A/N: Okay so i just got back so hopefully i'll be able to post more. Our area just got nasty flooding so i might not be able to do much for a while. Thanks for the reviews!

Sam pulled up to her brother's house in San Diego. It would be nice to see the kids again. Of course she couldn't really enjoy it, being AWOL and all. Well, okay, she wasn't exactly AWOL, she had turned in her resignation, but she knew it wouldn't be accepted. She had only done it to cover her ass, so she couldn't be court marshaled. Of course, that thought had also propelled her to finally act upon her feelings for Jack.

Jack... He would know by now. He'd know that she was gone. That she had left him. Well, not exactly left him, just more like protected him. If he knew what had really happened, he'd have flown off the handle, put them all in danger. She was the only one who could know what had really happened, for the time being anyway.

She sighed and laid her head on the steering wheel. What had she been thinking? She should have told him what was bothering her. He could have helped. He had connections. This whole mess could have been resolved. But now she screwed it up even more. Not to mention what they had done the day before.

She hadn't gone to his house yesterday with the intent to seduce him, it had just happened. She had gone to him searching out his help. It was a matter she knew the SGC needed to be aware of, but it would be putting them in too much danger. The NID was behind this. They had to be. It had recognized her, and that's why she needed to run. It didn't really have anything to do with Jack, but she could use him as an excuse if she needed to. Use him. No, that wasn't why she had done it, but that was what she could do now, in light of their newest situation.

A knocking on her window startled her. It was Mark. He motioned for her to either get out of the car or at least roll down the window. She begrudgingly chose the former.

She stepped out of the car, hanging her head low. Mark didn't say anything, he just pulled her into his chest and held her, seeing the sorrow across her face. Whatever could hurt his strong, joyful sister this much? He looked into the back seat and noticed her overnight bag. She was running? Never in his life had he known his little sister to run from anything. She had only phoned him twenty minutes earlier to let him know she was coming. He held onto Sam with one arm and helped her get her things out of the car. Her trembling figure clung tightly to his shoulders. The last time she'd done that, she was fourteen, their mother had just died. He directed her silently to the house, allowing her to take control of the situation if she wanted to. She opened the door for him and he dropped her bag in the entryway.

Placing her gently on the couch, he turned her to face him. "Sam, are you okay?" He rubbed her cheek with his thumb, trying to brush away the tears that were now free falling. She didn't answer. "Is it Dad?" She shook her head. A wave of relief flashed across his face, but was quickly replaced by the concern he held for his little sister.

"Sam, you have to tell me, what is it?"

"No! No, I don't have to tell you! You can't tell anyone I was here!" Sam screamed. She twisted out of her brother's arms and moved to the other side of the couch. He was doing it again, treating her like an incompetent fool. She could take care of herself, she just had to have this chance to say good-bye. This would be the last time she would see her family until this was resolved, which it was possible it never would.

"Sammy, I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong," Mark spoke softly moving closer to her. She just turned her back to him.

"Fine, you wanna beer or something?" He stood heading towards the kitchen. She was acting childish, but if that's what she wanted he'd let her. Besides this was a chance to see her again. The opportunity didn't present itself often anymore. Like their father, she was always busy back in Colorado, or otherwise occupied.

"You got anything stronger?" she asked through her sniffles. She pulled the collar of Jack's shirt up around her neck, taking in his sweet scent. This was what would carry her through, what would keep her sane.

"Not with the kids in the house."

"Beer'll be fine."

Mark returned, carrying two bottles of beer. He set one on the coffee table in front of Sam. He opened his and after taking a long slow mouthful, he flung the cap into the garbage can across the room.

"It's that O'Neill guy isn't it? Those are his clothes. What'd he do to you?" he softly growled. Sam didn't answer him. "I knew it. I'm gonna kick his ass!" He hadn't liked his sister's CO when he first met him, and he knew eventually there'd be some bad blood between them.

"No, Mark, it wasn't really him and it wasn't his fault. I saw something back home that I shouldn't have, and I ran to him. I should have told him what I saw, he could have helped, but instead I flipped. I just ran." Sam was starting to cry again. She thought she had been too dehydrated for that.

"I don't know what could have been so bad to cause you to run, Sam. You're the strongest woman I know." He sat for a second, taking another sip of his beer. "If O'Neill doesn't even know why you ran, and you just took off, you're AWOL aren't you? That's why you don't want anyone knowing you're here."

"No, well yes and no. I am AWOL, sort of. I didn't wait around to find out if my resignation had been accepted. You have every right to report me, but that's not why I don't want you letting anybody know where I am. If I thought Jack and General Hammond could protect me I would have stayed in Colorado Springs." Sam sat, holding her beer bottle in her interlocking fingers. She hadn't opened it yet and wasn't sure if she was going to.

"If it's that bad, you should tell them where you are. Let them help you," Mark suggested.

"I can't. I wish I could explain it to you, but it would only endanger you and the kids. Listen I just needed somewhere to relax before I head off. Remember, you don't know where I am." Sam stood and left the room, resting the unopened bottle on the coffee table. She had to sleep before she officially started over. She picked up her bag and headed to the spare bedroom her brother always kept for her.