A/N: So, I watched 'Heroes Part 1 & 2' yesterday and there's always one scene in that episode that just makes me ball my eyes out because it's so emotional and I thought I'd have a go and writing out said scene... and adding a tiny little bit of extra stuff at the end. I really hope this evokes the same sort of reaction that people had when watching the episode because, in my opinion, this was one of the most beautiful Sam/Jack moments ever.
She paced swiftly down the corridors after hearing that he was conscious again. She just had to go and see him, she was afraid that she had lost him and she couldn't risk him not knowing how much he means to her.
Jack and Sam share a special kind of relationship, the kind where words don't even need to be said but they still know they can count on each other. Sam was certain of her feelings for Jack, she was just uncertain as to whether he felt the same for her. Regulations always put a wall between them, resulting in their relationship being one that could never surface. She just cares about the man so goddamn much that it felt as if the regulation was only there to mock her. There have been so many circumstances in which their connection had been addressed and had been scrutinised, often by Sam herself, but by the next day it was always as if nothing ever happened. That's how it had to be but after nearly losing him, Sam couldn't just pretend that everything was fine, that she wasn't the most afraid she had ever been or that she hadn't cried more than she'd like to admit.
As she neared the door, she took a deep breath to compose herself. She wanted this to seem as casual as possible and she wanted to still appear professional. Sam knew that if she let her emotions overshadow her professionalism then both hers and Jack's careers would be in jeopardy but that didn't stop her from being concerned about her CO's health. She just had to approach this from a logical angle to subtly tell Jack that he's important to her and she was scared about losing him but to not go over the top and make him feel uncomfortable.
She slowly pushed open the door and peered inside. It was a dimly lit room and she saw Jack sitting up on the bed, fiddling with his bandages as he adjusted his black shirt. This brought some relief to Sam as she saw that he was able to move and he wasn't too weak or in too much pain. It would've been much more difficult to visit him if he was, but that didn't mean that seeing him at all was easy in the first place.
"Sir, I heard you were up and around." Sam spoke in a somewhat relieved tone as she approached the bed. The door slowly eased closed behind her, giving the two of them that extra bit of privacy.
"Yeah, still a little tender but they said I can go home." Jack had watched every move she made as she entered the room and Sam felt even more tense with his dark eyes monitoring her every breath. He was truly glad to see her, but of course he was very closed with his feelings and even when expressing them he, more often than not, conveyed them without even saying a word.
She nodded slowly as she attempted to think of what to say that wouldn't give away too much of her true intentions for visiting. "You're lucky that Staff Blast hit you where it did... That new vest insert works really well." Of course she would input some sort of techno-talk.
"Didn't help Frasier much." Jack spoke with a slightly mournful pitch to his voice. It's true, he was lucky but he couldn't help feeling that either Janet should have survived as well or he should have died with her. Jack didn't normally dwell on such thoughts but it sprung to mind as Carter spoke of the incident.
"No..." Sam responded in a quiet and saddened voice as she lowered her head, looking to the floor. She asked for that one and she knew it.
There was a moment of silence, an agonisingly long moment of silence that made Jack feel uncomfortable. He could sense Carter was upset about losing Janet so he decided to move the conversation along a bit. "How's Cassie?" He asked as he carefully rose from his seat and paced around the room a little to stretch his legs and adjust to the bandages.
"She's a tough kid, a survivor, you know?" Sam remained standing in the centre of the room, almost as if she was unsure about what else to do... which she was. All she did was watch Jack put his coat on as he responded.
"Yeah..." Jack turned his full attention to Carter as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of his jacket, turning his body to face her. He could see that she was tense and he only theorised that it was about Janet. "You speaking at the memorial service?"
Sam closed her eyes and nodded her head. Her breath was getting hitched in her throat as she struggled to remain composed. She couldn't pretend any longer, she had to tell him while the thought was still fresh in her mind. "Sir..." She began; her bright blue eyes looked straight into his for a moment as she exhaled a shaky breath but she kept looking away as she tried to form the words that needed to be said. "I just wanted to say... When you were lying there..." Her voice started to break ever-so-slightly and she could feel the sting of tears as they slowly formed in her eyes. She couldn't even think about it without getting choked up in grief, let alone say it.
Jack's expression softened as his dark brown eyes watched Carter slowly unravel before him. He could see her losing her composure and he could sense that she was about to break down before him. His heart shattered, he hated to see her in such a way... but he knew why, Jack always knew.
"I'm really glad you're okay..." Her voice had lost the steady pace she had first addressed him with and the words barely came out in English as her overwhelming adoration for the man before her engulfed her completely. Sam mentally cursed herself for letting her professionalism slip but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't even look at him as she blinked away the first few tears that formed. The face of regret that she was now sporting told Jack all he needed to be told. He knew it wasn't easy for Sam to admit such a thing to him but he also knew how painful it was to think that you've lost someone who was that close to you for he had experienced the very same emotions several times before as he feared for Sam's life.
There was another long moment of silence as Jack watched Sam's conscience battle with her heart before him. He swallowed thickly and took a step closer to the blonde which made her bright eyes lock onto his, her tears making them shine even more so than usual. They were now only a mere foot apart from each other, their eyes never leaving each others as they exchanged that iconic glance of unspoken affection. Jack uttered his famous "C'mere..." just barely above a whisper as he opened an arm to embrace Carter.
She silently obeyed and took the last step that closed the distance between the two of them and as she felt his arm hook around her shoulders to pull her tightly against him, she closed her eyes and she surrendered to her heart, the tears finally began to roll down her cheeks without anything stopping them. Both of her arms looped around his torso as she held him close to her, thankful to rest her chin on his shoulder so he wouldn't look at her as she cried.
Jack snaked his other arm around Sam's slim waist and he embraced her as closely as he could, clutching at the thin material of her black long-sleeved shirt as he too was internally battling with his own adoration for the one he was holding. He may have nearly died but the thought of losing Samantha Carter was one to make Jack crumble. He never shows his emotions much but right now, he squeezed his eyes closed as just held onto Sam tightly. The two had been attached to each other for quite some time now and Jack knew how Sam felt about him but he was just never sure how let her know that he felt the same. He always struggled to put his feelings for the woman in his arms into words that he knew he shouldn't due to the risk of breaking regulations. He wasn't even sure if she knew how he truly felt but he only hoped that gestures such as this gave her a clearer idea.
Instead of even attempting to verbally express his emotions in this current situation, Jack merely pressed his face into Sam's neck gently as he basked in her warmth. He could still feel her trembling slightly below his hold and he whispered a tender "Shh..." into her skin, his lips lightly brushed against her neck as he placed the softest of kisses there. He was aiming to console her and calm her down before she got into a worse state which would only make his heart ache even more. He held onto her until she had completely calmed and until he was certain that he could willingly part from her again.
Every hug they shared and every glance they exchanged had a meaning. Who needs clichéd 'I love yous' when you have something more platonic that no words could ever completely sum up?