Author's Notes: Thank you for your reviews. I have to admit that I'm amazed at the number of reviews I have received for the first part of this story. I appreciate every single one of them.


The storm outside had finally stopped raging, Jack noticed, as he stood at his bedroom window dressed only in his boxers and staring out at the darkness. He'd just had the most incredible experience with Sam Carter and the guilt building up in him was overwhelming. He was in big trouble and he couldn't even begin to straighten out his thoughts on how he was going to fix the mess he had let himself be dragged into.

Sam stirred and Jack turned toward the bed to see if she was awake. Her breathing told him that she was still asleep and he found himself staring at her, the sheet barely covering the more interesting parts. He turned back toward the window to keep his mind from dwelling on those "interesting parts".

It was Sam's mind he needed to think about. He thought back on the events of the evening before, when he'd first noticed her standing under the tree in his neighbor's yard, staring at his house. He had waited for her to come over, but decided to wait for her to make her move when she didn't. He had gone about his business, getting up every once in awhile to check on her, before finally deciding to make contact with her when the rain made its appearance. He really got worried when she wouldn't respond to his questions, just stood there staring at him. The concern turned to fear when he realized that she was ranting at him one minute, happy the next, than back to ranting. It had his head swimming trying to keep up with her moods.

He turned back to the bed, debating if he should get back into it. Sam sighed and opened her eyes, then smiled at him as she stretched. "Jack," she said in a voice that had him thinking about those "interesting parts" again. "Regrets?" she asked, the velvety tones of the voice she'd used to say his name were now replaced with a trace of anger.

"No," he said warily, wondering whether she was angry or happy. Women were hard to understand at the best of times, he didn't think he was up to dealing with rapidly changing mood swings at this hour of the night. "Sam," he said quietly, coming to sit down on the bed. "Did you eat or drink anything on that planet? Anything that would explain your behavior?" Yep, he thought, it was definitely anger.

"Just because I have finally decided to come clean with my feelings for you, you automatically think I'm under some kind of alien influence," she growled at him. "Typical male response."

"I think my first clue was when you started waving a gun at me," Jack said, trying to reason with her. "Come on Carter, don't you see it? I mean you stand out in my yard for hours at a time, come in here pointing a gun at me, accusing me of kissing some woman and to top it all off, I'm having a hard time keeping up with your mood swings. I don't know about you, but in my book all that stuff means there is definitely something wrong here."

"There's nothing wrong with me," she insisted. "And I saw you with her, you can't deny it. You profess your love for me, then turn around and make out with the first woman you find."

"There is no other woman," he growled. "Come on. We are going to pay a little visit with the Doc at SGC and that's an order Carter. Don't even think of disobeying it." With that said, he got up off the bed and grabbed his pants from where they had been carelessly dropped.

"You expect me to be the good little Colonel after the night we've just had?" she asked incredulously. "I don't think so, Jack. Come back to bed. We can go in the morning."

"We're going now Carter," he said as he pulled the pants on. "Move it Colonel."

"No sir," she said, her eyes blazing as she stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. "You want me to go with you, you come and get me."

That clinched it. He was definitely dealing with a bad case of "alien flu". Carter would never have dared to defy him like this. Ever. He didn't go get her though, afraid that if he got anywhere near her in her current state of undress he may just find himself taking a shot at having another incredible experience with his former second in command. He could call someone to come and get them, but he was in enough trouble as it was. He didn't think having others finding her in his bed would make things any easier. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before turning toward her. "Please?" he asked, hoping that begging was the key to getting his way.

"Come and get me," she said, her voice had softened considerably and Jack knew she was on the rebound, no longer angry. He decided to just bite the bullet and get this over with. He grabbed her shirt off of the floor and took it over to the bed, intending to force her to put it on. She didn't move, just stared at him, and he sighed knowing that this was going to be a lot more difficult than he thought.

He sat down on the bed, holding the shirt out to her. She grinned at him, but still didn't move. "Put it on Carter," he snarled at her. Nothing happened. She continued to grin at him while at the same time staring at him, daring him to touch her. "Carter," he growled. "In a few minutes, I will be calling for a driver to come and pick us up. Do you want that driver to find you here in your birthday suit?"

"You won't call," she said smugly. "Come back to bed. We'll go see the Doctor in the morning. In the meantime, we need to do something to make you forget about that bitch you had your arms around this morning. Or was it yesterday morning?"

"There was no woman, Carter," Jack said once again. He was getting tired of repeating himself. He took the shirt and tried to pull it over her head. He didn't get too far with his efforts and it wasn't long before he decided he really didn't want to leave right then after all.


Jack had plenty of time to assess the situation of the time spent in Carter's arms. She had collapsed on him at breakfast, right in the middle of her ranting at him about the toast being burned. It scared him half to death, although he should have expected it. He thought about his predicament as he waited for the medics from Cheyenne Mountain to show up, during the ride in the back of the ambulance and in the infirmary itself, as the staff went to work to find out what was wrong. He spent his time trying to figure out what he should do about it, all the while worrying about Carter's condition.

A half hour after he arrived at the infirmary, he got a call from a local hospital telling him that one Daniel Jackson had been brought there after he had collapsed in a diner. Jack dragged himself away from Carter's side only long enough to move heaven and earth to have Daniel transferred to the infirmary, all the while trying hard not to think about what the non-military doctors might find during any tests they may have performed on the Archeologist.

He found Teal'c sitting on the bed next to Carter's when he got back to her room. A nurse was taking a blood sample and Jack grimaced before turning away to check on Carter. She was still asleep, a serene look on her face.

"Will Daniel Jackson be arriving soon?" Teal'c asked.

Jack turned toward his friend, giving him a nod while at the same time watching him for any signs of the illness that had affected his teammates. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I am not experiencing any of the symptoms that have plagued Colonel Carter," Teal'c announced. "There is nothing wrong with me."

"That's what Carter said," Jack replied wearily. He wondered if life would ever be normal for him. "You may not be aware of any changes."

"That may be," Teal'c said, then sighed heavily as the doctor came to shine a light into his eyes. Jack had to grin at that. Looking at that damned light was an occupational hazard, something that couldn't be avoided no matter how much they grumbled about it.

"Any ideas about what's wrong with Carter?" Jack asked the doctor.

"There was nothing in the initial blood work taken when she returned from her last mission and I am still waiting for the results of the tests we've run this morning. I won't have an answer for you until I get the results back for all three members of SG-1 sir," she replied.

"There may have been something in the beverage Colonel Carter and Daniel Jackson drank during the evening meal on P3C-476," Teal'c spoke up. "I did not partake of it."

"What was it?" Jack asked. This wouldn't be the first time someone became ill after ingesting alien food and drink. His own experiences attested to that fact.

"It was made from a fruit called a grolote. According to Daniel Jackson, it is similar to what the Tau'ri call a peach. Colonel Carter was pleased with the flavor and drank quite a bit of it."

"That would explain why Teal'c hasn't had any of the symptoms," Doctor Brightman said. "Is there some way we could get a sample of the drink or a piece of the fruit?"

"I will go back to the planet to procure these items for you," Teal'c said.

"Make sure you come right back," Jack agreed. "I want you here if you start having any of the symptoms. Don't make me have to track you down Teal'c."

"There will be no need," Teal'c said with a grin. "I will return as soon as possible."

"See that you do," Jack said to get the last word in. He went over to the chair he had set next to Carter's bed and sat down to begin his vigil.