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Chapter 4
"I think I'm dead." Jack replied.
Jacob Carter looked at him, questioningly.
"How long were you in the sarcophagus?"
"About forty-eight hours according to Teal'c."
" Why did he not just let you die?"
"He likes to see others suffer and try to get what he wants. Try to use people weakness. He must of been impatient, you know how goa'uld are…"
They walked into the corridor leading to the ship's control room. Daniel, Teal'c and Pete followed them as they listened to Jack's story.
"How did he kill you?" Pete asked.
Jacob stared at the man who had just spoken.
"You are…?" He asked.
"Oh Pete Shanahan. I had asked Sam to be able to attend one of her off-world mission. It didn't happen as we thought."
"How close are you to her?" Jacob asked, when he looked at Pete.
His cold voice didn't really inspire Pete who hesitated to answer.
"She's my girlfriend." He said slowly. "Who are you?"
Jacob looked up and down to him, from the head to the toes, then went off to discuss with Anise of their next stop point.
"Excuse-me but… Who is this man?" Pete asked to the rest of the team causing Jacob to turn to him.
"Dad, meet Pete Shanahan, noisy cop, Shanahan meet Major General Jacob Carter. And Selmak, of course." Jack replied, smirking as he turned around to walk out of the room, leaving Pete completely stunned.
Jacob turned around to talk to Anise. Pete turned to Daniel and Teal'c
"General Carter... Sam's father." Pete said in shock
"Indeed." Teal'c said
"Don't worry, I'm sure he appreciated you." Daniel said as to encourage him as he walked out of the room with Teal'c following.
Anise, Jack and Jacob spend the next half an hour finding a safe planet close by that got a Stargate on it. Which would allow SG1 to return back to Earth.
"P3X-542 isn't bad, it only makes a detour of three hours on your initial journey. So we don't need to travel two days to your base. I would like that Carter be quickly examined by doc Fraiser." Jack said to Jacob.
"That actually seems to be a good alternative Jack. I would also agree. What exactly happened with Ba'al?" Jacob asked.
Three pairs of ears listened, eager to know a little more. The state of their friend worried them, and especially a question remained: if Jack was killed in the first hours of torture, what happened to Sam when Ba'al came back to bring her again the next day?
"Ba'al wanted the codes of the device to open our iris. Of course we didn't talk. It really annoyed our dear false god. He thought he needed a way to be more persuasive." Jack said.
"The information that he had?" Pete asked to him.
"Not exactly. Ba'al knows one of our rules that no one left behind. So he thought that it would also apply to torture. He thought that Carter would talk if she saw me being tortured." Jack explained.
"But why both of you? He could use everyone of us." Pete replied.
"Because I'm her commanding officer and the Earth base chief I suppose. And Ba'al thinks that Carter would brake easy 'cause she's a woman. He was wrong." Jack dryly said.
"Sam?" Daniel suddenly asked. "Are you ok?"
Sam had just stepped in the room, watching the five men and Anise. At this moment, a heavy silence was formed in the room. Jack turned to face her, while Pete stood up and step towards her holding onto her arm. The gaze of Colonel Carter at General O'Neill would have scared a Unas! She turned on her heels, deeply wounded by what she just heard. She looked at Pete.
"I don't need help! I'm not disabled!" Sam yelled at Pete then she yanked her arm away from him.
Then she quickly walked off, letting Pete on the spot.
"If you would excuse me, I have to talk with my second in command." Jack said, getting up.
"I agree General O'Neill." Jacob rudely said, as Jack walked to the door when Pete grabbed Jack's arm causing Jack to stop and looked at him.
"What have you done to her?" Pete asked.
"I beg your pardon?" Jack asked, surprising.
"I would like to be with her when you will there."
"No."
"Oh yes. She's my wife and it seems to me that she isn't enough fit to talk with you." Pete replied, causing Jack to raise his eyebrows.
"First of all Shanahan, you're going to let go of my arm. Secondly, you wanted to know what Carter's doing on a day-by-day basis? So I tell you: this is part of HER job and when HER commanding officer, namely ME, decides to talk to MY second in command, this does NOT concern YOU in any way. Is that clear?" Jack yelled in command tone.
"I don't think she's ready!" Pete replied in the same tone.
"Hell would you know?! You know Carter since…what? Three months? I've known her for over eight years." Jack said.
Jacob approached the two men, looked at them and then spoke.
"Gentlemen, it would be better for you to just tone it down when you talk about MY daughter. Pete, you're not married, she's not your wife. And what is related to her job doesn't concern you. When her commanding officer decides to talk to her, there is no contestation. And you Jack, take it easy on her, we know we never seen her like that before? Am I clear?"
"I know Jacob." Jack said.
Pete went back to sit down, while Jack went into the corridor to search Sam. Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other, wondering if what had happened were real. Jack found Sam in a room with a bunk. It was the room in which she had been examined at their arrival. Sam was sitting on the bed with her knees up and her arms wrap around her legs. Her head was down on her knees.
"Carter?" He cautiously asked.
He could see her shoulders rise in a kind of spasm. She was crying. She lifted her head, revealed a face full of tears.
"General." She coldly said.
He closed the door in order to have a conversation more intimate with his 2IC.
"Carter I'm sorry about what Ba'al did to you, made you see -" He began to say, deeply sincere.
"Because you're my commanding officer and the Earth base chief?!" She accused him.
"Carter calm down."
"Calm down?! With all due respect, General, it seems that we haven't experienced the same thing!"
"Of course we do Colonel."
"Your explanation doesn't give this impression!"
"What did you want me to say Sam?!"
"You know and I know why we were chosen instead of the others! I saw you being torched, I saw what he did to you, I saw you suffered, I saw you die!"
"I know that very well!"
"No, you don't! You don't know what I had to live after that!"
They looked at each other, taking their breath. Sam looked shattered and Jack didn't know what to say.
"Talk to me, tell me what happened. What did he do to you?"
"I'm tired, I would like to get some rest, General."
Jack sighed. This talk was a real disaster after such difficult event. He insulted himself of idiot, then said words that made him sick.
"All right. I'll go and get Shanahan for you, he wants to be here."
Sam watched him, and for the first time since they met, the brightness she had in her eyes in his presence disappeared. He knew immediately that he said the wrong thing to her.
"I wish to remain alone, Sir."
Jack nodded.
"It's understood." He replied as he turned to the door to open it.
He walked out the room and closed the door. He stopped and turned to the door, leaning his forehead against it and both fists on the wall. He took a deep breath, then heard her wept on the other side. He remained there a few minutes, not knowing if he should reopen that door and pull her in his arms, or if he should walk away, knowing she wanted to be alone, but he thought she shouldn't be alone. He finally went to join the group few minutes later, respecting Sam's request to be alone. When he walked into the cot-pit, they all watched him. Pete stood up, determined to join Sam.
"She wants to be alone." Jack simply said.
Pete sat back, but Daniel cast an accusing gaze to Jack. Obviously, he had not managed to calm Sam. The rest of the journey took place in a deep silence. When Sam appeared again, Daniel recovered in his seat. He wondered if the second round had sounded.
"Sam, come to sit with us. We will be on the planet in thirty minutes." Jacob paternally said as he approached her.
He took her in his arms, and then accompanied her to the large table.
"Are you sure you've rested enough? You still look a bit pale" Jacob asked.
"I'm fine Dad. What planet are we going to?" She asked.
"P3X-542 Colonel. It's the closest safest planet with a Stargate on it." Teal'c replied.
"Sam are you sure you're ok?" Daniel asked.
"I'm all right." Sam said.
She looked at Jack with her gaze, knowing that he was partly responsible for this collective concerned about having her examined.
"You know the rules, Colonel. We can't take any risk to what Ba'al has done to you." Jack said.
"It seems to me that you know exactly what he did to me, Sir." Sam dryly answered.
The second round could begin.
"Yes I know that's why I'd like you to check out, Colonel."
"As much as to have my brain examined in this case. Or is it something else… Sir?" She defiantly replied.
"Carter come with me. And it's an order." Jack rudely said as he stood up. Then Sam stood up too.
All looked at them, stunned. Sam and Jack walked out of the room and into the little room, which was a makeshift infirmary.
"What is going on with you Colonel?" Jack asked as he closed the door.
"Nothing." She replied with her arms folded against her chest.
"So you're crossing insubordination with no reason?"
Sam lowered her head, biting the inside of her lip. How could she so much felt feelings for this man, and at this moment found her completely broken for a simple sentence he said? She had seen him die, again and again, and he found excuses. Again and again.
"Excuse me Sir." She said.
"Sam I'm not asking you to apologize, but I don't understand. Some things…" He sighed. "Talk to me."
He stopped talking when he saw the look on Sam's face, in her eyes. He knew one thing that always helps when things go bad for Sam.
"Come here." Jack said with his arms open wide. Sam stepped forward lowering her arms and wrapped them around Jack as he wrapped his arms around her. Hold her in his arms as he rubbed her back in which she allowed herself to cry.
"Some things can only stay in this room Sam…" He finally said, burying his head in Colonel Carter's neck's hollow.