Sorry for the slight delay in posting and thanks as always for the kind reviews. In case you are wondering, reviews inspire me to write more and faster (just sayin'!). Thank you!
Sam was smiling as she walked up to their apartment. She was thinking about the last couple of weeks and how nice they'd been. After that first evening, when she and the Colonel had just talked, their days had developed a pattern. The Colonel would search up information in the books she brought from the library, and she'd go out and do all the errands as well as try and find any other information that she could.
She'd spoken to Administrator Salea, who said she'd pass on their names to their rescuers. She informed Sam that they had been private citizens out exploring for the day and not officials, so she didn't feel comfortable giving out their names.
It had been disappointing, but Jack reasoned that they could always ask Dr. Sergei when he returned if their rescuers didn't step forward. He seemed relaxed about the whole thing, which, in turn, helped her not to worry.
Although their days were spent trying to figure out a way to get home, their evenings also developed a pattern. They had decided to take turns cooking and most of their efforts were quite successful. A couple of times they'd come up with recipes which were – interesting – to say the least. There was once when Jack made some kind of quiche which had looked delicious and Sam had immediately dug in. A second later she'd run to the bathroom afraid she was going to throw up.
When she returned, she'd had to laugh at Jack, who was simply staring at the dish in front of him like it had betrayed him. He finally lifted his eyes – which looked like sad puppy dog eyes – to her.
"I don't know what went wrong", he despaired. "The guy in the store told me it was a delicacy."
"Don't worry about it Sir", she consoled him. "Most of your meals are delicious. And I'm sure it is a delicacy" she said, sounding terribly unsure.
He sighed. "Remind me to stay away from delicacies in the future Carter." He then stood up, took the entire dish, and dropped it into the garbage can. "How about some tasty left-overs?"
"Sounds great Sir."
They'd laughed about it later and from that moment on Jack was very careful about not being too adventuresome in the kitchen. Sam kept things pretty basic although she found it was fun cooking for someone other than herself.
The time after dinner was the best, as far as they both were concerned. They continued their discussion of that first night and began to get to know one another better. They didn't touch on anything too serious or private – just small anecdotes of their lives – but they moved a step closer to friendship and away from a purely working relationship.
Sam learned details about Jack's early life in the Air Force. She found out about some of his buddies and the pranks he'd played as a young Lieutenant. He told her about the various places he'd been posted and his joy of flying and of getting to know the other guys in his unit.
"There weren't any women in the field units then", he said. "It was all guys." He smiled. "I much prefer it now."
"Really?" Although he'd been great since day one – never showing any kind of chauvinism – she'd often wondered what he felt in general about women in the military.
"Oh yeah. I think it's healthier all around to have mixed teams", he said. "All that testosterone sometimes leads to -"
"To?"
"Stupidity", he grinned. "Having women on the teams balances things", he told her.
"I'm glad you think so. I always felt like most of the guys I served with resented me."
"Well, I don't know about the guys you dealt with before Carter, but I certainly don't." He was washing dishes as he spoke and wasn't looking at her. She got the impression that he was rather embarrassed to be telling her these things. Truth be told, so was she. "In fact, having you on my team was one of the best things that ever happened."
"Thank you Sir", she said, really feeling embarrassed now. "Although if I remember you didn't think so at the beginning."
"I told you then Carter, it was because you were a scientist, not because you were a woman!"
"And what do you think of scientists now?" she finally looked at him, a grin on her face.
"Oh, most of them still drive me crazy but you I can take. You and Daniel too I suppose, although he still does drive me crazy some days."
They talked about other things as well. He told her about some of his buddies, including Charlie Kawalsky. She'd known they were friends but hadn't realized how close. She wondered now how he'd dealt with Kawalsky's death. He hadn't said much at the time, but knowing him much better now she realized he must have really suffered over it.
"I'm sorry", she said suddenly. "I didn't know you were that close to him."
"Yeah", he was silent for a few minutes. "I actually named my Charlie after him." He didn't say anything for a while, looking as his mind was in the past. "He saved my life on a mission in South America – came back and got me when everyone thought I'd already bit it. He carried me out on his back. I told him if we made it alive I'd name my first son after him." He wore a small smile at that, obviously thinking back to that far-gone day. "You should have seen him when I told him we'd actually named the baby Charlie. He didn't say much to me, but I heard him bragging about it later. Some of the other guys told me he wouldn't shut up about it."
"I'm sure he must have been incredibly proud."
"Yeah, he was. My son loved him. Kawalsky used to come over and tell him stories about our adventures. He only told the most innocent ones of course, but Charlie adored him and it was mutual." He laughed softly, sadly. "Kawalsky took his death really hard."
She reached out and gently laid her hand on the Colonel's arm. He covered it briefly and then took a deep breath and stretched, breaking the contact. "So Carter, tell me some more of your adventures in the Air Force. You were in the Gulf, right?"
She immediately began to tell him some things she'd promised she would never reveal. Not that they were particularly bad, just uncomfortable as they showed some of her mistakes and insecurities. Still, it helped change the subject onto a safer topic. She had a bit of trouble appearing lighthearted, as the Colonel's words had affected her. And the fact that he'd been able to open up to her like that made her feel honored.
By the end of four weeks they had settled into a comfortable pattern, but they both knew things were about to change. Jack was getting his cast off tomorrow, and although he wouldn't be completely back to normal, he would become more mobile. He'd also promised her that they'd focus more on getting home once he could get around.
"How does it feel now Sir?" Sam asked as they made their way into the apartment. Jack was limping slightly, although she was surprised at how well he was doing immediately after losing the cast. Dr. Sergei had popped by and said hello but had had to leave quickly for an emergency. Sam was disappointed because she'd hoped to ask him about where they'd been found. Still, she could easily go back another day.
"Fine", he answered. "A bit stiff but that'll soon work its way out. I expect the muscles are a bit weak too so I'll have to make sure and get enough exercise."
"Just don't overdo it!"
"Okay Mom – or should I say Janet?"
She waggled her eyebrows at him. "Which one do you listen to better?"
"Uh – probably Janet", he told her. "She wields a bigger stick!"
"Janet?" she laughed. "What stick?"
"The Air Force Carter! A medic's word is law – even over that of a general. Don't ever mess with one if you value your life and your career!"
She laughed again, but knew that he was only speaking the truth. "I'd like to meet your Mom", she told him and immediately wanted to bite her tongue. She didn't even know if his parents were alive. Although he'd spoken of them, it had always been in the past.
"Uh uh", he shook his head. "I made it a rule years ago never to let any team mates meet my family", he told her.
"Why not?"
"Because then they'd sit around and compare notes and I really couldn't have that. Besides, my Mom would want to tell stories of when I was a kid and then my team would no longer see me as the big tough Colonel."
She stared at him until he narrowed his eyes. "What Carter?"
"You thought we saw you as the big tough Colonel" she asked, sounding innocent.
"Of course", he looked at her suspiciously.
"Right Sir." She bit her lip at his look.
"Carter!" he said, a warning in his voice.
"Yes Colonel?"
"Tell the truth. How do you think of me?"
"Oh, as a big tough Colonel", she stopped.
"Yes?"
"On the outside. On the inside -" she stopped again and grinned.
"Carter!"
"Well, Daniel says at heart you're a kid, Teal'c says you have the heart of a true warrior and I -"
"Yes? And you?"
She suddenly looked uncomfortable and wished she hadn't started this.
"Carter?" he said again.
"I just say you have a big heart."
He didn't know what to say to that and so coughed and walked over to the couch where he sat down. He looked at her and felt incredibly warm and tender and – all sorts of things he shouldn't be feeling. "You're – too nice Major", he finally got out. "I'm just a guy doing my job."
"Mmm hmm", she nodded, a small smile on her lips. "So Sir, are you hungry?"
A message came for them the next day telling them that one of their rescuers would be happy to meet them. They arranged to meet for breakfast in a local café. Jack was able to get around easier now, so they walked the short distance and waited until a man walked in and immediately approached their table.
"Hi", he said, bowing slightly. "I'm Jorad. You are both looking better than the last time I saw you." He smiled. "In case you are wondering, I am one of the ones who found you."
After introductions were made and Jorad was seated and a drink ordered, they began to talk. Jorad told them about himself and they thanked him for his rescue.
"It was the least we could do", he told them. "Farra and I were out for the day – we like to go out on rest days to the countryside. We saw something unusual and went to see what it was and found you both unconscious."
"I'm sorry, I think I attacked one of you", Jack mentioned. "I hope I didn't hurt someone."
"No", Jorad grinned. "It was me but you were pretty weak and you didn't do much more than knock me over – scared me to death but that was all."
"I'm glad. I thought someone was attacking Carter."
"We were very worried", Jorad told them. "Samantha Carter looked very ill. We were afraid she wasn't going to make it."
"Well, I'm very glad you found me", she said again. "By the way Jarod, could you tell us where exactly you did find us? No one has been able to and we're rather curious."
"I guess" he told her, although he sounded a bit hesitant. "Actually, we were quite surprised to have found you where we did. It is inland and most refugees were discovered closer to the coast that faces Terra Nova. Here", he grabbed a napkin and pulled a writing tool from his pocket. "I'll draw it for you since I don't have a map."
As he was drawing Jack asked, "How far isit from here?"
"Well, if you have transportation, it takes about two hours." He lifted his head, looking worried. "But you musn't go there", he told them, quietly. He glanced around a few times as if making sure no one was listening.
"Why not?" Jack's personal radar, the one that told him there was something important going on, was working overtime. He leaned forward, speaking quietly himself.
"It's an area that people avoid", Jorad told them.
"It's prohibited?" Sam asked.
"No – not exactly. It's just – it's dangerous to go towards Terra Incognita and everyone is advised to stay away. No one ever travels out there."
"But you did?" Jack prodded.
"Yes." Jorad's face cracked into a mischievous grin. "I've always been curious about things. I've wanted to go for a long time but it's impossible to get transportation out there."
"So, how did you finally manage to go?"
"Farra", he said. "She's my friend. Her father is an important man – he is Administrator of Transportation. He has access to vehicles and he let us use one for the day." His face lost the grin and he looked down. "I didn't tell Farra where we were going and I'm afraid she's angry at me. That's why she wouldn't come here today. She said I was foolish to have gone there and we could have gotten hurt. She made me promise not to tell her father."
"I see – well, we're certainly glad you went there, otherwise we'd probably both be dead." Jack looked down at the rough drawn map which marked out the area where they were found. He showed the map to Sam who asked a few questions to make sure she understood exactly where it was in relation to the city. "Is there a way we could get transportation to get out there? Both – Jack and I – would like to check out the area. We think some of our things were left there."
Their rescuer looked extremely worried at that, and Jack could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. There was something off here and he didn't like it.
Jorad looked down at the table, appearing terribly uncomfortable. Finally, as if he had reached a decision, he looked up. "We took some things", he admitted.
"You took – you mean some of our things?" Jack said, trying to appear calm. "Can I ask what things?"
"I think they were weapons", he admitted. "Here", he reached for another napkin and quickly drew two pictures. Although they weren't accurate or very good, they clearly represented a P-90 and a zat.
Jack glanced over at Sam – it had been something they'd both worried about. When neither Salea nor the people at the hospital had said anything, he'd hoped that their weapons hadn't been discovered. Since he couldn't remember much from after the crash, he couldn't say for certain whether they'd even had them with them. Now they knew they were in the hands of two people from this world and they had to be very careful.
"I see", Jack nodded, calmly. "Have you tried them?"
"No – oh no. I thought they might be dangerous."
"Yes, they are, in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use them. Can I ask – why did you take them and not turn them in?"
"Well", here Jorad looked sheepish. "You're going to think I'm crazy", he admitted. "You see, when we first found you, I wasn't thinking about Terra Nova or the trouble there, or the fact that refugees were arriving. All I knew was we were heading towards Terra Incognita and suddenly there were two people wearing strange clothes and with strange weapons. I thought", he stopped and looked embarrassed.
"You thought?" Jack prodded.
"That you were either from there, or you were -" He bit his lip. "You're going to think I'm crazy", he repeated.
"No we're not Jorad", Sam reached out and put her hand over his and gave him her full megawatt smile.
Like most men he'd ever met, Jack saw Jorad crumble and give in. He wanted to shake his head. If only he had that much power and only if it had worked on the Goa'uld!
"I thought you were aliens", he said in a rush. "The day before we saw something streaking through the sky. Farra said it was just a sky-rock, but when I saw you I thought it might have been you."
Jack and Sam both laughed although inside both were thinking furiously. If anyone ever talked to Jorad, or this Farra, they could be in serious trouble. "No, unfortunately we just came from Terra Nova", Jack said after a moment. "Have you ever seen any aliens?" he asked seriously.
This time Jorad laughed. "No, of course not. Farra says I'm foolish for believing there could be such things. It's just that I've read some history books that suggest that the people of Terra were brought here from another world. I know it's just a myth but – often myths have some basis in reality."
He would have liked Daniel, thought Jack. "So, you took our weapons because -?"
"I guess I still thought they might be alien weapons. I mean I haven't seen anything like them from anyone else from Terra Nova."
"You know a lot of people from there?"
Jorad looked uncomfortable at that. "Not really. No in fact. I just – I guess I thought we would have heard something about it. All I've heard is that Terra Nova is rather – primitive – compared to Terra Antiqua."
"I see. Well, the fact is that in most ways it is", Jack improvised madly. "But it's a pretty wild place in a lot of areas and we need to make sure we protect ourselves. I was an administrator in our town and had to not only keep the peace, but protect the citizens from large predators. That was why we had those weapons."
"I see", Jorad nodded, looking both relieved and disappointed. "I'm sorry then. I brought them with me to give back to you", he admitted. "I just – I felt really guilty about taking them. Farra said I should give them to the authorities, but I know that some refugees are treated badly so I thought the best thing was to give them to you – after I'd met you of course." He smiled.
"Of course. Uh – you brought them?" Jack looked around, to see if they'd pop up in front of him.
"They're in my transporter", the other man explained. "Or I guess it's really Administrator Madrul's – he's Farra's father. When we're done you can come with me and I'll give them to you."
"Thank you Jorad", Sam gave him another super Carter-special smile. "We appreciate it. They're about the only things of value we have left. We lost just about everything else." She didn't try to make it sound pathetic, but it came out that way anyway, which served to ratchet up Jorad's sympathy.
"You asked about transportation", he said suddenly. "It is not easy to hire a vehicle. And they won't let you hire one to go towards Terra Incognita. I expect because you are refugees they won't let you have one at all."
Jack bit his lip, looking as if he was trying to think of something. In reality he was letting Carter handle this one. He was sure she already had Jorad wrapped around her little finger and his Major was good at performing miracles. He waited.
"Oh", Sam sighed. "I guess all that matters is that we're alive. Things – well they're just not that important, are they?" She looked directly into Jorad's eyes.
"Uh – no, I guess not." There was a short moment of silent. "Did you lose something important?"
"Just – you mustn't worry", she said. "You saved our lives and I don't want to burden you with anything else. Tell, me Jorad, what do you do for a living?"
Jorad was frowning and ignored Carter's question. "You did lose something important, didn't you?"
"It's no -"
"No, please tell me." He leaned forward and laid his hand over hers. Jack had to keep from grinning.
"Well, it's really nothing too important. It's just – something my father gave me", she sniffed. "He – before he – passed on, he gave me a – uh - book that had been passed down for many generations in our family. He told me as long as I had it it would bring me luck." She laughed softly. "I guess it did – I mean, we survived. I just wish -"
"And you think it's where we found you?" Jorad looked puzzled. "I thought everything was recovered? We only took the weapons, nothing else. Did not the emergency team bring everything else?"
"When we didn't know if we were going to make it I hid a small pack of our things", Sam improvised. "We didn't know where we were or who would find us."
The young man sat looking at her, his face showing no expression. After a few seconds he sat up straighter. "You can use the Administrator's vehicle", he said, "as long as you have it back to me this evening."
"Jorad – no, we couldn't ask that of you?" Sam looked – surprised, pleased, worried, grateful – all the appropriate emotions to pull him in a bit more.
Yes you could, thought Jack, busily chewing the roll he'd ordered. He was so proud of Carter – she was amazing.
"Yes. It will be fine. Look, I will take you to the transporter now and you must go. Just follow my map. I will call Farra and tell her that I have some errands to run and I will see her after dinner tonight. You must have the vehicle back by then."
After some more token resistance Jack and Sam followed Jorad to the vehicle. He showed them their weapons, which were stashed in the rear of the vehicle in what passed for its trunk, and then demonstrated how to handle the transporter.
They took off then, with a wave to Jorad. It took a few harried minutes before Jack figured out how to drive the small car smoothly. The principle was the same as for Earth automobiles, but the practice was much different. He almost hit an old lady and did hit a garbage can, but after that managed to get the vehicle straight.
"Uh – do you want me to drive Sir?" Sam finally asked. Her knuckles were white where they clenched the seat underneath her.
"Oh ye of little faith Carter", Jack grinned. "I know what I'm doing – now – and it'll be fine. And anyway, what makes you think you could have done any better."
"I don't", she admitted, "however I don't think I could have done any worse – Sir."
Jack glanced at her, his brows raised. "Fine, you can drive on the way back!" Jack was quiet as he drove towards the city limits, wanting to concentrate on the vehicle and the directions Carter was giving him. It was only when they reached the countryside that he spoke.
"He's rather – trusting", Jack said, referring to Jorad.
"He is. He reminded me of Daniel a few years ago."
"Yeah, me too. I hope this doesn't get him – or us – into trouble."
"Not if we're back in time." Sam said. "I hope we can find the glider by then."
"What about the hidden pack with the book from your father?" Jack grinned at her.
"Well it worked!" she retorted.
"It did, although Jacob might be a bit surprised to know he's – passed on! You were brilliant Carter – you had him eating out of the palm of your hand."
"I know. I felt badly about it. He's a good kid."
Fortunately Jorad's directions, although hand drawn, were quite accurate. They found the place where they'd been rescued– and slowly backtracked towards where they figured they'd crashed the glider. Although it had felt like forever when they'd had to walk, it actually wasn't that far a distance away and they soon found it.
"Thank God!" Carter said, when she saw the wing tip glistening in the sunlight.
"Did you think it would have disappeared?"
"Well, with our luck lately, you never know." She got out of the vehicle the moment he stopped and raced towards the ship.
Jack got out more slowly, whistling when he saw the glider. It's a miracle they'd both survived with as few injuries as they had. The thing looked like it had gone through a blender.
Sam was already deep into the bowels of the ship – or as much of the 'bowel's as she could reach – by the time he arrived. He could hear the odd sounds coming from her – they mostly sounded like frustration, which wasn't good. He, on the other hand, was very good and didn't bug her for at least twenty minutes.
"Hey Carter – what's it look like?'
The 'hrmph' he got in reply didn't tell him much so he left her alone for another five minutes. "Carter! Status report." He used his official Colonel voice which seemed to work.
"The wiring is all burnt out", she called down, "and even worse the crystals are gone. I can replace wires, I can't replace crystals."
"So – it's bad?"
"Very bad Sir."
"Damn. Is there nothing we can do?"
A couple of minutes of silence and then her head poked out. "I'm afraid not Colonel", she shook her head. "Frankly, I'm amazed we made it as far as we did. This ship was a mess even before we crashed."
"What about the radio?"
"Completely destroyed", she told him. "I managed to retrieve some of the nacquada though. We may find a use for it. Other than that -" she left her words hanging."
"Homing device?"
"Not that I can see and even if there were, do you really want to let the Goa'uld know where we are?"
"No", he sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Anything else? Anything that could be in the least bit helpful?"
Now she sighed. "Not really", she told him. "Some of the parts might come in useful at a later date and I can grab those to take back with us. I'm afraid it's pretty much – toast - Sir."
Crap! Well, he hadn't really had much hope to begin with, but it certainly would have made their lives easier if they'd been able to fix the thing. He helped Carter as she pulled herself out of the ship.
"So, on to Plan B", he informed her.
She gave a half smile, although she was looking pretty bummed out. "I guess so Sir", she said, sounding doubtful.
"Hey Carter – you know we always do better with Plan B. It's our – modus operandi!"
She grinned at that. "Latin Sir?"
"Of course, a very useful language at times. Come on, we'd better get back before we give poor Jarod a heart attack."
"That's Jorad Sir." This time she did grin.
"Whatever he calls himself, we don't want him to wet his pants."
"No Sir." The two of them spent a few moments taking some things from the ship and placing them in the vehicle. After that they gave one last look at the Death Glider and then got in the 'car'.
Jack turned on the engine and glanced over at the woman at his side. "Okay Carter – Plan B – let's go find that gate!"
