Spoilers: Children of the Gods, In the line of fire, The Curse, Between two fires (only an iddy biddy one), Chimera (for obvious reasons :o) ). I think that's it, lol.

Note: This is the 2nd time i've posted this, because FF took out all my asteriks to split the various parts sigh. Ah, but I sense that it is a formating thing, so will try something else, lol. If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, try, try again. ;o)

Rating: 15

Warning: There is a lil bit in here, which some people might find offensive, and I apologise in advance. Jumping to my defence though I researched this quite a bit and it does happen, but I'm sorry if anyone finds it a bit yucky. One more thing………..Go PEE! ;o)

Chapter 7 – CARPE DIEM

Driving back home, Sam felt relieved that she'd finally talked to him. It had been long overdue. The early morning sunrise was just peeking over the mountains and for the first time in a long while, Sam was hopeful that she had made the right decision in leaving. Her decision wasn't based on the fact that she hated her job…far from it; she would miss her friends and duties immensely. But, for too long she'd been pushing aside her feelings for him hoping that one-day they could eventually give things a go between them. In the mean time though, it had to be this way. The only thing left standing in her way now, was Pete.

After visiting Jack in the infirmary, she went to see Daniel and Teal'c; firstly to apologise to Daniel for crying on his shoulder, and secondly to thank him for being there and standing up for her with Jack. It wasn't a huge gesture, but it had meant the world to her…she just felt guilty that she'd given him a bit of a hard time of the last few weeks. Luckily Daniel never held grudges, nor did Teal'c. That was the reason why she was going to miss them. They were her family, and after this, she knew she could trust them with anything.

Then there was General Hammond; she couldn't have asked for more support from him, he'd been a great source of strength to her. She'd decided it was best that the General heard what was going on, before Jack volunteered the information for her. It was a courtesy thing, he'd always been there for her and it was nice to know that even after her resignation was tendered, she could still count on his support. Obviously he'd tried to talk her out of it, but she was adamant that this was the way things had to be. It was only when they were talking did she get an inclination that he knew about her feelings for her superior officer, but just as she'd suspected…he'd never called her on it.

Pulling into her street, she kept glancing in her mirror as a precaution, the shooter was still out there and it was clear from recent events that he wasn't done playing games with her. It was one thing to risk her life, but another to take a chance that her friends may be hurt. As soon as she was confident that no-one had followed her, she stepped out and walked quickly towards her door; cautiously checking over her shoulder as she fiddled with her keys.

In her haste she dropped the keys on the floor. "Damn it!" She voiced aloud.

Lost in thought, she failed to hear the approaching footsteps behind her.

"Sam." The person stated, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Instinctively she turned around and kicked the person in the stomach sending them flying onto the grass.

"UGH!"

"Shit. Daniel. You scared the life out of me. What…what are you doing here?" Sam shouted, helping him off the ground.

"Everyone was worried about you, they wanted me to make sure you got home okay. So, is this the way you treat all your visitors?" He queried rubbing his stomach before reminding himself to keep his distance whenever she got into a foul mood.

"You're lucky I didn't hurt you more."

"Is this the new Sam Carter then? Kick ass first, ask questions later?"

"Funny. Well, now that you're here you may as well come in for coffee."

"Thought you'd never ask." Daniel smiled happily.

Walking into the living room, for the first time since he'd been told about what Pete had done, Daniel took a good look around. At first he was in shock. Sam obviously hadn't had time to sort the mess out, but it was clear from the devastation in the living room, that this was a revenge attack.

"Maids week off then?"

"No, not really. I'm going for the 'living in a squat' kind of look. I really think it's me, don't you?" Sam jested lightly. It was nice to see he wasn't freaking out on her to, it was hard enough having to cope with her own emotions at the moment without having to worry about how he'd react.

It was nice to see her smile, even if it was only for a brief moment. The last few weeks had placed a strain on the team's relationship. Hopefully, this was now a new beginning for all of them. Checking in on her was only part of his reason for coming. His main plan was to try and get her to change her mind, with of course a little help from his friends.

"So, the Colonel told you did he?" Sam asked shaking her head…so much for privacy.

"Well as much as he could before he fell asleep." Daniel replied shyly unsure of how she'd react.

"Well?" Sam questioned, waiting for the long lecture on friendship and about how he wished she had trusted them.

"Well what?" Daniel asked coyly, knowing what she was expecting him to say.

"I'm waiting for the lecture."

"Why? Do you want one?" Daniel smiled lightening the moment.

"No thanks." Sam retorted activating the percolator.

"Look, Sam. What's happened has happened. I can't change it, and neither can you. Besides, knowing you as well as I do, you're probably being harder on yourself than we would."

"Thanks Daniel."

"You're welcome. So, any chance of you changing your mind about leaving the SGC?"

As the coffee began to brew, they sat in silence for a minute, while Sam tried to think of a way to tell him. The aroma of coffee filtered through her kitchen filling her nostrils. Pouring the coffee into their mugs, she sat down at the breakfast bar nestling the coffee in her hand.

"I don't think so, Daniel." Sam advised shaking her head. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to leave, but this has given me a wake up call."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, aren't there times when you look back on your life and think about all the missed opportunities?"

"Sure, who doesn't? I think about what would have happened if Sarah and I hadn't broken up initially, or if I hadn't spoken out about my research paper on the link between Pyramids and Aliens. Everyone thinks about the 'forks in the road' stuff now and again. But, we took this path for a reason Sam. Think about it, if you hadn't joined the Stargate program, you'd never have had the opportunity to see what you have, or experienced the pleasure of…"

"…Blending with Jolinar, dying countless times, watching my friends getting hurt…"

Ignoring her melancholy mood he continued, "…Experiencing something unique, meeting untold civilisations…working with us? Do you really regret all those things?"

"No, not all of them." Sam told him sadly. "Don't get me wrong, Daniel. I knew what I was getting into when I joined the Air Force. I knew that there was always the possibility that I would have to sacrifice certain aspects of my life. I just didn't realise how hard that would actually be."

"He's going to be okay, Sam."

"I know he will, but if I stay as his 2IC, I don't know if I will be... Does that make sense?" Sam asked cryptically. She didn't want to actually come out and say how she felt, but she worked with Daniel long enough to know that he was intuitive enough to realise what she meant.

"What are we going to do without you, though? Who's going to protect me from Jack and back me up when I want to go off exploring some alien architecture."

"Daniel, you are more than capable of looking after yourself. You don't need me to hold your hand, besides, you have Teal'c."

"Have you felt the calluses on that man's hands?"

Sam laughed unexpectedly at his attempt at humour, "So are you going to sit here all day and drink my coffee, or are you going to give me a hand to clear up this mess?"

"Slave driver."

"Watch it you, or I'll have to get my whip out."

"Really? Does Jack know?"

"DANIEL!" Sam didn't know what to say to that. He stared at her acting all-innocent, and she shook her head at his audacity.

Crouched low in the bushes by her house, he stalked his victim with an intense voyeuristic obsession. His mind filled with dark images at what he would do with her once his fun was finished. A sly smile played on his lips at the thought of how he would bring her to the edge of sanity. Peering through his binoculars he watched as Sam and her 'male caller' laughed at some joke he'd obviously made. He'd seen her pat his arm lightly and it tore at his stomach. Obviously the previous days lesson hadn't warned her enough…but given time, she would beg him to end the suffering.

Moving stealthily, he waited until the entrance to her doorway was clear before leaving the package on her doorstep. He'd been savouring this for the last few days, and he couldn't wait to see her reaction. Ensuring that her neighbours didn't see him, he rang the doorbell before running to a secure area, and then he waited.

"You expecting someone?" Daniel asked.

"No, I don't think so. The locksmith isn't due to arrive until tomorrow, hmm wonder who it could be?"

"You want me to go?" Daniel asked casually.

"Hey, don't think you can get away with finishing the dishes Doctor Jackson."

"Sam…" He didn't want to sound like the overprotective brother, but he couldn't help himself. Jack had asked that he look out for her, and he was going to keep his promise.

"I got it Daniel." Sam advised lightly, inside though her stomach was churning, but she was determined to let him see that she could handle this.

Taking a deep breath, she swung the door open. No one was there. Glancing around the corner she couldn't see anyone or anything…except for a package laid out on her lawn.

Daniel waited for a few moments; he couldn't hear her talking to anyone…so why was she taking so long? Calling out to her, he got no response. Paranoia hit him hard in his stomach. "Sam?" He couldn't wait any longer for her to respond.

Picking up the package, she tried to belay the rising fear…something wasn't right. She could feel it a deep chill wash over her body causing shivers to travel down her spine. A repugnant smell emanated from inside the box forcing the contents of her stomach to rise as bile in the back of her throat.

Standing there with the unopened box, she heard the familiar voice of someone calling her name. It was Daniel. Not wanting to take any risks, she lay the box down on the ground for a moment before turning to face him.

"Daniel, go back inside."

"Sam, what's…"

"Just do it, Daniel." Sam shouted with such ferocity that he took a step back, but he refused to go back inside and leave her to this…whatever this was.

Her hand wavered over the opening. Instinctively she knew whom it was from. She didn't believe for one minute that it was a bomb… it wasn't his style. It was something else, something that was rotting inside; she could smell it before she'd even taken the lid off. She could feel herself gagging from the stench. Knowing that she had the choice of either opening it or leaving it for the police, she struggled internally for a short time in making her decision. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but curiosity always got the better of her. Bracing herself for what was inside, she inhaled deeply before flipping the lid over.

She felt physically sick, but she refused to let Daniel see her like this. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen a dead animal or body for that matter, but this was different. Kneeling down on the grass, she placed the open box to the side, she didn't know what else to expect. If he had planned this to hurt her and her friends, then it was becoming a frightening reality that he would be capable of much worse atrocities and it seemed as if he was targeting those she loved one by one.

During her time with USAF and on the Stargate project she knew people were capable of inflicting pain and misery on another, but she never realised that she would experience such malice so close to home. This had gone far beyond revenge tactics, she'd realised that the moment Jack was shot. He was obsessed with her. She'd met types like him before, in the shape of Jonas Hanson. It was a shame she hadn't learned her lesson then, maybe if she had, things wouldn't have turned out this way and she wouldn't have to keep checking over her shoulder. But, it seemed that she was destined never to have a normal life…or that's how it seemed at the moment.

"Sam! Sam! What is it?" Daniel shouted running towards her. "Sam, are you okay? What was in the…" Stealing a look at the contents of the box, he understood completely why she felt sick. The animal was obviously dead, and had been for a while. Its eyes were staring back at him…lifeless. Decaying flesh was wasting away from its skeletal frame, blue bottles and maggots had infested its emaciated body. It was clear that someone had planned this in advance judging from the state of the animal. "Jesus, Is that…?"

"Schroedinger." She answered quietly. The person that her killed her beloved cat knew that this would hurt her deeply. He meant so much to her, not only for the company he gave, but also the memories she had of Narim. She was fortunate that Narim had returned him before he died, it meant a lot to her.

"Who would do something like this?" He asked her kneeling down on the grass beside her.

"I don't get it, Daniel." Sam replied softly, tears glistening in her eyes at the loss of her beloved cat. "Did I piss someone off in a previous life? Am I Marie Antoinette reincarnated? Is that why I have such lousy luck with men, because someone's punishing me for something I did in a previous life? Do I have a neon sign flashing on my forehead that says, 'Desperate and single, only psycho's need apply'?" She knew that wasn't true, but she couldn't rationalise why she had such a bad track record.

"I don't know what to say, Sam. I wish I could tell you something that would change the situation, but I can't. I don't think it's something you've done, maybe the people that you've dated realise that…you're too nice to let go." Daniel didn't know what to say, he wasn't exactly good at this sort of thing.

"You're not exactly helping." Sam answered dejectedly before getting to a standing position.

"Sorry. I just don't have the answers for you. Look instead of analysing this to death..." Seeing the look on her face as he mentioned the word 'death' he realised his faux pas. "Bad choice of words, sorry. Look lets get inside and call the police."

"What and listen to them go on about how this is a rare occurrence, and without evidence there's not a lot they can do?"

"You can't not report it, Sam."

"That's a double negative."

"I know, I wanted to add the extra negation for emphasis. It's too important to do nothing."

"Don't get me wrong, Daniel, I know I have to report it, but the last time I spoke with them, they said they can't do anything unless he does something."

"He did do something, he shot Jack."

"Yes, I know that, and so do you, but where's the proof that Pete was actually involved? Without any evidence they can't question him. Plus, they have to find him first."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after the burglary, I told them what happened between us, and they went to check up on him. Apparently he's skipped town. He hasn't shown up for work in the last week and no one has seen him."

"Isn't that enough?"

"No. Don't forget, it's my word against his? Who would you believe?"

"That's ridiculous. What about the anti-stalking law? Isn't it classed as a felony?"

"Yes, but to file a complaint that will trigger an arrest and prosecution, it must be accompanied with sufficient evidence to establish "probable cause". It's only then that Pete's behaviour would be deemed illegal under the state's stalking statute. At the moment he is committing an offence, but it's up to me to provide them with the evidence necessary to establish probable cause. They've asked me to keep a log of the incidents and to report them. That way if anything comes of it, they can make a case for a restraining order." Pausing to let the information sink in, she continued with increased frustration, "See what I'm up against…It's not one for trying, Daniel."

"I never said you weren't Sam."

"I know, but you don't realise how annoying this is. I don't mean to snap at you Daniel, I'm just sick to death of reporting this, and nothing comes of it. I just wish that he would come after me, at least that way I can face him head on."

"Sam, this is not the sort of person you want to mess with."

"What other alternative do I have, Daniel? I just want this to end. I refuse to let him ruin my life like this. You've seen what he's capable of. This is just the beginning. I won't risk my friends' lives. It's time I started getting pro-active and stop running. If the police won't do anything, then its up to me to stop him."

"Not on your own you won't."

"I won't be on my own. I have SG-1 on my side, and between us, I'm sure that together we can do something."

"Sam, it's not that I don't want to help, because I do. It's just I think you're putting yourself at risk. Let the police handle things."

"I've done that Daniel, and look where it's got me. Jack's in hospital, and my cats dead, and that's just for starters. Who knows what else he has planned. If you think I'm going to sit on my ass for the next…however long it is, and wait, then you've got another thing coming. I'm not stupid, Daniel, but I refuse to play the victim in all of this."

Realising it was a futile gesture arguing with her anymore, he sighed heavily. The last thing he wanted was for her to place herself in danger. Trouble was, she wasn't prepared to listen to either what he said or think rationally about this. He understood her anger and frustration…really he did. But, he didn't want anything to happen to her, and no matter how 'gung-ho' she got, there was a very real risk that she would end up getting hurt in all of this.

Walking with purpose in her stride he followed her back inside, neither of them speaking.

"Doc, how much longer do I have to stay in here? I feel fine."

"You can go when I say you are fit to leave, Colonel and not before."

"You do realise that Sam might need my help, and you keeping me here like this could put her in danger." Jack advised her working on the 'guilt tactics'. It seemed as if nothing else was working, so why shouldn't he?

"Don't even try that with me. You know as well as I do that Daniel is with her."

"Yeah, but Doc that's exactly my point, this is 'Daniel' we're talking about. And you know what he's like."

"No, but I'm sure you'll enlighten me." Janet continued deadpan. She knew very well what he was playing at, but she refused to let him risk his health. It just wasn't an option. Daniel was more than capable of looking out for her, and if worse came to the worse, he would do whatever it took to look out for her.

"Have you ever known Daniel not to get into trouble?"

"That's the whole basis of your argument is it, Colonel?"

"Well…" He knew it was just an excuse. Trouble was she wasn't buying it, and he'd used all his tricks to try and get out of the infirmary. This time though was proving trickier than before. She was getting to know all his excuses, damn it. It was time to go to Plan B. Escape! He'd been in special OPS before, and as such covert missions were his speciality.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then, Colonel. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to in my office. Teal'c, if he moves more than an inch, you have my permission to sit on him."

"Indeed." Teal'c responded stoically. Sitting quietly at the side of his friend's bed.

"Traitor!" Jack replied annoyed watching Teal'c's eyebrow move northwards. It was obvious he wasn't going to get any help from Teal'c sometime soon, so he had to do this on his own. His plan of escape was foiled…for now. But, there would be a time, when neither of them would be around, he just had to bide his time. "I thought you were on my side?"

"I am O'Neill. However, Doctor Frasier does not believe that you are well enough to leave, and I agree with her assessment."

"This place is driving me nuts…and you're not helping 'T'."

"Major Carter will be all right, Daniel Jackson will be there to assist her for the time being."

"Yeah I know that, but who's going to help Daniel?" Jack retorted solemnly. He was worried. People like Pete were unpredictable; he'd already proven that. And while he knew he couldn't do very much with his shoulder the way it was, at least he could be there for her.

Sam sighed heavily, the police had been and gone and she was alone once more. She'd told Daniel to go home not more than a few hours ago, and was now left to pick up the pieces. It wasn't that she didn't want him to stay, but she couldn't expect him to remain with her indefinitely it wasn't fair on him.

The phone rang.

As she answered it the line went dead. Looking at it as if it had grown two heads, she sat down cautiously on the sofa. Trying to rationalise it in her head, she thought that maybe it was a wrong number? The phone rang again. Stubbornly she forced herself to answer it.

"Hello?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth the phone went dead once more. Instinctively, she knew it was him. Who else would keep ringing like this? After several minutes of incessant ringing the caller hung up. But, it started up again after only a short break. She couldn't cope with it anymore and to gain some respite pulled the telephone wire out of its socket. It was the only thing she could do. She knew she'd have to put it back in eventually, but for the moment she grabbed the bat and walked swiftly around the house, checking that every door was shut and every lock was activated.

After ensuring everything was secure, she sat by the kitchen wearily; jumping with every creak and groan the house made. Feeling the effects of paranoia creeping in, she tightened her grasp on the weapon. There was no way she could live like this for much longer, she felt like a prisoner in her own home. Hot stinging tears burned her corneas, but she refused to let them fall.

After a few hours, she reconnected the telephone…and waited.

Silence

After 30 minutes, she thought that she'd gotten through the worst of it. She was wrong.

"Hello?"

Silence

"Hello?"

Heavy breathing.

Sam slammed the phone down. Her heart raced in fear. The phone rang again. She watched it from a distance, ringing incessantly. She knew she had to answer it. It could be the base trying to get to her, or it could be the police trying to get hold of her. More than likely though she knew it would be him, but she had no other choice, there was no way she could avoid answering the phone again…it wasn't practical. This time she would try a different approach.

Hesitantly she picked it up…and waited for a voice to speak on the other end.

"What's the matter, Sam? Don't you want to speak with me? I'm crushed." The voice oozed with malice.

It sent shivers down her spine, but she refused to hang up, it would be a sign that she was frightened, and she ultimately believed that if he sensed her fear he would continue harassing her.

Standing her ground she asked with such ferociousness, she surprised herself. "What do you want Pete?"

"Haven't I made that obvious? Or is it just that you don't want to see that we're made for each other. I want you Sam, and like I told you before if I can't have you, then no one can."

"So you think that sending me dead animals in the post and hurting my friends is going to win me back do you? Think again. This relationship is over. "

"It's over when I say it is. What you don't realise Sam, is that you and I are destined to be together."

"The only thing you're destined for is a jail cell."

"Ah, but they have to catch me first. You forget that I'm a cop Sam and a damn good one if I do say so myself. I know how their minds work. They'll never catch me you know."

"If its me you want, then why wait?" Sam told him heatedly, she was through playing these games. "If you want me, come and get me."

"All in good time Sam…all in good time. I'm just waiting for the right moment. And besides…it's so much more fun this way."

"Don't think you can frighten me, Pete. I've dealt with people like you before, and believe me, you don't want to play this game…because you will lose EVERY time." With that final flurry of anger, Sam slammed the phone down. Her hands were left trembling with the excess adrenaline that filled her body. She had to do something. Waiting around for him to make his next move was something she wasn't prepared to do. She had to come up with a plan to stop him…and soon.

Lying awake in the infirmary Jack listened intently for signs of movement from the nursing staff. It was in the twilight hours that staffing levels were at their lowest. It was an ideal time to escape Janet's clutches. It had now been nearly 3 days since he had been kept under the watchful eye of Doc Frasier. The nursing staff had thwarted every effort he'd made to escape, and he was sure someone had been spying on him. How else would they know what he was up to? He couldn't believe it had been a coincidence that they'd caught him, and he had a fair idea who it was.

Tonight though, the infirmary was remarkably quiet, but as yet he'd never made it past the door without being ordered back to bed. Even the General seemed to be involved with the Doc's scheming plan to keep him cooped up. Not tonight though. He knew Daniel and Teal'c were off world with another SG team, so no baby-sitting from Teal'c or Daniel for that matter, much to his delight… he was too old to be baby-sat. Initially they had been hesitant leaving Sam, but unfortunately they had no choice. Unfortunately as a result of the General's decision to send them off world, it meant that Sam was alone and vulnerable. He'd heard about Schroedinger and the subsequent telephone calls that followed. Each one from what he'd heard seemed to be growing more intense, and he didn't like it one bit. Trouble was being kept here meant that Pete would have easy access to her, and as the police seemed intent on not doing much to help her, it was up to them.

Creeping out of bed, he slid off quietly to avoid the bedsprings from making too much noise. Everything was going well so far, he acknowledged getting himself dressed. He'd forgotten how difficult it was to get changed when you had a shoulder that just wouldn't co-operate. Each movement had to be small, so he wouldn't jostle his injury, but unfortunately it was taking him longer than he anticipated. It wouldn't be long before the nursing staff were due to come in and check on him, so he had to hurry.

As he pulled on his pants, he felt a searing pain move down his arm, and he clenched his teeth in response, a slow hiss escaped from his lips as he tried to force back the pain from his shoulder. Finally dressed, he crept towards the entrance, surveying the corridor. All clear. A smile escaped from his lips. He was going to make it this time and he knew it. He only needed ten minutes to get to the surface.

Yes! He'd done it. He was a free man once more, and he couldn't help but smile at his accomplishment. No one outsmarted him in matters that related to special ops. Fiddling around for the keys of his pocket, he opened the door and set off for her house. A slight flutter of his stomach reminded him of their last conversation face to face, and initially he had some reservations about turning up on spec, but he had to weigh up the pros and cons of the situation. He knew he was doing the right thing…he just hoped that Sam could see it to.

Pulling up outside her house, he hesitated…albeit only briefly. Looking at his watch he noted it was only 7.00 am. The journey had taken longer than expected, but nevertheless he wasn't sure if she'd be very impressed with him waking her up at this hour. On the flip side of the coin, he knew that she was an early riser, and hoped his instincts were correct. Taking a deep breath he headed towards her front door, and knocked lightly.

"Sam, someone's at the door." Janet advised nervously. "Want me to come with you?"

"It's okay Janet, I've got my ever faithful baseball bat by the door. Not that there'll be anyone there." Sam answered annoyed. This had been happening on and off for the last couple of days, but each time she'd ventured out to see who it was, the caller had disappeared and she'd assumed it was Pete trying to drive her crazy.

"Why don't you ignore it?"

"I can't."

Janet eyed her strangely.

"I know I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. I can't help myself; curiosity gets the better of me." Sam sighed dejectedly. Apart from the police increasing their patrols around her neighbourhood, there really hadn't been anything they could do. They'd advised her to change her number and her locks, but apart from that they still hadn't been any trace of him anywhere.

Luckily though she had come up with a plan, she hadn't had the chance to tell anyone yet, but it was more than likely they would hate it. But, she was going to do it with or without their help.

With her hand placed firmly on the bat, she moved the curtain back slightly to get a better view and was more than surprised by her early morning caller. Hurrying to get the chain off the door, she felt her stomach flutter slightly at the sight of him. What the hell was he doing here… and at this time of the morning? Something must've happened otherwise why would they release him from the infirmary. Trembling from nervous energy she finally unhitched all the bolts before flinging the door open.

"Sir. Come in. Are you okay? Are Daniel and Teal'c all right?"

"Calm down, Carter, everyone's fine. I was just worried…that's all."

"What are you doing out of the infirmary? You should still be in bed?"

"I escaped from the Doc's evil clutches." Jack grinned happily. It felt nice to get some fresh air, but what was even nicer was seeing that she was okay.

Sam tried hard to keep the smile from her face. What he didn't know was that Janet had been staying with her for the last 24 hours while Daniel and Teal'c were off world. Initially she'd tried to argue with her friend, but Janet refused to take 'no' for an answer, so had kindly been keeping a watchful eye out for her. This was certainly going to be interesting, and she was looking forward to the light relief. The last few days had been very stressful and she couldn't wait to see his face when he saw her. But, for now, she was going to play along.

Janet listening intently by the kitchen couldn't believe his audacity. He had to be the worse patient she'd ever had the misfortune to look after. She only managed to hear snippets of the conversation as she was too far away, but she definitely heard the phrase 'ol' doc Frasier' and to say she was displeased was an understatement.

"So, ummm, Janet doesn't know that you're here then I take it?" Sam asked casually inviting him into the hall towards the kitchen.

"Hell no. You think I'd risk the wrath of Ol' Doc Frasier if I could help it? I may be many things, Carter, but I'm not stupid."

"What are you going to do when she finds out? Don't you think she'll be a little ticked off that you've left?"

"She doesn't scare me." Jack remarked flippantly, trying to sound as carefree as possible.

"Really?"

"Ahem!"

Jack felt his blood turn cold as he recognized her voice immediately.

"DOH! She's here isn't she?" Jack whispered, leaning into her.

Sam couldn't hold her smile back any longer.

"SHE certainly is Colonel." Janet admonished folding her arms around her chest in an attempt to look as imposing as possible. "AND, she is not impressed."

"You're in trouble now." Sam returned the whisper.

"You're not helping, Carter." Jack rebuked, trying to think up a reasonable explanation as to why he was he was here and not in the infirmary. "Well, Doc, you see I had this…premonition…and well…I had to come and check that Sam was okay."

"A premonition? Is that the best that you can come up with?"

"Give me ten minutes and I might have a better excuse, but for now I'm sticking with the premonition thing." Jack told her sheepishly, shuffling his feet.

Janet sighed, it didn't matter what she said, it was a fruitless exercise. Anything that concerned Sam's welfare was paramount to him, and he would do anything to ensure her safety even at risk to his own health…although she'd never tell him that she knew, it was endearing to see it first hand.

Waiting for her to continue the rant, he was surprised it didn't come, and whether she wanted to make him feel guilty or not…he did. He felt as if he were a young man again, waiting for his parents to dish out the punishment for his disobedience.

After a few seconds of silence between them, Sam decided to change the subject slightly.

"Umm, Sir, not that I'm not glad to see you or anything, but why are you here?"

"I'm…um… here to make sure you're okay." Jack said lamely

Sam laughed out loud, not that she didn't think he was adorable at this very moment; it was just the absurdity of his statement. Looking at the state of him, she didn't think he could protect much of anything at the moment, let alone her well-being. "So, you're my knight in shining armour are you?" She asked coyly enjoying the moment.

"Would you rather have Daniel?"

"I'm not answering that."

"I rest my case." Jack replied smugly.

"Oh no you don't."

"What, what did I say."

"I know that look."

"What look?" Jack asked with all innocence.

"The look that says, 'As soon as Daniel turns up I'm going to tell him.'"

"I never said a thing."

"You didn't have to."

Janet watched the interaction between the two of them, their usual familiar banter fell into place so easily, and it had been a long time since she'd seen them so comfortable with each other, and it suited them.

"Anyway, now that you here you may as well join us for breakfast. Besides I have something I want to run past you." Sam told him cagily walking towards the kitchen.

"I'm intrigued." Janet told her.

"I'm worried." Jack said almost simultaneously, he knew that look and he didn't like it one bit.

Sam ignored his comment, she was going through with this, but she needed their help to make it work.

Pouring the coffee into their respective mugs, she opened the cereal packet and emptied its contents. A heavy silence fell over the table as they waited for her to speak.

Honesty was always the best policy; well that was what her dad used to say whenever she got herself into trouble. Neither of them had any idea of what she'd been planning, and she wasn't quite sure how they would take it. She doubted whether they would agree to it, but she was running out of options. As things stood now, she felt like a prisoner trapped in the confines of her four walls. Each time she went out, she was continuously peering over her shoulder to see if she was being followed and she'd had enough. It was time to end things once and for all…or so she hoped. She didn't know if this was going to work, or even if Pete would take the bait, but she had to try something, she wasn't prepared to live the rest of her life like this.

"I think I've come up with a plan to stop Pete once and for all." Sam told them confidently.

"I'm not going to like this idea am I?"

"Probably not. But, promise me one thing."

"What."

"Just hear me out first."

"Fair enough."

"What does Pete want most?" Sam asked the pairs of enquiring eyes.

"You." They both replied in unison.

"Correct. Now I've given this a lot of thought, but there are a still a few things that I haven't worked out, so you'll have to bear with me, while I work through them."

Jack tried to hold her gaze, but she wouldn't look at him.

"So, I've been thinking. I need to coax him out a bit."

"NO!" Jack told her emphatically.

"You don't know what I'm going to say."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Well as much as I love hearing this verbal spurring you two have got going on. I don't have the mind reading capabilities that apparently you two have, so would someone please enlighten me?" Janet remarked, while trying to get a word in edge ways.

"Sam's going to use herself as bait." Jack pronounced to her, before turning to face his 2IC. "Am I right?"

"Yes." Sam told them softly. She knew he wouldn't be happy about this, but this was the only thing she could think of.

"No, no way. You're not doing it."

"Can you think of anything else? Because I sure as hell can't." Sam shouted, her anger increasing with every sentence.

"I'm not having you putting your life on the line, Sam."

"For the first time in a long while, I feel that I actually have a life worth fighting for. Can't you see that? I'm tired of being scared of my own shadow. And I'm sick of being the one that everyone feels they have to protect."

Jack and Janet stole at look at each other, neither one of them realised how desperate things had become for her. It hurt them deeply to hear how she really felt.

"Sam, look I understand how frustrating and scary this is for you, but…"

"Janet, I don't mean any disrespect, but how could you? You don't know how hard it is trying to keep your sanity. Every time the phone rings, I hesitate to pick it up, because it might be him. Each time someone knocks at the door, I'm going to wonder what else he's killed to get my attention. Or each time I'm in the car, I wonder if I'm being followed or when I'm with my friends, I wonder if he's out there waiting to…" Sam's eyes filled with tears. She didn't know how to get them to understand how important it was for her to take back her life. Frustration threatened to overwhelm her in making them see that she had become a prisoner in her own home. She waited for one of them to speak; the silence was awkward as they tried to comprehend just how much she'd had to go through.

"If we do this…we do this together, Sam. No heroics, okay." Jack said softly, grabbing her hand.

A simple nod of her head was the only sign he needed. They were going to get through this.

End of Chapter 7