She hadn't protested when Jack bundled her into the house and all but forced her into the shower.

She stood under the shower unmoving; letting the heated water flow down her body in ribbons caressing her icy flesh. The steam enveloped her in a warm cocoon driving out the chill and washing away the numbness.

But the numbness had kept her from feeling, and with its passing she was once again acutely aware of the images lurking just under the surface of her psyche. A moment of weakness could take her back to hell. She couldn't let that happen. Not again, because if she succumbed she wasn't sure she would be able to pull herself back out this time.

With renewed urgency she left the confines of the shower before her determination faded. She needed to keep busy prevent the images from surfacing. The only way to do that was to work. Immerse herself in the science which had helped her through so much.

Logically she knew that it wasn't the solution but it terrified her that she was so close to breaking. It wasn't logic but desperation that made her believe that she could stave off the inevitable.

For the second time in that day she threw on clothes before rushing out of the shower this time bumping into Jack.

"Whoa. What's the rush?" he asked pulling up short of crashing into her with a mug of something hot in each hand.

"I…I gotta go back to the base. I've got work to do, there's an experiment I left running and that thing that SG-8 brought needs to be figured out, so I can't stay…" she finished lamely.

"Carter, nothing is that urgent that you need to go rushing back for. I've cleared it with Hammond you're taking a few days off."

"What! I can't!" she cried. Her one escape was being taken away and she felt the panic rise inside her. She had to work, occupy her mind. Why didn't they understand?

Jack watched the near panic grip his second in command. She seemed genuinely scared at the thought of not working. And he suddenly realised that she was a lot closer to the edge then he had ever thought.

Placing the mugs on a table he moved to her. He needed to calm her down before she hyperventilated. Sitting her down against the wall he kneeled in front of her. She was breathing hard, her eyes unfocused and her whole body shaking.

He'd never seen her in this state. Not with Jaffa on their tail, not when facing down a go'auld- or even when blinded and imprisoned.

"Carter! Look at me!" he ordered gripping her shoulders, trying to keep his own fear out of his voice. He needed her to stay with him. Know that she was not alone.

Her wild eyes met his calm ones and held. The panic seemed to recede slightly, lurking just behind her eyes.

"That's it Carter. Breathe in…and out" he soothed with a calm, firm voice coaching her through the breathing. Loosening the grip on her shoulders he moved his hand up and down her arms soothingly along with his words.

As she calmed he moved to sit next to her with his back to the wall. His head slumped back. He was still trying to work out what had just happened.

TBC…