They had been locked in the rotting underground cell for hours, or was it months. Jack had lost track of time. His watch battery was dead, along with Sam's, Daniel's and Teal'c's. Maybe they'd been down here for years. Every minute that went by seemed like hours. Dark bags were under his eyes from not getting sleep. Who could sleep in this place? The smell of feces, and rotting bodies was enough to kill anyone. Somehow Sg-1 had been able to bare it, somehow…
Jack looked across the cell to blonde haired, blue-eyed woman. His 2IC. She looked distraught, more so then Daniel, Teal'c and himself. Something was bothering her, he could tell. Being on the same team with her for almost 10 years, he could tell when the slightest thing bothered her. It made his heart ache that he couldn't be closer to her. Damn the regulations! They messed everything up. Jack had thought Sara had been the one, but then he found Sam, and knew differently. Not at first, but a year or so of working with the woman…he knew.
He ran a hand through his greasy hair. When he got out of here, the first thing he'd do would take a long hot shower. 'I bet that's what everyone's going to do.' He thought, and smiled inwardly to himself at the picture of all of them coming back through stargate passing everyone, including Hammond, just to get to the showers.
Booted footsteps approached the cell. A man in a suit of some kind of alien armor opened the cell, and pointed at Teal'c. Teal'c raised his eyebrow in wonder of with the man wanted. Teal'c soon found out when the man entered and dragged Teal'c off. Sg-1 stared in awe at how the man smaller then Teal'c could easily drag him off like he was some sort of child.
Jack fought back his anger. It would do no good to let anger get the best of him. They were stuck in a cell, underground, where they would never be found. Never ever be found. What were they going to do to Teal'c? The answer soon came to Jack, when the Familiar Jaffa's yell of pain came floating down into their cell. 'Torture' was the first word that came to his mind; the second was 'Death'. Jack's angered expression turned too pained.
He looked back at his 2IC. Was she crying? She never cried. Not unless something was paining her. And she was trained in the air force to not show emotions. Something was really plaguing her. "Sam?" His voice came out hoarse. He hadn't talked in so long. There was no water to keep his throat wet, just his spit that was running low too.
Sam had been off in her own little world. She ignored that Teal'c had been taken. She tried to ignore everything. This place, and mission had to be the worst. She would've been able to block everything out, but the regret of not telling her CO things had caught up with her. She didn't know if she should tell him what was on her mind, but she just couldn't gather the courage. What if they didn't die here, and she told him she loved him with all her heart, would he reply with firing her or reassigning her so they could be together, or shrugging it off, like he would an unimportant fact.
A warm trickle ran down the side of her face. It was then she realized she was crying. She hadn't cried in forever, or so it seemed. She'd thought she'd forgotten how to cry, ever since she threw herself into her work. Did Jack love her like she loved, maybe? For almost 10 years she'd had these feelings for him. Most people were married in 6 months, with feelings like hers. But regulations had gotten in the way.
Carter was pulled out of her little world when the man's rugged voice called out her name. Not Carter, or colonel, he called her Sam. She shifted her head away from him. She knew crying was a weakness in his eyes, and she wouldn't let him see her cry. Around Jack she was always the girl. Not the woman who had proven herself to be like one of the boys, the girl. Who was so smart, yet was also immature at times. Always the girl, not the womanly soldier with him.
Sam wiped her tears away, and looked Jack in the eyes. His chocolate brown eyes were full of concern. She turned her head away again.
"Yes Jack…err…I mean Sir?" She immediately corrected herself. Sam winced when she heard more bellows of pain from the strong Jaffa. She held the tears back again. It was getting harder. Everything was getting to her. Her father's death, her breaking the engagement with Pete, everything that had happened over the past few months, was catching up to her. Trying to bring her down.
Jack looked awe struck at what had slipped past his 2IC's lips. Did she really just call him Jack? She never did that. Well she did correct herself, but it still slipped out. It showed she cared for him.
"Are you ok, Sam?" jack asked his voice laced with care. Which was unusual for him. His voice and words were usually dripped heavily with sarcasm. He had changed over the past ten years. Done things he could never have imagined. He loved his job, saving the planet, and all, but there was still apart of him the longed to be with her. To quit, retire, and hold her close to him, without the regulations.
That was all he wanted. To hold her close, and protect her. Talk to her lover to lover, not CO to 2IC. He had never been this caught up in lover. Not even with Sara.
Jack grunted as he changed positions. Now he was lying down on his back, nose in the air. His eyes, though, were still on Sam. He'd seen her cry before. He could tell she was trying to hide her tears.
Why does she try so hard to prove herself to me? I already know she can do everything! Jack thought to himself. His gaze was still locked on Sam. He was so fascinated by her. How she tried to hide her tears, but was failing miserably, how she always has a sparkle in her eye, it just fascinated him to no extent.
He had always wanted a woman that was like him in almost every way, yet different in almost everyway as well. A Woman who knew way more then he could ever comprehend. Sure, Sara has known something things, but Sam had her completely beat in everyway he could think of.
Sam didn't know how to reply. Normally she'd say, "Yes Sir, I'm fine." But she knew he'd know it to be a lie. It seemed he knew a lot about her. She knew a lot about him. It was a fair trade.
Sam's eyes started to water again. She had to change the subject somehow. Before she could speak that somehow walked down the stairs again.
Carter hid her face. She didn't want to be taken next. Not after what she heard. But it wasn't her t be taken, it was Daniel. The archeologist who always seemed to get beaten up, and this time it was no different.
Why Daniel? And Teal'c? She thought. She winced again when Daniel's cries of agony ripped through the hostile air. There was no stopping the flow of tears now. Promptly she moved from her spot to Jack. She flung her arms around him, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm not ok. I...everything is wrong. Please don't let me go." She begged him in a low whisper.
Jack laid there in awe as his 2IC flung herself on top of him. It was so unlike her. She knew there were regulations to uphold. Of course they could just leave this out of the reports.
He didn't know what to do, but apart of him did. He wrapped his arms around her, and brought them both up into a sitting position. They just sat there in silence. He held onto her, not willing to take the change that if he let go she'd be ripped away from him.
Daniel's cried had stopped. He knew it was only a matter of time before the strange man returned. This time it was either Sam…or he.
"Sam I know this is against regulations, but I think you should know, I care for you…a lot. I'm not good with all the emoti-" He was cut off by her eyes meeting his. Everything but each other, faded into nothingness. Her soft, dazzling, mesmerizing blue eyes were locked on his. She'd drawn him in, and now he was trapped like a mouse, in the cat's grasp, but this mouse didn't mind.
Sam stared into his rich chocolate brown eyes. She had no intention of breaking off her hold on him either. She now knew that he loved her. That was all she needed to know. If she died here, she'd die happily. Die happily knowing that the man she loved, loved her back.
It was all in good timing to. The alien man returned. Sam tore her gaze away from jack, and set her eyes on the man. Who had he come for this time? By the way he moved toward the two of them, he had come for her. Sam's eyes slammed shut, as the man yanked her from Jack's grasp. She heard him shout angrily at the man. A short surprised gasp escaped from her throat as the man yanked her away harder.
"I love you, Jack." She shouted back at O'Neill. It seemed as if when she said those four words, he world spun out of her control.
Jack sat there in the dark. She had said those three forbidden words; of course he, and she, could just leave that part of the mission out of the reports as well.
His mind raced a to what they were doing to her. Her screams of pain and agony wrenched his heart. He was growing colder by the moment. The hoarse screams that once ripped through his thoughts were silenced by nothingness, this wasn't torture to get answers, and this was torture for revenge. She was now gone, and he was going too.
The deafening thud of the Alien's boots returned to Jack's ears for the fourth time. How he so wished he'd retired earlier that month. The man unlocked the cell, and stepped inside. With as much strength as Jack could muster, the colonel rammed into the man, knocking him off his feet.
Not expecting the charging colonel, the alien was caught off guard. Struggling violently to get free from Jack's grasp. With his free hand Jack ripped off the mask the man wore, to reveal a Jaffa with the mark of Ba'al.
"Ba'al. Damn it! I knew it." O'Neill cursed beneath his breath. He exempted part of his revenge on the Jaffa.
"Jack O'Neill, we finally get to reminisce, how nice." His trade mark evil smirk in its rightful place upon his face. "Come I want to show you something. No pain involved, promise."
Reluctantly Jack gathered his composure, and walked along with the Goa'uld. After walking for what seemed and eternity, they stopped outside a metal door with the label Daniel Jackson on it. Ba'al pointed to it indicating Jack to open the door.
Inside Daniel was happily playing was some dark haired children, and Vala was in the kitchen obviously pregnant.
" I don't get was you're hinting at Ba'al. I think you're losing your touch personally." Jack covered up his clueless ness with be sarcastic.
"This is their life with out you in it O'Neill. He's married with kids, and happy. Come." Ba'al closed the door, and moved to one that was labeled Teal'c. Jack's hand grasped the handle, and turned it slowly. This time it opened to reveal Teal'c laughing with Drey'auc, Rya'c, and Rya'c's family laughing together. Jack Choked back the lump that was forming in his throat.
"One more room, come along." Ba'al ordered, and jack hut the door. He didn't want to open the next door, but he didn't have to Ba'al did it for him.
"Sam sat at a table in a kitchen. There was no smile on her face. In a weird way this comforted Jack. But then Pete entered the scene, and the smile appeared on her face. It wasn't her happy smile though, it was a fake one, he could tell. A sigh came from behind the Goa'uld and Jack. A bright light flittered into the hall. A woman appeared and sighed.
"Ba'al how many times do we have to talk about this? You can't go around showing people the future, with out showing them the whole thing. Because now he knows too much, you should just show him the rest of his future! God you can be such a complete idiot sometimes" He ice blue eyes narrowed into a glare, pointed at Ba'al. He was about to protest, but stormed off instead. Jack was at a loss for words.
"Come dear one. I will show you the truth. These are the loves of your friends, true, but you're still there, watch." She opened the door to Daniel's room. It was the same exact scene, but it panned to reveal the gang laughing together. Sam kissed Jack on the cheek and walked into the kitchen to help Vala.
Next the mysterious wonder woman opened the door to Teal'c's room. The view panned around to the gang again. Each person standing next to the life partners, laughing like there was no tomorrow.
Then came Sam's. Pete hugged Sam, and then Jack walked in the front door carrying a small dark haired little girl with ice blue eyes. Sam's brother appeared out of a different back room, and also hugged Sam. They said their goodbyes and left. Jack smiled at Sam, and kissed her, then handed the little girl over to her.
"So you see, Ba'al was fooling you. Don't worry everything will be all right and you may leave. But please remember that when life gives you opportunities, take them and use them to your advantage of yourself and your friends." She gave him a wink, and the next thing her knew he was in the infirmary in a bed with his teammates all smiling down at him.
Fin