Pure Intentions

Summary: They'd lost a colleague, a teammate, and a friend. And they would do anything and everything they could to make things right.

Excerpt: "When'd you get so pushy?" he asked, changing route to grab his jacket and keys.

"Probably around the time I was separated from my body and you guys left my corpse behind on an alien planet."

Since I'm in such a giving mood, I give to you Pure Intentions! Why am I in such a good mood, you ask? Well for whoever happens to care, I just turned 16! Sweet, huh?! Yeah, so I'm happy. Very, very happy. Only one thing could possibly make me more exuberant (me and my vocabulary :-D ) ...

And that would be reviews!!! Hint, hint! ;-)

Love y'all, enjoy!

Chapter One -

"Jack, we got a problem here!"

"Yeah, I hear them. You and Teal'c get outta there and meet us halfway."

"Carter, let's go!"

"I've almost got it!"

"Carter, now!"

Sam sighed and stopped what she was doing. Sometimes her CO could be so unreasonable. Just a few more seconds and I would've had it, she thought as she stuffed her tools back in her pack and followed her CO into the forest.

Before long they'd covered about three-fourths of the distance to the halfway-point and had a Jaffa patrol on their tracks. Staff weapon blasts flew past them and hit the trees. Though most of them missed their mark, one did manage to hit Sam in the side.

As she fell, Jack could make out Daniel and Teal'c making their way toward them, providing cover-fire. He turned and ran back to her side. Turning her over, he listened for the sound of her breathing. Nothing. He pressed a couple of fingers to her neck for a pulse. Also nothing. A near-miss made Jack stumble backward. Carter was dead.

He knew that they should take the body with them, that Carter deserved a proper burial. But the military side of his brain told him that the extra weight would slow them down. Besides, they could come back and retrieve the body later, after it was clear. He got to his feet and joined the others.

"What..." Daniel started.

Jack shook his head. "Fall back," he ordered. "Go, go, go!" His voice was hard, the tone he only used in full-military mode. With one last look at his friend's corpse, Daniel turned and followed.

General Hammond looked at his watch and sighed. SG-1 was over half an hour late.

Offworld activation! Repeat... Offworld activation!

Speaking of SG-1...

The General made his way down to the control room.

Incoming traveler! Repeat... Incoming traveler!

"All defense teams, stand by!"

Walter looked up. "It's SG-1, sir."

The General nodded. He'd thought as much. "Open the iris." He didn't have to say it though, as Walter was one step ahead of him. Hammond headed straight for the gateroom.

SG-1 stumbled onto the gateroom's ramp.

"Close the iris!"

The iris closed behind the team, or rather, what was left of it. Several thuds were heard against the metal iris before the gate disengaged.

"Stand down."

The General walked up to SG-1.

"Where's Major Carter?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Daniel stiffened at the mention of their missing team member. He tore off his glasses and wiped his sleeve over his eyes as he broke through the airmen.

"Daniel..." Jack started.

Daniel blatantly ignored everyone around him and stormed out the door.

"Daniel!" Jack yelled after him. "Damn it..."

"I shall go after him, O'Neill," Teal'c said solemnly.

Jack glanced at his friend. "Thanks, T."

Teal'c left the room to go after Daniel. Jack sighed. His team was falling apart around him and there was nothing he could do.

"Colonel O'Neill..."

Jack looked at the General warily.

"Major Carter?" He asked again, sure he didn't want to hear the answer. His fears were confirmed.

"Carter, she... she's gone, sir. She didn't make it."

"Get yourself cleaned up and then report to the infirmary, son."

"Yes, sir."

Sam felt like she was floating. Darkness surrounded her but there was a sense that she wasn't alone. She tried to think but it was too hard, and she was tired. She slipped back into oblivion.
The second time she awoke, she could hear voices, sounds, but she couldn't make them out.

The third time, she heard whispers but still couldn't make out much. She did catch a few words though, words like "don't wanna hear," "memorial," and "too late." She wondered what had happened. Had someone died? Her heart gripped at the thought that it could have been one of her team. Before she could ponder the thought any longer, she slipped away again.

The fourth time, she could hear clearly. But she still couldn't see, and that worried her. What would she do without sight? She calmed herself and tried to listen in on the conversation around her.

"Listen, Jack, I know she was a part of your team, but you've gotta think about finding someone to take her place."

Her place? she thought. They were going to replace her!

"I can't do that, sir."

Leave it to Jack to stand up for her.

"Jack, be reasonable. You can't help her now."

Like hell he couldn't. Sam knew that he would do anything and everything in his power to help, not only her, but anyone of his team.

"You don't know that."

"Do you know something I don't?"

"No, but..."

"Jack."

The colonel was silent. Then Sam heard the General's voice again.

"Let her go."

No! No, please, sir, don't let it go! Don't let me go! Sir, please, don't do this! Jack! Please!

She screamed as loud as she could but it was like a mute trying to yell at a wall.

The fifth time, she realized she could see again. It was morning and still pretty early as she glanced out a window. She blinked and was surprised to find Jack directly in front of her.

"Sir?"

He looked terrible, and she wondered if he'd gotten any sleep at all. Then suddenly she was grabbing a pair of keys and walking out the door. But it wasn't even her door. And she didn't remember moving. As she made her way down the drive, her mind connected the dots. She was her CO. Scratch that, she wasn't her CO, she was in his head and she could now see and hear everything that he could.

She tried to communicate with him, tried talking to him in his head, with his lips, tried to move an arm to write a note but she couldn't. She had no control. Sure she could see and hear what he could, but then, so could he, after all, he was driving. She felt helpless. And then it clicked. The rest of the pieces clicked in her head, or, rather, Jack's.

'Let her go.'

'You can't help her now.'

'... memorial...'

She was dead. That's what they all thought, they thought she was dead. She couldn't remember what had happened to cause them to assume that but she did know that she was alone. No, not alone. Her best and probably only hope was Jack. With that thought in mind, she slowly fell back into the dark abyss of before.

End Act I

I mean Chapter One... yeah...

So? Huh, huh? Y'all like it so far? I sure hope so. Now pull your little mousie over to the bottom left hand side of your screen and give the button a little click. You know which one I mean.

Ciao!