Note: I'm taking some creative liberties in this chapter, so bear with me. Since this story has gone AU, please disregard the fact that any mentions of the Ancient gene hadn't happened in the series until later seasons.

Changes

Chapter Seven: The Cabin

Two months had gone by, and December was upon them. In those two months, Jack's condition had improved remarkably. He was now reacting to his environment nearly all the time, responding with more gestures and even speaking in simple, short sentences on occasion. Sometimes the words were broken, maybe a little scrambled and hard to distinguish, but at least he was speaking. He'd become more able to do things on his own, and although his abilities were limited, there was always someone around to help him out if needed.

Many new tests had been performed to determine how Jack had begun recovering from the damage done to his brain, and with Daniel's help, Janet and Sam had discovered that it was Jack's Ancient gene nudging his recovery along. Daniel had discovered that the Ancient's possessed an amazing regenerative ability as well as the ability to heal others. They figured that since Jack wasn't fully an Ancient, his gene helped his natural healing capabilities so he had a better chance of bouncing back from injuries or sicknesses that would have different effects on an average human being. Jack's own particular injury was a good example of that. Daniel had explained, that if a person without the Ancient gene had been injured the way Jack had, the brain damage would most likely be irreversible. He had a suspicion that when Jack first had the Ancient Repository downloaded into his brain, and then later removed with the Asgard's help, the effects of the download strengthened the power of his unique gene.

Although Jack was coming back to them, little by little, Janet tried not to get Sam's hopes up, not knowing whether he would be able to fully return to his old self. Despite the miracle Jack's Ancient gene was performing, the doctor had an inkling that he would still end up suffering some effects from the injury. Sam had assured Janet that it wouldn't matter though, because when the time came, she would know when he was back.

Sam had recently moved in with Jack to take Teal'c's place as his roommate and at-home caretaker, but only after Teal'c argued that she spent enough time on the couch she should just move in. The Jaffa had also expressed his desire to live back on the base, which had initially surprised just about everyone. He'd said that he felt more comfortable there, and would have liked to be close whenever Bra'tac and his son, Rya'c, managed to stop by.

-

Sam paused atop the few steps leading down into the lounge where Jack sat in front of the tv trying to play a game on his PlayStation. He wasn't quite mentally coordinated, or dexterous enough yet to be able to really play any of the games, but he still tried, and it usually kept him entertained for a little while. She went over to him, smiling faintly at the look of concentration on his face as he tried to work out looking at the screen and pressing buttons at the same time on the controller held awkwardly in his hands. "Jack," she called to get his attention. When he didn't respond, too focused on the cars racing on screen, Sam bent down and touched his shoulder. "Jack,"

He turned his head to the side and looked up at her from his spot on the floor. His brows were furrowed, as if asking 'What?', but he didn't say it.

"C'mon, you've got to get in the shower and get dressed, okay? You're due for a check-up with Janet on base this morning before we go on our trip." Sam smiled when he nodded and set the game controller on the floor before getting to his feet. She started to follow him as he shuffled off toward the master bedroom, already pulling his t-shirt over his head as he went. Rolling her eyes and laughing quietly to herself, Sam picked up the trail of discarded clothes in his wake.

-

"So, the General tells me you're all cleared to leave for your little vacation in Minnesota," Daniel spoke up conversationally as he and Sam idly chatted in the commissary while she waited for Jack to finish up his med check with Janet.

"Yep," Sam smiled and stuck a spoonful of blue Jell-O in her mouth. "Jack's really excited about it, as far as I can tell."

Daniel nodded and sipped his coffee. "Yeah, well it's his first time being back there since before his accident."

Sam mimicked the nod and smiled tightly. "Jack seems to remember things about the cabin. He's mentioned fishing on the dock without me having ever spoken of it. The other day he also said something about using the fireplace in winter." She shrugged.

"That's good," Daniel was smiling, "He'll love it, just like he always has," he trailed off quietly, smile fading slightly. He knew Jack's mental capacity was expanding as he was slowly recovering, but he couldn't help be a little pessimistic in his fears that his friend wouldn't recover enough to be the 'old' Jack O'Neill they all knew and loved. Not that he wasn't loveable the way he was now. Jack would always be like a brother to Daniel, no matter what. He knew Teal'c felt the same way too.

The click of heels alerted Sam to Janet's arrival and she looked up with a smile for the doctor, and for Jack, who was slowly walking along the small woman's side. "Hey," she greeted happily, "Is everything all set? Are we good to go?"

"Mm-hm," Janet smiled and held out two pill bottles for Sam. "I've refilled his prescription for the anti-nausea medicine and the painkillers for his headaches. Everything else looks good."

"Thanks Janet," Sam took the bottles and tucked them away in her purse. She'd come on to base in her civvies this morning, since they were only there for Jack's medical and then they were leaving for Minnesota.

Jack stood beside Sam's chair and lightly tapped her shoulder. "Sam. Go..now?" he asked softly.

She craned her neck and smiled up at him. "Yes, we can go now Jack." Sliding her chair back, Sam stood, thinking nothing of it as Jack reached out and took her hand. She smiled and waved back at Janet and Daniel with her free hand while Jack tugged her toward the door. "I guess we're off. I'll call you guys once we get there," she called back to them.

"Bye Sam, drive safely!" Janet called after her with a laugh as she watched Jack pull her away.

-

It was dark and very late when they finally made it out to the cabin. Sam had needed to make a few stops along the way because of Jack. He wasn't used to such a long drive, and they'd needed to take a break and spend the night at a hotel anyways, to rest and prepare for another exhausting day of endless driving. She'd forgotten how far Minnesota was from Colorado.

Grateful that they'd finally arrived, Sam got a tired Jack into the cabin after she'd needed his help to bring in some of their things. Since Jack's truck had been parked at his house unused since his injury, Daniel had suggested they use it for their trip, assuring Sam that if the weather turned, it would be good to have the four-wheel drive that the big Ford offered. They'd gotten it tuned up a few days before the trip just to make sure it would run alright. Sam wasn't used to driving such a big vehicle, and much preferred her Volvo, but soon grew accustomed to the enormous truck during the long drive up to Minnesota.

Sam herded Jack into the single bedroom, and after kicking off his boots, he immediately flopped down on the bed and curled up on his side. She smiled at him and laughed softly. "Tired?"

Jack gave an incoherent murmur in response and hugged the nearest pillow, shoving his face into it.

A loud yawn escaped Sam and she blinked tiredly with a nod. "Yeah, sleep sound's like a good idea right about now," she yawned again and started to leave the room. "I'm just going to pull out the couch bed and find some sheets and blankets," Sam told Jack unnecessarily as she stepped out, unsure if he was even still awake and listening. She reminded herself of the tasks ahead; giving Janet a call, no matter the time, and putting the groceries away.

The cabin was cold, and although Sam had turned on the boiler, gas, and electricity, it was taking awhile for the little place to warm up. She was certain the reason for the fireplace was because the heat didn't work quite as well as it should. Too tired to attempt to get the fire going, Sam was grateful for the multitude of heavy blankets and quilts she'd found. Buried under a pile of blankets on the pull-out, she soon drifted off to sleep.

Sam woke up shivering and sat up from under the many blankets piled on top of her. She squinted, the light of the moon casting a bluish glow about the cabin. It was so cold that she swore she could see her own breath. Teeth chattering as she pried herself from the little bit of warmth the many blankets provided, Sam chose one of them and wrapped it around her shoulders, then padded across the freezing wooden floor toward the bedroom to check and see if Jack was still sleeping. That was when she realized she hadn't brought his monitor. There hadn't been any incidents where they really needed it lately, and Sam just completely forgot all about it.

When she stepped into the room, Sam was surprised to see Jack still fast asleep despite the cold, though he was curled up tightly on his left side, shivering. He was still dressed in his jeans and black, long-sleeved shirt that he'd worn all day, since he'd been too tired to change when they finally made it to the cabin. Sam wondered if he'd be warmer in some pajamas. Crawling up onto the bed and over to him, she laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. "Jack?"

He shivered and grumbled something incoherently, lifting a hand to sleepily rub at the side of his head.

"Jack, c'mon and wake up," Sam shook his shoulder again and waited patiently as he rolled over and squinted at her before slowly sitting up. It was much too cold, and she decided that they really needed to get a fire going in the hearth. She idly wondered if the furnace was broken.

When she realized that Jack was still staring at her in confusion, she smiled gently at him. "It's really cold in here, so I want you to get dressed in some warm, comfortable clothes and we'll start up the fireplace okay?" she told him softly.

Nodding silently, Jack crawled out from beneath his blanket and froze in place, brows knit together as he peered about the room without recognition.

Seeing Jack tense, Sam could tell right away that he was on the verge of panic. He hadn't realized where they were. It had happened once at the hotel room when he'd gotten up in the night. "It's okay," she was quick to assure him with a gentle hand on his arm. "We're at the cabin remember?"

Jack blinked and turned his gaze on her, nodding slowly. His entire body had started trembling once more from the cold.

Sam smiled softly with relief and gestured for him to come out of the room with her. "Your duffel bag with your clothes is out here, c'mon," She waited patiently for him to follow, tugging the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

After fumbling to pull some flannel pajama pants, a t-shirt, and sweatshirt from Jack's duffel, Sam handed him the clothes and sat on the edge of her pull-out bed in the sitting room. She expected him to go into the bathroom and change, but he just set his things down on the back of the sofa and struggled to pull his shirt over his head. He was shaking worse than before, teeth chattering loudly. Sam took a few steps closer and touched his arm. "Do you want some help?"

When Jack nodded and bent over at the waist, sticking his arms out in front of him, Sam smiled to herself and tugged his shirt over his head. Even in the dim, bluish light coming from the moon outside, Sam could still see the map of jagged scars on his right side. She'd asked Janet about them once, after the first time she'd seen Jack with his shirt off since the accident. Sam had been picking him up in the infirmary after one of his check-ups with Janet, and he'd been sitting on the bed, still getting dressed. She remembered Janet telling her that the scars had been caused by bits of shrapnel from the same grenade that lodged a piece of metal in Jack's skull.

Shaking herself from the memory, Sam realized that Jack was shifting from foot to foot in front of her, teeth chattering and shivering as he waited for her to help him get the other shirt on. "Oh, Jack, I'm sorry!" she apologized quickly, tugging the t-shirt and sweatshirt over his head.

"Cooold," Jack murmured softly as Sam handed him the flannel pajama pants once he'd undone his jeans and hurriedly kicked them off, standing there before her in his boxer shorts. He pulled the flannels on gratefully and his shaking ceased a little as his body heated up with the warmer clothes.

"Don't worry, I'll get the fire going and it'll be nice and toasty in here," Sam told him with a smile as she bent down to pile up Jack's discarded clothes. She headed for the front door and glanced back to find him rooted to the spot and staring at her with furrowed brows. "I think I saw a wood pile on the front porch, do you want to help me bring some in?"

Jack nodded and followed after her. He made a face as Sam opened the front door and a blast of frigid air washed in, but stepped outside anyways. The cold floorboards of the porch immediately seeped every bit of heat from his sock-clad feet, and he shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.

Finding the wood pile, Sam took a few logs and passed them off to Jack, who was holding out his arms to receive the firewood. Once his arms looked pretty full, Sam grabbed some logs herself and turned back to the door. "Alright, you got it?" Jack nodded and she smiled at him. "Okay, go on back inside now."

Grateful for the starter log she'd found in one of the utility closets, Sam got the fire going with relative ease. Still kneeling in front of the fireplace, Sam slid the protective grate in place and held out her hands to warm them. "Jack, come on over here and get warmed up," she called out without turning around. When he didn't come, she stood and turned around. "Jack?"

Movement on the pull-out bed caught her attention, and she shifted over slowly to find Jack curled up under the piled blankets she'd left, just the top of his head sticking out from the covers. A warm smile crept over her face as she sat down on the edge of the pull-out next to him and gently ran her fingers through the mussed-up silver strands that poked out from the blankets.

Although he'd technically stolen her bed, Sam wouldn't let that deter her. She wasn't spending a cold night away from the fire, that was for sure. Tugging the blanket still around her shoulders a bit tighter, Sam walked around the pull-out before crawling onto the opposite side and snuggling close to Jack to share some of the blankets over him. He was nice and warm, and she was easily lulled into a comfortable sleep just by the nearness of him.

-

When Sam reluctantly opened her eyes the next morning, she wasn't all that surprised when she noticed that Jack was gone from under the pile of blankets. She sat up and sleepily rubbed at her eyes, ran a hand through her messy hair and stretched before crawling off the pull-out. She shivered from the lack of warmth in the room, her gaze swinging toward the fireplace where the embers were still glowing faintly, though the fire itself had long-since died. From her vantage point, Sam could see into the kitchen where Jack was standing by the counter looking confused and staring at the cupboards.

Sam padded over to him in time to hear the sudden rumbling of his stomach. She smiled faintly, realized that he was probably looking so confused because he had no idea where anything was, and gently touched his arm. Having stopped at a grocery store on their way to the cabin, Sam had picked up a few things and quickly stored everything away on the night of their arrival. She didn't remember much where she'd put everything herself; she'd been half asleep when she did it. "Let's find you something for breakfast, okay?" Sam smiled at Jack when he turned in her direction. Digging through the cupboards, she fished out a box of cereal and held it out to him. "Fruit Loops?"

Jack nodded and grabbed the milk out as Sam pointed to the fridge in the corner. He set the carton on the counter while Sam found a glass bowl and rinsed it in the sink first to get rid of the thin layer of dust.

-

After breakfast, once Sam and Jack had each taken quick showers (since Sam wasn't confident the hot water would last), Sam had gotten Jack to go out and shovel the layer of snow that had accumulated overnight on the walkway while she tidied up the cabin a little. The place hadn't been used in a year and it was quite dusty.

Sam had peeked out the window to check on Jack every five minutes while she cleaned up and he finished shoveling the snow outside. She'd gotten the fire roaring up again and checked down in the basement to assure herself the heat was working. It was, but not too well. She sighed, thankful for the warm layers of clothes she'd put on, then set some water to boil on the stove before she went to call Jack back inside.

When Sam opened up the front door, she could see that all the snow had been shoveled off the porch, though a little sloppily, and the walkway had been cleared as well. She had to admit that she hadn't really expected him to get much done, but after she'd explained to him what he needed to do, he'd quickly gone to work, eager to help. Sam spotted Jack just off the walkway, grabbing handfuls of white powder in the small snow drift. "Hey, Jack," she called, getting his attention and smiling warmly as he turned her way. She waved him over where she stood on the porch. "C'mon inside, it's freezing out here!"

Jack dropped the pile of snow in his gloved hands and stood up straight, turning toward Sam. He shuffled his booted feet, making his way toward her and stomped up the frozen porch steps.

When Sam ushered him inside, she instructed him to take off his snow-encrusted boots first. Once he'd managed to get them off, Sam set them on the stone by the fireplace to dry, along with his gloves. After helping Jack shrug out of his jacket, she hung it up on the coat rack by the door and tugged on his arm to pull him to stand by the warm fire. As he tugged off his hat and dropped it by the gloves and boots, Sam turned to him and smiled. He was rosy-cheeked and red-eared from the bitter cold outside.

Suddenly remembering the water she'd left to boil, Sam gasped and patted Jack on the arm. "I'll be right back with some hot chocolate," she told him hurriedly and dashed into the kitchen.

Sitting down on the floor in front of the fireplace, Jack stared down at his damp socks and made a face, wiggling his cold-stiffened toes. He bent forward and began tugging the socks off to slap them down on the warm stone where his hat, gloves, and boots were drying.

Carrying two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, Sam found Jack sitting on the floor with his knees bent, as close as he could possibly get to the grate in front of the fire. Setting their drinks down on the coffee table, she went over to him and cocked her head to the side. "Jack, what are you doing?" she asked him with a small smile.

He tilted his head back and looked up at her, wiggling his bare toes and quietly answering, "M'cold,"

Sam just shook her head and knelt down next to him, just noticing his pant legs that were soaked up to his knees. "Well, it's no wonder! Your pants are all wet!" she exclaimed, taking hold of his arm and tugging him to his feet. Sam pointed toward the bedroom where she'd stuck his duffel under the bed. "Go and change before you catch cold," She suddenly felt like an overbearing mother scolding her child and immediately scratched out those thoughts. This was no child, this was Jack; and although he sometimes had a childish way about him these days, he was still an adult, the man she loved buried deep in that mind somewhere.

Jack shuffled to the room without protest and went to put on some dry pants.

Watching him enter the bedroom, Sam flopped down on the couch and reached for her mug of hot cocoa. She sipped it slowly, twisting in the worn sunken cushions so that she was mostly facing the fire. Within minutes she heard Jack shuffling back toward her, and as he appeared in her peripheral vision she tilted her head and smiled towards him as he came to sink into the couch beside her.

Jack reached for his hot chocolate, cupping the mug in both hands and sipping it slowly. He soon set the mug back on the table and leaned back into the cushions with a soft sigh, his eyelids fluttering.

Sam smiled over at him and laid a hand on his leg, causing Jack to swing his gaze toward her lazily. "Tired?" When he stared back at her without responding, she patted his knee. "It's okay, I could use a nap myself after all that cleaning. Let's rest for a little while, okay? Then we'll have some lunch."

Nodding, Jack twisted around and tugged the blanket down that hung over the back of the couch. He pulled it over himself and slumped sideways on the couch, drawing his legs up and curling into a ball to leave Sam room.

She smiled at his thoughtfulness, whether it was intentional or not. Getting up for a moment to retrieve another blanket, Sam then sunk back into the comfy couch, slouching at an angle so she could lie comfortably without disturbing Jack.

-