Thanks to all your reviews guys. I needed the encouragement. I'm really sorry for the delay, my muse decided to take a hike and left me high and dry. Hopefully, I'm back on track now.
Special thanks to: Sci Fi Fan Gillian; Stargate-fan; Natters; Froggy0319. Thanks for being so patient, hope you enjoy this chapter too.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD.
By LetitiaRichards
Previously:
"Will someone please pinch me, 'cos I think I'm having a nightmare!" Daniel said weekly. Was he still asleep or had he woken this morning in an alternate universe? 'This can't be real. It can't be happening,' he sighed miserably to himself.
"Yeah. Pinch me too while you're at it," Jack grumbled.
Chapter 6
The door to her room burst open, startling Sam from her sleep. She was dirty, tired, hungry, thirsty and her headache hadn't cleared at all, which she believed was due to a lack of sustenance. She jerked awake, swinging her legs to the floor and sitting up before the young man had entered the room proper. She didn't know who he was; his face was always carefully masked.
She could see he was angry though; he was actually snarling with rage.
"We should have known you and lover boy would get round the regulations somehow Major," he spat furiously. "Why didn't you tell me?" he screamed.
Instead of the food she'd hoped he was bringing, he only carried a scrunched up newspaper, which he flung disgustedly at her before stalking from the room and slamming the door shut behind him. Sam listened to the lock being turned before picking up the paper to look for a clue as to what he was talking about, because she had no idea at all what he'd meant.
She glanced carefully through the pages searching for anything that meant something to her. Then she saw it; the article that had obviously incensed him. On reading it, she began to put the pieces together.
U.S.A.F. OFFICERS CELEBRATE ENGAGEMENT The headline ran.
Sam read on, her eyebrows reaching the sky while her heart quickened in anxiety with each word she read.
Retired U.S.A.F General, Jacob Carter of Colorado Springs, has announced the engagement of his only daughter the Major Samantha Carter PhD, to former Colonel, John J (Jack) O'Neill also of Colorado Springs. Both officers had served with the U.S.A.F. until Colonel O'Neill's resignation from the service was accepted earlier this month after being wounded in the line of duty. The couple plan for a Spring wedding.
'Holy Hannah!' she gasped in disbelief.
A thousand questions bubbled up inside her brain. She just didn't know what to think. That Jack had resigned, being the worst shocker. The fact that now he was no longer her CO coming a close second. Then there was the fact that her father had been the one to announce her engagement to Jack had taken a lowly third place. Each was totally stupefying in the extreme. She could hardly believe it. She was really going to marry Jack? Since when? He hadn't even consulted her yet! Not that she minded in the least; it was a dream come true. All she needed now was to be released or for Jack to come find her and rescue her.
Jack.
Her knight in shining armour.
That's when she recalled him being hurt quite badly.
'Oh dear god, Jack!'
It poured cold water onto the images playing in her mind, and like the wicked witch of the west, her happiness dissolved around her. Was Jack really okay? Had he really resigned? Because if he had done so, according to the paper, why hadn't he told her? Or even asked her for that matter? Maybe it had something to do with her kidnapping. Was General Hammond onto something? One thing she did know...that she had to play along with the ploy to the best of her ability to convince this guy he was barking up the wrong tree.
OoOoOoOoO
"Doc! I'm fine!" Jack snapped and flinched away from Janet's poking with a wince that, unfortunately for him, Janet didn't miss.
"Let me be the judge of that sir," she argued. The man really was infuriatingly impossible when he was sick in her infirmary. She prayed for patience…in fact she prayed for any other patients except Jack O'Neill! Respect for the officer won out in the end after all he'd been put through so she kept a tight rein on her temper. He was sooo not gonna make her lose it.
"Doc!" he whined. "Please. I'm just a little sore, but I'm okay," his sour mood relented a fraction with resignation, knowing she was just doing her job.
The truth was he was frustrated with sitting around waiting for news for the past two days when he wanted to be out there looking for his Sam. He could call her that now. Officially she was his; well his fiancé, even if it was only temporary; it felt good to call her that and it was a pity she wasn't around to act out her part in the… but then they wouldn't be in this in the first place. Thinking about it brought back the pain of her situation again, making his heart ache.
He wondered if she had seen the announcement in the papers. It was clear that the kidnapper had seen it, because he hadn't made contact with any of them since the first note appeared. So what was happening with Sam now? He could only sit there and hope to god that she was still alive. If he couldn't leave this bed and do something about finding her soon he felt as if he was going to burst at the seams, or erupt like Vesuvius, and god help those who stood in his way.
"Sorry Colonel. Another day at least."
"What? Aw c'mon Doc!" he wheedled; he wasn't above pleading or begging to be released. Anything, so he could go after Sam.
Janet placed her hands on her hips, pursed her lips and gave him her best 'Wanna try my patience, because I'll get my really big needles out?' and he backed down, falling silent with a long drawn out sigh, knowing he'd pushed her a little too far.
"Okay. Now, Colonel...we'll see how you go tomorrow, but I'm not making any promises. And then you will be confined to your house. No driving, no beer and no junk food."
Jack opened his mouth to say something but one look at Fraiser's face and he stalled, shutting his mouth with a frustrated snap.
Jack could almost see metaphorically dusting her hands off after winning her battle before walking away with a smug grin of determination on her face.
He settled in for another boring day stuck in an infirmary bed.
A few hours later an SF walked up to him, just as he was dozing off through sheer boredom and stood by his bed, snapping off a smart salute.
"Airman?"
"This came for you just now Colonel!" he said, holding out a plain white envelope.
Jack sat up awkwardly, still wary of pulling his stitches, and took it from him, waving a half-hearted salute of dismissal back at the young man. He studied the envelope, noting there was no post mark so it had obviously been hand delivered. There was no return address and no other identifying marks.
He tore it open with trembling fingers, getting the overwhelming feeling that it had everything to do with Sam.
He yanked the folded sheet of paper from its depths, unfolded it and read the few words.
He read it several times in fact, slowly digesting the message pasted with odd words cut from the newspapers upon the page.
O'Neill, if you want the fair Samantha back, meet me tonight at 22:00 at the rear of the derelict apartment block on the right of 94 about two miles east of Marksheffel. And come alone flyboy!
Jack was determined to go to her; he had to get her back, but the note said he had to go alone.
Janet wasn't about to let him leave the infirmary yet, let alone go on a covert mission, so he would have to use his skills from his Black Ops days, and sneak out. He knew that he would get a right royal rollicking from Hammond and Janet for going AWOL but he had to get her back. He made himself lie there looking nonchalant while he made plans for the evening. His career meant nothing, but Sam was everything to him. He'd risk his whole being, just for her.
The afternoon dragged on slowly.
Daniel had popped in for a few minutes, before muttering that he wanted to get back to his office because there was something interesting waiting for his attention, which left Jack grumpy and snapping as to why the archaeologist had bothered, when he obviously had something better to do than waste time visiting him.
Daniel sighed but took it all in his stride because he knew Jack, and knew that he was thoroughly bored and frustrated. They all were while they were waiting to hear about Sam, but Daniel understood about Jack's feelings of inadequacy and how they must have been ten times worse being stuck in the infirmary.
Daniel had totally misunderstood Jack's grumbling which Jack was rather pleased by. He had wanted to be rid of the man so that he could get his plan into operation. He'd managed to coax Janet into giving him some sweats to wear rather than the scrubs he was in. At least he wouldn't look odd when he made his escape.
The clock ticked on laboriously. Minute followed minute until it was time. He feigned tiredness and curled up to go to sleep, knowing that the staff would allow him some rest. The room was empty except for him, and he rose, slipping from the bed silently then hurried from the room, heading towards the locker room where he just hoped he didn't bump into anyone that knew where he was supposed to be.
Having been lucky so far, he headed for the stairs, keeping away from the elevators in the hope of avoiding Janet. He took his personal weapon from his locker and tucked it at the back of his belt. Now he was ready to take on the world.
He made it to his truck and drove away from the base with a sense of freedom and determination.
He was going to get Sam back, come hell or high water. Nothing would stop him.
He didn't notice the car that followed with three occupants.
TBC