Chapter: Two

Summary: Sam almost killed the two men she loved the most. Her actions were damaging enough, but will the after math be worse? Jacob made it clear that he's proud of her, but Jack still stubbornly refuses to show that he cares for her. Hurt and lost, will either trust the other again?

A/N: Yeah, here it is…Chapter two. Yay! I can't really think of much to say this time around…so by all means…enjoy the time during my shutting up.

Oh yeah…there's a lot of thinking in this chapter. HUGE thanks to Bekki, Waddles52 and Susie…you guys wouldn't believe how I get in my 'writing sprees'…lets just say…lots of dismembered snakehead parts.

Please note: for this chapter, it's important to notice where I put certain words and little words… you're all in for a big twist. Ok…don't take me toooo seriously! And there's an A/N at the end you should read!

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Previously, on Stargate SG1…

Jack sighed and followed her; he let his hand rest lightly on the small of her back, and felt her relax slightly.

He saw her watching and gauging him out of the corner of her eye and he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Relax Carter…the fun is only just beginning."

Sam was so shocked, she stumbled.

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And now…

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Jack could almost read the thoughts going through her mind as they made their way out of the commissary and into the catacombs of underground hallways. Almost. He could also hear the mumbling (no doubt about them) fading as they both walked further away; something that his 2IC did not seem to notice.

Carter looked straight ahead, limped a little, but otherwise, was very respectful of his presence. She tried to feign a look of complete disinterest and lack of attention at what he was up to, but O'Neill knew her well enough to know she was more than a little intrigued by his behavior.

Obviously, she was worrying whether she would get court marshaled, which was plausible, granted she had just tried to kill her father and her CO, both of whom were Generals and within a time span of ten minutes, too. Jacob had obviously told her that he was proud of her, and the Tok'ra would pursue no disciplinary action. But Jack knew she was worried about what he, as her Commanding Officer, might do.

Jacob had probably also told her that O'Neill wouldn't press charges. Whether she believed it, was another matter. By the looks of it, it didn't look like she bought it. He'd heard something that resembled, "the mans adores you," in their conversation. He hadn't meant to overhear, but he just had.

It made him wonder; was it him they were talking about? Jack did adore Sam, and so much more. He loved her, and he'd never dream of undoing her career with something as unsubstantial as this. Even if he ever had had the guts or had been stupid enough to do that to her, it certainly wouldn't be on something like this.

This aside, Jack thought he saw something else in her. Worry about something else. Worry that maybe this had changed things between them. Granted, their relationship during the past year had become extremely strained, but that wasn't about to change anything, was it?

To the casual stranger, it was a mere discomfort to be around one another, but to the rest of the SGC, along with half the galaxy, knew that something was there. They knew, even if they couldn't or wouldn't admit it. There was a bond.

This was where Jack was confused. Did she think that the previous seven years hadn't meant a thing to him? Did she seriously think that he would disregard the last seven years of their relationship and throw away whatever respect he had for her or alienate her for the mistake she had made? It hadn't even been her mistake, fer cryin' out loud!

Truth be told, O'Neill was angry with her though definitely not in a General to a subordinate way. Jacob had been right—he was proud of her, and in retrospect maybe their little 'ambush' hadn't been such a terrific idea.

No, Jack was mad because she'd doubted him. And as a friend, she knew he hated that most of all. Hell, just being on SG1 with him for the larger part of a decade would have been enough—she should have known better.

He knew that Sam had somewhere along the way picked up on how much loyalty and faith meant to him, especially after being on units where they left people behind, despite their mottos. After a while, they'd made an unspoken pact that went beyond the one that they had with Daniel and Teal'c about never leaving anyone behind, no matter what.

The SGC was the first place Jack O'Neill had been with that always tired to find some way to bring its people home, no matter what the regulations or consequences. Even if they had to use back channels they tried to find a way.

The possibility that she might have doubted him, even for a second, hurt, especially from her. She had entrusted him with her life before, so why was she so distant because of something so petty? Off world, she would let him aim a weapon at her, pull the trigger, without believing for a second he was trying to kill her, and yet these days, when they were Earth side, they were back to the basics of it all.

She had told him once how she had never thought he'd stolen from the Tollan, however it may have looked. A few times, Jack had wondered whether or not she only trusted him because she worked with him. Then he'd shove it back into its little hole in the wall, berating himself for doubting her.

Jack had once had to convince a tribal leader that he was worthy leader in order to negotiate their freedom, much like Simarka. To do this, he had to fire a weapon against one of his own. Daniel had shrunk away, but nonetheless, put on a brave face to volunteer. Teal'c being Teal'c had automatically seen no alternative, and also stepped forwarded, arguing that Junior would heal him quicker and with less pain.

But ultimately in the end, Sam had been the one. Jack couldn't bear the thought of turning a weapon on Daniel, something that still eluded him to this very day, no matter how annoying the young archeologist got. Shooting Teal'c, even without the intent to kill, was like shooting the rebel Jaffa on a whole. He couldn't do that either.

So he had chosen her. This kind of thing happened out in the field, back on Earth unfortunately, and therefore, she was no stranger to it. Minimal damage and minimal psychological collateral, right? Luckily, it had been the alien equivalent to something between paintballs and blanks, so it hadn't been too serious.

He fired at her arm. The leader let them go. They gated home and that was that. Jack realized even if it hadn't affected her it had certainly made him appreciate her more. He'd spent months hovering around her trying to make it all right until one day she pulled him straight out of a briefing in front of General Hammond and set him straight.

But every time Jack glanced at her arm when she was wearing a black tank top number like now, he would see the small scar on her arm where the skin had been broken and healed. And now as his thoughts continued to race for his next course of action, it was a painful reminder of how much she had once trusted him. Only, unlike her wounds, their trust had never really seemed to heal.

In all his years with her, if there had been one thing he always did, as long as it wasn't technobabble, was to listen. He always took in her ideas and opinions and weighed them before spitting out a reply, even if said reply was against what she thought. Why couldn't she listen to what his eyes were saying?

The other thing that hurt Jack was the look on her face and the way she had recoiled from him. This wasn't the first time they'd been in such close proximity to each other. Hell General Hammond had caught them in a storage room together once while an alien was after them. Then there was Antarctica…. the Zay'tac incident, the alternate realties…and of course, their private combat sessions.

'Let's face it' Jack had once said in his bid to convince her to spar with him, 'If we were to practice on Daniel, he'd be beaten into a pulp. No offence to the guy. And frankly, I'm not going to spar with Teal'c, because he'd just flatten me. You however, you're a challenge, and safely dangerous. Or are you scared?'

At the time, she had thrown a retort in a colorful display of vocabulary to shove it somewhere, before he'd found himself on the ground, wondering how and what the hell he'd missed missed.

Jack had never thought that she would use 'their' moves against him, and there had never been an opportunity for it to happen. Jack wasn't sure how he felt about it all. Proud, yes. Sore, definitely. Bruised ego? Yep, that too.

And Hurt. In an indescribably, unexplainable way.

Shaking his head, Jack cleared his mind of thought just in time to drag his 2IC back from the direction of his office.

"Uh-uh, Carter. We're heading to the locker room." No, they wouldn't talk in his office or her lab; they'd find somewhere that was neutral. His hand again at the base of her spine, he urged her toward the change rooms. SG1's personal change rooms.

He felt her shiver through her shirt, and wondered whether it had been his touch. Then again, one of their memorable change room encounters had been the Broca Divide thingo, when they'd sort of made out. A little smile played at his lips as he remembered.

Sam glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, gauging him, before tucking her curiosity out of sight again. She'd been watching him and she wondered exactly what was in that unique mind of his.

At first, he had looked undecided, and a little unsure. She knew him that well. Sam's blood froze at the fact that perhaps he was deciding what he was going to do with her. One moment he'd looked spacey and deep in thought. The next, his hand had reached out to guide her back on track. She wondered whether he had noticed her reaction.

She noticed the little smile playing on his lips. It was that little quirk of the lips that had gotten her in so deep. And it was that befuddled 'I'm trying to understand here!' look that made her technobabble all the more enjoyable.

The blonde astrophysicist furiously thought about what she could have possibly said or done to amuse him to smile like that. It was the 'I-can-remember-something-that-you-can't-yet-but-when-you-do-you're-gunna-die-of embarrassment' smile.

Anything relating to locker rooms this last year? No. Year before…oh yes…the whole 'getting stuck on a moon thing' and her using Teal'c as a pillow…but he didn't know that. Let's see…. first year, missions…

Her eyes widened involuntarily. Their fifth mission was Daniel's little Broca Divide thing. And she vaguely remembered making a move on her CO, in front of half the male SG members also in the room at the time.

His voice was thick with amusement as he whispered in her ear mockingly, "We're going to find some neutral territory."

That did it. Samantha Carter was scared. Very scared. She had no idea how to read him at the moment. She had no ideas of his intentions. For once, she couldn't read his next move.

But Neutral territory?? The two of them alone in the LOCKER room? Was he NUTS?

She tried to glance over as surreptitiously as she could, but he found his gaze waiting for her. Jack flashed her a mysterious grin that made her shiver. He was letting her know that he knew that she was looking at him.

She couldn't resist a rolling of her eyes before remembering her precarious position. It probably wasn't too late for an insubordination charge on her previously completely untarnished record.

"Yep, that's the face of a crazy man." She muttered to herself, not realizing they'd stopped in front of the doors of their destination, and he could hear her because they were next to each other.

"What was that, Colonel Carter?" He asked, in a dangerously unreadable tone of voice. His face was impassive and without expression

"Nothing, sir." Sam felt her heart sink. The General looked every inch as if he had already made up his mind about what to do, and it was not in her favor.

"Good, now get in here before I have to drag you." He ordered harshly, forcing the door open.

Carter bit her lip, ducking her head as she strode passed him, fighting for control over her emotions. He'd never spoken to her like this, not even when he had thought Jolinar for a Goa'uld. She tried to steel herself, and tell herself she didn't deserve the crap he was trying to give her.

She didn't care how much she cared for this man; he was not going to get to her.

But it was easier said then done, as she stood stiffly to the side, near a wall, should she need its support.

"At ease, Colonel." He said to the woman who was standing straight as the walls beside her. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards, fiddling with her hands, as if the limbs would somehow determine the severity of the onslaught that was sure to come.

"I don't even know where to start, Carter." He started in on her, "What was that down there, huh? What were you thinking, assaulting superior officers, one of them highly decorated. Not to mention he is the Ambassador for the Tau'ri-Tok'ra Alliance, trying to salvage the said alliance in front of the Tok'ra."

"You just shot Dr. Jackson. Daniel." He huffed, genuinely annoyed at this, "What did he ever do to you? You do realize that if your aim had been a bit to the left, you could be facing possible manslaughter charges? Even minus the assault charges, your career would be over."

He stood and just watched her, face completely devoice of emotion as he observed her every move in a most unsettling and calculating manner. He watched the color on her face drain. He was in control.

Not for the first time since they'd left the commissary, she wondered exactly what he would do. Her mind seemed to have reached ambivalent conclusions.

The part of herself that was friends with Jack told her he would never do anything to hurt her in anyway, no matter what. He wouldn't jeopardize anything of hers. Instead, he would be there like he had always promised he would, every time one of them almost died. He'd seen her do a lot worse, and he'd never done anything. He knew how much her career meant to her.

On the other hand, that knowledge could be something to use against her in a professional sense. If O'Neill were like most other males who had their egos bruised, he'd want to hurt her. And her position at the SGC would be the way to do it.

If she lost her place in the Air Force, it could quite possibly mean the end of her access to the Stargate program. Although the majority of the scientists on base were civilian they'd want to keep her out in case she was tempted to assist the NID. But that wasn't the worst of it.

It would mean she would lose contact with her father and friends along with various other personnel and aliens. She would become distant to some of the only trusted people her life had ever had, and eventually, it would all fall apart.

No, it didn't scare Lt. Colonel Carter that her CO would fire her. What terrified Samantha Carter was how and if her best friend would take her apart piece by piece.

As loud as the voice that was telling her to trust Jack, she couldn't ignore what the General had just said. Your career would be over. More or less, her life would be over. Not to mention no more doohickeys. She should expect the unexpected.

Jack took the same moment that Sam was using to think, to gauge how much more she could take. She looked accepting, but willing to fight. He didn't want to do this to her, but it was really for her own good and he was curious himself. He was trying to divert his real anger somewhere else. As her CO, it was his responsibility to rip her a new one anyway, and if he didn't do it, someone was bound to get them in trouble

"I know your father isn't going to take action for your little 'attack' on him. But I still haven't made up my mind about you yet." Ahh, the troubles with chains of command, Jack moaned silently, as he lied through his teeth.

Truth was, actually calling her up on something like this hadn't even occurred to him to be an option. He wasn't even tempted. Besides, he reasoned, even if I did consider it, General Hammond would kill me.

Sam wisely kept her mouth shut, frowning; but she could feel no anger from his words. No disapproval at her professional conduct. It also seemed as if he was mocking her, before telling her what was really on his mind. She didn't have the time to thing about it any further, before he launched into yet another episode of how irresponsible and reckless she'd been.

To be honest, she was starting to become a bit annoyed at his pointless ranting as he continued to rip her actions apart. She knew her actions were questionable but it hadn't been that bad. Had he forgotten that the base had called her in?

It wasn't like she just waltzed into the base with a gun with the intention of shooting of someone. Actually…. it kind of was like that. After all, she had walked into the mountain with a gun, intending to shoot something but it had been in the best interest of Earth's security.

If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that he was leading her on, deliberately provoking her to lead her to completely false pretenses before allowing her to see the picture. Either way, she needed to find out.

"I swear, you're such a nerd; you're no fun anymore." he said in an exasperated whine. His face held a look of innocence that made Sam frown. Now he was really pushing it. "No offence but lately you've been like Daniel, but worse. You're so wrapped up in your astrotechnical crap that you're too uptight. I loved the pranks you used to pull on me. Now, I don't know what's been going on in your private life but the Carter I knew before would have damn well picked up on this as soon as she'd gotten the call. You've even forgotten your own birthday; don't think I didn't know that."

Her nature made her automatically defend herself to chauvinistic male members of the Air Force, but this wasn't some sexist prick. This was Jack O'Neill, one of her best friends despite the rules. So how could she prove herself to someone who already knew who she was?

Sam didn't know how she could show him her views without destroying herself in the process. But something inside her snapped when he mentioned her private life. He knew damn well to stay away from it. He knew how dangerous it was.

Completely driven by the hurt she was feeling her hand shot out and hit him squarely on the cheek, although not as hard as she would have liked. She looked a little scared, but she wasn't shocked like she had been in the commissary, "You might be my CO, General. But that doesn't mean you own me, Jack."

Sam was more shocked his name had slipped out so easily than her actions. She took another step backwards, not knowing what her back had hit; she turned to find the wall. The instant her head was turned, the General had descended on her, like an eagle to its prey, close enough so that she could feel his heat wash over her, an intense look on his face.

The look in his eyes would have frightened lesser women, but this woman had known him for the better part of a decade. She barely flinched and glared straight back, daring him to proceed.

At first, she was annoyed at him for not saying anything at all after he'd had so much to say about the kind of person she was. Then it dawned on her that he'd already come to the conclusion that they needed to cool off before it got out of hand, but she could resist the satisfaction at this one last jab at him.

Well it was too late, for her at least. She saw his plan, and now he was going to get it, CO or not. If he was her CO, he shouldn't care anyway.

"And for your information, Jack. I had plans for my birthday." She leaned forward, bringing her face nearer to his.

"What?" he said, pulling himself back abruptly out of shock and need to retreat from her personal space.

"Pete was taking me out to celebrate." She said carelessly. "That place up at the lookout."

Jack didn't know what to say because he'd never considered this possibility. He had sensed things had been strained between Pete and Carter; he'd just hoped it had been strained enough that they wouldn't spend her birthday together.

"With Pete?" He asked softly, hurt playing in his soft brown eyes.

Sam immediately tried to take back her direct words, and be blunt, "Yes." She confirmed softly.

"Oh." Was all he said.

"Is that all you can say?" She asked at him, fury returning, hastily adding, "Sir."

"Can you really blame me for all of this? I think that I at least deserve to explain myself. I got a call 10 minutes after I got home. I was looking forward to a nice romantic night with Pete. You can imagine I was pissed when I got the call from the base but the moment they told me something had happened to you—the rest of base personnel, that changed.

"When I got here, everything was on heightened alert. The guards were jittery, and you left me a note with details that all pointed toward an ambush of some sort. Remember, YOU told me to go to the commissary, and I was working under the assumption that there had been an attack on the base. Could you really expect me to walk in here, unarmed?"

"I was expecting a friendly to identify me and brief me, not to bump into someone with a snake in the dark! Then you grabbed me and started fighting me. What was I supposed to think? That someone simply wanted to grope?"

Jack reddened a little bit, and had the grace to duck his head, but Sam didn't notice; she was on a roll. She was finally seeing that this wasn't her fault, and she was trying to make up for the lost time that she'd been oblivious to the fact.

"You should have told me it was you. SOMEONE could have shouted 'Surprise' a little earlier…. you could have blindfolded me instead of turning out the lights!" she huffed, anger and frustration wearing off. She was way beyond logic or proper conduct. She was harshly poking a finger into his chest; hard enough that Jack was sure he'd end up with bruises later.

"If you want to charge me for assault of a superior officer while under the impression I was trying to save my planet from an alien attack, then go right ahead. I know I didn't do anything wrong." She leaned back against the wall in satisfaction, happy to get everything out of her system. "And if…"

Then suddenly, everything took a dangerous turn. This wasn't the way Jack wanted it to go down. He leapt forward slamming his hand forcefully centimeters away from her head. Sam was shocked, and her mouth abandoned forgotten words.

His eyes blazed, showing anger, for he was trying to re-establish control. He was looming over her, a hand right next to her head, from where he'd slammed it down to accentuate his point, supporting his weight. She looked surprised, and temporarily unable to say anything, although Jack had no idea how long it would last.

"Shut up, Carter. I wasn't done with you." He snapped at her cutting her off, bringing his face right up close to her own. "It might be your birthday, but its not too late to add insubordination to your little list."

"You're in my airspace. I suggest you find some neutral territory." She looked pointedly at him, fear pulling at her combat-façade. "Sir."

"No."

Her eyes glared at him, but her grip on fear loosened, and with what little reality Jack had to grips with the situation, he wondered why he was encouraging this. She looked at him, terrified but not like earlier in the commissary.

This was the fear of a combatant, of a woman trying to get away from something that could be much worse. It took the blonde woman two seconds to register this before she remembered she'd promised herself she'd never let herself be in this position again.

Her hands shoved forcefully against his larger and prepared frame, doing little to unsteady him. The Colonel's hands sought out a location on his head, destined to reach it destination, as a missile would lock on its target. However, it was intercepted before it got the chance to impact.

A surprisingly gentle grip caught both her hands, before pushing them roughly against the wall next to her head. Sam was about to knee him where it hurt, but Jack had foreseen this and leaned his body against her own, effectively rendering her immobile. As they both struggled, they privately realized, that neither wouldn't have wanted to move in this position and such proximity anyway.

"Look at me," He growled harshly, clearly hurt.

Carter only had to tilt her head up slightly to look in his eyes and saw fury and hurt. And then she saw it. She really saw it.

If Samantha Carter was scared before, she was about a mile beyond that now. She was about to lose something very, very valuable to her. The woman crumbled, held up only by her friend's body pinned against her's. "Oh god! No!"

Her companion released her, and could only look at her in disappointment. This was it.

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PLEASE READ A/N BELOW

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Yay! Jack gets a violent streak…well he's always had one. We just never get to see it. Much. And no…he isn't goa'ulded!

Yeah, this is one of those fics where you never know where its gunna lead. I can just see all clogs in your little heads turning, and taking the seemingly obvious 'next-step'. That being said, may I just suggest this: Expect the Unexpected

So, regardless of whatever you think of this right now, will you please stick with it and see how it pans out? Lemme know what you think Sam is thinking about right now!

Storm

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31-10-2005 NEW AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Some of you obviously read the author's note and followed the instructions… which I wasn't actually expecting. After a lot of A/N's on Criminal Intent and CSI fics…I've found the it takes lot's of emphasize to get people to even look at the A/N! LOL! I'm glad you guys are an observant bunch. (Jack quote! SQUEE!) :P

A lot of you are probably also a little confused at this chapter…you'll probably stay that way until you read the next chapter. I told you it was an unpredictable fic. Anyway, don't lose sleep wondering where I'm going with this fic! Sorry for the confusion everyone! Thanks for reading!