II. PC57621 – Anger and Sorrow

They were shot through the event horizon and soon found themselves on the dry planet of PC57621. Sam straightened her gear and headed away from the gate as possible. Daniel sneezed into his tissue, placing it away and quickly hurried after Sam. Teal'c followed. Jack removed his sunglasses, taking a look around the dry planet. It was a near desert as Teal'c had said, but it seemed the mountains ahead had some kind of life. He sighed, straightening his P90 and followed. He couldn't bring to mind a time that Sam seemed so eager to get to a planet.

There he went again, thinking about her. He smacked himself mentally. He would never be able to let go of his emotional attachment for Sam if he kept keeping tabs on her emotions like this. He did have to, it was his job, but he didn't need to get to personal. Jack walked along, remembering hazily how sad Sam had looked when he made his choice. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but tired to be the hero again…he wondered if he really did succeed. He seemed to be hurting her more now then ever…but then again, there was always pain in a relationship.

Sam's thoughts were completely opposite of Jack's. She had finally been able to put the deal about finding the damned Lost City behind her, for now. She could not wait to see the two children, Freya and Cortana. Sam had been amazed at their innocents yet the horrible knowledge of the world that they had. Sam hadn't been able to contain that type of childhood, with her father in the military and her mother dieing in the car accident. She could get into all the physiological things later. Right now, she needed to heal her emotions and what better way to do than to lose yourself in the lives of others.

The soon reached the top of a cliff that was near by. Sam looked up, seeing the walls of the city above. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Teal'c help Daniel up, and Jack climbing up. She quickly continued on her way, not stopping. At this moment she didn't give a damn if she was going to be court marshaled for not obeying her commanding officer. She wanted away from him. The doors to the town were opened and shouting was heard, welcome shouts. A young boy rushed over, his black hair was hidden in a bandana like piece of clothing, but his skin was tan and his eyes were dark. He smiled and embraced Daniel, nearly causing him to fall over.

"You have returned as we asked!" the boy said happily. Daniel smiled and ruffled his hair. "We are most happy, Dr. Jackson. I will send for Cortana and Freya now!" he rushed out down the street of the town, taking a left.

Daniel and Sam smiled at each other, and SG1 moved into the town. It suddenly went quiet, everyone staring at them. Daniel turned his head to where they were all staring, finding Jack. He remembered, Jack wasn't with them when they had gone to PC57621 for Selmek. They all stared at Jack, some lifting weapons. Jack's eyebrows almost met his brow.

"Carter." He said, glancing at her. Sam didn't glance back. "Carter, what the hell is going on?"

Sam ignored him and took a step forward. Daniel waved his hands to try and signal that Jack was a friend, but they did not remove their weapons. The boy returned, followed by a taller young woman with a little girl at her side. Sam smiled at them. The young woman let out a squeal of excitement and the two girls embraced each other. Daniel rubbed his aching ear and Jack stood, eyeing all the people around them. Teal'c merely stood there, a small smile on his face.

"Welcome back, Sam, welcome back." The young woman smiled.

"'Sam'?" Jack asked and took a step forward. The young women looked at Jack, calm but had protection in her eyes. The child latched onto Sam's leg in fear. "Carter, you gave them your name?"

"Uh, Jack." Daniel came forward, protecting Sam. "This is Freya," he pointed to the young women who said nothing. "And the little one is Cortana. They are the girls that Sam made friends with on our last visit. So naturally they would call her Sam, just like I call you Jack."

"That's very nice, Daniel." Jack was getting annoyed. "But I asked Major Carter the question, not you." He grabbed Sam's arm. "Major Carter, I want a word with…." He wasn't able to finish his sentence as a balled fist came and punched him in the face. Jack landed on the ground, taking off his sunglasses to see the boy standing between him and Sam. Sam's face was frozen in shock, and the boy had the protective and territorial look. As he stood more weapons were aimed.

"Enough." Sam shouted. Everyone turned and looked at her. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill. He is the leader of our team, but was…away on duty….when we came here." She looked at the boy and Freya. "Come on, he doesn't mean any harm."

The boy mumbled something and the weapons lowered. He looked back at the group. "I will trust your word then, Ms. Carter." He eyes the group, and then left.

Freya stood still. Her tall frame and her fit body, with her dark eyes and dark braided hair. She eyed Jack dangerously as he got up, and glanced at Sam, seeing that she was now trying to coax her sister, Cortana, into trusting this…O'Neill. She took a moment and noted how distant both Jack and Sam were, and looked at Cortana.

Cortana seemed like an exact clone of her sister, but nine years younger. She looked up at Sam as Sam explained who Jack was to her. Cortana looked from Sam to Jack, and back again before walking over to Jack. Freya tensed. Cortana stood in front of Jack, and he looked down at her. She tilted her head and pointed to his sunglasses in wonder. Jack smiled shaking his head and taking them off, handing them to her. Cortana took them in her hands, moved them around, studying them.

Sam looked down.

-----------------

Jack handed Cortana the wakie talkie over to her. The six year old took it in her hands curiously, and Jack nodded for his team to turn off theirs as the child played with his. Freya looked over her shoulder at Jack, eyeing him before returning to cook the night time meal. Sam sat next to Cortana, avoiding eye contact with her OC. At least Cortana was making friends with him, it was more than she herself could do. Soon the rest of the team went into idle chat with Cortana, explaining Jack's attire. Sam stood, leaving her things beside the table, and stepped out of the house.

The houses were built upon each other like apartments, made out of dried brick and mud. She looked up at the night sky, watching the stars. How many had she been to? There were two moons on this planet. She felt herself reminded of Star Wars, even though Tatoonie had two suns and not two moons. She leaned against the dried mud wall that served as a fence. The door opened behind her, then shut softly. Heavy foot steps were heard, and she knew it was her OC. He couldn't leave her alone.

"It's nice out here." Jack said, looking up at the sky. Sam lowered her eyes to the ground. She couldn't find anything to say to him. She wanted to yell at him for not telling her that he had been released by the Asgard, then cry that he was back, her Colonel was back. Yet, he wasn't hers. He didn't show any sign of wanting a relationship…

"Hey, Carter?" Jack asked, looking at her. She blinked, removing herself from her thoughts. She glanced at him. "I'm going to give you point blank question. You are to answer it." Sam nodded slowly. "Are you even happy to see me?"

Sam closed her eyes. 'Of course I am you moron! What do you think I have been doing these last three months?!' she heard him drum his fingers on the wall. "Yes." She said softly. He leaned forward a little, as if he didn't hear her. "Yes." She said louder, but not by much.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?"

'You are the one that's been avoiding me, Jack!!!' she thought. Though she turned and looked at Jack, seeing him staring at her. She had spoken that out loud. Now she was in for it. He straighten his posture, and Sam didn't move, afraid if she did he'd snap her spine. Had Jack ever scared her before?

"Yea…well, I guess." Jack mumbled. "But you haven't been doing much either." He looked at her as Sam looked away. "Back on…Edora, what the hell was that? Why did you leave without telling me." She opened her mouth and he held up his finger. "No, stop. I know Daniel gave you the idea."

"….because I needed to…"

"What? Needed to? Needed to go and see Pete?" Jack mumbled, his voice holding a stern anger when Pete's name was mentioned.

Sam clenched her fists. He was assuming again. She stood and looked him in the eye, angry. "I broke up with Pete after you decided to go save the world." She held her voice at a low icy level. Jack's eyebrow lifted at this. "You don't give a damn about what I went through during these last months, do you?!"

"And what about me?"

"Yea, you." Sam glared. Jack glared at her. "I have been endlessly searching for a way to save you. And what do I get? I walk into a meeting late, seeing you with your cocky face. You didn't even say hello to me! You stared at me!"

"Maybe I was in some kind of shock too." Jack said angrily. "Maybe I had thought that you would have left the SGC."

"So you don't even say hello for the next three damned days?!" Sam was nearly screeching now. Jack held his ground. "I don't know what that damned thing did you your head, Colonel Jack O'Neill, but I do know that as an aftermath is defiantly not what any of us wanted! Dr. Weir included." She glared at him with all her might. He stood there on even ground, and she clenched her fists. He stood there, mocking her, waiting for her to strike him down. Sam felt tears burning in the back of her eyes. He was going to make her cry again, damnit! She turned on her heel and began to walk away.

"Major!" Jack shouted in his authority voice, but Sam kept walking. "Major Samantha Carter get your ass back here!"

Sam broke out into a run. Running from her past, her present, and her future. She ran until she knew she was about four blocks away before she collapsed on her knees and broke down crying. She had imagined this happening ever since what happened to Jack. That they'd fight, she'd run….and he'd follow her and embrace her, letting her sob on his shoulder.

But he didn't even follow.

----- 

"Well I don't know if I should congratulate you or punch your face." Daniel admitted, staring as Jack leaned against the wall in the room that they shared. Freya's family had offered them two rooms, Sam sleeping with the two girls. Jack glanced at him. "You know Jack, your being as much as an ass this time around as you were the first time I met you. Granted you had a good reason back then, but I don't think you do now."

Jack glanced at him. "Well being stuck in a place for three months allows people to think."

"And I'm sure." Daniel said. "Need I remind you I spent a year being ascended, thank you." Jack rolled his eyes. "Look, Jack. You obliviously aren't dealing with Sam…the right way. She is a woman, a military woman, but still a woman. After they go through something dramatic they need the person they trust and need the most at that moment to help them. Sam needs you."

"To hell she does." Jack said. "Carter made it point blank obvious that she didn't want me too."

"You asked her if she was happy to see you?" Daniel asked, and Jack nodded. "And she said yes?" Jack nodded again. "Well, there's your answer, Jack. Sam may have vented her anger out at you, but now she is going to be depressed as ever. You've been there for her, even as we faced your certain death….and how do you repay her when you come back? A blank stare. I know you guys can look at each other and say everything that you can't, but if I recall, you didn't even speak to her that way."

"And if I didn't?"

"I'm damn glad that you don't live with Sara anymore." Daniel muttered. Shock raised through the Colonel. "Imagine if Sam had been Sara….you would have gotten up, embraced her and held her as she cried."

"…Carter is a military personal…..my second in command…."

"And a good friend and a would be love interest." Daniel stood. "Jack, the SGC isn't going to be around forever. Either is Sam….I'm surprised she's dealt with this no emotional regulation for the last eight years…but, she is on her final limbs, and she can't anymore. You are going to have to make the choice. Stay with the SGC and continue to live in your void of anger over Charlie, or move on and start your life a new with Sam…hell maybe someone else than Sam. But the way you are treating her, you aren't going to get a woman like that."

"How is a space monkey so deep?" Jack asked, humor in his voice.

Daniel shook his head. "Jack…you are a moron."

"Yea….I know." Jack looked out the window. "I know."

----- 

In all his time serving the Tauri and the SGC, Teal'c had never found himself this worried before. He stood there, watching as Cortana played with Jack's radio, but glancing over as Daniel and Jack had their conversation in the other room. They spoke in low voices, obviously about Major Carter who had run off even after Jack had given orders for her not to. Teal'c looked back as Cortana stared at him, and he raised his eyebrow. Cortana came to him and reached up to touch his tattoo. Teal'c smiled and leaned down, allowing the child to touch it.

"You are not like the others." Freya said. Teal'c looked at her. "You are not fighting with this O'Neill man."

"O'Neill is one of my closer friends, and he is the leader of our team. I do not see any reason to fight against his orders unless they are clearly wrong in nature." Teal'c answered.

"He has hurt Sam though." Freya spoke, in outrage. Teal'c stayed silent. "I can see it in her eyes and how she reacts when he speaks, even if it is not directed to her. I am not sure what this man has done to her, but I do not want him to hurt her again."

"O'Neill did what he did in order to save their planet." Teal'c answered. Freya's face did not change nor did her confidence in her observing.  "He understands that what he does hurts Major Carter, but in their positions, he cannot be close to her in the way he would like to."

"What do you mean?"

"Major Carter is a lower ranking military officer under Colonel O'Neill." Teal'c explained. "It would not be a problem if Major Carter was not under O'Neill's charge, but she is. They can be friends, but cannot proceed with their feelings they have for one another. If one of them were to retire from the SGC and become a civilian helper, then they could, but they love their job too much to do that to one another."

"I still am not seeing it." Freya mumbled.

"When O'Neill did what he did to save the planet, her hurt all of us. Major Carter took it the most, and endured it longer. When O'Neill had returned from his slumber, we had thought that he had informed Major Carter of his returning, but we were incorrect. O'Neill has distanced himself from Major Carter, leaving her confused." Teal'c explained. "It is wise for none of us to interfere with their relationship and their choices, Freya."

Freya nodded and took her sister into her arms, carrying them into her room. Teal'c took a glance at Jack and Daniel before leaving the house in aid to find Sam. He found her sitting with her back against a wall, her elbows on her knees, her head lowered as she sobbed. He frowned and sat beside her, and Sam lifted her head. She looked down again and cried. Teal'c brought her into a brotherly embrace, letting the woman cry against him again.

He had done that for many times now. When Jack was lost to them on the planet, and when Janet had been killed. She had run to Daniel for support after Jack's near fatal choice, but now he was here comforting her again. Teal'c wished they would help each other, Sam and Jack, but he would not press it. It was not his duty or right to say anything about it. Only time would tell after all.

"We should return, Major Carter. We would not want our hostess to think we have left her." Teal'c mentioned, helping Sam to her feet. Sam nodded slowly and followed him as they went along. Teal'c looked up as he saw Jack looking out the window, watching them as they entered the home. Sam continued on to her room she was given, not saying good nights to anyone. Teal'c stood outside her door, looking over his shoulder as Daniel frowned, and Jack looked out the window still.