Title: The Day Before You
Author: DizzyDrea
Summary: Sam Carter was young, vibrant, brilliant. She'd stormed into his life, crashing through whatever barriers he'd managed to erect around his heart in no time at all. Part of the Life's Sacred Blessings series.
Rating: T
Spoilers: Solitudes
Author's Notes: I'd been tossing this one around for a while, wondering just how to approach it. After all, this particular episode wasn't all that shippy. Still, I thought there was something there, well before we get the first real hints of it in the Season Three premier. But after mulling it over this week, the first lines of the story appeared in the shower (yes, the Shower Muse strikes again). After that, it was easy. This story was inspired by the song "The Day Before You" by Rascal Flatts, from the album "Feels Like Today". And obviously, it's the first story in the Life's Sacred Blessings series (even though it wasn't written first).
Disclaimer: Stargate and all its particulars is the property of MGM, Gekko, Double Secret, Acme Shark and a lot of other people who aren't me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

Jack O'Neill woke by degrees, floating to consciousness slowly as his body protested the abuse it'd taken over the last few days.

The first thing he noticed was the warmth. And the soft mattress under him.

So, sometime after he'd lost consciousness, they'd been found and dragged back to civilization. He wondered idly what planet they'd wound up on. Clearly, they wouldn't be revisiting Planet Hoth anytime soon, but he'd still like to know the designation so he could put it on the 'no fly' list.

As he woke further, he realized that there was a soft, warm hand nestled in his. His first thought was Sara, but he rejected it immediately. Sara wouldn't have clearance to come to the SGC, and he doubted she would have come even if they'd let her. Which was for the best, really. They'd made their peace recently, but he knew he couldn't be what she needed, and he loved her enough to want her to find someone who could.

Surprisingly, that thought didn't cause him as much pain as he'd expected.

He decided to risk opening his eyes so he could see just who it was holding his hand. Cracking one eye open just a touch, he scanned the room. The walls were metal, not the concrete he'd expected. That made no sense at all. Just where in the hell was he?

He saw something stirring out of the corner of his eye, so he turned his head, opening both eyes more fully now that he saw that the lights were dim enough not to cause pain. Recognizing the blonde head lifting from the bed beside him, he gave a weak smile.

"Sam."

He chuckled a bit, wincing when his ribs protested as she sat bolt upright, snatching her hand out of his. He missed it immediately.

"Sir!" She leaned forward, brushing a hand over his forehead, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes. "You're awake!"

"Yeah," he croaked. His throat was dry, but before he could even finish forming that thought, a cup with a straw appeared before him.

"Small sips," she said, angling the straw for easier access.

He gulped down a few mouthfuls before she took the cup away. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?"

"Just peachy," he snarked.

He tried to stretch, but his ribs protested again. Relaxing back into the bed, he took inventory of his injuries. Broken leg, check. Banged up ribs, check. He shifted a little, and felt stitches pulling somewhere on his abdomen. He probably had a concussion, too, but the fact that he was alive, wherever he was, was definitely good.

"Where are we?"

"We're at McMurdo," Sam said, smiling sardonically. "Antarctica. The one possibility I didn't think of."

"Earth?" he asked, honestly astonished and needing the confirmation. "We ended up on Earth? How the hell—"

"There's a second gate here, sir," she said. "The Goa'uld must have brought another one after the Egypt gate was lost to them."

"Then how—"

"Daniel figured it out," she said. "Apparently, this gate vibrated the same way ours used to, before we installed the dampeners. The SGC used the vibrations to pinpoint our location."

"How many—"

"Dozens," she said. "Daniel just happened to be in the Briefing Room when I tried dialing our gate."

"Am I ever going to get to finish a sentence?"

Sam had the good grace to look sheepish. Jack couldn't blame her; from where she was sitting, the idea of another gate on Earth had to be exciting. He was just glad they'd landed on Earth and not Planet Hoth. No telling how long it would have taken the SGC to find them, if they ever did.

"Did you bring help back?" he asked.

She shook her head, her expression pinched as she looked anywhere but at him. Her voice was soft, almost sorrowful, and he had to strain to hear her words. "When I got to surface, there was so much ice. I knew I'd never find my way back, even if I could find help. So I just crawled back down into the crevasse."

He took a deep breath, mindful of his ribs. "Thanks, Sam."

She tilted her head, clearly confused. He thought it was a good look on her. "What for?"

"For sticking by me," he said quietly.

He'd been in Special Forces most of his career and that was what they were trained to do. Never leave a man behind wasn't just a mantra for him, it was more like a way of life. But she'd taken that to heart and stuck by him, even when he'd ordered her to leave.

Sam blushed. Another pretty look on her, and he groaned internally. He so didn't need this. She was his subordinate; the rules preventing anything but professional association were there for a reason. But still… she'd stayed with him, trying like crazy to save them both. That carried weight in his world.

"I was just doing my job, sir."

"Plenty of people do that, and they still wouldn't do what you did," he said. She just shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. He sighed. "I meant what I said."

She turned confused eyes on him. "When?"

"It was and is an honor to serve with you."

Her blush deepened as she pressed her lips together. He shifted his hand on the mattress, palm up and fingers extended, reaching for her as best he could under the circumstances. Her gaze flicked to his hand, then back to his face. He tried for his best imploring look, and must have succeeded because she slipped her hand into his, smiling slightly.

He closed his fingers around hers, giving a light squeeze even as his eyes drifted shut.

He could feel the electric hum between them, and knew what it meant. And honestly, he was okay with that. Sam Carter was young, vibrant, brilliant. She'd stormed into his life, crashing through whatever barriers he'd managed to erect around his heart in no time at all. He already had trouble remembering what his life was like before she'd come into it.

And if he were honest with himself, he didn't really want to. It wasn't anything he'd planned, but he knew nothing would come of it. It would be years yet before she was able to stand on her own as a commander and he could even consider making a move. And that was really for the best. Besides, in that time, they might both move on. He was no prize, he knew only too well. He didn't just have issues, he had whole subscriptions. She could do so much better.

He felt the pull of sleep, and surrendered to it, knowing that he was safe for the time being. Just before he dropped off, he heard her whisper, a contented smile washing over him as he drifted into unconsciousness once again.

"Me too, sir."

~Finis

Author's Note Post Script:
I can't take credit for the line "He didn't just have issues, he had whole subscriptions." It was written by my friend mags, so all credit goes to her for that awesome line.