It was hours before Jack, Lara and Daniel were able to get any sleep.
Around 72 hours after Daniel had first gone missing, Jack finally collapsed
on one of the beds in the guest rooms on the base, and groaned as he
remembered what he had just been through once he had got back to the base.
First was the medical, just to make sure he wasn't affected by that drug. Then he had had time for a shower and to grab a bite to eat, before he had had to recount his entire story at least three times to everyone who wanted to know. The debriefing had taken hours!
And then he had had to have another medical after Janet hadn't finished analysing the flowers she had got from Lara, just to double check he was okay. After that, it was straight into another debriefing - this time on how to upgrade the security of the base since it had been so easy for him and Lara to get in.
Not to mention the fact that Daniel had wanted to know everything he knew about the Asgard altar and the people it protected. To that he had simply told his friend to go and find Lara - since she was also an archaeologist and would know what he was talking about.
With a sigh, Jack sank into the bed and let sleep take him over. He was going to sleep for a couple of days, before he even thought about moving. And he must of slept, because it was at least twelve hours later that Lara walked into his room.
"Jack." She said, her tone serious.
He merely grunted and rolled over onto his stomach. He was tired. Whatever it was, he'd do it tomorrow.
"Jack." Lara repeated, louder this time.
Then she sighed, and it seemed almost sad. She walked over and sat on the edge of his bed, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Please?" she asked.
Jack rolled over again, and sat up, noticing Lara's serious tone. "What is it?" he asked, concerned.
Lara bit her lip. "It's Sam. She won't talk to me, or Daniel. And she barely talks to Janet or Teal'c. I think she feels guilty that she believed you'd kill Daniel."
"It wasn't her fault." Jack said. "She was drugged."
"That don't stop guilt, Jack." She smiled wryly. "Trust me, I know."
Jack smiled softly and shook his head. "You've really got to tell me about your adventures one of these days."
"I will." Lara took a deep breath. "I think you need to talk to her. Tell her you don't blame her. Make her feel better."
Jack nodded, sad that his friend would feel so guilty, and touched Lara cared enough to tell him this. "I'll talk to her." Jack agreed.
Lara smiled. "Thank you, Jack."
* * *
Jack stood in the doorway and watched Sam work. He smiled. She was always doing something in here, whether it was building something or taking it apart to see how it worked or running an experiment. It figured that this would be the place she would come when she needed comfort.
"Hey Carter." He said as he walked in. "What ya up to?"
"Sir." She said, looking up.
Jack could see the guilt flash in her blue eyes. In that way, she was so like Daniel, and when he thought about it, himself. They all felt guilty when they let down their friends. But Jack inwardly shook his head. It didn't matter if their friends blamed them or not.
"I'm just reading over the data on a recent experiment." She added, and Jack didn't bother asking what about. He knew he wouldn't understand if she started talking about 'nintendos' of something just as complicated.
"Well, that can wait. You need to eat." Jack replied.
He had purposely waited until lunch time, so she would have no excuse not to come with him. And when he saw the doubt and reluctance in her eyes, he played his other card. "Danny and Lara are going to be there to." He said. "Although, I think Teal'c has already started eating. You know how hungry he gets."
"Yes, sir." Sam didn't even smile at the picture his words conjured - Teal'c sitting in front of a pile of food almost as big as himself.
Sam got up and we walked down towards the mess, but Jack noticed she walked further away from him than usual and slightly ahead - as if she didn't want to look at him. "How are you feeling?" he asked, trying to keep the tone light. "Because if you're anything like me, you want to sleep for a week."
"I'm fine, sir." She said.
Jack frowned. She was dodging the issue - just like she had with everyone else. Jack knew what it was like to bottle feelings up inside, and he had learnt that it was better to share them with your friends, because your friends would inevitably help you with them.
"Carter, tell the truth." He said flatly. "Something's bugging you, and as a *friend* I want to know what it is."
"Nothing, sir, is wrong. Really." Sam replied. "I'm probably just a bit more tired than I thought, after everything."
"Major Samantha Carter." Jack said. "That is bullshit."
Sam turned to Jack, her eyes widening in surprise, and saw his face. He was not just going to let this go. "Sir . . . " she began.
"The truth, Carter." He warned.
Sam closed her eyes, and bit her lip. "I'm not sure I can tell you the truth." She said quietly.
"Sure you can." Jack said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Because you have probably seen me at most of the worst moments in my life. We've been through hell together. And if that doesn't tell you that you can trust me, I don't know what will."
"Of course I trust you! I don't think I would put my life in anyone else's hands!" she replied.
"I'm not talking about trusting me with your life Carter. I'm talking about trusting me with whatever's going through that pretty little head of yours. And I'm not talking about your latest experiment."
Once again, Sam looked nervous. "Sir, how can you want to help me?" she asked.
Puzzled, Jack looked at her. "It's what friends do."
"After what I did?" she said. "That didn't exactly inspire faith, did it?"
"Is that what this is all about?" Jack asked. "You're guilty that you thought I killed Danny?"
"Yes."
"Carter." Jack said. "You were drugged. You weren't yourself. It's not the first time something like this has ever happened to us and you never felt so guilty about that."
"But I should have known!"
"From what Janet tells me, you did. Wasn't it you who suggested to her that you were beginning to have doubts that I killed him? Didn't you delay your mission to try and help me? And when you found out you could have been drugged, didn't you do everything you could to help me?"
"Well . . . yes." Sam said.
"I don't know many people who would have done that. Most people would have ignored their doubts and gone on with life - and not risked everything on something that might not be true. For all you knew, I could have bee the one under the influence of drugs, and that could have been why I killed Danny."
Sam looked at him. "That's true, sir. But . . . "
"Oh, for crying out loud, Carter. No one else blames you. Stop being so hard on yourself!"
Sam gave him a small half smile. "Sorry sir. I guess I just learnt that from a friend."
"Who?"
"You, sir."
"Oh." Jack looked sheepish. "Well, how about some lunch?" he quickly changed the subject, before Sam could start analysing *him*.
"Sounds good to me, sir." She replied, with a grateful and knowing smile. Somehow, Jack thought, next time he needed comfort he might not get off so easy.
First was the medical, just to make sure he wasn't affected by that drug. Then he had had time for a shower and to grab a bite to eat, before he had had to recount his entire story at least three times to everyone who wanted to know. The debriefing had taken hours!
And then he had had to have another medical after Janet hadn't finished analysing the flowers she had got from Lara, just to double check he was okay. After that, it was straight into another debriefing - this time on how to upgrade the security of the base since it had been so easy for him and Lara to get in.
Not to mention the fact that Daniel had wanted to know everything he knew about the Asgard altar and the people it protected. To that he had simply told his friend to go and find Lara - since she was also an archaeologist and would know what he was talking about.
With a sigh, Jack sank into the bed and let sleep take him over. He was going to sleep for a couple of days, before he even thought about moving. And he must of slept, because it was at least twelve hours later that Lara walked into his room.
"Jack." She said, her tone serious.
He merely grunted and rolled over onto his stomach. He was tired. Whatever it was, he'd do it tomorrow.
"Jack." Lara repeated, louder this time.
Then she sighed, and it seemed almost sad. She walked over and sat on the edge of his bed, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Please?" she asked.
Jack rolled over again, and sat up, noticing Lara's serious tone. "What is it?" he asked, concerned.
Lara bit her lip. "It's Sam. She won't talk to me, or Daniel. And she barely talks to Janet or Teal'c. I think she feels guilty that she believed you'd kill Daniel."
"It wasn't her fault." Jack said. "She was drugged."
"That don't stop guilt, Jack." She smiled wryly. "Trust me, I know."
Jack smiled softly and shook his head. "You've really got to tell me about your adventures one of these days."
"I will." Lara took a deep breath. "I think you need to talk to her. Tell her you don't blame her. Make her feel better."
Jack nodded, sad that his friend would feel so guilty, and touched Lara cared enough to tell him this. "I'll talk to her." Jack agreed.
Lara smiled. "Thank you, Jack."
* * *
Jack stood in the doorway and watched Sam work. He smiled. She was always doing something in here, whether it was building something or taking it apart to see how it worked or running an experiment. It figured that this would be the place she would come when she needed comfort.
"Hey Carter." He said as he walked in. "What ya up to?"
"Sir." She said, looking up.
Jack could see the guilt flash in her blue eyes. In that way, she was so like Daniel, and when he thought about it, himself. They all felt guilty when they let down their friends. But Jack inwardly shook his head. It didn't matter if their friends blamed them or not.
"I'm just reading over the data on a recent experiment." She added, and Jack didn't bother asking what about. He knew he wouldn't understand if she started talking about 'nintendos' of something just as complicated.
"Well, that can wait. You need to eat." Jack replied.
He had purposely waited until lunch time, so she would have no excuse not to come with him. And when he saw the doubt and reluctance in her eyes, he played his other card. "Danny and Lara are going to be there to." He said. "Although, I think Teal'c has already started eating. You know how hungry he gets."
"Yes, sir." Sam didn't even smile at the picture his words conjured - Teal'c sitting in front of a pile of food almost as big as himself.
Sam got up and we walked down towards the mess, but Jack noticed she walked further away from him than usual and slightly ahead - as if she didn't want to look at him. "How are you feeling?" he asked, trying to keep the tone light. "Because if you're anything like me, you want to sleep for a week."
"I'm fine, sir." She said.
Jack frowned. She was dodging the issue - just like she had with everyone else. Jack knew what it was like to bottle feelings up inside, and he had learnt that it was better to share them with your friends, because your friends would inevitably help you with them.
"Carter, tell the truth." He said flatly. "Something's bugging you, and as a *friend* I want to know what it is."
"Nothing, sir, is wrong. Really." Sam replied. "I'm probably just a bit more tired than I thought, after everything."
"Major Samantha Carter." Jack said. "That is bullshit."
Sam turned to Jack, her eyes widening in surprise, and saw his face. He was not just going to let this go. "Sir . . . " she began.
"The truth, Carter." He warned.
Sam closed her eyes, and bit her lip. "I'm not sure I can tell you the truth." She said quietly.
"Sure you can." Jack said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Because you have probably seen me at most of the worst moments in my life. We've been through hell together. And if that doesn't tell you that you can trust me, I don't know what will."
"Of course I trust you! I don't think I would put my life in anyone else's hands!" she replied.
"I'm not talking about trusting me with your life Carter. I'm talking about trusting me with whatever's going through that pretty little head of yours. And I'm not talking about your latest experiment."
Once again, Sam looked nervous. "Sir, how can you want to help me?" she asked.
Puzzled, Jack looked at her. "It's what friends do."
"After what I did?" she said. "That didn't exactly inspire faith, did it?"
"Is that what this is all about?" Jack asked. "You're guilty that you thought I killed Danny?"
"Yes."
"Carter." Jack said. "You were drugged. You weren't yourself. It's not the first time something like this has ever happened to us and you never felt so guilty about that."
"But I should have known!"
"From what Janet tells me, you did. Wasn't it you who suggested to her that you were beginning to have doubts that I killed him? Didn't you delay your mission to try and help me? And when you found out you could have been drugged, didn't you do everything you could to help me?"
"Well . . . yes." Sam said.
"I don't know many people who would have done that. Most people would have ignored their doubts and gone on with life - and not risked everything on something that might not be true. For all you knew, I could have bee the one under the influence of drugs, and that could have been why I killed Danny."
Sam looked at him. "That's true, sir. But . . . "
"Oh, for crying out loud, Carter. No one else blames you. Stop being so hard on yourself!"
Sam gave him a small half smile. "Sorry sir. I guess I just learnt that from a friend."
"Who?"
"You, sir."
"Oh." Jack looked sheepish. "Well, how about some lunch?" he quickly changed the subject, before Sam could start analysing *him*.
"Sounds good to me, sir." She replied, with a grateful and knowing smile. Somehow, Jack thought, next time he needed comfort he might not get off so easy.
