Thanks so much for all the feedback! Nice to know I'm not the only one reading this fic. -grins-

Chapter 8

"Incoming wormhole! It's SG2."

"About damn time. Open the iris, and call O'Neill down to the..." Hammond trailed off as he saw the Colonel in question shove his way past the SFs and into the Gate Room, "Never mind."

Jack stood at the foot of the ramp, arms crossed, and body rigid, like he needed to choke something— or someone— desperately. Wisely, most of the personnel at the SGC had stayed out of his way for the last couple of days. News of what had happened to Colonel Carter had been scarce, owing to the strict need-to-know basis. As a result, people had filled in their own gaps, and none of the theories had placed Jack O'Neill in an innocent light. It didn't help that the place was quite literally falling apart without Sam. They'd had several errors in the dialing computer's sub routines, the iris had malfunctioned twice, and Siler had an eyebrow blown off in a technical mishap.

Jack had been too busy feeling like shit to notice any of it.

"Gimme some good news Major!" He ordered as his friend emerged through the horizon, closely followed by the rest of his team.

"Wait for it," Kawalsky smirked, glancing over his shoulder.

Daniel stepped through the wormhole, but he wasn't alone. A woman walked beside him, her head held high, and her eyes coolly surveying her surroundings. The leather-esque outfit she wore immediately drew the attention of most of the airmen in the Gateroom, but Jack's only response was to scowl.

"I asked for good news... not blow-up Barbie," he muttered, as he noticed length of the woman's skirt.

"It's a long story," Kawalsky replied in defense.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear it. Get your men cleaned up and checked out by Fraiser," Jack said as Hammond came up beside him.

"Jack, General, may I present Anise and Freya, representatives of the Tok'ra high council," Daniel said, sounding very official, and very pleased with himself.

"Welcome to the SGC," the General nodded politely, "I must say, your initial contact came as a surprise to us, but my superiors are eager to establish relations."

"I am glad to hear it. The Tok'ra are most curious about the Tau'ri," she replied neutrally, "I find it remarkable that your people have progressed so far since the reign of Ra."

Jack snorted. Daniel winced. The Tok'ra didn't seem to notice.

"We can discuss that in length, but for now, please escort our guest to the infirmary. Merely a precaution," the General explained.

"That would be acceptable. Anise and I are eager to see your facility," the host responded, her voice regaining its human timbre as she sent a vague smile in Jack's direction.

"Oh...I bet you are, " Jack called after her as she was led away. Daniel had warned him about the whole shared body and voice changing... thing. Nothing about it struck him as natural. Hell nothing about the situation struck him as natural. As far as he was concerned, all this had happened far too quickly and conveniently for his liking. One moment they discovered Carter had a Goa'uld, and then the Tok'ra just happened to contact them? Of course, the suits at the Pentagon were practically salivating over the opportunity to ally themselves with an technologically advanced alien race, and were more than willing to rush into things with the heads up their collective asses.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Daniel sighed, bracing himself for an arguement.

"You know what's wrong. This whole thing moved too fast, and I don't trust anyone who wears that little clothing," Jack said, failing to keep the whining tone from his voice.

"The Tok'ra are the first friendly race we've come across, and there's a lot at stake for Earth, with Apophis still out there. We need all the help we can get."

"I realize that Daniel," Jack said in annoyance, "But something isn't right here, I can tell. I have instincts."

"Would those be the same instincts that told you Sam was a hook—"

"Daniel! For cryin' out loud, shut up!" Jack yelled, glancing around to make sure nobody had heard that.

The archaeologist grinned, shaking his head, "Just be at the briefing Jack. Nobody's asking you to be the Tok'ra's best friend, just hear them out. Once we tell her about Sam's condition, we'll see whose side she's on."

Daniel grinned and left, not noticing his friend's sudden change in mood. Jack released an unsteady breath, not for the first time that day, remembering Carter. He'd managed to go a whole three minutes without thinking about her, but Daniel had just ruined it. Seeing her like that had been so hard. He'd lost control at the end, giving in to his hope that some part of her was still alive. Really, after all he'd seen in the world, he knew better than to hope for anything. Doing something would get you places, sitting and wishing something into reality was pointless. So he'd lost himself in that moment, leaned into her, tasted her under his lips, like it would magically give him all the answers... and then he'd left. He wasn't sure if any of it had been the right thing to do, but nevertheless, it was done.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he followed Daniel out the Gate room.

Several hours later, significant progress had been made in regards to the alliance. Daniel had painstakingly transcribed almost every word Anise had said onto a series of documents, and Jack had painstakingly doodled smiley faces on over a quarter of them. When that started to bore him, he proceeded to lightly drum the theme tune of The Simpsons on the briefing table, knowing it was driving Daniel nuts. The important part, however, was that they had finally answered the question 'Who are the Tok'ra?', and had found a common ground.

At least, Jack thought they'd found common ground. Strategies and tactics he understood, but political bullshit he couldn't keep up with. It was a lot of information to take in at once, and Anise and Daniel had been yapping non-stop. Or was it Freya and Daniel? The whole shared body thing hurt his head... but that wasn't the only reason.

"...which brings us to another matter in question," Hammond told Anise, getting ready to launch into explanation, "One of our people was taken recently as host on Chulak; we didn't realize it until the team's return to the SGC."

"Oh, is that so?" Anise asked, in a manner so calm it set off little warning bells in Jack's head.

If Hammond had noticed her reaction, he didn't reveal it, "Our initial attempts to communicate with the Goa'uld in any meaningful sense has been fruitless, since it won't admit its own identity. We're hoping to save the host through a surgical procedure scheduled for later today. Of course, any expertise the Tok'ra have in this matter would no doubt be invaluable."

"Surgical procedure?" Anise's voice hitched slightly.

"They're going to remove the Goa'uld, by putting both into a sleep-like state, making an incision in the rear of the neck and physically removing it," Daniel explained as best he could.

"Such rudimentary techniques will not work!" Anise gasped, her eyes glowing briefly in shock, "You would harm the symbiote and undoubtedly kill the host. You must take me to her at once."

"Who said anything about a her?" Jack asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I... only assumed," the Tok'ra replied evasively.

"I don't buy it. You've been hiding something from the start, and I want to know what it is."

"Jack, we don't have time for this! We need to go to the NID and—"

"Dammit, Daniel, nobody's going anywhere," Jack snapped, knowing the General would tell him to stand down if he disapproved. No such warning came.

"Are you accusing me of something?" Anise asked testily.

"You knew about the Goa'uld didn't you? Why else would you have contacted us in the first place, or even returned here to form an alliance once we'd made it clear that we weren't interested in the blending thing?"

"My purpose here is to meet the Tau'ri and negotiate relations."

"Don't give me that crap. Your people live underground for crying out loud! It's obvious socializing with other worlds isn't high on your list of priorities."

Her head dipped slightly, and when she spoke again, her voice was softer, and conveniently, more humanlike.

"Please Colonel O'Neill, we did not mean you any distress," Freya said, batting her huge cow-brown eyes at him, "The Council thought it best to reveal as little as possible until we were sure of the situation."

"What situation is that, exactly?" Hammond asked tightly.

"It is of little consequence to your people, but it affects the Tok'ra greatly. If it comes to pass that our intelligence it valid, we shall share with you the information. For now, it should not affect the proceedings."

"Proceedings? There won't be any proceedings if you keep evading the topic! How are we supposed to trust you?" Jack exclaimed.

"Then at least allow us to prove ourselves. The life of your friend is now in question, surely you do not wish her to die?"

Jack felt the cold reality of the words hit him hard..

"Could you help her?" Daniel asked tentatively.

"I will do what I can, but we must move quickly."

"General...?" was the only thing Jack managed to splutter, realizing they didn't have much of a choice, not when Carter's life was on the line.

"I'll make the call. In the mean time, you and Dr. Jackson get yourselves to NID headquarters. Let them know the surgery's been cancelled."

The room had been darkened on purpose, most likely to decreases her sense of awareness... or something. She was done trying to find a logical pattern in what they were doing to her. From all the shots she'd been given in the last hour, she assumed they were getting her prepped for a procedure of some sort. The first round of medication hadn't been so bad, especially since she'd managed to cause some serious damage to two agents. That had earned her the lovely straight jacket she was currently strapped in.. They'd used the stronger stuff this morning realizing, just as she had, that her body chemistry had been altered by the Goa'uld, possibly making her more resistant to the drugs. Then they'd probed at the scar on the back of her neck; she'd never hated anything as intensely in her life. After that, she'd spent a wretched two hours dry heaving, and then passed out only to awake with a killer headache, and double vision. Really, not a great look for her, and she knew it wasn't over.

"When they're done playing it safe... some medical team will toy with you, not concerned whether you live or die..."

O'Neill's words were a mantra in her mind, and did nothing to improve her mood. As far as she was concerned, dying on a table wasn't her idea of going down in glory. If she was honest with herself, the thought terrified her. With the limited knowledge of Goa'uld physiology available, chances are that she wouldn't survive the procedure. Either that, or she'd wake up a paraplegic, which was something she wouldn't contemplate.

Sam hadn't felt this alone in a long time. Hell, she hadn't even heard from the SGC since O'Neill's last visit, which had done little more than leave completely disorientated. Maybe that was the point... but she didn't believe Jack O'Neill had intentionally tried to hurt her. Somehow all the cold-hearted things he'd said to her had fallen by the wayside when he'd kissed her. Well, kiss was perhaps too strong a word. More like a failed attempt to offer her comfort... but he'd ordered her to fight.

"Fight what, exactly, O'Neill?" She snorted into the empty room.

As if her words had summoned someone, the heavy doors clanked open, and white light flooded the room. Growling in pain, she screwed her eyes shut as the brightness drowned her senses. She staggered up onto her feet, knowing they'd come for her again. There was not much hope in fighting them off, not for someone encased in a straight jacket.

"Forget about it boys, you can turn back around right now because I can't go through that again. It's too soon," she forced out the words, her voice low and scratchy to her own ears. She backed away from the dark figure walking towards her... or maybe there were two? She couldn't really tell.

"Oh God... Sam?"

"Daniel?" she asked uncertainly.

"Dammit, Jack why didn't you tell me!" He yelled at the other shadowy figure beside him.

"Careful Daniel, not so close," the other voice warned, "Barrett said she got violent with a few of his men."

She almost laughed at that.

"No, Jack... don't even... God, I can't listen to you right now... I'm going to wait outside for Anise and General Hammond," he shot Sam a pitiful look that made her recoil, before shooting out the door.

"Don't mind him. He's just disgusted by a Goa'uld."

Sam's cheeks grew hot at his words, but she remained silent. It had hurt to have Daniel look at her that way then leave, but O'Neill was by far the more cruel. He'd obviously had a lot of experience at being an ass.

"What? No retorts this time? I underestimated the NID, they did good work on you."

He stepped closer, making her back into the wall.

"Hey! Just do us both a favor and keep your distance," Sam warned. The way he stared at her sent chills up her spine, and not in the good way.

Jack smiled, then shrugged casually. He pulled up a seat, straddling it, leaning over the back of the chair, facing her.

"Just thought you should know, we're bringing in a specialist of sorts... a Tok'ra. You've heard of them, right? The good-guy versions of your kind? She knows how to extract you. Promised me she'd make it as painful as possible for you, but she'll get Carter out. Betcha dying to see how this will turn out. "

"Oh... you have no idea." She replied softly, almost to herself.

Mercifully, he'd shut up after that, settling back to watching her. Once she'd realized he wasn't planning anything sinister, Sam slid down the wall and rested her head on her knees. Any hopes of talking to the man from a few days ago, who'd looked fiercely into her eyes and promised not to give up on her, were lost. She tried to remind herself that he was only doing his job, that he didn't actually understand what was going on. Not that she was too clear on that herself. All she knew was that her body was aching, felt like she was being ripped apart slowly from the inside, and not all of the sensation was physical. Hopefully, this Tok'ra O'Neill had mentioned about would be able to help her. She just really wanted out of this hell; wanted things back to normal.

Sam Carter was anything but naive, of course. At this point, she had no chance of being restored to her position on SG1. She'd been compromised once, and who knew when she may turn on them again? They'd never trust her, not with their flagship team, and if she was honest with herself, she wasn't exactly falling over herself to come back into a command that had hung her out to dry without batting an eyelid. A small part of her almost wanted to wash her hands of the SGC and see how long they could last on their own without blowing themselves to hell. She worked with many capable people, but in all honesty, she was by far the foremost expert on the Gate. No damn way were they going to make the same kind of progress without her.

The thought made her feel a little better.

Suddenly, the door slid open, and when next she opened her eyes she was faced with three more faces. Daniel, Hammond, and...

"I am Anise, of the Tok'ra."

Sam squinted slightly, her eyes adjusting better to the light. The woman before her certainly wasn't what she expected, "Ken couldn't make it, huh?"

"I know of no... Ken," she said simply, a puzzled expression appearing on her face.

Sam didn't have the energy to roll her eyes, but silently prayed the woman's IQ was at least as large as her cup size.

"You're here to get the Goa'uld out of me?" Sam asked, not caring if she sounded pathetic.

Anise frowned slightly.

"She has thus far maintained the persona of Colonel Carter," Hammond explained.

Anise shook her head, drawing closer to Sam and crouching down in front of her.

Sam felt a distinctly queasy sensation by the woman's presence. Her eyes widened as she pulled out a disc shaped device that glowed almost immediately.

"Please... I shall not harm you. If I am correct, then your people will owe you a great many apologies," Anise said reassuringly, quickly noting the host's apprehension.

Sam nodded, realizing that there were no better offers on the table, and anything would be preferable to what the NID had planned. Forcing herself to relax, she allowed the dim light to settle over her, and quickly grow into a swirl of beams falling on her, and through her. Strangely, she felt her body relinquish its control, and instead of screaming her head off, she was overcome with a sensation of warmth, and found herself sinking in a gentle darkness.

"Remain still, you are severely injured, and I am attempting to repair you... I regret not coming sooner, but we only recently discovered Rosha's body on Chulak, and when you were not found within her we feared the worst. Had we realized sooner where you were..." the Tok'ra trailed off, somewhat regretfully.

"I am beyond repair, Anise, but you have merely revived me for a moment," the woman said as she rose unsteadily.

If the timbre of her voice hadn't tipped them off, the sudden glow of her eyes would have. She stared evenly at the bewildered group before her.

"Hey! You were supposed to get it OUT of her," Jack bellowed, instinctively withdrawing his sidearm, turning it on both of them, "You know, I distinctly remember saying this was a bad idea. Didn't I say this was a bad idea? Of course I did, but did anyone listen to—"

"Silence, fool! Neither Samantha nor I wish to hear your voice," the woman said harshly, her eyes flashing, "I am Jolinar of Malkshur, a Tok'ra spy acting within the ranks of Apophis."

"A Tok'ra?" Daniel's voice had risen several pitches.

"You're telling me she's one of yours?" Hammond asked Anise, who nodded somberly in return.

"You shall address your concerns to me, old man," Jolinar warned, "I do not posses the restraint my host has shown, and I will not tolerate this humiliation any longer. The Tok'ra council will be appalled when they hear of this treatment. I shall not be surprised if they consider my incarceration an act of aggression, and retaliate accordingly. Now I demand that you remove this ridiculous restraint from me!"

"Of c-course," the General stuttered for what was probably the first time in his life, motioning to a visibly shaken Jack to release Jolinar.

"NOT him," she said with deathly finality in her voice, stopping him in his tracks. All he could do was stare at her, wide-eyed.

"Here, allow me," Daniel jumped in, quickly releasing the buckles at her back, and with the help of Anise, ridding Jolinar of the straight jacket.

"Please... you must understand out initial reaction," the flustered young man tried to explain to her, "We were under the impression that you had taken Sam as a host forcefully."

"I had not truly blended with her at all. Until a moment ago, I was too damaged to even communicate with her, or through her. I was merely residing in her body, trying to survive your brutal treatment!" she stated.

"When you say you weren't communication through her..." Daniel trailed off.

"It was Samantha Carter speaking to you all this time. Not me, and certainly not a Goa'uld," she wavered slightly on her feet, but was held steady by Anise.

"Jolinar, please, we must return you to Vorash. You are weak, and the information you carry is of vital importance," the other Tok'ra urged.

"I know very well how important it is Anise, but I will not be able to make the return journey. I have but a few moments left, and I intend to make them worth something."

"But the healing device—"

"It is too late, and Samantha cannot withstand such strain."

"The life of one can be sacrificed when the life of millions is in question," Anise said quietly, and earnestly.

"There is no need. This host has already displayed a strength of character I have rarely encountered. I have no doubt that she will use the knowledge I pass to her, and bring about the downfall of the System Lords. Sacrificing her life in the impossible attempt to save mine is pointless, we need only her cooperation."

"It shall be a requirement in the alliance with the Tau'ri," Anise agreed.

"Alliance!" Jolinar spat, "With these? Note it to the Council, I will never recommend entering into an agreement with a civilization that tortures their own people. Samantha Carter deserves better."

"With all due respect, ma'am," Hammond interrupted, red faced, "You cannot use her as a bargaining tool in negotiations. Colonel Carter is still an officer at the SGC, and is therefore under my command."

"I believe you withdrew that right when you betrayed her and left her with these NID," Jolinar countered, "There is nothing tieing her down to this planet— such a brilliant mind will go to waste in a place like this. Anise, when I am gone, I want you to offer this woman a home with the Tok'ra. I know she was contemplating leaving her people, now she has another option."

"What- NO!" Jack blurted automatically, struggling to find a coherent thought in the mess that was going on around him, "Look— she can't leave her command to go gallivanting around the galaxy on some half-assed mission. Her responsibilities are here on Earth."

"Her responsibilities are for her to decide."

"Not while she's still under the command of the Air Force."

"Then she shall leave."

"Or else you'll make her, is that it? You know, I'm not even sure this Tok'ra crap is legit. You're sure as hell sounding like Goa'uld to me."

"We are NOT Goa'uld!"

"Then let Carter make up her own mind. I want to talk to her. Now. Do the little head nodding eye glowy thing."

"Believe me Colonel O'Neill, she has no wish to speak to you. After she almost killed herself saving your life on Chulak, you turned your back on her so easily. You all did, allowing your petulant fears of the Goa'uld to cloud your reasoning and deafen your ears to her."

That had effective shut everyone up. Satisfied with her final speech, Jolinar gave a final nod to Anise, and closed her eyes.

"Samantha...?"

"Hi! Hello... hi..."

"I am Jolinar."

"Right, the Tok'ra."

"You were listening."

"Oh yeah, nice to meet you. You know, under normal circumstances, I'd be going out of my mind with panic, but I'm guessing you're the reason why I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy at the moment. Nice work calling Hammond an old man by the way. Really great career move."

"I meant no disrespect, and I did not mean to speak on your behalf."

"Liar. Though, everything else you said was spot on... you burned O'Neill pretty well."

"His actions thus far have proven that he cares little for your welfare. I cannot comprehend why you would have such strong feelings of affection for him."

"Hey! I totally, unequivocally, do not even remotely have feel—"

"That is of little consequence now, Samantha Carter. I have something important to tell you."

"I'm all ears. Mind. Whatever."

"I do not have much time left, so I shall be brief. I regret taking you as a host without your knowledge or consent, but by now, you must be able to understand my desperation. Had it been only my life in question, I would have gladly died with my previous host, but the information I carry must be given to the High Council at all costs. I was forced to enter another host and disguise myself as a Jaffa. You were my only hope of reaching the Stargate and returning to the Tok'ra... but I was too damaged to communicate with you. Now I finally have the opportunity to disclose vital details concerning a grand summit of the System Lords. With my knowledge, you will coordinate the final strike against all Goa'uld. I realize it is selfish to ask so much of you, but in the little time I have had to know you, I have found you to be an honorable woman."

"I thought you said you'd be 'brief'?"

"Samantha... please, tell me you will aid my people and pass on the knowledge? I cannot lie, during the process of my death the experience will be painful for you, but I shall try make it as bearable as possible. It is my one request."

"I'll do what I can Jolinar, I promise... just don't overwrite me or anything?"

"Of course not. I will leave as little as I can, but as much as is relevant. I am growing weaker. Surely you can sense it?"

"I can, it feels like you're falling. Crap, can't they do something to help you? Maybe that Anise woman knows—"

"Samantha, do not try to hold onto me, and do not regret my passing. You have given me peace of mind, it is all that I have wanted. Thank you."

"No! Wait!"

Her body convulsed violently, sending her crashing into the ground.

"Get a med unit in here, NOW!" Hammond yelled out the door.

"Sam? Sam!" Daniel, who was closest to her, fell to his knees, reaching out, but almost getting struck with a foot in the process.

"Colonel! You're in the custody of the SGC, you're safe," Hammond tried reasoning with her, as she lunged for the exit, only to be stopped by several agents.

"Get off me!" She screamed at them, only to find herself pulled to the floor by someone behind her.

"Carter- get a hold of yourself!" Jack yelled, pinning her shoulders down to the ground and immobilizing her. "Back off, she's okay," he warned everyone.

Her eyes snapped open, her breathing hitched as she gripped his arm almost painfully, "O'Neill?"

"Yeah, it's me. Do you know where you are?" He asked,

"I'm delirious, not stupid..." she screwed her eyes shut, her head so very close to exploding with pain.

"Good, then let's try this again without the hysterics," he suggested to her.

"I'd love to oblige, but... shit, this hurts," she groaned, curling into herself as her limbs shook uncontrollably.

"She's having a seizure," a man in white overalls explained looming over her; Sam recognized him from one of the NID med teams, "We're administering a sedative to—"

"NO! I'm fine," Sam yelled in frustration, making him back away immediately, "Now are you all going to believe me, or are we going to have to import another alien to verify what I'm saying?"

Jack visibly winced at her scathing remark, but then turned to scowl at the med team on her behalf.

"It's under control now," he stated. They didn't move.

"OUT!"

Surprisingly, that yell had come from Daniel, who was so wound up he was about to snap. Wisely, the medics scampered out the door again.

"They're gone," Jack assured her, sliding a hand under her head as she looked up and around. "It's okay now, we'll get you to a—"

"Would you STOP that!" Sam cried, wrenching away.

"What!" Jack asked in frustrated confusion, but made no more moves towards her.

"My neck. Don't touch it," she said with finality that wasn't to be questioned.

Jack couldn't say anything, just swallowed dryly and nodded.

"Is Jolinar still with you?" Anise asked, to everyone's annoyance.

"Yes... but she can't come to the phone right now," Sam answered tiredly, closing her eyes again, "Crap, she wasn't kidding about how much this would hurt. Feels like my head's... tearing itself up..."

"Do something!" Daniel told Anise desperately.

She looked visibly perplexed, "I cannot. If we move her now, the symbiote will—"

"We don't give a shit about the symbiote! Help her!" Jack ordered, beating back his own rising panic as he noticed Sam's complexion turn dull, and her skin break out in a fresh sheen of sweat.

"I'll make it an order if I have to," Hammond reiterated.

"You do not understand. It is impossible. The voluntary death of a symbiote is as delicate a process as the blending itself. She must remain completely stationary if she is to survive."

"Medication, then!" Daniel suggested, thinking quickly "You must know of some treatment—"

"No!" Sam said suddenly, making everyone jump.

"That's what I was getting at before. I have to be conscious for Jolinar to leave me with the Tok'ra's intel. It's hard enough staying awake with all this shit I already have in my system," she said through clenched teeth.

"Colonel Carter, what exactly do you suggest we do?" Hammond interrupted, visibly concerned, but realizing a decision had to be made.

"Give me some time alone," she sighed simply, "I realize this doesn't look good, but... it's normal. The convulsions usually wouldn't be this severe, but it's harder to control when she's trying to leave an appropriate memory imprint at the same time. They'll go away within the next hour or so, but there's really nothing you can do to help."

Just as she said it, a gentle tingle in her extremities rolled over her, quickly escalating into a wave of tremors.

Jack swore under his breath as the shaking began, "Daniel, help me get her up."

"No... w-wait..." she insisted.

"Forget it Carter. I want you in bed. Now."

Sam tried warning them, but Jack was hearing none of it. From behind, he hooked his elbows beneath her arms, pulling her up, while Daniel gripped her waist firmly. The plan worked fabulously for all of five seconds, but Sam's convulsions started up again much too soon. Her body whipped backwards involuntarily, sending all three crashing into the wall, sliding down, Jack first, and Daniel on top of her, leaving her sandwiched painfully in the middle.

"Threesome Carter? Didn't think you had it in you," Jack muttered, tentatively touching the back of his head where he'd knocked into the wall.

"Hey, O'Neill?"

"Yeah Carter?"

"Shut the hell up. We can do without the inappropriate humor right now... and Daniel— would you get your elbow out of my face?"

"Sorry Sam," Daniel said apologetically, pushing himself up, and seeing his two friends still propped up against the wall, "That wasn't a good idea."

"Ya think?" Jack muttered, his back to the cold hard surface of the wall. He made a move to get up, but Sam was pinned against him, breathing hard and recovering. It didn't look like she was about to move any time soon. Tentatively, he shifted his long legs out the way so Carter could lean against him. She didn't seem to notice their current positions, and he wasn't about to mention aything in case she bit his head off again... which would have been an entirely justified move on her part.

"So can we please try it my way now?" Sam suggested, agitatedly.

"Colonel Carter, you cannot be serious about staying here. It's hardly appropriate for us to leave you in this state," Hammond said, disconcerted.

"Didn't seem to be a problem before," she said, immediately wincing at her own words, "Ugh...Sorry sir, I'm just a little cranky. Being overrun by an alien and going through extreme convulsions will do that to you. Now if you don't mind, I'd rather not go through this in public, so if you give me a couple hours alone, I'll be fine," Sam insisted.

"Very well, you shall remain here... for the moment," the General relented sending Jack quick a look, " I will have our own medical team brought in to transport you back to the SGC when you feel up to it. Several airmen will be posted outside this door; I assure you that the NID are no longer involved."

"Great to know. Tell Barrett I'll miss him," Sam smiled weakly, with more than a little relief.

Hammond nodded, suddenly looking very tired, "Colonel Carter..." he began tentatively, "Sam, in regards to the events over the last few days, I feel that on behalf of the SGC we owe you—"

"Sir, don't say anything."

"I must, Colonel, we made an error in judgment that at least deserves your—"

"No really sir, don't say anything. I want to be able to have my I-told-you-so moment, and right now I'm pretty sure I won't remember any of it."

The General smiled gently, and nodded, "Very well. Dr. Jackson, I need you and SG2 to accompany Anise back to Vorash and debrief the Tok'ra on our situation."

Daniel looked wholly unimpressed for a moment, but the underlying message was clear... with Jolinar's threats fresh in everyone's minds, it was apparent that the young archaeologist was their only hope of salvaging any relations between Earth and the Tok'ra, especially after this incident. If it wasn't handled carefully, it was going to look bad for the SGC, having had a Tok'ra operative die in their custody. Daniel nodded reluctantly. He mumbled a goodbye to Sam, looking too ashamed of himself to do more, then followed Hammond and Anise out the door.

Sam released a sigh of relief, falling back against the warm body behind her. She was glad she was finally alone, to sort out her own thoughts and—

"Carter, you sure you don't—"

"Ahgh!" She jumped a mile high in his arms.

"What? What?" Jack asked perplexed.

Sam swore loudly, her body relaxing against his again, "Shit, I really must be out of it. I forgot you were there."

"I'm holding you. How could you forget that I was there?"

"O'Neill, I wouldn't notice if you were giving me a mind-blowing orgasm, let alone groping me— and why the hell are you still here? Go away."

"Forget about it. I'm not leaving... and I wasn't groping you."

"I said I didn't want..."

She stopped speaking abruptly as a small shock ran through her system. Jack knew immediately what was to follow. On impusle, he wrapped an arm around her waist and across to her opposite shoulder, gripping her tightly into his chest so it became almost painful for the both of them. He felt every little shudder, every spasm as it escalated rapidly until it climaxed in a raw scream torn from the back of her throat. The sound had broken his heart in more ways than he'd thought possible.

"Wow, that was fun. Is it too late to get that shot of morphine?" She asked weakly, as she went limp in her arms.

"GAURD WE NEED SOME—"

"Gah! O'Neill, stop yelling in my ear. I was kidding about that."

"Carter, it's not a great time to joke about fucking anything. God, I don't know if I can go through that again," Jack groaned, feeling her aftershocks rippling through his body.

"See, this is why women are the ones who give birth."

"Dammit, Carter... what did I just say about the jokes? Now please tell me that was the worst of it?" He begged, dropping his forehead against her, and breathing raggedly into her damp skin.

She stiffened slightly, and he pulled back, "Sorry, won't go near the neck," he assured her quickly.

She didn't say anything, and he didn't ask her to. The next two episodes were less violent, but Jack felt them acutely as she dug her nails into his arms, breaking skin. Mercifully, the tremors grew less overpowering, but the constant strain had left her a wreck.

"I think... is it over?" She asked disoriented, shivering a little from the chill in the air.

Jack knew her clothes were damp all the way though, but considering the feverish heat of her body, he figured it was a good thing.

"Yeah, it's over," he said quietly, unaware that he'd begun rocking her gently in his arms.

Sam breathed a deep sigh of relief, dropping her head back onto his shoulder.

"I'm really sorry about all this," she groaned.

Jack would have laughed if he hadn't felt so traumatized. Considering everything he'd been through in his life, he couldn't find an explanation as to why he felt so much of her agony. Apparently she'd broken down whatever mechanism he had in place to stop himself from doing so.

"Carter, there's a very... very long list of people needing to apologize, but you're not one of them. God, when I think about what we did, what I did, how I hurt you like that..."

"Shhh... don't want to talk 'bout it." she mumbled, turning her head so that her voice muffled awkwardly into his chest.

"Do you need anything? Just say the word, I'll take care of it. Water? Blanket? Mind-blowing orgasm? Anything?" He asked concerned, pulling her closer, more for his benefit than hers.

"No... don't want to move yet," she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

Feeling the movement of her lips over his shirt silenced him. He nodded in understanding, but knew she hadn't caught the motion. A few moments later, Sam Carter had slipped into unconsciousness, and he was free to leave her. A few moments after that, Jack O'Neill realized he didn't want to.

Couple of notes:

- That's really not what you're supposed to do when someone's having an actual seizure. In fact, restraining and/or groping them is probably the worst thing you can do. I'm sure you knew that already.

- Turning up the rating to R, just to be safe. Don't hate me!

- I apologize for introducing Anise, I hate her as much as you do, but I promise to make it worth your while.

- I'm done with the whumping, it gets fluffy now, promise.