A/N: Sorry this is a bit of a sketchy chapter. It was written in an hour. If I gave any more details I would give away the plot for the next chapter! Virtual cookies for anyone who can guess what's wrong with Sam! BTW, I own nothing!

"I'm sorry to give you such bad news, Major. Is there anyone I should contact regarding this?" the doctor asked.

Samantha shook her head. "No, there's no one you should contact. I'll… I'll take care of that," she replied, holding her head. That blasted headache was still there, and it hadn't gone away. "Well, thanks for telling me. Better the devil you know, right?" she said half-heartedly. Without another word she left the office.

---

She showed up at the SGC three hours late for her shift. "Carter, where the hell have you been?" Jack asked her as she stepped off the elevator.

She tried to speak, but couldn't seem to get the words to form. Frustrated at both herself and her CO she walked off towards General Hammond's office. Entering without knocking, she tossed a letter on his desk and sat in the chair across the desk from him.

"What's this, Major?" Hammond asked, picking up the envelope curiously.

She sighed. "You would know if you'd read the damn thing! I shouldn't have to tell you everything," she snapped. Almost immediately, she covered her mouth. "Sorry sir," she mumbled apologetically as Hammond read the letter.

He reread it several times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Your resignation? This is a bit sudden, Sam. What's wrong?" he asked, sitting back in his chair.

"I just want out. There doesn't have to be a reason for everything!" she fumed, angry at the world and taking it out on the General.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Major. I can't accept this. Not without a damn good reason."

"Sir, I am hereby requesting personal leave," she said assuredly. "I'm… I'm stressed, and need some time off to deal with it," she told him. There would be no way that he could deny that SG-1 was under constant stress.

He thought for a moment, and nodded. "Of course. Indefinite personal leave, after you finish this mission; we need all of SG-1 for this one. Unless this stress will affect your performance?" he asked.

She tried to tell him that she couldn't do it, that it wouldn't be safe, but the words just wouldn't come out. They both turned at the sound of a knock at the door. Sorry to interrupt, sir, but we need Carter," O'Neill reminded them.

Of course, Colonel. She'll meet you in the Gate Room as soon as she's in uniform, he told Jack calmly, gesturing to Sam to leave the room.

They walked together through the hall towards the locker room. So, Carter, care to explain what all that was about when you came in?" he asked casually.

"No," she replied. Noticing that they had reached the locker room, she quickly ducked inside. Once the door swung shut, she sat heavily on one of the benches. 'How the hell did this happen to me? Haven't I dealt with enough shit in my life to escape this?' she thought to herself. Sighing, she decided not to delay the inevitable and quickly got into uniform. She kept thinking that this was just a diplomatic mission and that she would be able to handle it as she walked to the Gate Room. When she entered, the rest of SG-1 was waiting for her. O'Neill said nothing to her, simply raised an eyebrow. "Sorry," she mumbled, keeping her head down. It was at that moment that her hands began shaking.

O'Neill and Daniel were looking away, but Teal'c noticed. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her with concern. She willed her hands to stop and, miraculously, they did. She looked back at him, as if to say 'Don't say anything'. He nodded briefly, but continued to look concerned.

Lost in her own thoughts, she barely noticed going through the Gate. In fact, she didn't remember it dialling at all, just stepping through. 'Not now, brain, not now!' she demanded, hoping it would work as well as it had with her hands. It was only a short walk until they got to their destination, a city with a Grecian look to it. Sam hadn't been there the day that they had visited the first time, but it had turned out to be a peaceful culture that wanted to celebrate their new-found friends; they had no history of travellers through the 'stone circle' as they called it.

The only condition was that Sam had to attend. They had recently elected a the first woman to sit on council, and the council wanted to make a point to the population that other cultures allowed women the same privileges as men. The greetings passed as a blur to her, and soon there was music, food, and dancing in celebration of some treaty Daniel had managed to arrange. Offered what looked to be grapes, same smiled and accepted, standing in a corner trying to deal with her headache. She was aware that Teal'c was standing a few feet away; he hadn't moved far from her the whole time that they were there. It was obvious by the way he was watching her that he was concerned, but had not told the team of the tremors she had experienced earlier. She was about to eat one of the grape-like fruits and noticed her vision blackening. 'Not now!' she cried to herself before she slumped to the floor.

"Colonel O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted across the room above the music, running to Sam's side. He heard and ran over, dragging Daniel with him. "I am unsure what is wrong, she collapsed suddenly," Teal'c explained, picking her up. "Her hands were shaking before we embarked on this mission," he added. He knew that she would understand breaking their unspoken agreement.

"We've got to get her back to Earth," O'Neill stated simply.