Ian didn't answer her. He was leaning slightly against the heavy bag, his left arm holding it so it wouldn't swing and his right hand paused in the action of punching the bag again. Sam was the last person he wanted to talk to just then. Actually, there was absolutely no one he wanted to talk to just then, because he knew that he'd just say something and fuck it up, which would just make them mad. Instead, he turned away from her, and took another swing at the heavy bag.

She wasn't at all hurt by his actions. She more or less understood that he didn't want to talk, but she knew that he had to, whether he liked it or not. He needed to understand things that he should have learned a long time ago, and simply hadn't.

"Jack told me what happened in the briefing…"

Ian scowled, and slammed his hand into the heavy bag again, and then again.

"Yeah?"

Of course he did. Everyone else knew he'd supposedly fucked up; why not share it with Sam, too? He supposed the next thing they'd do is put out some kind of memo and share it with the entire Air Force Academy. He hit the bag again, ignoring the ache in his hand.

Sam came around and stood on the other side of the bag, so he'd have to look at her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"What's to talk about Sam? Hammond's pissed at me and I'm stuck here for the night – probably the rest of my fucking life, the way things are looking."

He hit the bag again, but was careful not to allow it to swing into her with the force of the blow.

"General Hammond isn't mad at you, Ian…"

"Yes he is. You should have heard what he said; all this bullshit about how I should have gone to someone else and let them know about these guys coming up to me and talking to me about knowing about the-"

"You should have."

He scowled. Great. She was on their side. That was just fucking lovely. The one person on the entire base that he'd never thought would turn on him, and she was, too, now.

"Fine, I should have…" He slammed the bag again, and Sam reached out, taking the bag in both hands and pulling it away from him as well as she could.

"Ian… you're taking it way too personally."

"It's a reprimand, Sam," he told her, panting, and wiping the sweat out of his eyes. "How am I supposed to take it?"

"You're supposed to take it in the spirit it was given – as a learning tool."

He scowled again, but Sam could see that he honestly looked confused as well as angry, and she wondered what was going on in that brilliant mind of his. Moving between him and the bag so he'd stop swinging and pay attention to what she was saying, she reached out and pressed her palm against his chest, feeling his heart pounding through the sweat-soaked t-shirt he was wearing.

"The whole part of being a member of a team is to trust the other members of that team," she told him, her gaze locked on his own. "You're new to the whole concept of a team dynamic, Ian, and we all know that, but it's important that you understand… if something affects you, it affects the other members of the team – as you've found out today."

"I-"

She tapped his chest, interrupting him before he could interrupt her.

"If you had come to Jack – or me, or even Daniel or Teal'c – we would have known something was going on. While we might not have linked it with what happened to River, we still would have been aware that something was going on and we would have been able to be on the guard against it – or try to find out what was going on and who those people were before things got out of hand."

"So it's my fault?"

She could hear the bitterness in his voice, and shook her head, knowing that he wasn't getting it.

"All you did wrong, Ian, was not trust us enough to ask us for help."

"I trust you," he told her.

"You didn't come to me."

"You've got a million other things on your mind, Sam," he said. "Why should I add to it with something that I didn't think was all that big of a deal? Jack has just as much going on and-"

"You have more on your plate than any of us, Ian," Sam interrupted. "And I still come to you with questions about this new drive I'm working on, don't I?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because I don't mind helping you."

Sam smiled, and shook her head.

"You think I get annoyed when you ask me for help? I know Jack has never been irritated by a question or request for his time…"

Ian sighed, uncertain what to say. But Sam wasn't finished.

"Being a part of a team means you're allowed to ask for help. You don't have to do everything on your own, Ian. That's why we're here; to help you. Just like you're here to help us when we need it… understand?"

It was plain to her that he didn't quite understand, but she was pretty sure that if he had a chance to think things through he could probably figure it out on his own, now. The problem was that none of them had given him the seed to think on in the first place. They'd all just assumed he'd understood that, and it had been a mistake, because he was not a team player by nature, and there were things that he just couldn't know without being told. Continuously.

He shrugged, looking away from her, uncertain, and Sam pulled him into an impromptu hug, holding him for just a moment before letting him go and smiling at him.

"If I had a dollar for every reprimand that I've been given, I'd be rich."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"They're not the end of the world, Ian – and certainly not something to get so upset by. Next time someone approaches you and wants you to come talk to them about the Stargate or something else, you'll know to come and tell someone… right?"

He nodded, looking a little distracted, and Sam knew he was already thinking about what she'd told him. That was one of the things she liked most about him; he was always willing to think things through. Once he got over being mad.

"Good." She eyed him critically. "You'd better get a shower, young man. Or you're going to stiffen up and ache in the morning – and then Janet will have a reason for keeping you here."

Ian nodded again, flushing at the reminder of being stuck at the SGC still.

"I'll do that…"

"We're going to leave for the night, but we'll be back tomorrow… and Janet said she'd release all of you tomorrow. Maybe we can go do something as a group?"

"If you want…"

Sam smiled.

"I'd enjoy it. Go shower, and then get something to eat, and some sleep. You'll feel a lot better once you do."

He felt a little better already – although he didn't say it.

"Thanks, Sam…"

She reached out and touched his cheek, tenderly.

"You're welcome."