So this one takes place after the episode The Pegasus Project. I hope you like it
Sam and the rest of SG1, minus Teal'c who had stayed in their galaxy, were all staying at Atlantis for a few more days so that Daniel could get a good look at the city and help out with some of the translations while he was at it.
General Landry had agreed and Dr Weir had welcomed any help Daniel could offer. So while Daniel and Vala were translating Sam was looking at some of the technology and Cam was just looking around the city, enjoying being in another galaxy for the first time.
Dr Weir had set them up in two rooms for the few nights they were there. Daniel and Cam were sharing one while Sam was sharing with Vala. It was just as well that the two of them got on well, it still confused some of the people they worked with since they were both such different people, since the room wasn't really all that big but neither minded since the beds were so comfortable.
It was their last morning on Atlantis and while Vala, Daniel and Cam were all looking around the city one last time Sam had taken a chance to stand on one of the many balconies and think, she liked the peace and quiet that the area provided; she didn't get much of it at home or the SGC.
Or at least it was quiet until Sam heard the door behind her slide open. She turned her head a little to and saw that Dr Weir was coming towards her. She turned back to look out over the ocean.
"It's beautiful isn't it," Elizabeth said as she came to lean against the railing beside Sam.
"It is," Sam nodded, "And peaceful too."
They stood in silence for a few moments before Elizabeth asked, "Did you enjoy your few days here?"
Sam nodded, "It was a nice change of pace doctor, one that I think I need more than I realised."
"Elizabeth please Colonel."
"Then call me Sam."
They both smiled at each other before Elizabeth said, "Well it is a nice peaceful place until we get some uninvited visitors."
Sam nodded, turning her attention back to the ocean.
Elizabeth did the same and then said, in a conversational tone, "I've gotten some reports the last few mornings about someone running through the corridors in the dead of night."
A small smile graced Sam's features before she answered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake anyone."
"Oh don't worry you didn't, it was more Rodney and the security personnel than anyone else. Can I ask you why you ran every night you've been here? You've already said that it was a nice change of pace so why the running?"
Sam sighed but when she didn't say anything Elizabeth began to think she'd gone too far, she knew from her brief time at the SGC the Colonel Samantha Carter shared very little about herself with anyone who wasn't on her team, she guessed it came from being a female in a mainly male dominated career and not wanting to give anyone anything to use against her.
She was about to say something to break the silence when Sam said quietly, "You can't go through what I've been through without nightmares."
Elizabeth nodded; she had read some of the reports on SG1's less successful missions so she knew some of what Sam had been through, although she knew she had no idea how bad it had actually been. "So the running? What's that for?"
"When we were off world and I got them it was difficult to deal with, but talking helped." The fact that they both knew she was talking about talking to Jack went unsaid. "The same for when we were on base, but when I was at home alone, there was no one to talk to and I'm not the sort of person who rings someone in the middle of the night just because I can't sleep. Then someone noticed and told me how he got back to sleep after a nightmare, he told me just run them off. That's why I've been running these past couple of nights, Daniel is brilliant to talk to but because he was sharing with Cam and I don't need Cam and Vala knowing about it I just ran, I know it's safe here and there are miles and miles of empty corridors to explore."
They fell into silence again as she finished speaking. "He must have been one hell of a friend to you Sam if you'd tell him what you now won't tell Cam and Vala," Elizabeth said eventually.
Sam smiled and nodded, "He was the best, although the first couple of times he didn't have much of a choice, I used to wake him up when they got bad."
Both woman turned their attention back to the water and fell into a friendly silence. Sam may not have been comfortable discussing her problems with her team but it seemed that because Elizabeth had asked she had been answered.
"Thank you for telling me that Sam," she said.
Sam nodded and, not taking her eyes off the waves said, "You never no Elizabeth, it might be a handy piece of advice for you to us or pass along."
