Bitter Fruit
By Tracy
Category: Angst
Summary: Sam brings more back from her time as Thera than she realizes.
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Spoiler: Beneath the Surface
Season: All
Rating: PG
Archive: Yes, Please
Feeback: Very much desired to
Disclaimer: Not mine, but I love them like they were. No profit made on this, just a labor of love.
Author's Note: WARNING!! TOTALLY MESSING WITH THE TIMELINE HERE!! I wrote this the way I wanted things to be! It's right after "Beneath the Surface" but Sam's (briefly) with Pete and Jack's with Kerry. Janet's still alive, so are Jacob (sob), Kasuf, Skaara, and the people of Abydos (never shoulda killed them off in the first place!) Jack's still Colonel and Sam's still Major (as it should be!). Oh, and I threw in a little Major Davis just for ME! :OP Hope you can enjoy!
Steam pipes hissed and gears shifted with a mechanical clatter that echoed throughout the plant, masking the sighs and moans of a couple hidden away in a no longer used, darkened area. Well, no longer in official use. This was the area of the plant known as the "tunnel," one of the few places of semi-privacy in the large complex. It connected the main part of the plant with a seldom used storage area. Broken pieces of equipment were brought there to get them out of the way, and they were left to rust. Unless a new piece of junk was to be taken there, no one ever came this way. Well, not on an official basis. Couples vied for use of the area, especially on bathing day, and the clandestine usage of the place was a jealously guarded secret. If Brenna or one of the others found out, it could mean serious trouble for the workers involved. Females who accidentally conceived were sent away, never to be heard from again. It was an honor to serve, but relationships still grew and existed in the shadows.
It was seldom a couple had the place to themselves, even here privacy was a rare commodity, so some discretion was called for. Even now, the sighs and quiet moans of several couples sounded in the dark, resolutely ignored by the others.
The couple had found refuge in an old section of large pipe. Lips blended and hands moved, touching as much flesh of the other as possible. Discarded clothing served as a crude bed for the lovers to lie on. There was no time to remove all clothing, so what remained was pushed out of the way as best they could It was unbearably hot in this area due to the steam pipes that ran over head. Sweat-slick bodies moved inexorably together, sliding against each other urgently. Hastily stifled moans and cries swallowed by lips and mouths, until a name was breathed out in urgency:
"Jonah!"
And in husky answer:
"Thera!"
"So…Colonel."
"Major."
"That bald man you were trying to remember… "
"General Hammond."
"Right."
Sam smiled.
"He's from Texas you know. It's all coming back."
"Yes sir."
"Sir…" There is a sadness to Jack's face and tone.
Sam held his eyes steadily.
After a moment, "Let's go home. "
"Yes sir."
Sam was sitting on one of the infirmary beds, swinging her legs back and forth gently. Her exam was over, now she just had to wait for Janet to come back with the test results and she could go. She wanted to go home and do some thinking. She hadn't quite processed all that had happened to her as Thera, all that had happened with JONAH and Thera, and she knew it would take some time to digest. She and the Colonel needed to talk, but she couldn't really talk to him about her thoughts on the matter when she didn't know yet what those thoughts were.
The curtain around the bed was pulled back and the subject of her thoughts appeared. He, too, looked a little nervous about it all. He met her eyes for a moment, nodded and looked down at the floor. "Carter."
"Sir." When he looked up she looked away. Then forced herself to look back. This was silly.
"You okay?" He stood with his hands in his pockets, bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly.
"Yes, sir, you?"
"Oh, fine, fine. Lost a little weight working down there. Guess that's not such a bad thing.' He patted his belly, and Sam smiled. Then an awkward silence descended, with their gazes skittering back and forth to each other and then quickly away.
After a moment, Jack said, "Listen, do we need to talk about this?"
"I…maybe. But not yet, okay?"
Jack nodded. "Need time to process?" He guessed.
Sam smiled gratefully. "Yes, sir."
Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose, a sure sign of his awkwardness. "Okay. Probably a good idea. Has the doc come back with all your tests yet?"
"No, sir. Just waiting for her."
Jack pulled back the curtain. "You'll let me know if there's anything, you know, I need to know about, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Jack stopped. "Uh, Carter, I hate to bring this up, but there's no chance that…?"
Sam got his meaning and gave him a shocked look. "No, sir. Absolutely not." Please God.
Jack gave her a searching look before replying casually, "Okee-doke. I'll leave you to it, then."
"Thank you, sir."
A week later Sam started down to Jack' office with a determined look on her face. She knew she would feel better once she talked to him. She always did. She stopped dead at the bend in the corridor. Standing in Jack's doorway was Jack and Kerry Johnson, the woman he'd been seeing lately. They were standing very close together, smiling and talking in hushed voices. Sam tried to ignore the lump that had suddenly sprouted in her throat as she watched the two. Kerry had her hand on his arm, rubbing it slowly and saying something that put a very big grin on Jack's face. Kerry looked really beautiful, Sam thought. Very vibrant and alive. Kerry made a gesture as if she should be going, and gave Jack a quick peck on the lips. These were two people obviously very much in love. Sam's vision blurred . She turned and fled before they could see her.
Two weeks later Daniel sat in the commissary and watched Jack and Sam avoid each other. He sighed It had been like this since their return. They were obviously uncomfortable with each other since the Jonah/Thera incident. It was always like this when they tried to mask their feelings, but this time it was particularly bad. Jack was grumpier than ever, and Sam, to his knowledge, hadn't smiled once since they'd been back. Jack was obviously bewildered as to how to behave around Sam, and Daniel noticed that Sam seemed particularly miserable. He watched her take a tray and head out the door, presumably back to her lab, so he finished his coffee, raised a hand to Jack at the far table--who never saw it because he was watching Sam, looking like a sad dog who just had his best bone stolen--and followed her out.
He found her sitting on a tall stool next to her work table, staring off into space, her lunch apparently forgotten. She looked so sad he wanted to hug her. Instead he tapped on the rim of the door to get her attention. She turned and pasted a weak smile on her face.
"Daniel."
"Hey Sam," he ventured into the room. "We need to talk."
As Jack stalked through the halls of the SGC he thought to himself that he didn't remember much that had happened when the Broca virus had infected him, but he clearly remembered beating the crap out of Daniel for daring to go near Sam, and right now that didn't sound like such a bad idea.
They'd been back for two weeks and Daniel and Sam had suddenly grown inseparable. They ate together, talked in hushed voices together, and were even taking a Pilates class together, for cryin' out loud. It was not uncommon lately for Daniel to put an arm around Sam, or touch her, whether they were walking down a corridor, or sitting in the commissary or briefing room, they were always very cozy together. It made Jack want to puke. He wondered if the cop knew about this. He, Jack, could barely get two words out of her since their talk in the infirmary right after. Ever since then she'd apparently "processed" her thoughts and decided to avoid him at all costs. When he did corner her, she was curt and distant. She made it very obvious she wanted nothing to do with him. However, now she smiled and chatted to Daniel like he was her BFF. He stopped when he realized he just made quotation marks with his fingers, frowned, and moved on.
It wasn't like he wasn't as freaked out about this whole situation as she was. Well, 'freaked out' might be a bit strong, but he was certainly as confused about the whole thing. As Jonah and Thera they'd lost their identities, but had been able to express their emotions for each other and have a physical relationship. A relationship that had to end as soon as they recovered their memories. It was damn disorienting to try and get back to 'normal' after knowing what it was like to hold Sam Carter in his arms. One minute they were lovers, then poof, they were hands-off again. How do you do that? Every time he saw her he remembered what it felt like when they made love, the smell of her, the taste of her, the sounds she made when they…He realized he was standing stock-still in the middle of the corridor again. He forced himself to move on.
The part of him that was still Jonah was drawn to her like a lodestone. He'd wake up at night calling her name. Well, Thera's name, his body in almost physical pain from wanting her. It was a craving he couldn't seem to shake. It would take hours to calm himself and go back to sleep. Alone and lonely without her.
Why hadn't she come to him and discussed this, like they'd planned? Surely she was feeling some of the same things he was. He'd tried to force the issue only to have her shut him out again, and instead she'd turned to Daniel. Daniel!
He glanced at his watch. He was late for the morning briefing, which only served to make his mood darker. He stalked through the control room, where even Walter avoided his gaze, and took the stairs two at a time. He fought back a grimace when, as usual, he beheld Daniel and Sam sitting right next to each other, with Daniel's arm draped across the back of her chair. It was sickening.
"Good Morning, Jack," Daniel said.
"Is it?" Jack scowled. "What's so good about it?" Jack dropped into a chair and grabbed some paper and a pen.
Daniel frowned. "Okay, forget I said anything."
"I usually do, Daniel." Jack's voice was harsh.
Before Daniel could respond, General Hammond appeared and the briefing began. "Good morning, people, let's get started. As you know, Major Davis has joined us this morning to go over some plans the Pentagon wants to implement. Major?" Davis rose and turned down the lights to begin his slide show, and Jack sighed impatiently.
The next 45 minutes passed in a blur to Jack. Davis had been droning on and on about something, but all Jack could think was that he wanted out of that room and away from the love birds. He'd doodled several pictures of a stick-figure Daniel with his stupid stick-figure glasses, being killed violently in various ways--hanging on a gallows, pinned to a target and shot with arrows, stick-figure Jack choking the life out of him, or stabbing him with a stick-figure knife. Stick Danny tied to a stick-figure stake and set on fire…
Sam suddenly rose from the table, and all but staggered toward the stairs. Davis stopped talking and watched her for a moment. "Major? Are you all right?" Jack looked up from his artwork and watched her over his shoulder. The lights came up and Sam turned an extremely pale face to them. "Don't feel so good…excuse me," She took two more steps and went down like a ton of bricks.
"Carter!" Jack was at her side instantly, beating even Daniel. "Get the med team here, NOW!" He lifted her head and stroked a cheek. Her skin felt clammy. "Sam, c'mon Sam, speak to me." She was as white as the proverbial sheet.
"Oh God," Daniel knelt down on the other side of Sam. "Sam, can you hear me?" No response.
The med team was there in less than two minutes and began working on Sam. "Let's get her on a gurney," Janet took charge immediately. Once Sam was on the gurney, Janet began to take her vitals. She was listening to her chest with a stethoscope when Sam opened a bleary eye. "It's okay, Sam, you passed out for a few minutes. We're taking you to the infirmary." Janet's voice was both firm and soothing.
"Janet," Sam's speech was weak and a bit slurred. "My baby…"
Janet took her hand. "It's fine Sam, you're both going to be fine." She turned to the orderlies. "Let's get her to the infirmary."
It was as if time had frozen for the men remaining. No one moved for several seconds, then both Jack and Hammond said loudly, "Baby?"
Daniel dropped his head for a moment, then raised it to look them in the eye. "Yeah, Sam's pregnant, she uh, didn't want anyone to know."
TBC