The Satisfaction of Revenge

Chapter Ten

Captain Janice Michaels was assigned as his secretary on the first day he'd arrived at the Pentagon. She considered General O'Neill to be the best CO she'd ever had.

He was kind and polite to her, always considerate of her and he never treated her like she was beneath him. He was the only superior officer she'd had that treated her with the same respect that he treated the male officers under his command.

She'd counted herself lucky the day she was assigned to his command at Home World Security. But right now, if she was truthful the look on his face frightened her. She'd never seen him look like this. She didn't know what else to say. He turned back to his office, stopped and swung around to face her again.

"Clear my schedule for the next week, no two weeks," he ordered roughly. Jack made it back inside his door, and then looked back at her as he started to shut the door. He couldn't miss the look on her face.

He walked back to her desk, standing over her with a look that said he was sorry, "I.. I… didn't mean to snap at you. As usual your efficiency is excellent." Not waiting for her to comment, he stalked into his office and slammed the door. She shuddered thinking she was glad he wasn't like this too often.

Jack sat at his desk trying to collect his thoughts. What could he do? He knew Carter was on that ship with Teal'c….. Right now, if he could get his hands on his Jaffa friend…. Well, he really thought he would hurt him.

He took the crumpled letter from his pocket, and sat staring at it. He wanted desperately to find her, but he wasn't sure how.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sam sat in the strange motorized vehicle waiting for Teal'c. It was much like Earth's golf cart, but could travel much faster. He was inside the building gathering the supplies they needed. They'd stopped at the food market and now the dry goods store to pick up Teal'c order.

Teal'c had stumbled across this planet in his First Prime days. It held no value for the Goa'uld. There was no naquadah; and due to their physiology the locals were not good choices for Goa'uld hosts. Therefore, the planet had no outside interference from the Goa'uld system lords.

Teal'c felt it would be the last place anyone would look for them. She'd be safe here until she was ready to face the world and O'Neill. He'd followed her request to the letter.

When she'd contacted him before she'd left Atlantis asking for him to come to Earth in a ship and meet her at the SCG, he'd never questioned why. He just did it.

When she'd asked him to take her to O'Neill's home and wait down the street in the rented SUV, he did. When she'd stormed out crying her heart out and asked him to take her to the airport, he did. When she'd called crying from Cassie's in the middle of the night, he'd rented a car and come after her. When she asked him to get her off Earth in a hurry; he took her to the Tel'tak and charted a course to a Lebronia.

She didn't explain what had occurred with O'Neill or what her original plan had been. She had been in the house for only thirty minutes before O'Neill made it home. But Teal'c had seen the results of her three hour stay on her face. Along with her uncontrollable crying when she finally made it to the SUV; she'd only tearfully stuttered out, "Get me to the airport," from that Teal'c had assumed it had not gone well.

He'd truly hoped she could work out her relationship with O'Neill. He of all people knew how much she loved him. They spoke of her repressed feelings for O'Neill for years on the Odyssey. He knew her better than any of the others. He would take care of her as long as she needed him.

Teal'c was very comfortable in her silent presence. He'd spent thousands of hours just watching her and waiting for her to tire herself enough to leave her lab on the Odyssey and head for her quarters to get some rest.

He knew her well enough to know she'd tell him what and when she was ready. Until then he'd just be there to protect her from herself and others. He knew from experience she needed time to internally process her emotions and feelings.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Teal'c took her through the city and showed her around, making their way to the small dwelling that Teal'c had leased for them. They settled in the house and Teal'c began to put away the supplies and food stuffs.

"Colonel Carter, I will put away the supplies; if you wish you have time to rest before the evening meal."

"No, Teal'c. I'll help. I'm not tired anyway." They spent the next few hours cleaning the house and setting up the kitchen and their own rooms. They had a light supper together and Teal'c explained what he knew of Lebronia. By the end of the day Sam was so tired she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

0o0o0o0o0

Holding his head propped in his hands, his elbows resting on his desk top; Jack was so completely lost in thought that he jumped when Captain Michael's voice came over the intercom. "General, Doctor Jackson is here to see you."

Gathering his wits and trying to get control of his emotional state, Jack answered, "Just a minute." After walking into the restroom and splashing cold water over his face, Jack looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look like himself, not even to him.

He'd slept very little in the last week, ate even less and he'd had a really hard time even trying to concentrate on anything other than Sam. He'd not found out anything of her whereabouts. All he knew was she wasn't on Earth, or he would have been able to locate her GPS implant.

Jack decided to retire. It was the only way he'd have the time to look for Sam. And he had to find her; there was just no way around that. If he didn't, he knew he'd worry until he either drank himself to death or died of causes related to a broken heart.

Jack walked back to his desk and pushed the intercom button, "Tell Daniel to come in." He sat back and waited for Daniel to sit. "Thanks for coming, Daniel." He didn't say anything else, just looked at Daniel. Daniel was floored by what he saw. It had been several months, more than six, since he'd seen Jack; but he never expected the man on the other side of the desk.

"Jack, what's going on? Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Jack hesitantly looked back at Daniel not really wanting to meet his eyes. "Look, Daniel, it's Carter. Something's not right." He couldn't yet the rest of his words out. Leaning back in his chair and sighing loudly, "I really missed up where she's concerned. Daniel you were right."

"Really." Daniel looked really surprised. "I'm right about what?" He hadn't heard Jack admit that he was right too many times.

"Carter. Daniel, you were right about Carter." Jack pushed both hands up his face and into his already messy grey hair. "You know where she is?" Jack focused on Daniel's expression. He'd always been able to read Daniel almost as well as Carter.

"Jack, what are you talking about? Isn't she on leave? That was the last I heard. Jack has something happened to Sam?" Jack could definitely tell by Daniel's expressed fear that he didn't know what was wrong or where she was. Crap!

"I don't know. She…she…. …left Earth. In another week she'll be AWOL….if I don't turn in her resignation." Jack waited for that little tid-bit to sink in with Daniel.

"What??!... Jack what did you say? Her resignation from….. what?" He knew from Jack's body language that he felt guilty about this.

"Atlantis, her commission, her career, the whole thing." Jack's voice expressed the sorrow that was in his heart, and Daniel could feel his pain.

Jack raised his eyes back to focus on Daniel after a few minutes. "I really was hoping you knew where she was. I'm sure Teal'c knows, but…..he hasn't been back to Earth since…." Jack stopped short of telling Daniel more than he wanted to. But Daniel picked up on Jack hesitance, he knew Jack wasn't telling him everything.

"What makes you think Teal'c knows? Wouldn't he tell you if he knew especially if he thought you were worried about her? How do you know they're off world? Better yet, how did they get off world?" Jack had to look away from Daniel's questioning eyes.

Looking at his hands on top of his desk, he softly said, "She came to see me before she left, when she left her resignation with me. Teal'c was with her. I haven't seen or heard from either of them. I just suspect that Teal'c… …..that Teal'c either knew where she was going or took her."

"That doesn't make sense, Jack. Why wouldn't he tell you? Or why would they leave without telling anyone?"

"Maybe, he thinks he's protecting her," Jack commented almost to himself.

"From you? Why would she need protection from you? Jack, what did you do?" Daniel looked even more confused, but he was beginning to understand that Jack knew why she left and why she had left her resignation.

"It's not like I meant to hurt her. But I think I did, emotionally. Daniel, she told me she loved me and then she just left." Jack knew that wasn't exactly true, but it was as much of the truth as he was willing to give Daniel.

"Jack, didn't you know how she felt about you? Really? Come on, Jack. You aren't stupid. She wore her feelings on her face all the time. Why in hell couldn't you ever see it?"

Daniel just looked at his friend. Jack shook his head and closed his eyes. He had no idea why he'd refused to see it, especially the last two years before she was assigned to Atlantis. He wasn't even her CO. They could have worked this out.

But he was just too scared to take the risk. What if she got tired of him and then afterwards left him. He knew it would have killed him to have her and then lose her. He was better off not knowing what he could have. Or at least that's what he'd thought until he almost had it.

A long silence filled the room, neither of them knowing exactly what to say. After several minutes Daniel softly said. "Why did you wait all week to tell me she was gone? Didn't you think I'd want to know?"

"I don't know Daniel. I… ….uh.. guess.. I was just trying to protect her," he said his chin hitting his chest.

"Damn it Jack, she needs her friends. She needs support. We have to find her."

"That's why I called you, Daniel. I need your help."

0o0o0o0o0

"Walter, have you been able to reach Teal'c?" Daniel asked as he walked up behind the Chief. Walter was sitting at the computer terminal going over some data.

"I've left messages at several of the Free Jaffa planets. I don't really think it's been enough time for them to get back to us," Walter answered Daniel patiently. It was the third time in the last hour that Daniel had asked.

"Would you let me know as soon as you hear from them?"

"Sure thing, Doctor Jackson." Walter watched Daniel walk out of the control room. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

TBC

Thanks so much for reading! I am really happy over all your reviews! Dance a happy dance! THANKS A MILLION! Update on Pop—he's still in the hospital, but continues to make progress. Thanks so much for all your prayers, good thoughts and kind comments.