Sorry to keep you folks waiting for so long, but here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.

Danger Zone.

By Lingren.

Previously:-

Jack jerked in her arms and startled her. She was about to say how glad she was that he was awake now, when he rolled free of her grasp. He curled into a ball and vomited weakly, releasing a pitiful moan.

"Oh God!" he groaned before passing out.

Chapter 6

The airplane touched down on the runway at Andrews AF base, late that afternoon. Major Davis was there waiting for them at the foot of the steps, his face as grim as Sam had ever seen it. He was practically hopping from one foot to the other as they appeared at the doorway, impatient to talk to them.

Sam hurried down the steps, careful not to fall flat on her face, quickly followed by Daniel and then Teal'c.

"What's happened?" Sam was quick to ask as soon as she came within talking distance of the Major. The look of such anxiety on Davis' face completely shattering her calm.

"It's not good Major Carter," he sighed gesturing that they could talk inside the limousine on the way to their hotel.

They all bundled inside the car and Davis pursed his lips while he waited for their luggage to be stowed in the trunk. Once they were on their way, he began to tell his sorry tale, pulling a piece of paper from his inside breast pocket as he did so.

"Take a look at this," he said, handing it over to Sam. "This arrived at the hotel desk this afternoon for the attention of the manager. He, of course, passed it on to the police who in turn gave us a copy." He waited for the expected cry of disbelief from Jack's team-mates and wasn't disappointed when it came.

"What the...? This is stupid. It's just got to be a set up job!"

"No kidding?" Davis replied dryly. "The police are taking this seriously. They really believe the Colonel is doing this!"

"That's ridiculous! He wouldn't!" Sam and Daniel both argued.

"I know!" Davis responded adamantly. He was well aware that Jack wouldn't do anything so stupid.

Daniel took the paper and reread the note. A ransom note, actually signed by Jack.

I have the girl. If you want to see her alive again just do as I say. Go to the payphone outside the Ice Skating Rink on Constitution Avenue at 10:00 hrs tomorrow, and wait for my call. Signed...Jack O'Neill.

"I don't believe this. Who in their right mind signs a ransom note with their own name? That's just absurd." Daniel cried, flicking the paper angrily with his finger to emphasise his point.

"I don't even think Colonel O'Neill knows where the Ice Rink is, let alone know the actual number of the pay phone outside!" Sam snorted. "He told me he didn't know his way round Washington and gets lost practically every time he comes here."

"The note does not give away much information. It does not state the nature of the abduction nor what is required in exchange for young Sharon Lloyd's life," Teal'c said, adding his cents worth to the argument.

"Exactly!" Daniel exclaimed, "What the hell could Jack possibly want or gain from this?"

"It's not like it's gonna earn him a promotion, is it?" Sam added.

Davis couldn't agree more.

"As the law stands, the police have no choice but to pursue the matter whether or not they believe he's guilty at this point in time," Davis reminded them.

"I always thought the law said, 'Innocent until proven guilty', but they're treating Jack as if it's the other way round," Daniel complained.

"I agree Dr. Jackson," Davis added bitterly, "But with the Colonel signing his name at the bottom of the note hardly proves his innocence."

"Do we know anything about this Sharon Lloyd character? Colonel O'Neill said he didn't think she had anything to do with the leak from the hotel," asked Sam, feeling just a little doubt creeping in at the back of her mind about the young woman. Supposing she was part of this plot and as far as she was concerned it was really Jack who had been abducted? Was it some kind of sick joke? Jack said she had practically idolised him. Had she wanted more than he was prepared to give? She didn't know what to think, but she did know she wanted Jack back, and preferably in one piece.

"Sam?" Daniel voice and his gentle touch, brought her out of her inner thoughts. "We're here Sam," he added.

"We don't know a lot about her, but we're looking into it," Davis whispered hurriedly before the driver opened the door of the vehicle and stood to attention.

Sam blinked and nodded okay, not at all happy at the evidence against Jack.

Davis hopped out first and the others followed. Sam noted that they were to stay in the same hotel and that the manager, though wasn't keen on having more Air Force personnel staying there, was at least eager for them to help with the investigation. He wanted his Sharon back.

Sam was given the room next to Jack's and Daniel and Teal'c shared the room opposite hers. Davis indicated that they should discuss the case elsewhere in case the rooms were bugged or they were overheard. So after settling in and a quick change of clothes and a freshen up, they all retreated to a restaurant a few blocks away so that they could talk.

OoOoOoOoO

Sharon had heard enough about drugs to know that Jack was in trouble. She didn't know what they had injected into him, but she knew it wasn't good news. She didn't know if it was Heroin or what. Having no idea why they were doing this, nor why she was there for that matter. She rolled Jack onto his side in the recovery position so that if he vomited any more, he wouldn't choke on it; then she sat back and waited.

It seemed for ever before Jack stirred. He groaned as if he was in pain, and rolled over further, curling up as if in pain while he fought to regain consciousness.

She laid a hand on him and rubbed smoothing circles over his shivering back, speaking gently to help ground him.

"Jack. It's okay. It's me Sharon. I won't hurt you." She kept up the soft mutterings full of nothings. She knew that she couldn't prevent him from getting hurt again or whatever they had in mind to do to him, but she was hoping that her voice would help him relax a little and take away the fear of waking alone and in pain.

Jack shivered as he blinked open his eyes, adjusting quickly to the dim lighting. The first thing that hit his senses was the putrid smell of vomit and he groaned and rolled away from it. He screwed his eyes shut and scrunched up his nose, groaning with disgust.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, knowing he had been responsible for the mess, and feeling a little mortified for polluting the air.

"It's not your fault Jack. What happened? What did they do to you?"

Jack lay there blinking up at the lights and couldn't for the life of him recall much. He felt terrible. He was still feeling nauseous and his head felt full of cotton. It was hard to think straight, difficult to put things into perspective.

"Ah...I'm not sure. There was bright lights..." he paused to try and place his memories, "then...I think...I don't know. I can't remember...it's all..." he broke off unable to recall any of the details, and because he could hear the door being unlocked.

They both started, and Sharon's hand found her way into Jack's and he gripped it firmly to try and reassure her. He wouldn't let any harm come to her if he could help it, despite feeling like spaghetti inside.

The two men moved towards him and once again, only this time they had to drag him away, as his legs wouldn't support him.

Sharon yelled at them, but they ignored her cries to leave him alone, and locked her inside the room again. Once again she sat there wondering how long he would away this time and whether they would continue to pump him full of drugs.

OoOoOoOoO

Sam deliberated over the menu but it was hard to choose something to eat when all she could think about was what the hell was happening to Jack. He appetite had gone, replaced by a gnawing nausea inside. All around her, her friends were calling out their choices to the waitress, obviously unaffected by the turn of events unlike she was; which was understandable. She was, literally, worried sick about him. In the end, she chose a jacket potato with cheese and a green salad, though she wasn't so sure she could eat it yet.

"Sam?" Daniel asked aside, noticing her reluctance and less than normal enthusiasm in ordering her meal. "You okay?" His hand sneaked under the table to grip hers and he found she was trembling slightly.

She tried to be bright and alert, just for show, but she knew Daniel would know something was wrong. She tried to shrug off his concern, but when she caught his eye it was difficult to hide her true feelings.

"I'm just worried that's all, Daniel. This just isn't like the Colonel."

"I know!" he muttered giving her hand a warm squeeze to show he understood. "But it won't help Jack any, if you make yourself ill because you won't eat properly," he pointed out bluntly.

She nodded and took the drink of diet soda that Teal'c handed to her with a smile that wasn't quite forced.

Daniel took his own drink and met the dark eyes of Teal'c, showing that the big Jaffa hadn't missed a thing that passed between them, even though he was keeping Davis occupied.

Once the food had arrived, they got down to business.

"So, as I asked, What do we know of this Sharon Lloyd?" Sam repeated.

Davis laid his knife and fork down and swallowed, dabbing his mouth with a paper napkin before taking a swallow of his wine.

"Well," he began, "we don't know an awful lot really. She's twenty-six; was brought up in Baltimore; she was the youngest of four children; left high school with good grades and went on to take business studies at college. No boyfriend, but has a couple of girl friends that she hangs around with occasionally. Shares an apartment with another girl who works at the hotel too. That's about it so far. There's no reason to suspect her of any underhanded dealings, as Colonel O'Neill had already stated on his first night here." Davis took another sip of wine and resumed his meal, while the others sat there digesting the information, or lack of.

"He was sure that she wasn't involved in anything, but how do we know she wasn't involved with this kidnapping. It could have been a ruse," Sam argued.

"She was just a normal girl Major Carter," Davis stated. He couldn't see that she was involved in anything stronger than a little flirtation with the Colonel as he'd already said. What was puzzling him more than anything, was why the Colonel took her with him when he escaped? Because he didn't believe those were the police that were chasing him.

"Have they discovered who those cops were that were after Jack?" Daniel asked, almost echoing Davis' thoughts.

Davis started a little but recovered quickly.

"Not yet, but I don't believe they were genuine officers of the law. They haven't been in touch and nobody knows where they came from."

"Now that doesn't surprise me," Sam added dryly. "They had to be false. A cover up for their shooting and going after the Colonel, most likely!" she sighed.

Davis agreed, but proving it was going to be hard.

TBC