A/N – Yeah, I wanted to rewrite this one, cus I like the idea, I'd just worked my way into a corner with the original. So here's the improved version. Please R&R:D
Chapter 1: My Least Favorite Things
"There
are no raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses,
It's
sleeping with roaches and taking best guesses
At
the shade of the sheets before all the stains
And
add a few more of your least favorite things…"
-
"Build God, Then We'll Talk"
Panic!
At the Disco
The force of the staff blast knocked Janet flat on her back amongst the dead leaves and debris. Pain shot through her, an unbearable stinging and burning in her lower abdomen.
'I must be dying…' Branches were above her head, thin black lines stretching out against the steel grey sky. The sounds of fighting and screaming faded to a faint background thrum behind the pounding of her heart in her ears. But that was slowing.
"JANET!" Daniel rushed forward to her just in time to see her eyes close. He grabbed the radio. "Dr. Fraiser's hit! We need a medical team here now!"
"Daniel!" Sam's voice crackled in. "I'm almost there, all the medical teams are busy, but I'm almost there!" Seconds later Sam came crashing through the trees. "We need to get them out of here!" she indicated Wells and Janet. "There's a battalion of Jaffa closing in on this position."
Daniel was looking at her, his mouth open. "Sam…"
Sam was shaking, though she wouldn't let Daniel see it. "I know they're injured, Daniel, but we have-"
"Sam I don't know…"
Sam suddenly shoved Daniel out of the way and crouched down next to Janet, putting a finger to her neck. "She's got a pulse, Daniel." Sam carefully slipped her arms under Janet, lifting the limp form of the doctor. "You're going to have to get Wells…"
The tree trunk behind Sam exploded with the blast from a staff weapon. Sam began running back to the gate, Daniel on her heels.
When Sam emerged into the gate room with the bloodied form of Janet still in her arms, the pandemonium that was already prevalent only seemed to intensify. Janet was immediately taken from Sam and rushed down to the infirmary.
Sam slumped against the wall of the gate room. She looked up as more people came injured through the gate…they were going to run out of room in the infirmary soon. Sam wiped a hand over her eyes.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" A concerned airman looked over at Sam.
"I'm fine," Sam nodded, wiping her eyes again. She really just wanted to change out of her uniform, to get rid of the stench of blood and death that clung to her clothing. With a nod to the airman she turned and left the gate room, heading down the hall towards the showers.
Emmett Bergman and his camera crew appeared out of nowhere. "Major Carter-"
"No!" Sam held up her hands, trying to ward them off as angry tears formed in her eyes. "No, I don't want to talk to you…" she scowled at the lieutenant behind the camera. "And turn that damn thing off!"
Her words didn't discourage Bergman, who continued pestering her and trying to get answers. He stopped, however, when Teal'c loomed suddenly over him.
The Jaffa's face bore an angry scowl. "I believe you are showing great disrespect to Major Carter," he walked over to Sam, standing protectively next to her. "I suggest you leave immediately."
Bergman raised his chin defiantly. Teal'c glared at him, then put an arm around Sam's shoulders and steered her off down a side hallway. By the door to the women's locker room he stopped, keeping one hand on Sam's shoulder.
"Will you be alright, Major Carter?"
Sam smiled at her friend's concern and nodded. "I think so…Thanks, Teal'c." She jerked her thumb at the door to her right. "I uh have to go clean up and go talk to General Hammond."
"Very well." Teal'c bowed his head, then turned and headed back to the gate room.
Sam didn't like going out in uniform. It attracted too many looks. But after speaking briefly with Hammond and Dr. Warner, she didn't have time to change into civilian clothes before having to rush off to go get Cassie. An hour or so after her return from P3X-666 Sam was standing in the office of the local high school in Colorado Springs, dressed in her uniform, boots and dog tags.
The principal was a very professorial man, a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his thin nose, and a short grey beard covering his small chin. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"
"I'm Major Samantha Carter of the US air force," Sam said rather quickly. "I work with the mother of your student Cassandra Fraiser. I…uh…need to speak to Cassie."
"Mr. Baldwin?" the secretary at the front desk called to the principal. "Samantha Carter is at the top of Cassandra's emergency contact list…"
"Ok." The principal nodded. "Follow me, Ma'am."
Cassie was sitting in advanced algebra when the door opened and the principal entered, Sam behind him. Thirty heads snapped up and stared at Sam.
"Cassandra?" the principal scanned the students.
Cassie's friend Katherine laughed quietly. "Ooh, Cassie what'd you do? They had to bring the army in here to get you!"
Cassie rolled her eyes, closing her book. "Ok, for one thing, Sam's in the air force and second I didn't do anything, she works with my mom." Cassie stood up and walked over to Sam.
"C'mon, Cass." They walked out into the hall. Sam cast a wary look at the principal then turned back to Cassie. "Your mom was injured on a rescue mission."
"What?" Cassie's face paled. "Is she ok?! What happened?!"
"Cass, you know the details are classified…"
"Is she ok?"
Sam took several deep breaths. "Go get your stuff."
"Is. She. Ok." Cassie said again, refusing to move.
Sam just turned away.
"Major Carter?" It was later that night and Hammond was on his way out of the base when he stopped in Sam's lab, where she was sitting in front of his computer.
"Sir?" Sam looked up.
Hammond walked over. "I was just in the infirmary talking to Dr. Warner…there's been no improvement with Dr. Fraiser."
"Oh." Sam looked back down at her laptop.
"Major," Hammond sighed heavily. "I just wanted to know if you have plans for Cassandra in the event that Dr. Fraiser doesn't make it."
The bar on the computer screen that showed how much of Sam's latest program had loaded was creeping towards 50. She tried to focus on it instead of the grief that was threatening to overwhelm her. Janet isn't dead yet!
"Cassie would come stay with me, sir." Sam answered rather mechanically.
Hammond nodded, then said gently, "I'm sure it won't come to that. Good night, Major."
"G'night, sir."
Daniel looked up from his lunch to see Sam gloomily resting her chin in her hands and staring off into space. "Earth to Sam!" Daniel said, waving his hand in front of her eyes. "You sure you actually came back from that last mission, or are you still floating around in the wormhole?"
Sam jumped. "What? Oh, sorry…no I was just thinking…"
"Sam, are you ok?" Daniel looked at her seriously.
"Oh, aside from worrying because my best friend is in a coma with a staff weapon blast to her abdomen, I'm perfectly fine."
Daniel pushed his plate away, giving Sam a serious look. "Sam, talk to me. I've known you for seven years, I can tell that you're keeping something in."
Sam's fork moved around her plate, pushing pieces of lettuce to either side. "Do you ever get that feeling," she mused, "like you don't actually know who you are anymore?"
"Are you kidding?" Daniel's eyebrows shot up. "I get that about every other week. Why?"
Sam shrugged. "I don't know, I've just…been asking a lot of questions about myself lately."
"Like what?"
Sam sighed heavily, sitting back and pushing her plate away from her. "I don't really want to talk about this right now."
"Ok."
Sam stood, and walked briskly out of the commissary.
Cassie was standing in the observation bay, one hand pressed flat against the glass as she stared down at her mother. She didn't even move when Sam came up, putting her hands on Cassie's shoulders.
"Hey, kiddo," Sam said quietly.
Cassie sighed despairingly, her breath fogging the window. "Sam…promise me again that you'll never abandon me."
"What?!" Sam turned Cassie around so they were looking eye to eye. "Cass, I would never, never abandon you."
"That's what she said!" Cassie was teetering on the edge of grief and anger. "That's what my real mom said, and that's what Janet said, and now look where I am! Look how far their promises lasted!"
"Janet isn't going anywhere." Sam said forcefully, giving Cassie a stern look. "She's going to get better."
"But what if she doesn't?"
Suddenly Sam wasn't looking at the headstrong teen that Cassandra had become, but once again at the frightened little girl she'd brought back from a disease ridden planet. A little girl who'd seen everyone she ever knew and cared about die, a little girl who had very nearly been the goa'uld's Trojan horse.
"Cassie," Sam's voice was gentle now as she pulled Cassie to her, hugging the girl tightly. "You won't ever have to be alone. I promise, there will always be someone to take care of you, ok?"
"But I want you and Mom!" Cassie looked up at Sam. "I want both of you always here with me."
Sam sighed heavily, running her hand over Cassie's hair, thinking how much she wanted that as well.
