A/N: Unfortunately, the review reply function still hasn't been fixed, so I can only reply via PM as long as you've enabled that function in your account. Hope you will enjoy this next chapter!


Jack slowly became aware of the steady beating, rustling of papers and smell of antiseptics which all indicated he was in the infirmary. His eyes felt heavy as he tried to open them and he immediately winced at the bright infirmary lighting, the movement making him acutely aware of a throbbing headache and aches throughout the rest of his body. He groaned, bringing up one hand to scrub his face and shield his eyes from the lights to look around his room.

"Jack? You're awake!" Daniel piped up, quickly closing the file he'd been leafing through.

"For crying out loud," he rasped, before clearing his throat. "Can you tone it down a bit?"

Daniel shot him an apologetic look, but couldn't suppress a grin knowing his friend was awake and apparently back to himself. "Sorry," he stood from his chair and moved closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Jack muttered, glaring at him. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged, gesturing to the call button he'd just pressed. "Janet said to call her when you came to. Want some water?" Daniel quickly poured some in a cup.

Jack tried to sit up, groaning when pain shot through his body and slowly laid back again. "Gimme that," he mumbled, grabbing the cup from the archeologist, using the straw to take a few sips. His throat was dry and the cold water felt heavenly as he drank. His eyes darted to the ajar door when he heard the tell-tale clicking of Napoleon's heels approaching before the door was opened further.

"General O'Neill," Janet greeted the base commander upon entering the room. "I'm glad to see you're awake, Sir."

"Doc," he replied, shoving the now-empty cup back in Daniel's hands.

Browsing through his chart, she checked his latest vitals and nodded to herself. It was all looking very good and he'd even woken up earlier than they'd expected. "I'd like to do a quick exam, Sir. Doctor Jackson would you mind leaving the room to give us some privacy?"

"Oh, of course," Daniel nodded, placed the cup back to the jug and smiled at his two friends. "Um, I'll be back later. Bye," he gave a small wave before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Janet took her penlight and stepped closer. "Please look here, Sir," she mumbled, before shining the light in his eyes.

"Ack!" Jack winced, pulling his head away from the light.

"Still a bit photosensitive," she mumbled, "but pupils are responsive," she nodded and updated his chart.

"Doc, what's going on?"

Looking up from the chart, she grimaced. "Sorry, Sir. You had a concussion and–"

"Ya think?" He snapped, rubbing his eyes. "My head…" Jack's voice trailed off as he glanced at the back of his hands. His knuckles were grazed and bruised, his nails clipped shorter than usual and forming a fist hurt. "Doc, what the hell happened?" Slowly and experimentally he started moving his toes, his feet and legs. "Argh," he hissed, pain shooting up his right knee. Fumbling with the hospital sheets for a moment, Jack's hand shot out to his knee.

Janet's brows knitted together as she looked at his knee. "It shouldn't take much longer for the swelling to go down," she told him, gently probing the joint with her fingers. "You will just have to take it easy for a few days, General."

He huffed, still looking at his knees. "Doc?"

Following his line of sight, she noticed the marks he was staring at. "Just some carpet burn, Sir. On your elbows as well." Janet waited until he'd checked them out and then held his gaze. "Sir, do you remember what happened?"

"No," he replied immediately, sounding frustrated – which he was. "Bruised ribs too?" He grimaced, gingerly touching his side.

"Yes Sir."

Jack watched her as she walked to his other side and removed the IV from his hand, disconnected him from the heart monitor and reviewed a print out. He pulled the sheets back up, suddenly feeling self-conscious and lay back, letting his head rest on the pillow. Trying to remember what happened, he closed his eyes and focused. Images whirled through his mind but they didn't make any sense at all. He opened his eyes as he heard Fraiser move around the room and frowned as a few more memories came back to him. Samantha… "Ah, Doc?"

"There was an outbreak, Sir," Janet told him, standing at the foot of his bed. "Alien virus. We had to go into quarantine, you called a Code Five lockdown before you were affected too. You really don't remember anything, General?"

"Not a thing," he mumbled, aware of her scrutiny. "So, what happened?"

Crossing her arms, she regarded him intensely before continuing. "I placed you and several others in isolation."

"But we're fine now, right?" Jack asked, before making a vague hand gesture to his body. "I mean…"

"Yes Sir, back to normal," she nodded. "Luckily not everyone was affected; only those of you who had been previously infected with the Touched virus had a… severe reaction, the rest of the personnel only had to deal with symptoms similar to a cold."

"Really?" He croaked, his mind conjuring up more images and feelings. "Ah," he cleared his throat, "where did it come from?"

Janet took a few steps closer, her eyes not leaving his face, until she stood next to his bed. "From P2X-913, SG-6 brought it back with them."

"Daniel figured that out?"

She shrugged. "He was affected as well. In the end, it were Nyan and Teal'c who figured it out. As a matter of fact, Teal'c is the one who went back and got the cure. You really don't remember anything, Sir?"

"Nope," he shook his head, trying to act normal as he heard her skepticism. "Why?"

"Well, it seems like my other patients remember most of what happened," Janet informed him, narrowing her eyes. "Sir," she added belatedly.

Jack tried to shrug, despite the pain it caused him. "Well, you did say I had a concussion." Slowly he started remembering more and more, the images practically assaulting him. He couldn't believe it; he had… well, fucked was probably the best description… he had fucked Carter. Several times. He shifted uncomfortably in the infirmary bed as his body reacted to the memories of the feel of her, the way she tasted, smelled and what she'd sounded like.

"I did," Janet reluctantly agreed, not really believing him. "Hopefully it will come back to you soon. After all, it was only a mild concussion, you've had far worse in the field, Sir."

"What about Carter?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What about her?" She innocently asked, once again thinking he knew more than he led on.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked and, seeing her expression, he waved his hand around. "What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head slightly, biting back her smile. "Just surprised you asked about Sam… with you not remembering what happened, Sir."

Realizing she was right, he glared at her. "Well, she was infected with the Touched virus as well and since you said only those people were infected this time…"

"Affected in the same way you were," Janet corrected him. "Sam's fine, she's still recovering but physically she'll be fine."

Jack swallowed hard, his heart finally slowing down hearing she would be okay. "Physically?" He croaked, remembering all too well what had happened in his quarters. He'd taken advantage of her, of the situation! God, could she ever forgive him?

"Yes Sir," Janet nodded. "Physically she'll heal, but emotionally is a different story. You all went through a lot, Sir and we're already starting to see fallout. I'll know more once Sam wakes up, though."

"What?" He frowned, needing to know more but also knowing the Doc already suspected he wasn't telling the entire truth.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I can't go into details, Sir."

"She's my second-in-command," Jack protested.

"Well, since you don't remember anything… I guess it now falls under doctor-patient confidentiality Sir," Janet told him with a small smile. Seeing that the General wanted to object but held back, she gave him an inquiring look. "You sure you don't remember, Sir?"

Schooling his features in his trademark blank face, he blinked innocently. "Remember what, Doc?" Jack could tell she was losing her patience with him, but he also knew he wasn't going to tell her a damn thing. Not until he'd talked to Carter, that is. He needed to know how she was doing, what she remembered. What all this meant… The moment she'd stood in front of him, her chest heaving, her shirt hanging open showing her underwear as she snagged the ball chain from around her neck and threw her ring at him suddenly reappeared before his mind's eye. In her altered state of mind, she'd chosen him over the cop! But how did she feel about him now? After everything they'd done, knowing it was only because of an alien virus which had made them revert back to their primitive selves?

"Hmm," Janet murmured, pretending to think it all over as she went back to his chart. "I guess if your memory won't return I'll need to run some extra tests."

"Crap."

"Sir?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "By all means, Doc," he waved his hand around, "do your tests."

"And you'll have to stay here," she continued, glaring at him. "I was about to let you go home as long as your concussion checked out, but I guess this means you'll have to stay overnight." When a groan was his only reaction, Janet sighed. "Maybe even a few days."

"Well, it's not like I ever leave the base anyway," Jack huffed, refusing to give in, even if it meant having to stay in the infirmary. At least this way he'd be close to Carter and he wouldn't have to come up with an excuse to visit her. Just stretching his legs would be fine, maybe they'd even be moved in the medical bay. Granted, it meant less privacy, but he could keep an eye at her and see for himself that she was recovering… although, if she remembered as well and blamed him for what had happened, that might not be best.

Janet was about to tap her foot at his behavior, but kept herself in line. "Of course, if I can't find a medical reason for why you can't remember it could be that you're repressing the memories. Maybe they were too traumatizing."

"I doubt it," he muttered under his breath.

"Obviously I can't help you then."

"I guess so," Jack replied, biting back a smirk.

Janet let out an exasperated sigh and looked him in the eye. "Then I would be forced to send you to Doctor MacKenzie, Sir."

"What?" he choked out. That was just playing dirty!

"I'm afraid so, General," she shrugged. "Because that would mean it's psychological." Janet pressed her lips together when his face fell and tried to appear calm and professional. "But we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet, Sir. I'm hopeful your memories will return on their own, soon."

Jack nodded uncomfortably, not having expected this turn of events. "I hope so too, Doc," he managed to reply, still refusing to budge. "What about the rest of my men?"

Janet informed him about the condition of the base personnel, explaining that only he, Sam, Johnson and a few others were still in the infirmary. It had taken a while for their systems to be cleared of the infection and after that they'd all fallen into a deep sleep, something the natives had warned Teal'c about as the healing process could take its toll. Not to mention that they had been infected since the beginning and were severely sleep deprived. Their bodies had needed the rest, while the infirmary staff had taken care of them. The doctors had assessed their injuries and treated them accordingly, the nurses had bathed them and kept an eye on them following their recovery. Everything on base had gone back to normal, most of the off-world teams had returned and most of the quarantined personnel had been sent home for a couple of days.

"Who's in command now?" Jack asked once the Doc was done. "If Carter is still recovering too…"

"General Hammond came to review the situation, Sir," Janet informed him. "He's taken command temporarily, but Colonel Reynolds is in command now."

"Huh?"

"General Hammond is spending the weekend with his granddaughters, Sir."

Jack frowned in confusion, his eyes immediately going to his left wrist only to realize his watch was gone. "Weekend? That can't be right-"

"You've been asleep for the last three days, Sir," Janet replied with a small smile.


Jack sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. His lip was still swollen, courtesy of Carter he recalled. Most of his injuries were, actually, he thought with a small grin he couldn't suppress. He'd always expected his 2IC to be a passionate lover despite her calm demeanor, by-the-book attitude and her often prim and proper image. Still waters and all that… not to mention her need for speed with those bikes of hers. Still, she'd surpassed his wildest expectations this time. His body was still showing the scratches and bruises from their passionate sex. Now that he'd managed to get out of bed on his own and convince Lieutenant Evans that he could bathe himself, thank you very much, he'd checked out his body in front of the mirror.

His mind hadn't stopped providing him with memories since he'd woken up a few hours ago and he could still recall how Carter had dug her nails in him, how she'd practically clawed open his back. He didn't really mind those marks as they were already healing nicely and he usually took pride in making a woman lose control like that, especially someone with Carter's self-control. It just bothered him that it had happened under these circumstances… Looking back, he realized she'd already been too far gone when she'd come to him and he should have stopped her, refused her… As soon as Fraiser had left him to rest, he'd called Reynolds for a debrief and had gotten his hands on the reports filed by the colonel and Fraiser. He now knew that the Doc was right; Carter hadn't been in her right mind when she'd come to him, therefore she could have never consented.

Jack balled his fists, feeling his anger rise – anger directed at himself. He'd taken advantage of her and the situation, he knew Carter would have never had sex with him if this alien virus hadn't happened! She was engaged to get married to Shanahan, for crying out loud! But he'd ignored those thoughts at that time and simply took what she was offering, even though he knew it was wrong. It didn't matter that he'd been infected too, he was her CO and therefore it was up to him to keep everything strictly professional between them. He was close to slamming the wall in frustration, but managed to stop himself because he was sure he'd break some bones in his already injured hand. Chills ran down his spine as one thought kept going through his mind; he'd basically raped Carter.

He hung his head in shame, leaning on bathroom sink with his hands. Trying to control his breathing as to not upset his bruised ribs – courtesy of Teal'c kicking him off Daniel, apparently – he closed his eyes. His thoughts made him wonder if he could even face Carter once she woke up… flashes of what he'd done to her went through his head. How rough he'd been, eager to 'punish' her for moving on. Jack huffed; he'd wanted to hurt her like she'd hurt him when she started dating the cop and got engaged to him. How sick and twisted was it that he'd wanted to hurt the woman he loved for finding happiness?

Feeling bile rise in his throat, he quickly swallowed and took a sip of water. Disgusting was what he was, what his behavior had been like. In his anger and hurt, he'd lost total control over his dark side and he'd ended up treating Carter like a… like what? Jack frowned, he couldn't even think of something that would describe it accurately. Like his personal plaything, to do with as he pleased, with no regard for her wellbeing at all! He groaned, recalling how he'd marked her sweet body, her perfect alabaster skin sprinkled with freckles now marred by him. As if handling the memories wouldn't be enough, she'd be reminded of what he'd done to her for the next few weeks until her skin would heal – Jack shuddered as he realized that deep down that had been exactly his reason for doing it.

A knock sounded on the door, reminding Jack that Daniel was still waiting for him in his room. Splashing some cold water in his face, he straightened and grabbed a towel to dry himself. He grimaced as he bent over and put on the scrubs the archeologist had fetched him. They were worth the pain shooting through his body because at least now he could walk around without people looking at his backside showing through the flimsy hospital gown. He was sure Napoleon used those just to ensure her patients wouldn't run off.

Shaking his head, Jack opened the door and walked into the room.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked, seeing the effort it took his friend to walk over.

"I'm fine."

He rolled his eyes and plopped back in his chair. "Um, Jack shouldn't you go back to bed?"

"I've been sleeping for three days, Space Monkey. I'm sure I've had my fair share of rest," Jack retorted.

Daniel sighed, throwing him a worried glance. "I only got you the scrubs because you said you'd go back to bed."

"Eventually," he smirked, gathering the paperwork Reynolds had gotten him and putting them back in their folder.

"You can't go to your office or leave the base," Daniel protested, chastising himself for agreeing to get him the outfit. "You don't even have your access card."

Jack quirked a brow at him. "You have yours, don't you?"

"Oh no," he shook his head adamantly. "Besides, Janet instructed the SFs you're not allowed to leave the infirmary."

"Hey, I'm the 'Man', I can belay her order," Jack groused.

Daniel simply shrugged, giving up. "She overrules you in medical matters," he reminded him. "Besides, I think General Hammond agreed with her and he still outranks you."

"Crap."

Grimacing, Daniel rubbed his sore cheek gently and shot Jack a glance. "What were you going to do anyway? Don't tell me you're in a rush to do paperwork."

"Just need to get out of here," he explained, gesturing with his hands to encompass the infirmary. "Sorry about that, by the way," Jack motioned to the bruise on the archeologist's face.

"That's okay," Daniel reassured him as he leaned back in his chair. "We all did some things we wouldn't normally do," he mumbled, casting his eyes downward. Janet had already said she'd forgiven him for attacking her, but he still felt bad about it.

Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, I heard you went after the Doc," he snickered softly. "Brave man."

"Jack-"

"And you got your ass kicked by our Napoleonic power monger!"

Daniel huffed in a frustrated manner, glaring at his friend. "How do you even know that?"

"Lieutenant Evans told me," Jack smirked. "Now now, Danny-boy," he said in a placating tone, "don't get mad at her; I'm the base commander, she has to tell me."

Ignoring the older man's teasing, Daniel jumped up from his chair. He knew he'd never live that down! Angrily grabbing his books, he made his way to leave. "I told Teal'c I'd be back. I'm going to see how Sam's doing."

"Ah, yeah… um, about Carter…"

Daniel was already at the door, but hearing his voice trail off, he looked over his shoulder. Jack's entire demeanor had changed, his shoulders were sagged and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. "Janet said she'll be fine," he tried to reassure his friend, sympathizing with him. He had a good idea about what Jack was going through, knowing how he himself felt about attacking Janet.

"Physically."

"What?" Daniel questioned, turning towards him with a puzzled frown.

Jack sighed, his eyes still on the floor. "Doc said Carter will be fine, physically."

"I thought you said you didn't remember anything," Daniel said in surprise, seeing the obvious guilt emanating from his friend.

"Daniel, for crying out loud," Jack exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?"

"What?" Jack frowned. "Look… I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," he mumbled, dragging a hand through his hair as he struggled with his emotions. Could he face Carter right now? What if she remembered and blamed him for what had happened? Just coming face to face with him could be upsetting to her, if not downright traumatizing, he thought.

Daniel sighed and took a step closer. "Jack, I won't say I know what happened, but I have a pretty good idea. After all, we were the ones that found you together," he added in a teasing tone, trying to lighten the mood a bit – and pay him back for his remark about Janet.

"I'm not sure if Carter wants to see me right now, Daniel."

He shrugged in reply. "She's still asleep, it has all taken a toll on her body, wearing her out. And you know Sam, she was probably already sleep deprived before this virus," Daniel chuckled, before turning serious again. "Janet said that you were one of the firsts to come in contact with SG-6 once they returned and you later met with Sam, right? Considering you two were one of the firsts to be infected but one of the last to be affected by this, your immune system and self-control probably wore you out so much. And once you were in isolation, you both got pretty upset being separated. Like Johnson, you were almost literally climbing the walls and banging the door and everything," he explained, blinking behind his glasses.

"Yeah, Fraiser said that's why it took us longer to recuperate than you."

Daniel nodded in agreement. "I was one of the last to be infected and was only affected for about two days. Look Jack, just go see her. You'll see she's fine… just ignore her cheek," he mumbled as an afterthought.

"Why?" Jack asked warily, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, um," Daniel tapped his fingers nervously on the books in his arms. "Sam sort of… attacked Janet when we were trying to sedate the two of you."

His eyes widened in shock. "Doc Fraiser hit her?"

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, cringing as he recalled the moment. "With the butt of her tranquilizer gun."

"Oy," Jack winced in sympathy.

Daniel agreed and slowly but surely convinced Jack to go visit Sam, knowing his friends would have to see each other sooner or later. And in their case sooner might be best. Maybe this way Jack could get some peace of mind, seeing that Sam was doing relatively fine and come to terms with what happened, preferably before Sam would wake up. They sure had a lot to talk about, even if Jack claimed not to remember anything Daniel knew better.

Jack relented and followed Daniel out in the hall as they went to see Carter. He was sure he hadn't completely recovered yet from his former primitive state of mind, as he still felt the need to see her. Be near her. He was practically yearning to be close to her and, since the archeologist said it would be fine, Jack decided he might as well give in and confront her now. It would be much easier than when she'd be awake, now he would have the time to figure out his feelings and how to approach Carter once she was back to normal. He could think it all through, come up with a way to deal what has happened and how he should repair his friendship with Carter. That is, if she would ever be willing to speak to him again…

Daniel opened the door and beckoned Teal'c, who'd been staying with Sam, over to them.

"Daniel Jackson, has something transpired with O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired as he joined the Tau'ri in the corridor. He raised his eyebrow once he saw O'Neill standing there as well. "O'Neill, I was not aware Doctor Fraiser allowed you to roam the corridors of Stargate Command."

"He wants to see how Sam's doing," Daniel explained.

Jack shifted on his bare feet and looked up at his Jaffa friend. "I ah… Ah, I need a moment with Carter," he stated uncomfortably, wondering if the Jaffa would even allow him access to the room by the way he was guarding the door now.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, inclining his head and stepping aside. "Much has transpired between you."

Surprised at his comment, Jack frowned before shrugging and slipping into Carter's private room.

"You think we can leave them alone?" Daniel asked, looking at Teal'c. "Might as well go eat something then," he added as the Jaffa inclined his head. "I'm starving."

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back and joined Daniel Jackson on his way to the elevator. "Indeed, I am in need of nourishment as well."


A/N: I have an exam on Wednesday evening, so I won't be able to update then.