DISCLAIMER: Nope still not mine. I wish. God do I wish.

SUMMARY: After accepting Pete's proposal, Sam has discovered a whole new side to the man. This new side left her in a state of shock and injured in the infirmary. Jack has flown back from DC where he was meeting with General Hammond and the President. Shey and Talorn are still camping on the surface within base perimeters.

SPOILERS: Up through Affinity.

Jack stood in the doorway to Sam's on base quarters watching her sleep. She was sitting up and looked really uncomfortable. "No," she moaned in her sleep. "Please. Don't. No more. I'll --"

Suddenly, her head flipped to one side very violently. Seeing the side of her head almost impact the wall was what made Jack move. He entered the room and shut the door behind him. His quiet footsteps placed him beside her bed in mere seconds.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Jack reached out and smoothed the hair back from his second's face. She looked so frightened. So vulnerable. Especially with that bruise on her face. He gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace so that her head was resting on his shoulder.

She was crying openly now. Even in her sleep. Something she had never done in front of him before. Tears streaming down her face soaked Jack's shirt. Jack just cradled her closely, rocking her with all the patience he could muster while, inside, he just wanted to kill Pete for putting her through this again.

"I'm here, Sam. I'm here. You're safe. I won't let him anywhere near you. I promise." He continued murmuring those same lines to her over and over until she calmed down. Even then, he didn't loosen his hold on her, still cradling her with all the tenderness he had in him.

He was a bit surprised when she pulled back from him and looked at him through puffy bloodshot eyes. "You were supposed to be in Washington." It wasn't a question.

"Well, when I get a phone call that tells me that one of my people ended up in the infirmary with a concussion and a bruise the size of Texas on one side of her face, I tend to drop everything to get back and find out what happened."

"I'm surprised."

"Oh."

"I didn't think Dr. Brightman would have called you."

"He didn't. Daniel did. He was worried about you. I was worried the whole way back."

"Sir, --"

"Look, Sam. We've been friends and all for more than 7 years. Did you really think that we wouldn't all band together to help you through this? The only reason Teal'c isn't here is because he's off world right now." He hung his head. "Did you think I wouldn't stand up for you?"

"NO! I could never believe that of you! You have always stood by our decisions. Even the ones that you should have shot us down on. You have always been there for each of us. How could I ever believe that you wouldn't be there for me now?"

"Sam, you're safe here. I revoked Pete's clearance. He's not allowed on base. No matter what happens." Jack looked away from Sam.

"What did you say to him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know that look. The one that says 'I did something you won't like. And I'd do it again given the chance.' What did you say?"

"I told him that if I found out that he was harrassing you I wouldn't hesitate to beat the daylights out of him and it wouldn't matter because no one would even wonder where he had gone."

Sam giggled. Jack looked back at her. A giggle. That was a good sign. "What did I say about giggling, Colonel?

Smothering more giggles, Sam looked at Jack with a twinkle in her eye. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

He smiled at her. " I just want you to remember one thing, you're safe here. I promise you that."

She had a sad look again. "Promise?"

"I swear. As long as you're here, you're safe. I won't let him anywhere near you."

"Thank you, Jack."

Jack knew that he had to get the story out of her. He didn't want to but he knew it was necessary to help her get over it. "Carter." The tone of his voice told her the conversation was about to take a serious turn. "What happened? Why did he hit you?"

Sam hung her head. She hadn't wanted to tell Jack that the whole reason this had happened was that she had turned down Pete's attempts to get her to let him spend the night in her bed. "Please, sir. I --"

"I need to know. Just in case he decides to blow this thing out of porportion. I know it won't be easy. Hell, it wasn't easy for you to tell us about Jonas and that happened before you ever knew any of us."

"He hit me because I didn't want him to --" She couldn't. She just couldn't say it. She looked away from Jack. She couldn't stand to see the look on his face.

"Because you didn't want to have sex? You didn't want him to spend the night with you and so he hit you. You fell and hit your head and he took off."

"That appears to be the size of it, sir." She just couldn't look at him right now. She couldn't stand it if he thought she was a --

"Son of a bitch!" Jack stood up and started pacing the room. "I thought the guy was smarter than that. I mean, for cryin' out loud, he's a cop. They're the ones that tell everyone else that no means no. That a woman has the right to say no." He doubled up his fist and punched the wall with every bit of strength he had.

Sam had looked up when Jack had spouted off at first. But the sound of Jack's fist hitting the wall drew a look of stark terror to her blue eyes. When he grabbed his hand and starting cussing under his breath and calling himself stupid, she jumped into action. She took his hand in hers and ran her fingertips lightly over the bloody knuckles.

She grabbed the towel that hung by the sink and wet it down with warm water. Gently, Sam dabbed at the broken skin across Jack's hand. Jack was held spellbound for a moment. Suddenly, he placed two fingers under her chin and pulled her up to face him. Then, ever so gently, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

He looked into her eyes for some hint of what she was feeling. She looked rather dazed. He hadn't expected to do that and, judging by the look on her face, she hadn't been expecting it either. At least, she didn't seem upset by it.

"I have to go take care of a few things. I'll come back in about an hour to take you to dinner. Be ready."

"Yes, sir."

Jack left her room and she locked the door behind him, inwardly kicking herself for not saying something. The kiss had felt really nice.

Jack had already sat down and Sam was watching as Daniel helped Shey sit down at the same table with him. She didn't hear Talorn come up next to her.

Talorn cleared his throat, trying not to scare her. She turned to look at him. "Daniel seems very happy with his choice of dinner partners."

"Are you not happy with yours?"

"He's only looking out for me because that's his job. He doesn't think of me like that. Not anymore."

"Do not be so certain. I believe that his feelings are deeper than you believe. I have seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one else is watching. I saw the look in his eyes when he saw that you were unharmed in my village."

"Then why didn't he say anything when I told him that Pete had asked me to marry him? Why didn't he speak up then?"

"Maybe because he believed that this other man is the one you truly wanted. Maybe because he believes that you would tell him if you wanted to be with him."

"But that's the problem. We can't be together. There are too many rules about it. We aren't allowed unless one of us retires."

"Where there is a will, Colonel Carter, there is a way. Always there is a way."

With that, Talorn went to sit with the others, leaving Sam standing alone and watching them talk for a moment before she put down her tray and left the comissary.

Jack had been watching Sam out of the corner of his eye. He was surprised when she set her tray, untouched, on a nearby table and left the chow hall. Shey unerringly found his arm and lay her small hand on it.

"General O'Neill, you must help her. She believes you no longer care for her except as her commander."

"How could she think that? After everything we've been through together as a team and as friends, --"

"Jack, she's scared. She's finally admitting to herself how she feels about you, Pete and everything. She just doesn't know what to do."

Jack put his fork down and looked at his hands. "And I don't know how to help her."

A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Am I evil or what? Lots of fluff all around coming in future chapters. But Shey and Daniel will become a focal point soon. After all, the story is about them.