Chapter 10

Jack lay quietly, drawing lazy, invisible doodles up and down a dozing Sam's arm when he noticed the change in weather. The loud sound of rain pelting down on the ships roof had dissipated into a light drumming until it couldn't be heard at all. Light slowly streaming in at the entrance as the clouds cleared away.

"Sam" he whispered as he gently shook her. "Sam, wake up," he watched as her eyes opened slowly, fuzzy from sleep, "If I lay any longer like this, I'm going to have permanent marks on my butt from the grated floor!"

She smiled and began to untangle herself replying with a small, "Sorry," before stretching her arms with a yawn.

"That was quite the storm we had."

"I guess we should head out and see about setting up house in our new camp."

"Sure, sounds like a plan." Sam stood and held out her hand to help Jack up and they exited the ship together.

"Wow!" Sam exclaimed. The little lake in the cavern had risen so that the shore was only a few feet away from the ships edge.

"That was a lot of water."

"It's amazing how the storm cleared so quickly." As she peered up into the brilliant, blue sky; sun rays warming her skin.

"Come on Sam," Jack beckoned after he had edged along the side of the ship to reach the foot of the rope ladder.

"Be careful, it's probably going to be slippery."

Jack watched with some apprehension as she made her way up but also realized she was quite agile and more than capable of making the climb. Before he knew it she was at the top staring down at him, smiling her gorgeous smile.

"You can do it Fly boy"

"You bet I can," he replied.

He grabbed onto the first rung and began to pull himself to the next when all of a sudden he felt himself falling backwards. Not because he had slipped but because the ladder had fallen down. It no longer had anything to attach to; in fact an entire cave wall had vanished, Sam along with it.

'Damn it', Jack muttered to himself, "Sam! Sam can you hear me?" when he didn't get a reply he swore some more under his breath before looking around with some desperation for his best exit. The large opening in the ground that had served as an entrance into the cavern was situated on a hill. He guessed that after the heavy rainfall, the ground on the one side had become unstable and caused a landslide. A good portion of the cave wall had been washed away; he now could pretty much just walk out. The only problem now was going to be walking on this very slippery mud.

He began his descent as quickly as possible, loosing his footing a few times keeping a keen eye out for Sam amongst the debris. It didn't take long for him to spot the only recognizable thing on a very grimy Sam. Her tuft of blond hair was sticking out in a mess of mud, branches and limbs.

"Sam!" his anxiety raised a notch at her unresponsive form and began to move quicker. Jack found himself tumbling head over heal as he slipped, sliding a few yards before coming to a mud-spattered stop beside Sam. He gave her the once over and determined the only physical injury he could see was a cut across the forehead, leaking blood slowly. From what he could tell it looked superficial but he bent over anyway for a closer look as he gently shook her shoulders.

"Sam, wake up…Sam, open your eyes." He heard a soft groan escape her lips before her eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to focus her eyes on him and when she did, she whispered, "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

Immediate relief flooded over Jack at her words, she was well enough to joke.

"Me? You should take a look at yourself honey." She looked down at herself and chuckled, "well I suppose so."

They really were quite the pair, Sam's eyes shone bluer than usual against the contrast of the dark mud that covered her face, along with every other inch of her. He figured he looked similar.

"Sam, in all seriousness now, do you hurt anywhere? That was quite a ways you traveled."

"Hmm, no I don't think anything serious, no broken bones, my injured ankle is throbbing even more now and I have a headache."

"Yeah it looks like you took a hit to the head, you have a small cut, here let me check your pupils. I hope you don't have a concussion."

He brought his hands to the side of her face, wiping some of the mud away before settling with his thumbs slightly pulling down on her cheeks right below her eyes. He took a moment to check them over before realizing how intensely Sam was staring into his own eyes. In moments they were locked in a fervent kiss. Again a shock at the magnitude of the feeling washing over him, relief and love so intense he knew he had never felt before. He broke the kiss and pulled her tightly against him, burying his head in the side of her neck, rocking them slightly. "I'm so glad you are ok."

"Me too."

"What do ya say we go get cleaned up."

"I'd say I like that very much."

With that Jack rose and helped Sam up hearing her wince, he looked down and saw that her ankle was more swollen than before. Without hesitation Jack swept her up in his arms before the climb back to the ship. Sam protested slightly with an indignant look on her face.

"Jack, I can walk."

"No, I'm not going to take any chances, besides this feels kinda nice." He grinned.

Mockingly Sam said, "Oh my knight in shining armor!" She snorted slightly with her giggle.

The ascent was slow going with the extra weight Jack had to carry and the careful placement of his steps so as not to send both careening back down the hill. Eventually they made it to the ship and Jack gently lowered Sam to the metal floor before going to search the different compartments of the ship. He found a different drawer like the one where the camera had been found except this one held some emergency supplies. He grabbed the first aid kit and a pile of blankets and placed them in Sam's arms. She looked up at him questioningly as he began to lift her once more.

"I thought we were going to get cleaned up?"

"We are, you'll see."

He carried her back out into the daylight and up beyond the once-cavern, several yards to the alternates home and water fall. It didn't take Sam long to figure out Jack's plan as he climbed the edge of the waterfall up onto one of the tiers where the water ran over a giant rock face than over a level surface before it dropped over the edge into the stream below.

"You can put me down now."

Jack obliged and watched as Sam waded into the mid-calf high water. She sat down the feeling of the cool water washing over her mud hardened skin marvelous.

"Jack this feels soooo good."

He chuckled as he followed her actions and came to sit next to her. Sam began removing her clothing and threw them up on shore so that she could begin scrubbing at her skin. Jack did the same as he watched her lay back in the water to wash out her hair, laughing at the sensation. Jack washed quickly knowing that he wasn't going to last long watching a naked Sam play in the water before he had to do some playing of his own. So he went and sat at the edge and began to scrub their clothing, rung them out and hung them nearby. He returned and beckoned for Sam to come join him at the edge. She mock pouted before crawling over beside him.

"Sorry Sam I just want to take care of this cut before moving on to any other activities." He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively which she returned with a punch in the shoulder. It didn't take long for him to use what minimal supplies were left to clean the wound and bandage it up. He placed a tender kiss over it before meeting Sam's intense gaze.

"I think I'm ready for some 'other activities' now," she spoke softly. Jack just nodded his reply in silence as he wrapped her in the blankets. The sun was beginning to set a pink glow settling over them. He picked her up in his arms lovingly and they made their way quietly up into their new nest in the trees.