Blissful Ignorance, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)

Summary: What if the Goa'uld hadn't come to Earth in the first place? Fire-fighter Sam falls for a Psychologist. Fluffy, soap-operatic spin-off of the AU in Changeling.

Pairings: DanielSarah, SamDaniel, JonasVala, Teal'cShau'nac, JackSara, CamOC, McKatie

Rating: M

Category: New Romance

Genres: A/U, Drama, Episode-related, Relationship-focussed, Romance-focussed

A/N: Oh, I've been meaning to write this for ages but my muse didn't pull through. It still hasn't, but I'm not letting her control me (although she did succeed in getting the story from a T to an M… oh dear). lol.

Double oh, I just thought I'd point out before I start that I don't really know much about how US fire departments are set out, hierarchically. I refer to Sam as a Captain despite the story being in the season 6 timeline, and to Jack as Colonel… but hey… there's no serious fire-fighting here.

Triple oh, here, T donating his kidney to Brae happened, but he didn't need a Shrink... it just makes it less complicated when he finally meets Daniel.

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Samantha Carter, fire-fighter, one of only a handful in the city with their reproductive organs on the inside, had experienced her worst fire yet. Well, in fire-fighter terms, it wasn't her worst seeing as she was still in the land of the living, but she was bandaged up quite a bit in a hospital bed.

The last things that she had remembered were towering flames and choking smoke, her equipment broken, two children cowering in her arms, stranded in the back of a building… and then being treated for third degree burns as she cried out in pain despite the drugs rushing through her system.

After several surgical operations, involving skin grafts and cosmetic surgery, most of her injuries had healed to the point where they didn't hurt nearly as much as they had but still hurt a lot. She shifted as she lay in her private room, groaning in discomfort as the morphine began to wear off, and a Nurse entered, followed by Sam's senior officer, Jack O'Neill with flowers, and her friends T, and Jonas, the station's probationary officer who had been nicknamed 'Probie'.

Jack asked with a smirk, "How's my favourite second-in-command feeling?"

She rolled her head to shoot him a withering look as the Nurse gave her some more morphine, and she retorted, "Like crap."

"Well, you certainly look like it."

T asked as they all moved to sit on edges of the bed or on the nearby chair as the Nurse left, "Doc say anything about you getting out?"

She shook her head, a strained smile on her face as Jonas held her hand, and she replied, "Not yet… although I've heard that it could be soon."

Jack said, his eyebrows raised, "Carter, you need a lot of time to recover."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Sir! I'm going nuts here."

Jonas said, still holding her hand as he smiled slightly, "We'll sneak you out if they take too long."

Looking at Jack accusingly, she remarked, smiling back at Jonas, "See, Probie should be in your place. You're mean."

As T snickered, Jack retorted, looking at Jonas, "You can't be a pushover in my job, otherwise certain theoretical Astrophysicists with a liking for leather and speed would take a lot more time off."

Sam poked her tongue out at him and then asked T, "Hey T, how's Brae doing?"

T smiled, replying, "He's doing fine now. He got over that infection pretty quick."

"Good. I miss him."

Jonas asked, smoothing her hand, "Has the Doctor been at all today?"

She replied, feeling as though her mind was swimming a little, "Oh yeah… got a Psychologist dropping in soon… Doctor Jacobsen… or Jackson… or something…"

Her eyes drifted closed, and the three men smiled, Jack remarking, "We need that at the station when she decides to tell us about Pulsars again."

T said as he stood, smoothing her hair back, "It'll be good to have her back, however long it takes. It's been quiet without her."

"Here, here."

T then asked Jonas, "Probie, my man, do you need a ride home?"

Jonas leaned down to kiss Sam on the brow, replying as he stood, "No thanks… Val's picking me up."

Jack snorted, remarking when Jonas turned to look at him, "Your old lady behind the wheel is bound to put the whole state in hospital."

Jonas rolled his eyes and said defensively, "Well, Sir, Val is my girlfriend."

T added, his arms folded across his chest as he smirked across at Jack, "And she has the keys…"

T patted Jonas on the back and said as they walked to the door, "Come on, buddy… he's just jealous 'cos Sara would sooner throw something at his head…"

Jack shot back, "Hey!... That was only one time."

Noticing that Jack was still seated, T asked, "Hey, you coming? Our girl's away with the fairies."

Jack replied as he watched Sam, "I just want to be here for the Shrink."

He looked up at T and asked, "You coming back later on with Shauna?"

T nodded, replying, "Sure am. Shauna's been baking for her."

"Sure, while she's already in hospital…"

T glared at him, patting him on the shoulder by the end, "Hey man, that was low. Later."

"Later T… tell Shauna I said 'hi'."

"'course I will."

Jack stood and held Jonas by the upper arms, and said, "And you need to take control of your life, bud. You coming back?"

"Of course I am."

"Okily dokily. See ya."

He watched the two men leave, and Jack sat back down, watching over his second-in-command, in it for the long haul as he reached for a sports magazine that he had kept in her nightstand.

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A couple of hours later, there was a knock at the door, which woke up a dozing Jack and then a small auburn haired woman in a white coat came in. Jack said with a grin,

"Hey Doc, how's it going?"

The Doctor, Doctor Janet Frasier, replied as she picked up Sam's records from the end of the bed, looking through them, "Not bad… you? I notice T and Jonas aren't with you."

"They're coming back later. I just wanted to see that Shrink Carter mentioned before that morphine knocked her out."

Janet replied with a little smile, feeling Sam's forehead, "Oh, Doctor Jackson… he's a great guy. You'll like him…"

Cocking her head as she watched him for a moment, remembering how protective he and the others were of the station's token 'girl', she continued, "Or maybe not…"

He raised an eyebrow cautiously and Janet said, shaking her head slightly, "He's one of the best in the country… that's all you need to know."

"Right…"

She watched him for moment under the guise of checking her notes and then she was gone, Jack looking at where she had been with a thoughtful expression on his face. Suddenly, there was another knocking at the door, and Jack called,

"It's open."

The door opened to reveal a bespectacled brown-haired young man in a white shirt and a light grey suit, a leather-bound notebook tucked in one arm as he pushed his glasses up with the other, saying as he made to shake Jack's hand,

"Hi, Doctor Daniel Jackson… I've been assigned to the Captain."

Jack rudely ignored the hand and Daniel blinked, perplexed for a moment, and then asked, "You would be…?"

"I would be Carter's senior officer. So, what are you gonna do, put her away?"

Daniel replied with a slight frown, bemused, "Uh… no. Look, Mr…"

"Colonel O'Neill will do just fine."

"… Colonel, she just needs a little help to get back on her feet… she's already doing that physically, but mentally, Doctors Frasier and MacKenzie are worried that she may have long-term trauma from what she experienced at the warehouse as well as the physical scars."

Jack looked down at Sam, his attention span elapsing halfway through the explanation, and Daniel sighed, saying as he watched the Colonel, "You care about her a lot."

"She's my second-in-command. We're all pretty damn close."

Raising an eyebrow at the younger man, Jack held up his left hand and said, showing him the gold band on his fourth finger, "And before you say it, no. I just don't like people taking advantage of Carter 'cos they think she's weak. She served in the Air Force for fourteen years before joining us… she'll kick your ass in ten different ways before you hit the ground."

Daniel nodded as his gaze moved to Sam, "I know. I read her file. She's got a Doctorate in Astrophysics too."

"If you ask me, that's just another word for technobabble."

Daniel smiled briefly, humouring the Colonel, and then a drowsy Sam remarked, her eyes still closed, "Shut up, Sir."

Jack moved closer to her side, holding her hand and asking as her eyes flickered open, "Hey Carter, welcome back."

She asked with a sleepy smile, "How long was I out for?"

He replied, shrugging innocently, "A week."

She laughed weakly, remarking, "As if… I think I'd know on some level."

Her eyes moved and she noticed the other person in the room. Taken in by his youthful exterior and his clear eyes, she said weakly,

"Hi."

Jack, remembering that Daniel was there, said gruffly, "It's your Shrink."

She looked at her superior officer in amusement for a moment, and then looked back at Daniel, who pushed up his glasses and said with a little smile as he held his hand out,

"Hi. Doctor Daniel Jackson."

Sam smiled, shaking his hand as she replied, "Doctor Sam Carter."

Daniel nodded and Jack whipped his head around to glare at her, remarking in bewilderment, "I thought you went by Captain."

Sam smiled up at him, feigning innocence, and then, noticing Jack's glare move to the Psychologist, said, "With all due respect, Sir… go away."

"Carter…"

"I'll be fine. Go on, move."

"If you were still in the Air Force, you'd be busted for insubordination."

"So you keep saying."

Jack patted her shoulder and then, glaring at Daniel, left. When he had gone, Sam said apologetically,

"Sorry about him… he and the guys get all defensive about me. Makes me miss my brother."

Daniel smiled and then asked, idly scratching behind his ear, "Do you think you're strong enough for a little walk?"

"I'd do anything to get out of this room."