"Why are you laughing?" Fifth said, indignant, standing up. "It's not funny. Stop!"

"Another one for the fucking list!" Jack said, laughing so hard the tears were running down his face.

"Stop laughing. This isn't funny!" Fifth insisted, sounding more like a petulant boy every minute.

"Oh, I think it is." Jack said wiping away a tear. "Just to get this straight...who do you love?"

"Samantha. I love Samantha." Fifth said. Jack's face turned dark.

"That's right." Jack said, leaning forward, and the laughter had stopped now. His voice was harsh, and Fifth instinctively stepped back. "You love Samantha. You've barely met her twice, and one of those times you tortured her, but you love her."

"Yes." Fifth said uncertainly, stepping back. He was finally beginning to understand the images in Samantha's mind of this man as something dangerous.

"You, and Martouf, and Narim and even Pete, you all love Samantha." Jack said, standing up, leaning against the wall. "Sweet, gentle Samantha. All blue eyes and blonde hair, and a killer figure you can't disguise with BDU's. All soft and loving. An angel, Narim called her. Samantha the angel."

Fifth nodded.

"Well, not me." Jack growled, pushing himself off the wall, and limping towards Fifth. "I don't love Samantha. I love Carter. The woman who's as dangerous as hell if you screw with her. The one that'll lie, cheat and steal to get back someone she cares for. The one who doesn't rest, doesn't sleep, doesn't eat when she has someone or something to save. The one who can defeat super-soldiers, and replicators, and whatever other crap the universe has to throw at us. The one who's angry, and passionate. The woman that can lead an army, and force them to respect her. The one that the Gou'ald are scared of, and the Asgard need. The one who bleeds, and fights, and swears, and struggles and wins. The one who's coming here now to get me."

Fifth turned towards the door, as if expecting to see her there already. The door didn't open, but Jack was advancing upon him, shouting now. "Oh yeah, you can bet your shiny metal ass she's on her way here. Cos I know, and it's taken me a hell of a long time to learn this, but she leaves no-one behind. She's coming for me, and she'll rip apart anything or anyone that stands in her way, including you, and that's the woman I love. So you can keep your soft, fluffy, little Samantha. Because I love Carter!"

Fifth had no time to respond. Because at that moment, a shotgun blasted through his body. He turned, to see Sam standing there, in the doorway, a huge gun in her hands.

"Samantha." He said, reaching out to her.

"Sir, are you ok?" she asked, warily.

"Not really, no." Jack said, sinking to his knees. "Feel free to kill the bastard, Carter."

Fifth looked amazed, as if he couldn't believe his precious Samantha could hurt him. But Carter fired, time and time again, her face set and angry, her eyes diamond cold. Only when Fifth was reduced to pieces did she rush forward to the still collapsing Jack.

"Get Daniel and Teal'c and bring them here, with a stretcher." She ordered the marine behind her, who was looking slightly dumbfounded. "Contact the base, and get Dr Brightman ready at the foot of the ramp. Now, soldier!" she ordered, and the man left, double fast. Only once they were alone did Sam sink to her knees beside Jack.

"Are you ok?" she asked, worried. Jack was lying on the floor. She lifted up his head, and put it in her lap, anxious to keep him awake. He only lifted up a thumb in reply.

"Cassie told us you'd been captured by Fifth. I'm not sure how she knew, but..."

"But you came running." Jack said, softly. He was gazing up at her, smiling a little. She looked so fierce a moment before. If she'd been any kind of angel, it was the avenging kind. But now, alone with him, she was the gentle and sweet Sam the others thought they knew.

"I always will, you know that. No-one gets left behind."

"I know." he said. He wanted to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, the visions of Pete and Sam that Fifth had created popped into his mind.

"I heard you." She said, looking down at him, her face shielded by her hair. "I heard what you said. Were you trying to trick Fifth?"

"No, I meant it." Jack told her, too tired to dissimulate. "Sorry."

"I'm not." She said, lying back, her back against the wall, Jack's head still on her lap. "This changes things." She said softly.

"What things?" he asked, unsure if this was good or bad.

"You and I things. I thought you didn't...that all that was long past." She stammered. "That's why I...there's a question I got asked earlier today."

"In the park?" he asked, tensing up. Fifth's visions were coming true.

"Yes, how did...never mind. I didn't give him an answer."

"Carter...what..." he turned his head to look at her, but she was smiling softly.

"I'll say no." she said, and she began to run her fingers through his hair, over and over again. It was incredibly soothing. She looked down at him, lying, bleeding, on her lap.

"I nearly lost you. I thought I had." She said, gently, so low he hardly heard her.

"Now you know how I feel most of the damn time." He said, only half-joking. She laughed.

"I may be facing a court martial when I get back." she told him. "I did a few things I shouldn't have to get here."

"Don't worry, your commanding officer fully supports your decision." He said gruffly. Then looking up at her looking absurdly like a lost little boy, he said, almost shyly,

"I just want to make sure I've got this straight. You and I...you...?"

"I think I do, yes." She said, with an air of wonder

"Carter..." he said warningly.

"Love you, yes Sir."

"Good, glad we got that straightened out. Might have been awkward later."

She laughed again, and bent down, and kissed him, on his grey hair. He snaked an arm round her neck, and held her there, for a second, then stroked her cheek with one finger, softly, adoringly. Time for kisses later. All that was important now was that she was his and he was hers. He'd find out later what emotional journey had bought her to this point. Right now he just wanted to lie here, in her lap, where he intended to lie for the rest of his life.

And when Daniel and Teal'c appeared, they found Jack, lying in Sam's lap, Sam running her fingers through his hair. Daniel took one look at them, at Sam's smile, and Jack's grin, and the way they gazed at each other, then turned to Teal'c.

"Well, I'd say Pete's screwed." Daniel said.

"Indeed." Teal'c only replied.