Spoilers: S7 - Orpheus (baby spoiler) Heroes

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: Oops forgot that last time, dopey me. This may come as a shock to some of you, but Stargate doesn't belong to me. It's sad, I know, but alas it's true.

AN: thanks everyone for your feedback, here's hope you're liking the story.

Chapter two - Lost Soul

The Stargate room bustled with activity; it was going to be their first mission since that fateful day when they had lost a good friend. Looking around the gate room, Jack brushed back his thinning grey hair with the palm of his hand. He knew that the first mission since they'd lost Janet was going to be difficult, he'd never pretended otherwise. This time though it seemed as if there were a sense of apprehension, something lurking behind the scenes that he couldn't put his finger on.

On all the missions and scrapes they'd gotten into in the past, they always had the assurance that Janet could put them back together again, no matter what state they had gotten themselves into. Now though they had to rely on a stranger if things went wrong. He knew deep down the person they'd recruited to replace the Doc would be okay, otherwise they wouldn't be here. But still, that sense of apprehension washed over him for a brief second.

"So?" The voice whispered softly so only Jack could hear.

Turning round to face the young man, he looked at him quizzical, uncertainty as to what the young archaeologist was asking flickered through his eyes. "What?"

"You know."

"I don't know, Daniel, which is why I asked 'what'."

"You know." Daniel hinted with his eyes flickering over his shoulder.

"Siler?"

"Do you practice being obtuse, or does it come naturally?"

"Daniel, it's 06.30, get to the point."

"Sam, you know…the talk you were going to have with her yesterday."

"Think back to Teal'c and getting his mojo back."

"Ah."

"Exactly. Can't you talk to her, you're good at that sort of thing." Jack stumbled lightly. Even talking like this with Daniel was making him feel uncomfortable, and he found himself shuffling his feet in silent protest.

"You're her CO." Daniel replied with slight conviction.

"Your point?"

After seeing Daniel raise his eyebrows in protest, Jack decided to back off, it really was his place to speak with her about it, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Good." Daniel finished with dramatic flair. "She's hidden herself in a corner ever since she got here. You can have a nice long talk with her on the way to P49 3XY."

"Don't push it, Daniel, 06.30 remember? I haven't even had coffee yet."

"And they say that I'm the caffeine addict around here."

Mumbling to himself, Jack sauntered in the complete opposite direction, he wasn't ready for anything this early in the morning, not these days. The recent injury seemed to have taken a lot out of him, and while it was usually his way to 'bounce back' to his old self…and he used the term loosely, this time was different. Not that he thought himself old, far from the contrary. His mind felt as active as it was 30 years ago, unfortunately his body didn't seem to be so co-operative.

Major Samantha Carter was tired, her whole body felt as if it had aged 20 years in the last few weeks. Her eyes once full of sparkle and vibrancy seemed vacant and lifeless. The last few weeks had caught up with her, and she felt as if her whole life was on a treadmill and she was playing catch-up. It wasn't just Cassie she had to help overcome her mother's death, it was everything else that accompanied it, all the financial affairs, Janet's wishes regarding her daughter, everything. With all the funeral arrangements and the mountain of paperwork she'd had to contend with, Sam now found herself at a loss. Everything seemed to have settled down and now it was just her and Cassie, both of them grieving in their own way, but each not sure how and when life would return to normality again…or that it ever would. They'd each lost family before, and people always said that time was a healer, but both of them knew that that wasn't the case. They both knew that in the end you just got used to the emptiness that was left behind.

Sam felt the presence of someone watching her; goose bumps caused the hairs on the back of her neck and arms to stand. She knew who that person was, but she couldn't face talking to him…not yet. The memories and feelings were too raw, the thought that she could've lost him as well had stirred up feelings within her that she'd thought she'd buried a long time ago…apparently she was wrong. His concern for her now was only exacerbating those feelings and until she had full control on her emotions, she didn't think she could cope with his kindness. She felt like an emotional time bomb ticking away waiting to explode, but she was damned if she were going to let him see her like that. So, ultimately she had to shut off her feelings, and all that was left was emptiness; a dark pit void of all feelings and emotions apart from a burning ember that was stored deep within her psyche bubbling under the surface.

"Carter."

His hand rested lightly on her shoulder, and she felt herself stiffen at his touch.

"Sir."

"You okay?"

"Fine."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not particularly…sir."

"We're due to ship out."

"I know. I'll be ready in 15." Sam answered mechanically.

"Good." Jack replied awkwardly. "Before you go…" Jack continued releasing his hand from her shoulder. "About yesterday, at the cemetery…"

She couldn't listen; she knew she'd break down once more. Now wasn't the time or place and with finality she said. "Excuse me, sir. I know you want to talk about it, but I don't. I'm fine. Now if I may be excused, I have to get ready, sir."

Jack nodded and affirmative then watched her walk out the gate room with purpose in her stride, then sighed with some resignation; well this was certainly going to be an unforgettable trip. Daniel would be hankering him to talk to Sam, Sam would continue to stonewall him for the duration of the mission and Teal'c, and well, at least he had him to count on if nothing else.

End of Part 2