General Hammond called Colonel Jack O'Neal into his office.
"Jack," he said, "You know that Teal'c has returned to Chulak for an unspecified period of time to deal with some issues that have come up. I've been trying to choose a fourth member to work on your team while he is gone, and I think I have someone for you."
"Shoot, General," said Jack casually.
"Well, as you know, Sam's father Jacob is our emissary to the Tok'ra. They have been asking us if they could have a Tok'ra representative here on Earth as well. They think it will help the relationship between our two worlds."
Jack shook his head. "No way, General Hammond. I see where you are going. Do not give me one of those people with the snakes in their heads. NO way!," emphasized Jack.
"Now, Jack, I know you don't get along with the Tok'ra well, but it's important that we maintain diplomatic relations with them. The President has been very insistent that we take someone on, and having Teal'c gone is the perfect opportunity. Plus, you already know this Tok'ra. In fact, Major Carter recommended him."
"Oh, no. General. Don't say it!" said Jack.
"Martouf. I think he will be the perfect fourth member of your team. It's just until Teal'c gets back. Then we will find him another position here."
"For crying out loud, General. Martouf is a marshmallow. You are asking me to replace Teal'c, who is a warrior, with a big Marshmallow who has a snake inside his head. You realize that my team is now going to be two scientists and a…a…."
"General O'Neal, You know I would never compromise your team. And you know that Lt. Carter and Daniel Jackson are excellent fighters in a battle. Are you implying that they aren't able to use a weapon properly?"
Jack grinned, being called out on some of his whining. "No General, I have to say that no one wields a gun like Carter does."
"Well, then, it's settled. Martouf will be joining your team this afternoon."
Jack left General Hammond's office in quite the bad mood. This was not going to be a good day. He was going to have to chew out Carter for recommending Martouf. What in the world was she thinking?
That afternoon the Stargate alarm sounded, and an announcement came over the intercom. "Scheduled off world activation."
Jack hustled down to the gateroom. If he was going to have a new unwelcome member of the team, he might as well set the tone for how things were going to right from the start. As he headed down the hallway, he met Sam and Daniel along the way.
"Going to welcome our new crew member?" Jack asked in a somewhat mocking tone.
"Yes!" said Sam. "Isn't this great?"
"Remind me later to educate you on the definition of great, Carter. I can't believe you would stick me with this idiot on my team."
"Colonel, with all due respect, I believe Martouf will be an excellent addition to our team," said Sam.
"I agree," added Daniel. "I look forward to the opportunity to learn more about the Tok'ra history and social structure. Martouf could provide us with valuable information that we haven't been able to learn about before."
Jack snorted, "You are both crazy! This is going to be a disaster!"
They arrived at the gateroom just in time to see the great woosh. A second later, Martouf stepped out of the Stargate.
"Martouf!" Sam cried out, stepping up and hugging him.
"Samantha!" said Martouf. "It is so good seeing you again."
He turned to Jack and Daniel, "Jack! Daniel! I am so looking forward to being a part of your team."
Daniel smiled and shook Martouf's hand, "And we look forward to it too! Why don't you join us in the cafeteria and you can sample some of Earth's food while we talk about our plans for the next month?"
"You kids go ahead," said Jack, "I have some work to do."
Jack thought to himself, "Yeah, the cafeteria food will send him running back to his planet."
As Daniel and Sam laughed and joked with Martouf in the cafeteria, Jack glowered in his office. What had his job come to? He was now the leader of a team that included someone who's eyes glowed. And worse yet, Sam seemed to be completely oblivious to Martouf's faults. Jack saw how Martouf looked at Sam, and that spelled trouble in his book. Fortunately, it was Friday. Jack could go home in a couple of hours and bury himself in cartoons. He would block this out of his head, Jack-style, and deal with this on Monday.
Monday rolled around, and Jack braced himself for going into the SGC. Today was the day he had to go on his first mission with Martouf. He contemplated a lot of scenarios in his head where he left Martouf on an alien planet, or sent him crying home to his Tok'ra planet. Jack would never do those things, of course, but it was somewhat satisfying to daydream about them.
Jack headed for the conference room. General Hammond was about to go over their upcoming mission. When he got there, the General and Daniel had not arrived yet, but Sam and Martouf were sitting at the large conference table next to each other, laughing and talking about what had apparently been a very fun weekend together.
"Hi sir!" Sam welcomed Jack.
"What's this I hear about you spending time together this weekend?" asked Jack.
"Colonel O'Neal," said Martouf. "Samantha was so kind as to show me around your planet. I had never been off the base before on Earth, and it was so interesting. Your traditions are so different from ours."
Sam laughed. "I helped Martouf buy an earth outfit. You would not believe how different he looks in a pair of jeans."
Martouf laughed, "I have to admit that I prefer the free breeze under my wrap. It will take me awhile to get used to wearing that thick stiff cloth over my legs."
Jack gave Sam a stern look, "Do you think it is a good idea to be fraternizing with team members during off-hour time?"
Sam gave Jack a puzzled look, "It wasn't a date, sir. Even if it was, Martouf is not in our military, so he is not in my chain of command. Besides, you and Teal'c and Daniel get together all the time. I don't see anything wrong with it."
Jack looked grumpy, but had nothing to say.
"Well, you were an excellent host," said Martouf, smiling at Sam. She smiled back at him. Then General Hammond and Daniel arrived, and Jack tuned his focus back to the business of the day.
Daniel caught up with Jack in the hallway after the mission briefing.
"Jack! Can I talk to you a minute?" asked Daniel.
Jack still looked grumpy. "Well, just one. I have a lot paperwork I am looking forward to doing."
Daniel smiled. Even when Jack was grumpy he could maintain his sense of humor.
"It's just I noticed that you seemed very short towards Martouf during our mission briefing. Is anything bothering you?"
"Bothering me? No, why would it?" Jack said, unconvincingly. "Just because I have to have that….snakehead…. on my team."
"Is that all that is bothering you?" asked Daniel.
Jack looked like he couldn't think of the right words to say. Then he finally came up with something.
"Do you think it is a good idea for Sam to be such close friends with him? I mean, she's not a Tok'ra. He's going back to his planet someday. I just don't think it is a good idea for her to become too attached."
"Oh, I see," said Daniel smiling. "This isn't about Martouf or what he brings to the team. This is about you and Sam."
"Me and Sam?" Jack looked incredulous. "I don't know what you are talking about. There is nothing between Sam and I. I am just looking out for her best interests."
"I see," said Daniel, and he looked at Jack in a very wise way.
"All right professor," said Jack. "Let's go pack our gear. Enough psychotherapy for the day."
Daniel smiled and they went off to grab their backpacks.
The team headed through the Stargate that afternoon. Jack didn't need to brief Martouf on Stargate travel, since he was already used to traveling frequently between planets.
The planet they were traveling to was relatively peaceful. General Hammond had seen the tension between Jack and Martouf, and felt that having a relatively calm mission would serve them well to help gel as a team.
"All right," said Jack. "Our mission is to hike into the forest and do some scouting. We have had no alien encounters on this planet so far, but we haven't explored the planet much further than a couple of klicks around the Stargate. For the next couple of days we will be camping and working our way through the terrain to see what we can discover. Everyone ready?"
The team nodded. Daniel looked excited. He was always excited when they had the opportunity to discover previously unsearched areas.
Martouf turned to Sam. "Can I carry your tent for you? Your backpack looks very heavy."
This is it, thought Jack somewhat gleefully. There was nothing Sam hated more than guys insinuating that she couldn't carry what a guy could carry. She was going to bite off Martouf's head, and Jack got to see it happen.
Sam smiled instead, "Oh Martouf, that is so thoughtful of you. What a gentleman."
Martouf smiled and took the tent that Sam handed him.
Jack stared at Sam. Then he cursed and kicked a rock. Then he hopped around for a minute, because kicking a large rock is a bad idea, even when you are wearing steel-toed boots. The whole team stared at Jack, wondering what had gotten into him today.
They trudged on through the dense jungle foliage. Jack led the way with a giant knife, hacking away the brush to clear the way. While they walked, Martouf entertained Daniel and Sam with stories of his Tok'ra adventures. Because his symbiote was so old, there were many adventures to talk about.
"Tell me more about the mating rituals in your society," said Daniel. "It has to be quite difficult to find someone that both you and your symbiote get along with."
"Yes," said Martouf. "It can be quite challenging. You actually have four people who have to get along, since both Tok'ra hosts would have symbiotes inside of them. Generally, the hosts have to be attracted to each other, and the symbiotes also have to be attracted to each other. But because we live together so cooperatively, it is not as complicated as you would think it would be."
"And once you are together, you have the potential to be together for a long time," said Sam. "Like you and Jolinar."
"Yes," said Martouf. "Jolinar and I were together for many of your lives."
"I can't even imagine having a relationship like that," said Sam. "I'm lucky if I have a relationship that goes past a week."
"Maybe you have just not met the right person yet," said Martouf.
Jack cut into the conversation, "Maybe she's just too busy saving the planet to care about minor things like relationships,"
"There is that," laughed Sam, "But the older I get, the more I realize that I may be missing out on something."
Jack looked worried. He didn't know Sam was starting to feel that way. The two of them had always had a sort of understanding that Jack thought they could maintain for as long as they were both in the military.
It scared him to think that she might not be completely satisfied with that any more. And then he felt confused. Because being scared and relationships were both things that made him confused.
"Tell me more, Martouf," said Daniel.
"Well," said Martouf. "We Tok'ra spend a lot of time together, and there are not that many of us. So we generally know who our potential mates are, even as we grow up. To be honest with you, it is sometimes hard to think of being paired with anyone that I already know. I was with Jolinar for so long, that I will always think of her as being better than the other potential mates on my planet. I don't want to settle for second best."
"Maybe you should look outside the Tok'ra for a mate," suggested Sam.
"Yes, I have considered that," said Martouf, giving Sam a grin that was way too big. She grinned back. Jack reached behind to his pack and dug for the antacids he had stuffed in an outside pocket. He had packed a lot of them. He had a feeling this trip was going to be more upsetting to his stomach than usual.
After lunch and a nap during the hottest part of the day, Jack and Martouf went to a nearby stream to filter some water for the team.
Martouf turned to Jack as they scooped water through the filter. "I appreciate this opportunity to be a part of your team. You seem a little upset that I am here. Is there anything that I can do to alleve your concerns about me?"
Jack grunted, "I don't really have a problem with you, Martouf. It's just that I'm used to working with Teal'c. My team is very important to me, and I don't want anything to happen to them. I'm used to working with fighters. You seem like more of a ….lover."
"I know my appearance does not show it, but all Tok'ra are trained from an early age in fighting skills," said Martouf. "It is a necessary part of our upbringing, due to the problems we have with the Goa'ould."
"Yes, I suppose that is true," said Jack. "So you are here mostly as a diplomat?"
"Well, I do confess that I have ulterior motives," said Martouf. "While I am here for the Tok'ra as an emissary, I have some personal reasons to be here as well."
"Yeah, what's that?" asked Jack.
"This," replied Martouf. He pulled out a small jewelry box from his pocket and opened it. There in the box was a shiny ring.
Jack just about choked. "Is that an engagement ring?"
"Why yes," said Martouf. "We do not wear them on our planet. But I understand that this is the custom on your planet if you want to claim a mate."
"Yeah, that it is," said Jack, staring at the ring. "And who do you think you are giving that to? Dr. Frasier?" Jack knew exactly who Martouf wanted to give it to, but he wasn't going to act like he knew.
"Why Samantha, of course," said Martouf. "She is the first person I have met since Jolinar who I have felt the same type of feelings for."
Jack glowered, "There is no way she is going to agree to marry you, Martouf. Her job here is too important to her."
"I know," said Martouf. "That is why I requested this assignment. I thought she could get to know me better slowly, and then when the time came for us to get – what do you call it? – "hitched," I would be able to stay on this planet. I would have to travel back to the Tok'ra planet frequently, but I'm sure Samantha would like that, since she could come along and visit her father."
He's got it all worked out, thought Jack. What am I going to do? I don't think I can stand years of watching Martouf flirt with Sam.
At that moment, Daniel joined them at the riverside. "Hey, how's it going?"
"Good," said Jack, without sounding convinced, "And you?"
"Oh, really good," said Daniel. "We haven't found anything interesting yet, but when I climbed up a tree and looked with my binoculars, I could see what looked like ruins in the distance. I think if we head South and a little East, we should reach them within a day."
"Sounds like a plan," Jack mumbled.
Daniel looked at Jack, alarmed. "Are you OK, Jack?" Daniel asked.
"Just peachy," said Jack. "Let's get Carter and get going."
The long hike was good for Jack. It gave him plenty of time to think. He had to think of something. He could tell that Sam was attracted to Martouf, and he could see how appealing she would find the lifestyle of traveling to see her father.
Jack went over his options related to Sam again. He could retire, but then he couldn't work with Sam anymore. She could get a different job, but she loved this job and Jack didn't want to ask her to give it up. They could both marry different people and work together, but have separate lives. None of those choices sounded good to Jack. And he knew that none of those choices would sound good to Sam, either.
On top of all of that, Jack didn't really know for sure how Sam really felt about him. Their whole relationship was based on the mutual trust they had for each other. The only reason he really had to believe that she cared for him more than a friend was the way they looked each other in the eyes, and the way it felt when they hugged or had contact in some way.
As Jack hiked, he looked back over their time together, trying to figure out if Sam's feelings for him were real. There was the time that they both had to take the Zetark lie detector. He had admitted in front of Sam and the rest of his team that he "cared for her more than he was supposed to," and she had admitted the same thing. But they agreed to never let it leave the room, and it hadn't. Then there was the time he woke up from being cryogenically frozen, and she held him like she would never let him go. But maybe she was just being a good team member and trying to get his body warm again. And there was that time in the ice cave in Antartica…but he was hardly in his right mind then, and neither was she. Did she really love him? Did she care for him at all? Did he have any right to feel like Martouf was encroaching on what he thought was rightfully his?
Well, thought Jack, I don't know how we could be together, but I do know one thing. It is time to step up my game. No more assuming Sam will always be there for me…
Jack looked for every opportunity after this to try to show his feelings to Sam. If Martouf was here to woo her, then Jack would, too. But it got off to a rocky start.
"Carter, can I help you put up your tent?" asked Jack. If Martouf was going to be a gentleman, then he would, too.
"Jack!" Sam reproved him, "You know I am perfectly capable of putting up a tent." Well, that didn't go as planned.
Later he tried again. Maybe he should emphasize that he was a good protector. "I am concerned about you sleeping alone in a tent," said Jack. "Maybe one of us should sleep in your tent with you to protect you at night."
"Jack! I can take care of myself!" said Sam, looking at Jack like he had gone crazy. "Besides, this planet isn't dangerous at all! What has gotten into you? You are starting to treat me like I am some helpless female. You know I'm a valuable team member, and just as capable as you of beating up anyone who tries to attack me!" She looked truly annoyed.
"True. True. You are right," said Jack sheepishly. Great. His attempts at being attractive to Sam were all backfiring. He was just not good at this stuff. He was good at shooting Goa'oulds.
Martouf spoke up. "Sam, you are right that you can defend yourself well," said Martouf. "But isn't it wise to always have someone to watch your back, whether or not you are female or male?"
"That's true, Martouf," said Sam smiling at him. Jack couldn't believe his ears. She would take that stuff from Martouf, but not from him? Why did it work when Martouf said stuff like that, but it backfired when Jack said the same thing? What was going on here?
"I would be happy to volunteer to share your tent," said Martouf.
Jack felt panicky. "No, I am her senior officer. I should be her backup."
Daniel spoke up, looking suspiciously from Jack to Martouf, "How about we just pitch the tents right next to each other? Then we can all protect each other?"
"That sounds good," said Jack, relieved that Martouf would not be sharing a tent with Sam. "Daniel and I will pitch a tent here on one side of Sam, and Martouf, you can pitch a tent on the other side of her. Then we can all hear what is going on with each other." And, Jack thought, we can all hear if anyone sneaks into anyone else's tent.
Daniel and Jack were lying in the tent next to each other. The fire was still crackling outside their tent, and the night animals were making lots of noise. Daniel whispered to Jack. "Jack, what is going on? You have been acting so weird around Sam today."
"She can hear you," whispered Jack back. "Her tent is right there."
"I don't think so," said Daniel, "I can hear her softly snoring through my side of the tent."
"All right then, I'll tell you," said Jack. "That Martouf guy brought an engagement ring through the Stargate with him. He wants Sam to be his mate."
"Really?" said Daniel, surprised. "I knew they were close, but I didn't really think it was that way between them."
"I didn't either," said Jack.
There was silence for a few minutes.
"Daniel?" asked Jack.
"Yes, Jack?" said Daniel.
"I don't want to lose her."
"I know," said Daniel.
They both lay there in silence until Daniel fell asleep. Jack tossed and turned, wondering what to do next.
The day dawned early, and Jack slept in, having stayed up so late the night before. Sam and Daniel introduced Martouf to the MRE breakfast, and Martouf was fascinated by the fact that dry powdered food could turn into real food by adding boiling water. Martouf was not impressed with the eggs. Sam laughed as she saw Martouf spitting the eggs out. Jack woke up to the sound of Sam's laughter.
He emerged from the tent. Sam looked at Jack, concerned. He did not look well.
"Sir? Are you OK?" asked Sam. She walked over to him and touched him on the arm. Jack looked at her with bleary eyes. He saw her every day at work, but he never thought she looked so much like an angel. Why didn't he see her this way every day at work? He had become complacent, that is why. Now that he knew he could lose her, she seemed so much more beautiful than he already thought she was.
"Carter, could we go for a walk together?" Jack asked. "Just you and I?"
Sam looked at the concern on Jack's face. "Sure," she said. She turned back to Daniel and Martouf, who were sitting by the fire. "Jack and I are going to go for a morning walk. We will be back in a few minutes."
"I would enjoy a walk," said Martouf. "I will join you." He got up.
Daniel looked at the situation, and at the panic on Jack's face, and said, "Martouf, I need to go looking for some plants that could be used for medicine back on Earth. Would you mind walking with me and giving me your expertise, based on what you have on your planet?"
Martouf looked like he was torn. He would like to go with Sam, but he was here to be a valuable member of the team. In the end he took Daniel up on his offer.
Sam and Jack walked away from the campsite for a short ways. They found a large flat rock that they both climbed on top of. Jack made sure to not help Sam up, lest she think he was not respecting her capabilities again.
Jack was silent for a couple of minutes, so Sam spoke up. "So what's up, sir?" she asked.
Jack looked like he was struggling for words. "Carter…Sam…Well….It's Martouf. I'm just concerned that you are becoming too close to him. I don't think it's good for the team."
Sam looked at Jack. Her eyes seemed to look right into his soul. "Good for the team, or good for you?" she asked.
"Well," said Jack, "Both, I guess."
Sam nodded. "Martouf and I are good friends. That is all. Maybe something could happen with him, some day. I don't know. But for now we are just friends"
Jack nodded, "I think he does want something more. I think he wants a lot more."
Sam chewed on her lip. She knew Jack was telling the truth. "Look, sir, I can't promise you that nothing is going to happen between Martouf and I."
Jack felt like she had punched him in the stomach.
He said softly, "Well, I don't like that."
Sam didn't know what to say. She had dated other people while she was at the SGC. Jack had dated other people. She had never known him to get that upset about it. She had never even known exactly what his feelings were.
"You know you and I can never be together, right?" said Sam.
"I know," said Jack miserably.
Sam felt awful. She knew she had hurt Jack, but what could she say? She had resigned herself a long time ago to the realization that she could never be with him. She figured Jack had understood that as well. Sam had to work every day to control her feelings for him. But she couldn't imagine a future of never being with anyone at all, and with the one person she truly cared about being out of reach forever.
"I guess we should go back," said Jack.
"I guess so," said Sam.
They both walked back to camp in silence, miserable and not knowing what else to say.
Daniel and Martouf had gotten back to the camp before them, and they had started to pack up. Martouf saw the look on both Sam and Jack's faces as they came back into the camp. It suddenly occurred to him that Jack may have feelings for Sam also. He didn't know why he had never noticed before. Perhaps he had confided his feelings for Sam to the wrong person. Did she care for Jack also?
Daniel felt the palpable tension in the air. He was starting to really regret coming on this trip. There was nothing worse than being in the middle of other people's drama.
As they hiked through the forest, Daniel led the way, eager to get away from the feeling of the campsite, and on to the fun of exploring the ruins. Martouf and Sam followed after Daniel, and Jack trailed behind, giving the others space. Martouf tried to engage Sam in witty conversation, but she was exhausted emotionally from talking to Jack, and she was now aware that Jack was paying attention to what went on between she and Martouf. Martouf sensed a change in Sam's attitude towards him, and he was not happy about it.
They hiked for a good part of the day, and as evening came, they saw the ruins rising in front of them. Daniel suggested that they make camp on the edge of the ruins, and they all complied without argument.
They set up another fire, as they had before. Despite the fact that they were in a jungle, the nights got rather cold. And they set up their tents in a row, just as they had before. Tonight there was no banter about anyone sleeping in anyone else's tents.
That night, once again, Jack could not sleep. But this time it wasn't just because of Sam. He kept hearing a rustling in the leaves, as if something or someone was moving around their tents. About 20 times, he got up and went outside, sure there was something out there in the ruins. But each time, he saw nothing. When he finally fell asleep it was near morning and he slept in again. When he awoke, Daniel was striking camp and Sam and Martouf were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they?" he asked Daniel.
Daniel avoided looking Jack in the eye. "They went on a walk."
"And you let them?!" said Jack.
"I'm not their babysitter," said Daniel. "They are grown adults. They can go for a walk if they want."
Jack looked exasperated.
"Look," said Daniel. "I'm on your side. I just think that sometimes there's just nothing you can do about a situation."
A few minutes later, Sam and Martouf returned to the camp, holding hands. Jack reached for his antacid again.
Martouf smiled at Jack and Daniel and said, "We have an announcement. Sam and I are engaged!" Sam looked at the ground, avoiding Jack's eyes, while Martouf held up her hand with the ring on it.
"Oh, congratulations," said Daniel, in a somewhat reserved manner.
Jack looked at the two of them. Sam continued to avoid Jack's eyes. Jack's face grew redder and redder.
"Engaged?!" he shouted.
Jack looked at Martouf. "I thought you came here to get to know her better! I thought this was going to take time! What are you doing asking her now?"
Martouf shrugged. "I don't know. I meant to take it slow, but the moment seemed to be there and I asked and she said yes."
Jack looked at Sam and she finally dared to look him in the eye. "Look," she said , "I'm just tired of waiting, and wondering if I am ever going to have a marriage or a family. Martouf can give me all of those things."
Daniel looked skeptical. "Do you love him, Sam?" he asked.
"I care about Martouf deeply. And I know he loves me. I'm sure in time I will come to feel the same way about him."
Daniel still looked skeptical. "Is that enough? Really? I think…"
Daniel didn't get to finish his speech because at that moment he was interrupted by an arrow that shot by him and narrowly missed hitting the back of his head.
"Whoa!" yelled Jack. As he reached down to grab his firearm, more arrows shot out of the ruins. Martouf was hit in the arm, and Sam was hit in the abdomen. She fell down to the ground, crying out in pain. Jack swung up with his P90, and shot in the direction that the arrows had come, spraying bullets all through the ruins. Daniel quickly grabbed a weapon and shot with Jack. They saw several men who looked very primitive fall to the ground, and they saw others running away. Fortunately, their firepower must have appeared very scary to a group that only used arrows as weapons.
Jack told the others, "We'd better get away from here fast before they come back with reinforcements!" Then he looked and saw Carter on the ground, bleeding heavily. Martouf was lying beside her, and Jack heard him call out "Jolinar!" in a cry of anguish.
Jack went over to Sam and picked her up in his arms. "Let's go!" he shouted to the others. Daniel grabbed the one backpack that had already been packed up, and they headed back in the direction of the Stargate through the jungle, Martouf following behind, cradling the arm that had been shot with the arrow.
They hiked for the whole day, Jack carrying Sam the whole way, not daring to stop to rest. Then they camped, and Daniel and Jack tried to treat Sam and Martouf's wounds. There was not much they could do. They were able to bandage Martouf's injury, but Sam's was more difficult. They knew they could not pull the arrow out of Sam's abdomen, because it would open up the wound and she would bleed to death.
They only had one tent, because of leaving in a hurry, and all three men agreed to put Sam in the tent for the night. Jack crawled in and slept beside her the whole night, with his arm across her, to keep her from rolling over on the arrow. Martouf made no argument about Jack being in there with Sam. He felt that he was useless with his injured arm. Sam was weak, but was conscious. "Thank you, Jack" she whispered before she fell asleep.
They woke the next morning with another long day of walking ahead. Jack tipped water out of his canteen onto Sam's lips. He was gravely worried, because she was becoming feverish. They just had to get back to the Stargate and get her back to Dr. Frasier's care.
They spent another day walking, with Jack carrying Sam. It was slow going, because of how hard it was for Jack to walk. Daniel offered to carry Sam several times, but Jack refused. "This is something I have to do," he said.
They finally got back to the Stargate. As it wooshed, Jack ushered up a thankful prayer that Sam had made it back alive. He was not usually a praying man, but there were times in life when he was brought to the realization that he was a small being in a very large universe. His petty problems of two days ago seemed so small now. He realized that he didn't care any more if Sam married Martouf. He just wanted her alive and he wanted her to be happy. There were no other options for him.
Back at Stargate command, Dr. Frasier whisked Sam into surgery. She was able to get the arrow removed. Other than a hole in Sam's stomach that needed to be repaired, she sustained no other internal damage. Dr. Frasier hooked her up to an IV of powerful antibiotics. As she exited the operating room, she saw Jack and Daniel and Martouf all waiting anxiously.
"She's going to be fine, boys," said Dr. Frasier, "Give her about an hour to recover from the anesthesia, and then you can go in and visit her."
They waited the hour that Dr. Frasier required. The time seemed to drag on forever. Then Dr. Frasier gave them a sign that they were good to go, and Jack nodded to Martouf. "You are her fiancé. You should go in first." It killed him to say it, but he had thought a lot during those two days of carrying Sam, and he decided that he had to respect her decisions. Martouf went in, and then came back out in only a short time. He looked teary eyed, and nodded to Jack and Daniel, then he walked out of the room.
"You next," said Daniel.
Jack walked into the room. Even though he had carried Sam and had seen the extent of her injuries, he was still afraid of what he would see. But Sam was sitting up and smiling. Her bandages looked clean. The color in her face was back.
"Sir!" she said. "I would hug you, but I'm afraid it would hurt!"
Jack smiled at Sam. She looked so good. "How about a salute?"
"I should salute you, for carrying me through the jungle for two days. You were amazing."
"I did it because I care about you," said Jack. "And by the way, I'm sorry for giving you a hard time about Martouf. I want you to be happy, even if it isn't with me."
At the thought of Martouf, Jack looked down at Sam's hand. The engagement ring was gone. What?
"Did Dr. Frasier take off your ring for the surgery?" he asked Sam.
"No," said Sam. "I gave the ring back to Martouf."
"You gave it back?" asked Jack, sounding a bit choked up.
"Did you hear what he said when I got shot with the arrow?" asked Sam, "He called me Jolinar. I realized at that moment, that he didn't really love me. He still loves the memory of Jolinar that is within me. I know he loved Jolinar for more years than we can even imagine. But I don't want him to love me because of Jolinar. I want him to love me because I'm me."
Jack looked Sam in the eyes. "I love you because you are you."
Sam looked right back at Jack. "I know. You carried me for two days through the jungle. Who could do that except for someone they love? And I love you, too. I always have. I just thought it was impossible for us to be together."
Jack smiled and held Sam's hand. "I have an idea. We can't get date or get married while we are both working together. But what if we agree that the minute one of us leaves the SGC that we will get married? Until that time we will obey all the rules. That way we know that we have a future together. No more of this "not knowing." We have a present, which is working together, and we have a future, where we can be together as a family. And we will be sure of that future, even if we can't act on it now."
A tear ran down Sam's face. "That sounds like an amazing idea."
"Only one condition," said Jack.
"What's that?" asked Sam.
"This is exactly like an engagement. No dating anyone else for either of us. I don't think I can go through that again, watching you with another guy."
"Deal," said Sam.
"Deal," said Jack.
You may wonder how this story ended. Martouf was sad for awhile, but he eventually married a lovely Tok'ra lady, and he and his symbiote are both very happy. Sam and Jack kept their deal. They never told anyone else about it, and they strictly followed all the rules of the Air Force. They had a long and wonderful 10 years of serving on the Stargate team together. Then when Jack felt his knees were giving out and his age was making off world missions difficult, he retired and they followed through on their promise to get married. They had a long and happy life together. Today they love to tell their grandchildren the story about how they met, and how they made their deal, and about their wonderful life that followed.