**************
It didn't take long for the two of them to get up in the air. Jack flew silently, fast, concentrating on his instruments, barely thinking consciously, in case his thoughts should drift back to Sam. He would kill Maybourne if he was in Utah. No excuses, no connections, no regulations could save him now. He had shot Sam point blank, with every intention to kill her. Only Janet had stopped him. Jack's blood ran cold with the thought of how close Sam had come to dying. She'd been close before, but this time, Jack felt it was his fault. He'd left her in charge. She'd refused to run from Maybourne because Jack had told her to stay put. It was his fault she was lying in the infirmary. His fault she'd been shot. His fault she was injured. His fault.
As guilt threatened to overwhelm him, he glanced to the man beside him. He was hunched over, his head bent. Jack recognised the expression. Mulder was feeling every bit as guilty as he was, every bit as desperate as him. Whatever Jack felt for Sam, Mulder felt for Scully. Jack felt a sudden, intense sorrow for the man. Jack at least knew where Sam was, who she was with. Mulder had no idea.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked through the microphone.
"I've been better." he heard through his headphone. Mulder glanced at the stoical soldier next to him. Something in him prompted him to confess to this stranger, this man who was leaving the woman he loved to help him save Scully.
"I love her, you know." Mulder said. If Jack was surprised by Mulder's sudden admission, he didn't show it.
"Yes, I know." he replied.
"I don't even know if she loves me. She's never said she does. I mean, when I told her, she acted like I was delusional. I don't think she knows how I feel. She's my whole life, yet I'm only one part of hers.".
"I know exactly how you feel.".
**************
Back at SGC, Sam was waking up to find Daniel and Janet by her bed. As she became more awake, they told her of the man who'd stood, white-faced by the bed, holding her hand, begging her to wake up. Of how he'd cried, silently, when he thought no-one was watching. Of how he'd only be dragged from her bedside by a love that was equal to his for her. Sam listened, and learned.
They arrived at the base unchallenged. Inside, all was silent. They reached the warehouse where the Stargate had been last time. Nothing. Jack could see the panic beginning to rise in Mulder's eyes, and was thankful he wasn't the man who stood between him and Scully.
Then they heard it. Click, click, click, click. Both men turned fast, raising their guns to shoulder height, aiming, ready to fire.
Then they saw the source of the sound. Scully's heels, echoing on the concrete floor. Mulder dropped his gun and rushed toward her.
"Scully!" he cried. "I thought you were dead!".
"What, again?" she joked, but as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, she held him close, and buried her face in the rough material of his jacket. God, she loved the feel of him. He pulled back slightly, put his hand on her cheeks, and tipped her face towards him, pushing her thick red hair away as he did so.
"We have to stop losing each other like this." he said, only-half joking.
"I will if you will." she replied, in the same tone
.
Jack watched them hug, feeling slightly voyeuristic. Would him and Sam ever get to that stage, where they could hug each other hungrily, needily, unashamedly, with no regulations in the way?
He shook himself free of that dangerously tempting thought, and called out, "What happened?".
Scully finally seemed to notice there was someone else there.
"I'm not sure." she replied. "I think I was hit by a tranquliser dart, or something. When I woke up, here I was, with this note lying next to me.". She held the note out for the men to see. All it said was, This is not the end.
Jack got back to the base in double-quick time, and raced down to the infirmary. It was deserted. For one godawful moment he thought the worst. "Sir? came a voice from behind him. He turned. Sam. Pale, shaky, but definitely Sam. Without thinking he took two steps forward and grabbed her into the tightest hug she'd ever received. At first she was surprised, then she slipped into the warmth of his arms, revelling in the sweetness of the knowledge that he loved her. She buried her face deep into his shoulder, into the roughness of his jacket. It came as no surprise to her to find she loved the feel of him.
He pulled back slightly, put his hands on her cheeks, and tilted her head so he could look at her, pushing her thick blonde hair back. Then he bent down and kissed her, hard and desperately, as if was suddenly afraid of losing her. She wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him joyously back.
After Janet and Daniel had told her about Jack sitting by her bedside, she'd suddenly realised that the perfect, all-embracing love had been here all the time, right in front of her, and she'd never noticed.
Jack suddenly stopped, and pulled aware, horrified by what he'd done. How could he have behaved like that, as if he had every right to hold her and kiss her, as if she belonged to him?
"I'm sorry." he stammered. "I don't know what came over me.".
Sam stared straight into those deep brown eyes, and wondered how she could have been so blind to the love in them for so long.
"I know." she whispered. "And I'm not sorry." and she pulled him towards her and kissed him again and again.
They stayed like that until Janet interrupted to say General Hammond as here, and he would like to know what the hell was going on?
***********
"Colonel O'Neill, I'm away one day, and I return to find my base in tatters, myself locked out of the Stargate room, half of SG1 injured, and two very unauthorised FBI agents running around the base - and you, incidentally, grinning like a madman ... a very happy madman.".
"Umm, if you wouldn't mind pretending the FBI agents aren't here Sir, they're not here on official business?".
"Do I get an explanation?".
"Well, it all started when Carter, Daniel and Teal'c were playing Twister...".
"Teal'c was playing Twister?".
"I'll never get the story out if you keep interrupting me Sir.".
THE END
It didn't take long for the two of them to get up in the air. Jack flew silently, fast, concentrating on his instruments, barely thinking consciously, in case his thoughts should drift back to Sam. He would kill Maybourne if he was in Utah. No excuses, no connections, no regulations could save him now. He had shot Sam point blank, with every intention to kill her. Only Janet had stopped him. Jack's blood ran cold with the thought of how close Sam had come to dying. She'd been close before, but this time, Jack felt it was his fault. He'd left her in charge. She'd refused to run from Maybourne because Jack had told her to stay put. It was his fault she was lying in the infirmary. His fault she'd been shot. His fault she was injured. His fault.
As guilt threatened to overwhelm him, he glanced to the man beside him. He was hunched over, his head bent. Jack recognised the expression. Mulder was feeling every bit as guilty as he was, every bit as desperate as him. Whatever Jack felt for Sam, Mulder felt for Scully. Jack felt a sudden, intense sorrow for the man. Jack at least knew where Sam was, who she was with. Mulder had no idea.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked through the microphone.
"I've been better." he heard through his headphone. Mulder glanced at the stoical soldier next to him. Something in him prompted him to confess to this stranger, this man who was leaving the woman he loved to help him save Scully.
"I love her, you know." Mulder said. If Jack was surprised by Mulder's sudden admission, he didn't show it.
"Yes, I know." he replied.
"I don't even know if she loves me. She's never said she does. I mean, when I told her, she acted like I was delusional. I don't think she knows how I feel. She's my whole life, yet I'm only one part of hers.".
"I know exactly how you feel.".
**************
Back at SGC, Sam was waking up to find Daniel and Janet by her bed. As she became more awake, they told her of the man who'd stood, white-faced by the bed, holding her hand, begging her to wake up. Of how he'd cried, silently, when he thought no-one was watching. Of how he'd only be dragged from her bedside by a love that was equal to his for her. Sam listened, and learned.
They arrived at the base unchallenged. Inside, all was silent. They reached the warehouse where the Stargate had been last time. Nothing. Jack could see the panic beginning to rise in Mulder's eyes, and was thankful he wasn't the man who stood between him and Scully.
Then they heard it. Click, click, click, click. Both men turned fast, raising their guns to shoulder height, aiming, ready to fire.
Then they saw the source of the sound. Scully's heels, echoing on the concrete floor. Mulder dropped his gun and rushed toward her.
"Scully!" he cried. "I thought you were dead!".
"What, again?" she joked, but as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, she held him close, and buried her face in the rough material of his jacket. God, she loved the feel of him. He pulled back slightly, put his hand on her cheeks, and tipped her face towards him, pushing her thick red hair away as he did so.
"We have to stop losing each other like this." he said, only-half joking.
"I will if you will." she replied, in the same tone
.
Jack watched them hug, feeling slightly voyeuristic. Would him and Sam ever get to that stage, where they could hug each other hungrily, needily, unashamedly, with no regulations in the way?
He shook himself free of that dangerously tempting thought, and called out, "What happened?".
Scully finally seemed to notice there was someone else there.
"I'm not sure." she replied. "I think I was hit by a tranquliser dart, or something. When I woke up, here I was, with this note lying next to me.". She held the note out for the men to see. All it said was, This is not the end.
Jack got back to the base in double-quick time, and raced down to the infirmary. It was deserted. For one godawful moment he thought the worst. "Sir? came a voice from behind him. He turned. Sam. Pale, shaky, but definitely Sam. Without thinking he took two steps forward and grabbed her into the tightest hug she'd ever received. At first she was surprised, then she slipped into the warmth of his arms, revelling in the sweetness of the knowledge that he loved her. She buried her face deep into his shoulder, into the roughness of his jacket. It came as no surprise to her to find she loved the feel of him.
He pulled back slightly, put his hands on her cheeks, and tilted her head so he could look at her, pushing her thick blonde hair back. Then he bent down and kissed her, hard and desperately, as if was suddenly afraid of losing her. She wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him joyously back.
After Janet and Daniel had told her about Jack sitting by her bedside, she'd suddenly realised that the perfect, all-embracing love had been here all the time, right in front of her, and she'd never noticed.
Jack suddenly stopped, and pulled aware, horrified by what he'd done. How could he have behaved like that, as if he had every right to hold her and kiss her, as if she belonged to him?
"I'm sorry." he stammered. "I don't know what came over me.".
Sam stared straight into those deep brown eyes, and wondered how she could have been so blind to the love in them for so long.
"I know." she whispered. "And I'm not sorry." and she pulled him towards her and kissed him again and again.
They stayed like that until Janet interrupted to say General Hammond as here, and he would like to know what the hell was going on?
***********
"Colonel O'Neill, I'm away one day, and I return to find my base in tatters, myself locked out of the Stargate room, half of SG1 injured, and two very unauthorised FBI agents running around the base - and you, incidentally, grinning like a madman ... a very happy madman.".
"Umm, if you wouldn't mind pretending the FBI agents aren't here Sir, they're not here on official business?".
"Do I get an explanation?".
"Well, it all started when Carter, Daniel and Teal'c were playing Twister...".
"Teal'c was playing Twister?".
"I'll never get the story out if you keep interrupting me Sir.".
THE END