| Like Steve McQueen. |
| by Mo Phillips. |
| Please make sure you have read the disclaimer before reading any further. |
| Part One: |
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| Usually, nothing very interesting happened on a Tuesday in the Cheyenne Mountain home of the SGC complex. Jack O'Neill ruminated on that fact as he arrived in the mountain exactly 90 minutes before the Tuesday morning briefing. On his way to the commissary, having changed into the green uniform of the day, he stuck his head around the door of Daniel Jackson's office and found the archaeologist, as was usual for an Earth-side Tuesday, buried deep in some research or other and with only the vaguest notion of what day of the week it was. Jack reminded him they had a briefing and moved on to poke his head into Sam Carter's lab. He found her as engrossed with some doohickey as Daniel had been with his rocks. She muttered an affirmative to his reminder but did not remove her head and shoulders from inside the guts of whatever it was she was working on. Then, as was usual for a Tuesday, O'Neill found Teal'c waiting for him in the corridor on the way to the commissary and they adjourned there for Teal'c to watch his friend swallow several mugs of thick black coffee. Teal'c did not imbibe. Nor did he comment on Jack's theory about Tuesday being the dullest day of the week. |
| So, when something interesting happened mid morning, half way through possibly the driest briefing ever - he would swear - Jack's first thought was to wonder if it was Tuesday after all. Sam Carter, mid way through Daniel's fascinating dissertation on the ancient civilization that HAD DIED at least five thousand years ago on P3X467, suddenly stood up; the violence of her action causing her chair to scoot away from the table. "Major?" Hammond frowned, mildly perplexed. She opened her mouth to speak then shut it quickly and bolted from the room, her hands clasped over her mouth. "Okay." Daniel blinked. Jack glanced between the confused archaeologist, the surprised general and the door then stood up. "It's okay. I'll go." Daniel beat him to it, trotting from the room. "Major Carter appeared to be unwell," Teal'c remarked. "Yeah," Jack retook his seat slowly. Sgsgsgsg "Sam? Hey, Sam?" Daniel did not have to go far to find his team mate. She had made it only as far as the janitor's closet in the corridor downstairs from the briefing room. She was hunched over the large porcelain sink, both hands braced on the edge, her body wracked with the heaves as her stomach emptied. "Oh. Hey." Daniel grimaced and stepped into the cupboard laying a cautious hand on her quaking back. The thin black cotton of her long sleeved tee was damp under his palm. "Leave me alone," Carter managed to demand before doubling over the sink as another bout of retching seized her. "Yeah, right," Daniel agreed good-naturedly, rubbing her back in a circular motion. "I mean it, Daniel. I'm..." She groaned as the dry heaves assaulted her. "Yeah, you're fine." Sgsgsgsg "Maybe we should adjourn for twenty minutes, colonel," Hammond suggested, trying to not look too grateful for the break. "Yes sir." "Find out if Major Carter will be rejoining us." "Oh, yes, sir." Jack rose, Teal'c mirroring his motion. "I warned her about the Sushi." Sgsgsgsg "How long has this been going on?" "Janet!" Daniel sounded both surprised and relieved as Doctor Janet Fraiser suddenly appeared at his elbow. "Hey, Daniel," Janet squeezed in beside Sam at the sink and pressed the back of her hand against the major's pallid cheek. "Sam? Hey, sweetie, what's this all about?" "Bad," Sam groaned and clutched her stomach, "Sushi." Janet stroked Sam's upper arm supportively, "Uh huh. Let's get you to the infirmary and let me do the diagnosing? Okay?" "M'okay. Just need to lie down for a while." Sam shrugged and grimaced as her stomach cramped "Sure. I have just the place." Janet smiled. "I'm okay, Janet, really." Sam rinsed her mouth out and let the tap run. "Humor me." Janet twinkled as she squeezed past Daniel and lifted the 'phone that was bracketed to the wall just inside the closet door. She dialed as Sam protested. "I don't need a gurney, Janet, really. I just need to go to my --" "Sam!" Daniel yelped as she suddenly swayed dramatically and started to crumple to the floor. The receiver crashed against the wall and swung madly as the doctor and the archaeologist leapt to save Sam from hitting the deck. "I got her! I got her." Daniel panted as he struggled to keep his hold under Sam's arms. Holding onto an unconscious Sam Carter turned out to be as easy as nailing Jell-O to a wall until Janet caught her around the waist and helped Daniel lift her up, letting him straighten his spine and brace his feet. The pose was inelegant, Sam's face jammed into the front of his shirt, her arms and legs splayed. "Gurney to janitor's closet on C2, stat!" Janet snapped into the 'phone before coming back to help Daniel. "What happened?" Jack was suddenly there. "Sam passed out." Daniel was wide eyed. "Okay. I got her." As if he swept unconscious women into his arms every day Jack neatly maneuvered Sam from Daniel's desperate grasp up and into his arms. She folded up against his chest like a child. Janet pressed her fingers into Sam's throat, "I think she just fainted." Anxiety carved twin lines between the doctor's brows. "This is the Air Force, doctor. Major's don't just faint." Jack tried to joke but the lines around his eyes gave away the true depth of his worry. "Ma'am?" An orderly skidded to a halt in the hallway, his gurney bumping into him. "What took you so long?" Janet demanded. Sensibly, the orderly didn't answer. "Okay. She's shocky so keep her warm. I want an IV in as soon as we get to the infirmary and bloods!" For a second the three remaining members of SG1 stood blinking at each other as the medics and their patient whisked away. "Daniel?" Jack asked quietly. "She was throwing up when I found her, said something about sushi. Then she just passed out." Daniel pushed both hands through his hair, "She weighs nothing, Jack. Did you notice that?" Jack nodded. "Teal'c, would you tell Hammond what happened? If he wants us, you know where we'll be." "Indeed. I will be there shortly." "Thanks." Sgsgsgsg "Hey. Welcome back." Janet tilted her head and smiled warmly as Sam, lying on her side in a bed in the infirmary and covered with a blanket, opened her eyes and blinked owlishly. "Want to tell me what that was all about?" Twenty minutes had passed. Sam rolled onto her back, groaning and rubbing her forearm across her face. She frowned and raised her head to look at her socked feet poking out of the bottom of the blanket. "Janet?" "How do you feel?" The doctor grasped Sam's wrist and studied her watch. Her lightly tanned fingers contrasted with the milky blue whiteness of the major's skin. "Tired, really tired," Sam's blue eyes drifted shut again. Janet nodded and laid her hand on her patient's shoulder. "I've sent blood to the lab for tests, Sam. This could be any number of things, including food poisoning." Janet studied the pallid face for a moment. "How long have you been skipping breakfast?" "Couple of weeks," Sam answered before thinking. She opened her eyes and looked askance. Janet shrugged off her unspoken question, "Any other symptoms?" "Just tired, dizzy sometimes, too." "You were planning on telling me this... when?" Janet crinkled her dark chocolate eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it was anything. It's not is it? I mean, it's just the sushi, right?" "I don't know, yet." Janet tucked a stray strand of dark hair back behind her ear. "I'm going to get a physical aren't I?" Sam groaned and closed her eyes. "Oh yes," Janet agreed cheerfully. Sgsgsgsg Janet had had an orderly herd the three other members of SG1 into her office where they would not keep getting underfoot. Now, Teal'c stood impassive and immobile by the door while Jack sat in the doctor's chair with his feet on her desk, playing compulsively with a stress ball he had found on the blotter. Daniel was wearing a three foot groove in the carpet. It was a small office. "It's been an hour. We should have heard," Daniel said through grit teeth. "Fraiser will let us know as soon as she can," Jack said quietly. "How can you be so calm?" Daniel demanded. "Sam is sick and you..." "I am saving my energy for when I can do something useful." Jack fixed the younger man in a steely gaze. Daniel looked abashed, "Sorry. I'm just worried sick." "We are all concerned, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c intoned. "Doc?" Jack leapt out of her chair as Janet pushed into the room and snatched up her 'phone. "I don't know yet. Go say hello while I light a fire under the lab techs." Sgsgsgsg "Sorry for scaring you guys." Sam, now clad in a hospital gown, was propped up on a mound of pillows with an IV line entering her right wrist. She looked pale and wan, dark shadows encircling her eyes. "I wasn't scared." Daniel shook his head then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "But you do have Teal'c worried." "I'm sorry. I'm sure it's just the takeout I had last night. You did warn me, sir." Sam tried to smile but it faltered as she shuddered suddenly and made a grab for the cardboard emesis bowl on the nightstand. "Get Fraiser," Jack ordered. Daniel hurried away as the colonel sat up on the bed and helped Sam hold the bowl under her chin. She was shuddering and gasping as her body fought to empty an already empty stomach. "Take it easy," Jack soothed, patting her shoulder clumsily, "you're okay." "Hate this." "Yeah, I know." He smiled. Janet bustled in with Daniel and a male nurse on her heels, "Sam? Okay. I'm going to give you a shot that will stop the nausea. You're becoming overly dehydrated." "Doctor, we still didn't receive our supply of compazine." Jake Thomas, one of Janet's most trusted nurses informed her. "The only alternative we have for Major Carter is domperidone in suspension," he added, referring to the fact that Sam's Tok'ra altered physiology ruled out the use of many common treatments. Janet grimaced then nodded, "Okay, 20 milligrams." "Everybody out," Jack sing-songed, "You're gonna get it in the butt, Carter!" He pantomimed rubbing his hands together in glee. Carter smiled weakly in response as the three men turned to make their way out of the cubicle. "Actually, you're not. We're out of the regular stuff." Jake grinned, holding up a brown bottle of white liquid and shaking it vigorously. "This tastes pretty nasty though," Jake held up the bottle for Janet to inspect the label. "And I have to ask you if you may be pregnant, major." The sudden silence made Jack turn back, "Carter?" She was rigid in the bed. Her death grip on the sheets turning her knuckles white. She was staring into space with a look of pure horror twisting her pale features. "Carter?" She started to scream. For a second the room was a frozen tableau of shocked faces staring in horror at their terrified friend. Then Sam kicked at the mattress, shoving herself up the bed to jam her back against the bedstead. Her friends moved to converge on the bed, freezing as renewed screams tore from her throat. "What the hell?" O'Neill was white faced. "Sam?" Janet was closest. Sam's white rimmed eyes fixed on her white coat and the plastic dosing cup in her hand and she whimpered. "Okay. Okay." Moving slowly and carefully, Janet laid the medicine on the stainless steel trolley. A tilt of her head instructed the nurse to back off too. "Okay. Relax, Sam." "I don't think she recognizes us," Daniel said hoarsely. "Major Carter," Teal'c began, stepping forward. He turned to stone as Sam fixated on his face and moaned. "Christ! She thinks you're a Jaffa," O'Neill rasped. "Back off." Teal'c nodded and moved smoothly out of the cubicle. "Sam." Daniel swallowed, "It's me." "Jake, would you prep 10 mils of valium IV," Janet said in an undertone. Sam's confused eyes were darting from face to face. She plainly didn't know any one. Shuddering, she pressed herself harder against the bed head, as if she were trying to force herself into the wall. "Sam. Hey� Sam�" speaking softly, quietly, Janet edged closer to the bed and reached out. Sam flinched and whimpered. "Jack." His name escaped her raw throat on a breath of despair. O'Neill moved quickly, "I'm here." "Colonel?" She blinked at him. "Yeah. How you doin'?" Jack eased his hip onto the edge of the bed carefully, "Want to tell me what's going on?" "Sir?" Sam frowned at him in confusion then glanced around, "What? I mean..." "Why don't you lay down, honey?" Janet suggested gently. "Janet?" Sam stared at her for a moment then her eyes rolled back in her head and she started to keel over. Jack caught her before she tumbled out of the bed and, with Janet's help, laid her down, tucking the blanket up to her chin. "What was that?" asked Daniel. "I have no idea," admitted Janet, checking the monitors even as she pressed her fingers against Sam's radial pulse. Jack was silent, staring unblinkingly at the motionless form in the bed. "Jack?" asked Daniel. "I've seen that before. Or something like it." Jack sounded sick. "Colonel?" Jack's jaw worked, as if he had to struggle to make words. "Jack?" "I think... she just remembered something. Something not nice." Jack turned on his heel and stalked out. "What? Jack? What?" Daniel looked torn between staying by his fallen comrade or chasing after Jack. He chose to stay. "Janet?" "I have no idea, Daniel. We'll just have to wait until Sam wakes up and ask her." Sgsgsgsg Three hours later. Sam had not moved from her near fetal position under the blankets. Having received the results she was waiting for, Janet had retreated to her office. She came out every thirty minutes to check the read outs on the machines monitoring Sam's condition and lightly grasp her wrist to check her pulse. Each time, she brushed her fingers through her friend's golden hair and offered Daniel a tight smile before retreating. "Hey." Jack stood in the gap in the curtains around the bed, his hands jammed deep in his pockets. "Hey." Daniel nodded. "What's happening?" "Nothing. Janet comes in here once in a while but Sam hasn't woken up." Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed at his face. "Take a break, space monkey." "Some one needs to be here." "I know. Go grab a coffee," Jack said tonelessly. "If you're sure." Daniel rose from the chair stiffly, replacing his glasses, "Uh, Jack? What do you think she might have remembered?" "I have no idea," Jack responded heavily. "Go." "Right." Daniel left. Jack stared down at the faux leather seat for a long moment before turning to face the bed. All that was visible of Sam was the top of her head and one hand gripping the edge of the blanket tightly. "Carter?" Jack stepped closer, "You playing possum?" When she neither moved nor responded Jack sighed and sat up on the edge of the bed. Janet found him perched there a while later. "There you are." She brushed past him to study the heart monitor whilst at the same time grasping Sam's wrist. "Here I am. Were you looking for me?" "No. Yes." The doctor's voice was tightly controlled as if she was hanging onto her temper with difficulty. Jack slow blinked. "Okay..." "Come with me." Janet headed for her office. "Daniel doesn't think she should be alone." "He's right. This won't take long." Casting a fretful glance over his shoulder, Jack followed the doctor into her office. He passed her so she could close the door. "There's no delicate way for me to do this, colonel. So I'm just going to come right out with it. Major Carter is pregnant. Are you the father?" The color dropped from Jack's face, "What?" "Is it your baby, colonel?" "No! God... No." Jack dropped down onto the couch as if his knees had given out, "Are you sure?" "Oh yeah," Janet sank into the chair behind her desk. "Hell." "The thing is, colonel, Jack," Janet closed her eyes for a beat; "Sam and I are pretty close. We talk. About everything." Janet hesitated as if unsure she should say what she was about to say, "She hasn't been seeing anyone. The only person she won't talk about --" "Is me." "Yeah." "Doc... Janet. We haven't. Not since P3R118." "That was over a year ago." "I know." Jack studied his hands for a moment, his brow creased, "Doc� what I said earlier ... what if something has happened? Something she just remembered today?" "That's what I'm afraid of. I was hoping this baby was going to be yours, Jack. That would be so much easier to deal with." Janet sighed, "The blood tests I ran came back with more than a positive pregnancy test result." "What do you mean?" "You know Sam has had naquadah in her blood since Jolinar?" "Yes?" "The amount has more than doubled." "You think it's the baby?" "I think we need to find out." Jack nodded. Sgsgsgsg Jack stood next to the closed door of Hammond's office, his face a tight impassive mask as he listened to Doctor Fraiser bring the general up to speed with Carter's condition. He stopped rocking to and fro on the balls of his feet as he realized that Hammond was listening intently to the doctor but watching him. "It's not mine, sir," O'Neill responded to the question Hammond was about to ask. "Our relationship has been strictly professional since P3R118, as we discussed and agreed with you at that time, sir." Jack's voice was tight with anger, "I think something's happened. Off world probably." Hammond nodded then frowned, "When? There's been nothing in any mission reports, no indication --" "I know. Whatever it is�" Jack stopped speaking and looked down at the toes of his boots for a long moment, "� I think Carter remembered something earlier. I think there might be something in our heads ... blocking our memories... kinda thing." Jack waved his hand in the air vaguely, "I don't know." "Well all right." Hammond nodded. He turned his attention from the ashen faced colonel to the tight lipped doctor, "This is a delicate situation, doctor, but if there is any risk to this establishment or indeed to the planet we need to know. Run whatever tests are necessary to find out." "Yes, sir." Janet nodded. "Ah, general," Jack was shaking his head slowly; "I don't think that's such a good idea. At least not until Carter wakes up and gives consent." The air in the office was heavy as all three considered the implications. "I understand, son. But we may not have the time to be nice about this. Doctor?" "Janet," Jack appealed to his friend. "I know, colonel. You're right. But so is the general. We know the goa'uld aren't above the lowest tricks and I wouldn't put it past them for this to be another Cassandra situation. However, an ultra sound is non invasive and should let us see if there is any immediate danger." Jack rubbed his hand over his mouth and nodded reluctantly, stepping aside to let the doctor exit the office. "You all right, Jack?" "Me?" O'Neill raised his eyebrows, "I'm just peachy." Sgsgsgsg When Janet returned to the infirmary she found Daniel perched on the chair at Sam's bedside. He was hunched over so that he could hold her hand. "Hey, Daniel." "What's going on, Janet?" Daniel asked quietly. "I haven't discussed this with Sam yet, Daniel." "He knows," Daniel declared, nodding towards Jack who was at her heels. Doctor and colonel glanced at each other. "Are congratulations in order?" Daniel asked quietly. Janet's mouth turned down and her eyes glistened suspiciously as she ducked past Daniel to lay her hand on Sam's forehead. "What makes you ask that?" O'Neill asked tonelessly. "I know everyone thinks I spend so much time with my books and rocks that they think I'm somehow disconnected from the real world. But I'm not. I know Sam. I know that she hasn't been eating right for a couple of weeks now. That she's been having trouble sleeping." "Somewhere on this uniform it says doctor, I know it does," Janet muttered sourly, "Was anyone ever going to tell me?" Daniel was gazing fixedly at O'Neill, "I know you too, Jack. So, answer my question." "Doc." Jack broke away from the archaeologists penetrating stare. "I shouldn't. Doctor/patient confidentiality and all." "I know, Janet. But if you don't tell him he's just going to do his Sherlock Holmes act and before we know it the whole base will be talking." O'Neill rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "Since you put it like that. Daniel, Sam's pregnant." A huge grin sunburst over Daniel's face but faded as he realized that no one was celebrating. "This is a bad thing because�?" "I think what Carter remembered earlier was --" "Oh." The color drained from Daniel's face, "Oh." Sgsgsgsg Hell of a Tuesday this turned out to be. Jack O'Neill had retreated to his office and locked himself in. Teal'c was kelno-reeming like he was never going to get another chance while Daniel Jackson had his head so deep in his books Sergeant Siler was laying odds on what month it would be when he surfaced. Sam Carter lay in a fugue state in the corner booth of the infirmary. She neither moved nor made a sound as Janet drew the curtains around the bed and performed an ultra sound without the aid of a technician or a nurse. Tears sprang to the doctor's eyes as she quickly turned off the volume to mute the sound of a healthy, steady, fetal heartbeat. Sgsgsgsg It was 1 am on Thursday morning. Janet was asleep on the bed next to the curtained off cubicle, using her lab coat as a blanket. At midnight, Jack had flitted like a ghost past the orderly bent over reports on the desk near the door. He had been sitting on the stool at Sam's bedside ever since. He was still and silent. Resembling nothing so much as a crane standing one legged in still waters waiting for an unsuspecting fish to meander by. His eyes never left Sam's face though. She was lying on her back, propped up in a mound of pillows and tucked in securely. Janet had even ordered that the railings on the bed be raised lest she come too and tumble from the bed in confusion before help arrived. Occasionally O'Neill would close his eyes and frown as if in pain but after a moment he would shake his head and resume his vigil. At 01.42 he opened his eyes to find Sam's delft gaze fixed on him. "Sir?" "Carter!" O'Neill whispered, diving off the stool and snatching up her hand, "Way to lay down on the job, major!" "How long was I out?" "Nearly two days." Sam grimaced, "What happened?" "What do you remember?" Sam screwed up her eyes as she tried to remember, "Uh... briefing room. Throwing up. Some more throwing up. Oh." Her grip on his hand tightened convulsively, "Oh God." She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, "Not Sushi?" "Yeah. Not sushi." O'Neill leaned on the railings, still holding her hand, "Do you know how it happened?" Sam nodded. "You... there's something I'm supposed to say to you that'll make you remember too." "I was there?" Jack closed his eyes, "Say the word." "I... you don't have to remember, sir. I ..." "Say the word, major," he ordered softly. A guttural, goa'uld sound grated from her lips. They stared at each other, dread in her eyes and confusion in his. He shrugged, "Nothing." Then he groaned and released his hold on her hand to clutch at his head, "Oh Christ!" "Colonel!" Janet whipped the curtain back, "Sam, you're awake." For a brief moment the doctor looked like she didn't know which patient to treat first then she rushed to Jack's side, "Sir? What is it?" "Give me a minute." Jack gasped. He gripped the seat of the stool and bent over, dragging in great lungfuls of air as if he had just sprinted a mile in heavy gravity, "I'm okay. See to Carter." "Sam?" "I want it out of me, Janet." Panic laced her demand. "All right. We'll talk about it in the morning," Janet answered soothingly. "No, Janet. Tonight. Now." Sam sounded desperate and dangerous, "I won't have this� thing in me for any longer than I have to." "I understand. But there are tests and procedures I have to follow to make sure that you aren't placed in any danger." Sam glared at her friend for a long moment before nodding sharply. Jack had straightened but still had his back to the bed. "Sir?" Janet touched his arm and he flinched. "I was there," he said dully. "It was Apophis." "They made him watch." Sam's voice wobbled, "It wasn't your fault, sir." He still didn't turn. "Colonel? Jack? We both fought them as hard as we could. There was nothing you could do. Nothing either of us could do." "I'm going to be sick." Jack stumbled from the cubicle. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" Janet asked gently. She held Sam's long, cool fingers in one hand and laid the other carefully on her shoulder. The doctor's face was pale and tense, her mask of professional concern softened by warm, brown eyes as she sought to meet Sam's darting gaze. Sam's eyes were dark, the irises almost black. "Apophis survived. His Jaffa captured us on P4F399. He was a little pissed that we keep trying to kill him." Sam's mouth twisted in a parody of a grin, "He came up with a way to make us pay. Especially the colonel." Janet looked confused, "What do you mean? You're the one he..." "He made him watch, Janet. Had half a dozen Jaffa hold him and forced him to watch." "I'm sorry," Janet said woodenly. "This..." Sam's outstretched hand spasmed over her belly, "This is his sick way of torturing us both. He knew it'd kill the colonel that he couldn't get to me, protect me. He knew it'd kill me knowing he saw it happen... that I'm..." Sam's voice faded and she sagged back into the pillows, appearing to shrink and fade. "Sam. This is not your fault. It's not your fault that you couldn't protect him any more than it's his fault he couldn't protect you. Do you hear me?" Janet squeezed her shoulder. Sam nodded mechanically but her eyes were dull and distant. "I'll have your OBGYN paged. It's Robin Giggs, right?" Sam nodded, her lips were pressed together so hard that all of their color was absent. "Okay." Janet's mouth puckered sorrowfully and she stepped out of the cubicle looking for Jack. He was on his knees in the far corner bent over a stainless steel bowl. The nurse, Karen Ottweiler, was crouched beside him. "Colonel, I need you here." O'Neill clambered unsteadily to his feet, shaking off the offer of assistance from Karen but taking the paper toweling she held out. "Stay with her." "Doc..." Jack looked worse than she'd ever seen him look. He looked shattered, exhausted and tired. He looked old. "We need Jack here, colonel. Not 'The Colonel', not her CO but Jack." Janet's voice was low and sharp. "Do you understand?" He nodded and reentered the cubicle. Sgsgsgsg "Carter." He started to drag the stool over then thought better of it and lowered the railing on the left side of the bed instead. Sam didn't appear to notice, even when he sat up on the bed, "Carter." He reached to touch her face and flinched as she shrank from his hand, "It's me, kiddo." She turned her head and frowned at him as if she didn't remember him for a moment. Then her brow smoothed, "Colonel?" "Yeah." "I'm sorry." Jack's eyebrows shot into his hairline, "You're sorry? What the hell for?" "For not fighting harder. For not making him kill me rather than --" "Carter, what he did to you... is bad. Really, really bad. But dead is worse. Way worse, believe me. You can get through this." Sam shook her head, her blue eyes darkening to navy as tears threatened to spill over her long lashes, "I don't know�" "I do," Jack said with complete certainty, "You know why?" For a long moment blue locked with brown then Sam shook her head. "Because you're Major Doctor Samantha Carter. Smartest, strongest person I know. Second in command of the most kick ass team in the most kick ass command in this man's Air Force. It's gonna take way more than a scheming, sick in the head, snake bellied � snake head to change that." Jack caught his breath, "Okay, I admit this is a pretty shitty situation but you're tougher than anyone I know, Carter. And you're SG1 and SG1 sticks together. For better or worse." A slight smile tilted up one corner of his mouth, "It's in the regs." Sam reached out to grasp the edge of his shirt. "I think you might be mixing up the Air Force Regulations manual with the Book of Common Prayer, colonel." He shook his head, "Whatever." He laid a hand on her shoulder carefully and after a moment they met in a tight embrace. Sam's face pressed into the soft part of his shoulder. Sgsgsgsg "I still don't understand why the patient couldn't be moved topside, Janet." Doctor Robin Giggs had been at home, in bed with a good book and her Red Setter curled up at her side for company, when she had been paged. She had barely had time to pull on a pair of faded 501s and a LA Lakers shirt over her tumbling red curls before the car had arrived to transport her to the Cheyenne Complex. "Doctor Giggs signed the confidentiality document in the elevator, ma'am." The visiting doctor's SF guide interjected. "Thanks, Ribisi. Dismissed." Janet nodded. "Janet? It's a therapeutic termination. At least that was my understanding of your message." Giggs followed Janet into her office, "So, why all the security?" "There's a little more to it than that, Rob. It's Major Carter." "Carter?" Giggs thought for a moment, her blue eyes narrowing, "Sam Carter? What the hell happened, Janet?" "Sit down." Janet leaned on the edge of her desk and folded her arms as Giggs made her self comfortable on the couch, "Major Carter was raped while on a mission." "Major Carter works on deep space radar telemetry," Giggs interrupted blandly. "Actually, she doesn't. The Stargate isn't a way of studying the stars, Rob. It's a way of traveling to them." Giggs stared up at Janet for a long moment, "You're kidding right?" Janet shook her head, "No. I'm perfectly serious. I'll show you the Stargate later. But for now... there may be some complications during the termination, Doctor Giggs. You see, the father isn't exactly human." "This is some sort of sick joke." Giggs shook her head. "You know me better than that, Robin. We've been traveling to alien planets for almost seven years now. Along the way we've made some enemies. One of them captured Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill and... Sam wants to terminate the pregnancy tonight. You're her OBGYN" Giggs studied her colleague's face for a long moment, noting the shadows under her eyes and the tight lines around her mouth. "How far progressed is the pregnancy? And what sort of complications?" "Fourteen weeks. I found something during the ultrasound. Come on, General Hammond is waiting to be briefed. I'll show you at the same time." Fraiser snatched up a video tape from her desk and led the way. Sgsgsgsg "These things always look like satellite photos of weather systems to me." Daniel Jackson whispered to Teal'c as Janet Fraiser paused the video recording of the ultra sound she had performed earlier. "You can clearly see the child, Daniel Jackson." "It was a joke." Daniel colored as he realized everyone else in the briefing room had stopped to listen to their exchange, "Sorry, I was just trying to lighten�" he trailed off. "As I was saying," Janet used the laser pointer to indicate a solid gray area on the sonogram, "This isn't natural. We've seen it before." "Cassandra," Jack intoned. "Exactly," Janet nodded and pressed a button on the remote which caused the screen to display a magnified image of the artificial object, "Now, I've no way of knowing if it has the same function and purpose as the device Niirti implanted in Cassandra but it's clearly of goa'uld design --" "Goo a what?" interrupted Giggs. "Go - ah- oohld, Robin. The enemy I mentioned," Janet explained. "They're crafty sons of bitches and they like using little kids as their mules," Jack said hotly. "We have to get it out of her." "Yes. Doctor Giggs will perform the operation. I'll assist." "I'm still not clear on why I had to come down here --" "Sorry to inconvenience you, doctor," Jack sniped. For a second Giggs just fixed him in an icy stare then she relaxed, "That's not what I meant, colonel. I just meant that I'm not clear on why Doctor Fraiser considers it too dangerous for the termination to be performed in the Air Force hospital." Jack had the grace to color and he inclined his head slightly. "The last time we saw something like this, Robin. It turned out to be a bomb. Hidden inside a little girl." "Ah." Giggs grimaced, "And I just finished paying for my boat." I suggest you proceed immediately, doctors. The base is still on night time staff so the risk is as minimized as it's going to get," Hammond instructed. Sgsgsgsg "Hi, Sam. How are you doing?" Janet laid her hand on Sam's shoulder for a moment. Robin Giggs and Janet Fraiser were gowned for surgery. Sam Carter was lying prone on an operating table in isolation room four. Hammond had decided that no one else needed to be exposed to any risk so the three were alone in the sealed room. The general had also capitulated to O'Neill's insistence that no one should be in the viewing area either. Instead, O'Neill stood solitary guard over the video monitor in the infirmary. "How are you going to proceed?" Sam asked mechanically. She was staring fixedly at the ceiling. "I'm going to inject saline solution into the uterus. The fetus will die. Your body should expel the remains naturally," Giggs explained in a businesslike tone. "How long will it take?" Sam demanded. "The termination? A few minutes." Giggs lifted the green drape covering Sam's flat abdomen and folded it back neatly, "It could take you up to twelve hours --" "That's too long. Is there a quicker way?" Panic was hovering around the edge of Sam's voice. The two doctors exchanged a look. "After the saline we could do a D and C." Giggs offered. "Do it." "Sam..." Janet began, shaking her head. "I don't care, Janet. I have to get it out of me. Don't you understand?" "Yes. I do understand, Sam. I'm just not sure that you are in the best place, emotionally, to be doing this right now. I don't want you to do anything you'll regret." "Janet." Sam turned pleading eyes on her, "Please." Janet's face crumpled for a split second then composed, "I know that you're upset and angry but are you sure you want us to do this? We could just try to remove the device." Sam reached out a shaking hand and Janet immediately seized her fingers in a tight grip, "I'm sure. Please, I just want to get this over with." Janet nodded, "Okay." She gave Sam's hand a last squeeze before tucking it carefully back under the surgical drape, "I'm going to operate the ultra sound while Robin does the procedure. Okay? We need to keep an eye on the device." Sam nodded and dashed the tears from her eyes. "Are you sure it's not a bomb?" Giggs asked nervously. "Pretty sure," Janet took a deep breath, "It's not changing in the way Cassandra's implant changed and, anyway, I figure if it was a bomb - it would have gone off by now." Giggs narrowed her eyes, "I'm not sure I appreciate your logic." She drew up saline solution into a large bore syringe, "Sam. The local anesthetic I gave you should mean this doesn't hurt at all. Holler out if you feel anything other than a slight pushing sensation." Sam nodded, staring at the concrete ceiling. "Ready?" asked Giggs "Almost," Janet winced apologetically as the sound of a rapid pulse echoed around the room, "Sorry." She reached to kill the volume, "Okay, we're set. Can you see okay, Rob?" Giggs nodded and pressed the tip of the needle into Sam's belly mid way between her navel and bikini line. She narrowed her eyes and carefully pushed the length of the steel into Sam's flesh. "Almost there." Janet observed the appearance of the black line representing the needle on the screen, "The needle has penetrated the uterine wall. Any time, Doctor Giggs." "Infusing saline solution, now." Giggs depressed the plunger slowly until all the fluid had passed from the syringe. Then she carefully withdrew the needle and abandoned it on the trolley at her elbow. "Is it done?" Sam demanded. "Just a minute, Sam." Janet manipulated the head of the ultra sound against her abdomen so that she got a better view of the fetal heart. They waited. "Okay�" Giggs frowned. "Something's not right," Janet murmured. "Is it done?" Sam demanded again. "No. Damn." On the black and white sonogram screen the alien device seemed to expand slightly then contract. "What was that?" asked Giggs. "Beats me. But I think it just saved the child, somehow." The two doctors watched the unfailing pulse of the fetal heart. "Janet. Get it out of me." Hysteria laced Sam's agonized whisper. "I really don't want to..." Giggs shook her head. "I know, Rob. But I don't think this thing is going to let us do this the easy way." Tension emanated from Janet's small frame. The two doctors exchanged a long, thoughtful look then Giggs nodded. "Okay. Sam, I'll go straight to the D and C. Do you understand what that means?" "Yes. Just do it." Sgsgsgsg In the infirmary, Jack closed his eyes as the two doctors helped Sam place her legs in the OB stirrups. "No." "Jack?" Daniel was hovering near the door. "Get out of here, Daniel. You don't need to see this. Carter doesn't need you to see this." Fury turned Jack's voice to molten lava. "What's going on?" Daniel didn't back down. "You don't want to know," Jack growled. "Dammit, Jack. She's my friend too!" Daniel spat. "I know that, Daniel." Jack made an effort to soften his voice, "It doesn't matter. Carter would not want you to see this happening to her." "She won't want you seeing it either." Daniel sighed. "I know," Jack jammed his hands deeper in his pockets, "And if nothing happens she won't need to know." "What about the tape?" Daniel hovered by the door. "What tape?" The two men locked eyes for a moment then Daniel nodded. "Okay. I'll wait for you in the Commissary." "Thank you." Sgsgsgsg The CMO's office felt crowded with four people inside. "There's some sort of artificial cover across the cervix, sir. It was impossible to remove without injuring the patient." Janet was still clad in scrubs but had pulled on a lab coat which she folded tight around herself. "You're telling me that there's no way to finish this?" Hammond demanded. He had come to the doctor's office rather than wait for her to clean up and come to his. "We tried everything we know, sir," admitted Giggs. "What about hCG?" Jack asked. "That too. We even tried mifepristone even though it's designed for use in the first few days of pregnancy. Anything we introduce to attempt to damage the fetus the device seems to absorb." Jack stared at his knotted hands and nodded. "How has Major Carter taken it?" asked the general. Janet pressed her lips together, "Not well, sir." "That's understandable. I'm going to contact the Tok'ra..." "No sir!" Jack snapped, "I mean... Carter doesn't need the whole damn galaxy knowing about this." "I wasn't planning on telling anyone but her father, Jack." "I'm not sure she'd even want him to know, sir." Jack sighed heavily. "I understand. But the Tok'ra may have a solution to this and Selmak will know about it if they do." Jack nodded, "Let me tell him, sir." "Very well, Colonel. Contact the Tok'ra immediately. Doctor Fraiser, keep me updated on the major's condition. Doctor Giggs. Thank you for your assistance..." "You're not done with me yet, sir." "I beg your pardon?" "I'm Major Carter's OBGYN, sir, in case you forgot. That means I'm the doctor in charge of her care during her pregnancy." Hammond looked to Janet who nodded and shrugged apologetically. "Then welcome to the SGC, Doctor Giggs." Hammond inclined his head and left the room. Sgsgsgsg "Sam? Sammie? Baby?" Jacob Carter held his daughter's hand and bent over the infirmary bed to stroke her cheek softly. The Tok'ra had, for once, been able to locate Jacob Carter almost immediately and, in response to the look on Jack O'Neill's face, he had not waited for an explanation but had shut down the gate and redialed from the Tok'ra end. Upon arrival in the Gate room he had demanded only to know where his daughter was. Now he straightened from leaning over her sleeping form and took in the monitors around the bed. "Jack." His eyes lit on the web belt fastened around Sam's abdomen and the rapid pulsing of the peaks on the monitor it was attached to, "What the hell did you do to my daughter?" "It... I..." Jack closed his eyes and swallowed dryly, "Apophis..." "Is dead," insisted Jacob, "His ship crashed into Delmak." Jack shook his head, "No, sir. I'm sorry. He's not. He... It's ..." "Dad?" Sam asked drowsily. "Sammie. Hi." Jacob Carter leaned over the bed rail and smiled, "Jack is trying to explain why you're lying in this hospital bed but he's not doing a very good job of it." "Dad." Tears welled up in her eyes and her father lifted her carefully into a tight hug. "It's okay, baby. We can fix it. Whatever it is." "I tried to tell him, Carter. You want me to?" "I want to go home." Sam's voice was barely audible. "I know. Fraiser doesn't think it's a good idea. Neither does Giggs." "I want to go home," Sam insisted fixing her CO in a tear soaked gaze. "Sam? What the hell has happened? Jacob gestured to the belt, "This looks like --" "It is." Jack rocked on the balls of his feet. "We were captured by Apophis fourteen weeks ago, sir. We didn't know until Carter collapsed and Doctor Fraiser found out she was pregnant." Jacob Carter tightened his grasp on his daughter, "How?" "Dad," Sam moaned, burying her face in his chest. "You know how, Jacob." Jack sighed. Jacob Carter's eyes flashed and his voice took on the timbre of his symbiote, "Jacob needs a moment, Jack. Samantha, I grieve for your pain." Sam pushed herself out of the arms that held her. Arms that, for the moment, belonged to a near stranger. Selmak rose off the bed and backed away smoothly making way for Jack as he took her father's seat. For a second Sam fought the need to be comforted then she let him encircle her with his arms. He shushed gently in her hair and held on as the tears triggered by her father's appearance began to flow again. For a moment the body of Jacob Carter stood at the foot of the bed looking like nothing so much as an abandoned car, it's co-drivers engaged in an internal conversation. Then the symbiote relinquished control and Jacob shuddered back to consciousness. He approached the pair on the bed and touched the top of his daughter's head, "I'll go talk to George." Jack O'Neill, a slew of emotions warring for dominance in his dark eyes, met the older man's equally tempestuous gaze and he nodded. "I'm sorry." Jacob laid a hand on Jacks shoulder, "Other than me, Jack, I know there is no one in this universe who would have fought harder to protect my daughter. We'll talk later. For now, Sam needs to go home." Sgsgsgsg "I'm sorry, Jacob. You have to know that if it were possible Sam would be on her way home right now. But it's not." "Sir, if I may." Janet Fraiser pushed a loose tendril of auburn hair out of her face as she pushed away from the wall next to the door of Hammond's office. "Go right ahead, Doctor." Hammond sighed. "We still don't really know what the goa'uld device does, sir. It's only a theory that it's designed to protect the child. It may be that it's a bomb and it simply hasn't been exposed to whatever is supposed to trigger it." Jacob shook his head but Janet persisted, "Also� Sam's in no condition to be left alone, sir." "She wouldn't be alone," Jacob interrupted heatedly. "She needs to be near the infirmary. Just in case, sir. I'm sorry." "For how long? The next 25 weeks?" "No, just the next couple of days. She's still in shock, sir." Jacob ground his teeth, "She needs out get out of the damn infirmary, doctor." Janet nodded, "Yes, sir. I agree. She can stay in the A3 suite. I'll have an observation station set up outside so that she can have some privacy." General Carter glared at her for a long moment but the doctor didn't baulk. Finally, he nodded. Sgsgsgsg Sam was asleep again, curled up with her head in Jack's lap. He was absently stroking her hair when Daniel and Teal'c ventured into the cubicle. "Hey. How's she doing?" Daniel asked quietly. "Not so good." "Major Carter is resilient," stated Teal'c with absolute certainty. "She will recover from this." Daniel nodded, "Sure she will." He frowned, "I mean... she will. Right, Jack?" "Yeah. Sure," Jack responded absently. "The gang's all here," remarked Jacob Carter dryly as he entered. "Home is a no go. Doctor Fraiser has, however, agreed to a camp out in the A3 quarters." He and O'Neill stared at each other for a long moment then Jack nodded. "Okay, Daniel. Go to the locker room and fetch BDUs. Don't forget shoes." "What about ... you know." Daniel flushed. "Those too. Teal'c, go help set up the VIP room. Jacob..." Jack hesitated, remembering he was addressing a general. "Yes, Jack?" prompted Jacob indulgently. "Let's talk interference." Sgsgsgsg Jacob Carter walked in front of his daughter who was now outfitted in the blue uniform of the day. Daniel Jackson was on his right. Behind Daniel, Jack O'Neill ambled at Sam's side. Teal'c followed Jack with Janet Fraiser on his left. Thus did her friends escort Sam Carter through the corridors of the SGC, keeping to the left so that the wall on that side shielded her from prying eyes. The group drew some curious glances not the least because of the head gear the three male members of SG1 were sporting. Daniel was wearing a foot high, brightly colored, feather headdress that had been a gift from Tonane. Teal'c wore a scarlet and yellow snow boarder's hat with an octet of jester horns topped with bells while Jack O'Neill sported a tall chef's hat with a sprig of parsley tucked in the band that draped over his right ear. Not one of the many people they encountered said a word although their expressions on seeing the group ranged from a sad shaking of the head to smothered mirth. The team left speculation and conversation in their wake but not one of the people they passed wondered about Sam Carter's ashen face and unsteady stride. Halfway to the VIP quarters Sergeant Siler rounded a corner and almost walked into General Carter. He neatly side stepped then stopped dead as he noticed the head gear. He knew better than to challenge any of the group, however, not least because they had a general at their head, and he simply stood out of the way as they passed. Then, his eagle eye spotted the blonde head of his favorite major amidst the throng and he straightened, "Oh, hey. Major Carter! I managed to grind that..." Siler trailed off as Sam went on her way without even acknowledging him. "Major?" Siler took a step back as he suddenly found Daniel Jackson and a whole lot of feathers in his face. "Sergeant!" Daniel exclaimed as if he was his best friend and they had not seen each other for months, "Hey, listen. I know it's not really your job but I need to change the ink cartridge on my printer but they gave me a new one. I mean it's great but I can't figure it out." "You're right, sir," Siler said grimly, his eyes following the party as it disappeared around the corner, "It's not really my job." His eyes suddenly focused on Daniel, "Did you get one of the new Hewlett Packards?" "Yeah. I think so..." Sgsgsgsg When Sergeant Davis appeared out of a side corridor, not more than twenty feet from the door to the largest of the A3 rooms, and homed in on Sam, barely giving the exotic head wear of her companions a second glance, it was Jack's turn to run interference. The sergeant found himself pinned in place by Jack's earnest gaze and the unexpectedly complex question about fluid dynamics that came out of his mouth. "Can you answer my question or not, Sergeant? I mean Carter said you were the best person to ask." Jack smiled. Davis puffed up and blushed, "She did?" Sgsgsgsg "I had no idea you were so popular, kiddo." Jacob smiled as they arrived at the entrance to the room. Sam made no response, giving no indication she had even heard her father's voice. "Major Carter's company is often sought by the members of the SGC," Teal'c advised. "I have observed that she is the person most likely to be approached for advice by the majority of --" Teal'c ceased his dissertation when he realized that the rest of the group was staring at him, unused to such loquacity. "Okay." Janet nodded to the Karen Ottweiler who was waiting in the doorway, "Is the remote telemetry transponder ready?" "Yes, doctor." "Good. Sam, rather than have you hooked up to all the machines we usually use to monitor your condition I'm going to hang this..." Janet took a yellow object, the size of a small digital voice recorder on a cord, from the nurse and held it up, "�around your neck. Then all I need to do is stick one sensor pad just here," Janet touched the mid point on her own breast bone, "and we'll be able to keep an eye on your condition from out here." Sam nodded blankly. "Okay. Gentlemen." Jacob and Teal'c took up stations either side of the door as Janet and the nurse guided Sam into the room and closed the door behind them. Sgsgsgsg Janet Fraiser's expression became increasingly grim as her friend showed no sign of any interest in her surroundings or any inclination to do anything other than follow any instructions she was given. In fact, she did not even sit down on the edge of the double bed until Janet prompted her to do so. "Sam..." Janet began, shaking her head. "What have you told people?" Sam asked suddenly. The first thing she had said since awakening twenty minutes earlier. "Nothing," Janet smiled and squeezed Sam's hand. "It's nobody's business." Janet stepped aside but kept hold of Sam's hand as Karen approached with a twelve inch length of electrical cable with a self adhesive sensor pad on one end and a small connector on the other. "I just need to plug this into the capsule, major, and attach the pad. Would you mind pulling down the neck of your undershirt, please?" Sam frowned as if the instruction made no sense. "Can I do it, Sam?" Janet asked gently. Sam's frown deepened but after a moment she nodded and sat perfectly still as the doctor tugged the neck of her black tee-shirt down to allow Karen to reach inside and press the pad to her skin. Janet smoothed the knitted neck back into place as Karen inserted the plug into the capsule and backed off. "I'll just double check that it's working, doctor." Karen hurried away. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Sam. You're still in shock..." "I'm okay, Janet." Sam focused on her face suddenly and smiled brightly, "Really. I mean... I'm feeling kinda tired but I'll be fine." Janet narrowed her eyes, "Sam --" "Look, Janet. Obviously I'm not too happy about any of this but it's out of our hands, right? It'll take me a little while to accept that but I don't have a choice. Do I?" Sam's tone was cool and reasonable. Janet nodded slowly, "Okay. Do you want to lie down? Get some sleep?" "Sure." Sam didn't move for a long moment then she started and lay down on her side, drawing her knees up and tucking her hands between them. Janet hesitated then leaned over to remove Sam's tennis shoes and pull the covers over her. "Karen is right outside if you need anything. Just call. I'm on the end of that 'phone too." She nodded at the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can I go to the commissary later?" Sam asked as her eyes drifted closed. "Of course you can, sweetheart. The remote will broadcast up to a mile from the monitor." Janet stroked her arm. "Thanks," Sam murmured. Janet waited a few more minutes, petting her arm rhythmically until Sam's breathing evened out. Then she exhaled a long sigh and straightened her back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She waited another moment then left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. "Everything is in order, doctor." Karen was seated behind the desk. Two monitors before her; one showing the video from the room, one showing the read outs from the remote. "Good." Janet circled the desk and studied the screens for a minute then picked up the metal note folder from the desk and made a few notations, "Call me immediately if any of the major's vital signs change. No visitors, Karen, without my express permission. Except her father and the rest of SG1, obviously." "There aren't enough SFs on the base, ma'am. To keep them from her, I mean." "No." The two medics shared a smile, "But if she's sleeping no-one disturbs her. Understand?" "Yes ma'am." Sgsgsgsg Ten minutes later Karen turned Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson back as they tried to enter the room. She showed them Sam's sleeping form on the monitor and steadfastly refused to let them disturb her. Even Jack's best glower and Daniel's best puppy face failed to move her. "Come back in a couple of hours. If she's up then you can keep her company." Karen folded her arms and set her mouth in a determined line. Jack and Daniel looked at each other, silently debating whether to simply ignore the nurse's orders. "Might I remind you, gentlemen, that I'm one of the people with the big scary needles?" "We're outta here. " Jack backed away. "Oh yeah, gone." Daniel followed suit. Sgsgsgsg It was Selmak who came to find Jack several hours later, tracking him down to Sam's lab. "I just won a bet, colonel." It was strange how the smile on Jacob's face was slightly different when it was the symbiote in control. "What do you want?" Jack asked churlishly. He was slouched in a chair. "Jacob said this was the last place you'd be but I --" "Yeah. So, what do you want?" Jack straightened up slightly. "We need to hear the whole story." "No you don't." Jack shook his head. "Yes, colonel, we do. It may seem that simple revenge is a sufficient motive for Apophis to have gone to all the trouble of capturing you, impregnating Samantha then placing a synaptic block on your memories. But I doubt it." Jack leaned his elbows on his knees, "What do you mean?" "Samantha has goa'uld protein in her system as well as naquadah." "Look. Just tell me where you're going with this, will ya? I don't really do cryptic. Especially not when my head hurts as much as it does right now." "You are unwell, colonel?" "No. I'm just sick to my stomach thinking about any of this." "Not thinking about it will not make it go away." "I know that," Jack responded irritably, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "What do you mean?" "I think Apophis may be trying to create another Harsesis child." "Carter isn't a goa'uld." "No. She isn't," Selmak said patiently. "Oh right. The protein thingy." "Yes." Selmak's eyes flashed and suddenly Jacob Carter was back in the driving seat. "Goddammit, O'Neill! Where the hell were you? Where the hell was the rest of the team?" For a second Jack looked as if he would explode then he deflated, "The team had split in two in order to make best use of our limited time on the planet." He spoke in a near monotone as if reeling off a routine report, "Teal'c was with Daniel, three klicks south of our position making video of a ruined settlement the malp had shown. Carter and I were taking samples from a marshy area that she thought might contain some interesting microbes." Jack's mouth twisted in a dry smile at the memory of himself scooping goopy stuff into a baggy and complaining that he thought it smelled worse than anything he'd ever smelled before. Even Carter's feet. She had protested indignantly, as he had anticipated... were these his memories or memories planted by the goa'uld? "As far as we knew, until Tuesday, the mission passed without incident and we returned on schedule." "There was nothing to indicate otherwise?" Jacob ground. "No sir." He frowned, "I remember Carter being surprised that I had labeled her baggies so neatly but I just told her I had been practicing." Jack closed his eyes, "I should've known, then." "What really happened?" "We were jumped by four Jaffa with zats. Next thing we knew we were in a cell on board what we later realized was Apophis's ship." "Go on," Jacob pressed. "Jacob. You don't want to hear this. Send Selmak out. I'll tell her." Jack was ashen faced and looked as if he needed a stiff drink. For a second the general looked like he wanted to grab the colonel by the throat and shake him but he did not. Instead his body became immobile as the drivers swapped seats. "Tell me," Selmak said quietly. Sgsgsgsg It had hardly been a space big enough to be called a cell. O'Neill had woken suddenly to find himself face down on a damp, rust smelling floor with a warm weight on his back. He had not moved at first, assessing the situation. He had been stripped of his weapons and equipment vest but was not restrained in any way. The warm weight was Sam Carter. This he knew from the sound of her breathing and the familiar scent of her shampoo. Her head was hanging limply over his shoulder and it had been her hair ticking his face that had woken him. "Carter. Hey, Carter," Jack breathed. "Hey! Sleeping beauty!" he hissed. Sam opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly to frown at him, "Sir?" "Wanna get off me?" "Sorry." Sam struggled to her knees then fell back against the damp wall, "You okay, sir?" "Headache is all. You?" "Same. Where are we?" "In a closet, I think." They sat opposite each other mirroring each others pose. Both with their backs against the wall, knees bent, feet braced on the slick floor and hands pressed to their temples. "No weapons?" "Not unless you have a hairpin." Sam smiled slightly and shook her head, "Those Jaffa, sir..." "Yeah, I noticed." "He'd dead. They must be renegades." "Yeah." Jack did not sound convinced. "You think they captured Daniel and Teal'c too?" "I have no idea." They had sat in silence for a while after that. Jack picked at a rust spot on the floor while Sam contemplated the cuffs of her camouflage jacket. "We'll get out of here," Sam said quietly. "I'm confident." Jack nodded. "Me too," she smiled. Go to part two I'm sorry the hyperlink is at the top of the page but, try as I might, I just couldn't get it to hang here without falling off the bottom of the page! |