This is a long chapter. I tried to find a good spot to break it into two, but it threw the flow off, so I left it long.
"I don't know, Lou," John eyed the movie his friend had picked out, having joined them once he was done with Coach Simmons. "This might be a bit intense."
"Oh, come on," Louis looked at him in surprise, "I thought for sure you'd be into horror films."
John swallowed his reply. A movie about forced captivity wasn't exactly his cup of tea. Watching people being tortured by a psychopath—that was hitting a little too close to home for him. He didn't need to watch it. Hell, he'd lived through it.
Of course, he couldn't tell Louis that without opening a top secret can of worms. So instead, he said, "It might freak out the girls."
"Jen loves this stuff, man," Louis winked, "and I bet Sammi wouldn't mind you protecting her from the bad guys."
John laughed with him, but his insides were twisting into knots. "Yeah, whatever," he finally shrugged and went to sit on the couch next to Sammi.
"What'd he choose?" She asked, reading the unease in his body language.
"That new torture flick," he shrugged, not meeting her eyes.
"I'll talk to him," she started to rise.
"No, it's okay," John waylaid her with a hand on her knee. "Don't ruin their fun. It's good they don't understand." Maybe it would do him some good to be surrounded by people who had never experienced pain like that. Maybe it wouldn't bother him anymore, now that he was a new person.
Sammi looked like she wanted to argue, but instead, pulled her feet up and curled into his side like she used to during their team nights.
The movie started out innocuous enough, but by thirty minutes in, John was tense. By the time acid was being used on the main character, his breathing was shallow and Sammi knew he wouldn't be able to handle it much longer.
She'd never seen the movie but had heard enough about it to know it only got worse from here. Unwilling to let him suffer, she did the only thing she knew would work. Sliding her legs off the couch, she turned more toward him, the movement drawing his attention. His eyes unfocused from the horrific scenes on the screen, he didn't comprehend her intent until it was too late. Sammi pressed her lips against his as she tugged him towards her. Wanting John's full attention on her and not on the screen, she rotated so her back was pressed into the couch cushions with his back to the screen.
John's reaction was immediate. He growled deep in his throat, a hand burying in her long blonde hair. The other arm snaked up the back of her shirt, his palm pressed against her bare skin.
Sammi, the initial aggressor, was lost to anything else as her senses were overwhelmed by the taste, smell, and feel of John. His lips took possession of the kiss, plundering her mouth again and again until she was breathless. As the need for air became too intense, she pulled back and cupped his face with her hands.
"Better?" She whispered softly.
"Much," he grinned at her before easing them back into a side-by-side position.
A glance at their friends directly in front of the screen confirmed that everyone was still watching the movie.
Sammi reached for the throw draped over the back of the couch and covered their legs. Checking to make sure everything was hidden, she placed a hand on his thigh and gently squeezed. His eyes snapped to hers, but she just grinned.
Whenever the screen was filled with a violent scene, Sammi slid her hand a little bit higher up his thigh. By the time John had evened his breathing and calmed his raging libido, the credits were rolling.
"That was awesome!" Jenny stood up stretching.
"A little too much gore for me," Clare blanched.
"Yeah, but he escaped and kicked everyone's butt at the end," Jenny argued. "What did you guys think?" She turned to look at Sammi.
"She doesn't know," Clare giggled, "She and John were making out most of the movie."
Sammi gasped, while John chuckled nervously and cleared his throat, both unsure of how to respond.
"Shh," Jenny scolded Clare laughing, "we're supposed to pretend we didn't notice them."
"Oh," Clare nodded exaggeratedly and winking. "Got it."
"You guys suck," Sammi replied, laughing with them.
It was past midnight by the time Clare and Louis said their goodbyes and walked home a few doors down. Jenny's mom had asked Aunt Katie if Jen could stay the night. She didn't want any of the kids driving this late at night, but also didn't want to disrupt Max's sleep schedule since Jenny's dad was out of town.
Aunt Katie was thrilled Sammi was making friends and readily agreed before Sammi could decline. That made Sammi both nervous and excited. She'd never had sleepovers during her first time through school. A combination of moving every three years or less and being four years younger than her classmates had put a damper on making friends. She also wasn't for sure having a friend stay over was a good idea. While the background checks Jack had run on all of their new friends had come back squeaky clean, Jenny was still relatively unknown to them. Yet, for some reason, Sammi was already instinctively wanting to trust her.
John excused himself and went to bed shortly after Clare and Louis went home. As Sammi and Jenny sat up talking. Jenny wanted to bring up what had happened the previous day in biology, but didn't want to pry.
"So you and John seemed cozy," Jenny said instead, prodding but not actually asking anything.
Sammi responded with a shrug. There were so many times Sam and Jack had made out then went back to ignoring their feelings that she expected John to act the same way.
"What happened between you two?"
"What do you mean?" Sammi feigned ignorance.
"Come on, you two act like it's no big deal," Jenny shook her head. "The way you can have an entire conversation with your eyes or the way when you move he moves. It's like you two are totally in sync, but yet you seem nervous, giddy like two people who are falling in love."
"John and I have known each other forever," Sammi shrugged. Her friend was too perceptive.
"You just turned seventeen," Jenny said exasperated. "You grew up moving around a lot and he's from Minnesota. How long could you have possibly known him?"
Sammi opened her mouth, knowing what she was about to say would be a lie when John's voice carried from his room across the hall.
"No!" He said forcefully, followed by a more fearful, "don't!"
"Oh shit," Sammi jumped up and ran across the hall recognizing the terror in his tone. "Wait here," Sammi said, but Jenny followed her anyway. Throwing open John's door, they saw him thrashing in his bed.
"No" he growled, then called out, "Carter!"
"What's wrong?" Jenny asked, wide eyed.
"Stay there," Sammi ordered, her own General-tone leaving no room for arguing.
She approached John carefully, knowing he was caught in a nightmare from the past.
"John?" She called to him a few feet from his bed, but he just grunted, his nightmare still fully engaged. She was going to try again when he whimpered in pain. "I'm here," she came up next to the bed, knowing how he would react and still not hesitating, she touched his shoulder. "I'm here, wake up."
John's reaction was instant. Expecting his attack, Sammi let him pull her roughly towards him, he rotated and pinned her body under his. A hand gripped her throat as she stared into eyes that didn't recognize her.
"John, it's me," she stayed calm, knowing he'd instinctively never hurt her. "John," she said again, but he was too far into his own past. "Jack," she ordered, "it's me. It's Sam. Come back to me."
"Sam?" John's voice cracked with awareness. He immediately released her, scrambling to sit up. "Oh god, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"I'm fine," she told him, easing off the bed and resisting the urge to rub her throat. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head but grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Just need a little time."
Sammi nodded in understanding. "If you need me, I'm here," she quickly crossed the room and pushed Jenny, who'd witnessed everything, out the door.
"Jen," Sammi tried to think of how to explain what just happened.
"Who's Jack?" Jenny asked.
"John's dad," she answered, automatically falling back onto their assumed identities.
"Why did you call John by his dad's name?"
"I—" Sammi's brain searched for a credible answer. Crap.
"I know you aren't going to tell me the truth," Jenny said softly.
"It's complicated," Sammi finally replied, not wanting to further hurt the feelings of the person who was quickly becoming her best friend.
"We all have secrets," Jenny said firmly, "you don't have to tell me, but don't outright lie to me, okay?"
"Okay," Sammi nodded, praying it was a promise she could keep.
"Was that a PTSD episode?"
"Yeah, it was," she sighed deeply.
"Did the movie trigger it?"
"Most likely," Sammi answered truthfully.
"I'm so sorry—"
"Hey, not your fault," she told her firmly.
"What happened to John?" Jenny's voice was small, afraid to know the answer.
"That's not my story to tell."
Jenny nodded. "Will he be okay?"
"He will," Sammi confirmed.
"Then I don't need to know anything else right now. You and John have been nothing but nice to me. I trust you," Jen smiled ruefully. "I hope one day you'll trust me enough to tell me the truth."
John shuffled into the kitchen the following morning to find Jenny, Sammi, and Aunt Katie sitting around the table eating pancakes. He paused, wondering if this was a girls-only type of gathering that took place after a slumber party.
"Morning John," Aunt Katie smiled warmly. "Come. Join us."
"Sammi makes the most amazing pancakes," Jenny grinned at him.
"She does?" He arched a brow at Sammi as he took his normal seat, but she merely shrugged.
"So good," Jenny moaned around another bite.
The tension left John's body as he realized no one was going to mention the disturbance he'd caused last night. In hindsight, he should have realized the movie would trigger a PTSD episode, but he hadn't had one since Sammi walked into his life several weeks ago. Of course, she'd handled it like a pro. It made him wonder how many times Sam had dealt with Jack's episodes for Sammi to have and been able to use those memories.
"What are your plans for today?" Aunt Katie asked the trio.
"Not really for sure," John said with a mouthful of pancake. Jenny had been right; they were the best pancakes he'd ever tasted.
"Well, whatever you decide to do, make sure you have some fun," Aunt Katie said as she placed her plate in the dishwasher and left to give them all some space.
"There is something I've been meaning to talk to you about," Jenny said hesitantly. "I've been debating on whether to even bring it up. But after last night, I realized there are things about your past that…."
Sammi shared a look with John. She knew where this was heading. "It's about what happened in biology class, isn't it?" She asked Jenny hesitantly.
"Yeah, but it's not what you think," Jenny said quickly. "I meant what I said last night. You don't owe me an explanation and I'll be okay with whatever you decide to share with me," she grabbed Sammi's hand and squeezed to let her know she was being sincere. "But after you sort of freaked out, I went back to the lab. I figured you wouldn't want anyone finding your blood on the slide."
"Did you analyze it?" Sammi asked, her face falling. Crap. She hadn't even thought about making sure her blood wasn't left behind. It had been such a tiny amount and Jenny had tossed it immediately. Beside her, John had gone completely still and she could feel tension radiating off of him. Clearly, the thought of collecting the microscope slide had never crossed his mind either.
"No, that's just it," Jenny shook her head. "It was gone. I looked through all the trash cans, but it had just disappeared. I didn't think much of it until last night. Whatever you two have been through to cause first your reaction in biology class and now John last night," she paused. "I'm thinking the slide disappearing isn't just a coincidence, is it?"
"No Jen, it's not," John answered, glancing at Sammi.
"My blood is unique," Sammi said carefully, deciding they couldn't leave her completely in the dark. Sammi didn't want to even think about what would have happened if Jenny ran in to whomever had swiped the slide.
"Unique how?" Jenny cocked her head in interest.
Sammi pressed her lips together. She'd promised not to outright lie to Jenny but she also knew she couldn't tell her she was the clone of a person who had been a host to a Tok'ra symbiote called Jolinar.
"Something happened to me a long time ago," Sammi settled on a redacted version of the truth as she glanced at John. "It left behind a type of marker in my blood."
"I'm assuming you aren't talking about something like mononucleosis," Jenny said cautiously.
"It's a little more classified than that," John said, following Sammi's lead. He wasn't sure why she was telling Jenny the truth, but he trusted Sammi.
"Classified," Jenny frowned. "as in top secret government stuff?"
"Sorta like that, yah," Sammi said softly.
"Which is why we can't really tell you anything else," John said pointedly.
"Your secret is safe with me," Jenny said, nodding. "I promise never to tell anyone."
"Are you sure that was wise?" John asked Sammi after they'd dropped Jenny off at home. While he'd followed Sammi's lead, he was having serious reservations about how much they'd revealed.
"Jack ran a full background check on her," Sammi reminded him. "After everything she's seen, I didn't wanna outright lie. She's my friend."
John hid his smile at her words. He might not like a kid knowing stuff about them, but he was thrilled Sammi was integrating into this new life. Just two weeks ago, she was frustrated because she didn't think she could be Sammi and do her job at the same time. Now, without even realizing it, she was advocating for just that.
"You're right," John said, "we need allies and I agree, we can trust Jenny with the little bit we told her."
Sammi smiled. She'd started this mission with quite a bit of trepidation; however, for the first time, she wasn't overwhelmed with worry. She knew, in her gut, that she could trust her friend.
"But someone out there has a sample of your blood," John said, "and we need to find out who."
"There's something else," Sammi said softly as they pulled into the garage. "Something happened yesterday, at the competition that I haven't told you about."
John nodded for her to continue. He'd known something had been off with her when she'd gotten home. As they exited the car and walked into the kitchen where Katherine was sitting, Sammi explained about the search for a bathroom and darkened hallways.
"You should have called me," John grumbled as he paced a rut into the kitchen floor.
"And said what?" Sammi asked sharply. "Hi John, I'm hiding in an empty classroom because I think someone is chasing me?" She rolled her eyes. "You would have driven like a maniac trying to reach me, ended up in the back of a police cruiser or dead."
John growled again but didn't reply. He knew she was right. "I never should have let you go by yourself. We know the Trust's tentacles reach everywhere."
"First of all, you don't let me do anything," she snapped back. "You're not my CO anymore. And second, it was one of the electricians. I mean, it had to be. Our jaunt down the hallway of hell was a spur of the moment decision. How could the Trust have predicted it?"
"I think the main point," Katherine interrupted John as he opened his mouth to say something else. "Is that Sammi handled the situation like the pro that she is and made it back safe and sound."
"A pro wouldn't have gone down an abandoned hallway without protection or backup," John retorted sharply.
"Be that as it may," Katherine said with a pointed stare at him to stand down. "Nothing happened. Next time, you both can work out a plan for how to handle things differently." She held up a hand as Sammi started to protest. "Agreed?"
After a few seconds, they both nodded stiffly.
"Good," Katherine excused herself to let them have some space. Here she'd thought raising two teenagers of her own had been tough, but they had nothing on these two adults trapped in teenage bodies who were currently glaring daggers at each other in the kitchen.
"Look," John jerked out a dining chair and sank into it. "I'm not angry with you. I'm mostly angry at me," he bent forward, resting his head on his forearms, all the fight draining from his body. "I keep imagining all the things that could have gone wrong. I should have been there," his voice was muffled.
"You can't be with me 24/7," Sammi placed a hand on his arm and waited for him to look at her. "If it makes you feel any better, I promise I won't go into anymore creepy, dark hallways without you in the future. Okay?"
John placed a hand over hers and squeezed. He could have lost her today. That thought kept running through his brain. For the first time, the gravity of their mission actually weighed him down. He should be used to putting her in danger. He'd done it as her CO for years, but for some reason it didn't sit right with him. Not anymore.