Chapter 3 - Place In My Mind
AN: To kath : Now that you mention it, I remember hearing bout "Bewitched", but I haven't really played it, yet.
As Sam sat beside Jack's bed many thoughts were on her mind, she was scared to lose him, as well as she hoped and was eager to do everything she could to save him, but though she was crestfallen and it was more than hard for her to fight back her tears.
She bent over him and caressed his face. "Jack, don't do that to me, don't leave us all alone", she whispered, "please come back, we need you, I need you", her cheeks were wet with tears, "can't live without you..."
Suddenly Sam felt a change: a heat wave went across Jack's body and got in touch with Sam over her hands. It mad her realize that the battle was not lost, yet, that somewhere deep inside Jack was still there fighting to live...
Once again Jack woke up finding himself in some funny surroundings. This time it seemed to be some sort of cave or grotto with walls that were completely iced and shining in a bluish hue.
Though the whole place was wet and cold Jack did not freeze at all. He got up to have a better look around the place. He walked further into the cave until he came to a high dome-like space flooded by white light.
A breeze played around Jack's body. Once again he believed to hear a well-known giggle ringing through the air.
"Hello?" Jack turned his head, his words were echoing all around him, "Serena?"
A short moment later the one he had called appeared right in front of him giggling just as the last time they had met; she was now wearing a shimmering bluish white mini-dress leaving most of her neck and shoulders uncovered.
"So you've returned and you've found the place I wanted to show you?" she asked with a broad smile on her face, "Where've you been?"
"Someplace", Jack shrugged, "I don't exactly recall it. All I know is that there've been people that seem to be really important to me."
"Were they friends, were they family?" Serena inquired curiously, "tell me about them."
"They were..." Jack thought for a long moment, "important. Seems as if I'm really forgetting about them..."
"That's not good, you have to try it", she frowned pondering for an instant, "maybe you've been with this Sam you've told me about."
"Sam? Wait, yeah that's it, she was there", he confirmed her assumption, "but it could've been you, too..."
"No, that's not possible, I can't leave here."
"So it was her."
"Tell me about her."
"Well", Jack began, "she looks just like you, but she doesn't giggle as much as you do. She's into physics and a real crack at her subject. She's somewhat intelligent and talks a lot, so much that sometimes I give up following..."
"You have feelings for her."
He gave Serena a close look, "There used to be something, I think, but I don't really remember it."
"You think? You have to feel something", Serena stated, "if you could've seen this certain glow in your eyes as you talked about her."
"If ya say so. But it doesn't matter anyway", Jack replied with a frown, "looks as if I'll never see her again now."
"Don't say that", Serena admonished him, "you've done it before."
"Yeah, but now I don't have the strength to do so again. Also I don't really remember anything really peachy from my last trip."
"She has to miss you like hell", she responded, "you'll be damned if you just sit here and give up trying after only one attempt. Perhaps you merely have to think of Sam to return to her. Please try it, Jack."
"Well, all right", Jack sighed. He closed his eyes and tried to think of Sam, of her warmth, searching his mind for the feeling s he had to have for her... Suddenly something began to change, once again the surroundings begin to whirl again and a warm force seemed to pull him up, he thought to hear Sam's voice: ...can't live without you... , she sounded very sad to him. He tried to reach her, but she was too far away and he was out of power with nothing left in his mind that was strong enough he could hold on to and fight; he dropped back again, he lost touch, he prayed that she had noticed his try. Then again he found himself back in the cave.
Serena was bending down over him, "Jack..."
"Serena, it didn't work."
"We'll find another way, I promise. Perhaps the power of this place can help us..."
The warmth left again without having brought a change to Jack condition. Sam sighed, she hoped that this was not the end.
"Please do that again and return", she said softly now sure that this was the thing Jack had just intended to do. She went away to tell the others about it.