Authors: Ariel Carter-O'Neill and Eridani Moon

Rating: Teen to Mature

Email: in bio

Season: Alternate Future

Eridani's Note: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews for chapter 5… They have made Ariel a happy camper again! Just a quick FYI for this chapter… The first two scenes were written entirely by me… Guess that would explain their slightly twisted nature… Any problems with those should be directed to me. Thanks again, and please, keep reviewing!

Ariel's Note: Thanks for the reviews and special thanks to Froggy0319, lynnmichelle and IloveSG1. I just wanted to say that I'm not mad at anyone but me for the reviews about chapter 4. You were right and I was upset because I should have noticed the things you mentioned. Hope you'll like 6!

Thunder 6

Sweet Revenge

Jack's evil laughter filled the room as he stated, "Oh, we're not here to arrest you Shanahan... That would be way too easy a punishment for what you did to Sam. I thought about offering you as a host to the Goa'uld, but then I realized that no self-respecting snakehead would have you. So, on the ride to Denver and the time it took me to hunt you down, I decided to try some good old-fashioned human torture tricks." The evil smile grew as Jack added, "Did Sam ever tell you that I once spent four months in an Iraqi prison? No? Oh... Poor Pete, cause you have no idea what I learned in that place."

Holding his hands up to ward off the attack he knew was coming, Pete's eyes were filled with terror as he pleaded, "Please... it was an accident. I... I just lost it when she said it was over. I never meant to hurt her... You got to believe me General... I love Sam, more than my own life."

"What life?" Taking a menacing step towards the cowering man, Jack's finger itched to fire the zat, to just eliminate the man from the face of the Earth, but as satisfying as that would be, the man deserved to suffer for what he'd done to Sam. Backing the man up against the far wall, he pushed the Goa'uld weapon to within inches of Pete's face and stated, "You forfeited any right to a life when you dared to raise a hand to her Shanahan and now it's time to say your final goodbyes... I really hope whomever searches your apartment likes the suicide note we left."

"Sui... No!" Pete's eyes darted to either side of the tall man, searching fruitlessly for a way to escape. God, why hadn't he just accepted what had been evident to him for months and just walked away? No, he had to go and let his damn ego get in the way, not to mention letting his temper rule his head. Raising his eyes to meet the dangerous glint in O'Neill's eyes, he begged, "Please General, I promise never to contact her again... I'm sorry I hurt her... God, please..."

"There is no god here to help you Pete Shanahan." The general's tall, dark and dangerous looking companion spoke for the first time, his eyes as hard and dangerous as his leaders as he stepped forward, his hand wrapping around the detective's throat as he stated, "O'Neill's expertise may be in human torture, but I can assure you that I have methods at my disposal that your species has not yet even considered."

Choking as the hand tightened around his throat, lifting him from the floor and pinning him to the wall, Pete, clawed at the broad arms, gasping, "Please... God..."

"Wrong again Pete Shanahan, for I am far from a god." Watching with a raised eyebrow as the man's eyes rolled back in his head, Teal'c frowned, looking at the floor before asking, "Is it not customary for human's to be bathroom trained at his age O'Neill?"

xxxxxxx

The awkward position of his neck woke him, pain shooting down his back as his eyes struggled to open. Squinting up at the bright light above him, his first thought was that someone had been watching too many spy movies until the dark face loomed into view, a terrifying smile spread across the broad features. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Pete declared, "Do whatever you want, I'm not afraid of you!" A deep chuckle filled the room as the man replied, "The current state of your pants would contradict that statement Pete Shanahan."

Suddenly becoming aware of the dampness that caused his jeans to stick to his legs, Pete felt the flush of embarrassment flood his face even as he wondered why the man persisted in calling him by his full name. Sam had once explained that the man was indeed an alien, but had worked hard to blend into the Earth culture. How anyone could blend into the crowd with his size, not to mention that gold tattoo on his forehead, was beyond him, but he wasn't really in a position to question it right now. Forcing himself to meet the eyes of his torturer to be, he questioned, "What are you going to do to me?"

"You couldn't even begin to comprehend the actual names of the methods I am going to use, but be assured that they will only inflict pain, not cause death." Smiling at the man's sigh of relief, Teal'c leaned closer to him, stating. "That ultimate pleasure will be O'Neill's."

Pete shook his head in denial, but it was useless. He lost count over the next few hours of how many times he'd begged and pleaded for the pain to end, for them to just kill him, only to be denied. His head was held immobile so that he couldn't even see exactly what they were doing, but he had no doubt that he would never find torture similar to it on this planet. Ignoring the tears that flowed freely down his face, he gasped as the pain suddenly stopped, the remnants of it still coursing through his body as O'Neill's face loomed above him.

Running his finger along the edge of the knife blade, Jack looked at the hundreds of slice marks, burns and other evidence of torture on the police officers body and smiled in satisfaction. Meeting the other man's eyes, he questioned, "Sam told you about the Goa'uld, about how evil they are?" When Pete gave a slight nod, he continued, "Did she happen to tell you that I was captured by one a few years ago and repeatedly tortured? No? Oh, what a shame."

Lifting the small vial of acid he'd snuck out of Sam's lab, Jack swirled it around, the memories of it's agonizing burn filling him as he explained, "You see, the Goa'uld have a device called a sarcophagus that can revive the dead. Ba'al... that was the system lord that captured me... Ba'al had this obsession with knives and acid." Indicating the liquid in his hand, Jack saw Pete's eyes widen as he realized what was about to happen and tried to give his head a negative shake. Laughing, Jack continued with his explanation. "I lost count of how many times he tortured me to death and revived me, but I know I was close to losing who I was, losing every ideal I'd ever believed in. I welcomed death, praying that each time would be the last, my only regret being that I had never told Sam what she meant to me.

"Sam and the rest of my team found a way to help free me and I was never able to repay her for that. Then, I saw her throwing her life away with you and I knew that I had to do something, say something, before I lost her forever… I never really expected her to choose me over you, but when she did, I felt like someone had handed me the universe on a platter. Then, you destroyed it when you raised your hand to her. You nearly killed her you son of a bitch and there is no way that I can allow you to live."

Removing the stopper from the vial, Jack tipped it towards Pete's chest, the dangerous fluid hovering just at the edge as he cautioned, "Try not to thrash around too much... It just makes the pain worse, trust me." Moving the vial lower, to hover over the man's groin, he heard the scream of denial, the pleading in Pete's voice as he slowly tipped the glass bottle, the acid flowing into the air...

Blinking against the sudden flash of white light, Jack whirled around; and finding both the bottle of acid, as well as his prisoner, missing, he looked at Teal'c and screamed, "Damn it Thor! I am entitled to my revenge!"

The Asgard's eyes narrowed as he replied, "That remains to be seen O'Neill." Pushing a button on his chair's console, he transported the weak and bleeding Pete into the room, a shield preventing him from escaping, or Jack from getting to him, as he soon found out. Ignoring the general's glare, he took in the prisoner's condition and demanded, "Why have you done this to Colonel Carter's significant other O'Neill? Is not such practice frowned upon on your planet?"

All of the long talks he'd had with the alien about his feelings towards his 2IC came back to him, and knowing the being would understand his actions, Jack knelt in front of him, softly stating, "Thor, he nearly killed Carter... Beat her so badly that it took Fraiser over two hours to stop all the bleeding and stitch and patch her together again... She chose me buddy, and Shenanigans couldn't handle it."

The Asgard's dark eyes took on a dangerous gleam similar to that which shone from both Jack and Teal'c's gazes and with a single push of the button, the man was engulfed in white light, his silent screams known only by his open mouth. Releasing the button, Thor smiled as Pete collapsed to the floor, stating, "I saw that Teal'c had participated in the torture and felt that you would not mind a little Asgard influence as well." Sighing heavily, Thor added, "I cannot allow you to kill him O'Neill. It will destroy your future and your relationship with Samantha Carter... The Asgard cannot afford for this to happen."

"Hey!" Whirling around as his prisoner disappeared in another flash of light, Jack demanded, "What did you do with him? Thor, you can't let him go, you have to bring him back!"

"Rest assured that he will never be seen on Earth again O'Neill." A smile eerily similar to Jack's filled the Supreme Commanders face as he said, "For once, a tale of alien abduction will be real... No matter that he will never get the chance to tell anyone."

"What are you going to do with him?" Getting into the spirit of things, even though he was still disappointed with not being able to kill the man, Jack suggested, "How about Halla? Didn't Sam say you just collapsed a sun there, creating a black hole?"

Throwing his favorite human a look that clearly advised him to try again, Thor sat back in his chair, replying, "I believe it is best that you are not made aware of Pete Shanahan's location. With the stargate at your disposal, I cannot trust you to not go looking for him... Yes, O'Neill, I unfortunately, know how your mind works... Now, for the reason that I have come to Earth again. You are doing well, no further side effects of the Ancients download? No? Good... Well, I shall return in a few months to see that all is still well."

Watching as Thor pushed yet another button on the console, Jack muttered, "I really want one of those!" Waiting until the light faded from around him, he turned to Teal'c, stating, "And here you were worried about having to hide his body... Damn, it sure is good to have the Asgard owe you a favor or two... or twenty."

"Indeed." Removing his cell phone from his pocket, Teal'c tapped in a number and raised the phone to his ear, listening briefly before a broad smile filled his face. Ending the call, he handed the phone to his friend and said, "Hit the redial and listen O'Neill."

Sighing, Jack did as requested, laughter filling the room as Thor's tinny voice came over the answering machine. "This is Supreme Commander Thor, of the Asgard Fleet. I regret to inform you that Detective Pete Shanahan is not available to take your call as he has been transported to a galaxy far, far away..."

xxxxx

A few hours later, Sam opened her eyes and immediately realized that Jack was missing. Rolling her head to the side, she saw Daniel sitting on a chair beside her bed, reading a book. Swallowing against the feeling of cotton in her mouth, she whispered, "Daniel?"

The slight sound pulled the archaeologists nose from his book and seeing that she was finally awake, offered her a bright smile. Leaning closer, Daniel questioned, "Heya, Sam! How you feeling?"

"It hurts…" Letting out a shuddering breath against the pain and tightness in her chest, she asked, "Where is Ja… General O'Neill?"

The blue eyes widened slightly, several long seconds ticking by before he replied, "Uh… somewhere with Teal'c…"

Forcing the lingering medication-induced cobwebs from her head, Sam's eyes narrowed as he demanded, "Doing what?"

"Uh… I'm not sure…" Rising, he moved towards the door, stating, "I'll go get Janet and she'll give you something for the pain."

Watching helplessly as he slipped from the room, Sam tried to stand, yelling, "Daniel!" Gasping as her head began to spin and the pain flooded her body, she lay back down, forcing a hopeful grin as Janet entered the room.

Smiling at her patient, Janet quickly checked her stats, happy with the improvements, as she stated, "Hey, Sam... Daniel just told me that you're having some pain?"

"Yeah… where is he?" Wincing as the doctor shone the penlight in her eyes, the unwilling patient added, "He told me something odd about the General and Teal'c."

"General O'Neill told me he had some important work to do." Filling a syringe, she moved towards the I.V. line, stating, "I'm going to give you a painkiller and sedative, you need some more rest."

Giving a negative shake of her head, Sam argued, "No Jan... I want to know where Jack and Teal'c are!"

"Calm down, you're just hurting yourself!" Waiting until the other woman had settled back in the bed, she explained, "The General and Teal'c are not here and I don't want you worrying about it."

Janet quickly injected the painkiller before Sam could protest and while she waited for the signs that it had begun to work, she slyly questioned, "Since when do you call the General by his first name?"

Oh shit! Sam struggled against the effects of the medication, her words slightly slurred as she protested, "I didn't call him by his first name."

Janet smiled as she brushed her friends hair from her face, replying, "Oh yes you did and I want to know what's going on between you two."

Shaking her head a little too vigorously, Sam winced and stated, "Nothing… yet… well…we just… talked…"

"Sam!" Laughing, Janet dropped wearily into the bedside chair, accusing, "As your best friend, I think I deserve the entire story! Besides... It will help you recover faster."

For some reason that didn't sound exactly right, but Sam couldn't put her finger on it. Frowning, she muttered, "All right… Remember the big storm few days ago?"

"Sure." How could she forget? Cassie had fussed for two hours because she wouldn't let her use the phone!

"Well… I don't like storms very much and Jack found out about it." Sam's brow wrinkled in concentration as she fought off the effects of the drug, her eyes narrowed to thin slits as she continued, "So that night he called me to see if I was okay, but I thought it was Pete. When I made the mistake of mentioning him, we started talking and fighting and... I'm not sure of what happened after that… I just know that I woke up on my couch the next morning, very confused. When I called him the next night, we started fighting again and he came to my house. We talked about our feelings… and we... spent the night together…"

Janet's jaw dropped open as she stared at her friend, her eyes as round as plates as she struggled to process the damning information the drug-influenced woman had given her. She started to speak, to question what Sam meant, when the other woman realized how it sounded and cried,

"Nononononono NO!" Panic filled Sam as she thought about what she'd revealed and fighting against the weakness that filled her, she tried to sit up, yelling, "We didn't do anything! We just slept! And then I had the mission on P4X 977 and afterwards I went to Jack's for a pizza, beer and movie night… But then he told me that Pete had called and that I had to choose between him and Pete."

Understanding struck the doctor like lightening as she said, "So I guess you chose Jack."

A weak nod of the head preceded Sam's, "Yes."

"Ok let me finish the story for you." Settling back in the chair, Janet crossed her legs, wishing her back would stop screaming from the hours she'd spent on her feet as she proposed, "You choose Jack, then told Pete it was over and he became crazy and started hitting you?"

Sam's eyes were full of tears as she whispered, "Yes…"

Rising from her chair, Janet embraced the woman that had been her friend for the last eight years, soothing, "Oh, Sam, honey, I'm so sorry!"

Sam fought the tears, but was unable to prevent the sob that escaped her chest, startling the woman holding her. Her sobs became louder and louder until she was almost hysterical and rising from the bed, Janet injected her with a mild sedative that wouldn't cause a problem with the painkiller, and then held her again as she slowly started to calm down. Janet felt her own tears staining her cheeks as Sam became groggy, muttering about failing Jack. Feeling the woman's body tense, the doctor glanced up to find the general standing at the foot of the bed, his eyes glued to her patient. Rising silently, Janet gave him a subtle nod and left them to the fallout that was bound to happen.

Trying to sit up once again, Sam demanded, "Jack… what have you done to Pete?"

Disgust filled Jack's face over the fact that she was still concerned for the man after everything he'd done to her and pinching his mouth together, he stated flatly, "Nothing, Carter. I didn't do a bloody damn thing to him… At least nothing permanent."

Her blue eyes narrowed as her brain latched onto the qualifier in his sentence, her voice shrill as she demanded, "Then who?"

The pinched look faded from around his mouth as he gave a satisfied smile, replying, "I'm not at liberty to discuss that matter… How you feeling baby?"

Growling in frustration, she stated, "I'm okay, but I want you to answer my question!"

Crossing his arms, Jack decided it was a little too much fun to play with a drugged-out Carter's mind. "I did."

"Jack!" Punching the mattress beneath her, Sam's shrill tone caused the nurse to hurry over, but quickly reverse course when she saw the base commander standing with the leader of SG-1. That was definitely one shouting match she wanted no part of.

"Sam!" Yelling her name back with equal force, Jack leaned negligently against the foot rail as he waited for her to explode. He wasn't disappointed.

"Who did what to Pete?" Gasping as pain radiated through her chest, Sam felt the blood drain from her face as she gripped the sheet, crying, "OW! Ouch, ouch, ouch... Oh my God, that hurts!

"Hey…calm down…" Moving around the side of the bed with a speed that belied his age, Jack eased her back onto the pillows, ordering, "Here, lay back and take it easy."

Gritting her teeth as the pain began to ease, she ordered back, "Answer the damn question!"

Well, at least she's finally learned to give orders with some conviction! "He's gone, Carter… leave it at that."

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she pondered, "Gone? What do you mean gone?" Her eyes grew wide as she hissed, "Oh, God… You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No, I didn't kill him…" A regretful sigh escaped him before he added, "Tried awful damn hard though."

"Then where is he?" God, why couldn't she think straight? Oh, yeah... Janet had given her something...

"I have absolutely no idea." Well, he had a pretty good idea, but he wasn't going to speculate... Nope, no speculating for Jack O'Neill...

"Jack…" The begging tone in her voice almost had him giving in as he answered, "Sam…"

Another sigh escaped her as she softly said, "I guess you're not going to tell me?"

A smug smile filled his face as he answered, "I can't tell you what I don't know."

A tear of frustration slipped from the corner of her eye as she whispered, "I think I'll just have to trust you on that one, won't I?"

"Yes." Dropping into the chair beside her bed, he lifted her hand, kissing the abused flesh. As he watched her continue to fight the effects of the medications Janet had injected her with, he couldn't help but wonder what Thor had done with Pete...

"What did Janet say about my condition?"

Her quiet words snapped him from his musings as he answered, "She said that you are recovering nicely and should be able to go home in a few days."

Another frown filled her face as she echoed, "Days?"

"Days Carter." Dropping another kiss on her hand, he added, "Be glad it isn't weeks Sam… You almost died!"

"Oh!" She'd known it was bad, but that she'd almost died because of Pete...

Seeing her eyes flood with tears, Jack shifted to the bed, pulling her into his arms and hugging her as tightly as he dared as he murmured, "I couldn't have lived if you'd died Sam… I'm so damn sorry I wasn't there for you."

Shaking her head against his chest, she argued, "You were in a way… You saved me…"

His hands tightened on her shoulders, causing her to wince, and filled with more guilt, he angrily stated, "But it shouldn't have happened at all, damn it!"

"I couldn't prevent his reaction." There had been no way to know he would become so violent, so determined to kill her. Closing her eyes at the memory of his fists striking her body, Sam gave a hiccupped sob and buried her face in his chest.

The sob nearly tore him apart, and watching helplessly as more tears crept down her face, he hissed, "I know that, but if I had let you break up with him on the phone, or come to your place that night… God, this is all my fault!"

She shook her head rapidly against his soaked shirt, saying, "Jack… it's not your fault!"

"You'll never convince me of that…" Pulling away from her, Jack began to rise, needing to get away from her, to think about what had happened. Running a hand through his hair, he mumbled, "I … I have some reports to do…"

Panic filled her at the thought of being alone again and reaching towards him, she pleaded, "Please, don't go!"

Turning back towards her, Jack saw her give a big yawn, as the tears glittered in her eyes. Pausing, he admitted defeat and moving back to her, wrapped his arms around her, explaining, "I think we both need some time Sam… You need to see the counselor and I… I need to give you space to deal with this."

"No!" Damn it, how dense was the man? "I need you with me!"

"Sam… honey, you need to rest before Fraiser has my head for wearing you out…" Carefully wiping the tears from her face, he leaned down, gently kissing her lips as he whispered, "You're safe here baby, no one is ever going to hurt you like that again."

Grabbing his arm, she whispered, "I want you to stay with me! ...I need you to stay with me!"

Ok, this wasn't his Carter... Sitting on the bed, he held her hand, asking, "Sam… what's wrong?"

"I'm scared! I'm so scared!" The words were pulled from somewhere deep inside, startling them both. Her voice was small, distant like a child's, as she questioned, "Why did he hit me? He said he loved me, but he tried to kill me Jack... And I couldn't force myself to move, to defend myself as I'd been taught! Do you know what that is like Jack? To see the fists of death coming at you and be so completely surprised that you can't move? Why didn't I see what he was truly like? And God… What if I'd married him? I can't stop the questions in my mind! And the pain…"

Pulling her into his arms once more, he began to rock her, soothing her, "Oh baby… shhh… don't cry…" Forcing her to meet his gaze, he promised, "He is nevergoing to hurt you again. He is someplace that you will never see him again, understood?"

Nodding, Sam whispered, "Yes… but it hurts so much…"

"I know… but that's what the counselor is for…talk to her…" Offering her a weak smile, he added, "Trust me, she's better than Mackenzie ever was…"

Nodding at the suggestion, Sam fought to stay awake, needing to hang onto the conscious world, but the drugs were too powerful, and the lure of sleep began to call to her. Gripping his shirt tightly, she demanded, "Never leave me…"

"I won't, I promise." His brown eyes clouded with regret as he promised, "I will always be here for you."

A yawn escaped her, as she murmured, "I love you…"

"Love you too Sam…" Kissing her forehead as he eased her back down onto the bed, knowing the position was only adding to the pain in her chest, he stated, "Go to sleep now… I'll be here when you wake up… I promise... Unless of course Daniel decides to break something again."

A sleepy smile turned her lips up as she drifted into sleep and settling into the chair, Jack performed the action he'd become most adept at during the last eight years... He watched her sleep.