Major Samantha Carter had fallen into habit of lying about the time and day she would return from off-world missions. To allow herself a cushion, should her return to Earth be delayed, she typically told Pete her return date different from when she was officially scheduled to return. Carter felt these white lies were necessary. They were laid with the best intentions to simply abate his worrying as much as possible when she was gone for prolonged periods of time. Frankly, she didn't really think her misconstrues of the truth really worked on Pete. Somewhere under his seemingly 'cool' exterior she knew he worried. She was thankful he didn't let it show.

On the occasions that Major Carter did arrive home on schedule, she simply used the excuse that things wrapped up sooner than expected perhaps because there there wasn't much to see on that planet or perhaps because Daniel needed to get back so he could work on translations with the resources housed in his lab. She was good at leaving out the gun fire, fleets of angry Jaffa, Goa'uld torture, and other hostilities they encountered fairly regularly. Pete was just getting used to the idea that aliens exist and that his girlfriend works with both aliens and alien technology. Carter didn't feel a need to expose him to some of the less glamorous aspects of the job. Sometimes, when they were laying in bed, cozied up beneath the sheets he would run his fingers over her the various scars across her back and near her abdomen. She wondered if this was him silently acknowledging that more went on when she was off world than she admitted. Thankfully though, he never asked.

In Pete's own mind he reasoned that he'd let up on the worrying when she was off world, if only just a bit. After his interference several weeks ago, which could have potentially cost his girlfriend and her unit their lives, Sam had set out some rules. More or less those rules boiled down to:

I'm a big girl I can handle myself just fine, thank you. So please don't try to babysit me when you think I'm in danger.

I'll tell you some things from our missions and day-to-day work, but you must accept that I can't and won't tell you everything.

While Sam hadn't laid those rules out exactly in that language, that is essentially how Pete interprets and respects them. Considering he had signed about a thousand confidential and security disclosure forms before being discharged from the Cheyenne Mountain, or rather Stargate Command hospital, he'd fallen agreeably into step with the rules Sam had implemented. He felt like knowing something about her life was better than not knowing anything. Therefore, he would try his best to respect her rules.

Some days Pete worried he'd moved too fast with Sam as a result of his own selfish yearnings. He pushed her to let him into her life. He transferred to a police precinct closer to Colorado Springs so they wouldn't have to do the long-distance thing. He was spending more time at her place than his, even when she was absent for several days in a row. He made excuses to visit her home when she wasn't there, telling himself he needed to collect her mail or to make sure no mysterious leaks sprung from her pipes during her leave. But, the pesky truth is that he missed her and being in her home was at least a reminder that she was real. He was truly in way over his head with this woman, but he was unabashedly in love with every minute of it.

That was until she missed her given check in time by more than 24 hours.

It wasn't the first time since their relationship took a more serious turn that she was delayed by a day or two. He did his best to believe her when she said delays in her return are normal and a delay isn't always a sign that something had gone awry.

But this time it felt different.

In the background of his mind, a nagging alarm bell grew steadily more incessant. He was certain that it was trying to tell him something was horribly wrong, and that Sam was in danger.

26 hours passed her scheduled check in. He thought to himself. All he wanted hear before he headed off to work this morning was the buzzing of his phone and a voice on the other end saying "Hey, made it back! Gotta hit the shower before debriefing in an hour. See you tonight."

That voice, that reassurance; that was all he needed. Then, he would be able to relax and get on with his day.

His cell phone sat, quiet and still, on the passenger seat next to him. He drummed his fingers nervously on the steering wheel hoping to put himself into a better head space before starting up his truck and heading to the precinct. It was almost 7am. If he left now he'd have time to grab a donut and coffee.

He let out a long breath and spared the phone another quick glance. To his surprise, the phone began to buzz. The sound was almost angry, as if it was demanding his immediate attention. His arm quickly lunged across the cab to swipe the phone from the seat. He flipped it over to check the phone number of the incoming call. Much to his relief, he recognized the ten digits of the SGC civilian line lighting up across his screen. He almost giggled at his previous unnecessary worrying. She was safe, of course and calling to let him know as much. He had worried for nothing. Or so he thought.

"Hey, hot stuff." He breathed out, relief flooding his voice.

"Hello. This is General George Hammond of the United States Air Force calling for Detective Pete Shanahan."

Pete swallowed. He found that his voice didn't want to work. His mind raced. The alarm bells in his head were practically screaming. He inhaled sharply.

After a shaky breath out he managed, "Speaking."

"Detective Shanahan, I am calling as Major Samantha Carter's commanding officer at the SGC."

Pete couldn't find words. After a pause, the general continued.

"Detective Shanahan, it seems that Major Carter may be delayed on her return back to the SGC. If the situation is not resolved in the next 24 hours, I will have to officially declare her missing in action."

"Missing? Miss- missing in action?" Pete, the calm, collected, seemingly even keeled man was appalled at the stuttering in his voice.

General Hammond, recognizing the distress coming from the voice at the other end adjusted his tone accordingly and sincerely.

"Son, I'm sorry to have to be the one reporting this. But I'll have you know I've got the finest personnel on Earth working on a way to bring her home."

There was silence on the other end.

"Have faith in her, son. I have more faith in her than I do most people. She hasn't let me down yet."

And that was it. The line went dead.

A few miles away and several stories beneath the Earth's surface, a weary general sank into his office chair and placed his face in his hands.

Pete was dumbfounded. Not Sam. Not his Sam. Not his Sam who made adventures through the gate seem so routine. Not his Sam who worked with an archaeologist and an alien as explorers of new worlds and learners of cultures lightyears away. She isn't supposed to go missing in action. Missing in action is only supposed to apply to warfare, right? Right?

"What. Is. Going. On." Pete ground out. Now that it seemed his voice was up and working again, he had half a mind to call the general back and demand an explanation for Sam's disappearance and demand he be put on the team looking for a way to bring her home. But he knew he couldn't return the call. The phone number only worked one way. He cried out in frustration slamming his hand against the wheel.

But then he had an idea. He quickly phoned his boss and said he needed to take a sick day- food poisoning from some bad sushi. His boss told him that's what he gets for eating fish in a landlocked state because of course it's not fresh like it would be in California. Pete was relieved his boss bought his cover story. After ending his call, he hopped out of his truck, practically sprinted to the front door, and fished out his set of keys that would let him into Sam's house. Hustling inside, he headed to the kitchen, yanked open Sam's designated "junk drawer" and pulled out a slightly worn piece of paper he'd seen a few weeks ago. The paper was note that read:

"Hey, Carter. Once you get bored of your little reactor science experiment, the invite is still open to come fishing. There will be beer, too.

868 Pine Hurst Road.

- O'Neill.

Oh yeah, tell Teal'c to come, too. I've got the Simpsons on tape, I've been promising to show a few episodes to him."

"868 Pine Hurst Road." Pete repeated aloud to himself. With little hesitation, he ran back to his truck. Across the dashboard, Pete smoothed out a map retrieved from his glove compartment. The map had been an extremely handy tool when he first moved to town. Now it felt like the only lifeline he had between him and Sam.

Pine Hurst Road was north, away from the city and suburbs. He revved up the truck and peeled away from the curb in search of a man who could give him answers.

—

Jack was not in the mood for talking, eating, or just sitting around waiting to go through the gate. He was in the mood for ass kicking and unapologetic vengeance. If he didn't get a taste of that soon he thought he might explode.

He tried not to think about his underlying feelings that were driving him to the brink of insanity. He always said to himself that he was going to be there for Carter no matter what. Even if she married Pete. Even if she left the SGC. He would be there if ever she needed him. Which is part of the reason he was so goddamned infuriated now. How could he keep the promise he made to himself, and to her for that matter, if he didn't have a way to take down this super soldier? If they couldn't annihilate this pawn from Anubis, he might never get to be there for her again.

Just 10 minutes ago, he was in the control room hearing about the attack at the Beta site. Carter had been there for several days, doing science-y things with Jacob. Upon hearing of the attack and receiving Hammonds "go", he was ready to jump into action. To charge right through that pool of blue…whatever they hell it was, with his guns blazing. But, there had been a delay. The Tok'ra and Goa'uld refugees swore they needed time to retrofit some weapons if they were to have any chance of defeating the super soldier. Hammond told them they had one hour to get it ready before SG1 would depart. Jack and Teal'c quickly hashed out a plan of attack. Then, Jack headed to the locker room to gear up.

Jack was in no mood to stray too far from the gate room, but he decided to wait, impatiently, in his quarters where he wouldn't have to be bothered by the ramblings of other people. He needed to focus on the mission at hand. When he closed his eyes, he saw himself and his team taking down the Anubis swine. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the dreary cement walls that surrounded him. It did nothing to improve his mood.

Jack let out a frustrated groan. He was tempted to barge into the labs and begin barking orders for the engineers to speed up their work. His hand was reaching for his door when the phone range.

"O'Neill."

"Sir, there's a call for you. Shall I patch it through?"

Jack sighed. Now was not the time for chit-chat. "Yeah, sure." He grumbled.

Once the call was patched through, Jack offered an unenthusiastic, "Hello?"

"O'Neill." A firm voice declared through receiver.

"Uh, who's this?" Jack replied.

"Colonel O'Neill this is Pete. I am calling about Samantha." Pete's voice was much stronger, much more determined than it was earlier this morning.

Oh, for crying out loud Jack thought to himself.

The colonel refused to let out the groan that was building in the back of his throat. This guy was definitely not his list of people he felt like talking to. He especially didn't want to talk to him about Carter.

"How'd ya get this number?" Jack asked. He was fairly certain Sam wouldn't give out a base number so freely.

"Your house has a special landline that calls into the base." Pete said, annoyed as this was not the direction, he wanted the conversation to my going.

"I see." Jack replied cautiously. "And I uh, guess that's where you're called from?" Jack worked to keep his temper at bay.

"I found your address at Sam's house. I drove there but no one was home. Your backdoor was unlocked though. I was looking for something that would let me contact you or anyone from Stargate Command. Then I saw two phones, when I picked one up it rang the base immediately." Pete paused long enough to infuse his voice with a deadly serious tone. "I want to know where Sam is."

"You went in my house? Do you not find the patterns of your most recent behavior to be. oh I don't know, stalker like?" Jack practically yelled into the receiver; his temper no longer deferred.

"Jack, what has happened to Sam?"

Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. You and me both, he thought.

"I'll drive to Cheyenne Mountain right now and offer my help. I'm serious, Colonel. I've been given disclosure on a top-secret program. I can handle a lot. I deserve more than a quick phone call that says she's missing without any further explanation, and I deserve to help her and I-"

"Pete." Jack interrupted him. He forced words out through gritted teeth. "She's on a different planet. I'm literally in the middle of trying to leave to go rescue her. The team and I are just waiting on a few mechanical tweaks to our gear to finish up. Calm down, alright? We're going to get her back."

Pete was silent. He managed to get the next few words out in a much calmer manner. "Why do you need special gear? What's wrong with her, Colonel? Is she still alive?"

God, answering the phone was a terrible idea. Mental note to not do that again. Jack thought miserably.

Jack found himself in a condition of déjà vu, repeating words he had said before. He clung to these words now just like he did then. He believed them with his whole being, he had to. If he allowed himself to think any differently, he would likely shatter into a million pieces.

"Look, Pete. She is the most resourceful woman I know. If anyone can pull through this situation, it's Carter."

Jack knew they both had emotions that were intricately tied to Carter's well-being. He almost sympathized with this man's pain until he opened his mouth again.

"I love her. Please find her." Pete said. Then he hung up the phone.

"Bye, Pete." Jack said to no one then hung up the phone. He sighed. As if his emotions weren't in turmoil enough, he had to babysit the emotions of Carter's boyfriend, too. He needed to be at the beta site now. Only then would he be able to fully repress his feelings and turn into the skilled soldier he needed to be to save Carter's life.

I'm coming for you, Carter he thought to himself as exited his quarters and headed for the labs.

—-

Carter was exhausted. She ached from the outside in. Her face felt stiff due to the dried blood caked on the edges of her cheeks and forehead. She refused to let her mind think about just how thirsty and tired she was. She had to focus on moving. She had to just keep moving. That was her only chance of survival.

As she ran, hid, climbed, and burrowed her way away from the super soldier, Carter had a few fleeting thoughts about Pete. She felt guilty at the thought if she never returned home to see him again. He'd be left in the dark as to the true circumstances of her disappearance and death. He'd be alone in his coping, because no one else could know what he knew about the SGC and Carter's true job. The job that might have lead her to her death. She found she didn't exactly feel sad, just guilty. Pete didn't deserve that.

She also felt a pang of grief when she thought of never seeing Daniel, Teal'c or Jack again. She loved them more than she could express. As friends, teammates, and brothers. She wished she could look upon their faces one more time.

The forest was still. Carter heard little movement save for the gentle rustling of leaves in the from the breeze. She needed to sit, if only for a minute. She found a tree with a wide base and slid down against its trunk. She almost wished she had the same hallucinations she had on the Prometheus several months back. The visions and conversations she had with her team while aboard the ship gave her strength to keep fighting. She could really use that now. Deliriously, she thought that if another hallucination of Colonel O'Neill appeared right now, she'd pull him in for a deep, long kiss. She'd do what she had wanted to do back on Prometheus. She would kiss him because she had to know what it felt like to not only be loved but to give love back.

Before long, there was movement. Footsteps. They were getting closer. Carter moved carefully through the underbrush before stumbling into clearing made by the blasting of Goa'uld weapons.

This is it she thought, eyeing the super solider as it emerged from the understory.

But then, her ears detected something.

Is that gunfire? I must be hallucinating after all.

But there, before her eyes Colonel O'Neill came into focus. He was shouting to her. He was trying to send her message, perhaps talk some sense into her, just as he had when she'd been alone on the Prometheus.

No.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and return to the present moment. She tossed the device O'Neill needed for his weapon. Watched him load it up and fire it into the super soldier. Almost as if synchronized, the super solider and Carter collapsed simultaneously onto the ground.

It wasn't another hallucination. This was her Jack. Her colonel. In the flesh and not a figment of her mind. She knew she couldn't kiss him, but when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him, she felt something that she felt she could only describe as love.