You're Never Alone

Major Samantha Carter of the United States Air force sat quietly curled up on Jack O'Neill's comfortable sofa and wished that she could die. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and it seemed like she could cry no more. She had tried, but it only resulted in chocked sobs. She had cried until there were no more tears.

She hugged her legs closer to her body, wishing that she could just disappear and go join them. She had no life without them. She missed Daniel's comforting smile, the safe presence of Teal'c, and the goofy grin of the Colonel. She missed them all. And now they were all dead. A mix between a sob and a moan escaped her parched throat as her mind traveled back to the hours and days before as though it wanted her to relive it, relive the torture she went through. Slowly, she was once again caught in the memory.

She had been beaten, badly, and suffered other injuries she couldn't describe. They had put her in a sarcophagus, only to throw her back into the cold dark cell that had been her and her team's home the past two days. She hated that place, not as much as the throne room or the sarcophagus, but she sure hated it. At least her team was there to support her.

She was the only one that was beaten and tortured, none of the others on her team. Sam didn't feel jealousy or saddened, she was merely happy. Happy that they didn't have to suffer like she did, happy that she was the only one that had to endure the pain. Of course the rest of her team thought otherwise. Whenever the guards came to get her, they would stand in their path, pleading for the guards to take them instead. The Jaffa would brush them aside and then roughly grab her, dragging her back to the throne room and the torture.

She remembered her team caring for her, helping her through the pain, both mental and physical. She remembered their gentle touches and soothing voices and she shook and trembled in pain on the cold hard floor of the cell. Then, one day, the team decided to escape.

That morning, when the guards came to take her away, the Colonel and Teal'c stood up in her defense and attacked the Jaffa. They managed to overpower them and take out two of the five, only to have Teal'c shot in the chest and die on impact. Jack had screamed and thrown himself at the remaining Jaffa, killing one with only his fists and another with a dead guard's staff weapon. He had glanced at her momentarily, a sparkle of hope and sadness in his eyes. He believed they could get out of here, at least the three of them that were left. It was then that the Jaffa aimed and fired a staff blast at him, hitting him on his right side.

She saw his smile and hope falter as he fell to the ground and Daniel threw himself at the Jaffa. Jack landed with a sickening thump on the cold stone floor, his eyes still glued to Sam's. Tears streaming down her face, she crawled over to him, clasping his hand to her chest. Tears dripped down to the blood stained floor, tears of Teal'c and for Jack. He tugged at her hand, making her lower herself toward him and she caught three faint words from his dying breath. I love you. Then his grip weakened and his eyes became lifeless and she cried out that she loved him too, that he couldn't die.

She remembered Daniel's trembling grip on her shoulder and could feel his tears through the fabric of her torn shirt. We have to leave Sam. He had said shakily, grasping her shoulder harder. She had nodded and looked up at him through her tears. He was crying too. Daniel had, though, managed to kill the last Jaffa and the coast was clear.

They had to leave the bodies behind; they wouldn't be able to carry them to the gate. Together, they ran down the dark empty corridors of the palace, holding each other and mourning for their lost friends. Somehow they reached the gate and were able to dial through. She remembered Daniel's weak smile as they both knew that they were at least going to be safe and that they had each other. Just as they walked through the gate, a staff weapon could be heard in the distance and moments later, a grunt of pain from Daniel as he was hit squarely in the back. He fell through the wormhole, Sam stumbling after to catch him.

As they came into the gate room, she landed on the cold metal ramp with Daniel on top of her, Sam trying to offer some cushion to her injured team mate. Medic's immediately rushed to help Daniel while Sam watched stunned from a distance. General Hammond came up to her, asking what happened to the Colonel and Teal'c. Dead Sir, both dead. She had managed to whisper and she could see the pain in the man's eyes.

They did everything they could to Daniel but it just hadn't been enough. She remembered sitting by his bedside in the infirmary, watching him hooked up to all the medical equipment. He was at least breathing on his own and his heart was beating. He had woken up, much to her relief, and focused those blue, pain filled eyes on Sam.

They're gone. He had said, more like a statement than a question, but Sam nodded anyway, her eyes filling with tears again. He had nodded too, closing his eyes and resting his head against the pillow. We'll get through this! She had reassured him, grasping his hand. He looked at her again, his eyes filled with regret. No, I'm sorry Sam. We won't. Sam I – he was cut off as machines all around him started beeping frantically and his breath stalled, only to stop completely. Medical staff ushered Sam out immediately and got to work on the dying man.

An hour later, they had come out to her and talked to her in low voices. They had done everything they could. Daniel was dead. She remembered going to General Hammond's office and explaining the news to him through teary eyes. She was determined, though, not to cry on base. The General had granted her permission to leave the base and come back when she felt like she was ready to. Instead of driving home, she drove to the Colonel's house. She couldn't stand the thought of her empty house at the moment.

She drew a shaky breath, resting her head on her up-drawn knees. How could her world fall apart so fast? She felt like life wasn't worth living for anymore. Her family was gone, the man she loved, her brother, her best friends.

"Major Carter, you are not alone." The tall figure of Teal'c stood across from her behind the coffee table. She looked up at him with puffy eyes.

"You're just a figment of my imagination. You don't exist except in my mind. I am alone." She stated flatly, tears threatening. Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Is that not enough to keep you from feeling alone? We will always be here," he placed his massive hand on his heart," in your memories." He smiled gently, something Teal'c hardly ever did except on rare occasions. Sam nodded, giving him a small smile.

"Thanks Teal'c…" she said softly, feeling a wave of affection for her large Jaffa friend. He nodded his head again in acknowledgement.

"Hey Carter, watcha' doing in my house on my sofa?" said the inquiring voice of Jack O'Neill from beside her. She glanced to her right, finding an image of her Colonel in his green military outfit.

"Not now sir." She said weakly, not daring to say anything else in case she would break down again.

"Yes, now Carter. What other time? Teal'c was welcome, I'm not?" he asked, shrugging. Sam turned her head and stared at him.

"You said that you loved me." She stated flatly, "Why did you say that?" Jack looked at her with a knowing expression filled with affection.

"You know damn well why, Sam." He said softly, nudging her carefully in the ribs.

"Yeah, well you could tell me again since you are a figment of my imagination." She mumbled, scooting closer to him. He seemed very real, even though she knew he wasn't. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer into a comfortable position, her head resting on his chest. Yeah, this seemed real.

"I never got to tell you that I loved you." Sam said quietly, tears now brimming over the edge and rolling down her cheek.

"I think I already knew." He replied comfortingly, stroking her hair. They stayed like this for a while before Sam let out a small sob. She missed them too much. She couldn't bear it.

"Sam, are you alright?" Sam looked up into the worried eyes of Daniel who had taken Jack's place. He hugged her tighter, sighing sadly. "I'm sorry I left you like that, it was a horrible thing to do. I just had the feeling that I was going to die, that something bad was going to happen. I didn't want to keep your hopes up and then crush them. I guess I left a little sooner that I thought." Sam buried her face deeper into his chest.

"I miss you guys." She said in a muffled voice. Daniel nodded, rubbing her back.

"Don't worry, we will always be there." He replied softly. Sam couldn't take it anymore. Tears that she thought she didn't have fell freely onto Daniel's shirt and she shook with the attempt to keep the sadness in check. She could feel someone shaking her arm, calling her name. The voice seemed to be in the distant though and she paid no attention. She wanted to be safe in the arms of her teammates. The nudging became more urgent and she could make out words now, calling for her to wake up.

She forced open and eye to find Daniel, Jack and Teal'c all studying her with a worried gaze.

"Sam, are you ok?" Daniel asked, his voice laced with worry. She studied their faces in stunned silence. This seemed real.

"What-what happened?" she stammered, propping herself up on her elbows. She had apparently been in her sleeping bag.

"You were having a dream and crying in your sleep. We got a little worried there Carter." Jack said gruffly, though his eyes displayed worry too. Sam suddenly flung herself at Daniel and Jack, hugging them both tightly at the same time.

"Thank god." She said, drawing a shaky breath. Daniel carefully pealed her off of them.

"What happened?" he asked, though he seemed relieved that she was fine physically.

"I had a dream where you were all dead…" Sam said quietly. "I felt as though I wanted to die, I felt alone." She admitted. It seemed a little overreacting and cheesy as she said it but it pretty much summed her dream up.

"It was just a dream. We'll always be here!" Jack exclaimed immediately, his features softening some.

"Yeah, you're never alone." Daniel added.

"Indeed." Teal'c dipped his head in acknowledgement. Sam drew a shaky breath and smiled at them weakly. It was true, she would never be alone.

A/N: Sorry for that horrable ending, I'm very bad at those. I got this story idea off of the episode 'Grace' in season seven. Please, reveiw, it'll help me in future stories! :D