A/N: Welcome to my new story! As I've said in the overview, these chapters will be short snippets of little moments between the characters within/after certain episodes that I believe would have happened. After I've written a few I'll come back and edit the old chapters.
This is set after S1/E4, I added somethings that we didn't see in the episode but with a man and cruel and filthy and Turghan I doubt he would have only kissed her once etc.
Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think :)
Emancipation
The shock of watching Carter get fixed up by Doc Frasier was still dwelling in the depths of his stomach. He thought being drilled by General Hammond about leaving Carter without anyone to watch her while they all partied round the fire was going to be the worst disciplinary action for him, he didn't get any moaning from the Captain- but then again she was still trying to prove herself. He shakes his head at the memory of SG1 walking back to the gate, despite his years of military experience he didn't seem to clock the fact that his second in command was severely injured, it took an hour into their walk back to the gate for him to realise. He was ashamed of himself, annoyed at her but also pretty damn impressed- however this whole brave solider thing is going to be an issue, he can already see that. He ordered a break and he did what he could do for her, it was heart-wrenching to see her burning injuries, he forgot she was human sometimes because within the past few months that he'd known her she seemed like this invincible fountain of intelligence… and beauty, but her bruised, cut, ripped and infected skin told him he needed a slap of reality. After he and Teal'c assisted her back he personally made sure she was taken to the infirmary and seen by Doctor Frasier immediately, he then got nagged to go and see Hammond- who by the way was entirely confused as to what was going on- and there he was drilled into, he felt like a cadet who hadn't made his bed. Apart from this situation was worse. Much worse. Completely and utterly worse. She'd spent the first night in the infirmary, and he didn't leave her side once, she fought the sleeping drugs that Frasier had enforced upon her, but she lost the battle and got some well deserved rest.
Days had passed and everybody had to face the consequences and get on with life. He had let her down and made a huge mistake, Daniel was eating away at himself for telling her to go along with their culture and Teal'c felt like he wasn't worthy of her trust. She was more than forgiving and did not hold a single grudge- which kind of made Jack and his team feel worse-, but then again what other choice did she have. Over the short amount of time SG1 has been a team they really were getting along. Jack didn't expect to warm up to his team in the way that he had, Daniel was becoming easier to relate to, he was breaking into Teal'c and finally getting the hang of his… well his ways of speaking really, and Carter was still trying to prove herself to him, he's just waiting for the day when she realises that she doesn't need to prove anything. Oh and she laughs at his jokes, what more could you ask for?
Jack had just had a late night meeting with Hammond about their upcoming mission and also was informed that Captain Carter was now cleared for active duty. Absolutely exhausted he trekked the halls of the base in order to get to his base quarters.
He got to level 25 and yawned. Wandering down the corridor his brain switched on and he became fully alert, pivoting to the direction of the sound he had just heard. The sound was familiar now, he'd heard that shout when he was treating Captain Carter for her wounds on the way back to the gate. He walked up to her door and placed his ear to it, he could hear mumbling but couldn't quite make out what was going on there. He knocks on the door. "Carter you in there?" Stupid question, she obviously was. "Hey Captain, you alright?" he knocks again. She moans and begins to talk again but he still has no idea what is going on, he can make out that she's distressed and that's all he needs to know. The airmen stood by don't react to a thing, 'oh screw it' he says to himself and opens up the door to Carter's room, he sees her and winces in sympathy. Her hair is wet presumably by sweat, her face is pink constantly tossing and turning into the different sides of her drenched bed sheets. She was having a nightmare, he closes the door behind him and makes his way over to her bed.
'No stop please' she begs the air, her body pleading to be rescued, he places a hand on her shoulder and she begins to panic, "hey Carter", she shakes some more, a spot of liquid landing on his arm- tears or sweat, he was unsure, probably both. "Hey wake up." He gently shakes her, and her breathing becomes erratic, her body fighting the air above her once more, "Sam it's me, it's just a dream." Her hand slaps onto his arm and she grabs it with a grip he intends to congratulate her on later, her body bounces up and completely dehydrated she's taking rapid breaths.
"Hey, you alright?" He says to her, her hand still grasping his arm, his hand still supporting her shoulder, confused she turns to him and completely bewildered she gaps,
"Colonel O'Neill?!" She squints and studies his face as if she was expecting him to become somebody else.
"The one and only." He replies with half a smile.
"S-s-" He stops her and gets her the bottle of water he could see on the chair opposite her bed, she drinks three quarters of the bottle in a matter of seconds. "Thank you. Sir, what's going on? Is everything alright?"
"Yes Captain everything is fine, I was just checking on you."
"Why? I'm fine sir." He looks at her doubtfully and his eyes trail down to her soaked bed, she looks down and and covers her face in embarrassment.
"Hey, it's just a little sweat, it's not I've never been in the gym with you before." She was still hiding her face. "Nothing to hide here Sam, I didn't come in to check out your bed sheets anyways." She revealed her tired face, she wasn't as flustered anymore.
"It was just a dream sir, I'm sorry that it bothered you."
"It wasn't just a dream though was it, you don't have to tell me the details Captain because these dreams are normal for somebody in our line of work, but if you need anyone to talk to… I'm here."
"This doesn't usually happen you know, I do sleep fine."
"You don't have to do this now, it's late, you can cut the act."
"What act sir?"
"Ah, nothing. You just don't need to impress me, I've trespassed into your personal quarters in the middle of the night, if anything I should be trying to impress you." She laughed, he got up and passed her a hand towel. "You know you might want to wash your face, it helps."
"I know."
"Sometimes I take a cold shower, but then I can't get back to sleep."
"A lot of the time I don't want to."
"What shower?" He asks confused, she laughs and shakes her head dabbing the hand towel on her neck.
"No, sleep." He winces in acknowledgement, there's a silence between them, something heavy clearly hanging in the air, his guts were twisting because he knew what her dream was about. "He didn't rape me sir."
"So you and your medical records say."
"So I'm okay." He can tell she's trying to convince herself of that as much as she is him.
"Sam just because he didn't... completely exploit you... doesn't mean you have to be okay." They both are looking down at their own hands, unsure of what to say, they look up in unison and he apologetically asks, "What exactly happened between you both?"
"It's in my mission report sir."
"I've been in the Air Force long enough to know that when women are POW or captured, when it comes to mission reports they just say what is necessary. Speaking as your CO, I need to know that you're okay."
"Thank you sir, but I am okay sir." He looks at her with concern and nods for her to continue, she swallows her pride and quietly continues. "Well as you know, he kissed me."
"How many times?"
"I don't think that matters sir."
"It does to me."
"A few." She looks down shamefully, he readjusts his sitting position a little closer, she folds her legs up so she's hugging them and he sits opposite her, his legs hanging off the side of the bed.
"Did he do anything else?"
"He was going to do everything else that evening, but you guys came and got me."
"Did he touch you?"
"Sir?"
"I'm not going to file anything Captain, I just need to know what happened. It's not official, and if you really don't want to tell me then I guess I can't force you."
"He groped me once."
"Son of a bitch."
"That's exactly what I said."
"I'm so sorry that I let you down Sam. Trust is key in a team, I should have had one of us stand by your tent, I don't know what I was thinking."
"Sir you have nothing to apologise for, you had no idea that some of the Shavadai's intentions weren't pure. Just bad luck."
"You can say that again." He runs his hands through his hair and narrows his eyes looking around her quarters, immaculate condition as expected, however she had a little bit of the Carter touch here and there. "You know there's ice cream on base."
"Yes sir, I had some the other day after lunch."
"They don't ever lock up the kitchen properly at night because they're fed up of officers breaking in to steal the ice cream." She looks at him perplexed. "When I have one of these nights I find eating ice cream helps, we both know when I order you to get some sleep when I leave that you won't be able to get back to sleep and if you do this may happen again, so yeah… ice cream."
"Are you suggesting that I sneak into the commissary and steal the SGC's ice cream sir?"
"Hey, you try going there, I'll bet you a dime you won't be the only one in there."
"Well thank you for the suggestion Colonel."
"Anytime Captain, anytime." He stands up and smiles at her. "Now go wash your face and get some rest, and if you can't do that…"
"Steal some ice cream?"
"You're a fast learner."
"So I'm told sir."
"Night Captain."
"Night sir." He walks over to open the door, "Oh, Colonel?
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." He nods at her studying her features compassionately.
"You gonna be okay?"
She smiles at him and nods, she then shoots him a grin, "Colonel I had 100 hours in enemy air airspace during the Golf War remember, I think I'm gonna be okay for the night."
He laughs, "Oh I remember." They take a moment as their smiles fade down, "G'night Carter."
"Night sir."
He closed the door and she pondered for a few minutes, this wasn't her first or worst nightmare and it certainly won't be the last, not with her job. But it was moments like what she just shared with the Colonel that make it all worth it, all the sleepless nights, the doubts, the fear of never coming home again, all of that is put away in a little box because she wasn't the only one who had those problems, everybody she was beginning to care about was having them too- for all she knew Daniel could have just woken up in a sweaty mess. It doesn't matter, at the end of the day what they do is worth it. With a sigh of relief she blinked, and by the time she had opened her eyes it was 0600 hours. She had slept blissfully for a few hours.
