Good luck and God Speed
Part 5
A/N: Thanks for the wonderful feedback its working Froggie thanks for the heads up on the fic and sarah hope you enjoy the next part.
Its going to get angsty so you have been warned. Okay on with the show!
I woke up to find myself back in the infirmary. Janet was there next to Daniel who had fallen asleep. She was caressing his check and brushing away the hair on his forehead.
I was going to speak when Sam stirred. Janet jumped back when Daniel grasped Sam's hand and called out to her.
Sam woke up slowly and tried to get her bearings. She looked around the infirmary. She was looking for me.
"Sam are you okay? God I was so worried about you. Ah Sam what are you looking for?" Daniel asked.
She sat up and squeezed Daniel's hand.
"Daniel I know how to get him out of stasis. He told me. Daniel he's coming home."
Daniel was stunned and speechless. Janet looked at me and smiled and I pulled her into a hug.
"You did it Jack you found a way to get your behind back home. Oh I'm so proud of you!"
Daniel was still not responding and Sam got off the bed pulled off her IV's, went to the phone and called General Hammond to please come down to the infirmary.
Janet started to ask me questions about how we had found my way out. I wasn't paying attention. I was just following Sam back to the bed, trying to seek me out. Daniel had finally gotten his voice back and started to ask question after question.
She was going to get me home it would be a matter of hours less then a day that I would be among the living once more.
General Hammond appeared, as did Teal'c and the doctor.
Daniel grabbed Sam's hand and whispered to her.
"Sam how could you have figured it out we have gone through that whole cavern and we haven't found anything to indicate that the key is there."
I went to stand next to Sam, she closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her lips and whispered my name. She could feel me close by. I caressed her face.
She smiled and turned to them. She took a deep breath and asked them if they trusted her?
They all nodded yes.
She started to explain how she had gotten the answer of unlocking me from stasis. She told them about feeling me in the gate room. Seeing me in the infirmary and actually speaking to me in her mind.
The doctor thought she was nuts and advised them to send her to the nearest mental institution since she had lost all touch with reality.
"Major Carter is living in a fantasy and you are all contributing to this, I am concerned for her mental state and I will not be responsible."
I was so going to kick his ass when I got back to the land of the breathing. I couldn't wait to walk into the room and ask him who was crazy and that he was a sorry excuse for a doctor.
Daniel stood up for her. He said no she was not nuts.
That she would not lie about my life if she had said she had seen me then it was true. Teal'c defended her also and claimed to have felt my presence earlier but did not want to give the rest of his friends hope.
Janet came close to me and we held our breath it was all up to the general.
They all turned to General Hammond.
I whispered, "Come on George, Carter never lied to you why would she start now? I wish I could appear so she wouldn't have to face this alone."
"Have faith in our family Jack. They will come through we've believed weirder things."
The General took Sam's hand and spoke.
"Major Carter you're telling me that you have been in contact with Colonel O'Neill and he told you how to get him out of stasis?"
Sam nodded yes. "I know how to get him back home sir. Please let me go to Antarctica. If I'm wrong you can relieve me of duty and I'll go get help for talking to imaginary colonels."
The doctor objected again saying she was in no condition to travel that the strain of not finding the answers might push her over the edge.
Daniel said he would go with her and Teal'c said he would make sure she would not step close to any ledges so she would not go over.
I chuckled T had a way of interpreting words.
"Well sir do we have a go?" Sam asked.
General Hammond turned to the doctor.
"Doctor I understand your concern and I will note it down that you were against Major Carter going. SG1 you definitely have a go bring back the colonel it's been too quiet around here."
I let out a whoop and twirled Janet around.
"I'm going home. Thanks doc I couldn't do this with out you."
We watched as Daniel helped Sam off the bed and Teal'c led them to the commissary. He was making sure they ate before going. Sam said she was not hungry but Teal'c said he would call General Hammond and call the whole thing off.
Sam rolled her eyes and muttered "yes dad".
"SamanthaCarter I am not your father. Your father is JacobCarter host to Selmac. DanielJackson is it wise for Major Carter to accompany us on this mission she thinks I am her father."
Sam started to laugh, as did Daniel. Everyone turned to watch them try to catch their breath and fail miserably. Teal'c raised an eyebrow and Daniel finally calmed down enough to explain to Teal'c why they were laughing.
I smiled it was good to see her laugh. All the tension on her face was gone and her smile was back. She still looked tired but she had her spark back.
General Hammond came to find them and informed them that their transportation would be leaving within the hour. Sam got up and Teal'c nodded his head no. She sat back down finished her soup and showed him the empty bowl.
"I'm going to go get my stuff and I'll meet you by the elevator in 10 minutes."
Daniel said he wanted to get his camera and stuff and Teal'c said he would be waiting by the elevator.
I followed Sam to her lab. She walked in and closed the door. She leaned on it and whispered, "You're almost home Jack just a little longer and you'll be back with me. I was so scared that they wouldn't believe me and I would have had to hijack the ship. Hold on sweetheart I'm coming to bring you home."
I wanted to hold her so badly but I could wait. We had our whole lives in front of us.
She gathered her laptop and her jacket. She turned off the lights and ran to the elevator.
Daniel was already there and they filed into the elevator. I was her shadow never letting her out of my sight. I could see her looking around to see if she could see me. Daniel caught her eye and asked.
"Sam is Jack here with us now?"
"I don't know Daniel I can only see him when I'm unconscious but he's well and just wants to come home."
"Indeed O'Neill must dislike not being able to leave that ice prison but we will free him and we will have our friend and brother back to fight another day."
Sam smiled and agreed.
"Yeah I miss him more then words could say and I want to apologize to both of you for not letting you help me with my problems and grief. I'm sorry guys but I didn't know how to deal with his loss."
Daniel pulled her into his arms and said that he was sorry for not noticing how much losing me had affected her.
"We need him so much. Not just us but the whole base. Like he says no one gets left behind and we're finally bringing him home Sam and its all thanks to him. Leave it to Jack to rescue him self."
I was overwhelmed with what was said about me. They were my family and I had thought I was not needed. How wrong I was. I would make sure I let each one of them know how important they were in my life. That would be the first thing I would do.
They arrived at the site and were greeted by Dr. Weir. She was surprised to see Carter thinking the doctor would not allow her to come along. Carter said she had the key to unlocking me from my deep freeze. She was ecstatic and called them over to a table to hear the details. I listened into what was being said and realized someone was missing.
Where was Janet?
I looked around. She was with me on the base and when we boarded the plane but was gone now. I closed my eyes but could not feel her. She wouldn't have left me. Would she now that I was almost home?
I was going to go look for her when she appeared next to me.
I asked her where she had been.
She looked like she had been crying. I pulled her away from the others and wiped away her tears.
"Doc what's wrong? I thought you wanted me to get back home? I'll miss you. Hell we all miss you but you helped me get back to our family and I'll never forget this. I'll tell Daniel that you are always close by, Cassie that you are her guardian angel and everyone else that you helped me get home."
The pain in her eyes was unbearable. I grabbed her and asked her to please talk to me.
"Jack I'm happy you're going home but there's one draw back that I was just told about. Jack once you're out of stasis you will not remember anything you have heard, seen or done. You won't have any memories of me or of how you got out of this mess. It will be wiped cleaned."
I closed my eyes and nodded my head no. I couldn't forget, it would kill Sam knowing I would not remember what we had shared in her mind. The feel of her lips on my skin, the caresses we shared or her lips on mine. The whispered promised we made when we finally came together as one. All would be gone.
I let her go and said it wasn't going to happen.
Janet looked devastated and nodded her head.
"I'm sorry Jack it has to be this way or you can't go back."
I wanted to hit something, I screamed no and Janet just hung her head and whispered sorry.
"Janet, I can't go back and not remember anything. This will destroy her you don't understand. I need to remember I don't want to forget what we shared and if I go back with out any knowledge of what happened between us… Janet we made promises. We…"
Janet pulled and turned me around.
"What exactly happen between you two? Jack I thought you just showed her how to get you out of stasis? Why do I have a feeling you two finally confessed what you've both been fighting all these years?"
My head dropped to my chest. This wasn't happening. I was going home but with no memory of what had happened between Sam and myself.
This would destroy her. Sam's mental state would not survive this blow. It would send her over the edge and even with Teal'c there to catch her it was not going to help.
Janet took my hand and asked me again what had happened in Sam's mind. She held back her cries and listened to my confession and she understood my pain.
She shook her head and muttered it was unfair.
I pleaded with Janet.
"I've got to warn her I can't let her get me out of stasis until she knows what's going to happen. Janet help me get a message to her. I can't let her think that I don't remember what we shared. This will break her."
"I'm sorry Jack there's nothing else I can do. I wish I could but the only way you can communicate with her is through her subconscious and she is not going to go to sleep any time soon. She wants you home and look they're getting ready to go to the cavern. We're too late. Believe me Jack if I could I would change this but I have no power to."
I watched them get into the elevator that would take them down to the chamber I ran and yelled at Sam to listen to me. I begged and pleaded for her to hear me but she was speaking to Daniel and telling him it wouldn't be long that I would be back with them and things would be better for everyone.
I bit back the moan that wanted to escape. How was I going to stop this from happening? I'd rather stay in stasis then break her heart.
The elevator stopped and they got off. I watched her go directly to the wall opposite me. Daniel and Dr. Weir followed her and Teal'c went to stand by me.
She started to feel for the button that would release the panel from the wall.
Janet took my hand and I pleaded with her to stop her from releasing me. She said there was nothing she could do and said she was sorry.
The panel open and she smiled at Daniel. Daniel started to read the board but Sam knew which buttons to push.
I couldn't stop this from happening. I screamed at the top of my lungs and punched the wall and cursed the unseen gods for doing this to me and Sam.
I stood next to her and she whispered, "sweetheart you're almost home."
I walked away I couldn't bear knowing what she would be going through once I was freed. I moved over to my frozen self and prayed for a malfunction or anything that would stop me from defrosting. I fought back the tears while looking at myself. Looking at the Jack that would wake from this dream into a nightmare and to be witness to the destruction of the woman he loved.
I had to remember I had to if not I would annihilate the only thing that meant more to me then life itself.
The pod lit up. I turned to see her turning the final knob that would release me from my frozen sleep.
Janet came next to me and said she was being called back since her job was done.
I turned to her and could not hide the tears that threatened to fall. She gathered me into her arms and apologized again.
"This was not the way I wanted to leave this Jack. Please believe me if I could I would do something to stop this from happening."
She let go and looked into my eyes.
"Have faith that this will all work out. Trust your heart it holds all the answers. I will be here for all of you. Take care of our family I'll be watching."
I start to feel myself being pulled away. I turned to her and kissed her cheek and thanked her.
"Janet if you can help me when I get back I'll appreciate anything. Please think of Sam she will need all of us."
She nodded yes and whispered Good Luck & God Speed before disappearing.
I turned to see Sam walk next to the pod it was starting to thaw. I was coming home with no memory of our time together.
I kissed her cheek and whispered I was sorry before fading away.
