Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

Part One: Damaged

He had failed her. He had failed her and she had almost died. The thoughts kept repeating in Jack O’Neill’s head like an endless broken record. His warm brown gaze was pinned to Samantha Carter’s sleeping form as he simply watched her breathe. In and out. Alive. He thanked a God he hadn’t prayed to for years and kept watching. The gentle fall and rise of the blankets reassured him. He hadn’t lost her. She was alive and not a Goa’uld.

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. He hadn’t wanted to believe Cassie when she had told him; had denied it all the way back to the base; had denied it right up to the moment it had turned on them in the gate room, Sam’s startling blue eyes back-lit with the lightening flash that signalled the temper of the parasite and her voice distorted as it commanded them to open the gate.

It had terrified him.

Not the Goa’uld but that it was in Sam. He bowed his head. Sat alone in the locker room earlier he had replayed the moment on the planet in his head over and over; the blood on her lip; the stunned look in her eyes. He was supposed to have been watching her back, protecting her as a member of his team. How had he missed it? Why hadn’t he realised it wasn’t her? He’d even thought her behaviour at the debriefing odd but had dismissed it because he’d wanted to get home. If it hadn’t been for Cassie…he sighed. The truth was that if it hadn’t been for Cassie, they would have found out too late; probably off-world. Jack had no doubt that the Goa’uld would have used the first chance it could get to escape and taken Sam with it. It had scared him how close they’d come, how close he’d come to losing Sam completely and yet at that moment she had been as lost to him as though the Goa’uld had succeeded; she’d still been infested; still had the Goa’uld inside her with no way of extracting it safely.

Jack had found himself with the unenviable task of interrogating the Goa’uld. He had struggled with it; had delayed it. He hadn’t been certain he could do it. Teal’c had known how hard it was for him.

‘When you speak with her; do not see your friend.’

Teal’c’s words had been wise; they had been undoable. How could he look at Sam and see anything but her? He’d sat in the cell and wondered at the torture of looking at Sam and knowing it wasn’t her at all. And the Goa’uld had offered him what he wanted; to have Sam back, whole and healthy; all he had to do was let it leave. He’d been tempted but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t trust the Goa’uld. As he had walked away, it had tried its cruellest trick.

‘No, Jack! Please! Don’t leave me!’

Sam’s own voice, choked with tears and tearing his insides out, resounded in his head. He hoped to God it hadn’t been her; that it had been a trick of the Goa’uld. He wasn’t sure that he could face her if it had really had been Sam because he had ignored her and left the room as quickly as his legs would carry him. He’d thrown up in the nearest bathroom, sickened at the idea that he had left her; that he had left Sam behind with the Goa’uld.

Events blurred after that; the tale that the Goa’uld was Tok’ra – a small resistance movement of some Goa’uld who had different ideology than the System Lords; a name, Jolinar, and the news of the Ashrak and the danger to the Goa’uld, to Sam. They had taken the threat seriously but they had been certain their security was faultless. Instead, it had served to lead the assassin straight to his target.

The image of Sam’s body lying on the cell floor swamped Jack. For a moment, he had thought she was dead. It had devastated him, ripped away the last of his delusions about his feelings for her. He hadn’t been able to hide for a second longer behind the lies he’d told himself; that he was just attracted to a beautiful woman; had fallen deeply in like with the quirks Sam hid under the layers of genius and soldier; that he cared about her like he did Teal’c and Daniel; as a team-mate, as a friend, and maybe that was a little bit more than the regulations allowed but that was OK, manageable. But it wasn’t OK. He didn’t care about Sam a little bit more than he should; he cared about her a lot more than he should.

He’d watch the medics work on her and struggled to hide his churning emotions. He had prayed for her to live – hell, he’d even prayed for the damn Goa’uld to live – anything to keep Sam alive. In the end, the Goa’uld had died; Sam had lived. But it didn’t change anything. Jack swiped at his eyes surreptitiously. He loved her and he’d failed to protect her. He had failed her and Sam had almost died. It wouldn’t happen again. He wouldn’t fail her again.

o-O-o

Daniel Jackson watched Jack watch Sam. He wondered as the carefully constructed mask Jack had worn since they had discovered that Sam was a Goa’uld wobbled a little and at the furtive swipe at the tears that the soldier hadn’t been able to suppress. Military bravado, Daniel thought exasperated but subsided knowing it was more than that. Whatever emotions were pulling at Jack couldn’t be shown; he was Sam’s CO and there were regulations.

Daniel’s own red-rimmed eyes were sore and the back of his throat stripped raw from an earlier crying jag. He had sat with Cassie for a while in Janet’s office on the base after her visit with Sam. He had held the young girl while she had wept out her own fear and heartache over what had happened to Sam. When she had fallen asleep, he had placed her on the couch, covered her with a blanket and headed for his own office. He had slowly slid down the wall to the floor in the darkest corner, hidden by the shadows of his bookcase and wept silently. For Sam; for Sha’re; for himself.

It had happened again.

Someone close to him had been hurt, taken by a Goa’uld and he had been helpless to prevent it. He hadn’t even noticed! He was supposed to be her friend and he hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t Sam. He’d been too wrapped up in the intellectual exercise of determining the cause of the attack on the planet; his mind filled with theories and hypotheses on the Goa’uld social structure. His heart ached and he laid a hand over his chest as though to ease the pain.

How had Sam felt, he mused, trapped inside her own body and seeing all her friends, all her colleagues accept the Goa’uld Jolinar as her? He knew how he would feel…betrayed, upset, angry. He sighed and nudged his glasses up to rub at his tired eyes. And that was just about their behaviour when they hadn’t known about the Goa’uld; what about after? Did she hate them for their actions? For Teal’c turning his staff weapon on her? For Jack’s unwavering distrust of her? And himself…

Daniel frowned. Would she understand why he had stayed away from her for so long and buried himself instead in trying to find out what the Goa’uld had been doing on the planet in the first place? Would she understand how he’d wanted to pretend for a little while longer that it hadn’t happened? He wouldn’t blame Sam if she never wanted anything to do with any of them ever again. They had ignored the warnings of the Goa’uld and effectively handed it and Sam over to the Ashrak on a silver platter. Not that they knew for certain how aware Sam had been during her experience; how much of what happened she remembered.

He so desperately hoped she didn’t remember anything and yet so desperately hoped she remembered everything. He couldn’t deny that a part of him, a selfish, curious part of him wanted to find out whether Jolinar had spoken the truth; had she known where Sha’re was and if she had, would Sam remember? Would he be able to find his wife? Guilt swamped him. He should be thinking of Sam, he berated himself. She was what was important now.

She was obviously deeply traumatised. She had barely spoken since she had regained consciousness after the death of the Goa’uld. She had managed to speak a little with Cassie; mostly to apologise repeatedly for scaring her. But it seemed like she had slipped back to her non-communicative state once he and Cassie had left. When Daniel had returned to the infirmary he had found her seemingly asleep, curled up in a foetal position with Jack perched on a stool by her side and Teal’c standing nearby watching over his team-mates. Daniel had pulled up a chair and joined the vigil. He wouldn’t hide any more, he promised her silently; he would be there for her.

o-O-o

He was looking at a miracle. Something Teal’c had thought he would never see; a host surviving beyond the death of the Goa’uld it carried, saved in fact by the very Goa’uld who had infested her. He wasn’t certain that he could believe it yet the truth of it was lying on the bed beside him. The Jaffa’s dark eyes remained steady on Captain Carter and wondered whether the truth was as simple as it seemed. Colonel O’Neill had informed him, almost unwillingly, that Sam had indicated the Goa’uld had given its life to save hers. It seemed unlikely to Teal’c; the Goa’uld were not known for their acts of selflessness. But what of the Tok’ra?

Myths and legends; or so he’d thought. Bra’tac had told stories of the Tok’ra including the battle between Apophis and Jolinar but the Goa’uld System Lords had always denied their existence. As Apophis’s First Prime, Teal’c had never once heard Apophis speak of the Tok’ra either as a threat or a consideration. Whatever threat the resistance had once posed, it seemed to have failed to sustain its momentum against the combined will of the System Lords. Had the Goa’uld who had taken possession of Sam really been Tok’ra?

When Jolinar had spoken with Daniel, the existence of the Goa’uld she had described had been an anathema to Teal’c. They lived without enslaving either Jaffa or humans; only taking the latter as hosts by mutual agreement. Yet, there was the contradiction; Jolinar had taken Captain Carter as a host by force, seemingly against all the principles and edicts of the Tok’ra. An act of desperation? Perhaps. Teal’c was uncertain. Jolinar had certainly acted with the ingrained arrogance of the Goa’uld Teal’c knew.

She had been right about the Ashrak; right about their inability to prevent it from achieving its mission. Teal’c felt a glimmer of satisfaction that he had killed the assassin himself. He had at least been able to exact vengeance for its attempted execution of his friend. Not that the host had been a factor for the Ashrak; it had been Jolinar who it had wanted to kill – it hadn’t even considered the human Jolinar occupied. If Samantha Carter had died, her death would have been meaningless to the Ashrak, a consequence of Jolinar’s choice to take her. In the end, maybe it was that fact that had prompted Jolinar to sacrifice itself so her host – her unwilling host – could live.

Whatever the reason, Teal’c could not proclaim to be unhappy at the result; Jolinar was dead, the Ashrak was dead and his friend lived. It was more than he had dared to hope for when they had learned of the Goa’uld’s inhabitation of Captain Carter. In that moment, Teal’c had schooled himself to think of her as the Goa’uld and not as his friend believing that she was lost completely to them. He had years of practice; his Tau’ri friends were not so fortunate.

Teal’c raised his gaze and stared at the sombre face of the SG1 team leader before drifting to look at the archaeologist sitting beside him. They had found it most difficult. He had seen them both suffer during the past twenty-four hours as they had struggled to come to terms with the events that had played out. It wasn’t just Captain Carter who was traumatised, he realised. Yet, the two men would need to find the strength and courage he knew they both had in abundance, because there was no doubt in Teal’c’s mind that Samantha Carter would need them more than ever. Teal’c looked down at his friend. Whether O’Neill and Daniel Jackson found the courage or not, Teal’c knew he would be there for her regardless.

o-O-o

Sam kept her eyes tightly shut and her breathing even. She was so tired. The symbiote hadn’t slept and her body needed sleep – craved sleep – yet she wouldn’t let herself slide into unconsciousness. She was petrified she would wake up and find herself trapped in her own body again. Helpless. Useless. Screaming inside. She trembled at the memory of Jolinar’s invasion. The terrifying choking sensation of the symbiote in her mouth; the riptide of pain at the back of her throat and then…the overwhelming presence of the Goa’uld in her head, rifling through the memories, taking what it needed; taking control.

Before it had happened, Sam had naïvely assumed that there had to be a chance the human mind would prevail in a battle of wills with a Goa’uld over control of the body. The reality had been a loss of control so fast and so absolute that she had literally been stunned. The bombardment of thoughts and images not her own; the sharp, cold inner voice in her head. But she had fought back and she had surprised Jolinar; the Goa’uld wasn’t used to being fought. Sam had tried to influence it in the debriefing; small stuff like prompting the comment about Teal’c only being a Jaffa; punching the Colonel’s arm. Anything that might catch their attention, make them notice she wasn’t herself. Jolinar had been reluctantly admiring but equally as resolute; telling her that if she revealed its presence, her friends would die.

Sam had believed it and had subsided; the Goa’uld wanted to leave and it was prepared to do so quietly without harming anyone on Earth. Once off-world, it would stun the others and escape through the Stargate to another destination. She had even made Sam the promise of finding another host. Sam had not believed that but she had believed its plan to escape was sincere. Sam had rested; conserved her energy. And then, Jolinar had gone to see Cassie as it had promised Janet. She remembered with horror at how Jolinar had threatened the young girl ruthlessly; Sam had fought harder than she had ever done in her life to no avail. And it had gone rapidly downhill from there.

Their internal struggle had continued through Jolinar’s frantic determination to leave as scheduled; the frightening confrontation with Colonel O’Neill in the gate room and through the long hours of being held in the cell as Jolinar used her memories of her friends, her feelings to try and sway them, manipulate them before eventually telling them the truth. Sam couldn’t blame them for not believing Jolinar; she hadn’t believed the Goa’uld either at first, and was certain that if she hadn’t been sharing its thoughts she would have continued to disbelieve it.

The Tok’ra. For a second, an overwhelming sense of homesickness and loss filled her. She inwardly shook the feelings away. They belonged to Jolinar; not to her. Images of a life twice as long as her own came and went in her mind; too fleeting for any to stay with her; too many to deny their existence. She pushed them away and breathed deeply replacing the images with her own. Her mother. Her father. Her family. Her team.

She could feel their presence as though they were touching her. She could hardly bear to think about the ramifications of what had happened to her. She would probably lose her place on SG1. She was compromised; damaged goods; no longer worthy of her place on the elite team. More than that, she’d hurt them so badly. Yet, a small voice whispered in her head, they were all there with her, and she so desperately needed them with her despite how badly she had hurt them and how badly they had hurt her.

‘No, Jack! Please! Don’t leave me!’

The memory slammed through her and stole her breath. Jolinar had heard her screaming inside and used it; let her out for a moment to beg Jack to believe; to give her a chance. He had left her anyway. Abandoned her and left her behind.

No, that wasn’t true.

She knew what it had cost him to hear her beg and walk away; had known what it would have cost her if she had been in his shoes. Don’t leave me. She couldn’t let the words pass her lips; wouldn’t beg again but as they resounded in her head, her eyes closed and her body finally won the fight for sleep.

o-O-o

Janet Fraiser straightened her shoulders and walked into the briefing room with a confidence she didn’t feel. It had been forty-eight hours since they had first discovered Sam had been taken by a Goa’uld; more than twenty-four since the Goa’uld had died and almost taken Sam with it. She took her seat at the table and arranged her files neatly in front of her.

‘Where’s Colonel O’Neill?’ General Hammond asked briskly as he sat down at the head of the table. He looked dreadful; his eyes were shadowed and puffy from lack of sleep; his pale face taut with white lines of tension. He had barely slept since finding out about the Goa’uld; had wrestled with his own guilt at not noticing Sam’s unusual behaviour and struggled to deal with the fact that he had come incredibly close to losing someone under his command he cared for a great deal.

Janet opened her mouth, not sure what she was going to say when the sound of footsteps behind her saved her the trouble.

‘Here, sir.’ Jack took his seat. He was still wearing the same green combat trousers and black undershirt he had worn the day before; neither he nor any of the other members of SG1 had moved from Sam’s infirmary room.

‘Where are Doctor Jackson and Teal’c?’ Hammond asked impatiently.

‘They’re with Captain Carter, sir.’ Jack met the General’s unhappy gaze squarely.

Hammond decided it wasn’t worth arguing about their presence. In some respects, he was happier to keep the discussion to military personnel; it was going to be difficult enough discussing the future of SG1 without the sometimes contradictory opinions of their civilian and alien colleagues. He clasped his hands on top of the buff folder. ‘Let’s get started.’ He nodded at the petite doctor on his immediate left. ‘What’s Captain Carter’s current status?’

‘Physically, her body is recovering rapidly.’ Janet noted. ‘Her vital signs are within normal parameters. Her sleep patterns are a little disturbed but we’d expect that given the circumstances. There are some anomalies in her blood chemistry.’

‘What anomalies?’ Hammond asked pressing for details.

‘I’m running further tests to be certain but Sam’s blood now has trace elements of naquadah.’

‘Like Cassie?’ Jack inquired interested.

‘Like Cassie.’ Janet confirmed. ‘There’s also a strange protein marker we can’t identify. At this point we think it may be a residue from the breakdown of the Goa’uld symbiote.’

‘Can I just say eueww?’ Jack commented, pushing back the sleeves on his shirt.

Hammond appreciated the attempt at levity but kept his focus on the topic at hand. ‘Does it constitute a risk to Captain Carter?’

‘I don’t think so, sir.’ Janet spread her hands expressively. ‘But I don’t know for certain. We’ll have to assess her condition over a period of time to make that determination.’ She took a breath. ‘At the rate of her current recovery, I would say, physically she’ll be fit for duty in a couple of days.’

‘I’m sensing a but.’ Jack pointed at her across the table.

‘But,’ Janet said, confirming there was one, ‘psychologically, I’m worried about her.’

‘How do you mean, Doctor?’ Hammond asked.

Janet shifted in her seat. ‘Captain Carter sustained a massive trauma when she was taken over by the Goa’uld.’ She wet her lips nervously. ‘I would liken it to a severe rape.’ She saw both men flinch. ‘She was assaulted on every level; physically, mentally, emotionally. She was completely subjugated by the Goa’uld.’ She sighed. ‘There’s also the emotional damage the experience may have caused in her relationships with others…’

‘Emotional damage?’ Hammond’s voice had risen an octave; his concern vibrating through every word.

‘She saw her friends and team-mates turning against her…’

‘We were against the goddamn Goa’uld not Sam!’ Jack interrupted leaning forward across the table. ‘She knows that.’

‘Does she?’ Janet shot back. ‘She may very well be able to reason that out, Colonel, on an intellectual level, but on a human, emotional one?’

Jack threw his hands up but kept silent.

‘It’s also a real possibility that Captain Carter will not recover from this.’ Janet said. ‘Since the Goa’uld’s death, she has been uncommunicative and withdrawn. She’s displaying classic symptoms of depression. I’ve consulted with Doctor Mackenzie and he’d like to begin treatment today.’ She felt her fingers tremble and clasped them tighter around the pen she held. ‘It is our medical opinion that it could be sometime before Captain Carter is psychologically fit for duty. It’s possible she may never fully recover from the experience.’

‘She’ll recover.’ Jack argued defiantly.

Hammond sighed. ‘In any case, I see no option but to take her off SG1…’

‘No!’ The word flew out of Jack’s mouth and cut across the General’s statement. Hammond glared at him. ‘Sorry, sir,’ Jack said hastily, ‘but Captain Carter is a valuable member of my team. I think taking her off SG1 would be the wrong thing to do.’

‘Colonel, you know the protocol when an officer has been compromised by the enemy.’ Hammond said sadly.

‘Firstly,’ Jack said, ‘we’re not sure she was compromised by the enemy. By all accounts, the Goa’uld who took her was just as much an enemy of the Goa’uld as we are.’

‘So now you believe in this Tok’ra tale the Goa’uld was spinning?’ Hammond asked sceptically.

‘Not exactly,’ Jack admitted, ‘but this Jolinar character was telling us the truth about the assassin.’ He gestured at the General. ‘It has to make you wonder about the rest.’

‘OK,’ Hammond said, ‘even if the Goa’uld was friendly…’ he shook his head in disbelief and continued, ‘there’s still the question of her mental health.’

‘It may take time for her to come back from this,’ Jack acknowledged, ‘but if anyone can do it, I know it’s Carter.’ His finger stabbed the table in punctuation.

‘It may assist her recovery, sir.’ Janet said. ‘Captain Carter has worked very hard to achieve her position on SG1 and she takes a lot of pride in it. A lot of her self image and sense of worth is invested in it. Taking it away may make things worse for her psychologically and inhibit her recovery.’

‘It’s not just about Carter, sir.’ Jack said, metaphorically throwing his last card on the table. ‘We have to look at the precedent we’d set if we take Carter off the team. What kind of message does that send to everyone here about how we’re going to treat them if they have a similar experience?’

‘You have a point, Colonel.’ Hammond murmured. The General considered their words turning them over in his head. Jack waited impatiently, aware that his heart was pounding in his chest. He knew Hammond had a personal connection to Carter but it had never swayed the General’s decisions before.

‘OK.’ Hammond agreed finally. ‘I say we give our people a chance. Captain Carter stays on SG1.’

Jack resisted the urge to punch the air in celebration.

‘Although I still have to sell it to my superiors.’ Hammond warned.

Jack nodded. ‘You could always remind them she just helped to save the world.’ He motioned at the General. ‘That might help.’

Hammond gave a tight smile. ‘We’ll assign someone else as a temporary replacement during her absence.’ He said firmly. ‘I’ll make the personnel files available to you and will expect your recommendations by sixteen-hundred tomorrow. SG1 can go back on rotation after…’

‘Sir?’ Janet cleared her throat as his pale blue eyes pinned her questioningly. ‘I think all of SG1 should go on stand down with Captain Carter.’

‘Doctor?’

‘All of the team suffered emotional distress to some degree,’ she ignored Jack squirming in his chair opposite, ‘both in the shock of their team-mate being taken as a Goa’uld and in their interactions with the Goa’uld. I think it’s very important if Captain Carter is to remain on the team that they address that.’

‘I agree, sir.’

Hammond’s head snapped around to Jack. ‘Excuse me, Colonel?’ He could see from the slack-jawed doctor he wasn’t the only one surprised. It was unheard of for Jack to agree to downtime for the team.

Jack shrugged awkwardly, his brown eyes flickering nervously to the petite brunette opposite him. ‘The Doc’s right. It’s not only Captain Carter who needs to recover from the experience, sir. All of SG1 has been affected by this.’

There was a shocked silence at his admission.

‘You’re really on board with this?’ Hammond said eventually.

‘I am.’ Jack confirmed. If SG1 were off mission rotation they could spend the time with Sam.

‘OK.’ Hammond sighed. ‘SG1 is on stand down until further notice.’

Jack nodded in relief. ‘Thank you, sir.’

‘Is there anything else we should cover?’ Hammond asked.

‘Sir, I think we should anticipate a backlash from some personnel.’ Janet said thoughtfully. ‘I already have two nurses who won’t attend to her because they’re scared she’s still a Goa’uld.’

Hammond’s face stilled into an expressionless mask. ‘I want those nurses reassigned.’

‘Sir, it’s not their…’ Janet protested.

‘Reassign them, Doctor. That’s an order.’ Hammond said. ‘If they can’t handle this, they’re not right for the SGC.’

‘Even if I reassign those nurses, General,’ Janet said carefully, ‘there are still going to be other personnel who have a problem with Captain Carter because of her experience.’

‘We’ll reassign them all then!’ Jack said frustrated. ‘If people can’t handle it, they don’t deserve to be here.’

‘Sir…’ Janet stopped as the General held up a hand.

‘That’s all. Dismissed.’ Hammond rose and strode to his office.

Jack could see the General through the window reaching for the red phone as he got to his own feet. He followed Janet out and into the waiting elevator. Jack shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and stared up at the floor indicator hoping it would discourage the doctor from speaking; it didn’t.

‘It was a good idea to have Cassie visit.’ Janet said quietly. ‘She seems to have recovered from her experience with the Goa’uld.’

‘Good.’ Jack said shortly.

Janet cleared her throat. ‘Sir,’ she hugged her folders closer to her chest, ‘I’d like to talk to you and the team about a group session with Doctor Mackenzie…’

‘That’s a thought, Doc, but why don’t we put it on hold until Captain Carter is actually talking again.’ Jack said brusquely.

Janet nodded unhappily. ‘She’s going to need you, sir.’ The words were out of her mouth before she could prevent them and his brown gaze snapped to hers. ‘All of you, sir; the whole team.’ She hurriedly added.

Jack’s stance softened at her obvious sincerity. ‘I know.’ He admitted gently.

They parted company as the elevator spilled them out onto the infirmary floor. Janet went left to her office; Jack went right, heading directly for Sam’s room. He paused in the doorway.

Teal’c had assumed Jack’s place on the stool next to Sam’s bed; Daniel was stretched out on the other bed in the room apparently asleep. Jack sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. The archaeologist had been hit by zat the previous day; actually Teal’c had shot him in order to save him, but a zat blast was a zat blast. Daniel had to be feeling it in every sinew and every bone.

Jack ignored the aches in his own body from being thrown across the gate room by the Goa’uld as he walked in quietly, not wanting to disturb either Daniel or Sam. He stopped beside the Jaffa and nodded at him. ‘How is she?’

‘She is sleeping.’ Teal’c said, pitching his voice in the same low tone as the Colonel. He got up and offered Jack the stool. It was the closest to the bed; the closest to Sam. Jack’s brown eyes met Teal’c’s. The Jaffa stood waiting; his hands clasped behind his back in his usual stance. A muscle worked in Jack’s jaw; he knew to take the stool would be a silent admission to Teal’c about his growing feelings for their female team-mate.

He took the stool.

Jack glanced at the monitor tracking Sam’s vitals, the cords snaking across the bed and into the covers as Teal’c sat in the chair Daniel had occupied earlier. The monitor beeped reassuringly. ‘How long has Daniel been out?’

‘He’s not.’ Daniel said grumpily. He sighed heavily and got off the bed. He walked round to stand at the foot of Sam’s bed. He replaced his glasses on his face and wrapped his arms around his torso. ‘I couldn’t sleep. It all keeps replaying in my head.’

Jack nodded understandingly. ‘Hammond has us all on stand down until further notice.’

‘What about Sam?’ Daniel asked bluntly as he shifted to drag a chair round fitting it in front of the monitor.

‘She’s still on SG1.’ Jack said firmly. His fierce brown gaze dared Daniel to challenge it.

Daniel blinked in surprise but nodded in agreement as he sat down; Teal’c’s eyebrow had arched delicately upwards as though to suggest anything else would have been a surprise.

Jack gestured at Sam. ‘She’ll come through this.’

‘It’s not going to be easy for her, Jack.’ Daniel mused, his own eyes moving to Sam. ‘We must have hurt her a great deal.’

Only Daniel, thought Jack fondly; only Daniel would think first at how much damage they would have done to Sam and not the damage done to them by the Goa’uld. He opened his mouth to make a comment but was stopped as Sam gave a low moan.

Their attention snapped to her.

Sam was shaking with fear; the nightmare holding onto her as she struggled back to consciousness. Was the Goa’uld within her? Lurking, hiding, just waiting for a chance to take control again? A sob escaped her before she could prevent it.

Fingers tangled around hers. Strong, comforting, real. They steadied her. Her blue eyes opened slowly. The Colonel’s, she realised with surprise. Another hand was placed on her calf; warm through the blanket; Teal’c’s. And finally, Daniel’s hand rested on her shoulder.

‘It’s OK, Sam.’ Jack’s voice as gentle as she had ever heard it.

‘You are safe, Captain Carter.’ Teal’c added, his low rumbling tone reassuring her.

‘We’re all here, Sam.’ Daniel added.

Her head tilted to meet Daniel’s emotion filled gaze before sliding to Teal’c’s fierce determination. Her eyes landed on Jack. Don’t leave me. Her fingers tightened on his but she still couldn’t say the words.

Jack leaned in close to her; his head almost touching hers as his eyes locked onto hers in perfect understanding. ‘We won’t leave you.’ I won’t leave you. The silent promise echoed in his head.

A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and slid down her face.

He wiped it away gently. ‘Go back to sleep.’ There was enough of an order in the tone that her eyelids fluttered shut automatically in response. He brushed the bangs back from her face and looked back at the rest of SG1 in mutual agreement. ‘We’re not going anywhere.’

Part Two: Damage Control

Sam stared at the image in mirror. It was her face; the same face that had stared back every day of her life. Her hand reached out to trace her features on the glass. How could she look so familiar and yet be so different, she wondered. She felt like someone had broken her apart and pieced her back together in the couple of days since her experience with the Goa’uld but somehow the pieces had been put back wrongly. She spun away from the mirror and pulled on her green over-shirt. She fastened it ignoring the way her fingers trembled as she slipped the buttons into the slots. She tugged the material so it hung smooth and fingered the SG1 patch on her upper arm.

She was so lucky to be wearing it, Sam thought. Hammond had confirmed her assignment to SG1 was safe the day before, subject to her passing her physical and psychological examinations. From the look on his face, it had been something of a battle with his superiors. Her thanks had seemed inadequate to express just how much it meant to her. At least she had cleared the first of the obstacles to her return that morning; Janet had declared her physically fit for light duties and the General had authorised her to continue working on the artefacts in her lab, although her security clearance continued to be limited and she would work under Colonel O’Neill’s close supervision until she passed her psychological assessments.

Part of her resented the hell out of the restrictions; part of her welcomed them. She wasn’t sure she trusted herself even though physically, Sam hadn’t felt so good for years. Janet had a theory it had something to do with the natural healing powers of the Goa’uld on a human body. Sam had agreed to let her run some more tests. She couldn’t help but be a little curious herself; would the effect be temporary or something more permanent? She thought her curiosity was a good sign; it made her feel normal just like pulling on her uniform was comfortably familiar.

Sam sighed and looked around the room. She’d been moved ostensibly because they’d needed the beds in the treatment room when an SG team had come in injured. Sam hadn’t minded; she preferred the privacy of the small room and it had been a good place to hide while her body recovered. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by her how people looked at her suspiciously, warily. She couldn’t blame them but she had welcomed the chance to avoid their reactions for a while. Her release from the infirmary removed that option; she would stay in temporary quarters while restricted to base, work in her lab and eat in the commissary with everyone else. She rubbed her arms to comfort herself.

‘Are you decent in there, Sam?’ Daniel’s question drifted through the closed door and she sighed in relief. At least, she wouldn’t face it alone; her team were accompanying her to lunch. They were trying their best not to treat her any differently than before but she knew it was difficult for them; it was difficult for her. She crossed to the door and taking a deep breath opened it.

Daniel smiled at her. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi.’ Her own smile was anxious and fleeting.

‘You ready for lunch, Captain?’

The Colonel’s voice had Sam looking sharply to her left where the other members of SG1 were waiting.

Sam took another deep breath and nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’ She fell into step beside Jack as Daniel and Teal’c followed.

‘So, I hear from Fraiser that you can bench-press Teal’c now.’ Jack said as they moved off towards the elevator.

Her lips twitched. ‘Not exactly, sir, but there does seem to be some improvement in my physical abilities.’

‘Why?’ Daniel said as they stepped into the elevator.

‘Doctor Fraiser thinks it’s a side effect from the breakdown of…’ Sam struggled with the word.

‘The Goa’uld.’ Daniel supplied.

‘Yes,’ she said in relief, ‘we’re not sure it’s permanent. Doctor Fraiser wants to run some more tests.’

Jack frowned. The medical staff had been running tests every day as far as he could see and he was beginning to wonder if all of them were necessary. He exchanged a worried look with Daniel.

‘You know you don’t have to go through any more tests if you don’t want to, Sam.’ Daniel said carefully.

‘It’s OK,’ Sam said trying to keep her voice light, ‘I’m curious myself about the changes.’ She was relieved when the elevator doors slid open and Teal’c led the way to the commissary.

They could hear the usual bustle as they entered; the clatter and clang of crockery and steel; the hum of conversation and the occasional yell from the serving staff to the kitchen for more of some item they were getting low on. A young Lieutenant caught sight of SG1 and dropped his tray. The smash had the entire commissary turning to stare at the door.

The silence was sudden and sharp.

Sam froze as all eyes landed on her. She felt her breath leave her body; her knees weakened and for one horrifying moment she felt like bursting into tears and fleeing the room.

‘Suck it up, Captain.’ Jack murmured.

The words were barely a whisper; pitched so only she could hear. They did the trick. Her spine snapped into ramrod straightness, her chin went up and her blue eyes stared defiantly back at the crowd before they took in the hapless red-faced Lieutenant picking up the debris of his lunch. She immediately reacted as she would have any other day; she took the two steps to his side and crouched down. ‘Let me help you with that, Lieutenant.’

‘Thank you, ma’am.’

Jack noticed with some amusement that the young man’s face got even redder as Daniel joined in the clear-up. His own brown gaze stared hard at the watching crowd; Teal’c was already glaring at them. ‘I’m sure we’ve all seen someone drop their tray before.’ Jack said loudly. ‘Nothing to see here.’

Everyone started to turn back to their lunches.

Sam rose to her feet and handed the Lieutenant a bowl as someone from the kitchen stepped in to relieve them of the debris and mop the floor.

‘You go ahead and redo your lunch…’ Jack searched for the name of the young guy on his badge, ‘Simmons.’

‘Yes, sir. Thank you. I’m really sorry for the disturbance, sir.’

Sam and Daniel smiled at him encouragingly before they stepped back into the line. Jack breathed a sigh of relief as they got their lunches without further incident and headed for their usual table.

Sam struggled to eat her lunch of lemon chicken. She was too aware that despite the Colonel’s words, she was the object of furtive stares and barbed whispers. Teal’c and Jack were taking it in turns to glare at anyone who was bold enough to look over at them for any length of time but it didn’t stop the problem entirely. Finally, Sam abandoned the pretence of eating her main course and reached for the glass of blue jello she had picked up.

‘I really don’t know how you eat that stuff.’ Jack said, following her example and reaching for his own jello. ‘The red is so much better.’

‘That’s stuff is disgusting whichever colour it is.’ Daniel said, making a face.

‘I agree.’ Teal’c said.

She pointed with her fork across the table at the Colonel. ‘I just prefer the blue, sir.’

‘That’s because you’re not normal.’ Jack said without thinking.

There was a stunned silence at the table as all three of his team-mates stared at him.

‘I didn’t mean…that you aren’t normal.’ Jack said hurriedly. ‘Well, I did,’ he corrected himself, ‘but only about the jello not about…’ he waved his fork vaguely.

Daniel sighed heavily and shook his head at Jack’s attempt to explain himself.

Sam began to giggle.

Teal’c arched an eyebrow.

Jack’s brown gaze narrowed on her. ‘Are you giggling, Captain?’

Sam’s blue eyes looked back at him lit up with nothing but merriment and he felt his own lips start to twitch. ‘I might be, sir.’ She admitted.

‘Well, stop!’ Jack said with a wide smile. ‘That’s an order!’

She grinned back at him. ‘Yes, sir.’ She lowered her gaze to her jello and missed her male companions all exchanging a satisfied look.

o-O-o

Jack put his pen down and stretched pulling the black material of the t-shirt he wore taut against his chest and back. He sat at one end of Sam’s lab bench; Sam was at the other end. In the five days since Sam had returned to light duties they had worked out a simple routine to accommodate the restrictions that the General had placed on Sam. Mornings were spent in rehab; Sam attended counselling with Mackenzie and reported to the infirmary for tests and checks. Afterwards, the team worked out together in the gym. They all had lunch together before Sam would head to her lab with Jack; Daniel would head to his office with Teal’c. Occasionally they’d come back to consult with Sam on some aspect of science or theory. In any case, the Jaffa would return late in the afternoon and take over from Jack who had a daily checkpoint with Hammond and Fraiser. Jack would call in on Daniel on his way back to Sam’s lab and they all would head off for dinner together. Most evenings, they ended up in Teal’c’s room watching TV or a movie before they all headed for quarters. As a routine it was working well, Jack mused, but then he shouldn’t be surprised; they worked together very successfully in the field after all.

Not that the past five days had been easy. The incident in the commissary where Sam’s presence had stunned everyone into silence had not been repeated but the wary looks and whispers continued to follow Sam around the base. Jack knew it had to hurt as she saw colleagues she had previously been friendly with avoiding her but he was proud of the way she was handling it. She retained her professionalism and didn’t let the cold shoulders get to her – at least in public. But if Sam seemed to be handling it, the rest of SG1 were not; they were all bristling on her behalf and Jack knew he’d have to speak with Daniel and Teal’c before they blew up at someone although he was half-tempted to do that himself. Part of him recognised that their reactions were down to indignation on behalf of Sam; part of it was down to their own lingering sense of guilt over what had happened to her.

They hadn’t talked about it with her.

Mackenzie had overruled Fraiser and suggested a group session as a team should wait until Sam had come to terms more with her experience. He had informed Jack that Sam had total recall of everything that had happened when she had been possessed by Jolinar and he had cautioned Jack; he had told him that while SG1 being there for Sam was a good thing, that they needed to work at her pace not theirs. Jack had immediately told Daniel and Teal’c, and he knew it was as hard on them as it was on himself. The urge to sometimes blurt out how sorry he was, how he hadn’t meant to walk away from her; it all just hovered on his lips so that sometimes it felt like he had to almost physically swallow the words.

He repressed the urge to sigh and looked over at the stack of folders Sam was quietly working her way through. ‘So, what’ya doing?’

Sam didn’t look up at the Colonel but kept her eyes on the columns of numbers she was scanning. ‘Checking the gate diagnostics.’

Jack frowned. ‘Don’t we have gate technicians who do that?’

‘Yes,’ Sam explained patiently, ‘but sometimes there are unexplained anomalies in the results that need investigation and as I have the most knowledge of the gate mechanisms and the dialling programme, the General sometimes asks me to give a second opinion.’

‘Like a doctor.’ Jack commented, crossing his arms.

Sam nodded. ‘Uh-huh.’

‘And you do this by reading through all of that?’ He waved at the stack of results.

‘No,’ Sam said testily, ‘normally I run it through a programme I have set up on my computer but as my security clearance no longer gives me access to it, I have to do it this way, this time.’

‘Oh.’ Jack registered the frustration in her voice. He picked up his pen and started to continue with the report he was writing. ‘I’ll raise it with the General later.’

Sam’s eyes snapped to him gratefully. ‘Thank you, sir.’

‘He hasn’t agreed to it yet.’ Jack cautioned but he smiled at her and was pleased to see her smile back.

A sound by the doorway broke the spell and they both turned to find Teal’c stood there.

Jack glanced at the clock and frowned. ‘You’re early.’

‘General Hammond has requested your presence in the briefing room on a matter of some urgency.’ Teal’c stated clasping his hands behind his back.

Jack sighed and gave Sam an apologetic look. He threw down his pen, slipped off the stool and headed out patting Teal’c’s arm on his way. He slowed as he neared the briefing room, and entered cautiously. He came to a surprised halt.

‘Samuels.’ He said in clipped recognition.

Hammond’s ex-executive officer smiled smugly at Jack. ‘Colonel.’

‘What brings you here?’ Jack asked, sticking his hands in his pockets to resist the urge to take some of his inner frustration out on the slimy man. ‘I thought you’d been reassigned from your position at the Pentagon.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Samuels confirmed. ‘I’m reporting to Colonel Maybourne now.’

Jack took his place at the table, nodding to Fraiser and Mackenzie who were already seated. ‘So I ask again; what brings you here?’ His gaze encompassed the man next to Samuels in a Captain’s uniform.

A furious looking Hammond cleared his throat. ‘They’re here to interrogate Captain Carter.’

Jack’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Excuse me?’

‘It has come to our attention that Captain Carter was possessed by a Goa’uld last week.’ Samuels said.

Jack looked over at Hammond in concern. The records concerning Carter’s experience had been given the highest classification and the personnel on the base warned not to discuss it with anyone. Someone had leaked the information.

‘We’re here to take Captain Carter into custody…’ Samuels said.

‘Now hold on there, Sparky,’ Jack interrupted him, ‘Captain Carter hasn’t done anything wrong.’

Samuels met Jack’s eyes resolutely. ‘She’s a Goa’uld, Colonel.’

‘She was a Goa’uld.’ Jack retorted. ‘It’s dead.’

‘Are you certain about that, Colonel?’ Samuels argued.

‘I’m certain about it, sir.’ Janet interrupted. ‘I have the medical records to prove it.’

‘With respect, Doctor,’ Samuels said, ‘the medical staff also believed the Goa’uld in Major Kawalsky had died when they removed it.’

‘That was a completely different situation.’ Janet said firmly. ‘Captain Carter’s latest MRI shows no sign of the Goa’uld symbiote and I was present when the Goa’uld died.’

‘And besides, she’s isn’t running around with her eyes glowing.’ Jack said. ‘That should give you a clue.’

‘According to our records, the Goa’uld fooled you for almost twenty-four hours before it revealed itself.’ Samuels said calmly. ‘It could be fooling you again.’

Jack stilled into motionless. ‘Captain Carter is not a Goa’uld. I would stake my life on it.’

‘Would you stake everybody else’s on this base?’ Samuels asked passionately. ‘On Earth?’ He shifted in his chair. ‘Tell me if you’re so confident that she isn’t a Goa’uld then why have you reduced her security clearance?’

Hammond held up a hand to stop Jack from replying. ‘Lieutenant Colonel Samuels, Captain Carter is recovering from a severe trauma. Her activities are restricted while she recovers and we are evaluating her progress on a day by day basis.’

Samuels assessed the stubborn faces staring back at him. ‘OK,’ he said spreading his hands wide, ‘if you’re so sure Captain Carter is not a Goa’uld then you have nothing to worry about in letting us take her into custody and interrogate her. She should pass with flying colours and reassure everyone.’

‘To do such a thing would endanger her recovery.’ Mackenzie said, stepping into the discussion for the first time. ‘An arrest and interrogation would be an additional trauma on top of the one she has already suffered. Further, to force her to relive her experience through interrogative techniques could damage her psychologically.’

‘Medically, sir, I cannot allow this.’ Janet said firmly. ‘As her doctor, I am not prepared to endanger my patient in this way.’

‘I’m afraid my orders stand.’ Samuels replied.

‘Actually, no, they don’t.’ Hammond said forcefully. ‘Doctor Fraiser as CMO of this facility can countermand any order on medical grounds nor do I believe your orders are valid.’

‘You’re welcome to check them.’ Samuels said smoothly.

‘I will.’ Hammond retorted. He shoved his chair back and they all rose to their feet.

‘May Captain Bell and I be dismissed, sir?’ Samuels inquired. ‘You may be some time and we had a long journey. Some refreshments would be welcome.’

‘Fine. You can go to the commissary like everyone else.’ Hammond said. ‘Dismissed.’ He strode off before Samuels could reply.

The Lieutenant Colonel picked up his cap and gestured to his companion to lead the way out. Jack watched as Janet and Mackenzie gathered their folders and left. He leaned back against the polished wooden table and folded his arms as he waited impatiently for Hammond. The Stargate caught his eye and he stared at it as he wondered how they protected Sam from their own government.

o-O-o

‘This doesn’t make sense.’ Sam muttered under her breath as she peered at a second set of numbers on the sheet she was examining.

Teal’c raised an eyebrow. ‘May I be of assistance, Captain Carter?’

‘Know anything about gate diagnostics, Teal’c?’ Sam replied, her eyes still scanning through the numbers.

‘I do not.’ Teal’c admitted. ‘But perhaps I could act as a sounding board.’

Sam glanced over at him and smiled. She spread the sheet on the lab bench and pointed. ‘These are the numbers I’m having difficulty with.’ She explained. ‘They’re the times of gate travel.’ Her finger stabbed a second column. ‘These are the corresponding electricity power measurements.’

Teal’c nodded. ‘I understand.’

‘There’s a correlation between the two.’ Sam explained. ‘Usually the gate draws the most power during out-going wormholes.’ She said, rubbing her nose as her gaze went over the figures again. ‘But these don’t make sense. The gate seems to have drawn a lot of power for some reason when establishing a wormhole to P2A108, almost twice as much as normal.’

‘Perhaps a reason can be found there.’ Teal’c suggested.

‘Maybe.’ Sam murmured. ‘But I’m stuck here.’ She softened the words with a quick smile and reached for another folder. ‘I’ll have to examine all the other occasions we’ve dialled there and do a comparison.’

Teal’c raised an eyebrow at the stack of folders. ‘That appears to be a considerable task.’

‘Tell me about it.’ She muttered. She caught his brief look of surprise at her bitter complaint and sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Teal’c. It’s not your fault I’m stuck doing this by hand.’

‘You have no need to apologise to me, Captain Carter.’ Teal’c reached for a folder. ‘I will help you.’

‘Thank you.’ She beamed at him and gestured. ‘Colonel O’Neill was going to ask General Hammond to give me my computer access back.’

‘I believe he will be successful.’ Teal’c commented.

‘You think so?’ Sam asked hopefully.

‘Indeed.’ Teal’c confirmed.

The rap on the door had them turning to see who was there. Sam’s eyes rose at the sight of an officer in his service blues; she didn’t recognise him. He looked a little old for the rank of Captain he wore and his hair cut incredibly short like a Marine; his body suggesting a street brawler than a military officer.

‘Can I help you, Captain…?’ Her voice trailed away as she searched for his name tag.

‘Bell.’

His dark eyes met hers across the room and she shivered. ‘Captain Bell.’ She repeated. ‘Can I help you?’

‘No, not specifically.’ His manner was formal and brisk. ‘General Hammond has requested Teal’c’s presence in the briefing room.’ He nodded at the Jaffa. ‘I’ll stay with Captain Carter.’

Teal’c frowned. ‘I will call Daniel Jackson.’

‘Doctor Jackson has also been called to the briefing room.’ Bell smiled coldly. ‘Don’t worry, sir. I’m sure it won’t be for too long.’

Sam reached over and patted Teal’c’s hand when it looked as though the Jaffa wasn’t going to move. ‘It’s OK, Teal’c. I’ll be fine with Captain Bell.’

Teal’c’s eyes slid to hers and she nodded. He got to his feet unhappily. ‘I will return, Captain Carter.’

Sam nodded again. Her fingers tightened on the paper she held as she resisted the urge to ask Teal’c to disregard his order and stay with her as she watched him leave. She motioned for Bell to enter. ‘Take a seat, Captain.’

‘Thank you but I prefer to stand.’

She glanced at him and shifted a little uncomfortable at the way he was staring at her. An uneasy tension crept into the lab. After a couple of minutes, she gave up the pretence that he wasn’t distracting her with his relentless look.

‘Do you have something to say to me, Captain?’ Sam said tightly, putting the sheet of paper down. Her stomach was knotting; her shoulders had stiffened.

‘Why would I have something to say to you, Captain?’ Bell took a step into the room, his dark eyes glittering menacingly. ‘Why would I have anything to say to you?’

Sam got to her feet acting without thought, slowly backing away as he approached. She circled her lab bench placing it firmly between her and Bell.

‘Why would I have anything to say to a Goa’uld?’ Bell continued, he reached behind him as he came to stand underneath the camera out of sight of security and drew out a Beretta.

Sam froze. ‘Captain, I’m not a Goa’uld. It died.’

‘And if you were a Goa’uld, you’d say the same thing.’ Bell said, his lips twisting in an ugly snarl.

‘No if I were a Goa’uld, you’d be dead right now.’ Sam said, her eyes glued to the gun. ‘You’ll never get away with shooting me on base, Captain.’

‘Which is why we’re going to leave.’ Bell said. ‘Quietly and without fuss.’

Sam’s blue eyes widened and she gave a short laugh. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘I do,’ Bell said confidently, ‘because if you don’t and I don’t make a phone call to confirm you’re with me outside of the base, my associate is going to shoot Daniel Jackson.’ He watched in satisfaction as she drained of colour.

‘Daniel?’ Sam asked in disbelief. It had been a set-up, she realised. Teal’c had been drawn away deliberately.

He jerked the gun at the door. ‘After you, Captain Carter.’

She took one uncertain step and then another toward the door. He followed her out staying close to her. Her mind raced. Her first priority was to keep Daniel safe. Maybe there was an opportunity to alert the SF’s at the exit of the mountain or maybe she could get away once the phone call had been made…

‘Don’t make any sudden moves.’ Bell hissed in her ear as Sergeant Siler approached from the opposite direction.

‘Ma’am.’ Siler stopped beside her. ‘I was wondering if you’ve finished with the diagnostic reports yet?’

‘No, Sergeant.’ Sam’s mouth was dry as she answered him. ‘I’m having to do it slowly. I should have them for you later.’

Siler smiled warmly at her. ‘There’s no rush, ma’am.’

She gave a sharp nod and they continued on their separate ways.

‘Good girl.’ Bell said quietly.

They rounded the corner and headed to the elevator where she could see a man leaning against the wall waiting for it. She recognised him immediately. Samuels. What was he doing at the SGC? The scuttlebutt had been that he’d been sent back to the Pentagon in disgrace after Apophis’s failed attempt to attack Earth. He turned and smiled when he saw them.

He nodded at Bell. ‘Well done, Captain.’

Sam’s eyes widened. ‘You’re in on this, Samuels?’

‘That’s Lieutenant Colonel to you, Captain.’ Samuels retorted.

‘We should leave now.’ Bell said sharply.

Samuels pressed the button to call the elevator. ‘I agree.’

‘You won’t get away with this.’ Sam said, her anger beginning to stir through the fear.

‘Shut up.’ Bell pressed the gun into her side.

‘You’re not clever enough to get away with this.’ Sam said, ignoring the cold steel through her BDU jacket. ‘And you know it.’

‘Aren’t I?’ Samuels smirked at her. ‘It seems to me that I fooled O’Neil, Hammond,’ his smile widened, ‘you.’

‘So what’s the plan?’ Sam asked harshly. ‘You’re delivering me to the NID?’

‘You always were the smart one, Captain.’ Samuels said.

‘I’m not a Goa’uld.’ Sam argued. ‘I don’t know anything.’

‘We’ve read Mackenzie’s reports, Captain.’ Samuels said. ‘We know you have the memories of the Goa’uld in your subconscious.’

Sam stiffened. Mackenzie? Had he revealed everything about her sessions to the NID? ‘They’re in my subconscious, Samuels. I can’t get to them.’

‘But we can.’ Samuels pressed the button again. ‘I’m afraid the techniques will ultimately prove to be fatal but Earth will be safe. We’ll have your knowledge and you’ll be dead.’

Sam shook her head angrily. ‘I knew you were an idiot, Samuels, I didn’t think you were a killer.’

‘I said shut up!’ Bell snapped. ‘Where the hell is that elevator?’

The doors slid open suddenly and all three of them turned toward the compartment and froze.

Daniel smiled happily at his team-mate as his eyes wandered over Samuels and Bell quizzically. ‘Sam! There you are! I was just coming to talk to you…’

Sam felt Bell move the gun and reacted. ‘Daniel! Run!’ She screamed as she threw herself at Bell.

The shot impacted the wall of the elevator. Sam and Bell toppled to the ground. He grunted and slammed his fist into her face. Out of the corner of her dazed eye, Sam saw Daniel tackling Samuels. She absently noted both men were wrestling, tugging on each other’s hair and searching for a good grip.

She blocked Bell’s next punch and threw one of her own. Her increased strength lent a little bit more power and he jerked away from her. But they were too close and as she scrabbled backward to get some space, he came after her and used the weight of his body to pin her to the ground. He was too strong and too determined, she realised as she panted for breath. She reached down toward his groin as his hands went around her throat.

Air.

She couldn’t get air. She tried to gasp but his fingers were tight around her throat.

‘Sam!’ Daniel’s panicked cry was cut short by a grunt of his own.

She struggled to reach for Bell’s crotch; if she could just…her vision blurred but her hearing sharpened; there were footsteps pounding towards them…

Suddenly, the weight was ripped away from her and she took a shaky, desperate breath, filling her lungs even as she coughed. From her position on the ground, she saw Teal’c grab Samuels releasing Daniel and Jack fighting with Bell a couple of feet across the floor from her; he was straddling Bell, hitting him…

Jack’s fist smashed into Bell’s face again and again. The Captain’s head cracked on the floor yet Jack raised his fist to hit him again.

‘Jack! Stop!’ Daniel caught hold of Jack’s arm and took a stumbling step back at the fierce rage that burned in the hard brown eyes that shot to him. He took a shaky breath and forced himself not to waver under the sheer intensity of Jack’s anger. ‘He’s down. He’s not getting up.’

Jack’s gaze snapped to the unconscious man under him. The sight of Bell on top of Sam, strangling her, had snapped something loose inside of Jack; a part of him he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge any longer. Sanity…awareness crept back into his eyes and he stumbled off the body as he swallowed hard against the need to retch. A groan caught his attention…

Sam.

The thought of her gave him something to focus on and he skidded across the floor to where Sam was slowly beginning to move. He raised a hand to touch her; thought twice and almost dropped it before her shattered blue eyes met his. He tugged her into his arms without a second thought.

‘You’re OK. You’re safe now.’ Jack murmured as he rocked her gently. His hands stroked her hair away from her face and he scanned it anxiously. ‘Are you injured?’

Sam shook her head. ‘I’m OK.’ Her voice was a whisper. Her fingers covered her throat.

He pulled her hands away from her smooth neck and his eyes darkened again at the sight of the bruises.

‘Let me go!’

Samuels’ whiny voice had Jack’s head whipping round to the Air Force officer. Teal’c held Samuels’ arms securely. The Jaffa’s dark face was set in an angry scowl at the way he had been duped at leaving Sam. It had taken him and O’Neill less than thirty seconds to realise Samuels’ plan when Teal’c had arrived in the briefing room.

More footsteps had them turning toward the end of the corridor and the sight of the SFs arriving with Hammond along with Janet and a couple of medics brought relief to Daniel’s face. They stopped a couple of feet from the tableau.

Jack helped Sam to her feet and gestured for Daniel to step in. The archaeologist slipped an arm around his female team-mate.

‘What in God’s name is going on here?’ Hammond said, his pale blue eyes scouring the scene with shock.

‘Samuels tried to abduct me, sir.’ Sam stated quietly. She motioned at Bell lying on the ground as Fraiser felt for a pulse on the unconscious man. ‘He tried to kill me.’

‘Someone has to do damage control and this facility is clearly not up to the task.’ Samuels said desperately. ‘Don’t you get it!’ His eyes slammed into Sam’s. ‘Samantha Carter is dead. She died the minute that Goa’uld took her as a host and you’re idiots if you think any different.’

Sam’s face went white and she barely felt Daniel’s arm tighten around her trying to comfort her; trying to shield her from the words.

Hammond’s blue eyes turned to ice and he strode forward until he was an inch from Samuels’ face. ‘Airmen,’ he barked without turning away from his ex-XO, ‘get this sorry excuse for an officer out of my sight. Lock him up!’

‘Yes, sir!’ The SF’s stepped forward and Teal’c relinquished his prisoner to them.

‘You’re making a mistake!’ Samuels said, struggling against the SFs who held him. ‘I’m not the one you should arrest. It’s her! It’s her!’

They all watched as the SFs disappeared around the corner with the still struggling Samuels.

Hammond breathed out sharply and turned back to the assembled group. His eyes fell on Fraiser who was on her knees assessing Bell. ‘Doctor?’

‘He’s badly beaten up, sir,’ her dark eyes flickered to Jack’s bloodied knuckles, ‘but I think he’ll live.’

A pity, Hammond thought although he didn’t voice the words.

‘With your permission, sir, I’d like to get him and SG1 to the infirmary.’ Janet rose to her feet.

Hammond gave a sharp nod. ‘Agreed.’

He watched as they trooped away; Daniel with an arm around Sam’s shoulder; Teal’c flanked her other side as Jack walked beside Daniel, his injured hand on the man’s shoulder. The General wondered at how much more they could take as his eyes fell to the blood on the floor.

o-O-o

Jack’s eyes never moved from the man lying prone in the infirmary bed on the other side of the room.

‘I don’t think he’s going to be moving anytime soon, Colonel.’ Janet commented wryly as she walked up to him. ‘In fact, he’s going to be lucky to wake up at all. He has two skull fractures; there’s pressure on his brain we’re going to need to relieve with surgery. Doctor Warner is prepping now.’

His brown eyes met hers evenly without apology. ‘How’s Captain Carter?’ Although he had protested, they’d been separated for treatment earlier and Jack hadn’t been informed of her status since.

‘Bruises mainly. I’ve released her to her quarters to rest.’ Janet said as she picked up his hand from the bowl of icy water it was resting in to examine it with a frown.

Jack stiffened. ‘On her own?’

‘Teal’c went with her.’ She prodded his knuckles.

He let out a small hiss of pain.

‘Sorry.’ Janet said insincerely. ‘Make a fist.’ She nodded in satisfaction. ‘Well, the good news is that I don’t think anything’s broken.’

‘And the bad news?’ Jack asked dryly.

‘It’s going to take a while to heal.’ Janet said. She reached for her file and scribbled a notation. ‘I’ll get the nurse to stop by and strap it up. You should get some rest.’

‘Right.’ Jack muttered.

Janet sighed and stuffed her hands in her pockets. ‘You won’t be doing anybody any good if you don’t rest, Colonel.’

Jack was silent; the muscle in his jaw working. He couldn’t see that he was doing anybody any good full stop.

‘Sir, if you need to talk…’ Janet offered gently.

The Colonel’s brown eyes flickered to her again; his refusal clear.

She sighed. ‘I’ll send the nurse in.’

Jack nodded. He waited until she was almost out of the door before he called out to her. She stopped and looked back at him. ‘Thanks, Doc.’

She nodded and left, hurrying past a bemused Daniel as he entered. The archaeologist’s gaze went first to the injured man Jack had beaten up before it rested on his friend.

‘You OK?’ Jack asked.

‘A few scratches. I lost some hair.’

Jack snorted. ‘Samuels fights like a puppy.’

Daniel wrapped his arms around his torso. ‘How are you?’

‘I’m OK.’ Jack said automatically.

‘Really.’

The patent disbelief and Daniel’s glance over at Bell had Jack flushing. He shook his head and stared at the ceiling. ‘I lost it, Daniel.’ He admitted. He raised his good hand to rub at his face and his hair. ‘When I saw him trying to kill her…I just lost it.’

‘How did you work it out?’ Daniel asked gently.

‘I knew something was off but I didn’t know what.’ Jack sighed. ‘It wasn’t until Teal’c appeared and told me Bell had sent him to the briefing room, we figured it out.’ He met Daniel’s eyes gratefully. ‘We would have been too late. If you hadn’t gotten out of that elevator when you did…’ He shook his head again. If Daniel hadn’t gotten out of the elevator and ruined the leverage Bell had over Sam, had stopped them from leaving…it didn’t bear thinking about.

‘It was Mackenzie’s nurse who leaked the information.’ Daniel said. ‘Hammond just found out. Apparently she heard what had happened and decided to come clean before the investigation found her out.’

Jack’s eyes glittered with renewed anger but a nurse appeared and Daniel retreated a few steps as she wrapped Jack’s hand in a clean, white bandage. When she was done, Jack jumped off the infirmary bed and Daniel fell into step beside him.

Jack punched the button on the elevator and leaned tiredly on the wall as the compartment started moving. ‘How’s Sam handling all this?’

Daniel shrugged. ‘She seems fine.’

There was an odd surprised note to his tone and Jack frowned. ‘What’s up?’

The other man glanced across at him. ‘Nothing.’

‘No,’ Jack contradicted him, ‘it’s something. What is it?’

Daniel shuffled his feet a little before he gave in with a sigh. ‘Don’t you think she’s handling it a little too well?’

Jack’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You think she’s still a Goa’uld like Samuels said?’

‘No!’ The denial was loud and automatic. ‘No,’ Daniel repeated a little more softly, ‘it’s just…with everything she’s been through…’ he sighed again, ‘I guess I expected her to be upset and angry.’

‘She’s a good soldier, Daniel.’ Jack said defensively. ‘She’s handling it.’

‘But that’s just it.’ Daniel retorted. ‘I think she’s repressing everything because she’s expected to be a good soldier and that can’t be healthy.’ He gestured. ‘We haven’t even talked to her about what happened with us as a team when she was possessed by Jolinar yet.’

‘Did I miss the memo telling me you got a psychology degree to go with the other bunch you have?’ Jack replied mockingly. ‘Mackenzie says we shouldn’t rush her and…’

‘Since when have you worried about what Mackenzie says.’ Daniel shot back.

Jack shoved off the elevator wall and glared at Daniel. ‘So what do you want us to do, Daniel? Force her into talking about something when she isn’t ready yet?’

‘I want us to let her know she can talk to us; that she doesn’t have to be a good soldier with us. All of us.’ Daniel said ignoring the flash of anger in Jack’s eyes.

‘She knows she doesn’t have to be a good soldier with us, Daniel.’ Jack bit out.

‘Does she? What were your words in the commissary the other day? That she should suck it up?’ Daniel countered.

Jack flushed. ‘I didn’t mean…’

‘I know, Jack.’ Daniel said quickly. ‘But what if I’m right?’

Jack slumped back against the elevator wall and considered Daniel’s words. If Daniel was right then Sam was storing up a lot of anger and pain that would have to come out eventually and if they didn’t deal with it sooner rather than later, the eruption would be worse for her; for them all.

The elevator doors slid open and Jack moved out, Daniel following in his wake as they made their way to Sam’s quarters. They found Teal’c stood outside of the door.

‘Teal’c.’ Jack jerked his head at the door. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Captain Carter wished to rest.’ Teal’c stated. ‘I thought it wise to remain outside and guard her.’

‘You did the right thing.’ Jack said. He moved up to the door and knocked gently. There was a moment of silence and Jack knocked again. The door opened slowly.

Sam blocked the entrance even as she greeted them. Her eyes fell to his bandage. ‘How’s your hand, sir?’

‘Sore,’ Jack admitted holding up the hand in question, ‘but worth it.’

Sam attempted a smile but she couldn’t hold it.

‘Can we come in, Carter?’ Jack asked when she made no attempt to move.

She hesitated and he glimpsed the desire to refuse him in her blue eyes before she stepped back and allowed them to follow her into the room. Jack closed the door and turned to face her.

‘So, how are you doing with all this?’ Jack asked shoving his hands into his pockets.

‘I’m fine, sir.’ Sam said calmly.

Her voice was calm but her face was tight with tension. Jack realised with a sinking sensation in his stomach that Daniel was right. ‘Really?’ He prodded keeping his tone light although his eyes met hers seriously. ‘Because I’d be pissed if I were you.’

Sam blinked in surprise and she glanced over at Daniel and Teal’c for their reactions. The Jaffa had raised an eyebrow and Daniel was staring at Jack with an odd expression. ‘Sir?’ She asked hesitantly.

Jack sighed and rubbed his good hand back through his hair, ruffling the brown and grey strands. ‘Look, it’s OK to be a little mad.’ He sent Daniel a pleading look.

‘I think what Jack’s trying to say,’ Daniel said stepping in, ‘is that you don’t have to pretend with us. It’s OK to say how you really feel.’

Sam folded her arms across her chest and tried to ignore the rising panic in her chest. ‘You think I’m still a Goa’uld.’ She said accusingly.

‘No!’

The simultaneous and heartfelt denial by both men reassured her a little.

‘God, no.’ Jack repeated. He sighed. He was no good at these sorts of things, he thought ruefully as Sam looked back at him quizzically. ‘You have to be mad at us.’ He said bluntly.

‘Why would I be mad at you guys?’ Sam asked uncertainly. ‘You had no way of knowing what Samuels had planned.’

‘Not about today.’ Daniel said quietly. He forced himself to meet her eyes. ‘About everything else.’

Jack gestured with his bad hand. ‘About the way we treated you when you had the Goa’uld.’

Teal’c shifted position as he realised what the two men were doing.

Sam felt her panic coming back full force. ‘I understand why you all acted the way you did.’ She said, trying to remain calm.

‘You do?’ He was going to have to push her to force a reaction, Jack realised. For a second he baulked at the idea; she’d been through enough… Jack looked across at Daniel helplessly before he glanced at Teal’c. They both nodded imperceptibly. He stiffened his resolve and searched for the things he knew would shake her composure. ‘Sam, Teal’c pulled a weapon on you…’

‘I was threatening everyone.’ Sam said defensively. ‘I would have done the same thing.’

‘Daniel avoided you.’ Jack pressed taking a step toward her. ‘Do you really understand why he ignored you?’

Sam took a step back away from Jack. ‘He was upset. It reminded him what happened with Sha’re.’

‘You’re right, Sam.’ Daniel said quietly before his throat closed up with emotion. He took a breath. ‘But that doesn’t excuse what I did. I left you alone because I didn’t want to look at you as a Goa’uld and I’m sorry.’

Sam shook her head in denial.

Jack took a deep breath. ‘You really understand why I walked out on you when you begged me not to leave you?’

She flinched and looked away from him.

Jack ignored the horrified looks on Teal’c’s and Daniel’s faces; they hadn’t known what he’d done. ‘That was you, wasn’t it, Sam?’

She spun away from him and the others; she stared at the wall.

‘I hoped it was the Goa’uld.’ Jack admitted, a lump in his throat.

‘You were upset.’ Sam said desperately. ‘You thought the Goa’uld was tricking you. I understood.’

Jack took a deep breath, his brown eyes filled with sorrow and contrition. ‘I knew, Sam. Deep down I knew it was you.’

‘Don’t.’ Her voice broke on the word as the memory rose up. No, Jack! Please! Don’t leave me! She raised a trembling hand to cover her mouth as though she could prevent the words from escaping again.

‘And I left you anyway.’ Jack said bluntly. ‘We all left you to deal with it alone.’

She crumpled suddenly with a moan. He caught her and gently lowered the two of them to the floor by the bed where he held onto her as she shook with silent sobs against his chest.

Daniel hurried around to sit beside them. His blue eyes filled with compassionate tears of his own as he rubbed her back in soothing circles. ‘We’re sorry, Sam. We’re so sorry.’

Teal’c wondered at the scene in front of him, unsure that they had done the right thing. Jack caught his eye and gestured for him to join them. The Jaffa took the few strides he needed to crouch down beside his team-mates. He placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder adding his own silent comfort as she wept.

Time passed and they remained on the floor in their awkward positions, holding onto each other.

Eventually, Sam quietened. She stiffened as awareness of where she was seeped back through to her. She pushed a little against the Colonel and raised her hand to wipe her face.

Jack loosened his hold and searched his pocket with his free hand. He passed her a tissue. She took it without looking at him and scrubbed at her eyes. He let her shift away from him. ‘I’m sorry, Sam.’ He sighed. ‘I’m sorry for the whole damned mess.’

‘I’m sorry too, Sam.’ Daniel added.

‘As am I, Captain Carter.’ Teal’c murmured.

‘You don’t have anything to be…’ Sam began.

‘We should have known it wasn’t you immediately.’ Jack contradicted her forcefully.

‘Jolinar was reading my memories, sir, in order to act like me.’ Sam said. ‘There was no way you could have known. There’s no way any of you could have known.’ She sighed. ‘If anyone should be apologising it should be me.’

‘You?’ Daniel asked surprised. ‘Why you?’

‘I threatened to kill you all including Cassie and I let Jolinar use me to get to the Colonel, to you both. She had no idea where Sha’re was,’ she couldn’t look at him and stared at the floor, ‘I used you and Teal’c.’

‘No, you didn’t.’ Daniel said, ignoring the ache of disappointment at her words. ‘The Goa’uld did that not you.’

‘It felt like me.’ Sam murmured. ‘I knew what he was doing and I couldn’t stop it.’

‘We don’t blame you, Sam.’ Daniel rubbed her arm. ‘You know that, right?’

‘I tried.’ She felt the tears press against the back of her eyes again. ‘I tried so hard but I couldn’t stop it.’

‘We know you tried, Sam.’ Jack said comfortingly. ‘But Daniel’s right. None of us blame you for what happened.’

‘If I hadn’t stopped to give that man CPR…’ Sam started.

‘You were doing your duty, Captain.’ Jack asserted forcefully, using her rank to drive home his point. ‘What happened was terrible, but there was no way you…there’s no way we could have anticipated it. Now we know the Goa’uld can do that, we’ll be more careful in future.’ He reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘You survived; that’s what’s important.’

‘Samuels said I died on the planet.’ Sam murmured.

‘Samuels is an idiot.’ Jack shot back.

‘Indeed.’ Teal’c agreed gently. ‘You are very much alive, Captain Carter.’

Sam smiled at the Jaffa.

‘Feel better?’ Jack asked gently.

She looked at him briefly before nodding. ‘A little. Thank you, sir.’

‘For what?’ Jack asked dryly. ‘Making you cry?’

She gave a small laugh and they all smiled at each other.

‘Well, I don’t know about you guys,’ Jack said lightly, ‘but all this has worked up my appetite.’

‘Cake, sir?’ Sam suggested.

‘Excellent idea, Carter.’ Jack got to his feet and helped Sam to hers as Daniel and Teal’c rose to theirs.

‘I should thank you for saving my life today, sir.’ Sam said seeing Jack wince when he moved his hand.

Jack shrugged. ‘I maybe went a little overboard.’ He admitted. ‘Fraiser’s not sure he’s going to make it.’

‘I hope he doesn’t.’ Her eyes widened as she realised what she had said but she didn’t take it back.

‘As do I.’ Teal’c growled.

They all turned to look at Daniel.

‘What?’ He asked. He pushed his glasses up his nose.

‘Don’t you have something to say about forgiveness, compassion, that kind of thing?’ Jack pointed out.

‘Not this time.’ Daniel replied evenly.

‘O-kay.’ Jack peered at him as they left the room. ‘Daniel.’

‘Jack.’

‘Are you sure you’re not a Goa’uld?’

‘Funny, Jack. Very funny.’

Part Three: Damaged Crystal

Teal’c carefully examined the package in its garish wrapping paper and raised his eyebrows at the smiling Santas.

‘Oh for crying out loud, Teal’c,’ Jack said, gesturing at him impatiently, ‘just open the da…’

‘Colonel.’ Janet’s voice whipped across the infirmary room where the team were gathered to exchange Christmas presents with Cassie. As Sam was still restricted to base, Janet had agreed to bring Cassie to them before she and the young girl flew to Janet’s parents’ home for the holidays.

‘…darn,’ Jack hastily corrected sneaking a glance at the petite doctor, ‘present already.’

There were giggles from the bed opposite. Jack glanced across and pretended to scowl ferociously at Cassie. He couldn’t hold the expression though at the sight of her on Sam’s lap, the two of them cuddling each other happily; he could almost believe the last few weeks hadn’t happened.

‘Open it, Teal’c! Open it!’ Cassie said cheerfully.

The Jaffa slowly untied the curly ribbon knot that decorated the gift.

Jack covered his eyes and shook his head in disbelief as Cassie giggled louder. Daniel circled the room with the video camera, zooming in on the happy child.

‘You want a hand there big guy?’ Jack asked dryly as Teal’c moved on to cautiously pull the tape away from the wrapping paper.

‘I do not.’ Teal’c said firmly. He finally managed to extract the slim flat box and lifted the lid. He opened it up and saw the framed picture of one of Cassie’s drawings as he had expected; they had all received one as a gift. But each picture was specific to the recipient and his featured himself with a woman and a child at a picnic.

Cassie wriggled off Sam’s lap and dived over to Teal’c. ‘See, Teal’c. It’s your family.’ She pointed at the young boy in her painting. ‘That’s Rya’c.’

‘I see.’ Teal’c confirmed with a lump in his throat. He bowed his head at Cassie. ‘I am honoured by your gift.’

She reached up and hugged him.

Jack realised he was grinning inanely along with the other adults in the room. He glanced over at Sam and saw her blue eyes were bright with unshed tears. He resisted the urge to cross the room and hug her. She’d gotten a little formal around him since breaking down in front of the team and Jack respected her need for a little distance; he didn’t like it but he respected it. He knew she was talking to Daniel; he’d eavesdropped on them when he’d stopped by the archaeologist’s office one day and found them together discussing the Tok’ra. His gut churned over.

He wasn’t jealous, he mused defiantly. She and Daniel had a completely different relationship, one not hampered with the restrictions of military ranks and positions. He was her CO; it wasn’t any wonder she wasn’t comfortable confiding in him. He understood it. He wasn’t overly comfortable with the idea of confiding in his CO no matter how much he liked Hammond personally. Daniel was a civilian and he and Sam had always clicked as people probably better than Jack and Sam had despite their shared military background. If Sam was confiding in Daniel then Jack was just pleased she was confiding in someone. Yeah, right, Jack thought derisively as he noticed Daniel slide onto the bed next to Sam and nudge her arm.

Janet stood and brandished her own camera. ‘OK, group picture and then we have to leave to catch our flight.’

Cassie’s dramatic groan had them all smiling even as she crossed back to the bed and climbed back up onto Sam’s knee. Jack moved swiftly to sit on the other side of Sam as Teal’c took a standing position next to Daniel.

‘Smile!’ Janet shouted.

They all dutifully grinned as the flash blinded them.

Janet lowered the camera.

‘Can I get a copy of that, Doc?’ Jack asked.

‘Me too.’ Sam said.

Janet held up a hand before Teal’c and Daniel could add their requests. ‘I’ll get you all a copy, I promise.’ Her dark eyes fell to the young girl she had adopted. ‘Now we have to leave.’

A flurry of hugs later and Cassie was gone taking with her the presents SG1 had given her and leaving behind a stack of torn wrapping paper. They started to gather the debris.

‘I do not understand.’ Teal’c murmured. ‘What is the purpose of wrapping the gift?’

‘It adds to the excitement, Teal’c.’ Jack answered before Daniel could provide the factual version.

Teal’c raised an eyebrow.

‘Actually,’ Daniel began earnestly, ‘the practice of wrapping the gifts only started in the…’

‘Daniel.’ Jack cautioned him. ‘I don’t want to know.’

‘But…’ Daniel’s twinkling blue eyes gave away that he was teasing the other man.

‘Ah!’ Jack held up a finger. ‘No history lessons. You’re banned for the next three days until after Christmas.’

Sam straightened and crumpled the wrapping she held in her hand. ‘You know you guys don’t have to stay here on Christmas Day.’ She said casually. It touched her that they had all opted to spend the day with her on base but a part of her felt incredibly guilty.

‘Where else would we be?’ Jack replied easily without looking at her.

‘It is my understanding that Christmas is a day to spend with family, Captain Carter.’ Teal’c added. ‘And are we not family?’

Sam smiled. Sometimes it seemed like her team were more of a family to her than her own flesh and blood. The conversation with her father confirming she wouldn’t be home for Christmas had been difficult. He had seemed unusually upset. ‘Yes, we are but…’

‘Colonel O’Neill, please report to the control room. Colonel O’Neill to the control room.’

Jack smiled and handed Daniel his rubbish. ‘It looks like I’m needed elsewhere.’

‘You set that up deliberately to get out of clean up.’ Daniel said accusingly, his eyes narrowing on Jack suspiciously.

Jack smiled and left. He made his way to the control room almost jauntily. He hadn’t arranged the summons but he couldn’t deny he was pleased to get out of the chore of tidying up. He practically bounced into the gate control room where Hammond was already stood staring out at the Stargate.

‘Sir?’ Jack came to a halt beside the older man.

Hammond sighed. ‘We have a situation.’

Jack sobered abruptly and waited for information.

The General gestured at the computer monitor where images were replaying of a MALP recording. ‘This is P2A108.’

‘The one we’re considering as an alternate Alpha site?’ Jack clarified. ‘Wasn’t there some issue with the gate using too much power when it dialled there?’

‘That’s correct.’ Hammond agreed, surprised that Jack knew about it.

Jack shrugged. ‘Captain Carter may have mentioned it.’ He’d stopped supervising her a week before and he already missed sharing a working environment with her on base. It showed the excellent progress Sam was making that she was being allowed to work without supervision, Jack thought determinedly, and besides, given his feelings for her it was maybe for the best they re-established some distance between them. He tuned back in as he realised Hammond had begun to speak again.

‘She was the one who spotted the problem with the power usage.’ Hammond noted. ‘Two days ago, Doctor Miznyk was able to establish an outgoing wormhole without the increased power outage by changing the dialling protocol.’ He gestured. ‘I won’t bore you with the specifics.’

‘Excellent, sir.’ Jack commented.

‘Yes.’ Hammond sighed. ‘I agreed to Doctor Miznyk’s request that he go through to P2A108 to find out what was causing the issue at their end. His theory was that there must be technology there that initiated the power increase. We were hoping we could utilise it to draw energy from incoming wormholes ourselves. It might help offset some of the huge electricity bills.’

‘I see, sir.’ Jack said.

‘SG2 and Doctor Miznyk left twenty-eight hours ago. We’ve heard nothing since then.’

‘They missed their check-point.’ Jack surmised.

‘We sent another MALP but all we got was this.’ Hammond gestured at the screen. ‘Thirty seconds of images before the device went dead.’

Jack watched the image with a frown. The Stargate was obviously located in a temple. The area in front of the gate seemed empty; no signs of struggle. He could clearly see a DHD. ‘There doesn’t seem to be any obvious reason for them not to have checked in, sir.’

‘That was my conclusion.’ Hammond admitted. ‘I want you to take a team to P2A108.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Jack nodded and placed his hands behind his back as he drew himself into a semblance of the ‘at ease’ position. ‘Sir, if this is a problem related with the gate technology on the other side,’ he met Hammond’s eyes squarely, ‘it’s going to need Captain Carter’s expertise.’

Hammond pressed his lips together as he mulled over Jack’s words. The same thought had occurred to him. He gave a sharp nod. ‘Very well. I’ll authorise Captain Carter to go with you on this mission.’

‘Thank you, sir.’ Jack said.

‘Get your team, Colonel and be ready to depart in thirty minutes. Dismissed.’ Hammond ordered, turning back to the Stargate.

Jack headed out to break the news to the rest of SG1; they were back to work.

o-O-o

‘Chevron six encoded.’

Jack checked around at his team-mates and placed the baseball cap securely on his head. ‘Everyone good to go?’ Daniel and Teal’c nodded and he turned his attention to their female team-mate. ‘Carter?’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam answered a little nervously as the vortex mushroomed out before settling back into the usual blue shimmering puddle.

Jack saw a shadow cross her eyes before she shook it off. ‘Like riding a bike, Captain.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam replied absently. Her fingers clutched her MP5 a little tighter.

‘Let’s head out.’ Jack said firmly. He ushered his team up the ramp; Teal’c first, then Daniel, then Sam; he went last. He took a last look back at the control room where Hammond was watching anxiously before stepping into the wormhole.

He stepped out on P2A108. He skipped past his team who had come to a relaxed halt on the steps leading down and scowled at the sight of the SG2 leader walking towards them with the young Lieutenant on his team. ‘Ferretti. Lieutenant Corrigan.’

‘Colonel.’ Lou Ferretti saluted briskly as did Corrigan.

‘What’s going on, Ferretti?’ Jack asked. ‘You forget to put on your watch?’

‘No, sir.’ Ferretti shook his head. ‘The gate doesn’t work.’ His dark eyes shifted to Sam. ‘I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you, Captain.’

Jack waved a hand as Sam smiled back at the other officer appreciatively. ‘Did you just say the gate doesn’t work?’

‘Doesn’t that mean we’re all trapped here?’ Daniel added as he produced a large handkerchief and took off his glasses, rubbing the small panes clear of mist.

‘That’s right.’ Ferretti waved at the DHD. ‘Einstein figured out that it was bust DHD.’

‘Einstein?’ Jack asked as he looked around the hall.

‘Doctor Miznyk.’ Ferretti expanded.

‘Where is Doctor Miznyk, sir?’ Sam asked. ‘I’d like to confer with him on his findings so far.’

‘He’s not in good shape, Captain.’ Ferretti said. He pointed at the DHD. ‘He pretty much lost it when he realised we were stuck here.’

‘We’ve been stuck before and made it home.’ Jack said confidently. ‘Any indigenous population for us to worry about, Ferretti?’

‘Doctor Yancy says this place was abandoned a while ago, sir.’

‘OK.’ Jack turned to Sam. ‘Captain, why don’t you start,’ he gestured vaguely at the DHD, ‘doing your thing.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam headed to the device.

Jack nodded at Teal’c. ‘Teal’c, you help Carter with the DHD.’

The Jaffa inclined his head understanding his role was to guard the Captain from danger as well as provide her with assistance.

‘So, give me a run down of what happened, Ferretti.’ Jack ordered.

‘Not much to say, sir.’ Ferretti said. ‘We arrived; secured the gate. Everything seemed fine.’ He sighed. ‘We began to get organised and I ordered Corrigan here to send the MALP back.’

Jack turned back to the Lieutenant. ‘Corrigan?’

The blond haired officer nodded. ‘I dialled Earth, sir, just like always and nothing happened.’

‘Miznyk took a look at the DHD and declared the crystal was damaged.’ Ferretti said. ‘He pretty much lost it. We implemented basic survival training; I ordered a search of the area. We found some ruins of an old village a couple of clicks from here. This temple seemed like a good structure to provide shelter for a prolonged period. We figured the SGC would send a MALP and hoped to get a message back to Earth at least warning them not to send a rescue party.’

‘But the second MALP malfunctioned.’ Daniel said.

‘I don’t know what happened to it.’ Ferretti said. ‘It had hardly made it through the gate when it just…died but the same thing happened to the original.’

‘Really?’ Daniel asked.

‘Yeah, we didn’t get much telemetry.’ Ferretti acknowledged. ‘We figured the MALP was defective and Hammond authorised the mission based on the fact that the telemetry we received back looked OK.’

Jack and Daniel exchanged a look.

‘I guess he won’t be doing that again.’ Daniel murmured as he admired the architecture.

‘Daniel?’ Jack said, peering at the ornate pillars and arches that had caught Daniel’s attention.

‘Looks Greek.’ Daniel said, placing his hands on his hips and staring up at the delicately carved marble.

Ferretti waved at the room they were in. ‘I’ll think you’ll be excited to see this place, Daniel. Yancy thinks there some deep religious significance in the writings on the walls in the other rooms.’

‘There’s writing?’ Daniel repeated.

‘You had to tell him?’ Jack muttered. Daniel shot him a look which he ignored. Jack motioned at Ferretti. ‘Why don’t you give us a tour?’

Ferretti nodded and gestured around him. ‘Yancy thinks this was the main hall.’ He waved at the central statue of a beautiful woman that adorned the centre.

‘It’s Hera.’ Daniel said, circling the large statue.

‘Exactly, Doctor Jackson.’ A thin brown haired man called from a doorway across the hall.

‘Doctor Yancy.’ Daniel gestured up at the nine foot tall marble. ‘This is incredible.’

‘You should see the ante-chamber.’ He waved him over and they followed him through the doorway into an ornate room.

‘Wow.’ Daniel spun around, his eyes travelling from one side to the other. The walls were plated in gold and inscribed with a complex set of symbols. ‘I don’t recognise this.’

‘Are you saying it’s all Greek to you?’ Jack quipped.

‘No,’ Daniel frowned at the symbols, only half listening to his friend. ‘No. It’s not Greek.’

Jack rolled his eyes as Ferretti sniggered.

‘It’s like no language I’ve seen before.’ Yancy said with satisfaction. ‘I’ve been documenting it since we arrived here yesterday.’

‘You have it on film?’ Daniel asked.

‘No, I’ve been concentrating on doing traces.’ Yancy admitted, his dark eyes shining with an eager passion that Jack recognised; he’d seen it too often in Daniel’s. ‘I figured we had time since we’re stuck here forever.’

‘You might want to get it on film.’ Jack pointed out to Daniel. ‘If Carter gets that gate working we could be leaving in a hurry.’

Daniel nodded as Yancy froze.

‘Captain Carter’s with you?’ Yancy asked worriedly.

Jack stiffened at his tone and he pinned him with a hard gaze. ‘Is there a problem, Doctor Yancy?’

‘No, sir.’ Yancy shuffled under Jack’s regard. ‘It’s just…I didn’t realise she would be able to come off-world so soon after her…experience.’

Jack held his gaze for another heartbeat before he turned to Daniel. ‘I take it you’re going to be busy here?’

Daniel nodded. The room was a valuable archaeological find.

Jack sighed. ‘That’s what I thought.’ He gestured at Ferretti. ‘Let’s leave the geeks to it.’

‘I heard that, Jack.’ Daniel said testily.

‘I know.’ Jack shouted over his shoulder.

Ferretti led the way back to the main hall and through a doorway on the opposite side. ‘We’re camped out in the next room.’

Jack’s eyes scanned the room carefully. SG2 had set up at the back of the room. There was a clearly identified sleeping area, operations centre and a cooking and eating area.

‘Nice.’ Jack said.

Ferretti pointed back at another door. ‘That leads to the outside. Taylor’s guarding the entrance now and we posted a watch last night but this place was abandoned a long time ago.’

Jack glanced down at the accumulated dust and dirt at his feet. ‘Or your housekeeping is really bad.’

Ferretti grinned. ‘My wife would agree with you, sir.’

o-O-o

Sam sat back on her haunches. She unwrapped the ration bar and bit into it chewing thoughtfully. She had opened the DHD up and she stared at the contents of its inner workings as she ate. She glanced over at Teal’c who was standing by the edge of the steps. It was standard protocol to have someone stay with her, Sam told herself. The Colonel hadn’t ordered Teal’c to stay with her because he didn’t trust her; she doubted she would be on the mission at all if the Colonel didn’t trust her. She pushed the thoughts aside. She had a problem to focus on, she reminded herself. Her focus should be on how to fix the gate not whether the Colonel trusted her.

‘Is something troubling you, Captain Carter?’ Teal’c asked.

Sam looked up surprised. ‘No.’ She denied. ‘I was just thinking.’ She finished her snack and headed back to the DHD. She frowned at her laptop and tapped on the keyboard bringing up the latest readings of the monitoring equipment she had set up. She glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps and got to her feet as Ferretti and Jack approached.

Jack nodded in acknowledgement to Teal’c before turning to Sam. ‘Captain?’

She gestured at the guts of the DHD. ‘There is a crack in the control crystal, sir, but that isn’t our problem.’

‘Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?’ Jack sighed and plucked his baseball hat off his head to look at her fully.

‘Even though the control crystal is damaged, I’m not sure it would prevent us from establishing an outgoing wormhole. In theory, we should be able to link the power from the DHD directly to the gate,’ Sam explained, ‘and dial the gate manually.’

‘Like you tried back when we went to rescue Ernest.’ Jack said.

‘Exactly.’ Sam would have smiled at him but the situation was too serious. ‘Unfortunately, we can’t do that here.’

‘Why not?’ Ferretti demanded.

‘Because there is no power.’ Sam said. She knelt in front of the DHD column. ‘You see this here?’

Jack glanced at the panel and wiring blankly. ‘What am I looking at, Carter?’

‘Someone rigged this section of the DHD as a power buffer.’ Sam gestured at it. ‘It’s the reason why our power usage at the SGC for dialling here was so high originally. The whole system has been Macgyvered to draw energy through the incoming wormhole and store it here. It’s ingenious really…’

‘I’m sure it’s fascinating, Carter,’ Jack said cutting across her, ‘but what does this have to do with us having no power?’

‘Well, in theory, sir, I think the system was designed so that the energy needed for an outgoing wormhole would be drawn directly from an incoming wormhole.’ Sam hurried out. ‘So you see what I’m saying, sir.’

‘No.’ Jack replied honestly.

‘When the SGC limited the power usage at our end, the system here wasn’t able to draw enough power to sustain an outgoing wormhole for us to depart.’ Sam expanded.

‘You mean we marooned ourselves.’ Ferretti stated with a sigh.

She nodded. ‘I think I’ve also figured out why the system was rigged that way.’

‘Well, don’t keep me in suspense, Captain.’ Jack said sarcastically.

‘Something seems to be affecting the electrical energy in this area.’ Sam said.

‘That’s why our MALPs failed?’ Ferretti whistled.

Sam nodded again. ‘I think so. So far, my laptop and the radio transmitters seem fine but I don’t know how long for.’

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘So we need an alternative power source.’

‘It’s not that simple, sir.’ Sam said firmly. ‘Even if we found another power source for the gate, it would become useless very quickly if we brought it into this area.’

He looked at her steadily. ‘Options?’

‘It’s likely that the SGC will attempt to send another MALP when we fail to report in tomorrow morning, sir.’ Sam said. ‘If I can restore some power to one of the MALPs here, I may be able to program a message to be transmitted automatically back to the SGC when the Stargate is activated asking them to dial here again but not to limit the power usage at their end.’

‘So the system gets enough energy so we can dial out.’ Ferretti beamed at her. ‘That’s a great plan, Captain.’

‘If you can restore power to the MALP before the SGC dials here in,’ Jack checked his watch, ‘approximately twenty-two hours. Can you do that?’

‘I don’t know, sir.’ Sam admitted. ‘And even if I do restore power, I’m not sure it’ll work for long.’

Jack rubbed his head. ‘Is there another option?’

‘We try to find the source affecting the power and reverse it somehow.’ Sam said. ‘But that may take days.’

Jack turned over the options in his head. He sighed. ‘Let’s call that plan B. We’ll try and restore power to one of the MALPs.’

‘In which case, sir, we should make the attempt as close to the window when we think the SGC will dial back in as possible.’ Sam said.

Ferretti cleared his throat. ‘It’s going to get dark here real soon, Colonel.’

Jack nodded. ‘Let’s clear up. We’ll try the plan in the morning.’

They tidied away the gear; Sam put her laptop and measuring equipment back into her pack. Sam mulled over the Colonel’s reactions in her head as she cleared away. She got the impression he had been disappointed with her findings, with her. It had taken a while for her to prove herself to Colonel O’Neill and it upset her to think she might have lost his approval and his trust. She couldn’t blame him for having doubts, Sam thought. She wasn’t sure herself if her experience hadn’t damaged her abilities. Who was she even trying to kid? She wasn’t sure her plan to restore power to a MALP would work, she mused. There were so many variables and the timing was going to be critical. She sighed and started to go through it in her head again. She started to follow the Colonel to the other room when the statue of Hera brought her to a surprised halt.

‘Wow.’ She said looking at the half-naked woman.

‘It adds something to the place.’ Jack said standing beside her. ‘Don’t you think?’

‘I’m not sure I’d want one in my living room.’ Sam muttered as she rolled her shoulders. There was a nagging sensation in her head as though she’d seen something similar before. She frowned up at its beautiful but cold visage.

‘Sam! Jack!’ Daniel ran up to them excitedly. ‘You have to see this!’ He snagged Sam’s arm and tugged her after him. Jack exchanged an amused look with Teal’c before they followed his team-mates. Daniel led them back through the room where Yancy was busy videoing the walls and into a short corridor. He pressed down on a panel and a doorway slid open in front of them.

‘Cool.’ Jack said. He motioned for Daniel to lead the way. They ended up in a small dark room lit by old torches Daniel had set alight.

‘Cosy.’ Jack remarked.

‘Indeed.’ Teal’c said as he ducked his head to enter.

‘Look at this!’ Daniel gestured up at the mural on the walls. It was crumbling in places and covered in dust. ‘You see what this means.’

‘Why don’t you tell us anyway?’ Jack said wryly.

‘Well, it’s the story of this planet. It was ruled by Hera, Queen of the Greek Gods. I think we can assume she was another Queen Goa’uld like Hathor.’ Daniel mused out loud. He pointed at the mural. ‘Anyway, Hera had a reputation for being jealous and vindictive. There were a group of scholars who angered her so much she transported their entire village to the planet through the Stargate and told them they were imprisoned here until they had shown her one thousand years of remorse through their worship of her. An envoy of Hera’s appeared every year at the same time to assess their progress.’

Jack found himself unwilling interested but he knew he needed them to focus on getting home. ‘Is any of this going to help us get out of here, Daniel?’

Daniel glared at him for a moment. ‘So how did the envoy leave every year?’ He asked passionately gesturing at Jack.

Jack stared at him uncomprehendingly.

‘You’re right.’ Sam said excitedly. ‘There has to be a mechanism that returned the power to the Stargate for the envoy to leave. If we could find it…’

‘We could use it.’ Daniel concluded.

‘OK,’ Jack acknowledged, ‘that we could use.’

‘Indeed.’ Teal’c added.

‘So where is it?’ Jack asked Daniel.

‘Well…’ Daniel began.

‘You don’t know.’ Jack surmised from the archaeologist’s sheepish expression.

Daniel sighed. ‘I’ve only been here a couple of hours, Jack.’

‘Well, keep at it.’ Jack ordered, waving at the room. ‘Otherwise we’ll go with Carter’s plan in the morning.’ His eyes flickered to the Captain. ‘Carter, stay and help Daniel. Teal’c and I are going to go help SG2 organise dinner.’

He made his way back into the main hall, the Jaffa beside him. Ferretti greeted them, his dark eyes glancing at the doorway with curiosity. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Daniel found a secret room.’ Jack said mildly.

‘Oh.’ Ferretti blinked. ‘He doesn’t change much does he?’

Jack hid a smile. ‘It looks like there might be a mechanism that turns the Stargate on hidden somewhere around.’ He explained. ‘Daniel and Carter are working on finding it.’

‘Have I told you how happy I am to see you guys?’ Ferretti said grinning.

Jack clapped a hand over his shoulder. ‘That’s good because you’re cooking.’

o-O-o

Jack accepted the square tin filled with the stew Ferretti had somehow concocted from their rations. He frowned at the brown mess and sighed as he dug in with his spoon. He’d forgotten just how bad a cook Ferretti was. He looked up briefly as Sam and Daniel arrived back with Taylor. Both of them were covered liberally in dust and Jack sneezed as Sam sat down beside him, Daniel on her other side; Teal’c was outside keeping watch.

‘Sorry, sir.’ Sam gave Jack an apologetic smile as Ferretti handed her some stew.

‘No problem.’ Jack said, gulping down a mouthful of the mixture. His eyes lingered on Yancy and Miznyk. They sat across from SG1, staring at Carter. ‘How’s it going?’

Daniel hurriedly swallowed his stew and waved his fork. ‘We’ve discovered a section that tells the story of how the scholars studied the Stargate hoping to learn its secrets so they could leave.’

‘We think they created the power buffer to draw enough power so when the envoy arrived, they could immediately dial out.’ Sam continued.

‘Unfortunately, that’s the bad news.’ Daniel said, concentrating on his food.

‘Why is it bad news?’ Teal’c asked.

‘Because if they needed to create something that allowed them to leave, they obviously never found the mechanism that the envoy used to restore power to the Stargate.’ Daniel rushed out around a mouthful of dinner.

‘Is there any good news?’ Jack asked as he stirred the stew listlessly.

‘We’ve only uncovered a small proportion of the room’s mural.’ Daniel said. ‘It’s possible there’s something else there.’

Jack sighed and nodded at Sam. ‘I guess we’re still going with your plan in the morning, Captain.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam nodded and tried to look confident.

‘Exactly how do you intend to restore power to the MALP?’ Miznyk asked snidely. The small man was huddled in a blanket although the temple remained at a comfortable temperature.

‘My laptop battery seems unaffected by the power drain.’ Sam said. ‘I should be able to connect the transmitter on the MALP to it.’

‘It won’t work for long.’ Miznyk pointed out.

‘No,’ Sam allowed, ‘but it should work for long enough for us to get a message to the SGC.’

‘So you say.’ Miznyk muttered.

Sam flushed and looked down at her stew.

‘Hey!’ Jack snapped his brown eyes glaring at Miznyk. He stabbed a finger at the scientist. ‘No party poopers allowed.’ He put his stew down and checked his watch. ‘We should turn in soon. We have an early start tomorrow.’

‘I think we should continue with the mural, Jack.’ Daniel suggested. ‘It’s possible we’ll discover something.’

‘Yancy can help you.’ Ferretti nudged SG2’s archaeologist. ‘You’re all finished with the gold room, right?’

‘Well, the room Doctor Jackson’s examining is quite small, it would be a tight fit with three of us. I’m sure he and Captain Carter would do better alone.’ Yancy avoided looking at the blonde Air Force officer as he spoke.

Jack stiffened and he saw a flash of distress in Sam’s eyes before she looked down at her meal.

‘There’s plenty of room for all of us.’ Daniel said blithely, seemingly unaware of the undercurrents.

‘Really, Doctor Jackson, I think…’

‘Perhaps you should assist Daniel, Doctor Yancy, rather than myself.’ Sam said, interrupting the man’s stumbling explanation. She met Yancy’s surprised gaze challengingly. ‘You’ve got the correct skills and expertise after all.’

Daniel suddenly looked up at Sam as though the subtext of the conversation had just become apparent to him. ‘I’d appreciate your help, Sam.’

‘Carter’s right, Daniel.’ Jack stepped in. He gestured at Yancy. ‘You and Yancy can continue with the room. Carter needs to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to work on her plan tomorrow.’

Daniel looked as though he was about to argue but at Jack’s hard stare, he shoved in another spoonful of stew and kept silent. Sam set her stew down; she’d barely eaten more than a couple of mouthfuls but the tension around the small group had robbed her of her appetite.

Jack fought the urge to sigh heavily. ‘Ferretti, why don’t you and your team take over the watch from Teal’c. I’ll take the end of the rotation.’

Ferretti cleared his throat. ‘Yes, sir.’

Sam frowned. ‘Sir, I can take a watch…’

‘Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Carter, remember?’ Jack said lightly. ‘We need you alert tomorrow to save our collective asses.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam said quietly.

Miznyk snorted. ‘Like that’s the real reason.’

Jack and Daniel both glared at him.

Sam got to her feet. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll get some air before I turn in.’ She didn’t wait for Jack’s permission but immediately headed out of the temple.

‘You’re an idiot, Miznyk.’ Jack muttered. He caught Daniel’s arm before the younger man could move. ‘I’ve got this.’ He headed out of the main hall and down the narrow corridor that led to the outside.

o-O-o

Sam breathed in deeply as she stepped outside before she wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach.

‘Are you alright, Captain Carter?’

Teal’s low voice rumbled over to her and she turned her head to nod at him, plastering a patently false smile on her face. ‘I’m fine, Teal’c.’

He raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. ‘It’s just…I’m just worried about tomorrow.’ She rammed her hands into her pockets and stared out at the night sky.

‘I have every confidence that your plan will be successful.’ Teal’c said, firmly grasping the staff weapon as his eyes continued to scan the area.

‘You’re the only one who is.’ Sam blurted out.

His eyes snapped to her and she looked away.

‘Sorry, Teal’c.’ She waved a hand at him. ‘Forget I said anything.’

‘You believe the others do not consider your plan to be achievable?’ Teal’c pressed gently.

Sam sighed and didn’t answer him.

‘Colonel O’Neill has expressed faith in your plan.’ Teal’c said, trying to reassure her.

Sam shuffled, struggling with the desire to confide in someone before giving into it. ‘I know he said it but I don’t think he meant it, Teal’c.’ She rubbed her arms. The Colonel might have opted for a plan but it was obvious he would prefer to find the power mechanism to switch the Stargate on that Daniel had discovered in the mural story. He was obviously uncertain of her given his decision about the watch. ‘I don’t think Colonel O’Neill has faith in my ideas or in me anymore and why should he? I’ve been possessed by a Goa’uld.’

His eyebrow rose a little further. ‘Perhaps it is not Colonel O’Neill’s faith in you that you doubt but your own.’

Sam winced at the accuracy of the Jaffa’s statement. ‘Maybe.’ She admitted. ‘I’m not sure my plan’s going to work. There are so many things that could go wrong; I might not be able to get the MALP to power up, or the message sent, and the timing…’

‘I have seen you perform the impossible many times, Captain Carter.’ Teal’c said comfortingly.

‘But that was before.’ Sam muttered even though his words warmed her. ‘I just feel like I’m missing something, that’s there’s something obvious I haven’t thought about or considered.’ And Miznyk was clearly waiting to see her fall flat on her backside, Sam mused.

‘Perhaps you should rest.’ Teal’c suggested.

‘You’re probably right.’ Sam said.

There was a sound behind them and they both turned to see Jack emerging from the doorway.

His shadowed eyes fell on Sam. ‘Everything OK, Captain?’

‘Yes, sir. I was just about to turn in.’ Sam said formally. She reached over and squeezed Teal’c’s arm. ‘Thanks, Teal’c.’

The Jaffa inclined his head.

Jack watched her disappear back inside. He rubbed his eyes and turned to Teal’c. ‘Tell me honestly, Teal’c, is she OK?’

‘Were not you listening to our conversation?’ Teal’c said mildly, looking over at his team-leader.

‘Well, I…’ Jack stuttered. He looked sheepish. ‘You realised I was eavesdropping?’

‘Indeed.’

‘But you didn’t say anything?’

‘To do so would have humiliated Captain Carter.’ Teal’c said.

‘Yes.’ Jack said slowly. ‘Yes. It would.’ He looked at his friend gratefully. ‘Thanks.’ He sighed deeply. ‘I’ve obviously screwed this up enough already if Carter’s questioning whether I have any faith in her.’

‘Captain Carter is questioning her faith in herself.’ Teal’c corrected gently, his expressions softening. ‘She is not unaware that her presence here has not been welcomed by all.’

‘She should be able to talk to me about it,’ Jack winced at the bitterness of his tone; the jealous edge, ‘about the whole thing.’

‘I believe she is worried that to do so would alter your perception of her abilities.’ Teal’c said.

‘It wouldn’t.’ Jack denied immediately.

‘Perhaps you should have this conversation with Captain Carter.’ Teal’c murmured pointedly.

Jack sighed again and shoved a hand through his hair sending the short strands askew. ‘Yeah, maybe I should.’ He patted Teal’c’s arm and headed inside.

He glanced briefly across at the dining area where Ferretti was playing cards with Taylor and Corrigan; Miznyk had retreated to his bedroll. Daniel and Yancy weren’t present and Jack assumed they were back in the secret room. He walked over to the sleeping area he and Teal’c had set out earlier for SG1. Sam was already in her sleeping bag, curled up tightly into a ball. He could barely make out her mop of blonde hair. He hesitated wondering whether to check she was asleep and decided against disturbing her. He could talk to her in the morning, he determined as he shucked off his own jacket and lowered himself to the floor.

o-O-o

‘Jolinar!’

The shout had her turning back as other people, people she knew and cared for, rushed by her. There was a general air of panic and fear around her. The ground beneath her feet and the walls of the tunnel she was in rocked. Something was happening; something bad. A Jaffa blasted a staff weapon near to her…

A slim built man with short brown hair and blue eyes ran up and her heart jumped at the sight of him. Love swamped her along with a feeling of security and safety even though she instinctively knew that they were in a lot of danger.

His eyes warmed at the sight of her but remained serious. ‘You have to activate the Chappa’ai. Quickly, Jolinar!’

She hurried to the DHD; the glyphs lit up with each new symbol she pressed. The sound of the Stargate activating filled the chamber…

Sam woke abruptly, gasping for air. The dream faded as quickly as it had come leaving her only with the faint edge of remembered panic. She rubbed her hands over her face and looked around.

Teal’c sat cross-legged with his eyes closed at the far side of their sleeping area; both Daniel’s and Jack’s sleeping bags were empty. She checked her watch. Daniel was probably still working away in the mural room and the Colonel must have begun the last watch. A snore from a member of SG2 travelled across the room and Sam crawled out of her makeshift bed. She picked up her jacket as she made her way out of the temple desperate to feel the air on her skin. She breathed in a lungful of fresh air as she made it outside.

‘Captain?’ Jack kept his voice low not wanting to alarm her or wake anyone.

Sam turned to look at him slowly. He sat on the top step of the temple. ‘Sorry, sir. I couldn’t sleep.’ She was surprised when he nodded understandingly and patted the ground next to him.

‘Make yourself comfortable, Captain.’

She moved over to him cautiously, lowering herself into a sitting position before wrapping her arms around her knees and staring up at the purple sky.

They sat in silence for a long while.

‘You want to talk about it, Sam?’ Jack asked eventually.

She started at his use of her first name. ‘Sir?’

‘Your nightmare.’ Jack said gently. ‘You want to talk about it?’

‘Not really, sir.’ Sam said.

Jack tried hard not to feel disappointed. ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t want to talk about it with my CO either.’

Sam offered him a small smile and his spirits rose a little. ‘It’s not that, sir.’ Her lips twitched again at his patent look of disbelief. ‘Well, maybe a little,’ she admitted, ‘it’s more…I don’t really remember it.’ She finished in a rush. ‘All I remember is that I was in danger and I was…’

‘Scared.’ Jack supplied as her voice trailed away.

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam didn’t look at him.

Jack looked over at her and glanced back at the doorway to the temple. He debated for a moment before giving in. ‘C’mere.’ Before she could protest his arm was around her. She breathed in the scent of him and snuggled a little closer, her hands resting lightly on her knees. A warm feeling stole over her as she rested her head on his shoulder; his arm was tight around hers. She felt so safe and secure, she mused, like nothing could ever hurt her again. She hated the idea that she might disappoint him.

‘I don’t think my plan’s going to work, sir.’ Sam admitted, without raising her head from his chest.

Teal’c had been right about her doubting herself, Jack realised. ‘It’ll work.’ He said confidently.

‘How can you be so sure?’ Sam wondered, raising her head to look at him.

‘Because I have faith in you.’ Jack answered truthfully.

The sincerity shining in his brown eyes took her breath away for a second. ‘What if I make a mistake and ruin it?’ Sam asked.

Jack held her gaze. ‘Then you’ll make a mistake. We all do make mistakes, Carter, even you.’

She nodded and dropped her head back on his shoulder.

‘Besides, this isn’t such a bad place to get marooned,’ Jack said lightly, ‘nice sunrises,’ he waved at the one beginning in front of them, ‘decent temple. It kinda reminds me a little of Argos…’

Sam sat up abruptly startling Jack. ‘That’s it!’

‘What?’ Jack asked.

‘You’ve done it, sir.’ Sam jumped to her feet.

‘Done what?’ Jack asked as he rose to follow her into the temple. He entered to see her waking Teal’c. Jack hurriedly woke Ferretti for him to assume the watch before he followed his team-mates into the main hall to find Teal’c ushering Daniel back into the room. They all stood in front of the statue.

‘What’s going on?’ Daniel asked Jack.

‘An excellent question.’ Jack noted. He looked at Sam. ‘Captain?’

‘What does this place remind you of?’ Sam asked excitedly.

Jack looked at her blankly before their conversation outside filtered back to him. ‘Argos.’

‘Exactly.’ Sam beamed at him. ‘I knew the statue reminded me of something yesterday but I couldn’t work it out. This hall is laid out exactly like the one at Argos.’

‘You’re right.’ Daniel said looking around.

‘So you see where I’m going with this?’ Sam asked delighted.

Jack and Teal’c both looked at each other bemused; Daniel clapped his hands and pointed at her. ‘The statue was hiding a transmitter that controlled the nanocytes.’

‘Exactly.’ She gestured up at the statue. ‘What if this statue is hiding a transmitter that controls the power to the Stargate?’

Jack frowned. ‘That would be quite a coincidence, Captain.’

‘No, I think she might be right, Jack.’ Daniel said. ‘The mural depicts the envoy making some kind of religious intonation to the statue. It’s possible he was providing it with some kind of password to alter the setting.’

‘Sir, if I’m right then we can find the transmitter and shut it down. That should remove whatever’s affecting the power.’ Sam said confidently. ‘If we do this now, we’ll still have enough time to try the other plan if I’m wrong.’

Jack considered her words before he looked back over at her with a sigh. ‘Let’s do it.’

An hour, one toppled Hera statue and one fixed alien transmitter later, Sam fiddled with a power cable and smiled as a steady orange glow returned to the DHD. ‘Power’s on, sir.’ She confirmed happily.

‘Dial her up, Carter.’ Jack said.

‘That crystal is damaged.’ Miznyk muttered as he adjusted his pack. ‘It will never hold up.’

‘Have a little faith, Miznyk.’ Jack said cheerfully, his brown eyes twinkled at Sam.

She nodded and dialled the Earth address; she held her breath as she pressed down on the control crystal. The Stargate activated with a satisfying whoosh and the entire group beamed at her.

Daniel dived through the blue puddle; Teal’c followed him.

Ferretti ushered his team and Doctor Miznyk up the steps. ‘Hey, we’re even going to be home in time for Christmas.’ He winked at Sam before he stepped through the wormhole.

Jack caught Sam’s arm. ‘Good job, Captain.’ He said proudly.

‘Thank you, sir.’ Sam smiled.

‘Looks like that damaged crystal withstood the pressure after all.’ Jack noted, placing his baseball cap on as they walked up the steps together. ‘All it needed was a little faith.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam’s lips twitched.

He had a sudden thought and he looked over at her as they came to a stop on the top step. ‘Carter, you do know I’m not talking about the crystal, right?’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam admitted. ‘I got that.’

Jack acknowledged her words with a nod. ‘Shall we, Captain?’ He invited her into the wormhole with a wide sweep of his arm.

She smiled at him and stepped into the blue horizon. He grinned and followed her home.

fin.