Samantha Carter is a badass. She is usually the one doing the saving. I mean, she blew up a friggin sun--it doesn't get much more badass than that. However, in Desperate Measures, we get to see Jack go all white knight and rescue her. It's a really nice twist and gives us a glimpse of Sam's vulnerabilities. I couldn't stop thinking about how she might deal with the fallout of being kidnapped and almost murdered after being attacked on her own planet.

Zoser: Your comment got me thinking about how Sam and Jack could begin to find their way back to each other after the last few one-shots.

Not beta'd. All mistakes are on me.

Jack shuffled back and forth in agitation as he waited for Sam to open the door. He shouldn't be here, she needed to rest. Thoughts of the last time he stood on her porch poured through his mind. That was the night he'd made the biggest mistake of his life.

"Sir?" Sam asked, opening the door. "What are you doing here?" She looked at him warily and he saw the same memory reflected in her haunted gaze.

"I wanted to check on you," he tried to keep his voice upbeat. "Needed to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine, sir," she replied, her tone belying the words.

"Uh-huh," Jack wasn't convinced. They might not be on the best of terms, but he knew her. "Ya know, dealing with being tortured by a Goa'uld is a lot different than dealing with being kidnapped and almost killed by fellow humans," he told her honestly. "Took me a lot longer to recover from my time as a POW than from anything the snakes have ever done to me."

"Really?" She asked almost hopefully and Jack's stomach clenched at the confirmation his instincts were correct. She was struggling.

"Yeah," he admitted. "You wanna talk about it?"

Jack watched the emotions play across her face as she contemplated his offer. He was sure she was about to decline, when she stepped back and let him inside. Closing the door she crossed to the couch and sank down, pulling a blanket over her legs.

Jack sat on the opposite end of the sofa, wanting to be as close to her as she would allow. She looked small and vulnerable and scared, and not at all like the confident woman he knew her to be. His heart wanted to pull her into his arms, to take away all the fear and pain, but he kept his distance.

"I didn't expect it to be this hard," she said just above a whisper. "I mean, I've lived through much worse."

"Physically," Jack clarified for her.

"I guess," she shrugged halfheartedly.

"I get it," he sighed heavily. "We risk our lives every time we go through the gate. Off-world is dangerous. Earth is supposed to be safe."

"Exactly," her eyes snapped to his. "I don't feel safe anymore.

"Adrian Conrad stole that from you."

"It's so stupid!" Sam bit out, her voice cracking with anger.

"No, it's not," Jack shook his head. "You just gotta give yourself time. You'll feel safe again."

"Did you?"

"Feel safe again?" Jack asked and continued after Sam's nod. "It took a long time. Longer than I care to admit, but yeah. Honestly, you had a lot to do with that."

"Me?" Her eyes once again snapped to his.

"After Charlie," Jack rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, unsure of how much to say. "His death, um, brought back a lot of memories of my time as a POW. My head wasn't screwed on straight when I went through the gate the first time. PTSD, ya know? But then I met you," his eyes flickered and his voice was thick with emotion. "And Teal'c and reconnected with Daniel," he added after a long pause. "You became my family. And you helped more than you'll ever know."

The unguarded emotion on his face was fleeting, but Jack knew Sam caught it. For a brief moment, he allowed her to see everything he felt before resuming a mask of professional concern.

"Sam, I never apologized— I handled everything so badly. The last time you were hurt," the words flew from his mouth before he could stop.

"After the entity," Sam stated.

"Yeah," Jack winced at the memory of her dying in front of him.

"It's okay; I understand," she shrugged, but he could tell she was simply saying what she thought he wanted to hear.

"No it's not," he was unwilling to accept the empty absolution she offered, but stopped short of saying more. "I should go," he said instead, pushing to his feet.

"Sir—wait," Sam grabbed his hand. The contact was jolting, electric. He itched to wrap his fingers around hers, but forced himself to remain still.

"Carter," he said softly, his eyes boring into hers. He could see tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks.

"Don't go," she whispered so quietly that Jack almost didn't hear. His hand flexed involuntarily, squeezing her delicate fingers. "Stay," she said at his silence.

"Sam," he warned and pleaded at the same time.

"I just—I need to feel safe again," her voice quivered as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "Please, Jack," his name came out as a sob.

Jack pulled her into his arms, his own self-preservation be damned. Sam collapsed against him as the tsunami she'd been holding back broke free. Her hands gripped the front of his shirt like a lifeline as she buried her head against his chest and finally began to purge the fear, anger, and pain.

"I've got you," Jack whispered as he held her. "You're safe. I promise, I'll keep you safe." Always, he silently vowed.