Surprised, she nervously returned the embrace. "Sir, are you alright?"

"I'm so glad you're safe."

"Uh... So am I."

Jack took a deep breath. She obviously had no idea that anything regarding her remotely had ever taken place. Still smiling, Jack left for his office.

Sam watched Jack leave. She took a seat and uncharacteristically fiddled with some piece of expensive equipment. She heaved a large sigh and set the object back down. She looked at her watch, and then typed something on the keyboard of her laptop and studied the information. Then, suddenly, she got up and started pacing her lab in search of something. She gathered some papers from various corners of her lab and stuffed them into a bag. Sam looked at her watch again, and sat back down.

"Right," she said to herself. "Almost time to go. Now…" she drew her tags from beneath her shirt and studied them. "Where do I live?"

Jack walked into his office and sat down on his seat, relaxed. Everything would be all right. At least for the moment at any rate. The telephone rang. He answered.

"I hear we have a little bit of a situation here," said X, annoyed.

"Yes, we do," Jack replied cheerfully. "Actually, no. You have a situation, but I don't."

"There are two Carter's, eh? One walking around your base and one as my hostage."

"Yeah, and about your proposal...y'know the one that involves me assassinating General Archer? Well, it can go to hell, you liar! Is that what you do? Pretend to kidnap someone while they're on vacation and then blackmail their family? Bastard!"

X remained unconcerned and sighed. "Well, if that's your decision, I suppose there is nothing I can do to persuade you otherwise. You'll realize sooner or later that the Carter on your base is an impostor, but, my guess is that by then it will be too late. You've made your decision, but if you happen to change your mind, you have until tomorrow to complete the task." He let out a burst of laughter and hung up. Jack felt sweat beading on his brow. He was nervous. Who should he believe? Himself; his eyes, which had seen his friend and his heart that had felt the warmth that it always did when he saw her? Or a stranger who claimed to be holding the same friend hostage? X didn't seem like the kind of person to lie, but still, he couldn't deny what he had seen...

"Sir?" a voice from his door. Sam stood there, a concerned glint in her eye. "Sir, are you feeling OK?"

For the first time in days, Jack genuinely smiled. It was then he realized that the real Samantha Carter was standing in front of him. "Yes, Major, fine."

She smiled back and nodded. Jack felt his insides melt with happiness. Sam turned and left. He had nothing to worry about. The confusion was over.

Or so he thought. Rather, it was the beginning.

The next day, after the deadline had passed

SG-1 had gathered in Daniel's office in order to discuss the upcoming mission. It seemed that Sam had pestered General Hammond so much that he had let her come back to work half a week early. Also, it seemed that the good General had given up on the prospect of having those mission reports handed to him any time in the next millennia.

"It seems on this planet, there is traces of naquadah in the soil," said Sam, right on topic.

"Yeah, there also seems to be a city or village nearby who mines it. We're going to try to see their ways to mine..."

Daniel's voice slowly faded out of Jack's listening range. His eyes stared blankly around the room, looking at everything but not particularly seeing anything. The Stargate alarm blared. Daniel continued talking as if nothing was even making an annoying 'bbbbbrrrrrrrr' noise. It was just SG-9 returning from a standard reconnaissance mission - nothing to worry about. At least, not for any normal person. But as Jack's eyes came to rest on Sam, he knew something was wrong. She was beginning to shake, bordering on being uncontrollable.

Teal'c and Daniel noticed what was happening. "Major Carter, are you all right?"

She ignored them. Her breath came in great gasps and she clamped her hands over her ears. "Shut it off!" she yelled. "Shutitdown! Turnitoff! Nonono! It's too loud!"

"Carter!" Jack grabbed hold of one of her wrists and Teal'c took the other. "Infirmary!"

"Nononono!" cried Sam. She shook her friends off of her. She dropped to the floor, suddenly silent.

"Get a medical team in here!" ordered Jack to the airmen standing. He watched the airmen run off down the hall of the SGC.

"Oh my God! Jack!" Daniel's panicked voice turned his attention to Sam. Well, what had been Sam 20 seconds earlier.

I do apologise for such short chapters, but if I write long ones they take forever.