see I'd left you alone to try and find if there were any inhabitants on this planet."

"You didn't know?"

"No – this was your choice."

"Mine? You're sure?" He looked around although there wasn't anything to see inside the hut.

"Yes. Anyway, you were – sick, injured – and we needed to find a place where the NID wouldn't look for us but we also needed someplace where there were people. So you were captured – I'm -"

"You did right Major – don't beat yourself up about it. With only two of us of _course_ you had to find out what was around here. Go on."

"Thank you Sir", she gave him a small smile. "Well, you were captured, so I followed the men who had you. I was waiting for an opportunity to rescue you, but I was outnumbered and you -" She stopped.

"I was hurt and a liability?"

"Not a liability but – you had trouble walking and I didn't think I could get you away safely. Anyway, I was discovered and we were brought here. Fortunately I was able to explain our situation and we were then invited to stay as guests." She paused again, not wanting to continue.

"But there was a catch?" he asked softly.

"Yeah", she gave a crooked grin. "They were quite scandalized by the fact that -"

"Let me guess", he groaned. "They were upset that an attractive woman was travelling alone with a man."

"Mmm hmm", she said with a grimace. "Same old thing. The only way out of it was to say that we were – uh – betrothed and that I was taking you to find the magic waters to help heal you."

"The magic waters?"

"Mmm hmm", she grinned. "Niagara."

He laughed and then put his hand to his chest as the pain spiked through him.

"Sir!"

"T'sokay Major – just a twinge. So, you were taking me to Niagara – like a dutiful betrothed. So what's the problem now?"

"Well, now that you are better – oh, not from the stabbing but from – before."

"Before?"

"I'll explain later", she told him. "But now that you're conscious again, Ailani – he's the Chief – told me we have a day."

"A day for what?"

She took a deep breath and let it out, then she bit her lip and finally she rubbed her neck.

"Carter!"

"Sorry Sir. Uh, we have a day to either get married or they won't allow me in to see you. They're going to get the old ladies of the village to look after you."

He latched onto the latter part of the sentence because he really didn't know how to react to the idea of marrying Sam. He knew that his heart practically leapt out of his chest at the thought, although he tried to convince himself it was just because of being stabbed. "Old ladies? No way Carter. I don't want a gaggle of old crones bathing me and – and anything else."

"Well Sir, it doesn't look like there's much of an option. Ailani was pretty definite and I guess there's been talk."

"Of course there has", he said in disgust. "People are the same no matter what planet they're from! So, we'd better get married because I'm _not_ letting any old lady bathe me!"

"Uh Sir – _I _don't bathe you."

"No", he grinned, "although one can always live in hope."

She laughed and suddenly felt better. Leave it to the Colonel! Still they couldn't actually – "Sir, we can't get married."

"Why not?" he looked at her with an innocent expression on her face.

"Why not – well because – I mean, I'm your _subordinate_."

"No you're not. As far as I can tell Carter, I've gone AWOL and so have you. I'm sure we'll both be given – if we haven't already – a dishonorable discharge. In fact, you don't have to keep calling me Sir."

"But – S – ur Colonel, that may be true but _marriage_?"

He sighed and shifted, feeling hot and uncomfortable. "It won't be a real one Carter. Once we're away from this place we can forget about it. It's not like we have to worry about consummating it or anything, not when I can barely move."

"Oh – right." She suddenly felt embarrassed for making such a big thing about it. It's not as if they hadn't had to do this on occasion – although usually she was 'married' to Daniel. "I'll tell Ailani then. I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't have made such a big thing about it."

"Of course you should have", he said, his eyes closed. "It is your wedding after all. Just not too many bridesmaids, okay?"

"Okay", she grinned. "I'd better go tell him and you should sleep."

"Fine", he sighed, thinking that sounded go. Just as she was leaving the hut he called after her. "Don't forget something borrowed and something blue."

She laughed again as she left and made her way over to where the Chief was standing. She felt a moment of fear as he glared at her, but then she squared her shoulders and approached him.

"What is it?" he asked sharply.

"Uh – I thought about what you said and I spoke with Jack. We agreed that we will be married, since it's important to your tribe."

He nodded once, sharply. "That is a wise decision. I shall call the Shaman and he shall marry you immediately."

As he turned away Sam frowned, wondering why he still looked so angry. "Oh well", she shrugged. "She wasn't going to worry about him – not when she had a wedding to look forward to.

As she walked back towards her hut she smiled again. It was only a pretend marriage – but still- _she was marrying Jack O'Neill._

Maybe things were getting better.


	30. Coming Back for Her

_**Thank you so much to all you lovely, amazing reviewers! I'll try and reply to you directly soon. Right now I'm trying to make up for being absent for so long by churning out chapter, so I hope you'll forgive me.**_

_**I realize this story has taken on epic proportions and gone where I didn't intend. I'm sorry if it seems like the story that will not end (and that it's gotten so far from the original premise). I hope you're all okay with this. Next time I'll try and restrain myself but sometimes the muse takes me boldly where no fic writer has gone before (at least me).**_

"So, tell me what's been going on", Jack said to her a while later. He was running a low grade fever and appeared uncomfortable, but Sam was pleased to see he was doing better than she had expected. She prayed he wouldn't have a setback, although knew it was a possibility that infection could take hold. She shook herself – stop thinking that way!

"Well, I told Ailani that we would get married", she grimaced.

"Sorry", O'Neill said seriously. "If you don't want to do it I'm sure I'll be fine with the old ladies as nurses and we can get out of here as soon as I'm able to get around."

"No – I'm okay with it, although I hate these chauvinistic planets! Why couldn't we for once find a place where _women_ are treated as the superior ones and men are chattels?"

"Well, if that were the case, they'd make _me_ marry _you_ – which I don't think is very much different from the situation we're in now."

"No", she sighed, "I know. But like you said, it'll just be pretend and we can forget it when we're off this planet."

Jack nodded, although he didn't say anything. There was no way in hell he was going to confess to Carter that he'd like for it to be real. "So that's settled", he told her, "but I want to know about the rest of the stuff."

"The rest?"

"Yeah. Did they find the guy or woman that did this", he pointed to his chest.

"No, although according to Ailani they're still looking. By now I doubt if they'll find anyone though. I can't figure out why anyone would have tried to kill you in the first place! It's not like you were hurting anyone. I mean, you were practically comatose the whole time".

Jack took a quick breath in at her words. The elephant in the room had finally been glanced at, if not acknowledged completely. He knew he'd been _absent_ since Sam had rescued him and hadn't yet faced the reasons for that, or what to tell Carter.

"What is it Sir?" she asked. She knew something was up by the look on his face – a look that had appeared when she'd talked about the state he'd been in.

"Look Carter I – we should talk about – you know, _me."_

"You Sir?" she grinned. "You want to talk about yourself?"

"I know, I know", he gave a faint smile in return. "Not my favorite topic of conversation. But I think I need to tell you about – you know, after you rescued me."

"You don't have to Colonel, not if you don't want to."

She was giving him a way out and he was tempted – very tempted – to take it. But after a moment's reflection knew that wasn't fair. And besides that, maybe talking about it would help _him_ understand, because he sure as heck didn't, not yet anyway.

"When Hubbard had me", he paused, hating to have to go into this. "Well, he did things – experiments I guess – to try and get me to tell him what I'd learned from the Ancients. He figured if I wasn't going to share willingly he'd force it out of me."

"I'm sorry Sir", she whispered, only imagining how bad it must have been.

"It's okay", he said with a crooked smile. "I don't remember most of it – too drugged up." He stopped and thought for a moment. "I don't think they got anything from me – I suspect whatever the Ancients did they probably put some kind of firewall into my head."

"Firewall?" she said surprised – not at the idea, but at the fact that the Colonel even knew what that was.

"Yeah – it kept them from getting anything from me." At that he frowned, looking terribly disgruntled. "Except for my recipe for pancakes. You'd think that _some things_ would be considered sacred."

She laughed softly – only the Colonel would make jokes about being tortured. "So what happened when they couldn't get anything out of you?"

"They kept trying different things, even some alien technology they'd probably pirated. Eventually I knew that no matter what safeguards the Ancients may have put in, whatever the NID were doing was going to cause damage, so I – retreated."

"Retreated?"

"Yeah – I kind of – went away, you know, in my mind."

He went to the gods, she thought suddenly. Maybe the people here had had the right idea. "Uh – where did you go?"

"Well, I think it was back to that library. I started kind of – browsing through things. It was pretty amazing."

"What kinds of things?" she asked curiously.

"Just stuff about the universe. You and Daniel would have loved it. There was lots of science stuff and history and other things too." He didn't tell her about the music or literature – he'd spent what felt like weeks examining those things. It had been wonderful.

"Did you enjoy it?" she wanted to know. There was something about how he looked now that he was remembering that scared her. It was almost as if he yearned to be back there.

"Yes", he whispered, his eyes getting a far off look. "It was – amazing. I didn't -".

"You didn't want to come back", she said softly. She knew by his reaction that what she'd said was true. She felt a wave of sadness fall over her, suddenly realizing how little she figured in his life. She'd always hoped that his feelings for her – the ones that had barely been admitted to so many years ago – were still there. And then there'd been that dream or whatever it was when they'd visited the Ancient library. A part of her had held on to the fantasy that it had been real, and not a dream. But now it was clear that the gift he'd been given by the Ancients superseded anything in this universe.

"You know what brought me back?" he said softly. He'd read her expression and hated the thought that he might have hurt her by admitting to wanting to remain in the world of his mind.

"I assume the stab wound", she said, trying to sound matter-of-fact.

"No – although that probably helped", he said, a quick quirk to his lips. "It was something he said."

"Something _who_ said?" she asked, a puzzled frown on her brow.

"The guy who stabbed me."

"But I thought – you said you didn't remember."

"I didn't until now", he admitted. "I still don't remember much but -"

"But what?"

"Well, he was talking to someone – I assume it was the old woman who was supposed to be looking after me. Then I heard him threaten my – uh – you. _That's_ what brought me back. I knew I couldn't let him hurt you and that I had to somehow protect you." He laughed softly. "Ironic since you're the one who's done all the protecting – hell, all the _saving_."

She stared at him in confusion, not sure how to react or even how to feel. It was because of _her_? But of course. Jack O'Neill was a protector and she was part of his team. He would do anything to protect a teammate. She shouldn't read more into it than that.

"I – thank you", she finally told him. "And I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" This time he was the one who appeared confused. "What for?"

"For bringing you back. You seemed to regret it."

"Hell, don't apologize Sam! I'm glad you brought me back. Yeah, it was wonderful and there's a part of me that misses whatever it was – but it's kind of like eating cake. It's really great, and you love it while you're eating it and you remember it fondly when you're done, but you don't want to eat nothing but cake for the rest of your life!"

"Really Sir?" she grinned, finally starting to feel a bit better.

"Okay – maybe that was a bad example", he grinned in return. "But really Sam, I'm _glad_ you brought me out of whatever that was. I think I would have eventually died if you hadn't."

"When you were – uh – _there_ – were you aware of anything that was going on here?"

"Mmm", he pondered. "Just a few things. I knew enough to drink but wasn't hungry."

"Yeah, I could tell", she huffed. "You refused to eat!"

"I remember one time", he told her, his eyes narrowed, "when someone _forced_ me to eat."

"I didn't _force_ you Sir", she defended herself.

"No, you just hummed until I went insane and ate just to stop it."

She giggled. "It was my _humming_? Wow, I don't know whether to be pleased or insulted."

"You can be either Carter – just don't hum anymore, okay?"

"I won't Colonel, as long as you eat!"

"Deal", he grinned. "But really Sam, I'm glad to be back. I expect that part of what was happening was the Ancient's way of allowing me to heal. My brain was pretty scrambled from everything Hubbard and his minions did."

"He's an ass and I hope that one day he'll get captured by a Goa'uld – no, by an Unas – and be forced to eat worms!"

Jack laughed so hard he had to grab a pillow and hold it to his chest so as not to split any stitches. "Is that the worst fate you can think of Carter – eating worms?"

"Well no", she admitted. "But I was trying to be somewhat circumspect."

"Okay Carter – although I do have to tell Daniel and Teal'c your 'fate worse than death' punishment."

"Oh _that's_ not my 'fate worse than death' punishment Sir", she grinned.

"_Carter_?"

"Nope. _That's_ being stuck on a cold, barren planet with ruins, mud and bugs – oh, and you and Daniel arguing of course." She grinned at his wounded look.

He glared at her, which incited even more giggles. Those stopped when she noticed that he was getting tired, so she stood up and headed towards the door. "You need to sleep Sir. I'll just go outside for a bit so you can rest."

"Mmm", he said, still glaring. "Oh Carter?" suddenly his voice changed and he sounded pleased with himself. "Don't you have a wedding to get ready for?"

With a scowl directed towards the Colonel – whose eyes were fortunately closed – she exited the hut. It was only when she arrived outside that she allowed her face to relax and the smile to blossom. However he felt about her, he'd come back to the land of the living because of her. The day suddenly seemed much brighter.

At least it did until a group of the women approached her and told her it was time to prepare for her wedding.

_**Don't worry - I'm going to post the wedding chapter shortly.**_


	31. Wedding Duel

She envied the Colonel, stab wound and all. All he had to do was lie in bed in agony, a simple thing compared to having ten native women surround one giggling and laughing and using one as a mannequin! She'd always wondered if she would ever have a big wedding (if she were ever to get married). She knew now that she would elope, and _not_ to a tropical island.

"No, you can't have my shirt!", she said for what must have been the fiftieth time. "I'll wear it."

"But you cannot", Ionala told her. "No man wants a woman who covers herself."

"Mine does", she answered sharply. Of course that got shocked looks from all the women.

"No, he may _say_ he does", Kapena told her seriously, "but he doesn't. To hide yourself from your man is a bad portent. You must be open and free."

"I am open, I just wear clothes", she told them. The next thing she knew, numerous hands were unbuttoning her shirt and pulling it off of her. Her t-shirt followed next until she was in her bran. "No way!" she say, crossing her arms over her chest.

There were lots of giggles and then she felt her bran loosen. Someone had figured out how to unclasp it in back.

"Please ladies!" she cried. "I don't feel comfortable without a top. In my culture it is considered – uh – embarrassing for a woman to go naked."

"You will not be _naked_", a shocked Kaili gasped. "That would be shameful!"

"Oh good", Sam heaved a sigh of relief. She should have known they were simply getting her to change into a native dress rather than wear her own clothes. "So, what do I wear?"

Nalani, one of the youngest women, and the one who seemed to do nothing but giggle, held up a small bit of cloth. "Here."

Sam stared at it. What was it – a handkerchief? Maybe this was the 'something borrowed' part of the wedding. "Uh, what is that?"

"It is you bridal costume", Oke pronounced. Oke was the senior women in this group and the one who seemed to have the last word on everything. She approached Sam and took the piece of cloth, which Sam could now see was a loin cloth with strips of cloth hanging down, like a very skimpy skirt. "You shall put this on. It belonged to Ailani's bride – it is an honor that you are being allowed to wear it."

Sam bit her tongue at that, worried that she'd end up insulting someone if she weren't careful. But still! A _loincloth? "_Uh, what do I wear on top?"

"You will be provided with adornment. You shall look beautiful for your mate."

"It's too bad he won't be able to enjoy it since he's still so ill", Nalani giggled. She was instantly quiet when Oke glared at her, although Sam could see a number of the other women trying to hold back laughs. She took a deep breath and let it out. _Why_ did they have to come to this planet?

She finally decided to simply go along with the women and allowed her bra to drop. She then grabbed the damned cloth and managed to figure out how to put it on. It was a good thing she was a soldier and had gotten used to undressing in front of other women, otherwise she would have been rather embarrassed. The next thing she knew she was being drawn over to a stool and made to sit. The women then fussed with her hair and put some color on her face. She grimaced, not really wanting any make-up, but deciding to just let it go for now. She prayed that it wasn't too garish and wondered at the fact of how universal make-up seemed to be.

Once they were done with her hair and face the women brought jewelry, made mostly from shells and painted wood. Bracelets were placed on her arms and ankles, rings on her fingers and earrings on her ears. Kapena threaded flowers in her hair and then stood back and smiled.

Now all Sam needed was a _shirt_! They'd promised her something and they'd better deliver or she was grabbing a couple of the big shells and sticking them on her chest! And wouldn't the Colonel love _that_? She couldn't help but grin. No matter how good he'd always been (or almost always) at maintaining the proper decorum between them, he was a man.

"Here", Oke returned holding a lei of beautiful tropical flowers. She carefully placed it over Sam's head and then stepped back and nodded. "You will do", she announced.

Sam looked down at the flowers, realizing quickly that they didn't cover anything pertinent. Oh no! No way, she thought. She was _not_ going to marry the Colonel with only a few flowers and her breasts sticking out. Damn it, what was _wrong_ with these people.

She opened her mouth to object but discovered that no one was paying any attention to her. Their eyes were all focused on Ailani, who was standing staring at her. Beside him was his brother – what was his name? Sam glanced at him and then back at Ailani – but then her eyes returned to the brother.

He had the strangest look in his eyes. She felt a frisson of fear travel up her spine. This man – Teina, that was his name – was watching her as if he owned her. She shook herself a bit, hoping it was her imagination. When she looked at him again, though, she knew it wasn't. This man was trouble.

"Are you ready?" Ailani asked her, sounding abrupt and not as friendly as he had been.

"Uh, yes, I guess so although I really -"

"Good", he interrupted, clearly not paying any attention to her. "The men are bringing O'Neill to the fire. You shall be married there."

"But he's not well enough to -"

"He is being carried", Ailani said dismissively. He then turned to Oke. "Bring her when it is time."

"Yes Ailani", Oke answered.

Sam sat silently, surrounded by the women. No one spoke to her, although they all looked happy so she didn't think it was anything bad. Maybe they thought she needed the space since it was her wedding day.

Hah! It's not like it was a real wedding. She and the Colonel would participate in the ceremony and then when they left this planet they'd forget all about it. She groaned silently. She didn't _want_ to forget it.

She heard the sound of drums and chanting and figured it must be the men starting the celebration. The sun was starting to go down and the sunset was breathtaking. It was then that Oke stood and gestured to her.

"Come, it is time."

Sam wanted to reach up and cover herself with her hands, but in the end didn't. It would probably draw more attention to her lack of clothes than if she just walked out proudly. Surely the flowers hid most everything important.

Four of the men, plus Ailani, had visited Jack in his hut. The Chief had explained that they'd take him out to the sacred fire and that the ceremony would be performed there. He wasn't much looking forward to the trip, but there wasn't much he could do to object. He was worried about how Sam would be treated were she to continue as a single woman. He knew vicious these cultures could be to a woman they considered 'loose'.

The men weren't particularly careful when they picked him up and he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning. He wondered briefly why he'd picked this planet but he wasn't all that impressed with the natives. They hadn't been terrible, but they certainly hadn't been completely warm and welcoming.

He couldn't really blame them however, not when he thought about it. They'd had two strangers plunked into their laps – one of whom had been out of his mind and then was severely injured (although that was probably the fault of someone in the tribe). And then there was Sam – a thoroughly modern woman who probably disturbed he equilibrium of their male-centered culture. No, he had to admit they'd been lucky to have been treated as well as they had been.

They finally arrived at the fire, for which he was grateful. It turned out they'd built a make-shift backrest for him so he could partially sit up. It was much better than lying flat, which made him feel way too vulnerable.

The men were laughing and talking – clearly taking advantage of the celebration. He could see some of the women off to one side, preparing what looked like a feast. Soon a group of young men came out carrying drums and began chanting and beating a continuous rhythm on them.

He wondered what happened during the ceremony and hoped that he didn't make a fool of himself and say or do the wrong thing. He'd tried to ask, but had received either confused looks or – and this was from Ailani and his brother – glares. He wondered what was up with them.

A few moments later and he heard some murmuring and then the drums picked up a faster beat. The crowd standing by the fire separated and Jack saw a few of the women walking forward, their hair and necks festooned with flowers.

At that moment the women stepped aside and there stood Sam, her body glowing in the firelight and the fading embers of the sun's light.

He couldn't breathe. For a moment he thought that maybe he was in worse shape then he'd thought. But he soon realized his paralysis had nothing to do with his physical health and everything to do with his Y chromosome. God, she was gorgeous.

Sam felt herself blush – she probably glowed from top to toe she thought in disgust. The next moment she wanted to giggle. The Colonel sat staring at her, his mouth hanging practically to his chest. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look so – surprised about anything.

She was led up to him and then made to kneel beside him. She understood that normally they were both to stand, but with him being ill she was required to be at his level. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, to catch _his_ eyes wandering down. They then flipped back up and he was looking directly at her, a panicked and embarrassed look on his face.

The urge to giggle returned.

Ailani said a few words – she didn't have a clue what they were – and then the priest took over. There were a lot of flowery words, probably very meaningful in their tradition – but she paid little attention. Instead she continued to look at Jack – not Sir, not the Colonel – but Jack. He was gazing back at her as if he wasn't sure he'd just been given the best gift in the world, or whether he was in deep, deep trouble.

As far as he was concerned, it was both. He couldn't believe that Sam – the absolutely gorgeous woman beside him, was going to be his wife. He totally forgot that they'd agreed that this was just for expediency sake and would be forgotten. No, all he could think was he was the luckiest man in the whole damn universe – that thought was immediately followed by the one that he was actually the _unluckiest_. Crap, what a time to be injured!

"If any man has reason to challenge the coming together of O'Neill and Sam'ata, he must present himself now", the priest's voice went on.

Jack and Sam were paying little attention, that's why, when a voice spoke at that moment, they were both startled, not sure what was going on.

"I challenge the one called O'Neill", the voice had stated. "I challenge him for the hand of Sam-ata. He is not worthy of her and is not of this tribe. His destiny is with the gods, not with us. I challenge O'Neill."

There was dead silence among the people of the Ati-Makani. Sam reached out, to place her hand on Jack's arm, when she was snatched away. "No – she must not touch him", Teina, the challenger spoke. "I have challenged him."

"Teina, why do you do this?" Ailani asked. "Sam'ata is not of our tribe and has been travelling with this man. You do not even know if she is pure."

"Hey wait a minute", Jack started to speak.

"You will be quiet, stranger", Teina said loudly. "You have been challenged and you have no choice." He turned back to his brother. "I follow our laws brother. You cannot prohibit me from challenging the stranger."

"I am not trying to prohibit you Teina, I am just trying to understand why you are doing this. There are many maidens in our tribe who would be pleased to accept you as their mate. Why would you want Sam'ata, who is with this man?"

"I told you, I do not need to explain myself." He turned to the other men. "Is this not so? Do our laws not state that I may challenge for my chosen bride?"

"Uh, it is true Ailani", Ponui, the man who had been with the Chief when Sam had been discovered, spoke. "He has the right."

"Fine", Ailani sighed and looked around. "The wedding will be halted – for now. Once the challenge has been fought we will resume – although which groom is to be decided. We shall hold the challenge in seven moons from –"

"NO!" Teina again moved forward. "That is not acceptable. I demand the challenge now. It is my right."

"But he is injured Teina", Ailani frowned. "It would not be a fair fight."

"Again, that does not matter. Our laws state I may challenge where and when I choose. I choose here and now."

"This is crazy", Sam said pushing herself to her feet. "We are not of this tribe – we are guests, visitors. You have no right to force your laws on us."

"_Be quiet woman_!" Teina shouted. "Ailani, who are you to allow a woman to speak to you like this."

"You be quiet, you little weasel!" Jack hissed, forcing himself to stand. He swayed, but then managed to stand still and tall. "You will not speak to her that way!"

Teina sneered. "Since she will soon be mine I will speak with her the way I want."

"She will not be yours – she will never be yours", Jack answered.

"So, you accept my challenge do you?"

"I do", Jack answered. "It's okay Sam", he stopped her from speaking. "I'll be fine."

"But Jack, you can barely stand."

"Hey, you know me – a little thing like a knife wound never stopped me."

"Please Sir – be careful. It's not worth it. We can just leave."

"Somehow I don't think Teina wants us to go, do you?" he looked at the young man. "No, I take that back. He'd like _me_ to leave – permanently. It's you he wants, although why I'm not quite sure."

"You insult the woman", Teina laughed. "She will be glad to have me."

"Never", spat Sam. "I would only ever be with a man of honor and courage – not a weasel like you."

"Ailani, do something! I have challenged this man and I am waiting."

The Chief shook his head and sighed. "Clear a space", he informed the tribe. "Aitu, retrieve the weapons. You shall monitor the fight and declare the winner."

"The winner is the one who survives", Teina spat.

"You are not fighting to the death?" Ailani said, sounding shocked.

"Of course. I must rid our tribe of this evil."

Sam had been watching everything play out and was trying to figure out what was going on. She looked over at the Colonel, who was pale and still seemed wobbly, although he also had a determined look on his face. He also seemed to have an understanding of what was going on. She wished he'd share it with her.

Soon a circle was cleared and the man Aitu appeared holding two long poles. He handed one to Teina and then walked over to Jack, who took one gingerly in his hand. He looked at it for a moment, testing its weight and balance.

"When my arm drops the battle will begin. The winner will be the one who can knock his opponent to the ground and hold him there for a count of ten. I urge both men to show mercy and not to kill, although that is your right."

Teina grinned, clearly sure that he had it in the bag. As soon as Ailani's arm dropped he began to circle, slowly, looking for an opening. Jack simply stood and watched his opponent.

Sam sucked in a deep breath the first time that Teina lunged towards his opponent. Somehow Jack, even though injured and weak, managed to get out of the way of the lethal looking stick. He continued to stand quietly.

Over the next few minutes Teina continued to try and lunge forward, but each time Jack was able to move. It was only as things had gone on for over ten minutes that Sam realized something was going on, something more than the Colonel being good at dodging.

She wasn't quite sure what was happening until a few minutes later. She watched as Jack closed his eyes and stood totally still. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him to open his eyes, but he simply stood, quietly. Teina watched him for a few seconds, and then a grin appeared on his face. He wiped one hand on his leg to get the sweat off, and then grasped his pole. With a pleased grin he rushed forward, his pole raised to chest level. He clearly had the intent to kill, and the audience all held its collective breath, expecting to see a dead O'Neill any second.

What happened, though, was confusing and terrifying. One minute Teina was rushing forward to attack an unseeing Jack. The next, Twina was lying on the ground, peering up at the sky.

Jack placed his foot on the other man's chest and held it there while Aitu monitored the time. After a suitable number of seconds, Aitu declared Jack the winner.

He withdrew his foot and sighed deeply. Even though he'd been able to pull up some Ancient skills and gifts that had taken way too much out of him. He wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in bed.

"Teina, Jack has triumphed and will now take Sam-ata as bride", his brother informed him. Teina scowled.

"She won't be his bride for long", Teina hissed. "I shall have her and O'Neill shall be dead!"

"Yes, well you already tried once to kill me but that didn't turn out so good, did it?"

Ailani was looking at his brother with a puzzled expression and then he turned to O'Neill. "What is this about him trying to kill you?" the Chief asked.

"He's the one who stabbed me", Jack informed everyone. "I recognized his voice", he explained.

"LIES!" Teina screamed. "He lies. I did not touch him."

"Really? I think you proved today that you wanted me out of the picture. Who else in the tribe wants me dead?"

"Teina, is this true?" Ailani asked.

"No – of course not. I didn't hurt anyone. I just felt that Sam-ata deserved a stronger, more virile mate. This one is old and sick."

"Geesh, thanks!" Jack said sarcastically. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to sit down." Jack's legs gave out and he slid to the ground. Fortunately Sam was there to help break the fall and he took advantage of that to continue holding on to her.

"Aitu, take some of the men and lock Teina up. We will look at all the facts tomorrow and determine his guilt or innocence."

"You will regret this brother", Teina shouted as he was led away.

"So, how about that wedding?" Jack asked, looking and sounding exhausted. "I'd really like to marry Sam and take her home, if that's okay with you?"

"Of course", Ailani answered, although he looked suddenly older and grayer. He motioned to the women to again approach and got the men to start with the music. A moment later the ceremony had begun – a few moments after that and Jack and Sam were married.

"Uh, may I add one of our customs?" he asked after the priest declared them married.

"Of course", Ailani answered. He still felt guilt and anger about his brother, and was willing to be more lenient about outside customs.

Jack smiled and took Sam's chin in his hand. He then leaned forward and gently touched his lips to hers. "My wife", he whispered.

The feast began in earnest, although Sam noticed that Ailani had left – probably to see his brother. She stayed by Jack's side, which seemed to be the right thing to do if the expressions of the women were anything to go by. She watched him carefully, but he appeared to be holding up pretty well. He was watching the festivities, and she'd caught him a few times peeking glances at her. He held her hand the entire time, even when people brought them plates of food.

She enjoyed the evening immensely, as long as she didn't think about Teina. She hoped they would soon get to the bottom of his attacks.

When she saw Jack's eyes begin to droop she realized he'd had enough. She went up to one of the old women and explained her problem. The woman nodded and got her husband, who then went and told Aitu, who seemed to be the master of ceremonies for the event. Sam rolled her eyes at the inefficiency caused by the fact that she couldn't just go up to Aitu himself and ask him.a

Four men showed up to help move him and the next moment Jack was back in the hut, feeling exhausted but with a sense of accomplishment. He dozed quietly as Sam got dressed (so sue him for hating the loss of that loincloth). "So, how did you enjoy your wedding?" he asked her when she was fully clothed.

"Except for the challenge to a duel part, it was nice. How about you?"

"Same. You – uh – looked beautiful Sam."

She snorted. "I've never been more humiliated in my life!"

"Why?" he asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"Going _topless_ to my wedding?"

"Oh – that", he covered his eyes with his arm, but she could still see his grin. "Personally that was the highlight for me", he informed her. "Took all my pain away", he admitted.

She swatted his arm. "I'm going to tell Ailani that you want to go native and you'd like one of the men's loincloths. See how _you_ like it Sir."

"The question is Carter, will _you_ like it."

That completely stopped the conversation – for a moment.

"I'd love to see you in a loincloth Sir", she answered, sounding serious and professional. "As I'm sure would Daniel and Teal'c."

"Over your dead body Carter", he said warningly. "Don't you dare get any ideas!"

"I won't – except one, which is you need to go to sleep. I'll be here beside you if you need anything."

"Okay", he replied. His eyes were so heavy he could barely keep them open anyway. As he drifted off he thought of one more thing. "Hey Carter."

"Yes Sir?"

"It's – mmm", he was half asleep. "It's – our wedding night."

"Yes Sir, it is."

He nodded. "'Kay. So come over here and snuggle", he told her. "I should get _some _reward for winning you in a fight."

"What you get Colonel, is me not killing you for saying you won me", she told him. She spooned up right behind him and put her arm around him. "There, now go to sleep."

"Yes Ma'am", he murmured. "You're a great snuggler, did you know that?"

"Go to sleep Jack", she said softly. He nodded, and a moment later was sound asleep, the woman he loved holding on to him tightly.


	32. Conversations

The next morning he woke up, feeling much better than he had in, well, he didn't know how long. He wasn't completely recovered, but he was well on his way. He smiled when he thought of the main reason he was feeling better. The reason, that was lying, snuggled up next to him.

He stayed perfectly still, thinking about Sam in her wedding – clothes. He couldn't help the grin that appeared. That had been some outfit. Hell, that had been the outfit of his dreams – literally. He just wished she would adopt that dress while here on Atamakie or whatever the hell the name of this place was.

Unfortunately his morning daydreams came to a halt when his bodily needs made themselves known. At least he could get up this time. He was completely over peeing in a jar.

"Sir?" Sam muttered beside him, still half asleep.

"Just seein' a man about a horse Carter", he told her. "Go back to sleep."

"Kay", she said, her eyes already closed.

He grinned again, thinking how cute she was when she was asleep. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her this way, but it was the first time he allowed himself to enjoy it.

When his bladder protested he grimaced and made his way to his feet. He wobbled a bit and it took a moment to catch his breath, but after a few seconds he felt well enough to make his way outside. He wasn't quite sure where the facilities where, but he was sure someone would tell him.

He exited the small hut and took a deep breath. There was some residual pain, but for the most part he simply enjoyed the fresh, warm air. He could hear the waves just beyond the village and wished, for a moment, that he and Sam were actually on a tropical vacation somewhere rather than fugitives from Earth.

One of the village men noticed him and came up and asked if he needed anything. When he explained his predicament he was directed to a small building just outside the village. It was as he walked there, slowly, that he started to think about the situation in which Carter and he had landed

Crap! He'd been too sick to really think about what she'd done but now it all became starkly real. She'd given up everything to save his sorry butt. She couldn't go back to Earth now since she'd be charged with helping him escape. Hell, they'd probably charge her with treason!

Why had she done it? He cursed, startling the man who was next to him at the latrine. He apologized but the guy got out of there as quickly as he could. Once Jack was done he slowly made his way back to the hut. By this time he was sore and weak and knew he'd probably overdone it on his first excursion on his own.

Sam was going to kill him, he realized. Unless he could get back into the hut before she woke up! He tried hurrying but that just made his chest hurt even more.

As he neared the hut he found himself becoming more tired as well as angry. What the _hell_ had she been thinking? She'd just thrown away a great career to help an old worn-out soldier. How was he going to fix this?

Maybe he'd contact Earth and agree to return if they dropped all charges against Sam. He shook his head. He couldn't chance that. The NID might finally get something out of him and while he didn't quite know _what_ was in his head, he was pretty sure it was stuff he didn't want them to know.

And even if they dropped the charges, Sam's career was essentially finished. There's no way the NID – or the Joint Chiefs – would allow her to retain her rank. She'd probably be asked to retire and then would disappear into some job at some college somewhere.

But was that worse than being stuck on some chauvinistic planet somewhere in the galaxy? And that made him think of something else. Why in _hell_ had he dialed this planet? Sure it was beautiful, and the people were okay, but it certainly wasn't someplace he'd choose to live out the rest of his life. And he knew that Sam would go crazy here. Either that or she'd cause a cultural revolution here by starting a women's suffrage movement.

Damn it all Sam! Why did you screw up your life like this, he muttered furiously.

He entered the hut, to find an equally pissed off Sam Carter glaring at him. "What the hell were you thinking Jack?" she asked. "You practically died and yesterday you couldn't walk and today you're out taking a stroll. Do you _want_ to kill yourself?"

"No _Samantha_ – I wanted to take a piss and figured I could do that without you holding my hand. Or do I have to ask your permission for that too?"

He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears as she stood up. "No _Sir_ – you don't have to ask my permission for a damn thing. You can do whatever you want – which is usually what you do anyway, damn the consequences. So if you want to bloody well go and kill yourself then fine, I won't say anything."

"Well you're sure as hell saying plenty now", he shouted. Suddenly he felt a terrible twinge and bent over, clutching his chest and beginning to breathe in slow, shallow gasps.

"Oh my God Jack", Sam said as she rushed up to him and helped him to lie down. "Here, take slow breaths, as deeply as you can." While he did that she opened his shirt to check his wound. "It looks okay – its not bleeding. Can you tell me what's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"I have a – terrible – pain in my – pride", he gasped. After a few seconds his breathing got better and the pain began to dissipate. He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down.

"In your 'pride' Sir?" she asked carefully.

"Yeah", he looked up at her with a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry Carter. You were right – I shouldn't have gone on my own like that. I just felt so good this morning and I was so sick of being stuck in here. I thought the latrines would be closer than they were."

She sighed and answered his smile with one of her own. "I'm sorry too. You scared me and I'm afraid I said some things I shouldn't have. I hope you'll forgive me Sir."

"Only under one condition Sam", he said gently.

"Yes?"

"Drop the Sir. We're not in the Air Force now and I'm no longer your Commander, remember? Here we're Sam and Jack, or in instances like today, Sam and Idiot."

She giggled. "You're not an idiot S – ur Jack. I just need to remember that you're likely to escape confinement unless watched very carefully. It was a lesson Janet told me she had to learn years ago. She had a whole system to keep you – uh – contained."

He stared at her with narrowed eyes. "Really? Hmm – nice to know. For that we have to find a way back to Earth because I _so_ owe Doc Fraiser for that one."

She laughed again and sat down beside him. She nudged him with her shoulder. "And you don't have to ask permission to pee Jack", she told him, "but I'm happy to hold your hand if you want."

He scowled at her and shook his head but a short time later couldn't help but begin to laugh. "I gotta admit Carter – that's the first time in a long time I've gotten in trouble for going to the bathroom without permission. I think the last time was in third grade. Mrs. McMannus made me stand in the corner for twenty minutes for that one."

"She did?" Sam laughed. "That's horrible. I promise I won't make you do that."

"Thanks Carter."

They sat for a few moments in companionable silence, until Jack remembered what had made him so angry in the first place. This time, thinking about it, he only sighed. He could no longer be angry at Sam, but was still horrified to think of what she'd given up for him.

"What is it?" she asked softly, nudging him with her shoulder again.

"Nothin'." He answered.

"The truth Jack", she told him sternly.

He sighed and turned towards her. "I'm just thinkin' that you gave up everything for me and you shouldn't have. You can't go back to Earth now."

She shrugged. "So? It was my decision and one I don't regret." She smiled briefly. "And look at where we ended up. What girl wouldn't want to live in a tropical paradise?"

"You", he said bluntly. "This is no place for us Sam and you know it. As soon as I'm better we'll leave here and find a better place."

"Where? There aren't many planets that we know about that the NID don't also know", she said. "In fact I'm sure they pretty much know all the same ones we do."

Jack took a deep breath. "Probably, but we'll figure something out. I just wish you weren't stuck in this whole mess."

"You don't want me with you?"

"Ah hell Sam – I didn't say that. In fact I can't think of anyone -" He took another breath. "Of course I want you with me – even though that's selfish. You should be home working at the SGC and living your life."

"I _am_ living my life Jack – it just happens to be on an alien planet light years from home. It's an adventure and at least we have each other."

He put his arm around her and pulled her tightly into him. "That we do Sam, that we do."

They stayed pretty much indoors that day – which fortunately the tribe expected since it was their honeymoon. Sam went out a couple of times to retrieve some food and drink and received lots of sly looks from people.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked as she came into the hut carrying a tray of local foods. She had a fierce scowl on her face and was walking as if ready to stomp down the dust to hades.

"Nothing", she muttered.

"What did we say about being honest Sam?"

"Okay _fine!_ What is wrong with the people of this village? I just wanted to get some food and instead had to deal with _that_ all afternoon."

"Uh – _that_?"

"Yes. They all think that you – that we consummated our marriage and are looking at me like some – some deflowered Victorian virgin!"

"I think once you're deflowered you're no longer a virgin", he corrected.

"Aaaaargh! I know that Jack! I'm just saying that they're all looking at me and thinking '_we know what you did last night'_! It's outrageous."

"Except we _didn't_ last night", he explained.

"_I_ know that and _you_ know that, but they don't."

"Mmm", he nodded. "Do you think I'll get the same looks when I go out there?"

"No", she said, sounding disgruntled. "I'm sure they know you're not a virgin", she said.

Jack choked, although he had to grab his chest briefly. "It's not like it's written all over me", he sputtered.

"What isn't written all over you Jack?" she looked at him with a frown, completely lost in the conversation.

"That I'm not a virgin. Maybe I should get a t-shirt."

She stared at him and shook her head. "Go ahead, just don't walk close to me when you're wearing it."

"Why not? It's not like you had anything to do it."

Okay _that_ brought the conversation to a screeching halt. Sam could feel herself grow pink and only could look at the Colonel after a few moments of silence.

"Uh no – I guess not", she mumbled, her voice sounding strangled.

"But I bet there are some rules about retaining the designation. You may have to help me out there."

It took her a few seconds before she understood what he was saying and then this time she turned bright red. _"Jack"_, she laughed. "You are so naughty!"

"True, but I'm sick so you have to humor me."

"I do not", she told him.

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Yup you do Carter."

"I do _not_ Jack."

"Hey, do you realize you sound just like Daniel?" the Colonel asked with a gleam. "I was missing those conversations, but you do it almost as well as he does."

"I do _not_ sound like Daniel", she snapped, although her eyes were also gleaming.

"Yes you do Carter."

"No I don't."

He grinned. "Yes. You. Do."

"I do – oh my God, I _do_!" The horrified look on her face sent Jack into paroxysms of laughter. He again had to clutch his chest, although this time Sam handed him a pillow to hold against himself. He ended up lying down on his side while he continued to laugh. It hurt, but he figured it was probably also doing him some good.

"Anyway, I am _not_ helping you retain your – your -"

"Non-virgin status?"

"Yes, that."

"Too bad", he sighed dramatically. "And I heard it's a great way to help speed healing."

"Mmm", she gave him a look and shook her head. "It would probably make you have a relapse."

"Really?" he asked, sounding interested. "Wow Carter – you must be a real wild -" he stopped suddenly and pressed his lips together. After a moment he looked at her apologetically. "Sorry – kind of got carried away there."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That's okay. It was kind of fun."

"It was, although the real thing would be bet – ter", he let his words fade out and closed his eyes. "I think I'd better go to sleep now. I'm afraid my foot is much too big to keep trying to eat."

"Okay Jack", she smiled and tucked the blanket around him. "Rest. I'm going to go find out what's going on."

"Are you sure you want to?" he murmured. "They'll wonder why you're not in here with me."

"I'll just tell them you had a relapse!" she said and on that she was gone.

Jack chuckled. After a few moments he turned on his side and was soon sound asleep.

Sam made her way over to Ailani's hut. Now that she was a married woman it wasn't considered exactly proper behavior, but frankly she didn't care. They were going to leave this place as soon as possible. Some of the people were nice, but for the most part she'd had enough of them and their strict – and stupid – rules.

"Sam-ata", Ailani strode from his hut and looked down at the beautiful alien woman. He still felt a pang at being unable to have this glorious creature although he also felt angry and betrayed by her, even though he knew that was unfair. But Ailani was used to getting pretty much whatever he wanted – he was the Chief – and in this case he'd wanted her but instead the sickly man who was half out of him mind had won her. Life was not fair.

And then there were the things that Teina had told him. He'd mentioned the circle and the threat from beyond their home. He had half convinced Ailani that the strangers were to be feared, that they would cause the destruction of the Ati-Makani.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. His words were angry but the tone was more resigned. He knew this woman did not act the same as the women of his tribe. The fact was, he kind of liked it.

"I came to find out what you've discovered from Teina. Why did he stab Jack?"

"There is no proof that he did", he answered sternly. "Teina swears he did not."

"He is lying!"

"You will not speak so of my brother", Ailani answered, his nostrils flaring in anger. "He is my kin and one who insults him insults me."

"I see – and if he stabs someone does that mean you too are guilty?" she asked angrily.

"Enough! This is not women's -"

"Oh please, just stop right there. The women of your world may have to listen to everything you say and act like you're the smartest one around, but I don't have to. I have a brain and I have eyes and ears. It was obvious that Teina wanted to kill Jack – hell he challenged him to a duel to the death. And Jack _remembers_ him being the one who stabbed him. What more do you need?"

"How do I know that Jack O'Neill is telling the truth?"

"How do you _know_? Because what reason would he have to lie? He had nothing against your brother, but it was obvious your brother has something against him. You _know _he's guilty. Why aren't you doing something about it?"

"What do you know of the great circle?" Ailani asked suddenly.

"The great circle? You mean the – uh the big circle. "Uh, not much, why?"

"Because Teina said you are demons and that you know how to open the circle and travel to the underworld. He said you will capture our women and children and take them through the circle and we will never see them again."

"What? How in the world did he come up with something so ridiculous?" Sam asked. While she was speaking she was thinking seriously. Teina knew something about the gate, and about the Goa'uld if his story was true. She had to figure out whether he was acting alone or whether there were others in on this. She had a sudden attack of panic that maybe the Goa'uld were back and were simply hiding and waiting their time.

She looked up at Ailani and could tell he was confused about what to believe. Sam knew she had a window of opportunity to try and convince Ailani to hold Teina and ignore the lies he was spreading. Then she'd have to get Jack on his feet and they'd head to the gate, hopefully never to return.

"It is not ridiculous", Ailani defended his brother. "Still, I will reserve judgment for now."

"And what about Teina?"

"He has been confined to the village. I will decide in a few days what is to happen to him."

"Confined to the _village_? Do you mean he can just walk around anywhere he wants to go?"

"Yes, that is the case."

"And you didn't bother warning us?" She turned in disgust from the Chief. "I have to go check on the Colonel and make sure he's okay. Tell Teina that if he comes near to either of us I will kill him."

She walked back to the hut, again serious, but this time very, very worried.

"Sam-ata", Teina's voice stopped her dead. She was still a ways from their hut and there appeared to be no one around – a least no one who would stop anything.

"Teina", she glared at him and would have continued, but a hand shot out and grasped her arm. "Let go of me", she hissed.

"No", he told her. "You told lies about me to my brother and this I will not accept."

"_Lies_? Everything I told him was the truth. You tried to kill Jack and you will try again. But please know that _this_ time you will not be successful. If you hurt one hair on his head I will kill you."

Teina turned purple with anger and strode forward to reach out to grab her. Sam waited for a moment and grabbed _his_ arm and using his own momentum managed to flip him onto the ground. She immediately dropped and pressed her knee into his back and pulled his arm behind him. "I told you, try _anything_ and you will have to deal with me. Do not _ever_ try and touch Jack or me again. Do you understand?"

When he didn't answer she pulled his arm back farther, until he grunted. "Do you understand?"

"Yes", he hissed. "Let me go."

"Not until you've sworn, on whatever you find holy, that you will not harm either of us. Do you swear?"

"Yes – I swear – in the name – of Ra I – will not – harm you or – your mate."

"My mate _Jack"_ she told him.l

"Your mate Jack."

She let him up at that and watched as he scampered away. She didn't believe that he would leave them alone, but she felt a sense of satisfaction that she'd brought him down. She'd needed that after the frustration of her conversation with Ailani.

"Still in good fighting form Carter."

She looked up in surprise to see Jack leaning against the hut, watching her. He looked angry but she knew it wasn't directed at her, but rather at Teina.

"Jack – how long have you been standing there?"

"Since before Teina accosted you", he told her.

"And you didn't intervene?" she smiled.

He laughed softly. "I wanted to Carter, but I knew you would have kicked my butt if I'd tried. I also knew you had things under control."

She regarded him with pleased surprise. "Thank you Colonel. That means a lot coming from you."

"It Jack, remember."

"No, in this case its Colonel", she smiled.

"Come on Carter", he motioned with his head. "I need to sit down." She followed him inside and helped him sit \\. She then grabbed a drink for both of them and sat down beside him.

"So, did you hear him?" Jack asked quietly.

"Ra?"

"Yeah. The snakeheads were here. I just hope it was in the distant past", Jack frowned.

"Well I don't see any evidence of any recent activity, and the fact that he mentioned Ra, seems to indicate they probably haven't seen anyone for a long time."

"Let's just hope they don't find out what happened to him."

"No", she grimaced. "I don't think that would be a good idea – unless they consider Ra bad. Maybe they'd be happy about it."

"Let's not find out. In this case I suspect innocence is bliss." Jack sat for a while, sipping his juice, seemingly lost in thought. "Do you think Teina really will leave us alone?" he asked suddenly.

"No. He wants you gone too badly."

"But why? I did nothing to anger him. In fact I've been unconscious most of the time. I get the feeling he thinks I'm a threat, but why?"

"I don't know but I can hardly wait to get out of here."

"Me too", Jack sighed. "I'll try and get better faster and then we can move it to the gate."

"Where are we going to go Sir?" she asked softly.

"I don't know Sam – but we'll find somewhere, even if it's a planet with just the two of us."

She stared straight ahead, her eyes glazed over as if she were seeing something vastly different than the small hut. "That sounds kind of wonderful Jack", she said softly. "Just the two of us."


	33. Run For Your Love

"O'Neill – I would speak with you." Ailani stood outside of their hut accompanied by two of the elders of the tribe.

Jack gave Sam a quick look, his brow raised, and moved to open the door. "What is it Ailani?"

"We request your presence. Teina has asked to speak in front of the elders. He claims you are spreading lies about him and that you attacked him."

"He's saying _I_ attacked _him_? And when was this – before I was stabbed, when I was unconscious – or afterward?"

"He indicated it was today."

"_Today_?" Jack glanced at Sam and shook his head. He had a feeling things were going to hell very quickly. "I didn't touch him. Except for a brief visit to the facilities – uh – latrines, I haven't left the hut."

"That is not what he says. Come, you must join us."

"Mmm – and if I don't?"

"That will be an acknowledgement of your guilt."

"I have a feeling I've already been found guilty", he muttered. "What about Samantha?"

"Women are not allowed to speak in front of the elders. That is for their husbands and fathers."

"I see. Well then, let me speak with her first before I go." Jack turned around and slammed the door in Ailani's face and pulled Sam to the far side of the hut.

"I don't like this Sir", she whispered.

"My either. Look, as soon as I've gone gather all our things together and make your way to the outskirts of the village. Go over to the big rock – you know, the one we passed on the way to the beach. Wait behind it. I'll try and make it there as soon as I can and then we'll head to the gate."

"But Jack – you're not well enough."

"I'll have to be", he said gravely. "I have a feeling we're in danger here."

She nodded, recognizing the truth of what he was saying. "What about a weapon?"

"Give me a zat." She retrieved one of the weapons and he put it in his waistband. He then made sure his shirt was bloused out over top. He hoped that the bandages around his torso would hide the extra bulge. "Okay – be careful Sam."

"You too Jack." She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And don't irritate them!"

He grinned and moved towards the door. He gave her a casual salute and opened it, to find an angry looking Ailani and the two other villagers waiting.

"Come – the elders are waiting."

"Hold your horses", Jack muttered. He felt it was in his best interest to pretend to be weaker than he actually was. Making the enemy underestimate him was one of Jack's favorite strategies.

He limped along behind Ailani, letting out a few hisses and some strategic groans. At one point he stopped and bent over, making it look like he was winded and dizzy. One of the men grabbed his arm after that as if to steady him. "Thanks", he told the guy, adding a charming smile. Might as well try and make a few friends.

From the man's scowl he didn't think it had worked. Oh well – hopefully he and Sam would be out of here soon anyway. Making friends with these people wasn't at the top of his to-do list.

They arrived at the center of the village – an open space with a fire pit – presently unlit - in the middle. It looked as if all the men of the village, at least all over the age of about twenty, were present.

In the very center, in front of the fire pit, sat Teina. Just behind him was a group of some of the younger men. By the way they were talking and laughing it was clear they were aligned with him. Jack's eyes narrowed. Something was definitely going on in the village. He wondered if Ailani had any idea, or if his loyalty to his brother was blinding him.

It became very obvious, within minutes of the session starting, that the villagers were clearly on the side of Teina. Like many primitive peoples they were wary of strangers, willing to believe their own against all evidence. Jack questioned whether it was even worth it to mount a defense. Not quite sure what the outcome was supposed to be, he decided to exercise patience – for the time being anyway.

"As you have heard O'Neill, the charges against you are serious." Ailani stood after his brother and a few of Teina's cronies had finished weaving an unlikely tale of a plot against the village by O'Neill (a demon) and his woman Sam'ata. "What do you say?"

"What do I say?" He looked around at the faces of the men of Ati-Makani. "I say that Teina lies and that you are willing to believe him regardless of the evidence, or lack thereof. I have done nothing to hurt anyone in this village. In fact, the only person who _has_ been hurt is me and you seem unwilling to investigate that honestly." Jack stood carefully, again making it look like he was weak and in pain.

He turned slowly, to look at Ailani. "When I first saw you Ailani, I was impressed at the fact that you seemed to be a wise and fair ruler. I see I have been mistaken. I also pity you, because your brother and his friends are the ones plotting against you. I am now going to return to my wife."

"STOP!" Teina leapt up and raced towards Jack. "You cannot leave. You have been accused of a crime, and everyone can see you are guilty. I call on the men to sentence you to death for what you have done!"

"What _have_ I done Teina? Do you see anyone in this village that has been hurt? No, you are trying to hide something by killing me. Now move out of my way."

"Ailani!" Teina cried. "You must stop him."

Ailani looked unusually indecisive and Jack could see that it was disturbing to the villagers. He'd managed to sow some doubt, but he was sure that soon they'd all turn on him. Fear of strangers and the unknown was a strong catalyst for hate and violence.

"O'Neill", Ailani finally called out. Jack stopped and turned slowly.

"What?"

"You – I have to protect my people."

"Of course you do. But sometimes the biggest threats are not from the outside, but rather from rot on the inside." He then began to walk slowly out of the circle. Although he made it look like he was simply concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, in actual fact he was carefully observing everything that was going on. He was pretty sure that Teina would try something, although possibly not now, not with all the men watching.

Jack headed back towards the hut he and Sam had been using. Fortunately no one followed him, although he could hear lots of loud arguing. He was pretty sure that any minute a group of men would come and grab him and possibly Sam. They had to get out before Teina riled up the villagers any more.

As soon as he was out of sight of the men he circled around one of the huts, which appeared empty and headed towards the trees. He hadn't seen any of the women, and wondered if they were staying inside their homes or if they were all together somewhere.

He made it into the trees and began to move towards where he'd planned to meet Sam. They needed to make their way to the gate, but it was a two day journey and he knew that, although he was better off than he'd appeared to the villagers, he was still weak and there was no way he could outpace any who tried to follow. Unfortunately they'd have to try and hide out for a few days and make their way in a round about fashion.

He found Sam right where he'd told her to be – of course. If there was anyone he could trust it was the best 2IC he'd ever had. She silently handed him his pack, giving him a quick once-over to make sure he was okay. "Come on", he whispered. "I don't think we have much time."

She nodded and followed him as he headed away from the village and from the trail to the gate. She didn't say anything, trusting he knew what he was doing.

As they moved the sounds from the village grew fainter. Hopefully they'd keep arguing and – if they were really lucky – they'd decide against doing anything to their guests, although Jack figured that was unlikely.

They kept moving for over two hours without speaking and Jack was growing tired. He was actually surprised at how well he was holding out. He'd healed remarkably quickly from a rather severe injury.

He finally stopped and blew out a breath of air. "Let's take a breather", he said softly, dropping his pack to the ground and following it with his body. He leaned up against a tree and sighed. "You okay Carter?"

"Yes Sir, I'm fine. How about you?" She sat down beside him, while grabbing a canteen and handing it to him. "Drink."

"Yes Ma'am", he grinned and took a long swig of water. "I'm fine. Tired and a bit sore, but better than I thought I'd be."

"Adrenaline", she told him. "You'll hurt tomorrow."

"Ever the optimist Carter!" He stopped for a moment and listened. So far they hadn't heard anyone following them, but knew they still had to be careful.

"So what happened back there?"

Jack again admired what a great officer Carter truly was. She must have been dying of curiosity but instead had simply followed his orders, waiting for the right moment before finding out what was happening.

He told her briefly what had transpired. "It won't be long before Teina has them convinced we really _are_ demons. He's got a group of followers too. I don't think Ailani has any idea the trouble he's in."

"Do you think they'd assassinate him?"

"Mmm hmm. Teina is a vicious customer and definitely power hungry. There's also something weird going on there, but I can't tell what it is."

"_Sir_!" Sam held up her hand. "I heard something", she whispered.

Jack nodded and quickly and quietly got to his feet. He held out his hand and helped Carter to stand. They pulled out their zats and moved back into the denser jungle, taking their packs with them and making sure they didn't leave any telltale signs of their presence.

A few moments later and the sounds grew louder. There were a number of people coming up on their tail so both of the officers stood frozen, hoping to escape detection.

They must have some good trackers, thought Jack, because he and Carter had been as careful as possible to leave no signs. He was also surprised at how quickly the men, whether Teina's or Ailani's, had come upon them. They must have been travelling quickly.

"But what if they get away", a voice was heard to say.

"They won't. I have Ari, Hiro and Ponui heading towards the circle. They will find them and kill the man. The woman I will keep – for now", Teina laughed.

"You do not think he has already contacted his god?"

"No – he was too ill and I ensured he stayed that way, although I wish I had killed him! No – his god will not come." Teina sounded certain and that seemed to appease whoever was with him.

By the sounds coming from the jungle Jack thought there must be six or seven people, including Teina. He was curious as to what had happened at the village – and why the men were here. He had breathed a sigh of relief – a silent one – when he realized they thought he and Sam had headed towards the gate. So the fact that they were here was just coincidence.

"Whom do you think he serves", another, younger, voice asked. Whoever it was sounded rather frightened.

"Possibly Apophis or Heru'ur – but whoever it is, it is one who is the enemy of our God. When the Lord Ra returns, we shall tell him that we kept our world for him and that we serve only him and he will reward us!"

"Teina?" It was the young voice which spoke again. "How do we know Ra will come? He hasn't been back since the time of our ancestors."

There was a sharp sound, followed by the sound of a groan and a whimper. "Do not _ever_ doubt our God!" Teina practically shouted. "Do that again and I shall kill you!"

"I am sorry", the voice answered, sounding breathless and almost in tears. "I did not mean to doubt him. I honor and worship him."

"See that you do! Now come, we must get to the temple and collect the implements of destruction. It is time our people learned who is their master!"

Jack and Sam waited silently until the men had passed and it was safe to speak. They both let out the breath they'd been holding. "Whew! That was close", Jack said.

"Mmm – and they weren't even looking for us. I wonder where they're going?"

"Well, the instruments of destruction must be weapons. I expect they're planning a coup!"

"What should we do?" Sam asked.

Jack closed his eyes a moment and then sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was to get involved in some dispute between brothers. But he knew he couldn't let Teina kill his fellow villagers, including his brother – and probably his nephew. He stood up straight and looked to Sam.

"Let's see where they're going. Maybe we can figure out a way to stop them."

The two former Air Force officers moved out onto the trail to follow the villagers. They watched carefully, not wanting to suddenly come on one of them or to end up in a trap.

Jack found himself getting tired after another hour of walking. He wasn't sure how much energy he had left. He lifted his hand, to declare a short break, when a sound to his right startled him.

He swung quickly and lifted his zat – to see another one pointed directly at him. Fortunately his aim was better – and faster – and the native went down in a flash of light. The zat blast directed at him hit the tree beside him – and stunned the poor snake which had been slithering up its trunk.

Sam had also drawn her weapon and was doing a careful search to see if there were any other men in sight. After a moment she nodded. "All clear", she whispered.

Jack nodded back and made his way to the native. He recognized him as one of the young men who had sat behind Teina. "Damn", he grimaced as the guy began to wake up. Not wanting to kill him, Jack used the old-fashioned method and hit him on the jaw, knocking him out again. He then quickly tied him and gagged him. "Let's go."

The two officers made their way, with extreme stealth, through the jungle. They stayed off the path in order to avoid any further ambushes. It was only a few minutes later that they came on the 'temple'.

"Crap", Jack whispered. He recognized those symbols. This really was a temple to Ra. He thought back to that episode, so many years ago now, which had started this whole thing. He'd killed the snakehead then, but it seemed as if the guy wanted to keep coming back to haunt him.

They watched carefully, but couldn't see anything. Teina and his men must be inside. After a while Jack signaled that he was going up to the temple to check it out.

"_Sir_!" Carter hissed, her eyes huge.

"I'll be okay", he mouthed. "Watch my six."

She grimaced and shook her head, but a raised eyebrow and a small grin caused her to roll her eyes and nod. Jack O'Neill would be the death of her one day.

Jack slunk forward, every sense on the alert. All his weakness and tiredness had left. In its place was the rush of adrenaline, which kept him going – and alive – and had through many other dangerous missions.

He managed to make his way right up to the front of the temple – where the single door stood. It was open – in fact there was no actual door, but a simple opening in the wall. Jack held his zat in front of him and stood to one side of the opening, his body pressed against the cool stone of the temple.

He took a deep breath and then swung in front of the door, keeping low. Nothing happened, so he took two steps forward, staying alert for any change.

Sam watched as Jack moved into the building and felt her heart begin to race. Why was he doing this? Her eyes scanned the entire area around the temple, but so far she didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary.

A moment later and Jack had disappeared inside the temple. She said a short prayer for errant Colonels and continued to watch.

Jack was in a long corridor, although there were a number of alcoves down the side. There were torches placed sporadically along the walls, although there wasn't enough light to illuminate the corridor completely. He was grateful because if need be he could hide in one of the alcoves.

As he walked – his eyes carefully checking out every nook and cranny – he couldn't help but wonder at the Goa'uld. They had some of the most incredible advanced technology, but couldn't seem to figure out electric lights. They lit most things with torches, which was really crazy, especially in a space ship.

Suddenly he stopped as he heard the sound of voices ahead. He continued to creep forward, but slowly and even more carefully. The light grew brighter as he approached the end of the passageway. He could see that another corridor branched off at 90 degrees from the one he was in and that's where the light was coming from. He stopped and knelt down. From that vantage point he carefully stuck his head around the corner.

Shit! Inside a large room – in the middle of which sat a stone altar – were five men from the village. Laid out in front of them, on that altar and on another table off to the side, was an array of weapons, including zats and staff weapons. He could also see a communications device, a hand device – hopefully no one could use that – as well as other Goa'uld produced objects.

The men were talking and laughing – while collecting the weapons and readying them to take back. Against these weapons Ailani and his followers would have no chance.

He slowly stood and backed away. He needed to get out of here and get to Sam. He didn't know if there was much they could do, although so far there were only five. The odds were pretty good and much better than he or Sam usually faced.

He made his way back down the corridor and towards the entrance – and Sam. He thought briefly of her and was thankful that she was with him – although that thought made him feel guilty.

Just then he heard a noise – a loud noise – coming from up ahead. Crap! Someone – _lots_ of someones were heading his way.

He looked around frantically and found the darkest alcove he could. He dove into it and pressed himself against the wall. He held his breath as the sounds grew nearer.

Jack watched as the first Jaffa passed his position. He wanted to curse, but continued to stay frozen, barely breathing. All it would take would be one glance to the side and he'd be toast.

In the end he counted twenty Jaffa – and all of them were wearing Ra's insignia. Who the hell were they? Ra had been dead and gone for years, and most, if not all of his Jaffa had either become free, or had sworn allegiance to another god. Something fishy was going on.

Once he was sure that there were no more coming, a very shaky Jack made his way back into the main corridor and moved towards the outside. Again he thought about Sam, but this time it was to pray she was all right and that she hadn't been discovered. If he were to find her lifeless body – _stop that Jack_, he told himself. There's no point thinking that way.

Sam had heard the Jaffa before she saw them. She'd known instantly who was coming – having spent years hearing the clink of Goa'uld armor. She slid quietly back into the trees and waited while the troop passed her by.

Oh God Colonel! Her eyes closed briefly as the Jaffa entered the temple. There was no way they wouldn't discover him. What should she do?

Wait. She knew she had to wait and see what would happen. Jack had a way of getting out of tight spaces. Maybe his luck would hold this time as well.

Two of the Jaffa ended up staying outside to guard the temple. She frowned. If Jack _did_ make it out, he'd walk straight into the two guards. With a soft curse she began to make her way closer to the temple. She had to take them out.

Jack was almost at the door and his physical exhaustion and still to be completely healed wound started clamoring for attention. He just needed to make it out in the open, and he'd be safe. And Sam would be waiting there for him!

He stopped before leaving the temple, knowing it was highly likely that the Jaffa had placed guards out in front. It showed how inexperienced Teina was that he hadn't thought of it.

His palms sweaty and his breath coming in short gasps, Jack knew he had to take a chance and just go for it.

With a deep breath he dove out the door, flipping around mid-air and landing on his back, his zat drawn and pointed towards where he hoped the guards were placed.

Instead he almost shot Sam, who was standing over the unconscious – or dead – body of a Jaffa.

"It's me Sir!" she said quickly.

"God Carter – you scared the crap out of me."

"I scared the crap out of _you?" _she asked incredulously. Her mouth opened and he jumped in, speaking before she had a chance – purely as a matter of self-preservation.

"Yes, let's not dwell Sam – instead let's get the hell out of here. I expect they'll be out soon."

She nodded and the two made their way quickly back into the jungle. They'd barely reached the trees when they heard a shout.

"Damn it! Let's _go_ Carter!" The two began a race through the jungle, the sounds of pursuit loud behind them. This wasn't an unusual situation for the two, but unfortunately, this time they weren't close to the gate, nor did they have the first idea where to go. They were simply running for their lives.

Jack lost track of how long they'd been running. All he knew was his lungs were about to explode, he could see little but black spots that were chasing themselves around in his eyes, his chest felt like someone was sticking a hot poker through it and his legs were burning and cramping continuously.

He glanced briefly at Carter, who looked about like he felt. Still the Jaffa kept coming – their little snaky juniors giving them a resilience and endurance that far outstripped that of the humans.

He was sobbing for air and knew they couldn't go on much longer. Maybe they should turn and fight. They'd both die, but at least they'd go out in a blaze of glory. He started to slow down, which brought a panicked look from Sam. "Sir?" she heaved. "What are you – doing?"

"We – can't – outrun them – anymore Sam. I say – we stand – and – fight."

"No - Sir", she said. "Keep - going. We aren't going to die – not here – not now!"

He appreciated the sentiment and gave her a smile, but he knew it was no use. They had nowhere to run.

He glanced ahead to a small outcropping of rock. It looked like there was a shallow cave – more of an indent in the rock than a real cave – but it looked as good a place as any for a last stand. "Over – there", he pointed.

She looked and nodded. She knew, as well as he, that there was no hope. With a smile she reached out and took his hand and together they ran towards the rock.

They heard the Jaffa getting closer. It would only be moments now. Jack faced his comrade – his friend – the woman he cared about more than he should.

"I love you Sam", he told her. "I should – have – told you – before."

Her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed. "I – love you – too."

He smiled and reached out and pulled her to him. However, because of his exhaustion he was unsteady and stumbled. In order not to fall and to take her with him, he steadied himself by putting his hand on the rock beside him.

There was a rumble and it slid away. Both of them tumbled inside and then the rock closed behind them.


	34. Happiness Sans Regs

"What the hell?" Jack's voice carried in the dark. "What – happened?"

"I don't – know Sir", she panted. "I can't see anything."

Jack felt completely disoriented. One moment they were standing there, waiting to be struck down by raging Jaffa and the next they were inside a damned rock. He was panting heavily, his chest burning from exertion and lack of oxygen.

He reached with his arm to steady himself, not sure what was in the darkness but figuring anything was better than falling to the ground in a faint. He hand skimmed something – not rock like he'd expected, but smooth metal. The next second, everything was flooded with light.

"Damn it!" he swore, closing his eyes against the sudden brightness.

Sam blinked a few times, her eyes flashing as they went from total darkness to light. She finally was able to see clearly, and looked around in wonder. "Sir", she said softly.

"What Carter?" he asked rubbing his still streaming eyes. He was slowly getting his breath back, but was feeling decidedly unsteady.

"Sir – look."

He blinked rapidly and then opened his eyes and did a quick sweep of the – room – they were in. Not quite believing it he looked again and then, with a small smile, glanced at Sam. "I don't believe we're in Kansas anymore Dorothy."

"No Scarecrow", she grinned. "But I think we may have just discovered why you insisted we come to this planet."

"Yeah, I think you may be right!" Jack sighed and turned slowly to examine their hidey-hole. They had landed – if that was the right word – right into the middle of an Ancient outpost.

Jack slowly moved to one of the panels at the side and reached out his hand.

"Sir – do you think you should do that?"

"Yes Carter", he grinned at her and put his hand on the panel. Immediately a screen appeared above him. It showed the area outside – where they'd just been and it was full of very confused looking Jaffa.

The two watched as the leader shouted at his men. "He's telling them we have to be close and they'll be a reward for the man – or Jaffa I guess – who finds us. He's also telling them they'll all be punished if we escape."

"Uh Jack – they're speaking Goa'uld."

"Mmm hmm", he answered, continuing to watch the monitor.

"You don't speak Goa'uld."

"Uh – well, no, but I can understand it."

"Since when?"

He grimaced. "Since the Ancient stuff got into my brain. I seem to have a bit of a facility with languages now."

"Oh." She stared at him for a second and then shook her head and returned her attention to the screen. "So you think they'll be able to find their way in here?"

"I doubt it. I expect you have to have Ancient genes to get in – kind of like the chair."

She nodded and continued to watch the monitor. She was finally starting to relax after their desperate run, although she realized she was deathly thirsty. She pulled out her canteen and took a few swigs and then handed it to Jack. "You'd better drink", she told him when he took it but continued to watch the monitor.

"Right." He lifted it to his mouth and took a couple of long drinks. "Better", he sighed. He then perused the small room, trying to figure out where they were and what this had been used for.

"What do you think this place is?" Sam asked, as if reading his mind.

"Not sure. Maybe it says somewhere here." He began to wander around although he didn't touch anything – at least not for a few minutes. Finally he nodded and reached out towards another metal plate. The moment he touched it another screen illuminated, although this one was on the panel in front of him. "Here we go."

Sam watched as he quickly read the words on the screen. She wondered if he had any idea how strange it was to suddenly see him with all these – abilities. She also wondered what more he had. So far he hadn't really shown much, other than the ability to heal, read Ancient and speak Goa'uld. She rather suspected there was a lot more.

"Any idea where we are?" she asked finally.

Jack nodded and lifted his head, slowly stretching his neck. He looked exhausted. "Yeah. This is an outpost – it was abandoned by the Ancients years ago but they left this here for any of their people who might come to this place. Basically it gives the history of the planet – it was a small settlement, mostly made up of a few people who wanted to live a simpler life. This room was used as their main library as well as a communications post to contact other planets."

"Really? Do you think that still works?"

He smiled. "Probably, although I don't know who we'd contact. I doubt it connects with those who've ascended."

"Oh – right. Still, there might be descendants somewhere who would hear us."

"And probably crap their pants if we were suddenly to call home! I doubt if the communications equipment, if it still works, is going to do us much good."

She looked disappointed and took a breath. Jack grinned. "But the list of habitable planets just might."

"What?"

"There's a list of planets that weren't on the Abydos cartouche _and_ weren't ones I put on the computer when I had the repository downloaded into my fron. These are completely unknown to the NID and therefore should be safe for us."

"But – how will we know if they're still habitable or what's there? This was documented millennia ago – at least, maybe more."

"Mmm – you're right. Well, I guess we'll just have to go and figure it out."

"But Jack – what if we dial a planet and it's no longer habitable we could walk through the gate into a vacuum – or a raging inferno."

"We'll send through a MALP", he told her with a smile.

"Uh – Sir", she looked around the small room. "We don't exactly _have _a MALP."

"Not yet Carter", he told her. "We'll just have to make our own. It'll be better anyway. We can make a portable one and use it each time we travel."

"_Make_ one? How are we going to do that?"

"I'm surprised at you. You're a scientist and you know about thingies like this – and I have a lot of Ancient crap floating around my brain. Between the two of us we'll figure it out."

"What about the Jaffa and Ailani and the villagers?"

Jack sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Yeah – I almost forgot about them. Well, I guess we could go and find out what's going on, as soon as the Jaffa clear out."

"We still don't know where they came from or why they're wearing Ra's insignia."

"No? Well I've been thinkin about that", Jack said. He walked over to one side of the room and leaning against the wall, slid down until he was sitting. "There are a lot of Jaffa running around the galaxy who no longer have a master – not since we've done such a good job of eliminating so many System Lords. These guys may have truly been part of Ra's army or were a ragtag group that came together. When they found a planet that had at one time worshiped the supreme snakehead, they probably told the natives – in this case Teina – that Ra would return. I mean, what better way to get the locals to worship you and obey you. And who's to know that Ra is dead?"

"Sounds plausible. Sir, are you okay?" She watched him carefully, noticing how pale he'd become. She was worried that he'd reinjured himself after their desperate escape.

"Yeah fine, just tired. Come and take a load off Carter. We have to wait until the Jaffa have all cleared out before we can get out of here."

It was as she moved to sit beside him that she remembered their last moments before falling into the Ancient room. Jack had told her he loved her and she'd told him the same thing back. Holy Hannah! How could she have forgotten that? She sat there, stunned and unsure what to say or do.

"Stop thinkin' so hard Sam", Jack murmured. He moved so that he was closer to her and putting his arm around her pulled her to him. "I meant what I said you know", he whispered into her hair.

"Did you?' she asked, sounding almost frightened. "It wasn't just that you thought you were going to die?"

"Of course it was", he gave a crooked grin. "But that just meant that I told the truth. I mean, who cares about regulations where you're going to die?"

She was silent a moment, thinking about his words. He was looking at her worriedly, probably wondering if she'd take her words back. Instead she allowed herself to relax. "Who cares about regulations now?" she finally said softly.

That's all that was needed. Even thought Jack felt like crap – and was weak and winded and stiff and sore – he pulled Sam into his arms and kissed her passionately.

Her little murmur of – happiness? contentment? joy? – made him pull her even closer. The next thing either of them knew, they were lying on the stone floor, making out like a couple of teenagers.

It was actually Sam who brought them back to the present, and that was only because something was sticking into her back. By the time she realized it was her canteen, she'd managed to regain some kind of control. "Jack", she whispered.

She could tell he was trying to pull himself together so she moved back slightly, recognizing that having her body pressed against his was not going to help him calm down. After a couple of minutes his breathing returned to – almost – normal and he forced himself back up.

"Well that was – "

"Incredible?" Sam supplied.

Jack grinned and looked at her. "Definitely. Does that mean you uh – return my feelings?"

"Didn't I already tell you I loved you?"

"Mmm – but a guy likes to hear it again you know."

"Fine. I love you Jack", she told him sternly.

"Okay, the words were good, but the feeling behind them – mmm, I don't know. You _could_ say it a bit more -"

"A bit more?"

"Passionately?" he supplied hopefully.

She laughed and gently swatted his shoulder. "I think you got passion a few minutes ago."

"That I did", he grinned and again pulled her near. "Don't worry – I'm too old to do anything on a cold floor. I just want to hold you."

"I do love you, you know", she said gently, her head resting against his heart. "I've loved you for a long time."

He kissed the top of her head. "I don't deserve you Sam, but I'll accept that because I've loved you for even longer."

There was a pause. "Have not", she said.

"Have too", he told her.

"Have not."

"Have too."

"Since when?"

"Since – uh – I don't know – that time we were captured by Hathor I guess. You know when she – put that damned snake in my head."

She nodded and gave him a hug, knowing how much the memory still bothered him. "I fell in love with you in Antarctica", she told him softly.

"Really?" he looked down at her in surprise. "It was my sidearm, wasn't it?" he grinned.

She giggled softly but shook her head. "Sorry – no. It was your courage and your confidence in me. I wouldn't have made it if it hadn't been for you."

"Hey, I didn't do anything other than boil a mean pot of water. You were the one who saved us."

She made a rude noise. "Right! I couldn't even get the gate working. If I'd just dialed another address we would have been out of there sooner."

"Sam! How could you have possibly known that? And anyway, Daniel told us it was because the gate was shaking that he figured it out and _you_ were the one to make that happen. So You. Saved. Me!"

"Fine", she nodded. "But that's when I fell in love with you."

He kissed her head again and pulled her close. He would liked to have said he'd started to have feelings for her then, but the truth was he was still getting over Sara at that point and wasn't even thinking of other women. In actual fact he couldn't really tell _when _he'd fallen in love with her but it had happened gradually. It had sneaked up on him so slowly and subtly that when he finally realized it had come as a shock.

"But I love you more", he whispered.

She laughed and snuggled into him. "I'm not going to argue with you on that one Jack, since we both know it's not true."

He sighed and continued to hold her, enjoying the closeness, and finally the freedom to express himself.

It was as he was dropping off to sleep, exhausted with everything, that his mind remembered making love with her. He frowned – it was just a dream, right? He pulled her tight. Yes, it must have been a dream.

The two of them dozed for a couple of hours until Jack was sure that the Jaffa were gone. He triple checked the monitors and could find no signs of any sentient life in the vicinity.

"I've been thinking", he said. "I don't really see how we can do much to help Ailani. We can't defeat his brother and a whole whack of Jaffa. I think this might be a case where we have to let them deal with their own problems."

Sam sighed but nodded. "I'm afraid you're right. I just hope innocent lives aren't lost as a result."

"I know." He looked sad for a few moments and then pushed himself to his feet. "I think we need to make ourselves a portable MALP. I'm going to check out if the Ancients have anything written on something like that. Why don't you just relax for a bit?"

While Jack was working Sam allowed herself to daydream.

She couldn't believe how things had changed in the last few weeks. She'd gone from anger to despair to worry to hope back to despair and now to complete happiness. Jack loved her and they could be together. There were no more regulations for the two of them. Wherever they ended up, they were going to be together.

"_There_!" Jack smiled and stood back. "It shouldn't take too long at all. I simply have to input the details and we should have one in no time!"

"But don't we have to build it?"

"I don't' think so. They have a kind of 3D printer here and it should produce the equipment. The Asgard have that too you know. That's how they made the bug exterminator."

Jack was correct. It took the rest of the day to design and then make, but by the end of it he had a portable "Malp" – which he called Malplette. It was small enough to fit in a pack but should come in very handy as they travelled to unknown places.

"What are you doing now?" Sam asked as Jack input some more information on the Ancient version of a computer.

"Just sending a message", he grinned.

"A message? To whom?"

"To the Asgard. I'm requesting their help – in Ailani's name - in getting rid of the Jaffa and making this a protected planet."

"Oh my God – that's brilliant." She then suddenly frowned. "But what if Ailani denies he sent the message?"

"Then he'll have to deal with being enslaved to Jaffa. It will be his choice."

She nodded, knowing there was little they could do. "Uh – shouldn't we be off this planet before they come?"

"I sent the message on a bit of a delay so we should have time to make it to the gate. Let me get some instructions on how to get there via a different route so we don't run into the Jaffa or Teina's men."

He worked for a few more minutes and then announced that he was finished. As Sam looked at him she realized they were crazy to attempt to head to the gate tonight. Jack was practically collapsing on his feet and they needed to rest.

"We're going to stay here tonight", she informed him. "You're too tired to travel and we'll do better after a night's rest."

Jack frowned, unused to his 2IC telling him what to do. It dawned on him abruptly that she wasn't his 2IC any longer and she _could_ tell him what to do. He sighed. Life was going to be very interesting from now on.

"Okay, so let's make camp."

She got all of their things and made a cozy little sleeping area in a small alcove. She then fixed some food and by the time they were done Jack was almost asleep. She told him to lie down and tucked him in.

"Stay with me", he murmured. He sighed and nuzzled her as she lay down and spooned up against him. He fell asleep happy – not allowing tomorrow's worries to interfere with his happiness of today.

He was soon sound asleep. Sam smiled and gently kissed him. "Sweet dreams my love." With that she closed her eyes and was soon asleep herself.


	35. Exploration

_**SOOOOO sorry for the long delay in posting. All I can claim is - uh - spending time on my other fics and hitting a bit of a road block with this one. **_

**_This is a short chapter - and something of an interlude. More adventure, angst, etc to come_**

Sam woke up first the next morning and spent the first few minutes just watching Jack sleep. She had seen him like this dozens of times, when they had been on missions together, but now it seemed different. Now she knew he loved her so somehow watching him was sweeter and more meaningful.

"Hey", he said softly, his eyes catching hers. "You're awake."

She grinned. "I always knew you were smart."

"And you're sassy!" he said, pushing himself up and giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"You love it Jack O'Neill!" she told him. She pushed him back down and proceeded to give him anything but a quick kiss. By the time she was done, Jack was panting heavily and wishing they were in a big comfortable bed somewhere. As it was, they were on a cold, hard floor and they needed to get going.

"As much as I hate to say this -"

" - we have to leave", Sam said, finishing his sentence. She pushed herself upright and attempted to straighten her hair. She then looked at Jack and smirked. "You ready to go?"

He sighed. "I guess." He followed her up and stood a moment, trying to regain his equilibrium. It was partly that he was still recuperating from his wound, but more than that he was dealing with his body's reaction to having Sam kiss him.

"Alright, we'd better make our way to the Gate and pray that neither the Jaffa nor Teina's men discover us. Let's collect all our stuff and get the hell out of Dodge!"

They made their way to the Gate taking a circuitous route, hoping anyone out looking for them would concentrate on the more direct paths.

"Up ahead Sir", Sam whispered.

Jack gave her a quick look, surprised at the 'Sir' but then realized that Sam was in full soldier mode and had naturally reverted to calling him that.

"Carter?"

"Jaffa Sir, at 2 o'clock."

"How many?"

"I just saw the one."

He nodded and motioned to the right. They'd get off the trail and move forward slowly. It was tricky going as the jungle was dense but they were both experienced and they made there way forward quietly, stopping only at Sam's raised hand.

She gestured ahead and held up two fingers. Jack nodded. He had seen them as well. He gave a few hand signals and when Carter nodded they split up. In a couple of minutes both of the Jaffa had been disarmed and tied up.

"We'd better be careful Carter, there could be more of them."

"We're about 500 meters from the Gate", she told him.

"Okay – let's move. And be careful Sam."

"You too Jack!"

The two of them moved forward, and little more needed to be said. They made their way together, perfectly in synch after years of working together.

As they moved towards their goal, Sam couldn't help but pray that their lives together would continue on as smoothly as their working relationship had done.

Jack's arm went up and she stopped. She too saw the Jaffa at the Gate. There appeared to be only four of them, but it was totally possible – and probable that there were more hidden around the perimeter.

They did a quick search and discovered three more Jaffa hiding among the trees. They took those ones out quickly and painlessly – at least painlessly for the humans. The Jaffa would all end up with terrible headaches when they returned to consciousness.

That only left four more right at the Gate, although both of the two Air Force officers continued to be cautious in case they'd missed someone.

"Okay, I'll take the two at 3 and 6 o'clock", Jack whispered, "you get the other two. Once they're out, get to the DHD as quickly as possible and start dialing."

She nodded and then slowly headed to her left, to deal with her two assigned Jaffa. Disabling the four Jaffa at the Gate turned out to be an easier task than they had anticipated. Just as they moved forward, there was a rumbling and a shadow grew over the land. Both Jack and Sam glanced up, just in time to see the arrival of an Asgard ship.

The Jaffa had also looked up and what they saw filled them with terror. Unfortunately, as a result of their reaction, they completely missed the real and more immediate threat. Within a few short seconds all of them lay on the ground, unconscious.

Sam ran to the DHD and began to press the correct glyphs. Jack had arrived seconds after her but kept his eyes on the surrounding area, making sure that there were no other Jaffa or locals trying to kill them.

They had decided to go to a known planet – P5K 34X – rather than attempting one of the new ones. They didn't have time to use the Malpette with Jaffa running around, so instead were travelling to a sparsely populated desert world that Sg6 had discovered last year. They had found nothing there – no plant or animal life – but only endless miles of burnt desert. Everyone quickly agreed there was no point in exploring it and it had been marked off their list of planets.

Jack figured that the NID wouldn't bother looking there for them, knowing that no one could live on that planet. But it would work perfectly as a place to stop and check out their next destination.

"_Sam!"_ Jack started shooting as half a dozen Jaffa ran out from the jungles. "Hurry!"

"Almost there – Sir." She hit the center glyph and the event horizon shot out. Reaching out with his hand, Jack grabbed Sam's and they ran up the stairs, dodging staff weapon bursts as they did so.

He felt Sam suddenly jerk beside him and cursed, sure that she had been hit. With a last minute surge of energy he pulled her through the Gate and felt the sudden rush of the wormhole catapult them through space.

He came out as fast, if not faster than he had entered the Gate, Sam's hand still held securely in his. He twisted as he landed, pulling Sam on top of him to break her fall. All of the air was forced out of his lungs and his entire body was jarred from the force of the landing. A second later Sam had landed on top of him and he was only glad that there wasn't actually any more air in his lungs as it would have been forced out again by her using him as a landing pad.

It took Jack a few seconds to get enough oxygen in his lungs to be able to speak. In the meantime he moved until he could see Sam – who hadn't said anything. God – let her be okay.

"Sam?" he gasped out, trying to see her. When she didn't respond he gently rolled her off of him and hoisted himself up on his arms so that he could see her. "Sam?" he asked again. "Are you okay?"

He could hear her take a shaky breath and then saw a small nod. He breathed a sigh of relief, although he still wasn't sure that she was totally all right. "Hey, speak to me. Are you okay?"

"Yes", she said finally. "Just – winded."

"Were you hit?"

She looked up at him in confusion. "I – I don't know."

He immediately threw off his pack and began to check her over, looking for blood or any wounds.

"Uh Jack?"

"What Carter?" he asked, sounding almost frantic.

"Nothing hurts. I think I'm okay."

At that precise moment Jack got a look at her pack, and the hole that had been blasted in it, obviously by a staff weapon. He closed his eyes in relief. It hadn't gone through and she wasn't hurt. He sagged back to the ground, his eyes closed.

"Sorry", she told him softly, kneeling beside him. "I was just winded by the fall – although thank you for providing a reasonably soft landing. Uh, are you okay?" She looked him over carefully, noticing how pale he was. She frowned in concern. "Jack?"

"I'm fine", he said. "I bruised my ass when I landed, but it's nothing that won't heal." He opened his eyes and looked Sam over carefully. "I thought you'd been shot."

"No – at least I guess I was", she looked at her pack. "But it just damaged my pack, not me." She suddenly grabbed her canteen and handed it to Jack. "Here, drink. You look like you're about to pass out."

He took the canteen but glared at her briefly. "Am not!"

She couldn't help the grin. He sounded like such a little boy sometimes. "Well even if you're not about to pass out, you need to rest. You still haven't recovered from your wound and you've been running around taking out Jaffa and then being catapulted through a wormhole. It's enough to make anyone tired."

"And add to that being squashed by a flying Carter!" he mumbled as he took another drink.

She laughed and sat back down. "Yes, that was some exit. I am really sorry about landing on you though. I didn't hurt you did I?" she frowned suddenly.

"No Carter, like I said, it was just my six that bore the brunt of the landing. Believe me, if anyone was going to land on me I'm glad it was you."

"Yeah, I expect Teal'c would be much more painful."

He snorted. "You're telling me." He suddenly began to chuckle. "But I expect it would be Daniel who would be more likely to do it. He's usually the klutz."

She giggled at that, thinking back to the many times Daniel had caused near disaster by being distracted or not paying attention. Suddenly she missed their two friends terribly.

"Yeah", Jack said softly, "I know. I miss them too."

They spent a few minutes just resting, although the planet they were on was hot and offered no shade, so they decided to move on to their next location as soon as possible.

"Did you pick one?" Sam asked.

"Yeah – there's a nice little planet called Zemfora – at least that's what the Ancients called it. It's got a temperate climate with plenty of good flora and fauna. There were a number of small settlements and as far as I can tell, it was a peaceful planet."

"Sounds good. Shall we send through the camera?"

Jack nodded and forced himself to his feet. Damn he was stiff! He opened his pack and reached in to grab one of the small Malpette's they'd created. In the end they had decided to make a number of them, figuring they'd lose some on unlivable planets.

He moved – slowly – to the DHD and began dialing. God what he wouldn't give for a hot tub and a massage – preferably from Sam. He grinned as he began to dial.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked when she saw the grin.

"Uh – nothing."

"Jack!"

He shrugged. "Just thinkin' about how good a massage would feel."

"Oh. My God, yes!" Suddenly she got an impish look as she watched him dial the last few glyphs. "I'll give you one if you give me one", she told him.

He almost misdialed but then forced his hand to the final glyph. "Uh – okay", he coughed out. God – he so did not need to be thinking about that right now. Focus Jack, focus.

Sam continued to grin as they watched the event horizon form and the 'kawoosh' as it filled the space in front of them. They waited a few seconds and then Sam got the Malpette set up.

"Okay Sir – it's ready."

"Let 'er go Sam!"

Sam walked up to the gate and set down the small machine. It was basically a simple camera built on a small, moveable platform. It went through the horizon, disappearing instantly on its way to a new planet.

"Okay – let's see what we can see." Jack held the small screen in front of both of them, ready to see what Zemfora was like.

"Uh – peaceful?" Sam asked.

Jack grimaced at the desolate landscape being projected through the wormhole. It was obvious to both soldiers that a battle – an epic battle – had taken place, leaving mass destruction in its wake.

"Okay – so not the planet for us."

"No", Sam answered, sounding subdued. "Why do people do these things?"

"I wish I knew Sam", he shrugged. "Let's try planet number 2!" Jack put on a voice like a game show host, which made her smile. She knew he was trying to take her mind off the vision of the first planet.

"So, the next place we should try is Sardis. It seems to be an agricultural planet – kind of like the mid-west. Again, there were small settlements dotted throughout the land and it was relatively peaceful."

"Relatively?" she asked.

"Uh – some land disputes, but doesn't look like anything too serious. Shall we try?"

She nodded and watched as he dialed again. They went through the same routine as before and waited for the picture of the planet to appear.

"Damn!" Jack cursed when he saw the projection. "What do the readings say?"

Sam was examining the small screen, which gave air quality and other environmental readings. She grimaced when she saw the results. "I'm afraid we're not going to Sardis either. The air is unbreathable. It's been poisoned, probably from some kind of chemical factory – or even warfare."

"Great! So much for the amazing Ancients! Looks like they were as bad as the rest of us."

"Do you have another planet?" Sam asked. She was starting to feel both hot and tired and couldn't wait to get off this damn world.

"Yeah – lots more. Let me see." He closed his eyes and tapped his finger against his lip. "Let's try Terasano." He closed his eyes to try and remember anything about this planet. "Uh – Mediterranean climate – by the ocean. A larger city and a number of small villages within one to two days ride." His eyes opened. "Looks and sounds nice. Let's just hope the people haven't destroyed it."

By this time Sam was feeling tired and out of sorts. Their life was in limbo and she wanted to stay in one place and simply rest. And, she wanted to be able to spend time with Jack – to get to know him in a new way.

"Alright – here we go!" The Malpette went through and a moment later they were looking at scenes from Terasano.

"Looks nice", Sam said softly.

"Mmm – what do the readings say?"

She looked at her small monitor, her face serious and intent on the screen. "Air quality – looks good. Temperature – 28 degrees Celsius. I can't tell anything about the water quality, but everything else seems good."

"Well then – should we try it?"

She looked at him and gave a single nod. "I'd say yes."

"Okay Major – after you."

Sam picked up her pack – now duct-taped to try and repair the staff blast hole – and swung it over her shoulder. She waited for Jack to gather all his things together and then they walked to the Gate, shoulder to shoulder.

"Alright – here we go!" He gave her a small smile and reached out and took her hand. Together they stepped through the Gate to a new world.


	36. Terasano

The first thing Jack noticed as they exited the event horizon was that the temperature was warm but not hot and there was a slight breeze. Next he noticed the smell – he couldn't quite figure out what it was, but it was lovely and he took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds.

"Mmm – Oregano, laurel and lemons", Sam murmured.

"Huh?"

"The smell. It reminds me of a visit I made to the Greek Islands when I was in college." She turned to him and smiled. "Doesn't it smell wonderful?"

He couldn't help but return her smile, suddenly feeling better than he had in a long time. "Makes me hungry", he told her.

She laughed. "Men and their stomachs!"

"Hey, I've seen you eat an entire pizza at one sitting Ms. Carter so no sarcastic comments please."

She laughed again and then did a 360 degree turn, looking at the area around the Gate. "Doesn't look like the Gate is being used", she commented, noticing the unkempt terrain and the lack of a groomed path.

"No", Jack agreed, also carefully perusing the area. "That might be a good thing – or a bad thing", he commented.

Sam grinned and raised her eyebrows at him. "Covering all bases are you?"

"You Samantha Carter are getting _way_ too sassy for your boots. Come on, let's go see what we can see." Suddenly he grew serious. "Keep your eyes open – it's pretty but that doesn't mean that the natives are friendly."

"Or that there _are_ any natives", she said under her breath.

The two former officers walked forward, keeping a close lookout around them. It wasn't long before they heard the sound of water and soon came out on a rocky promontory, overlooking a beautiful azure sea. "Wow", Sam breathed. "It's gorgeous."

"Definitely looks like the Mediterranean", Jack agreed. "Look", he pointed to an area a few feet away. "A trail."

They made their way over to it but couldn't tell if it had been in use in the recent past. It was flat and clear though and much easier to walk on than the grass and rocky hills closer to the Gate.

They continued on the trail, which followed the line of the water far below. It slowly meandered downward getting closer to the sea although they still remained well above it.

They'd walked for over an hour before Jack called a halt. They stopped and rested, sitting on the edge of the trail and looking over the beautiful vista.

"I sure hope the people are nice", Sam breathed, leaning back on her arms. "I think I could enjoy living in a place like this."

"Yeah, me too. Just our luck though and it'll be full of evil aliens, or warring natives."

"Don't be so negative", she scolded. "The people could be wonderful and friendly and welcoming."

"I suppose", he frowned. "We _could_ be due for a change from our usual luck."

She reached out and swatted him. "Think positive thoughts."

"Right, as if _that's_ going to make a difference." He slowly got to his feet, brushing off his pants. "Come on", he held out his hand and helped pull her to her feet. "We'd better get moving. We need to find a fresh water source and hopefully some Souvlaki and roast potatoes and rice and Greek Salad and Retsina and …"

Sam watched as Jack continued on the trail, listing all the Greek foods he could think of. She couldn't help but grin – God she adored him. She laughed and started walking, listening to his voice as it carried back to her

… "baklava and oranges and olives …."

She laughed. "You're making me hungry Sir", she called to him. He stopped and turned towards her, a smile on his face. "So stop it, unless you can produce even _one_ of those things."

It was almost two hours later when they came upon a stone statue of a little boy, with a faucet sticking out of its mouth. Jack's eyebrows went up and he approached it. After looking it over he reached out and turned a handle hidden on the top. There was a gurgle, a spurt and a groan – and water began to flow out of the tap.

"I think we've found some fresh water", he said with a look at his companion. "You wanna test it Carter?"

She got out one of her remaining two water test kits and put some of the water in the tube. A moment later she lifted her head. "Looks good."

"Mmm", Jack regarded the faucet somewhat suspiciously. "I guess we have no choice." He took his canteen and held it under the water. Once it was full he took a long swig, enjoying the cool, refreshing taste. He watched as Sam went to fill hers but reached out his hand and stopped her. "Just wait", he commanded.

"Wait? Why?"

"Uh – just want to make sure it's okay first."

She gave him a look he couldn't quite decipher, although he figured it wasn't exactly a pleased one. The hands on her waist and the fact that she was leaning forward slightly _definitely_ gave the impression she was a little ticked. "Are you telling me that you're planning to be the official taste tester so that I don't get sick? You're crazy." She reached around him and filled her canteen and then drank practically the whole thing at once.

He winced – this wasn't Major Carter his subordinate at all. He was going to have to be a bit careful from now on. "Sam?"

"_Don't_ Jack – don't throw yourself in harm's way to try and save me from unknown threats. We're a _team_ – and I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself."

"Yes you are", he agreed, "but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and watch out for you." When she went to speak he held up his hand. "Just like I know you'll do for me. Look – this isn't me treating you as the 'little woman' Sam – you know I've never done that. But we can't afford to _both_ get sick. Next time I'll let you drink the water first, okay?"

She looked at him suspiciously, as if she didn't quite believe him, but after a moment she nodded. "Okay, deal. And I'll hold you to it."

"I'm sure you will Carter. Well, so far it looks like the water was okay so let's fill em up and get going." He peered up at the bright blue sky, his hands shielding his eyes and wishing for his sunglasses." Looks like it'll be dark in a couple of hours. Let's go a bit further and make camp. Damn, and I was hoping for some lamb souvlaki!"

They made camp in a little clearing just off the trail. There was plenty of dry wood for a fire and the ground was soft from the needles of the local trees. It was fragrant and the temperature was ideal. As Sam settled back and looked up at the stars all she could think was that if they'd only had that souvlaki it would have been a perfect evening.

"Here", Jack reached out and handed her some dried meat, some of their quickly diminishing food. "We really have to find a nice restaurant soon", he said, leaning back and looking up at the sky. He yawned and lay back completely. "Look at those stars", he said. "You don't often see them so bright."

"They're beautiful. I wonder what system it is?"

"Hmm. It's the Casus system", he said, half asleep. "See, that star there, that's Caerulium – see how blue it is? And over there, that's Ignis – see how it moves and glows just like fire." He grew quiet, as he looked at the stars up above him, unaware of Sam's startled look.

"You recognize them?" she asked after awhile, speaking softly.

"Mmm hmm. Don't you", he mumbled.

"I've never been here before", she told him. "In fact, I don't even know where we are – in the galaxy I mean."

"Oh."

She listened as his breathing got deeper and soon he was out like a light. She couldn't help but wonder. Jack – no, _Colonel_ O'Neill would never just fall asleep like that on a mission. And, when she thought back to the episode of the water she wondered what had happened to that man, that officer? There was something about this planet, she decided, something about those stars that had lulled Jack into a rare feeling of safety. She smiled and continued to lean back. She'd stay awake and watch over him. He was still recovering from his wound and all that had happened to him. As she continued to watch the bright stars she said a little prayer to whoever was listening, that _this_ place offered peace and a home.

She drifted off after a couple of hours, although she tried to stay awake. She'd also tried to wake Jack but he's simply mumbled something incomprehensible and had turned over and gone back to sleep. In the end she'd been unable to keep her eyes open either.

"Hey Carter?"

"Mmm – wha'?" she groaned and snuggled up more closely to the source of toasty warmth.

"Carter?" this time her name was said with a strong current of humor. "As nice as this is, I really do have to go and water a tree."

"Hmm?" She felt movement and frowned, grabbing a hold of the large heating pad that was keeping her warm and relaxed.

"Sam", Jack laughed. "I really do have to go."

At that she forced her eyes to open and then blinked a few times, trying to clear out all the sleep. Once her eyes had cleared she realized that she was looking _down_ at the Colonel.

She frowned. Why was he underneath her? What had happened?

"Carter?" he said again, his brows raised at her confused look. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Why are you – there – Sir", she murmured.

"Uh, I honestly don't know. I woke up and you were on top of me. And as nice as it is, my bladder is going to explode if I don't go – and I mean _go_ Carter."

"Oh – sorry Sir." She quickly rolled off of him, wincing at the grunt of pain from her commanding officer. "Sorry", she said again, realizing she'd just kneed him in the – "sorry".

"God Carter", he said as he stumbled to his feet. "Watch those knees next time!"

"Sorry", she said for the third time, but this time with a small giggle.

He gave her a mock glare and then strode off into the woods. A few minutes later he returned, looking much happier. "Whew", he said. "Musta had too much of that water yesterday."

By this time Sam had remembered where they were – and that Jack was no longer her CO. The moment the thought had come to her she had felt herself turn red – which was absolutely silly. She was just glad Jack wasn't within sight of –

"Hey Sam – how come you're so flushed?"

Shit! "Uh – just warm from sleep Si – ur – Jack." She struggled to her feet and slapped her clothes, trying to remove some of the dust. "My turn", she said as she headed off into the trees.

Jack looked at her with a bemused expression, wondering what that had been all about. She hadn't been red when he'd left – but when he'd returned her face had practically glowed. Must have been embarrassed about kneeing him in the balls.

Speaking of which – he wiggled about a bit, trying to readjust. She really had got him and they were still a bit tender. He grinned at that – he'd welcome Sam making him tender any day.

"Stop it!" he told himself severely. Now is definitely not time for thoughts like that.

"Stop what Jack?" Sam returned, looking much cooler and calmer than a minute ago.

"Oh – just thinking about bacon and eggs."

Sam sighed. "Definitely stop it Jack. I would _kill_ for some good eggs – and some nice warm biscuits with melted butter."

"Now you stop it and come and join me for a delectable meal of dried – something."

She sighed but went over and sat next to him, beside the now cold firepit. "I'm really sorry about – uh – sleeping on top of you there. I didn't do it on purpose. I must have been cold."

"Hey, I'm not complaining about that. You make a _very_ nice blanket – although I must admit that's the first time my blanket has attacked me!"

"I didn't _attack_ you Sir. It was an accident."

"Mmm hmm – well, at least it makes me that much more confidant that you can defend yourself."

"One of the first things we learned to do in our self-defense class", she grinned.

"I'm sure it was", he nodded. "Definitely very effective."

"So – how far do you think we should go before we turn around – if we don't find anything I mean?"

"Well, unless we come across a source of food we can't go on too much longer – another day maybe. At least we seem to have water."

They'd discovered another two faucets on the trail and each time had filled their canteens. That this planet had, at one time, been populated was obvious, but they had no way of knowing whether or not anyone was still here.

But they were to find out a short while later. It was Sam who heard it first. She stopped and motioned to him – and he froze, trying to hear what had startled her.

And then he heard it himself – it was the sound of sheep baa'ing. He couldn't help but grin, although knew they had to be careful. With a nod he indicated they should move forward. They walked for another 20 meters and then the trail curved and opened onto a large meadow. In the meadow was a flock of sheep – and a shepherd.

The shepherd looked like a young man of about 16 or 17 – he was just starting to grow a beard. He carried a hook and was laughing at the antics of a tiny lamb. He must have heard something however, and he turned quickly towards the trail. When he saw Jack and Sam he stopped, frozen.

The three of them stood there for what seemed like a long time – something out of a cartoon thought Jack – but in fact was probably only a few seconds. It was the young man who moved first.

"Chairetismos!" he said, looking from one to the other.

"Uh Chai yourself", Jack answered. God, what he wouldn't have done to have Danny with them right now. "We're strangers – uh, in a strange land -"

"Jack!"

He glanced at Carter and shrugged. "You do it then."

She shook her head and then smiled at the young man. Jack was pretty sure that was all it had taken – because the kid smiled and soon was chattering away in –

"Greek", Jack said, looking at the boy in wonder. "He's speaking Greek."

"Do you understand some of it?" Sam asked, looking hesitant.

"No – I understand _all_ of it." He smiled and proceeded to speak to the shepherd, rattling off Greek like it was his native language.

Sam was grateful that they'd at least be able to communicate, but found it rather unsettling that Jack could so easily understand and speak seemingly any language. So far she had seen very little evidence of his so-called powers, but this brought it back to her why they were refugees on a strange planet.

"He says his name is Alexios", Jack informed her. "These sheep belong to his father – who according to Alex, is a big local honcho."

"A honcho?"

"Okay, someone of importance. He has invited us to go with him and he'll introduce us. He's also asked us for dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yup, dinner."

"Well what are you waiting for", Sam asked. "Let's go."


	37. Shear Love

_**I'm sure you all hate me for being so bad at updating this story (and I totally don't blame you). I'm really going to try and get some more chapters up in the next little while. I'm on vacation for a week next week and hope to get lots of writing done! I am so sorry - I got myself into too many stories at once, plus experienced a writers block on this one. I just hope you're still willing to read it.**_

_**This is a silly/fluffy chapter ... just because.**_

Sam watched as Jack entered the pen for the second day. She couldn't help but enjoy the sight of him as he worked, the sweat gleaming on his naked torso, showing off his well-defined muscles. He'd always been strong and fit, but now he was even more so. The sun and air and hard work had toned his body so that he looked like a man years younger than his age.

As she stood and looked at Jack working she thought about their time here in Thassos. They'd been here for a couple of weeks now and she felt like they were starting to be accepted. Alexios, the young shepherd boy they had first met, had brought them back with him to meet his parents. Sam remembered their first meeting with the older couple.

Alexios father was named Kleitos. He was a short, wirey man with leathered skin and with a dignity all his own. He had been suspicious of the strangers at first and had asked many questions about where they were from and what their reasons were for coming to his village.

It was Alexios mother Eugenia who finally stopped him and simply welcomed the strangers. She was as tall as her husband and about twice as big around. She had a jolly look to her – her graying hair pulled back in a bun and a constant smile on her face. Jack swore she looked like the Greek version of Mrs. Claus.

"Can you not see that they are good people Kleitos", she said to her husband. "They do not come for any bad purpose, but it is like they said, they come to find work and a new home because theirs was destroyed by the power of the gods. We must welcome them. It is what the gods tell us to do." She turned at that moment to the two newcomers. "Come, you must join us for our meal and then we will discuss what you can do."

"Thank you", Jack smiled. "We would be grateful." He then turned to the man of the house. "I promise you, we will not harm you or your family or your village. It is as I have said. Our land and home were destroyed and we come to find a new place to live. If you do not want us here, we will leave. All I ask is that we can remain here for a few days to rest."

Kleitos looked at him for a moment, but finally nodded. "My woman is correct. It is the will of the gods that we welcome strangers. You will join us for a meal, and you may sleep in our barn. We will talk more in a few days."

Sam was looking back and forth between the others in the room, frustrated because she couldn't understand anything. She was pretty sure Jack had forgotten that he was speaking Greek and that she didn't have a clue what was happening. It was only when he turned to her, a smile on his face, that he caught her frown and irritation.

"What?" he asked, suddenly frowning.

"What's going on – Sir?" she said softly. "I can't understand anything."

"Oh – geesh, I'm sorry Carter. Uh, we've been invited to stay for a few days until Kleitos is sure we're safe. He's a village elder and has to think about the safety of his people, which I respect. He's reserving judgment about us for now. His wife on the other hand, seems to like us -"

"You, you mean", she rolled her eyes. "She hasn't even looked at me."

"That's only because I explained you don't speak Greek. Anyway, as I was _saying_ Carter, she likes us. We're going to eat dinner now and then we get to sleep in the barn."

"Goody", she scowled, feeling out of sorts, although she didn't know why. It wasn't Jack's fault that she couldn't understand.

"I'm sorry Sam", he said softly, noticing her expression. "I'll try and remember to translate. I wasn't ignoring you – I was just trying to make sure we had a place to stay and something to eat. I didn't want to anger them."

"I understand, Jack", she sighed. "I think I'm just hungry."

Well, the few days turned into a week, and then two. Jack had begun to help Kleitos around his small farm and the elder man soon appreciated having someone else to help with all the work. At first he continued to be suspicious, but as the days went by he began to relax.

Jack had been very careful to treat him with respect, understanding why the man was being cautious. It hadn't been until yesterday however, that the ice had finally broken and Kleitos accepted him.

Jack thought back to the day and still shook his head. He was glad it had changed the other man's opinion of him, but he could honestly say it hadn't been one of his finest moments. He suddenly snorted. At least Sam had enjoyed it.

Kleitos had informed him the other night at dinner that they were ready to start the shearing. The wool would be gathered and processed and then Eugenia and her maidservants would spin the wool and then weave it into colorful cloth. These were then taken to market in Nysa, where they were in high demand. Kleitos bragged that he had some of the best sheep in the land – as well as a wife who was accomplished in weaving.

Jack had listed to all of this, not thinking much of it, until he realized that he was expected to take part in the shearing. He'd informed Kleitos that it was something he'd never done – and the man had looked at him in surprise.

"Did you not have sheep in your village?"

"Uh – yeah, but – I mean, not me personally. Other people had them but I – ah – never had to shear them."

The older man shook his head. He was growing to like this stranger, who was hard-working – but strangely unskilled. He sighed. "You shall learn. It is an important skill and our village of Thassos is known for it's fine wool and exquisite workmanship in spinning and weaving. If you plan to stay here you must learn how to do it."

Jack had agreed since he couldn't really refuse as they were guests of Kleitos. He didn't think it could be _too _hard – they were just dumb sheep after all.

About the tenth time Jack fell on his ass he realized that while sheep might be dumb, they were smart enough to make his life hell. He pushed himself to his feet _again _and tried to grab another sheep so he could shave the damn thing.

He'd also had no idea the stupid animals were so strong. He'd been head butted and knocked over and trampled and stampeded at all day and he was sore and tired and really, really irritated. He also discovered that he was pretty much the world's worst sheep shearer.

All he had to do to confirm that was to glance over the fence at Ralph. Ralph was the first sheep he'd ever sheared and he was pretty sure that the reason Ralph was sticking in the corner of the pen was because he was so humiliated. He had little tufts of hair sticking up all over his body, from where Jack has missed shaving him – or shearing him to be more accurate.

The poor sheep looked like something that had been chewed up in a lawn mower. Jack winced when he recalled the laughter that had erupted when he released poor Ralph. Even Sam had giggled, although he'd glared at her and challenged her to try. She apologized although he was pretty sure that she'd gone around to the back of the house and laughed where he couldn't see her.

His shearing had gotten a little better as the day wore on, but his backside, hell, _every_ side was bruised and battered by the little furry buggers. He decided that he hated sheep. They were evil little beasts and he was positive they were first cousins to the Goa'uld.

It was as he got to his last sheep (he'd wanted to fall on his knees and thank every god anywhere that this was the last) that disaster struck. He'd finally managed to get the technique down to where he would grab the animal and then begin to shear it. It wasn't fast – he did one for every three or four that the other men did – but at least he had, sort of, gotten the hang of it.

He wondered later if Kleitos, or maybe one of the other men, had thought it would be a great joke to give him Marvin as his last sheep of the day. All names were his, of course, as he didn't think the Thassians actually named their sheep. But back to Marvin. It turned out he was an old, cantankerous Ram known to be both mean and stubborn.

He'd walked up to Marvin like the proverbial lamb to the slaughter (him, not the sheep). He'd taken one look at the placid-seeming old animal, and had gone up to him and put his arm around his neck like he'd been taught, ready to wrestle him to the ground to begin shearing him.

He didn't know what happened next. One moment he was standing beside the old sheep, the next he was flying through the air, to land ass-first in a pile of sheep crap. That wasn't the worst of it, however, as Marvin came racing over to him and butted him in the back. Since Jack had been trying to push himself to his feet at that precise moment, the force of the animal hitting him had caused him to flail about crazily for a few seconds, and then fly, this time face-first, into an entirely _different_ pile of crap.

He was sure that there wouldn't have been anything left of him if Marvin had been allowed to continue. He could tell that the old Ram was enjoying himself immensely and had figured he'd found the perfect victim for his old cantankerous, vicious ways.

Fortunately Kleitos, and one of his hired hands rescued him. They did that by unceremoniously grabbing his feet and pulling him out of the pen. Marvin followed him and all Jack could think, at that time, was that he had had no idea sheep could laugh.

But the sheep wasn't the only one. Kleitos could barely stand up he was laughing so hard. As Jack forced himself – all filthy, muddy, _shitty_ self – to his feet, he couldn't help but notice that there were a lot of people around, and _all_ of them were laughing.

Just great. He'd just made a honkin' big fool of himself in front of the entire village. Of course it didn't dawn on him – not then at any rate – why the entire town was there. It was only later that he found out that the whole thing had been a set-up and Alexios had spread the word and Jack wouldn't have been surprised if the kid had sold tickets.

"Come on Jack, just let me look", Sam said a bit later when he'd gone to the barn to change out of his rank clothes. "You could have some real injuries."

"The only thing that's injured", he fumed, "is my pride. I'm _fine_ Sam – stop hovering."

"But Sir – Jack, let me at least _see_", she begged, not meeting his eyes.

"Why Carter?" he asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I'm perfectly fine. Or is it that you're looking for an opportunity to get me outta my pants?"

She choked at that and turned bright red. Jack wanted to grin, but immediately afterward wanted to curse himself instead.

They'd been here with Kleitos' family for two weeks – and as far as everyone was concerned, they were married. However, although they had acknowledged their feelings for one another, nothing had happened yet. In fact they'd reached a bit of a stalemate.

Jack wasn't quite sure what had happened. When they'd first arrived they'd both been tired and more worried about trying to appear non-threatening than anything else. They had mutually, if silently agreed to hold off on any discussions or actions that were more personal.

But somehow, the longer they went not saying anything, the harder it became. Jack was feeling uncomfortable and he could tell that Sam was as well. She'd even started to flinch anytime he touched her, even if accidently.

And now he'd gone and stuck his foot in it! He sighed. He was achy and tired and feeling rather humiliated by the whole day. And now he'd gone and embarrassed Sam. He sighed again and rubbed his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry Sam", he said. "I didn't mean anything by that. Just tired I guess."

"It's okay", she told him, still looking embarrassed, but fortunately not angry. "And the truth is that yes, I would like the opportunity. I've wanted to do that for a long time."

It took him a few seconds to realize what she'd said. At first he figured he'd misunderstood her, but when he replayed her words in his head he knew hadn't. "What?" he said, swallowing convulsively. "Did you – Sam?"

She was looking even redder than she had a moment ago, but she continued to look him right in the eye. "Yes, that's what I said. Jack, I _told_ you I loved you, but we've been going around like brother and sister and frankly – I'm tired of it."

"You are?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, I am. Aren't you?"

"Oh yeah", he whispered, taking a step towards her. "Very, very tired."

"Well then, maybe we should stop ignoring it and just -"

"And just _what_ Sam?" he grinned.

"You know what Jack", she said, her eyes narrowed menacingly.

"Mmm, I guess I do", he took another step closer and reached out for her.

"Oooh!" Sam stepped back, her nose wrinkled. "I'm sorry Jack but – uh – you have a rather strong -"

"What?"

"Scent." She looked at him a moment, real regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry but you smell like sheep – uh - poop. You stink." He was pretty sure he could see a grin trying to surface on her face.

Jack sighed, running his hand's again through his hair. Yup, it had been that kind of day. He turned and grabbed a few of his things and then headed out of the barn knowing that now was definitely not the time to get romantic. He was too tired, too sore and definitely too stinky.

"I'm going to go have a bath", he informed Sam quietly as he stood by the open door.

"Uh – a bath? Where?" They didn't have hot and cold running water and baths were a lot of work and usually a long-drawn out process.

"In the ocean. I hope the salt water will get rid of the stench. Don't wait up for me."

With that he was gone and Sam was left. "Damn!" she said, shaking her head. But then slowly her lips turned up in a smile. "At least now we know where we stand." A second later her smile had turned into a chuckle as the memories of Jack shearing sheep – and especially that last one – popped into her mind. Within a few more seconds she was laughing so hard she was crying.

Jack limped down to the water, feeling shitty (literally and figuratively) but strangely happy at the same time. Anything romantic was going to have to wait, but at least now he was pretty confident that Sam was still interested.

He got to the beach and looked around. It was early evening and everyone was probably home having dinner after a long, hard day of shearing. With a snort he shook his head. He was not cut out to work with sheep that was obvious. The next moment saw him stripping off his clothes until he was stark naked. He grabbed a bar of soap and headed into the ocean.

It took him a few minutes before he felt like he was sufficiently cleaned and didn't smell like sheep poop or anything else. Of course now he'd have to go for a dip in the river, which was much colder, to rinse off the salt.

It was almost an hour later before he returned to the barn. At least he was clean, if also a bit cold. When he got there Sam was gone and he figured was at dinner. He dropped his dirty clothes in the basket that Eugenia had given them and put away his soap and hung his towel on a nail. He then turned around and headed to the house. He felt like he was about ready to collapse.

"Well here he is!" Kleitos toasted him with a glass as he walked in the door (or limped in). "How are you my friend? I hope that Plato did not hurt you?"

"Plato?"

"Yes", Alexios grinned. "He is our ram. He's daddy to a good portion of our herd. He also does not like strangers."

"I kind of figured that", Jack answered, his tone dry but not angry.

"Yes" Kleitos laughed heartily. "You fly very well through the air Ioannes, although the landing didn't look too pleasant."

"No", Jack shook his head. "Not too pleasant."

"You were very funny", Alexios told him. "My friends laughed hard when Plato pushed you over."

"I'm glad I was able to amuse them", he said sarcastically.

Kleitos slapped him hard on the back. "Do not worry, you did quite well today although I am afraid that Zenobia will want to hide for a few days."

"Zenobia?"

"Mmm – she was the ewe you sheared – the first one."

"Oh. I didn't know you named your sheep. I named her – uh Ralph."

"Rrrr", Kleitos and his son both tried to say the name, but failed miserably. While they were doing that Jack was thinking back to that morning. How in hell did he mistake a she-sheep for a he-sheep? The other ones had all been pretty obvious (some of those Rams were quite well endowed). All he could think was that Zenobia had been his first and he wasn't thinking of looking at the sheep's physiology when he was trying to learn how to shave her wool.

"Yes, Zenobia was a bit – roughly shorn – but you got better my friend. By the end of the day the sheep you had sheered could almost pass as being done by one of us. Soon you too shall be an expert."

"Soon? An _expert?_" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, after practicing more. Tomorrow will be a whole new opportunity for you to try your hand at it again."

"_Tomorrow_? We have to keep shearing the damn things?"

"Why yes", Kleitos said, sounding surprised. "The shearing goes on all week."

Jack groaned and laid his head on the table. He couldn't do this again.

"Yes", Kleistos was speaking, "I was very proud of how you handled today. You are going to be a natural. You should have seen me my first time in the shearing pen. I thought for sure my father was going to laugh me right off the farm. But he didn't and I learned and now I am one of the best in the country. I think you will be as well."

Great! Just what Jack wanted, to be a sheep shearer.

As Jack walked back with Sam he took a deep breath. Through all the aches and pains, humiliation and tiredness, today had been a good day after all. Kleistos had told him that he and Sam were welcome to stay and live in Thassos – all the elders had agreed. He told them that watching Jack – or Ioannes as they called him – willingly try to shear the sheep, had confirmed in their mind that he would be a good addition to the village. They didn't know Sam as well, but since it was somewhat of a male-dominated society they figured that if Jack was good enough, his wife would be too.

And that was the part that Jack was thinking about the most. Oh, not about the chauvinism of the locals – but about the fact that everyone thought Sam was his wife – and she had indicated she was definitely still interested in him in a non-sibling manner. Yes, it had been a good day.

They arrived at the barn and Jack decided that they had to look for somewhere else to live pretty soon. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life sleeping on hay and sharing a room with animals. He went to say as much to Sam when his words were interrupted by a huge yawn. God, he was tired.

"You need to lie down and go to sleep Jack", Sam said softly. "You had a rough day."

"Mmm – and it sounds like it's going to be another rough one tomorrow."

"Even more reason for you to get to sleep. Come on, I'll tuck you in."

"Really?" he stopped and grinned at her. "Will you tell me a story?"

"If you want", she grinned back at him.

"Will you kiss me goodnight?"

"Mmm, I think that can be arranged."

"Will you snuggle with me?"

"I'm sure I can do that", she giggled softly.

"Good – then I'm _definitely_ ready for bed."

It was as they were snuggled up together that Jack suddenly wondered if she'd been expecting something more. He would have loved to be able to make love with her, but knew he was just too sore and tired. He wanted to be at his best when that happened.

"Uh Sam?"

"What?" she murmured into his neck. She was wrapped around him tightly and seemed to be almost asleep.

"I'm sorry if -"

"If what?" she said, moving slightly.

"That – I hope – I really _want_ to, but I'm just really tired. I don't want you to think it's you, because it's not. I -"

A hand suddenly covered his mouth. "Shh", she told him softly. She propped herself up slightly and looked down at him. "I know. You spent a day shaving a bunch of furry sheep. Right now you need to rest and sleep. There's lots of time. For now I'm just happy being able to snuggle with you."

"Good", he told her softly, feeling relieved and happy. He gave her a soft kiss, thinking for perhaps the hundredth time how lucky he was to have her. A few minutes later he was asleep – and he hadn't had to count even one sheep.


	38. House and Home

_**Thank you all so much for your kind comments! I will try and get back to everyone in the next couple of days. But in the meantime - and as a thank you - here's another chapter.**_

By the end of the week Jack was sure he was never going to be able to move again. Every joint, every muscle, every ligament and every bit of skin was strained, pulled, stretched and scraped. He just plain hurt.

But he'd beaten the damned sheep! As he flopped back down on the blanket-covered hay in their cozy loft (barn loft) apartment, he couldn't help but grin. Today he'd gotten the best of Marvin – who had been shaven, shorn and fleeced!

"Hah! Who's laughing now Marvin!" he muttered.

"Who are you talking to Jack?" Sam's head poked up from the top of the ladder as she made her way into the loft. "Who's Marvin?"

Jack turned his head towards the most beautiful woman in the universe – well, to be honest his head _flopped_ towards her, since his neck muscles were as sore and weak as the rest of him. "The sheep", he explained drowsily.

"Uh, I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific. There were _lots_ of sheep."

"Not like this one", he grinned even wider. "This one was out to get me, but in the end _I_ got _him_! Hah!"

Sam stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. Men, you really couldn't figure them out. "Okay Sir", she told him gently. "Well, I'm glad you finally got him." Two beats later … "Uh, _how_ did you get him."

"I sheared the sucker – every last piece of wool on his tough old hide is gone. He's as naked as the day he was born. I hope all the other sheep are laughing at him now."

Sam raised an eyebrow. He was obviously suffering from extreme exhaustion. "You know Jack, I think it would be good if you stayed up here and just rested. I'll bring you something to eat."

He smiled at her. "You'd do that for me Sam?"

"Oh yeah, Sir. You just – take it easy. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He continued to grin well past the time she was gone, thinking about Marvin and all the sheep. In the end Kleitos has been right. He'd turned into a pretty damn good shearer. Not that it was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life, but still, it felt good to succeed.

He yawned and allowed himself to fall into a light doze. He was starving so he didn't want to fall asleep until he'd eaten, but right now he didn't want to move a muscle.

It had been some week. He couldn't remember when he'd worked this hard – except maybe for the time he and Sam and Teal'c had been forced to work the mines on – whatever the hell planet that was. All he could remember was it was where Daniel had been off enjoying himself, and had gotten addicted to the sarcophagus.

Anyway – that was the last time he'd done really strenuous physical labor. While this time had been hard, in the end he'd kind of enjoyed it. Even though he was sore and exhausted, in some ways he felt better than he had in a long time and was quite pleased at his stamina. Even his knees were fine, which was surprising when he thought about how many hours he'd spent on them this past week.

Yup, although right now everything hurt, he was feeling great. And he'd beaten Marvin!

"Here you go", Sam climbed carefully up the ladder, a heaping plate of delicious food in her hand. In the pocket of her apron was a bottle of white wine – some of Kleitos best.

Jack pushed himself until he was sitting up, letting out a groan as he did so. "God I'm stiff."

"It's no wonder with all that wrestling around", Sam said, handing him his plate and pulling out the wine. "Are you sure you didn't overdo it?"

"No I'm not sure – I probably did", he grinned. "But I'll be fine in a couple of days. And I think it was worth it. Kleitos seems much happier with us now."

"Oh, he is", she nodded. "In fact I think we've been accepted."

"Mmm – how about you?" he asked seriously, putting his food down and looking at her. He suddenly realized that he had been so caught up in the shearing – and in his physical exhaustion, that he had barely thought about how Sam was getting on. "I know it's hard with the language. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine. And when I said we've been accepted – I meant both of us. The women have been exceptionally nice to me all of a sudden. In fact they've taken it on themselves to teach me Greek."

"Really? How ya doin'?"

"I'm learning", she grimaced. "I know the words for lots of different kinds of foods -"

"Good – food is very important."

" – and animals and plants -"

"That's important – especially sheep!"

"Probaton", she told him proudly. "And I know body parts -"

"Really?" he waggled his eyebrows. "Which body parts?"

"All the important ones Jack", she told him in her best school teacher voice. "And don't you be getting any ideas!"

He sighed. "Ideas yes – but I'm afraid that's all they are right now. I doubt if I have the energy to even kiss you. I'm as weak as a kitten."

"Well, you'd better eat up your dinner. We want your strength back as quickly as possible."

"We do?" he smirked.

"Mmm hmm. I need you to coach me on those body parts."

He laid back down and was soon sleeping, but not before he thought about some of those body parts – some of _Sam's_ body parts. He went to sleep with a smile on his face.

The next morning he was allowed to sleep in – in fact all the men were sleeping in. It was now the women's turn to start working by cleaning, carding and spinning the wool.

Before that, however, a party would be held for the whole town, celebrating the end of the shearing. Sam and Jack had been warned that it was a two-day event for everyone in the village. There was lots of eating (no different than everyday in Thassos), drinking and dancing.

The day before the celebration Jack had approached Kleitos about moving. He was tired of living in the barn and wanted to see if there was someplace else they could stay, until they knew what they were going to do.

"You do not like my barn, my friend", Kleitos had joked. "My cows love it."

"Yes, well it's a very nice barn Kleitos, but Samantha and I would really like to have our own house. We greatly appreciate your hospitality, but we can't stay with you forever."

"No", Kleitos sighed. "Athough I'd be happy to have you both stay as long as you like. However, I understand that you want your own home. In fact, I already spoke with the other elders and we think we have a solution for you."

"Really? What is it?"

"There is a vacant house with land on the other side of the village. No one has lived there for many years and the elders would be happy to have you use it. You would owe the village a small fee, but it could be paid off over time."

"Can I ask why it's vacant?" Jack asked, his first reaction was always to be a bit careful.

"It was owned by a local family for many years. The last owner and his wife only had one son and he left to go to the city. He did not want to be a farmer and chose to try his luck elsewhere. His parents eventually died, but he never came back to claim his land. As per our laws, after land had been left vacant for five years, it reverts back to the village. It has been more than ten since he left."

"I see. And you said there is land?"

"Yes, enough to plant a large garden and also to raise some sheep. There are fruit trees as well, although they are overgrown and will need some work. In fact the house and property all need work. It is for this reason the elders will allow you to have it for little money. I believe it is a good deal."

"I'd like to see it", Jack said. He'd also have to ask Sam what she thought. "But thank you. I appreciate you and the elders doing this."

As he walked slowly back to the barn he couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing. He glanced up and saw Sam in the garden with Eugenia, helping to pick vegetables for supper.

She was wearing a dress – one of the traditional ones the women here wore. Once they women had begun to accept her they'd provided her with clothing and encouraged her to change out of her pants and into more "feminine" (their word) clothes.

Sam had agreed, although he suspected she didn't like it all that well. Still, she knew the importance of fitting in and of not pissing off the locals. She usually did a better job of it that him.

But as much as he thought she looked cute in the full skirt and white blouse the women wore, he also knew that Sam had given up a huge amount to save him and now she was forced to live in a culture that was years behind their own. She was going to come to resent life in this place, he knew. There would be little outlet for her mind and she would hate to be treated as a second-class citizen.

Maybe he should suggest they get out of here as soon as possible and head to a planet with more advanced technology. He'd grown to really like Thassos, and its people, but then he wasn't a genius and didn't need to have gadgets and gizmos, technology and trinkets to enjoy life. As long as he had good food, good friends and a fishing rod, he'd be fine.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked him later that afternoon. She'd found him sitting beside the little stream that was in back of Kleistos' house. He was leaning back on his elbows, staring into the water.

"Hmm? Oh hi", he smiled. "Just thinkin' about life here."

"What about it?" she asked, sitting down on the ground beside him. "Don't you like it?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's fine. But I was thinking about you."

"About _me_? What about me?"

He sat up and turned to face her. "This isn't the place for you Sam. You're not cut out for this life."

"You don't think I can handle it?" she frowned, looking hurt.

"No – I mean yes. Hell, I mean of course you can handle it, but you shouldn't have to. You're too smart to spend your days cooking and cleaning and gardening. You need mental stimulation and access to all your – your doohickeys. This place is too primitive and anyway, you don't even speak the language."

She sat for a few seconds, thinking about what he was saying. It was all true – and something she'd already thought about. But there was a part of her that wanted to stay here – she just didn't know quite what to say to Jack about it.

"Maybe you're right", she finally answered, her face turned towards the stream rather than to him. She needed to think about her answer. "I think – if I had to stay here forever I might come to resent it and to miss my – doohickeys as you call them. But you know – for right now I'm fine here – more than fine." At that she turned her head and looked directly at Jack.

"We're been on the front lines for a lot of years Sir", she said quietly. "We've been on the brink of death more times than I can count – hell, we've even died, some of us more than others. We've also had the responsibility of saving ourselves, our team, our comrades, our planet, even our galaxy. And you know – all of that tires a person out."

"Yeah, it does", he smiled. "So what exactly are you saying?"

"That for now I'm rather enjoying – cooking, cleaning and gardening. I think both of us need this time to just live and not worry about anything beyond this small village. It will also protect us if anyone is still looking for us. I mean, they wouldn't think to look for us on a backward planet like this."

He nodded slowly. "There's that", he replied. "You're sure you won't get bored?"

"Well, I can't promise, but if I do I can always invent something", she grinned.

"Just as long as it's not something that would make the locals think you're some kind of witch. Keep it simple Carter."

"I will Sir."

"So, for now we stay here?"

"I think so. After a little while we can go to the gate and try and make contact with someone – my father maybe. Things may have settled down by then."

"Okay. Sounds like a good plan. In that case – wanna come and see a house with me?"

The party had been fun. The whole town had celebrated for two whole days and a night. Although there was some drinking, for the most part it was just a lot of eating and talking and dancing. Children were everywhere and so things weren't allowed to get out of hand.

Jack and Sam both had fun. He'd danced up a storm – with a few of the local women, but mostly with Sam. They'd spent the time laughing and talking to others – and eating until they thought they could burst.

At various times Jack had glanced over at her, usually when she was speaking her broken Greek with some of the villagers, and realized he was falling in love with her more each day. And he also realized he was anxious to take their relationship to the next level.

God, he _burned_ for her. He wanted her so badly it was becoming difficult to concentrate on anything else. At the same time, he didn't want to make love with her for the first time in the loft of a barn.

For some reason he felt like his relationship with Sam was too serious, too special for a – literal – role in the hay. The first time he made love with her he wanted it to be in a real bed, in a real room and he wanted to do it right.

He groaned. But he didn't have a bed or a home – and wasn't sure how long it was going to take before they had one. "Maybe it'll have to be the barn."

"Maybe what will have to be the barn Jack?"

"Sam? You have to stop sneaking up on me like that", he said, although his eyes were twinkling.

"I think you have to stop talking to yourself Jack", she answered back with a laugh. "So what will have to be the barn?"

He sighed. "Us", he said bluntly. "I want us to have a life together, but I was really hoping to start it together in a real home, not in a hay loft."

She walked up to him and threw her arms around him. "We already _have _started our life together – and so far we've slept in the open, in huts, in caves, in Ancient buildings, in haylofts – the where doesn't matter Jack, it's the who that counts."

"I know", he held her tightly. "But still – I'm not young enough to make love in a pile of hay."

She snorted. "Don't give me that mister! I've seen you wrestle a sheep to the ground. I think you could handle a hay loft!"

"Will I have to wrestle you?"

She smirked up at him. "Oh no, because _I _plan to wrestle _you_ to the ground."

"Good." He smiled and continued to hold her. And he realized then, that as much as he wanted to make love with her, these moments were just as much a part of their love as was the physical side of things.

"But I would like to do it in our new home", she said a few seconds later. "I agree that a real bed would be nice. Maybe the new house will be good and we can move in quickly and then – start our _new_ life there?"

"That would be wonderful."

They walked in the front door and Jack looked around. The door was off its hinges, the window shutters were broken, there were broken pieces of wood and pottery all over. It looked as if animals had nested inside the house and there was dust and dirt covering everything.

He glanced up to find Sam looking at him with her eyebrows raised. "Well?" she asked softly. "What do you think?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I think we're going to have to do some spring cleaning."

_**Don't worry – this isn't finished yet. More to come**_


	39. House Warming

_**Okay – this is an M rated chapter (not a strong M but certainly M). If you don't like that feel free to skip this chapter – it doesn't advance the plot. And I apologize to my readers in advance. I very rarely do M-rated stories because I'm not very good at writing them. Still – I know some like them so this is for those of you who want a bit of heat ….**_

"They sure like any excuse to party", Jack commented as they stood and watched their neighbors dance and sing and eat. Kleitos and Eugenia had decided to throw a house-warming party for Jack and Sam, and the whole village had turned up.

"That they do", agreed Sam. "I guess they work really hard and so it's nice when they get a chance to relax. And you have to admit, it was really nice of them."

"It was", Jack agreed. He turned his head towards the small pen in back of their new house and grinned. "And I have to say they outdid themselves on the house-warming gifts.

Sam giggled, following Jack's eyes with her own. "I don't know if that was exactly a _gift_", she told him. "More like a cruel joke."

Jack laughed but then shook his head. "No, it really was a great gift. Marvin and I have developed a mutual respect for one another, and as long as I don't turn my back on him, he behaves. And besides which, he is one of the best studs in the village. His offspring are hardy and produce really fine quality wool. With him we'll be able to start our own herd."

"With him and his harem", Sam motioned towards the three ewes who were all contentedly munching grass in the other pen. One of the ewes still looked a little raggedy – it was Zenobia, the first sheep he'd ever sheared. Kleitos had assured him that she was a good breeder, although he wondered if Marvin (aka Plato) would want anything to do with her in her present state.

"I don't think he cares Jack", Sam had smirked. "I'm sure Marvin can see past the surface down deep, to where she's a really lovely sheep."

"She's got a great personality", he agreed.

They both laughed at that and stood there watching for a few more minutes then turned towards their house. Right now it was filled with women and children, running around, talking and playing. The kitchen table was overloaded with all sorts of food and Jack decided he was ready for round two. Since he put in so much physical labor now he could afford to eat some of the really yummy looking treats.

"I can't believe how generous everyone was", Sam said as they entered their new home. Everyone who had come – the whole village – had brought some kind of housewarming gift. They now had dishes, linens and basic furnishings for the house. The biggest surprise had been the bed. Kleitos himself had hand carved the headboard and a number of the others had worked on the frame. A group of the women, under Eugenia's direction, had sown the down mattress and beautiful embroidered bed linens.

Jack kept thinking of that bed as the day wore on. He and Sam had decided they wanted a life together but had also decided not to rush into anything. They'd spent too many years with him leading, her obeying. This was followed by all the turmoil and uncertainties of the last few months. They agreed that they needed time to simply be together, to get to know one another without all the restraints of rank or saving the world.

But now they were moving into a real house and they had a real bed. He didn't think he could wait any longer.

And things had been good between them. Not perfect – but then what relationship _was_ perfect? They'd had their squabbles – usually when he barked an order and she got the courage to tell him to go to hell. It wasn't what either of them was used to and life together sometimes required negotiation.

Then there was his tendency to not talk about things. That was okay when he was the commander, not so much when he was the boyfriend – or husband. He knew it was what had ultimately doomed his marriage, and he didn't want that to happen again so he tried hard to open up. It was difficult but Sam knew him well enough to appreciate how hard he was trying and to give him space when he needed it.

Now they were moving into a house – a home, and he felt that it was time they moved forward. He didn't want to think too much into the future, because who knew where they would end up. But for now that didn't matter. He was tired of thinking about the rest of the world or about consequences. He wanted to live and to enjoy life and that meant loving Sam, in all ways.

It was almost midnight by the time all their friends left. They waved the last of them off from the doorway of their new house. Once the last person was out of sight Jack reached down and picked Sam up.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

"Carrying you across the threshold", he told her with a kiss. Once inside he set her down. "Welcome home Sam."

"Thank you." She put her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. "Welcome home Jack."

They stood there for what felt like a long time, each enjoying the closeness and the peace after a full and very active day. Finally Jack lifted his hand and gently touched the side of her face. "Marry me?"

She tilted her head. "Marry you?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah."

"Where? How? The villagers think we're _already_ married."

"So. Marry me. Here. Now. Forever."

She looked deeply into his eyes as if to see what he was thinking. After a few seconds she nodded. "Okay. Yes. Yes I'll marry you."

With that he smiled and leaned down and kissed her. "I love you Sam."

"I love you too – Sir", she smiled.

He laughed softly and touched his nose to hers.

"Good Carter. And I promise to love and cherish you for the rest of my life."

"And I promise to do the same."

"In sickness and in health", he said softly.

"In sickness and in health."

"For richer, for poorer."

"For richer, for poorer."

"To infinity and beyond!"

She giggled at that. "To infinity and beyond."

"And I now pronounce us -"

"Husband and wife", they both said together. They continued to smile at one another until they came together in a gentle kiss – a kiss of promise and commitment. It was Sam who finally pulled back with a sigh.

"So, now that we're married Jack -"

"Mmm hmm?" he said, still enthralled with the fact that was now his wife.

"Don't you think it's time we consummated this marriage?"

She could feel, rather than see him grin. The next thing she knew she was again lifted up into his arms. "I think that can be arranged", he growled. He moved them quickly into the attached room where the brand new bed had been set up. He laid her carefully on top and then sat on the edge. "I can't believe we're finally here", he said with wonder.

"In bed together?"

"That too", he smiled. "No, I meant - just together. It didn't feel like it could ever happen."

"I know. All it took was -"

"Spring cleaning", he chuckled softly. "That, and a few miracles."

"Jack?"

"Mmm?"

"Love me?"

He smiled – that lop-sided smile she saw so rarely, but which she knew meant so much. "I do."

"No, I mean _love_ me."

He smiled even wider. "Yes Ma'am."

He kicked off his shoes and then rolled onto the bed until he was lying beside her. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. He didn't say anything, and his expression was serious. His eyes traveled slowly down her face, stopping briefly at her lips. He lifted his hand and gently traced them with his fingers, making them part for him. At that he leaned down and softly kissed her, allowing his tongue to gently caress her soft, rosy lips.

"_Jack?_" she panted softly.

"Shhh." His lips then travelled down, stopping next at the point just below her ear lobe, blowing on it softly and then gently sucking on the skin. She began to squirm, the heat and desire growing.

But Jack didn't stop. Instead he continued the light touches, the tender kisses all the way down. When he reached the V between her breasts he stopped and carefully undid the buttons on her blouse. By this time she was breathing heavily and reached out to touch him, but he took her hands in one of his to stop her. "No. My turn", was all he said.

He pushed aside her blouse, exposing the simple white bra she wore. It was far from sexy, but that didn't seem to bother him at all as he leaned down and kissed first one nipple, and then the other, right through the cotton. She could feel them harden, causing her to groan and wiggle. She again tried to touch him but he stopped her, making the longing grow even stronger.

Jack took his mouth from her breast, replacing it with his fingers. He gently caressed them – causing them to harden even more. At that point he pinched one nipple between his fingers, making her writhe in an agony of desire.

Her back lifted off the bed as she tried to get closer to him and he took the opportunity to slip his hand in behind and quickly undo her bra. A moment later it had been tossed onto the floor and he was now focused on her naked breasts.

"Beautiful", he breathed. He now took both hands and began to fondle the rosy tipped mounds – alternately licking, biting and kneading them.

"_Jack" _she said again, the agony almost too much to bear. _"Please"_.

At that his mouth released her left breast and he began to move down, although his hands still caressed her soft mounds. Soon he reached her belly, which he enjoyed for a few more seconds before resuming his journey down her body. He finally stopped when he reached the waistband of her skirt.

It didn't take him long however, to figure out how to get the skirt off of her and soon she was lying there in nothing more than her panties. He stopped moving at that point and simply looked at her, the desire burning in his eyes.

She watched him in awe, her breathing fast and shallow. She needed him with a passion she had never felt before. She could no longer take not touching him, and reached down so that her hand was threaded in his hair. "Jack, _please_."

At that his head moved down until his mouth was just above her panty line. She could feel him smile and then shivered as his tongue gently stroked the area just above the elastic. She whimpered and lifted her hips – needing him to continue, to stop teasing and _touch her_.

"_Please_", she whimpered again.

"You're so impatient", he whispered, his voice husky with want. His fingers suddenly hooked her panties, and before she knew what was happening they'd been pulled down and off. She now lay there, completely naked in front of him.

Sam had a brief moment of confusion and guilt. It suddenly felt as if she were doing something wrong, something not-allowed. The feeling passed quickly and she laughed.

"What?" Jack looked up at her, after pulling his eyes away from her naked body.

"Just that I can't believe we're here", she said, practically repeating his words of earlier. "And that this is okay."

He smiled. "It's not just _okay_, it's _amazing." _With that he again lowered his head until it was resting on her stomach. His fingers then touched her – her very core – and she gasped and again lifted her hips, this time wanting, needing more from him.

"Yes", she panted, as his finger began to circle her sensitive clit. Her breathing stopped and then started again as the feelings swirled through her.

"_Jack_", she cried out as another finger moved and entered into her, its way eased by the hot moisture of her passage.

Jack's breathing was becoming faster and shallower, his own desire growing so intense he didn't know how much longer he could go without having Sam touch him. She seemed to realize this because she suddenly moved and the next thing he knew, she had flipped him on his back and she was straddling him.

He blinked in surprise, but then grinned. He'd almost forgotten he'd married an expert in hand-to-hand. Soon the grin faded, however, as Sam's hands began their own journey.

It didn't take long for her to have him in the same state she was in – that was, totally naked. He closed his eyes in wonderful agony at the feeling of her flesh against his, her softness against his rough skin.

She began the same journey he had taken – starting with kissing and licking his lips and moving down, and down. He could barely breath – gasping as her lips touched him, as her tongue licked him, as her nipples stroked his chest and as her soft curls caressed his stomach.

"God", he breathed, and it really was a prayer – a prayer of thanks and of awe. This woman was –

"_Sam!_" he gasped as she took him in her hand and squeezed.

"Jack?" she smiled as she began to move her hand, pulling and stroking him. By this time her lips had travelled down until they circled his belly – and he knew he was about to go mad. This time he begged _her_ with a _please._

"Please _what_ Jack?" she whispered, reveling in her power over him. "Is this what you want?"

The next thing he knew, she had taken him in her mouth. Now, rather than her hand, it was her mouth and her lips and her tongue that caressed him, that tasted him.

As he felt her take him deep into her throat he groaned – in both ecstasy and agony. His hands reached down and grasped a handful of hair, holding her head in place as she brought him to the edge of sanity.

"God – _Sam –_ I can't -" his hips lifted again and his breath stopped. "_Sam!"_

She slid her mouth one last time over his length and then moved up so that they were chest-to-chest, mouth-to-mouth.

Jack groaned again and flipped her on her back, his mouth descending on hers. He tasted her – and himself – and his tongue plunged into her mouth because he couldn't get close enough.

He could feel her hand on him then – holding him _guiding_ him. She too needed to be closer, as close as it was possible to be.

He moved slightly, and reached down, feeling her center, her hot and wet core and helped as she guided him in.

His head touched the velvet opening and he couldn't hold on any longer. He plunged into her, feeling more alive at this moment than he could ever remember.

They came together in an explosion of passion and heat and love – and it didn't consume them, but made them whole.

It was a long time later – and the two of them hadn't moved. They were tangled up together, two bodies and two souls joined forever. It was Jack who finally moved, only to lift his arm and gently move her hair out of her face. He noticed briefly that his hand was still shaking.

"So -?" he whispered.

"So", she answered, reaching up and touching his lips gently. "That proves it."

"Proves what", he smiled.

"That I was right all along."

He lifted his head and looked down at her – at her flushed face, wild hair, and shining blue eyes. "And what were you right about all along?"

"Oh – that Colonel Jack O'Neill would be one hell of a good lover!"

He laughed softly and lowered his head until it was resting on her chest. "You thought I'd be a good lover, did you?"

"Mmm hmm. Used to fantasize about it quite a bit actually."

"Naughty Major!"

"Well, naughty Captain and _then_ naughty Major."

"That long?"

"Oh yeah. I think from right after our trip to Antarctica. Before that I was too much in awe of you – but after that trip -"

"Really?" He laughed again, his hand now caressing her bare stomach.

"How about you?" she wanted to know.

"When did I start lusting after you?"

She rolled her eyes but then nodded. She placed her hand on his head and began stroking it. "Yeah, when did you start lusting after me?"

"When you walked into the room."

"Which time?" she frowned.

"The first time."

"What?" she lifted her head and looked at him. "The _first_ time? But I didn't think you even liked me then."

"I didn't", he agreed. "I mean, I didn't know you – I just didn't like scientists – or anyone I hadn't chosen for my team. Doesn't mean I didn't lust after you."

"_Jack_", she chuckled. "You didn't like me but you lusted after me?"

"Mmm hmm. What's wrong with that? You're a gorgeous woman and I'm a guy. And yes, I fantasized about you all the time – at least until I realized it was getting out of hand and I was getting way too attached so I made myself stop."

"Really?" she asked softly. "When was that?"

He sighed. "After the Zatarc thingy. I didn't want to, but I knew if I didn't stop – well, I might do something we'd both regret."

"Yeah", she sighed. "Same with me."

"But I was right all along", he said after a few seconds.

She grinned. "About what?"

"That you, Captain Major Doctor Carter – are one _helluva_ fine lover! My fantasies didn't even come close."

She sighed happily and kissed the top of his head. "And now we don't have to fantasize – we've got the real thing."

He lifted himself up and gazed down on her, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. "Yes we do – and I have never been so thankful for anything in my life. I love you Sam."

"I love you too Jack – my handsome, real life lover."

He smiled and lowered himself until they were again touching. "So – wanna try the real thing again?"


	40. P5K GT6

"Jack?"

"Mmm", her husband of one day muttered. They were still in bed, figuring that this was their honeymoon – although Jack had gotten up early to feed the animals. But he'd come back to bed and they'd had another round of passion before falling back asleep.

"_Jack!" _

"What?" he mumbled, reaching out and pulling her to him, although his eyes were still closed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. It's just – I remembered something."

He sighed and opened one eye. "What did you remember? I fed the animals and everything is secure around the property."

"No, I don't mean about here – it's about – before."

"Before?" This time his other eye opened and he scooted up a bit. "You mean before Thassos?"

"I mean – at the Ancient site."

He frowned at that, and blinked a couple of times. He then pushed himself up to a seated position, leaning back on the headboard. "You remembered something? Something important?"

"Well", she looked a bit embarrassed, sitting up herself. "I don't know if it's important exactly -"

"But?"

"Well – after last night -"

His grin stopped her. "Last night? You mean the incredible sex?"

"Yes", she laughed. "The incredible sex. It was, you know", she said softly, getting side-tracked from her original conversation

"I know." He leaned down and kissed her. "_You_ were incredible. I love you."

"I know you do – and the feeling is mutual. But Jack, didn't last night remind you of something?"

He frowned again. "_Remind_ me? Of what? I mean – it's not like we've -" he waggled his finger between the two of them, "before."

"But that's exactly what I mean. Look, when we were in that room – I uh – _fantasized_ about us – you know."

"You _did_?" he grinned. He flinched back when she swatted him, but grinned even harder. "Okay – so did I. But I don't get what that's supposed to mean. It showed that we had feelings for each other even then, but doesn't have much to do with last night."

"But it _does_", she said. "Because my fantasy was _exactly_ like last night."

"_Exactly_?" he raised his brows. "Really?"

"Well, not _exactly, _exactly – but the uh – _technique_ was the same."

"Technique Carter?"

"Yes Jack – technique, _your_ technique."

"I have a technique?" he said proudly.

She swatted him again. "Get serious. I mean – how could I possibly know that you would – that you liked – hell, that you were like _that_ during sex with me. I mean, I imagined it but it was only imagination. I had no way of knowing what sex with you would really be like."

This time he stopped kidding around and listened to what she was saying. It made him think back to those same fantasies – or what he thought had been fantasies – at the Ancient sight. It suddenly dawned on him that what she was saying was true. In fact, he realized that some of last night had been based on her reactions to things during those fantasies. He hadn't really _known_ that she liked to be kissed right in that spot on her neck, and yet he _had_ known. He had also known just how much pressure and speed to use as he was – holy crap!

"What are you saying?" he turned to her in confusion. "That we somehow _knew_?"

"I – maybe. Either that or it wasn't really a fantasy."

He stared at her, not quite sure what she was saying. As she did nothing but stare back he had to take a deep breath and try and figure – "you're saying it was _real_?"

"Maybe", she shrugged. "I don't know."

"I – but _why_?"

"I don't know that either, although there was something about the dream that – even at the time – seemed real to me."

"You mean skinny dipping in a jungle pool and then making love with me? _That_ felt real."

"Mmm. It was a nice pool."

"That it was."

"And skinny dipping was great. I loved looking at you naked."

"Same here. I mean, I loved looking at _you_ naked. But Sam – it couldn't have been real. We woke up in that room, remember? And we were fully dressed."

"True", she sighed. "I guess we won't know for sure, but – it was strange. And it did feel so real at the time."

"Yes it did but – but I think, I know _this_ is real, so let's just enjoy it, and each other."

She smiled and agreed and opened her arms. He was right that it probably _had_ been a dream, although there was something else that was bothering her –she wasn't positive yet and wasn't going to mention it to Jack, not yet, not until she was sure.

Life settled into a pattern in their little village after their short honeymoon. Jack laughed when he thought of what his life had become. Never in a million years would he have pictured himself as a farmer – with a small flock of sheep (already growing, he was pleased to say), chickens, a garden and a small orchard. They had to work hard to maintain everything but with a supportive community and with the abundance that surrounded them, it was not impossible.

After a few weeks Jack had realized, though, that he needed to think of something else to do. It wasn't that he hated the sheep, but what they had wasn't really enough to live on, at least not for anything more than the very short term. It was actually Sam – his wife (he grinned when he thought that) who had come up with the solution.

"Why don't you try your hand at pottery", she'd told him. "I know you can do it and there's no one here who produces it. The locals have to go into the market in the city to purchase pots and dishes. I'm sure there'd be a market for it."

He'd hummed and hawed, not sure if his skills were up to it. In the end Sam had gone ahead and created a wheel for him –which gave her something interesting to do – and had insisted he try.

He'd spent a day searching out a source for clay and when he'd found it, had decided to try his hand at it. It had taken a couple of days before the skill came back, but eventually he'd managed to produce something that at least _resembled_ a pot. It wasn't sales worthy, not yet, but he figured with more practice he could produce pots and containers that were functional, if not beautiful.

Eventually he got to where he could make a variety of pots that actually looked pretty good. Sam told him there were at least as good as many the locals used. He figured she was saying that just to be nice, but when he'd investigated he found out she was right. The only problem now was how to fire them!

Again it was Sam who came up with the solution. She showed him the bread ovens that the locals used and figured that she could modify the design to increase the heat and use it for his pots. It took her a few days, but eventually he put some of his dried pottery in and – voila – he had some real, live pots.

They let the locals know he had some to sell and he was surprised at how quickly his first dozen went. He thought it was because their neighbors were trying to be supportive, but after a while realized that it was a real help to them to have a local source. Since they used pottery for practically everything – from serving to storing to cooking – there was a huge need. Soon he was working almost non-stop throwing pots and selling them.

His workmanship got better and better each day, and soon he tried doing some decorating and painting. He found that fun, and was able to sell that pottery for a higher price. Rather than being used for practical purposes, people began to buy it for their good dishes, for decoration and for gifts.

"You're becoming famous", Sam told him one night at dinner. "I heard that your pots are in demand and that people are coming from other villages"

"Really?" Jack's eyebrows went up. "I didn't think I was that good."

"Well, you are. Some of the women were saying you should speak to some of the traders and try and sell more of your pots to them. You could even set up a stall at the market and make some extra money."

Jack sighed and looked down at his roughened hands. He did enjoy the work, although didn't know if it was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He was enjoying life on Thassos, but knew that they'd have to eventually go back and check what was happening on Earth. He was sure that Daniel, Teal'c and their other friends and family were probably worried sick about them.

"Maybe I will but Sam, I think it's time we took a trip to the gate first."

"I know", she sighed. She had been thinking about it more and more over the last few days. They had to find out what was going on before too much longer. The other fact was she wouldn't be up to traveling large distances after the next couple of months. She opened her mouth, thinking now was the time to tell him, but his next words stopped her.

"How do you feel about leaving at the end of the week? I could ask Alex to look after our place while we're gone. It should only take a few days."

"And what happens if we find out we can go home?" Sam asked quietly.

Jack looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Probably won't happen", he said, "but if it does – we'll come back and say goodbye and then head out." He looked around their small home. "I'll miss this place."

"Me too", she smiled, "although I admit I miss running water. I'd _love_ a long hot soak in a tub – one where I didn't have to heat the water in a pot first."

"Yeah", he smiled. "And I miss hockey and my truck."

"And our friends" Sam said softly.

"Yeah, especially them."

On that note they both agreed it was time to return to the gate and figure out what was going on in the galaxy without them.

* * *

"Do you think they're okay?" Daniel asked. Teal'c was eating lunch in the commissary and Daniel had come by and sat at the table, the permanent frown which seemed to have taken residence on his face in clear view.

"You have asked me that many times, Daniel Jackson. I believe they are fine."

"But _where are they_?"

"I do not know. You know they could not tell us – this way we cannot tell the NID or anyone from Washington where they are."

"No, except they don't believe us anyway."

Teal'c shrugged. "That is their problem."

"And you know that they've sent spies to the SGC to try and find out?" As he said this he looked over at the table where three of the new members of the SGC were sitting, having coffee together.

Although there was no proof, both Daniel and Teal'c – and even Janet Frasier, were convinced that they were plants by the NID put here to ferret out information. Two of the newbies were on away teams and one was a nurse in the Infirmary. While they all seemed nice enough, the word had somehow gotten around that they could be plants so everyone was pretty careful not to say anything around them.

"But what if they're not?" Daniel suddenly asked.

"What if they are not spies?" Teal'c replied, taking a bite of banana.

"Yeah. What if they're really with the Air Force? I'll feel badly for treating them so suspiciously."

"I do not believe we are incorrect", Teal'c answered. "I have observed them and they are trying to collect information. Colonel Reynolds agrees."

"Really? Wow. We should do something."

"What can we do? There is no proof."

"Well, I don't mean about getting rid of them, but what about giving them misinformation?"

"Mis -?"

"Misinformation. It's often used in counterintelligence", he said softly. "We pretend that we _don't_ know they're spies and we let certain pieces of information escape about Jack and Sam."

"Would not that be a mistake? We do not want them to know anything."

"But we wouldn't give them _real_ information. We'd give them _false_ information – _mis_information."

"I see", Teal'c nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. How do we go about it?"

"Well, I think the first thing we need to do is agree on some false facts. Then we can let a few of them float around and see if our spies pick up on them. If they do, we'll know that they _were_ spies."

"It sounds like a good plan. Who should we inform?"

"Let's talk to Hammond to begin with and let him decide."

So, with that plan they approached the General, asking to speak with him in his office.

"What is it that I can do for you gentlemen?" he asked the two men.

"Just wondering if there's been any news Sir?" he asked casually. At the same time he pushed over a piece of paper.

Hammond took it with a surprised look. "Uh – I haven't heard anything Dr. Jackson." He opened the paper and quickly read it.

_Could your office be bugged? We have something important to talk to you about."_

The General nodded. "It's safe. Siler checks it twice daily _and_ has anti-bugging devices set up. I doubt very much that anything could get by Siler. Now, what is this about?"

Daniel proceeded to tell the General his idea. Hammond listened, nodding once or twice. "What misinformation should we give them?"

"Maybe that they were spotted living on a particular planet. We could then see if the NID decide to check it out. If they _do_ we'll know they have spies here."

"And do you have any suggestions?"

"Mmm – we were thinking about P5K GT6." When the General continued to look blank it was Teal'c who explained.

"It was the planet where we returned with the stomach virus."

"You're not telling me – _that_ planet? But we took it off our rotation because of the virus."

"I know", Daniel grinned. "I just thought, if there's anyone who deserves a little vomiting and diarrhea it's the NID."

George laughed at that and sat back in his chair. "Okay, but won't they be suspicious if we send them there?"

"We'll ask Walter to remove that part from the records. It's not deadly – it'll only be a few days of sickness and then it wears off. But they deserve a bit of payback."

"There's that. Okay, I'll get Walter on it. I also think he's the one to spread the information. He can do it in a way that won't be suspicious."

"Sounds like a good plan Sir", Daniel grinned. "Uh, but still no word on Jack or Sam?"

"No", Hammond sighed and rubbed his bald head. "Nothing. After the planet with the tribe that was fighting they lost any evidence of the Colonel or Major and Thor isn't trying too hard to find them."

"But why not?" Daniel growled. "He's supposed to be their friend!"

"That's exactly why Dr. Jackson. He's been ordered, by the High Council, to report to Earth if and when he finds them. For that reason he doesn't _want_ to find them. He figures they're safe somewhere. Look, I'm sure they'll contact us somehow. You know them – they're both resourceful."

"And O'Neill has the knowledge of the Ancients which will protect him."

"Of _kill_ him", Daniel muttered.

At that the two men left the General's office to wait and see if anything would come from their plan.

It was only a few days later and Daniel was working in his office when his phone buzzed. In a few seconds he was on his way to the General's office. He met Teal'c in the hallway.

"Do you know what this is about?" he asked.

"I do not. I was simply told to report to General Hammond's office."

The two men entered, to find Colonel Hubbard sitting in front of the General's desk, a smug look on his face.

"What's he doing here?" Daniel asked. "I thought we had air filters to keep out poisonous gasses!"

"Dr. Jackson" Hammond warned, although Daniel was pretty sure there was a note of humor in his voice. "The – Colonel – is going through the Gate. He has received special permission from the President to take a team with him."

"And he wants _us_?"

"No Dr. Jackson, you would be the last person I would ask to accompany me. I would be – nervous – about having an off-world accident."

"You are not then as foolish as you seem", Teal'c told him seriously. "May I ask General why we are here?"

"He asked for information about -" the General looked down at his desk. "About P5K GT6. That is the designation of the planet he is visiting. When I looked it up I discovered it was a planet that had been visited by Sg1. What can you tell the Colonel about it?"

Daniel frowned, tapping his lip with his finger. "Uh P5K GR6?"

"No, P5K G_T_6", Hubbard snapped. "Come on Doctor. Don't play around with me. What do you know about the planet?"

"I'm trying to remember. Teal'c, do you remember this one?"

"It is difficult. We visit numerous planets Colonel. Could this have been the one with the topless natives? I believe that O'Neill renamed it "The Mansion Planet". I do not know why he did that."

"It was because of the Playboy Mansion Teal'c. It's where-"

"Enough! You think you are funny but I'm warning you, if you do not cooperate I'll -"

"You'll _what_ Colonel?" Hammond asked softly. "I invited these men here out of courtesy, but they are under no obligation to give you any information. You have the report – that should be enough for you. Now, if you'll collect your team you may prepare to leave."

"You'll be sorry for this General. Soon your reign as leader of the SGC will come to an end and then I'll make sure we have people here who know what to do what they're told."

"Just like all the slaves of the Goa'uld", Daniel commented. "General? If that's all?"

"It is Dr. Jackson, Teal'c. Thank you for coming and I'm sorry to have interrupted your work." He watched as the two members of Sg1 left his office and then turned back to Hubbard. "Walter will make sure your people get set up with what they need for an off-world visit. When you're ready to leave you are to inform me. You will be given 48 hours on the planet and then you will return. You are dismissed."

"I'm not -"

"I said you were dismissed Colonel. Or don't _you_ know how to obey orders?"

Hubbard left fuming, determined that he was going to bring down Hammond and all his sycophants. Harriman was waiting for him and had him escorted to the VIP quarters.

"There will be a guard outside your door Sir", the Sergeant said respectfully. "Let him know if you need anything."

"I don't need a guard!"

"I'm sorry Sir – it's regulations. I'm afraid he'll have to escort you when you leave your quarters. And please let me know when you wish to go through the gate."

It was the next day before Hubbard was ready. He'd brought three marines with him – none of whom had gone through the gate before, but who looked tough enough for anything. Hubbard also requested someone from the SGC – who turned out to be one of the new officers, confirming in everyone's mind that he had been an NID plant.

"Just let us know when you're ready Sir", Walter spoke through the speaker to the men waiting in the gateroom below. He had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. They looked like they had enough supplies for a year – and that they were planning for a full-on battle, rather than simply trying to retrieve one errant officer.

"We're ready." Hubbard looked up, to see Hammond staring down at him. He gave the General a sloppy salute – the way he did it a definite insult. The General did not salute back.

A moment later Hubbard and his soldiers had headed through the gate to P5K GT6.

It was only minutes after that that Daniel and Teal'c showed up in the Control Room. "So, they gone?"

"Yes", Hammond nodded, still looking down at the gate.

"And they went to P5K GT6?"

"They did."

Daniel grinned and turned to look at the gate. As it was he missed the slight smile on Hammond and Walter's faces. "We should warn Janet."

"Why Dr. Jackson?" Hammond asked. "It is a safe planet, is it not?"

"Oh yeah – totally safe. Not too comfortable, but definitely safe."

"Well then, I guess we'd better all get back to work." The General turned sharply and headed back to his office. He was soon followed by Teal'c and Daniel, who also returned to what they had been doing before Hubbard arrived.

Walter was left alone in the Control Room, a big grin on his face.


	41. Tonané

It took them a couple of days to get to the gate. They'd explained to their friends in the village that they wanted to return to their own home for a brief visit. Alex had agreed to look after their animals so they'd left knowing everything would be fine until they returned.

They packed enough provisions for at least a week, although they told the villagers they might be away for longer. On the journey to the gate they discussed where they should go and who to contact.

"I say the Asgard," Sam said. "Thor will know what's going on."

"True, but he's been told to let Earth know if he finds us."

"You think he will?"

Jack shrugged. "He might not, although it's putting him in a difficult situation, especially if there are other Asgard present."

"The Tokra?"

Jack sighed. "I trust them less than the Asgard. They'll turn us in in a second if they think they'll get something out of it for themselves. I _don't_ like the Tokra."

"My father?"

"Okay, he's an exception and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't turn us in, but there's no guarantee we'll find him. He's always off on some mission and we have no idea where he is."

"So who do we contact?"

"I was thinkin' – the Salish?"

Sam knew that Jack had liked the Salish people and Tonané especially. Raised in a small town in rural Minnesota and having spent his summers at his grandfather's cabin, he had developed a love and a respect for nature. The philosophy of the Salish people and their care for the Earth had appealed to him. And he'd liked Tonané's sense of humor.

"You don't think the NID will think of them?" Sam asked.

"I doubt it. I expect they think we'll go somewhere with more advanced technology. And anyway," he grinned, "the Great Spirits should protect us."

"I hope so," she said, thinking about the alien beings who had protected the Salish. "Let's go then. I'm anxious to find out what's going on on Earth."

They dialed the Salish planet – fortunately Jack's Ancient download pretty much meant he remembered every gate address, an ability that Sam didn't even want to imagine.

"Here goes!" Jack said. He reached out his hand and together they walked through the event horizon.

"Incoming wormhole Sir," Walter announced to the General as he walked into the Control Room.

"Do we know who it is son?"

Walter grinned. "It's P5K GT6, Colonel Hubbard Sir."

"Well, open the iris – I guess." Fortunately the last two words were spoken quietly, although loud enough for a smirk to appear on Walter's face.

They two men waited a moment until five figures slowly made their way out of the event horizon.

"Welcome back Colonel," Hammond said into the mike.

Hubbard's face turned up to him and the General almost wanted to laugh. The man's face was totally green. He then looked and saw that none of the soldiers were standing straight. In fact one of the Marines was bent over the side of the ramp, puking his guts out.

Some of the others looked panic-stricken and began to walk strangely down the ramp. Hammond couldn't figure out what was going on until Hubbard actually grabbed his backside. Oh God – diarrhea –

"Walter, call the Infirmary – and tell Janet we have an infectious situation here. And I suggest – you hurry. I think the men need to get to the uh – latrine, rather quickly."

For the next few minutes there was chaos as medical personnel, dressed in hazmat suits, appeared. The returning men were put under portable containment units and taken to the Infirmary, where they were put in isolation until their symptoms left. From experience Hammond knew it would be at least three or four days before any of them were feeling well enough to even stand up, let alone leave the Infirmary.

He sighed and looked down at Walter, who was directing the clean up from the Control Room. "I expect we'll hear about this."

"Yes Sir – although their decision to go to P5K GT6 was their own Sir. We had nothing to do with it."

"No, but we did – ah hell," Hammond grinned. "Whatever happens, it was worth it." He would never forget the look on Hubbard's face as he crapped his pants in the Gate Room. He couldn't wait to tell Jack.

At the thought of the Colonel his face fell. He wondered what and hell had happened to O'Neill and Carter. He just prayed they were okay.

They were, in fact, doing just fine. The Salish had put on a huge banquet in their honor and they were enjoying the company of some of their favorite aliens. Sam watched as Jack and Tonané teased one another mercilessly. It reminded her a bit of the interplay she'd often watched between Daniel and Jack and suddenly, she was missing home with an ache she hadn't felt in months.

"Hey, what's up?" Jack asked, noticing her expression.

"Nothing," she said with a lopsided smile. "Just missing Daniel and Teal'c."

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "I was thinkin' about Daniel tonight and was kind of missing the Space Monkey myself."

"Tonané?" she asked.

"He remind you of Daniel too?"

"Mmm hmm. I don't know quite why – maybe it's because he loves pulling your chain."

Jack grinned. "He does. Hey – maybe we'll see them soon," Jack said, reaching out and taking her hand.

"How can we? The NID will watch their every movement. They'll know if they try and contact us."

"Oh you of little faith Carter," Jack said. "We'll figure something out."

"So Tonané, are you still trading with Earth?" Jack asked a few minutes later.

"We are Jack. We provide a shipment of Trinium once every two moons. We will be sending another shipment at first light tomorrow. You come in good time."

"You knew!" Sam looked at him in wonder.

"Well, I guessed. I knew the shipments were pretty regular and I calculated back to the last one that went through to Earth and figured another one must be coming soon."

She just stared, realizing that it was things like these that showed he had changed, that the Ancient library had given him new abilities. "Okay," she said finally. "So what are we planning?"

"A message in a bottle?" he grinned.

"You want to send a message with the Trinium? Won't someone be suspicious?"

"Well, if I sent a note that said, "Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter are staying with the Salish, want to come and visit", then yes, that might cause suspicion."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Tonané, do you have any more of those nifty arrow heads – you know, the Trinium ones?"

"Yes," his friend nodded. "We have many of them."

"Can you send one with the next shipment?"

"Yes, but for what purpose Jack?" Tonané frowned.

"Oh, just to send a message to the SGC that I'm here. We can't afford to say anything directly, but someone should figure it out when they see it."

"I understand. We shall do as you ask."

Jack and Sam were invited to stay in Tonané's family's longhouse. He started to lead them to two separate sleeping platforms when Jack reached out and took his friend's arm. The native man looked at him questioningly.

"Uh – Sam and I are married now."

Tonané grinned and slapped Jack on the arm. "It is about time my friend! I wondered why you were so slow!"

"Hey – we couldn't be together – not before."

"You let small things interfere in your life Jack. You and Major Carter – Sam – you are meant to be together. It is a good thing you have done. The Spirits will be happy."

"Well, I don't know about them," Jack answered with a grin, "but I'm sure happy."

"Good," Tonané laughed. "And when shall we welcome a small Jack or Sam?"

"Uh – I – that's not something -", in the end Jack just shrugged, and looked rather embarrassed. This time Sam grinned.

They were soon curled up together on the sleeping platform, which was hidden by curtains of animal skin. It was comfortable and cozy, but Sam had to admit it was a bit disconcerting to hear the sounds from all the other families that lived in the Longhouse. She knew it was their custom, and that they were good at giving privacy to one another, but she didn't know if she could even _contemplate_ having sex when she'd be worried that everyone would know what they were doing.

"Don't worry so hard," Jack smirked. "They'll figure we're doing it anyway, even if we don't. We're newlyweds."

"Jack," she hit his arm. "That may be true, but I don't want anyone hearing us."

"Hearing _us_? You mean _you_. You're the noisy one, not me."

"Well, I haven't heard you complain," she snapped.

"Complain? Carter, I _love_ making you scream." He grinned again and lay back on his arms, which were clasped behind his head. "So, you're sure you don't want to try making a little Jack or Sam?"

She knew he was just joking – pulling her leg – but after his comment about her screaming he deserved a little payback. She lay back beside him, her arms in the same position as his. "Oh, we don't have to try," she told him.

"No?" He turned his head to face her, a slightly surprised look on his face. "Why not?"

"Because, we've already done it."

At his silence she glanced over, to see a confused look on his face. "Carter?"

"What Sir?" she grinned.

"Uh – what do you mean?"

"I mean I'm pregnant Jack," she told him. "A little Jack or Sam is already in the oven."

It was a good thing she reached out for him, because otherwise he would have fallen off the platform and down the ten feet to the solid ground below.

"Delivery from the Salish Sir," Walter announced the next morning. "It's our usually scheduled shipment of Trinium."

"Good. Have Siler come up and transport it down to storage. I must say, the Salish have certainly kept their word."

"Yes they have Sir. I think it's because they liked Colonel O'Neill so much."

"He certainly does have a way of making friends, doesn't he?" Hammond thought of the man in the Infirmary and sighed. "And enemies."

A few minutes later a wooden crate came through the wormhole. A moment later Siler entered the Gate room and made his way up to the crate, a small, electric hoist by his side. He leaned over to position the hoist so it could lift the incredibly heavy box, when he frowned. There was something sticking out of the crate.

He reached over and pulled – and the object popped out and clattered to the ramp.

"What is it Sergeant," Hammond spoke into the mike.

"I don't know Sir," Siler answered. He reached over and picked up the metal object and held it up. "It looks like an arrowhead Sir."

Hammond stared at it for a moment and then took off down the stairs into the Gate room. "Let me see that." He reached out and took it – and suddenly smiled. "Thank you Sergeant. You can take the shipment now and uh please don't say anything –"

"About what Sir?" Siler asked, straight-faced. "I didn't see anything Sir, nothing at all."

Hammond smiled. "Good man." He watched as Siler got the crate and headed out of the room. With that he turned and headed up the stairs to his office, passing Walter on the way. "Get Dr. Jackson and Teal'c up to my office immediately."

"What is it Sir?" Daniel asked a few moments later when he and Teal'c had been invited into the General's office. "Hubbard make a complaint yet?"

"No, I'm afraid Colonel Hubbard is still too sick to complain about much of anything."

"Dr. Frasier informs me that she had to put the Colonel on IV liquids. He has vomited so often that he grew dehydrated."

Hammond grimaced, for the first time feeling guilty. If anyone realized what they'd done he could be in big trouble. "He's not in danger is he?"

"No. The Doctor informed me that the only consequence will be that the Colonel will lose a few pounds."

"Good. Well that's not why I brought you here." He looked up to see Daniel staring at the arrowhead on his desk. The young archaeologist slowly raised his eyes, a smile beginning on his face.

"Jack?"

"I believe so," the General nodded. "It came with the latest shipment of Trinium from the Salish."

"Of course," Daniel said, slapping his thigh. "Jack and Tonané got to be good friends. When can we go?"

"We have to be careful son," Hammond said warningly. "We don't want to give anything away."

"I know and we don't have to go right to the Salish planet, but we do have to go find them."

"I know Doctor. What I propose is that we send a thank you note through to the Salish – and give a time and date where we will meet Colonel O'Neill. If we go too soon after receiving the shipment it will be discovered and we don't want Tonané's people to get involved in this. I don't trust the NID."

Daniel snorted. "That's the understatement of the world. Okay – so we send a note. What do we say?"

"P2R 3N9," Teal'c stated.

"What?" Daniel looked at him, his eyes wide.

"P2R 3N9. It was the planet that O'Neill indicated reminded him of Hawaii. He said he would like to vacation there."

"Oh right. There was nothing else there of interest and he wanted to set up a resort for SGC personnel," Daniel grinned. "I think he proposed having a casino."

"He also wanted to make it clothing optional," Teal'c replied.

Daniel laughed. "Right. He'll love that we picked this one. Do you think that would be okay Sir?"

"Are there any indigenous people on the planet?" Hammond asked, pleased to see how happy both Dr. Jackson and Teal'c appeared.

"No, it was deserted. It looked like it may have been a Goa'uld outpost at one time, but there were no minerals of interest and I don't think the Goa'uld were that into the beach life. It looks as if they deserted it many years ago."

"Well, it sounds like as good a spot as any. When do we go?"

"I suggest we wait a week and then send you on a visit to one of our allied planets. From there you can take a detour and end up on – uh -"

"P2R 3N9" Teal'c intoned.

"Right. I'll arrange for Walter to send a thank you note through to the Salish. Dismissed Gentlemen."

The two men thanked the General and made their way out of his office. Daniel looked at Teal'c and simply grinned.

"I believe we must be cautious Daniel Jackson, the Jaffa said quietly. "We must not give anything away."

"Right." Daniel immediately frowned, but inside he continued to smile.

That afternoon a box came through the Stargate. Tonané picked it up and opened it. Inside was a letter. He grinned and made his way back to his village.

"Jack," he called out. "There is a message for you."


	42. Choices

_**I'm so, so sorry for the screw up with the chapters yesterday. To make it up to you I'm posting a longish chapter for this story tonight. I hope you enjoy – and please, lots and lots of reviews would be greatly appreciated.**_

"What do you mean?" he asked, still looking stunned.

"I mean, I'm pregnant – we're going to have a baby."

"But – that's not possible," he said.

"Jack, it's totally possible," she half laughed. "We have been having sex you know."

"No – I mean, of course I know that, but it hasn't been that long. You're probably just late."

"It only takes once," she pointed out, starting to feel worried by his reaction.

"I know, but you wouldn't know – not yet."

She sighed and sat up. "You're upset. You don't want a child, do you?"

That stopped him dead, and he simply stared at her, not saying anything.

She started to feel cold and suddenly shivered. Why had she thought he'd be happy? And why was he so shocked? Surely he must have known that this could happen. It's not like they had access to birth control. "You must have realized that this could happen. We haven't been using any protection."

"I thought you were on birth control," he said, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"I was, but it only lasts for so long. We've been gone for months."

"But I thought you would have planned for this."

"_What_! Are you saying this is my fault? You didn't even ask about birth control. And it's not like we were sleeping together when this whole thing started. Hell, we've gone for years without even acknowledging we felt anything for each other. What was I to do, ask Janet for some extra birth control just in case Colonel O'Neill finally decided to screw the regs!"

"What the hell are you saying Carter?" he practically yelled. "Are you accusing me of something here? I thought this was a mutual decision – or are you going to start claiming that I took advantage of you. You plan to have me up on charges when – if we go back. And for your information, we screwed the regs the moment we left Earth. I'm AWOL – _you're_ AWOL so us sleeping together isn't that big a deal."

"I guess it's not," she said quietly, suddenly feeling hurt and sad. "I wasn't accusing you of anything, I was just pointing out that the situation we're in is _both_ our faults – or should I say responsibility. I'm sorry I didn't think to remind you about birth control but you can't lay it all on me."

Jack let out a deep breath and massaged the back of his neck. "I know. I know it's not your fault. I just – I guess I was letting myself ignore the consequences."

She remained silent, not knowing what to say or do. Never in a million years would she have suspected Jack to react this way. He'd always loved kids and she'd been sure – but obviously she'd made a terrible mistake. She just prayed it didn't destroy the two of them.

When he didn't speak she rolled over, her back to him, and pulled the covers up to her chin. She stayed as close to the wall of the longhouse as she could, feeling too angry and hurt to want to be anywhere close to Jack. It was only then that she realized the entire house had probably heard them. So now she was not only miserable, but embarrassed as well.

Jack sat totally frozen, still not sure what had just happened. He wanted to kick himself. Why hadn't he even thought about Sam getting pregnant? He should have realized there was a strong possibility that her birth control had run out.

He hadn't thought about it because he hadn't _wanted_ to, he admitted to himself. He'd avoided thinking about it. He was so happy to finally have the chance to love her, that he'd ignored all other considerations. He'd ignored the possibility of pregnancy, he'd ignored the fact that they were fugitives on the run, he'd ignored the fact that they were living in a society that was at least a hundred and fifty years behind their own. He was an idiot.

The thought of bringing a child into such an uncertain situation terrified him. What if they had to go on the run? What if they were discovered by the NID? What would they do with a child?

As he lay there, thinking all these thoughts, he knew there was something else he was avoiding. It wasn't just the thought of their situation that terrified him – it was the idea of even _having_ a child that terrified him.

He'd lost his son through his own stupidity. He could not possibly contemplate bringing another child into his life. He'd end up doing something equally as stupid, and this time he knew he wouldn't survive the loss of another child. It petrified him to even _think_ about the possibility. It was one of the reasons he'd decided, long ago, that he would never have another child.

Well you sure screwed that one up O'Neill! So now they were bringing a new life into being – into an impossible situation. He looked at her back, facing him so noticeably, and wanted nothing so much as to scoot over and put his arms around her. But he knew he couldn't. He'd hurt her terribly with his comments and he was sure she'd want nothing to do with him tonight.

God, he hoped he hadn't totally destroyed their relationship! But it wasn't his fault. How could she expect him to want this after everything that had happened?

He didn't get any sleep that night, lying awake terrified about the future. He knew that Sam didn't sleep much either, even though she pretended to. Not once did they speak or move together or touch, each of them staying as far away from the other as possible. Just as dawn was coming he heard her finally fall into a restless sleep. It was then he decided he couldn't lie there anymore.

Quietly, so as not to disturb her, he pushed aside the curtains and climbed down the ladder. He grabbed his shoes but waited until he was out of the longhouse before putting them on.

The morning was cool, but bright and fresh. He stretched, trying to drive out the kinks and tension the long night had brought. It was only as he put his arms down and took a deep breath that he noticed Tonané standing at the edge of the village, his back to Jack.

He hesitated a moment, but then finally decided to walk over and say good morning. He'd had enough of his own thoughts for the past few hours and looked forward to taking his mind off things, even if only for a few minutes.

"Good morning Jack," Tonané said cheerfully, not even turning to see who approached. "It is a beautiful morning, is it not?"

"Mornin' Tonané. Yes, it is. The air smells wonderful."

"We are fortunate that the earth and the air and the water give us all we need, including beauty that calms the soul."

"Yeah – you're lucky to live here. It's a beautiful place."

"It is not luck my friend. We could choose to ignore the bounties of nature and exploit our world. But that would bring us only sorrow, so we choose instead to honor and to celebrate that which is given to us."

"You're right. It isn't luck. You and your people are very wise Tonané. I wish you could make my people understand that."

"They make their choice, just as we make ours," his Salish friend said gently.

The two men stood quietly, watching in the distance as the new day began. They came from very different worlds, from different planets. Their cultures were different, as were their experiences and their heritage. And yet, in many ways they were brothers. They both cherished nature and all that it brought. They were also alike in that to many they appeared to be simple men, light-hearted and unaware of the more complex problems of life. But that was as untrue for Tonané as it was for O'Neill. What people saw on the surface hid a depth and wisdom that few possessed as they did.

Rather than not seeing complex issues, they both saw them too well. But being wise and compassionate men they took that complexity and used it to shape who they were and how they served their respective peoples.

For Jack it meant serving his country and his planet by protecting it, by ensuring that the weak were protected and that justice would win out. For Tonané it meant keeping his world from being exploited and by honoring and protecting everything around him – his people and the land on which they lived.

And the two men understood each other. They found in each other a friend, a brother, a soul-mate. It was for that reason that Tonané now turned to his friend and spoke.

"Do you believe in honoring nature my friend, in nurturing that which is provided to us by the earth, by the spirits?"

"Uh - yes, of course." Jack frowned, glancing at the native man.

"Then why do you now fight against it? Why do you deny nature?"

"Deny-?" He turned his head sharply and looked at Tonané. "What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about your child Jack."

Jack let out a loud breath and felt like instantly turning and heading – where? They were stuck here until they heard – hopefully – from the SGC. He could go back to the longhouse, but then he'd have to talk to Sam, and he didn't know what to say to her.

"You heard," he said finally, not sure what else to say or do.

"I did. I am sorry. I did not mean to listen but -"

"But we were loud. I'm sorry."

"You do not need to apologize my friend. You have not done anything to hurt me or my family." He stopped there, and his unspoken words said volumes.

"But I hurt mine," Jack whispered, closing his eyes in frustration.

"You did," Tonané nodded. It was one of the things Jack had always liked about the man. He was brutally honest in everything he said and did. To some it may have seemed disingenuous, but Jack knew it was anything but. There was no dissembling in the man – and no attempt to be cruel or unkind. He simply believed in speaking truth.

Which now forced Jack to be totally honest as well. "I didn't mean to," he said quietly. "I don't want to hurt her but -"

"But you are frightened and angry."

"No, I'm -" his words faltered as Tonané looked at him, the man's eyes drawing out the truth. "Yes," he breathed. "I'm scared as hell and – and angry!"

"Why are you frightened? A child is a wonderful thing – a blessing from the Spirits. It can only be a good thing."

"I'm frightened because Sam and I are on the run." When his companion looked quizzically at him he explained. "We are fugitives from Earth – I told you, remember. We can't go back and we can't be found or we would be in trouble. I hate bringing a child into that."

"That is understandable, although I understood you to say that you are living somewhere that is peaceful and beautiful."

"We are," Jack sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "But we can't stay there forever."

"Why not?"

"Why – well, because, it's not our _home_."

"Is not your home where you decide it to be? Is it not where you are with those you love, with your friends? Is it not where you put down roots and raise your children and your crops and your animals?"

"Yeah – I guess – but, hey, it's not Earth. Wouldn't you hate it if you had to leave this place – leave everyone you knew behind to start over somewhere else?"

"Yes, it would be difficult and I would miss it greatly. However, as long as I had my family with me I believe I would be fine. It is Taimah and my children who are my home."

Jack was silent, trying to listen to what his friend was saying, but still feeling too angry, too upset to let the words in and to believe them.

"Do you believe your family will be in danger?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess – I mean, I'll do whatever I need to do to keep them safe, but there are no guarantees -"

"There never are, my friend."

"No." Jack felt the stab of pain that always accompanied the memory of his son. "No, I know that." And that was one of the problems. He'd already lost a child and he was terrified it would happen again.

"What is it Jack?" Tonané asked gently, obviously sensing something in the other man.

"I – had a son," he answered, not sure why he was sharing this. He usually avoided it at all costs. "He was killed. He accidentally killed himself with my weapon."

He felt a hand touch his arm and looked down in surprise – and then back up into Tonané's face. The Salish was looking at him with compassion – but also with understanding.

"There is nothing more awful than to lose a child," he said softly. "It leaves a hole in one's heart and soul that can never be filled. I am sorry Jack."

"Yeah." Jack answered, holding onto his composure with everything in him.

"Do you wish your child had not been born?"

Jack went to answer a swift 'yes', but before the word left his mouth his bit his lip. He wouldn't lie, _couldn't_ lie. Of course he didn't wish that. He thought back to Charlie as a baby, a toddler and young child – and wanted to laugh and to cry. Those were the most priceless memories he had and they were all that was left of his son.

"No – no."

"I do not wish that for my child either," his gentle companion said quietly, staring off into the forest in front of him.

Jack looked at him in surprise. "Tonané?"

"I too lost a child Jack. She was my first born, my heart. Her name was Sela and she was the happiest child. Her laugh was like the water trickling over rocks. She loved to play and to giggle – she was the gentlest thing. I used to carry her with me everywhere I went. She brought joy to my life."

"What happened?" he whispered.

"It was a storm, a bad storm. We do not know why, but she got up in the night and left the longhouse. My wife thinks she may have heard one of the animals crying in the night. She loved animals. We found her the next morning – a tree had fallen over and had crushed her. She had only lived five winters."

"I'm so sorry Tonané."

"I know you are Jack – because you understand."

"Were you frightened to have more children?"

"I had another already – my son. He was three when Sela died. I refused to let him out of my sight for a long time. It was my wife who finally told me I was not protecting him – I was smothering him. She also told me we needed to have another child – not to replace Sela, because we could never do that, but to celebrate life. We needed to live again and there is nothing like a child, or children, to stop you from burying yourself. They are too demanding, too loving to let you do anything but love them and take joy in them."

"I wish I could be like you," Jack said quietly, suddenly hating himself. "I'm just not that brave."

"You are like me Jack. I was frightened too. At first I told Taimah no. I refused to contemplate having another child. I grew angry at her for even asking and accused her of wanting to forget our daughter. I said some cruel things."

Jack couldn't imagine Tonané being cruel to anyone, although looking at his face – at the seriousness and honesty shining from his eyes, Jack knew he had to believe him. "What happened?"

The man smiled. "She told me to stop being a coward." Suddenly he grinned. "And she told me very loudly and very fiercely. The whole village knew. I grew angry in return, but she stood up to me. But it wasn't just that she was angry at me. She was desperate because she knew that if I didn't move forward with her, that we did not have a future together."

The feeling of fear grew in his chest, but this time Jack knew it wasn't the thought of having a child that terrified him, but the thought of losing Sam. He'd already lost one good woman because of his fear and selfishness. He didn't want to lose her.

But he was still angry at her. He knew it was unfair – they had made a child together but he still felt like she had tricked him. They hadn't even talked about this and –

"Why are you so angry at Sam?" Tonané asked. God, he's just like Daniel, Jack thought suddenly. He goes directly for the jugular. "Is it because you feel she did this intentionally?"

"No – I – maybe. I don't know. But I should have been able to make the decision – I should have had a choice. Instead I'm presented with a done deal. I'm going to be a father again, whether I wanted it or not."

"That is true, although you had an equal part in that" Tonané nodded. "But now you do have a choice. You can remain angry and destroy what you have or you can choose to look at this as a chance for a richer, more beautiful life with the woman you love. You can think about the child who is even now growing in its mother's womb. You can wonder about its eye color, about whether it will look like you or Sam. You can imagine what he or she will want to do. You can think about taking your child with you as you walk through the forest, as you play with it and teach it. It is your choice my friend. You can continue to be angry, or you can accept what nature has given you and rejoice."

He knew that what his friend was saying was nothing but the truth. He knew it – but that didn't seem to matter right now. He was too filled with emotion to think clearly. He needed –

"Jack, why don't you go for a walk? There are too many things in your head to think clearly. Go and let the earth around you speak to you."

He nodded. "Thanks Tonané. You're a good man but – I think you're right. Could you – if Sam wakes up, just let her know I've gone for a walk."

The native man watched as he walked away, and sighed. "I hope you find what you are looking for Jack." With a shake of his head he turned and headed back to see his wife and children. Talking about Sela always brought sadness and he needed their joy and laughter to help heal his heart.

Jack walked swiftly through the forest, not paying any attention to where he was headed. In fact, he wasn't really headed anywhere – he was running away from something.

"You are a coward Jack O'Neill," he admitted to himself. He was still frightened, still angry and now full of self-hatred for having those feelings. "Damn it – why did this have to happen now!" he cried out.

All that answered were the birds and animals disturbed by his presence. He cursed and kept walking, wishing he could outrun everything and leave it all behind.

Including Sam, a small voice asked?

"No – of course not," he answered out loud, kicking a stone out of his path.

He continued to walk until the sweat gleamed on his face and his breathing sped up. He would have kept going, he was sure, except that his footsteps brought him to the edge of a lake.

He stopped abruptly, looking out over the glistening blue water. It was stunning and for the first time since Sam had told him about being pregnant he stopped thinking and allowed himself to simply be.

He sat down, leaning with his back against a log, and looked at the water. He forced himself to take deep, slow breaths and to try and let out all the tension and fear. As his eyes began to droop the fear lessened and a strange calm seemed to wash over him.

"_Daddy_!" a young boy screamed, laughing as he ran away. "Catch me Daddy!"

He laughed and ran after the young boy, easily catching him and swinging him around. "Now I have to tickle you!" he growled. The boy giggled some more, collapsing from the laughter.

"No Daddy no – tickle Ellie!"

"_What_! You want me to tickle your sister?"

There was another shriek – this time from a tiny girl who had grabbed onto his legs. He looked down and laughed at the tiny child, her golden hair done up in braids, with two pink ribbons.

"No ticko Ewwie!" she shrieked, turning and toddling away as fast as her plump little legs would let her.

Jack growled, and with his son in his arms, chased after the little girl, going slowly to let her think she had a chance to get away.

In the end there was a heap of the three of them – the two children trying to tickle their father, all of them laughing uproariously. Jack finally grabbed both of them around their waists and held them to him – their sweaty, wiggling little bodies the best things in his life.

But not the _only_ best things. Because there was one more person in that category, and that was the woman who was sitting on the lawn chair laughing at all of them. "Hey you – watcha doing over there? You're supposed to be saving me from these scary monsters!"

"We's not monsters Daddy!",the little boy cried.

The little girl shook her head. "I no monstow! I's Ewwie!"

"Ellie are you – well I'm glad you're not a monster. I guess I can take you both home with me!" The kids giggled and continued to squirm.

Jack laughed again, happier than he could ever remember being, when he suddenly startled awake, almost falling flat. It took him a second to remember where he was and to realize that he'd been dreaming. The instant sadness – knowing it was a dream and not reality – took him unawares.

What the _hell_ had that been, he wondered? He pushed himself to his feet and looked around. He almost suspected Tonané of having done something, but then scoffed at the idea. The Salish man didn't have any magical powers, except maybe the power of making him face reality.

He laughed softly and stretched. Looked up he realized it was getting to be mid-morning and he needed to head back. Sam would be worried.

He felt a sudden rush of feeling – a longing to see her. At the same time he realized something else. The fear had subsided. There was still a bit remaining, and he expected it would stay for a while – but for the most part all he felt now was a strange sense of – anticipation.

He smiled. God – was that all it took? He'd gone from fear and anger to – happiness and excitement in the space of a couple of hours. "You're crazy O'Neill!" As he started walking back to the village he thought back to his conversation. Maybe that's all it took. He'd just needed a good talking to. He'd have to thank Tonané but that would be later. Right now he needed to see Sam – see her and beg her forgiveness – and tell her how much he loved her. He also needed to celebrate with her. They were going to have a baby.

"Did we do right?" Xe'ls asked as he watched the human leave.

"I hope so," T'Akaya answered. "Tonané asked that we help his friend understand the truth. By showing him his future, I believe we have helped him come to terms with it. I once thought that O'Neill was dishonest and dangerous but I believe he is a good man, much like Tonané. I am pleased we could help him."

Xe'ls nodded and held out his hand to his mate. "Sometimes I do not understand these humans. They make what should be so simple, so very hard."

T'Akaya nodded but then she smiled. "It is the way, not just of humans, but of most species Xe'ls. Love can cause confusion, but if accepted, it brings much joy."

Jack arrived back at the village, and saw Sam talking to Tonané's wife Taimah. She hadn't seen him yet, so he was able to gaze at her without her knowledge. She looked tired – tired and sad – and he wanted to curse himself.

He walked towards her purposefully, knowing that he had to change that look on her face. He had it in him to bring her pain or joy – and he knew now which one he'd chosen.

He heard a noise and glanced to the side, to see Tonané watching him. The man smiled and gave him a thumb's up – he wondered briefly if that was a Salish gesture or whether he'd learned it from someone from Earth. The thought only lasted a moment, because Sam had seen him.

He reached her and took her arms – gently. "Taimah, excuse us. I need to talk to Sam."

"Of course," the Salish woman smiled and stepped away. Jack then drew Sam towards the trees, needing privacy for what he was about to say.

"Jack?" she said tiredly, her emotions carefully contained. "What is this? I don't want to -"

"Shhh," he told her gently. "Wait." Finally they were away from the village, surrounded by the coolness of the forest.

"What -" her voice was stopped by the pressure of his lips as he kissed her. At first she didn't respond, but after a few seconds it was as if she melted into him. The kiss went on, until he tasted the salt of tears. Sam was crying.

He lifted his lips from hers and pulled back, only a few inches, so that he could see her. "I'm an ass, and I'm sorry. I love you more than anything in the whole world, and I'm the luckiest man in the world to have you as my wife – and as the mother of my child."

"Jack?"

"All I can do is tell you how sorry I am for the way I reacted. It was wrong and cruel – although I want you to know I didn't mean to, no I _hated_ the fact that I was hurting you. I just – Sam, I was frightened and so I lashed out in anger. It just – caught me by surprise."

"I'm sorry," she cried, her voice thick with tears. "I know you didn't want-" Again he interrupted her with his lips, kissing her gently but firmly.

"No," he told her, his lips still caressing hers. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. You did nothing wrong. _We_ did nothing wrong. In fact, we did the most right thing in the world. We came together in love and we created a child – _our _child. God Sam – I was so scared when you told me but now -"

"Now?" she looked at him in wonder, her eyes shining, but this time not with tears.

"But now," he laughed, "I'm so happy I don't know what to do." He leaned his forehead against hers. "Tonané talked to me – talked sense into me I guess and then I went for a walk. I fell asleep – there's this little lake, I'll have to take you there – anyway, I fell asleep and dreamed – Sam, I dreamed of our kids and it was – I – I woke up and everything had changed. It was amazing!"

Sam laughed – she had rarely if ever heard Jack sound so excited – or speaking so quickly or so breathlessly. It reminded her of an excited Daniel and she found it utterly charming.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked, his eyes narrowed although she could see the twinkle in them.

"At you – you remind me of Daniel."

"I do?" he growled, suddenly swinging her around. "Well get him out of your mind! I want you to think only of your husband right now! I love you Sam – God, I love you."

"I love you too," she said, and this time she was the one laughing. "You're a crazy man, do you know that?"

"Mmm hmm," he grinned. "A crazy man who's going to be a daddy!"

"Jack," a voice interrupted their discussion and Jack looked up to see Tonané peeking at him from behind a tree. "I do not mean to intrude but I thought you might like to know that there is a small hunting lodge by the lake. No one will be going there today and you both look tired. You might want to use the lodge to – rest."

He heard Sam let out a small groan, and her head dropped against his chest. All he could see of her were the back of her ears – which were bright pink. But he grinned. "Thanks Tonané, what a great idea. We'll see you later."

"Bye Jack, bye Sam," Tonané said, a huge grin on his face. "Enjoy your rest."

Once the Salish man had gone Sam lifted her head. "Well that was embarrassing."

"Oh, not as embarrassing as it would have been when I took you to our sleeping platform in the longhouse in the middle of the day and made love to you," he said calmly as he pulled her to the lake.

"Jack," she laughed. "You wouldn't have done that."

He stopped and looked at her, his face totally serious. "Yes – that's exactly what I was planning on doing. So be happy we have the hunting lodge."

She giggled but continued to walk with him – her day having turned from darkness to joy. She laughed again and took his hand, eager to spend a glorious day in a native hunting lodge with her husband.


	43. Reunion

Jack and Sam stayed well hidden in the trees although with clear sight lines to the gate and up and down the beach. Even though they were hopeful that there would be no problems, both of them knew enough to always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

"Who do you think it will be?" Sam asked quietly.

"Oh Danny and Teal'c for sure," he grinned. "Neither of them would tolerate being left at home."

"But what if they're not at the SGC anymore? What if the NID had them removed?"

Jack sighed and turned slightly to look at his wife – no, right now he had to think of her as his 2IC. "Carter, think positively! They have Hammond on their side so I'm sure they've been able to deal with the NID. And anyway, I expect the powers that be want to keep things relatively quiet. If they were to remove the two of them there might be even more questions asked."

"What do you think they've said about us?"

"Oh, probably that we ran off together rather than get Court Martialed for fraternization," he answered calmly, still keeping his eye on the gate and the beach.

"_What_?" Sam practically screeched. "But we didn't do anything to get Court Martialled for," she said, not caring at her lack of grammar.

Jack grinned and glanced down at her belly. "I hate to tell you this Carter, but we did – lots of times in fact. And look where it's gotten us."

She punched his arm, which was tricky as they were lying so close together. "You know what I mean Jack. We didn't do anything _before_ we ran off together."

"Technically we didn't run off together. You ran off by yourself and came and got me but – yes, I know, I know, don't hit me again! But does it really matter Sam? The people who know us know we didn't do anything and we can't stop the rest of the rumors. People will believe what they want to believe."

"Yeah, but there were also rumors about you and Daniel, and you and Teal'c and -"

"Don't you dare say me and General Hammond!"

She grinned and shrugged. "Okay, I won't. But I think me running after you probably made people thing that there was something going on between us."

"And there was," he said quietly. "You know as well as I do that our relationship wasn't - strictly that of friends or comrades. No, we both know we didn't do anything, but we wouldn't be where we are today if there _wasn't _something. But it doesn't matter Sam. The NID would have made something up – did make something up – because of what they want. The truth doesn't matter."

Sam sighed and propped her head up on her hand. "I know. It's just – I hate that our reputations have been dirtied by a few -"

"Power-hungry sob's? I know – but your reputation with me is just fine!" he grinned. A moment later, however, his grin faded as he saw the first chevron light up on the gate.

"Here we go," he said softly, lying carefully down and keeping his eyes focused on the gate.

As far as Sam was concerned, the damned gate had never turned so slowly. She knew that if the wrong people came through it would affect the rest of their lives. She was pretty sure that whoever it was wouldn't be satisfied with simply looking around and leaving. No, they'd carefully check the surrounding area.

But if it was their friends – god, she'd missed them. She watched as the final chevron lit up and a fraction of a second later saw, rather than heard, the kawoosh of the event horizon.

She could feel Jack tense beside her and knew that he was at his most vigilant. It was moments like these that Sam recognized what a strong and courageous man she was married to.

She barely had time to complete that thought when she saw someone step through the event horizon, followed quickly by three more people. All of them stepped away from the gate, which almost immediately shut down.

"Is that …?" Sam glanced at Jack, to see him pushing himself to his feet, a big grin on his face. He reached back and put out his hand. "Come on Sam, let's go see the guys!"

"But _which_ guys?" she squinted off to the distance. The faces were too far away to identify, but suddenly she realized that one of the bodies was tall and broad and the owner's skin was dark. "_Teal'c!_"

"Yup – and Daniel and Ferretti and Reynolds. They sent the big guns!" Jack continued to pull her along until they were out of the trees. At that point he started to jog forward, Sam following quickly.

"_Jack, Sam_!" Daniel called, running to meet his friends. He got to Jack first and threw his arms around the older man, hugging him fiercely. A second later Teal'c arrived, a big grin on his face. "Major Carter!" he too reached out and gave Sam a hug. "It is good to see you."

"And you too Teal'c," she laughed, although her eyes were filled with tears. "You have _no_ idea how good it is to see you guys." A moment later she'd traded places with Jack and was giving Daniel a hug. Finally Ferretti and Reynolds also both got hugs – at least from Sam, causing the two men to grin.

"So Jack, no hugs for me?" Ferretti asked, his arms held out wide.

"Piss off Ferretti," Jack grinned, but then he reached over and gave the Major a manly hug. "Good to see you!"

Once all the greetings were finished, the six of them made their way over to the edge of the trees and found a place to sit.

"So Jack – whatcha been up to?" Daniel asked casually, leaning back against a fallen log. The others laughed at the question but all of them turned to Jack and Sam expectantly.

"What have we been up to?" he said, glancing at Sam with a smirk. The glare he got in return made him turn to the guys and shrug, a pleased expression still on his face.

"Well, we wandered around the galaxy a bit – you know, places to go, things to see, people to visit."

"Sounds like an enjoyable time O'Neill," Teal'c commented, although his eyes were observant and he knew that Jack was just being his usual smartass self.

"Yeah – well – not so much, at least not at first. We had a few run ins with the locals on one planet – nothing much different then any of our other missions – and had to uh – hotfoot it out of there. Eventually we found a nice, peaceful planet and we've been staying there ever since. Just trying to keep out of everyone's way."

"What planet?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Uh – I don't think I'd better tell you Daniel. That way you can honestly claim ignorance in case the NID are still looking."

"Oh yeah, they're still looking O'Neill," Reynolds piped in.

"But before we get into that," Daniel interrupted, "we want to know what you've been doing. Are you both okay?" he asked seriously, regarding his friends closely.

"We're good Daniel," Jack answered, equally as seriously. He looked at Sam, this time asking silently for her permission to speak. After a pause she nodded, a small smile on her face.

"In fact, we're doing really well," Jack smiled. "I'm pleased to inform you that Sam and I got married."

There was stunned silence, which was broken, predictably, by the calm words of Teal'c. "Congratulations O'Neill, Major Carter. I am very happy for you both."

"Thanks Teal'c," Sam answered with a smile.

"Uh – _married_! But – won't you get in trouble for that?" Daniel asked.

Jack and Sam both burst out laughing. "Uh Daniel – I think that's going to be the least of anyone's worries," Sam answered. "Jack and I are both AWOL and I'm sure they'll have a long list of other charges against us."

"I – yeah, I guess so." Suddenly Daniel grinned. "So married huh? Finally!"

"What do you mean finally?" Jack's brows went up. "There was nothing between us before this happened!"

"Oh come on Jack," Reynolds rolled his eyes. "We all knew you had a thing for Major Carter. Hell, half the SGC had bets going as to when you'd finally head your head out of your ass – sorry Major," Reynolds turned and apologized to Carter, "and do something about it. Hell, I think even the General was waiting for you to get together."

Jack turned towards his wife, who was looking at him with a resigned look on her face and let out a deep breath. "Well, _nothing_ happened between Major Carter and me – not before we left Earth," he said sharply.

"We know that Jack," Ferretti said earnestly. "No one suspected you of doing anything wrong. In fact we all admired the fact that the two of you kept things professional, especially since we knew how you felt about one another."

"He is correct O'Neill," Teal'c nodded. "It was common knowledge that you and Major Carter always obeyed the regulations and you were both held in great respect as a result."

"Actually, it was more like awe," Daniel grinned.

"I can't believe this," Jack huffed. "An entire base of busy-bodies!"

"It's just because we loved you Jack," Ferretti told him, trying not to laugh. "Come on – we are happy for you both. Congratulations Major Carter – or is it O'Neill?"

"How about Carter-O'Neill?" she smiled. "And thank you Louis, and all of you, we appreciate it."

"You sure you know what you're getting in to Major?" Reynolds asked. "I mean it _is_ Jack O'Neill you've married!"

"Well you know me Colonel," Sam grinned, "I like a challenge."

"And she's a miracle worker," Daniel pointed out. "If anyone can deal with Jack, she can."

"Ha Ha Ha," O'Neill laughed sarcastically. "Tell them I'm easy to live with Sam." After a few seconds of silence he turned to his wife, who was trying desperately not to giggle.

"Oh – you are Jack – very easy to live with – most of the time," she winked and the others laughed.

"As are you my love," he answered, _"most_ of the time."

"Uh oh," Daniel said quietly to Teal'c, "They really _are_ married. How are we going to be able to stand them?"

"It will be difficult Daniel Jackson, but we must be strong and endure."

"You guys are so funny!" Jack said sarcastically. "Actually things _have_ been good. We're living on a peaceful planet and the locals have accepted us and made us welcome."

"And Jack has become an artisan," Sam said proudly. "He's getting quite famous. People come for miles around to see his wares."

"His – uh – _wares_?" Ferretti asked, sounding awed.

"Yes, my _wares_," Jack answered. "I make pottery."

"Really? You're kidding, right Jack?" Daniel said.

"He is not," Teal'c told them. "O'Neill taught himself to throw pots while we were caught in the time loop. He became quite accomplished. Is that what you are doing now?"

"Yup," Jack told them. "And I am getting pretty good. It's kind of fun and it's a living. We also raise sheep and goats."

"Sheep and _goats_?" Everyone looked in amazement at the former Air Force officers. It was Reynolds who asked the question. "Do you – like – doing that?"

"Well, I've gotten pretty good at shearing the sheep," Jack told them, "but I can't say it's my favorite job. We pay a young guy down the road to herd them. It's a simple life – and probably not where we want to be for the rest of our lives, especially with - ", he stopped suddenly and glanced at Sam. They'd agreed not to say anything about the baby yet. "Uh especially with Sam's lack of doohickeys to keep her amused. But for now it's good."

"You seem well Jack," Reynolds commented. "In fact I think you're looking better than I've seen you in a long time."

"It's the sheep," his wife commented with a grin. Everyone laughed.

"So, how long have the two of you been married?" Ferretti asked casually. He was holding a small notebook in his hand, which Jack looked at suspiciously.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Huh? No reason in particular," Louis answered innocently, palming the small book.

"Did you take bets on us?" Jack asked incredulously, his eyes narrowed.

"Who me?"

"Yes you Ferretti! Let me see!"

"No – no way." He shoved the book back into his pocket. "And anyway – what does it matter. Don't you want to share your happiness?"

"No," Jack answered. "You will _not_ make money on Sam and me getting married."

Everyone was grinning as Jack glared at Ferretti, who was looking particularly obstinate. It was Sam who finally broke the impasse.

"We got married a few months ago," she said. "We really didn't pay attention to what the date would have been on Earth."

Jack went to correct her, because he knew very well what date it had been – they'd talked about it. At the last minute however he bit his lip. "Yeah, right. So nobody wins."

Ferretti sighed and leaned back. "Okay – well then we'll just have to wait until you have your first kid. That one will be easier to figure out."

"Over my dead body Ferretti," Sam growled. "You will _not_ bet on our children!"

"Uh – guys?" Daniel finally interrupted. "Don't you think we should talk about what's going on with the NID? I mean, this is nice and all, but the General is expecting us back."

"He's right," Jack relaxed slightly. "Just no more bets Louis, okay?"

The Major looked disappointed, but nodded. "Yeah, okay – and I am really happy for you guys and it has nothing to do with any bets. You deserve one another."

"Thanks," Jack said while Sam gave the Major a big smile. "So, as much as it pains me, I guess we'd better hear what's going on. So the NID are still lookin' for us?"

"Mmm hmm," Reynolds responded.

"Damn, I'd hoped they would have given up by now," Jack muttered.

"I don't think Colonel Hubbard will give up until he finds you. It's personal with him."

"Yeah, I know. I don't suppose there's anyway we can ask Thor to make him disappear?"

"I don't think so Jack," Sam told him with a grin, "although it's a nice thought. "Personally I'd like to zat him three times. He's such a weasel!"

"He's worse than that," Jack said seriously. "He's a real threat – not just to me. He's the kind of guy that will do anything to get what he wants and he wraps it up in patriotism. I don't know what the President was thinking to go along with him."

"Not just him," Daniel replied. "There are forces much higher at work here. That's why we have to be so careful. I'm afraid that the Trust or something like it is back in control.

"So Jack," Daniel asked after a few minutes of heavy silence. "Anything to uh – report – you know, about the Ancient stuff."

"Ancient _stuff_?"

"You know what I mean. Have you developed any special powers – or – anything?"

Jack sighed and glanced at Sam. "Not really," he said. "Oh, I can remember things a bit better now - gate addresses especially, but that's about it."

"That's it?" Ferretti frowned. "You mean to tell me the NID are going to all this trouble and basically you're just really good at Concentration!"

"Yeah, that's about it."

"Damn! Kind of a waste of their time then, isn't it?" he commented.

"I tried to tell them that but they wouldn't exactly believe me," Jack answered with a crooked smile. He tried not to think about his time with Hubbard. "And I doubt they're going to believe me now."

"Probably not," Reynolds agreed. "So what, you're going to stay on your planet until they give up?"

Jack thought for a moment and then glanced at Sam. Part of him wanted to do just that, but another part knew that this was more than just about him. This was about forces – evil ones – that were trying to gain control of Earth. They saw him as one way of doing that, but Jack was positive that wouldn't be all.

"Sam?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "What do you think?"

She unconsciously put her hand on her stomach, but then dropped it before anyone but Jack had a chance to notice. She then looked into the eyes of the man she loved more than any other person in the universe. After a second she nodded. Just because they were together now, just because they'd declared their love for each other, it didn't mean their essential beings had changed. Both of them still believed in honor and duty and sacrifice. Sadly now there was even more for them to sacrifice.

"Let's go get them Sir," she said softly. "I think it's time we kicked some NID butt!"

Jack slowly smiled although his eyes looked sad. He gave her one brief nod and then faced Reynolds. "I think it's time for us to go back and stop Hubbard and whoever his superiors are."

"But they'll capture you as soon as you return O'Neill."

"Well, I'll just have to be sneaky about it, won't I?"

"And Sam?" Daniel asked softly.

"I'm going with him," she said firmly.

"No – no you're not," Jack said, his voice gentle but resolute. "You'll go back home – to our home – and stay until I come and get you."

"Jack, there's no way -"

"It isn't a request Major," Colonel O'Neill told her softly.

Daniel winced at that – and at the hurt look that appeared in Sam's eyes. He wouldn't want to be a fly on their wall that evening. Still, she nodded, although her eyes looked down and he felt a moment's sorrow that the universe had to keep screwing with these two. They deserved a break.

"Are you going to come back with us now?" Reynolds asked.

"Hmm?" Jack stared at Sam for a moment but then turned to his fellow Colonel. "No. We'll have to plan this out and we'll need to head back and get Sam settled in. Give me a couple of weeks."

"Okay – how are we going to get in touch with you?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Let's make this our rendezvous point. What say we meet here in two weeks at 0900 hours? If one of us doesn't make it, we can try again every two days at the same time."

"Okay, sounds good. Is there anything you need in the meantime?"

Jack looked again at Sam and sighed. He hated this and was afraid Sam wouldn't forgive him for what he was going to do, but there was no way in hell he was letting her get involved in this, not now. "Sam? Anything you want?"

She nodded and listed a few things that they were running short on – mainly ammunition and some things for their first aid kit. Other than that she didn't say anything.

"Hey, it'll be okay," Daniel gave her a hug later, as they were all preparing to go back. "We'll watch out for him and anyway, you know Jack – he has the luck of the Irish."

"Oh Daniel," she said softly, leaning into him. "I'm so scared. We're happy – finally happy – and now I have to worry about losing him again. I hate this."

"I know," he said gently. "But we'll deal with the NID and then you can come home and everything will be great."

"Home to a prison cell."

"I'm sure Jack will work it all out. Look, there's no way he's going to leave you – not now. He loves you and I've never seen him so happy. Don't despair. You need to be strong for him. Don't let him go off with you angry, okay."

"I'm not angry – okay, so I was a bit when he ordered me to stay – but I understand, really I do. I'm – don't say anything, okay, but I'm pregnant."

"Oh." Daniel was silent for a moment but then he reached out and gave Sam a big hug. "No wonder," he murmured. "Congratulations Sam."

"Thanks," she sniffed. "I was happy about it but now -"

"_Stay_ happy about it. It's a wonderful thing. You need to concentrate on keeping healthy. Let Jack worry about the rest. He'll be home soon, I promise."

"_Daniel_," Colonel Reynolds shouted. "We gotta go."

"Okay," he called back. He gave Sam a small smile and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll watch out for him and so will Teal'c."

"I know Daniel, thank you."

"Danny," Jack suddenly appeared and slapped Daniel on the back. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, I was just saying so long to Sam. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Jack nodded and watched as Daniel walked away. He then turned to his wife, somewhat cautiously. "Sam -"

"It's okay," she said, turning to him. "I understand, I really do. There's only one thing O'Neill," she said fiercely.

"What?" he asked, sounding worried.

"If you get yourself killed I will follow you into the afterlife and kick your ass. You _will_ return to me and to our baby!"

He slowly smiled and nodded. "I'll come back, I promise. I love you, you know and I'm not about to mess things up just as we've gotten together."

"You'll be careful?"

"Yes, I'll be careful."

"And you won't do anything stupid?"

"No, nothing stupid."

"And you won't try and be brave and selfless all the time."

"Not all the time, no," he grinned.

"And you'll come back to me?"

"I'll come back to you – and to our child. Of course I will Sam."

"Okay," she nodded. "Then let's go home and figure this out."

He leaned down and gave her a long kiss while the others turned and began to walk toward the gate so as to give them privacy. Once he was done he stood up and put his arm around her. "Let's go say goodbye."

"Do not worry Samantha," Teal'c told her as they stood at the base of the gate. "I will watch over him and ensure that he returns to you."

"Thank you Teal'c," she reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I know I can trust you to watch out for him – and for yourself and Daniel. I want to see all of you again safe and whole."

"You shall," Teal'c told her with a smile. "Be well."

Jack and Sam stood and watched as the four men slowly walked to the event horizon. At the last minute Jack stood straight and gave a salute, which was returned by the two military officers. Daniel grinned and gave a sloppy half-salute and Teal'c bowed and then they were all gone.

Jack sighed and looked down at his wife. "Let's go home. I want to hold you and make love with you."

"Sounds good," she sighed and together they walked to the DHD to dial home.


	44. Mud in His Eye

_**Life is finally getting back to normal so I hope to start updating again more regularly. Thank you to all of you who wished me well - it was a hard five months of illness but I'm finally starting to feel a bit better.**_

The next two weeks were both wonderful and terrible. They had decided to return to Thassos, Sam insisting that she wanted to be in her own home, as humble as it was.

"And the goats will be missing you Jack," she smiled, although the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Jack grimaced and shook his head. "You mean they miss head butting me! You they love, me they like to torment."

In the end Jack agreed that they'd return to the planet they now called home, even if their house was quite a walk from the gate. At least there he knew Sam would be safe and the villagers would look after her.

When they returned they were greeted joyously by all the villagers, especially by Alexios and his parents. Young Alex showed them how well he'd looked after their animals and their property and Jack slapped him on the back and told him he was a good man. Alex beamed, proud to be called a man by his hero.

Jack and Sam quickly picked up their life in Thassos, their days spent looking after the chores of daily life, but at night they made the most of their time together, talking, holding one another, making love. They grew closer, both of them knowing that they shouldn't put off telling the other all the things that needed to be said, because they never knew what tomorrow might bring.

But it was for that very reason, that knowledge that they might not _have_ tomorrow that kept those weeks from being perfect. As much as she tried to stay positive, to convince herself that everything was going to be fine, Sam couldn't help but imagine the worst. She had the horrible, creeping feeling that once Jack went through that wormhole she'd never see him again.

He knew she was worried even though she tried desperately to hide it from him. But after all these years he could read her like an open book. And to give him credit he pretended he didn't know how she felt while at the same time doing everything he could to reassure her. He joked about her enjoying the peace and quiet while he was gone. He told her he'd bring her back some good coffee and chocolate and he promised he wouldn't spend too much time drinking beer or watching hockey. One night, though, as they were lying curled up together in their bed, he whispered in her ear that he promised to stay safe, to come back to her. But he knew, as well as did she, that he couldn't promise that. Even so, she hugged him and nodded.

"I'll hold you to that Colonel," she whispered in return. It was a good thing the room was dark otherwise he would have seen the tears slowly winding their way down her face.

The next day Jack made his way to Kleitos' house to speak to the older man and his wife. Eugenia came out to greet him, a big smile on her face. However when she saw Jack's expression her smile died and she hurried over to the man who had become such a good friend and neighbor.

"Ionnes – what is it? What is wrong?" At her voice Kleitos, who had been working in the barn, stepped out.

"Ionnes?" he asked, looking between his wife and his neighbor, clearly wondering what was going on.

"Kleitos, Eugenia – I've come to ask a favor," he told them.

"Of course, whatever you need." Kleitos glanced at his wife, worry in his eyes.

"I have to travel to our former home to do some business. I would like to ask that you watch over Samantha in my absence. I also wondered if Alexios could continue to look after the animals and help her with the farm. I'll pay him of course."

Kleitos waved his arm. "Of course he will do this. But why do you have to go again so soon? And does not Samantha wish to go?"

"When we were gone before we heard news of a man who is trying to take control of our village – he is an evil man and must be stopped. I am going back to help my friends defeat this man. And Samantha can't go." He regarded the couple who had become good friends. "She's pregnant and I don't want her to travel."

"She is with child?" Eugenia smiled. "Contratulations Ionnes." She walked up and threw her arms around the younger man. "You will be wonderful parents."

Jack smiled, although it was a melancholy one. "We're very happy about it," he told them, "but you understand why Sam needs to stay here."

"Of course, of course," Kleitos nodded. "And we will look after her as if she was our own daughter. But do you need to go? Is this not your home here, now, with Samantha? It sounds like this could be dangerous and what if something happened to you?"

Jack sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "It is dangerous – I won't lie. But I can't sit here without doing something to help. Those are our people back there and – one day we'd like to return. We can't until the evil has been destroyed."

"He must do this Kleitos," Eugenia said softly, her hand on her husband's forearm. "We will look after Samantha, as my husband said. Do not worry – but look after yourself. She would grieve terribly if you were not to return."

"I know," he sighed again. "And believe me, I plan to keep safe. It makes it easier to know she'll be well looked after. Thank you."

The next day Jack got his things together to head towards the gate. Sam wanted to come but he told her to stay. He knew she was healthy and a walk to the gate and back wouldn't hurt her – but at the same time he wanted to keep her as safe as possible. And if she stayed here he could count on Eugenia being here with her to keep her from worrying.

"I'd better get going," he said finally. Sam had been running around like a crazy woman, making sure he took everything he needed and then stopping to clean and organize. "Sam?"

She stopped what she was doing and stood frozen. He could see her take a deep breath and then turn around, a smile on her face. "All ready?"

"Yes. You know I don't want to go don't you?"

"I know," she nodded, her eyes were bright but she clearly had her emotions tightly held in. "But I also know – this is what you do. I know you have no choice. And the truth is, even though I'd give anything to have you stay, I _want_ you to do this. I just – I don't -" she paused and closed her eyes.

He quickly walked up to her and put his arms around her. "I know," he whispered into her hair. "But I'll be careful, I promise. I'll be back as soon as I can. I've asked Kleitos and Eugenia to check in on you and Alex will look after things around here. You'll barely notice I'm gone."

She whimpered slightly at that, but then pressed her face into his chest trying not to cry, knowing the last thing Jack needed right now was a crying wife. "I know – I'll be okay," she muttered into the soft flannel of his shirt. "Just make sure you kick Hubbard's ass for me."

"I will, don't worry," he murmured.

"And don't forget the chocolate!"

"I wouldn't dare."

"And tell Cassie I love her."

"Of course."

"And – and tell General Hammond hello and thank you."

"Okay."

"And -"

"Sam?" he lifted his head and looked down at her, his face gentle. "I love you and I'm coming back to you."

She nodded fiercely. "Just make sure you do Jack. I will _not_ lose you – not after finally catching you."

He grinned slowly. "_You_ caught _me_? I thought it was the other way around."

"We caught each other. Now go." She stepped back and nodded in the direction of the trail. "And I love you too."

He leaned over and gave her a swift kiss and then he turned and started walking quickly down the trail. He had to keep telling himself to move, to walk, to _go_ – because he was so tempted to turn around and say _fuck this_ – and decide to stay here on Thassos forever. They could be happy together here – couldn't they?

She watched him walk away, not because he was leaving _her_ but because he was going to try and fix what was wrong on their world. As much as she wanted to call out to him, to beg him to stay, she stopped herself. Because they couldn't ever be truly happy knowing that there world was not safe from evil. Nor could they be happy remaining here forever, away from their friends and family. She had to let him go if they were to build a life based on honor and truth and courage. It was who they were and the only way they would truly be happy.

When Jack finally reached the Gate he didn't hesitate but immediately dialed Tonané's planet. He would transfer there to his rendezvous with Teal'c and Daniel and the others. From there he hoped they would have a plan to get him back to Earth.

Things went quickly and he was soon back in paradise – or at least on the planet that looked like paradise. He thought briefly that when this was all over he'd like to bring Sam back here for a little vacation. That thought was followed swiftly by the realization that she was pregnant and the window of opportunity for romantic getaways was getting shorter each day.

He moved over to the edge of the trees and removed his jacket and rolled up his pants and his shirt and then allowed himself to sink to the ground, his back leaning up against one of the palm-like trees that dotted the planet. Now all he had to do was wait.

The sound of the Gate dialing woke him out of the light doze he'd fallen into. He stood up slowly, his eyes never leaving the large circle in front of him. He took his weapon and held it at the ready. There was always the possibility that the people coming through weren't the ones he was expecting.

A moment later he allowed his gun to drop and a grin appeared on his face. He began to walk the 200 meters to the gate where four figures stood waiting. He instantly recognized Daniel and Teal'c – he'd know them with his eyes closed. It took him a moment however to recognize the woman standing beside Teal'c and a few seconds more to recall her name. Baker, that was it, Lieutenant Giselle Baker from Sg9. He wasn't sure who the fourth person was until he grew closer and then he paused briefly in surprise.

"Jack!" Daniel called out with a smile. "Been waiting long?"

He started up again, allowing the grin to reappear. "Nah, just a couple of hours. Everything go okay?"

"Yup. Just fine. No one suspects a thing. We're on a reconnaissance mission to P4X 35K to check out some Ancient ruins."

"Lieutenant Baker's team is on stand down so she offered to come with us," Teal'c informed him. "Major Rosetti's wife has just delivered their child and he is remaining with her for the next fourteen days."

"Lieutenant, nice to see you," Jack nodded and smiled.

"You too Sir," she smiled in return, although she looked a little nervous at being in the presence of three quarters of the famous Sg1.

Jack finally turned and looked at the surprising forth member of the team. "And do you suddenly know something about Ancient ruins Siler?"

The Sergeant grinned. "No Sir, not my area of expertise. I leave that to Dr. Jackson."

"I see. So – you're here for the tropical climate?"

"He is here because of his resemblance to you O'Neill," Teal'c explained.

"His resemblance to _me_?" Jack looked at the technician who was responsible, usually with Carter, for keeping the Gate running. He narrowed his eyes at the other man. "Nope, don't see it."

"You don't _see_ it? Hell Jack, he could be your stand-in."

"My stand-in? Why would I want a stand-in?" Jack asked, confused.

"In this case that is exactly what you need O'Neill," Teal'c explained. "At a distance, or at a brief glance, Sergeant Siler could pass for you."

"He's the same height, almost the same weight and his hair looks like yours," Daniel told him.

"O – kay," Jack nodded, although he still didn't see any resemblance. "And this is important, why?"

"Because you're going to return to the SGC in his place."

"In -". Jack stopped and stared at his two friends for a second.

"That is correct O'Neill," Teal'c almost smiled. "We shall return to Earth in a few hours and you will pretend to be Sergeant Siler. No one will be expecting to see you and so they will not."

"But even if our height, weight and hair are similar, our faces certainly aren't!" he objected. This plan was crazy and he was sure it wouldn't work.

"But they won't see your face," Daniel smirked. "You see, P4X 35K is a very _muddy_ planet and Siler here is very clumsy."

The other four immediately turned and looked at the poor man. None of them spoke, but then nothing needed to be said. In this case Daniel was exactly right. There was no one more clumsy or accident prone than Siler – except maybe Daniel himself, although no one spoke that truth aloud either.

"So I assume that Siler here is going to fall into a huge mud puddle," sighed Jack, seeing a very messy episode in his future.

"Yup," grinned Daniel (and even Teal'c and Baker had small smirks on their faces). "And his face is going to be totally covered in muck – so much so that not even his mother would recognize him."

"I'm sorry Sir," Siler said, sounding quite regretful about the whole thing. "We couldn't think of anything better."

"Really? You couldn't," Jack sighed. "So where is this notorious mud puddle?"

"Uh – it's actually _on _P4X 35K. It really is a muddy planet. That's why we picked it."

"Keeping it real, eh?" Jack said, nodding. "Smart. But what about the real _Siler_? You're not going to leave him there, are you?"

"No Sir," Siler told him. "I'm going to spend some time on Cimmeria."

"Cimmeria?" Jack glanced at Daniel. "Really?"

"Yup," Daniel told him. "They're expecting him. Actually they're really excited to have him. They've been developing some simple technology and have hit a few snags with their power supply. They sent a message through a while ago asking for some help."

"Yes Sir," Siler told him. "I'm looking forward to going. I've never been off-world before."

"Really? Never?" Jack looked at him in surprise. "Well, I hope you have fun."

"I will Sir," Siler said, sounding not in the least excited – although that was simply his normal, deadpan way. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"So – Siler's going to be off having fun playing with generators and – all that stuff, while I'm falling in goop – is that right?"

"That is correct O'Neill. We shall then return to the SGC where you will be taken to see Doctor Frasier to ensure you have come to no harm."

"But unfortunately it will turn out that the mud was contaminated and you've picked up an alien bacteria,' Daniel added. "You're going to have to be quarantined until Janet is sure you're not contagious."

"I see," he shook his head in wonder at the group in front of him. "You've really figured it all out, haven't you?"

"Well the quarantined part was Janet," Daniel explained. "Mario from the Commissary offered to play you in the Infirmary."

"Really? And who is Mario?"

"He peels the potatoes and washes dishes," Teal'c explained. "I believe he sees this as something of a holiday."

"Yeah, he's going to read and watch TV until Janet declares him fit," Daniel told him.

"And how long is that going to be?" he wanted to know.

At that both Daniel and Teal'c grew serious. "We don't know. I guess it depends how long it takes to get Hubbard and his cronies."

Jack sighed. "Well then, I guess we'd better get moving. The sooner we start, the sooner we get the bastards."

"Lieutenant, why don't you dial up P – whatever it is." He watched as the young officer moved to the DHD, his mind now focused on the problem ahead.

"How's Sam," Daniel asked quietly.

"She's fine," Jack said, not really wanting to think about her right now. The only way he was going to get through this next while was to avoid thinking about her as much as possible. He simply had to focus on the mission and then he could spend the rest of his life concentrating on her.

* * *

"Okay, _enough_ Daniel!" Jack spit repeatedly, trying to get the taste of the foul mud out of his mouth. Daniel had thrown a bucket of the stuff at him before he was ready and he'd ended up eating half of it. He was _so_ going to get Daniel's ass for this.

"Sorry Jack," the archaeologist said for the dozenth time. "I thought you were ready."

"I was _talking_ Daniel. How is that ready?"

"Well, I wasn't really paying attention."

"Right! Instead you through a bucket of disgusting crap directly in my face and _mouth_!" He spit again and then took the canteen that Teal'c thoughtfully held out to him. "Thanks T."

"You are welcome O'Neill. It is unfortunate that Daniel Jackson did not inform you of his actions first, however this will undoubtedly make this scenario appear more realistic."

"What, the fact that I'm gonna be puking this crap for the next week."

"Precisely."

"We'd better get back before it dries and all crumbles off," Daniel said suddenly. "Uh – no on is going to know it's you Jack."

"Really?" Jack asked sarcastically, turning a face totally black with mud towards Daniel. "I'm so happy to know that. Now can we _go_?"

A second later Teal'c began to dial the Gate and a few seconds after that the event horizon formed and he sent through their code. Jack immediately strode up to the gate, followed by a grinning Daniel and an almost grinning Teal'c.

He wouldn't admit it to a soul, but his heart was thudding a mile a minute as he walked through the blue of the horizon and back to Earth. This definitely wasn't the way he had hoped to return – in disguise, still wanted and hunted and without his 2IC – who was more importantly, his wife.

"What's going on Teal'c, Daniel?" General Hammond's voice floated down from the Control room and Jack had to stop himself from looking up and giving some quip to the man he respected more than almost anyone on this or any other planet. As it was he kept his face down and allowed Daniel to speak.

"Uh – Siler had a bit of an accident Sir. We thought we'd better bring him home and have him checked out by Janet."

Jack was surprised at how real Hammond's sigh sounded. The others had informed him that the General was totally aware of – and had approved – their plan. He must have been waiting close by to assure that everything went as planned.

"Take him to the Infirmary Dr. Jackson, and then I want you, Teal'c and Lieutenant Baker to report to the Briefing room."

"Yes General," Daniel nodded and then waved "Siler" on towards the Infirmary.

"Sergeant," Janet exclaimed as the mud-covered man walked in. "What in the world happened to you?"

Jack glanced over and saw one of Janet's nurses staring at him with a barely concealed smirk on her face. He had no idea if she was in on the subterfuge or not, so decided the least said the better. Anyone who knew either him or Siler would recognize that the voice was _not_ that of the Sergeant. He glanced at the nurse and then turned back to Janet and shrugged.

"He fell," Daniel informed her. "I told him not to stand so close to the end of the pit, but he didn't listen and the next thing I knew he was slipping down into the mud pit. Other than being dirty, I don't think there's much wrong with him."

"I think you'd better let me be the one to determine that, Dr. Jackson", Janet scolded. "Sergeant, I'm afraid we're going to have to get you cleaned up, but first I want to take a sample of that – uh – mud. Once you're clean I'll be better able to determine if there are any other injuries." Janet grabbed a swab and a container and quickly took a sample of the mud.

"Nurse, get this to the lab right away. And Mr. Siler – you are going to take a shower."

Things proceeded quickly after that. Jack was spirited off to the locker room – which had a sign outside saying "Out of Order". After a long and thorough shower he dressed in clothes handed to him by Daniel, who was waiting patiently for him outside the showers.

"You clean now?" Daniel asked.

"I hope so, although that stuff is like glue. I expect I'll be finding more of it in nooks and cranny's for days." Jack walked towards the bench where Daniel was sitting, a towel wrapped around his waist. "My clothes?"

"Here." Daniel picked up a pile sitting next to him.

"Thanks." Jack picked up the gray overalls and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like I've been demoted."

"You're a maintenance worker. You're going to be going out with the garbage truck."

"Ha," Jack laughed. "They're throwing me out with the garbage. I always figured the Air Force would get tired of me one day."

Daniel rolled his eyes but grinned at the same time. "You about ready," he asked a few seconds later.

"Yup, all ready." Suddenly Jack grew serious as he stood up and walked to the door. "Let's do this thing!"


End file.
