A/N - The following chapter takes place during the events of The Curse. And since this is rated T, I think I'll include a warning for crude language, just to be on the safe side.

Chapter 2

Sam shifted in her seat, attempting to get comfortable. She supposed she should be grateful they were flying commercial instead of hitching a ride in the back of a military transport, but she wasn't having any luck falling asleep on the overnight flight. Part of her problem, she knew, was the unease she felt at leaving part of her team behind. Everything had happened so fast. One minute, she was in Jack's bed; the next, he was in Minnesota, and she was flying halfway around the world with Daniel and Janet in pursuit of a rogue Goa'uld.

Of course, she'd had the option of joining Jack at his cabin but had turned him down - again. She winced inwardly remembering the look of extreme disappointment that had flashed across his face. She'd wanted to explain why she couldn't go but hadn't gotten the opportunity, as he'd left the base almost immediately with Teal'c in tow.

She sighed. Perhaps it was for the best; she wasn't certain what she would have said to him anyway. Heck, she still wasn't sure why she had left his house before he woke or exactly why she had gone to see him in the first place. All she knew was that she had felt overwhelmed by her feelings for him, feelings that she was finding difficult to reconcile with the fact that she also reported to him.

God, and her father had been waiting for her at her house that morning. Somehow he'd known she'd spent the night with Jack. His warning about their relationship still rang in her ears.

The memory made her squirm, drawing the attention of Daniel, who was seated next to her. "Can't sleep?" he asked in a low voice.

"No," she whispered. "You either, huh?"

"Nope." He was silent for a while, and Sam had just closed her eyes, when he spoke again. "Are you okay, Sam?"

"Yes. Of course," she responded immediately. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "You just seem a little preoccupied lately, that's all." He cleared his throat and looked at the back of the seat in front of him. "Pretty much ever since we got back from P3R-118."

Sam gave him a pointed look. "Really, Daniel, I'm fine."

He turned to face her fully. "It's just...it must have been hard, for you and Jack especially," he said in a low voice.

"Daniel...," Sam warned. She shot a look over his shoulder at Janet, who appeared to be sleeping in the seat across the aisle.

But Daniel was undeterred. "Look, Sam, I don't know how far things went between the two of you, but I think I have a pretty fair idea. And even if you didn't sleep together..."

"Daniel!" she hissed, looking nervously at Janet again.

His eyes got almost as round as his glasses. "Oh god, you did, didn't you?" Sam flushed and quickly looked away, momentarily overcome with a myriad of emotions. Daniel reached out to touch her arm. "Sam, I'm so sorry."

They were both quiet for a few minutes before he spoke again, softly this time. "It's not going to do any good for you to try to ignore it happened, you know." Sam refused to meet his gaze. "Look, I know you and Jack had feelings for each other before. Maybe you can turn it into a good thing..."

She whirled around unexpectedly. "It doesn't work that way. We're military, and he's my commanding officer."

"But..."

"Daniel, please," Sam pleaded, "Can we finish this conversation some other time? If Janet finds out..." Sam's eyes darted once again to Janet's sleeping form.

Daniel looked at her, confused. He knew Janet was her best friend; she should be better equipped than anyone to help Sam deal with this.

Sam took a deep breath, knowing she would need to explain further. "If the CMO of the base knew that two people in the same chain of command had a sexual relationship, she'd have an obligation to report it to General Hammond."

Daniel shook his head. He failed to see how that would matter, especially since he suspected Hammond was already well aware of how Jack and Sam felt about each other.

Sam continued. "Best case scenario, we'd be separated. Worst case scenario, one or both of us would be dishonorably discharged." Particularly since we lied about it, she thought, though she kept that fact to herself.

"Hammond would never let that happen," he said.

"It might not be up to him, Daniel."

"Well, you can't very well be held responsible for something you did when you had no memory of your reporting relationship. You didn't know he was your commanding officer."

Sam let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. That might be true for their time on P3R-118, but it didn't apply to her decision to spend the night with him just a few days ago. But then, Daniel didn't know about that, and she instantly resolved that he never would. "Look, we really should try to get some sleep. I have a feeling we're in for a long day tomorrow."

"All right," he said finally. "But if you ever want someone to talk to, Sam, you know I'm here." With that he took her hand in his and gave it squeeze.

She smiled at him and squeezed back. "Thanks."

oOoOoOo

Jack cast his line again and glanced sideways at the cell phone battery that was currently resting in the grass, in exactly the same spot he'd tossed it two days ago. He had to admit he was feeling a little guilty about being completely out of touch with the SGC, and he couldn't help but wonder what the other half of his team was doing with their time off. Well, one team member in particular.

As he reeled in his line, he thought back on the horoscope he'd read before he'd left for Minnesota, which had promised he would go on a trip and have a good week. The trip part had certainly happened, but he was still waiting for the good week to materialize. Sure, Teal'c was always pleasant company, but he wasn't his first choice to accompany him to his cabin.

Nope, his first choice had turned him down flat. His first choice had claimed she had a few "projects" she wanted to work on. But then, his first choice hadn't really spoken to him since she'd crept out of his bed in the wee hours of the morning after throwing herself into his arms and fucking him senseless the night before.

With that thought, Jack cast his line with far more force than was advisable, snaring it in the weeds on the other side of the pond. He jerked the line to try and free it but succeeded only in getting it further tangled. Pulling madly on the line now, he let out a string of expletives in a fashion that bordered on the artistic, which in turn earned him the dreaded eyebrow from his Jaffa companion.

Maybe fishing hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"I believe your reaction is inappropriate to the situation, O'Neill," said Teal'c. "Perhaps something other than your line is troubling you?"

Jack fought with his reel. "Nope, everything is just ducky, T."

Teal'c continued to stare at him calmly.

Unable to take his scrutiny any longer, Jack snapped his head up to meet his gaze. "Really. A beautiful day, a couple of beers, a pond with no fish - what more could a guy want?"

Teal'c turned back toward the water. "I believe you want Major Carter."

For a moment, Jack was completely speechless and could do nothing other than gape at the Jaffa. "Don't hold anything back there, T," he said finally.

"Am I incorrect, O'Neill?"

Jack sighed. "No. Damn it." Having given up on untangling his line, he threw his rod and reel onto the dock in frustration. "But she apparently doesn't want me."

"I find that difficult to believe."

"Oh, believe it." Once again, Teal'c gave him the eyebrow, questioning him without saying a word. Jack wondered for a moment how much he should share with his friend. On the one hand, he was Sam's teammate as much as his own; on the other, he wasn't military, and Jack suddenly realized that it might be a relief to confide in someone.

"Look, can I trust you not to say anything?" Teal'c gave him a level look, as Jack ran his hands through his hair and over his face. "Right."

He blew out a large breath, and then the words spilled out of him all at once. "See, we had...um, we had a...thing, on the ice planet. And it was a good thing, really. But then we remembered who we were, and we realized that we couldn't have that thing once we got back, because that would be bad. But then, um, after our deal in the glider, she came over and we, uh, well, we picked up where we left off with the thing from before. And I thought that was good, you know, but now I don't, because then she left, and she hasn't really spoken to me since, and she refused to come up here, so there you are."

He paused, waiting for some words of wisdom from the Jaffa, but Teal'c simply continued to look at him. Maybe he needed some prompting, thought Jack. "So what do you think?" he asked.

"I am confused."

Jack sighed again. "Yeah, you and me both, buddy."

oOoOoOo

Sam bounced off her perch in the back of the Jeep for the hundredth time as they cut across the desert following Osiris' trail. She was bound to be black and blue before this mission was over. But it wasn't just the rough ride that was making her uneasy. She didn't like the idea that they would be facing off with a Goa'uld on his own turf in the middle of nowhere - without Teal'c, and without Jack.

The thought of her commanding officer caused a pain to lance her heart. She was missing him terribly, and she knew he must think her the worst kind of coward for leaving him without explanation. But at that moment, they crested a rise in the sand, and she immediately saw the temple with a vehicle parked in front. Sam shook herself mentally. It was time to focus. She would have to deal with her personal life later.

Sam, Daniel, and Janet entered the temple cautiously, guns drawn, and Sam noticed with some apprehension that Daniel had chosen to arm himself with the dart gun. While she knew it would be preferable to take the Goa'uld alive, she was concerned that trying to do so might give him the upper hand.

As they entered the temple, Sam's attention was immediately drawn to the still form lying prone in the center of the floor. "It's Steven!" Daniel exclaimed, but Sam immediately sensed that he wasn't Goa'uld. Something was wrong. If Osiris wasn't in Steven, where was he?

Just as Daniel asked Steven who had injured him, an attractive red head appeared at the entrance to the temple, claiming responsibility. "Sarah?" Daniel asked, startled. Before Sam could aim her weapon, the woman's eyes flashed, she raised her hand, and Sam was thrown against the wall.

She must have blacked out for moment because when Sam came to, she could see that Janet was slumped unconscious beside her and the Goa'uld was using a ribbon device on Daniel. Instantly, everything clicked into place. Osiris must have taken Daniel's former girlfriend Sarah as host.

Sam was still feeling a little woozy, but she knew she had to do something because she could see that Daniel was near death. Using all of her strength, she pushed herself off of the floor and barreled into Osiris, knocking her to the ground. But Osiris was too quick for her and in a flash she had Sam by the neck. Roughly, she dragged her over to the console lining the back wall of the temple. She focused the ribbon device on the console, and immediately the temple began to shake. Still pulling Sam with her, she stood in the center of the floor and activated a button on the back of her hand device.

As the rings descended around them, Osiris placed her mouth by Sam's ear. "You will make a fine host for my queen," she snarled.

TBC...

A/N - AU from here on out.