I do not own anything. If you recognize it, it is not mine.

Thank you for the review, SabreKai, it is now officially the longest ever regarding this story. Not sure this is the platform for that discussion though.

And shout out to Garibaldi69 for writing 100th review.

Laura was lying on the hospital bed that had good view of Sam. She wasn't asleep, but she pretended to be. Over the past few days watching over Sam during the night became O'Neill's routine. Laura knew, but didn't let on and generally just faked sleep when the bracelet told her he was coming.

The memory gaps Sam suffered started to fill, but she still didn't remember at least last ten years. It made her feel guilty when her colleagues would be so caring, because majority of the reasons why they were so close was escaping her. She desperately tried to remember, but the pressure she put on herself didn't help. In fact the exact opposite happened and her constant nervousness exhausted her beyond belief. She slept throughout the whole night now and sometimes took a nap during the day, when Daniel and Teal'c watched over her.

Most of the nightmares came at night, and when it wasn't so bad, O'Neill just whispered something in her ear and stroke her cheek lightly. It worked at times, but often he had to wake her from the throes of the nightmare before she hurt herself. The last time the grip of night terrors proved to be too tight was the night before.

It started as quiet whimpering, only barely hearable. Then all of a sudden Sam shouted Daniel's name and started sobbing uncontrollably. By the time Laura got up to help, but O'Neill had already woken Sam up and pulled her into the tightest hug. He must have heard Laura getting up, but his attention was solely on the crying woman in his arms.

"S…sir?" Her voice shook in fear.

"It's okay, Carter. I am here." He felt her relax a little and shyly return the embrace upon hearing his voice. It must have been horrifying to wake up from a nightmare blind.

"Daniel, he was burning. The screaming was just… God!"

She was trembling violently in his arms with her face hidden in the crook of his neck. Her clasped hands were resting on his chest, close to his dog tags, feeling the beating of his heart. Occasionally, few sniffling sounds escaped her lips as his body shielded her from the rest of the world.

"It wasn't real. That memory was implanted into our brains, it never happened. It's okay. Daniel's okay. We all are." Puffs of air were hitting her as he spoke, tickling her ear and neck. She nodded, which pushed her blonde hair into his face. Instinctively he inhaled and in a flash was enveloped in her scent. The hug felt more intimate now than in the beginning, in fact it brought back memories of when he was holding her like that in the past.

"I'm sorry."

"Nonsense. We're a team, Carter. We look after each other. Nothing else matters, just remember that."

He loosened his grip a little and carefully untangled their bodies, so he could look at her face. There were still tears running down her cheeks. Without thinking he raised his right hands and touched her face. She tried to back away from the touch at first, but he was patient, waiting till she became more comfortable. Then he gently brushed the tears away.

"What if my eyes don't heal?" She asked, the fright obvious in her voice.

"Then we'll find a cure." O'Neill said with great determination, again bringing her close. "With all you'd done over the years, in all probability there already is a treatment that you yourself helped devise."

"It sounds like you really believe in me."

"Always, Carter. Always."