Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. It's really nice to know someone's reading. And to those of you reading but hiding behind your computer screens (it's ok, I do it too, sometimes), I hope you're enjoying the fic. Hang in there, guys, final chapter should be up sometime this week.
NOTE: Rating Change for next Chapter! Don't miss the finale.
and now on with the story...
Tangled Web 20 Return to Sanctuary
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months as Sam and Daniel recovered and returned to work. Teal'c remained by O'Neill's side, as did Sam, until she began to feel totally useless, more of a hindrance to Jack, than help. So she returned to her duties at the SGC and threw herself into her work. Jack seemed to be almost normal again, but Dr. Summers had insisted on another month's recovery before she would allow him to resume command. Sam visited him everyday though, spending a little time with Jack and allowing Teal'c a break, then returning home at night.
General Hammond was running the SGC in Jack's absence. He kept a close eye on Sam and limited her missions to standard surveillance on planets that had already been secured. Even then, he always sent other SG teams along as backup. She had lost weight, there were dark circles under her eyes and she always seemed tired, totally out of character from the confident, energetic Colonel he was used to. He learned from Teal'c that she was still plagued by nightmares and although Teal'c refused to elaborate on the exact content, he could guess their subject.
He also noticed that she tended to drift away during briefings, her eyes glazing over and a distressed mood falling over her as she sat quietly next to him. Finally, after one such briefing, he called her into his office.
"Colonel, I want you to take some time off. Go home, go on a vacation, visit your brother…whatever you need to do to get back to one hundred percent."
"But I'm fine, Sir."
"You're not yourself, Colonel. God knows you've been through a lot and I think you've just returned to work too soon. I can't allow you to go off world until I see some marked improvement."
"Dr. Summers cleared me weeks ago, Sir. I'm fine, really. I can do my job."
Hammond looked down as his desk in exasperation. "I think you've been around O'Neill too long, Sam, you're beginning to sound like him. You're not fine, not yet anyway. Take some time, work through this…the Air Force will be here when you get back. Go do something you enjoy, something that makes you happy…visit old friends, whatever it takes. And we'll be here if you need anything."
"General, I'd rather not…I've got a lot of work to do…and General O'Neill and Daniel are still recovering."
"They're both fine, Colonel but I understand your concerns. What you do is entirely up to you as long as it doesn't involve working for the SGC; it's your time, Sam. Do what you need to do, make the most of it."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you." She answered reluctantly and then walked out of Hammond's office in frustration. Work was the only thing that had been keeping her sane lately and now she had to leave. She walked to her lab and gathered a few things to work on while she was away, then changed into her street clothes and made her way to the top of the mountain.
There was a light snow falling as she stowed her files and laptop in the car truck, then got behind the wheel and drove away.
She'd stopped by to see Daniel before leaving and he told her that he wouldn't be cleared for gate travel for at least another month, but would be working on base until then and Teal'c would be staying with Jack for a few more days. She felt that she was letting her team down and apologized to Daniel, but he brushed her apology aside and said that he agreed with Hammond. "Just give yourself time, Sam. Try to have some fun." he'd encouraged her, "Go see Jack. You two are always better when you're together."
She smiled as she remembered the sincere words of her friend, regretting again that she had ever let Pete come between them and, despite her attempts to protect them, almost destroy them all.
She was home in less than an hour and dumped her things on the couch. She opened the refrigerator, more out of habit than hunger and finally deciding on just a cup of tea, moved across the room to the stove. After pouring a cup of the soothing liquid she walked back into the living room and turned on the television set.
She curled up on her sofa pulling a warm afghan around her and sipped her tea while the television played in the background. She glanced out the window and watched as the landscape turn into a sparkling dreamscape, decorated glamorously with the glistening snow as it drifted lazily to earth.
Sam allowed time to warp around her, bending and turning as memories randomly surfaced behind unfocused, deep blue eyes and she examined childhood memories of her family and friends; her highly successful Academy days and all the years she'd spent as a member of SG1, the premiere team of Stargate Command. She began to realize that she'd spent a lot of lonely years, not that they were unhappy, just solitary for the most part.
Until she'd joined SG1 her life had been all about her work, it had devoured all her energy and passion, as she strived to be the best and to be accepted as an equal by her male counterparts, albeit the best and most qualified 'equal' among them. Jack had changed all that; well at least he'd tried to change it. She had resisted, afraid to face the consequences that the recognition of such untested emotions might bring, choosing instead to remain in her military persona, willing to risk her life, but not her heart.
He had awakened in her the possibilities of a personal life, romantic relationships and just plain fun beyond the boundaries of work. As the years passed she yearned for that kind of closeness but they both knew it was out of the question for them as long as they remained in the military and that had led her to Pete.
Her cup sat beside her on the table now, cold and abandoned as she watched the lazily falling snow dressing the trees in soft white trimmings and slowly covering the earth in a cool, thick blanket. Her hand draped loosely over the arm of the sofa and her head rested calmly against its' back; her body relaxing as sleep crept over her and her brain continued to process her last conscious thoughts.
Someone grabbed hold of her and suddenly she was back in Jack's house, looking into Pete's wild eyes as Jack stepped around the corner, gun drawn, ready to fire. She jerked as the sound of the shots burst into the room, watched Pete's disbelieving eyes as he started to fall away from her and gasped as she again felt the pain of the bullet entering her chest. Then Jack was beside her, talking to her, yelling...then another shot and he was slipping away.
She awoke screaming and sweating as her mind's eye saw Jack fall beside her. She quickly looked around her, eyes wide, heart racing, totally disoriented from the dream and the darkness that surrounded her. Slowly she realized that it was a dream; that she was in her own house and thanks to Jack, they had all survived. She turned on the lamp beside her, attempting to chase away the last of the nightmare and rose to her feet. Without hesitation, she packed a bag, picked up her purse and headed out the door, focused solely on getting to Jack.
Ten minutes later she was knocking on his door, shivering from the cold and the lingering threads of nightmare, as she waited for him to answer. When there was no answer, she knocked again and almost immediately the porch light flickered to life. The door swung open to reveal one very sleepy General, with Teal'c standing just behind him.
"Carter? What the hell…what's going on?" His voice was a mixture of confusion and concern as he stared at her, his mind slowly taking in her shivering form and troubled eyes. She didn't respond and he realized that she was on the verge of tears, her lips quivering. He'd seen that look in her eyes once before…when Janet had been killed and he'd been injured. She had come to him then with the same despair filled eyes and told him how glad she was that he was alive. Suddenly she stepped through the doorway and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his shoulder and hugging him tightly. After a moment of surprise he pushed the door closed and surrounded her with his embrace, feeling the subtle jerks of her shoulders as she held onto him tightly. Jack raised a hand and glancing up at Teal'c motioned him away. "I got this, T, go back to bed." Teal'c nodded and turned down the hallway, returning to the guest room.
Jack rubbed soothing strokes up and down Sam's back with his strong, gentle hands and held her close waiting patiently for her soft sobbing to subside. "It's ok, Sam. We're alive." Each time he tried to pull away, she held on tighter, reluctant to relinquish the comfort of his embrace. Finally, he gently pried her away from him, grasped her hand in his, interlocking their fingers and led her down the hallway to his bedroom. She followed him willingly and when he stopped beside his bed, she slipped off her jeans and slid in silently beneath the covers. He stood for a moment looking into her tear streaked face and then slipped in next to her, pulling her close and whispering softly. "Shhh, it's ok. Everything's going to be all right."
He didn't question her; just held her close against him and let her cry until she had no more tears. His hands slid beneath her tee shirt and softly stoked her naked skin, the warmth of his hands comforting her, as the sobs that reverberated through her body slowly died away. In a tender caress his hand slid down her back along the curve of her hip and to the back of her thigh, pulling it up and over his hip while pressing his own leg upwards until it stopped against her body. She released a small involuntary gasp as he pulled her closer against him. His lips placed soft, sensual kisses on her hair and neck as she snuggled against him, his gentle touch finally lulling her into peaceful sleep.
Jack absorbed her pain. He felt it physically permeate him as he held her close. His mind unconsciously replacing her exhaustion and sadness with his own strength through the touch of his hands, he smiled as she finally relaxed against him, vaguely remembering Bra'tac responding to his touch in the same positive way when his mind had held all the Ancient's knowledge.
He allowed himself to remember the chamber, the loneliness and cold that he'd never completely left behind. After months of being frozen in Antarctica, Thor had saved him. In some techno-magic that Jack couldn't begin to understand Thor had filtered him though the ship's computer and returned him, minus the Ancient's knowledge, to his own body. It wasn't until much later that he realized he had retained some of that knowledge and he hadn't shared that bit of information with anyone; only he and Thor were the wiser.
He didn't understand it, probably never would and couldn't really control it but if it helped Sam then he was glad. He knew that it was tied to his emotions somehow and the strong feelings that he'd harbored for her over the years seemed to enhance it. He could feel her sadness washing over him like a gentle shower. It was as if a part of her had seeped into the pores of his skin and colored his soul. As he held her and waited for the feeling to fade away, as he knew it would, he watched her sleep and wished they could stay in this moment forever.
Sam awoke to the unexpected, pleasant sensation of a masculine hand gently brushing the hair out of her face. Years of off world travel and assessing dangerous situations kept her eyes closed although her instinct was to immediately open them. He'd know she was awake soon enough anyway, so she kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the feel of his fingers against her skin.
"Sam?"
'Damn, she thought, that didn't take long.'
"Sa..am?"
She couldn't stop the small smile that teased her lips, but she still remained silent. Suddenly his long fingers were pressing into her ribcage, tickling her lightly. "Ooooh, no, don't! Jack!"
He stopped the moment her eyes opened and she was looking into his smiling face. There was just a trace of his CO attitude as he spoke. "Morning, Colonel. You calling in sick today?"
"Un uh…no."
"Well, you'd better get up then or you'll be late." His lips were turned up in a lopsided grin as he leaned on his fisted hand and stared down at her. "Or...I could tickle you some more." He moved a hand closer to her and she caught it in her own.
"No! Please, Jack, I'm still half asleep!"
"Better move your ass, Carter. You know how Hammond gets when you're late."
"I'm not going in, he pulled an 'O'Neill'." She mumbled and closed her eyes as she snuggled closer against him.
"He did what?"
"He ordered me off the base. Told me to take some leave and not to come back until I was a hundred percent."
Jack chuckled beside her. "Ah! So what do you plan on doing then?"
"Well, I was planning on sleeping in…other than that…I don't know. Want some company today?"
Jack smiled at her even though her eyes were closed. "Yeah, sure youbetya!"
Sam chuckled and then looked up at him with a full smile. Jack's smoldering eyes locked with hers and he started to lean slowly towards her. Sam's gaze was drawn to his barely opened lips and just as they brushed gently against her own…a sharp knock on the door caused them to jump.
"Agh!" Jack's head dropped from his shoulders and then he looked back at her with frustration shadowing his face. "What!" He yelled out without moving away from her.
"O'Neill, I wish to speak with you."
Jack let out a long sigh and indicated for Sam to turn over and feign sleep. When she had turned with her back facing him and pulled the cover around her, Jack stood, walked across the room and opened the door.
"Hey, Teal'c!"
"Are you well this morning, O'Neill?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…uh, checking on Carter."
Teal'c's eyebrow raised to extreme heights as his gaze traveled past Jack to the bed where Sam was pretending to be asleep. He paused and watched her for a moment then turned his gaze back on Jack who had begun to fidget. Teal'c's stoic gaze traveled slowly up and down Jack, taking in his bare feet, the boxers and gray tee shirt that he wore. His gaze paused momentarily on his, more than usual, ruffled hair, and then allowed his eyes to move naturally back to the bed and Jack's pillow, which still held the depression created in sleep. Finally looking back to Jack and tilting his head ever so slightly, he held him in his inquiring gaze for the longest of moments before he spoke, "Indeed."
"Yeah. She's fine by the way. Sleeping like a baby." Jack attempted to make his voice lighthearted and innocent but he knew it didn't fool his big friend in the least.
"Yes, I see. I am pleased that she is resting."
"Ok, then, let's…" Jack waved his hand towards the hallway, motioning Teal'c to leave the room, but he remained steadfast.
"O'Neill, General Hammond has requested that I return to base."
"What? Is he here?" A slight panic seemed to be rising in Jack's voice until Teal'c held up his cell phone. "Ah! Didn't know you had one of those, buddy."
"General Hammond insisted."
"Ok, well, need a ride?"
"DanielJackson will be picking me up momentarily."
"Ok. Uh, Teal'c? Would you mind not mentioning that Carter is here?" Jack scrunched his face as if in pain.
"That will be unnecessary as her car is in your driveway."
"Crap!" Jack glanced back at his bed where Sam lay, half dressed, pretending sleep. "Yeah…ok…just tell him she's staying with me while you're at the mountain."
Teal'c continued to look at him questioningly, tilting his head to one side as if to say 'he won't believe it.
Jack nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah…I know. Daniel loves to ask questions…. but you're good at not answering them. So if he asks…"
Teal'c didn't move or speak.
"Just tell him, Teal'c and let him think what he wants!"
"As if I could do otherwise, O'Neill."
Jack threw him an angry scowl and then sighed loudly, "Right! Well, I'll see you this afternoon then."
"I am unsure of General Hammond's plan. I will advise you after I have talked with him."
"Ok. See you later." Jack closed the door, leaned back against it and closed his eyes in frustration. Then he heard Sam's soft voice and smiled.
"Jack?"
"It's ok, Hammond called him back to the base and Daniel's picking him up. They'll be gone in a few minutes."
"And you?"
Jack raised his eyes and looked towards the ceiling turning his head side to side as if searching the room. "Um, hadn't thought…"
Sam smirked, "Just come back to bed, Jack."
He gave her his patented 'what?' look. "Now that, Colonel, is something I never thought I'd hear you say!" He took a couple of steps towards her then stopped suddenly, listening.
"What is it?" She questioned.
"Daniel and Teal'c…leaving, I hope." He stood motionless until he heard the car pull into the street then continued towards her. "Now, let's be clear about this, Colonel. You're inviting me into your bed?"
"No, General…I'm inviting you into your bed." She smiled innocently up at him and he grinned broadly.
"Told you you'd been hanging around me too much! You're sounding like me again." She patted the bed beside her and tossed back the cover, exposing her long legs, as he sat down facing her.
"That's what General Hammond said."
"Yeah…speaking of General Hammond, Sam…" He involuntarily pulled back from her a bit, looking into her eyes.
"I'm on mandatory leave, Jack, with orders to do whatever it takes to make me happy."
"So…I…this…makes you happy?"
"Seems to." She grinned broadly, her eyes practically lighting up the entire room as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"Sweet!"
TBC
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