Hello! Yes, I know that's so not how learning a language works. Not for us lowly humans at least :P

Enjoy!

M.

PS: I'm sorry, this one took the most, and it looks like a filling chapter. #sigh also a huge thank you to Sunstar04 who has decided that my English can be saved and has been pointing some of my mistakes. All the errors you can spot are still my own.

Chapter XXXVII

March 29th, 2004

Underground Sanctuary

After the problem-solving test, her parents showed Sam, and Jack, how her skills were at pair with theirs by showing them versions of their results. Helen and Nikola agreed that Sam should be able to pick up the Vampiric language rather quickly, and after lunch, they presented her with several books of nothing but hieroglyphs.

Trying not to feel observed by the two males watching over her at Nikola's lab, Sam started turning over pages slowly tracing her finger over the images. Her smile became bigger and brighter as the figures in the book became precise meanings inside her mind.

"I think I understand it," Sam announced as she passed a page.

"Can you translate it?" Nikola asked.

"I'm not sure, I know what it means but," she frowned, "it's all vampiric to me."

"Ah, it will come to you soon," the vampire agreed. "Right now, your brain has a whole structure which works in English, and it's developing a whole new structure for the vampiric language, the more you see it, the more you will understand it. And then you'll get to the point in which you will be able to mix them allowing you to translate it completely from one to the other without major issues."

"How can I even know this if I've never tried to learn it? I never heard it growing up," Sam frowned. "I mean, I know the basics of how any language develops in a natural environment and all. But I've never heard of having a language stuck in your brain and not using it unless you use it." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well, except when you got your head sucked by that repository, Colonel. I'm not making sense, am I?" Jack grinned and shook his head no.

"You are thinking in the workings of a human mind, dear. And your brain doesn't work like that as you've seen earlier," Nikola said in vampiric, Sam huffed. Beside them, Jack frowned.

"Still, even if I am thinking like a human," Sam answered as if the language hadn't changed at all. "Shouldn't I know I knew it?" She flinched at her wording while Tesla grinned.

"Case and point, dear. Case and point."

"I assume you did understand what he said, huh?" Jack shook his head.

"As you did, sir," Sam rolled her eyes.

"I haven't understood a word he said since he stopped using English, Carter," Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "I guess your training is working," he shrugged.

"It is," Nikola agreed with Jack, "I would like you to take one of these and keep it with you. Try and go through it before bed, and whenever you have a moment of peace. As I've said before, the more you dive into it, the faster you will reach the point in which it's natural."

"Are you saying we are done?" Sam crooked her head.

"Pretty much, for today. You are welcome to stay around and assist me in improving our last net gun. However, I'm quite certain your mother will come looking for you if you don't reach dinner."

"Is it that late already?" Sam frowned, checking her watch.

"No, but you still need to take these to your room and maybe find something productive to do with your holidays instead of lurking around here?" Nikola suggested. "I've been told that swimming either at the river or the lake is quite the pleasant activity if you happen to like bathing, that is."

"What's your issue with bathing?" Sam asked, shaking her head amusedly.

"Oh, I believe it is throwing time away. If you are fond of wasting hours by water bodies, then you can also go fishing," Nikola sighed dramatically. "In case you do prefer such a lazy activity, you'll have to get to Helen's office so that she can point you the directions of the fishing area. I couldn't be bothered with learning half of the stuff available down here."

"Sounds like you are an entertaining date," Jack chuckled. Nikola frowned.

"That I am," the vampire agreed. "No one ever complained about my ways of courting. Well, Helen," Tesla rolled his eyes. "but that's a long-complicated matter that you don't need to know. Younglings are far easier to conquer." He sighed.

"Holy Hannah! Younglings?"

"Yes," he rolled his eyes. "Humans around twenty-five-ish to let's say fifty. After fifty, they tend to know what they want, and conquest seems futile."

"Oh, I thought," she shook her head blushing.

"My bad, I forget not everyone has lived as long as I did. Well, except Helen, of course. I suppose after you reach a certain age, everyone is younger than you, no matter how much energy you have. Isn't that correct, Colonel?" Jack opened his mouth and frowned. "See, you are what fifty-something now? I bet you feel that my beautiful daughter here is a child at your side."

"Fifty-one," Jack affirmed.

"Oh, hush," Sam scowled. "Age is just a number. It shouldn't make any difference."

"Don't look at me, dear. There's a reason why I still date humans." He grinned. "Now if you are done with the uncomfortable truth, out you go."

"But," Sam started

"No. I won't take any but, however, or nonetheless you might bring up. Out you go, have fun kiddies, you are on vacation, and we will be kicking and pounding you non-stop starting tomorrow, Dear," he grinned.

"Why didn't you just say that," Jack said grabbing Sam from her arm and dragging her out. Sam grabbed the book as the Colonel pulled her out of Nikola's lab, and once he had freed her, she shook her head as she walked beside him.

"So, fishing?" She grinned as they walked through the gardens.

"That would be a decent holiday activity, yes," Jack agreed readily.

"Cool," Sam said, and they walked towards Helen's office. They found Helen's door open like most of the time, and Sam knocked on it only to bring her attention to them.

"Samantha, Colonel, what can I do for you?" She smiled. "Is that the History of Vampires?" Helen pointed to the book on Sam's hand.

"For what I've gathered, yes." Sam grinned.

"Ah, so you are making progress then. Want to take a seat, or you are here for a particular reason?"

"He told you, didn't he?" Sam squinted at her.

"That he might or might not have kicked you out of the lab and pushed you towards either the pond, river or lake?" Helen beamed.

"So, he did tell you," the major rolled her eyes.

"No, I asked him to do it," Helen smiled. "You need to take a break, Samantha. These developments won't happen as you sleep."

"I don't need a break since we haven't started anything," she rolled her eyes.

"We have, you are reading the vampiric language. You know your mind process is completely abnormal, and you still need to learn how to eat properly so you won't faint after the first round. So, tomorrow I expect you to be up bright early, and we will feed you properly before we go to the sparring area."

"Yes, ma'am." Sam grinned.

"Since you know where both the lake and the river are, I'll take you are here for the fishing pond then?"

"Nikola said you could give us the directions?" Sam hopefully asked.

"Yes, of course. Follow me please," Magnus said, and they walked towards the elevator they were currently using to get to their rooms. Helen pressed the -5 option.

"Shouldn't we go up, or fully down?" Sam frowned.

"The fishing area is enclosed, we had to create a fish pool from where we could find ones to fulfill a balanced diet. We figured some people who came from the top liked fishing as an outdoor activity of sorts, not that I will ever understand it. Don't worry; we managed to get this pond looking fairly decent."

As they stopped on the designated floor, Helen walked forward until they reached double doors marked as 'the fishing pond.' After pressing her palm against the reader beside the doors, they slid open. The Colonel and Major exchanged a look as they walked inside the room.

"You should find everything you need in that storage room. If you happen to catch anything, please try and not make the poor thing suffer, and deposit it over there. Someone will come and find it for dinner." They nodded as they followed her finger with their eyes. "If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."

She walked away and left them to observe the place in awe. The room was decorated as if it was a natural park. The pond was placed in the middle of the room and took most of the space. There were trees around it and even real grass. From somewhere a cool breeze kept entering, and then they spotted the deck that would take them to a decent fishing spot.

Even with the light breeze, the temperature was kept hotter than outside to keep the vegetation alive, and soon they were both getting rid of the jackets, as they moved towards the door that Helen had pointed them. Inside the storage room, they found chairs, rods, and traps, and they grabbed what they needed before they made themselves comfortable on the deck.

"Huh, this is nice, sir," Sam left out after a bit.

"Yeah, to think you never wanted to see my cabin," Jack commented.

"It's not that I didn't want to, sir," she trailed. The Colonel looked at her from the corner of his eye, and the tip of his lips curved upwards.

"I guess now I know, Carter," he left out.

"Why do you like fishing so much, Colonel?" Sam asked after a while, unable to stop herself from leaning her head into his shoulder.

"Hmm," Jack hummed once he felt the weight of her head on his shoulder. "It makes me feel grounded."

"Grounded?" Sam chuckled.

"Do not giggle, Major," he said in a warning tone. "I guess that's not exactly the word I was looking. Sometimes, it helps me think, and other times, it allows me to leave my mind blank."

"So fishing is your kel'no'reem then," Sam affirmed.

"I suppose. What about you? From where do your fishing skills come?"

"My mom," Sam whispered. "Adopted mom, she loved fishing. She and dad would make us go on a camp trip now and then, and fishing dinner was always part of the fun."

"You miss her, huh?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "I miss my dad too. To be honest, sometimes, I miss those moments when I had no idea how screwed up the world was or how complex it was to be a grownup."

"I hear ya, Carter. I do." They fell silent again, observing their lines.

"I guess it's not fair I am complaining, I mean I got a whole second chance at having parents and a loving family. Not that the previous one was bad or anything," she said straightening.

"Didn't you had a rough patch after your mom passed away? You were thirteen, Carter. You lost her too young."

"That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of other's in worse situations than I was, sir." She couldn't help but point.

"Listen to me, Carter." he started, turning around to watch her. "I might not be the brightest man on Earth or Hollow Earth for that matter. But things happen in the way they happen. You lost a mother, and now you found she wasn't the biological one. And this one is willing to get to know you for all that I know. I haven't noticed her pressuring you into calling her anything that you are not comfortable with, none of them for that matter. Just don't let a chance go, just because you are afraid or feel that you don't deserve it."

"Unless it goes against the rules?" She asked him seriously, and it took him a lot of willpower not to kiss her right there and then.

"Unless it goes against yourself, Carter. It's one thing to be scared or feel you don't deserve it, but there's a whole different thing knowing that doing something will go against everything you believe." Jack said, he felt Sam's eyes heavily on his. She clenched her jaw working through the things Jack had said before she nodded once.

"I still don't know why anyone believes you are dumb," she whispered, shaking her head. After a couple of hours fishing in a silent company, they walked away and towards their rooms.

The next morning, when the rays of the fake sun shone on her eyes, Sam rubbed her face tiredly, her alarm went off next. She was by definition the epitome of a morning person, but it had taken her so long to fall asleep the previous night that it seemed she had only picked a few minutes of sleep.

"Shower and coffee, that should help." She said to no one before she started her day. When she reached the dining room, she found Helen waiting for her.

"This is what a healthy breakfast pre-sparring includes," Helen said, pointing her to a tray next to where she was sitting. "These should be enough to wake you, but you probably want coffee by itself over having to go through all these without any drop of your poison of choice."

"I won't be able to eat all of that," Sam said, plopping herself next to Helen in a way that reminded her of Ashley.

"You will; I had the same. Bear in mind this is for the best outcome. However, I won't encourage you to have one of these before a mission, unless you manage to learn how to keep your external wounds not healed. Otherwise, you will heal too fast." Helen stopped and looked around. "Is the Colonel coming?"

"I left him a note telling him I was already heading here," Sam shrugged and then she sat straighter feeling him entering the room.

"Speak of the devil," Helen grinned. "Do you need to get ready for the sparring, Samantha?"

"I should get changed," she said, pointing to her jeans and t-shirt. "So should you, I presume?"

"Yes, my sparring clothes are already at the training center. I'll wait for you to pick yours if you need or get changed and join us here. That should give the Colonel enough time to have breakfast." Twenty minutes later, they were walking towards the training center.

"I believe you were here before?"

"Yes, with Kate and Ashley," Sam affirmed as they entered the training center at the -7 floor.

"Ah, for tactical training?" The Major nodded. "Henry did an excellent job with that software. I should add it to the list of software at your disposal. I'm quite certain people you need to train would benefit from it."

"Yes, they would." Sam agreed as Helen walked them inside another room. The place they entered was divided into several spaces by glass walls. Nikola was waiting outside one room.

"I need to get changed," Helen grinned. "You can stretch if you feel like."

"This one is the spar area you will be using; all the measurement equipment is already active." Nikola pointed to the last one of the divides.

"Measurement equipment?" Jack frowned.

"Yes, we keep control of vitals, wound extension, speed, among other things."

"Oh, okay." Sam entered the room, and immediately, the glass wall at the left started to show her stats. Helen got out of the changing rooms and stopped in front of the data before nodding and entering it herself. Besides Sam's stats, Helen's stats appeared.

"Have fun," Nikola grinned.

"Will do," Helen winked.

Like the previous time, it was Sam the one to start moving. She launched herself forward and tried to hit Helen. Magnus made a turn and avoided the hit easily. Kicks and blows to the air made Sam increasingly frustrated. But on the outside, Jack was watching with widened eyes how the speed they were moving became faster.

And then, Helen's first blow landed squarely in Sam's abdomen, making the Major take a step back and analyze her next movement. A few more minutes into the fight, Sam managed to hit the doctor, and after having her air blown out of her lungs, she punched Sam's face hard.

"Ouch!" Sam left out, rubbing her face and spitting some blood. "Ashley was right; you do pack a mean punch." Helen glanced at the screen and smiled.

"That's not even mean yet," Magnus grinned. "Heal, Samantha."

"Does it become easier?" Sam asked as they stood up, just looking at each other.

"What? Healing? Yes."

"Fighting your daughter," Sam inquired rubbing her cheek.

"Oh, it's easier with Ashley, especially when she loses it because it becomes more a self-defense situation than beating the crap out of your kid situation. Don't worry; you are starting to move faster, which is good. Shall we continue?"

"Yes," Sam agreed, and they started their dance again.

"Have you ever taken tai chi lessons?" Helen asked as she twisted Sam's arm behind her back.

"No, not really."

"Huh, you should. It will give you fluidity."

"What's that even supposed to mean?" Sam frowned.

"Your movements are too technical. I know the technique. Therefore, it is easier to anticipate what you will do," the major grinned and used one of the movements Teal'c had shown her, Helen managed to avoid the kick augmenting the speed of her actions and laughed. "Well done!" She praised her daughter.

"Thank you." Sam panted. "Teal'c taught me that one."

"Good." Helen managed to say before in a sudden movement; Sam managed to kick her and twist her elbow broken. And growl left Helen's mouth as she placed her elbow back. "Excellent! Next time try and kick harder, and preferably here," she showed her the side of her knee.

They kept exchanging punches, kicks, twists, and turns. Jack had now issues to identify them even if he was concentrated on the fight.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Nikola said proudly. "Helen is very well versed in several martial arts. And Samantha seems to be quite good in the few she knows."

"She is. Teal'c was also helping her with the Jaffa sparring method," Jack nodded, then looked at the skinny man beside him. "Why aren't you fighting instead of her?"

"Ah, truth to be told, I'm not a very technical fighter. I go for the kill if I must, Helen is far better at helping one develop skills. Don't get me wrong, I can fight and our constant training to keep Ashley's reigns has improved my skills in ways I wouldn't reach by myself. I relayed too much on my speed, strength, and let's not dwell on the scary looks," he grinned mischievously. "The later usually has the great effect of making humans run even before I needed to fight."

"So, how is it going?" Ashley appeared next to them.

"Your mom is withholding as per usual," Nikola said, rolling his eyes

"Oh, I see," the young Magnus said after watching the spar for a while. "Yeah, it makes sense, though, we don't want Sam to develop so fast that she goes straight into a 'death sleep,' right?"

"That's the whole approach," Tesla agreed.

"So, she might go into a death sleep?" Jack frowned.

"Well, if she ate what mom does for these sessions, then we are hours of sparring away from either of them entering it." Ashley pointed. "Ah. Scratch that," she said as they saw them standing as Helen helped Sam to place her shoulder back. "Mom has hours, Sam and her still not quite controlled healing might be faster to bring down." Sam wobbled in place, and Helen watched her.

"Your body isn't accustomed to being abused like this, Samantha. We should stop it for the day; allow you to have a proper rest before we continue," the Doctor pointed.

"What? No, we haven't done anything yet," Sam added, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Very well, then, how is the shoulder feeling?"

"A bit tender," Helen touched Sam's shoulder and the major grimaced. Magnus sighed, she recognized that stubbornness in herself. Hence she compromised.

"One more round of this, Samantha. If I manage to dislocate or break anything again, you'll get a final time out until you manage to rest," the tone she said it gave no space to contradiction and Sam nodded.

"No wonder no one wants to see you angry," Sam muttered.

"Well, as I've stated before I do have plenty of experience keeping people in place," Helen chuckled, and Sam launched herself forward again.

All eyes fell on the two women sparring, the speed of their movements increasing quickly, making them increasingly hard to know who was doing what until they saw them falling tangled to the floor. Both let out a growl of pain. Somehow, Sam had managed to dislocate Helen's right shoulder, while Sam had a bleeding nose, swollen eye, and the awkward position of her leg told them exactly who was the worse for wear.

"Whoa!" Ashley said entering the sparring area followed close by the two men. "Amazing!" Magnus shook her head.

"Help me with my shoulder, Ashley, so I can help her with her knee dislocation," Helen said. The young Magnus kneeled close to her mom and pulled her arm with enough strength to pull it back in place. But being available and having done it so many times in the past's months, Nikola was able to help Sam with her leg before Helen was ready to do it.

"Dear Lord, you were moving fast enough to make us confused, it was amazing," Nikola said proudly. "The velocity you reached was almost full speed. Unbelievable for a first try."

"She's about to pass out," Ashley pointed, as she saw Sam fighting her eyes to keep them open and looking straight.

"The infirmary will be the best place at the moment," Helen mentioned as Nikola grabbed Sam in his arms. Ashley nodded and touched the vampire's shoulder before the trio disappeared. "I suppose we will be next," she commented to the Colonel before they too were transported to the infirmary.

"I've already started all the control systems. I believe Samantha hasn't entered a death sleep, but you are the Physician you can check," Nikola said the moment Helen appeared in the room.

"You are right; her pulse is strong, and the temperature is normal. Relax, Colonel, this is not a death sleep yet. It is most likely a simple burn out."

"A burnout? She's unconscious, for crying out loud!" Jack shouted.

"Samantha is burned out, Colonel. She is sleeping it off. To make it simple, the extent of her injuries won't place her at the point where a full body shut down would be needed. However, as she has never pushed her limits like this, her body needs a way to cope with it. She should be up fairly soon; in the meanwhile, you can remain here and let us know when she awakens."

"And what will you do?"

"I'm going for a shower, Colonel. I, too, need some space to heal. Your Major is very good at landing blows when she sets her mind to it," Helen grimaced, touching her ribcage.

"Oh! She hit you?" Ashley asked in awe.

"Several times, yes. Nothing too worrisome," Helen grinned. "She still needs to synchronize her strength with her speed. Once she does, she will, as Ashley would say it, pack a mean punch. Please do reach me when she wakes up."

After Sam had endured the first training in every aspect she needed, they started a new schedule. By the time night came, Sam would gladly crawl into bed and fall into a death-sleep with no significant issues and begin her training all over the following day. Making her time there, fly.

Once the first couple of scares were out of the way, Jack had noticed that although they were essentially torturing Sam into learning a new set of skills. They weren't trying to harm her. And once he managed to keep his eyes away from her during fights and tests, he found himself enjoying the company of William.

It was awkward at first since the Colonel thought Magnus had sent him to try and psychoanalyze him. Until he decided to allow William a chance to talk, figuring that if someone as smart as Doctor Magnus had seen something in him, Zimmerman should have at least some traits that he could respect and even like. Being honest with himself, Jack reached the conclusion that Will reminded him of Daniel in some aspects. And the not so little fact that William was in a relationship with Helen made Jack think he might even have some tips on how to be with someone when you are dumber than them. At the end of their trip, Jack hadn't learned much from the Psychiatrist, yet had figured a lot about himself while sitting at their infirmary just watching over Sam's sleep. Or as he watched her fight or heal.

It was late on the last night of their stay at the Sanctuary when after tossing and turning around he decided there was one person who could help him with the thoughts running rampant in his mind. Sighing, he sat on the bed and got changed.

The lights under her office door were on, and he clenched his jaw a couple of times and convinced himself that she might not even be there before he dared to knock. Her firm "Enter" made him close his eyes and try and channel his inner special ops agent as he hid his emotions out of his face.

"Colonel O'Neill," Helen greeted the man as he entered her office. " What can I do for you?" She asked, raising her eyes from the screen.

"Ah," he started. Helen smiled and stood up, walking towards the tea area.

"I can offer you tea, or you can make yourself some coffee if you so desire," she grinned, and Jack walked towards her.

Since he had learned the truth about Sam's relationship with the Sanctuary, his relationship with Helen Magnus had also shifted. The shared memories of a couple of days in a hellhole in the middle of nowhere along with the affection they felt towards Sam, helped them to set common ground.

Observing the Doctor, he considered Ashley's point, he would never be able to sit in a patch of land with Helen Magnus and tear grass as they discussed something, but Jack could now say he understood her reasons far better and respected her choices a hell of a lot more.

"You are awfully thoughtful tonight, Coronel," Helen said, sipping her tea as they waited for his coffee to finish brewing. "Are you afraid of what might happen now? After I drop you off at your home tomorrow afternoon?" Jack flinched.

"I'll never get used to you and your assessments," he confirmed, making her smile.

"I'm sorry I can't help it; it comes from a long experience of reading people," she shrugged. "Will I have to coerce this out of you, or do you think you might have a chance of wording what is in your mind?" Helen squinted crooking her head as if the Colonel was some unknown creature that needed to be studied. Jack huffed.

"Will she be okay?" he managed to let out after several attempts.

"In daily life? At the SGC? or your missions?"

"All of the above?" he grimaced. Helen nodded towards the seating area, and they walked carefully not to spill their beverages.

"I can't promise you that, but I suppose she will. As you already know, Samantha is a strong woman. I'm not certain of how accepting your origins can be damaging; I never had to endure such experiences."

"What does that even mean?" Jack scowled

"For what she told me when I announced her that she was my long-lost daughter, Samantha already had an inner fight so to speak that she wasn't facing," The Doctor waved.

"Ah, not being Jacob's daughter, right?" Helen nodded. "I figured she didn't; she never talked about it."

"At that time, she seemed to still be in desperate need of finding her true roots to be able to define who she was. Even if she knew precisely who that was." She smiled. "I'm still not certain how she is coping with the fact that learning her true roots complicated her origins to a case of what over who. Now, according to people experiences around the years I've lived, learning and accepting that you are abnormal is never an easy task, alas she seems to be grasping it quite easily. I can only assume the pieces have fallen into place since her need for knowing her boundaries as abnormal has been quenched. Thus, you should keep in mind that by far, this doesn't mean she has fully accepted them yet. Or that she won't doubt herself in the near or foreseeable future."

"And for missions?" he asked after considering Helen's answer for a while.

"I believe you should be more qualified than I to answer it, Colonel," she answered amusedly. He rubbed his face tiredly.

"I," he sighed. "I know what we could expect to happen in any mission, I can come up with best to worst case scenarios of any mission," Jack huffed. "But I don't know how to grasp," the Colonel waved not able to find a word to define what he was trying to convey. Helen smiled.

"We believe Samantha is mortal, Colonel. We won't know for sure until," Helen waved. "Until she gets a mortal wound."

"So, she could?" Jack trailed, unable to voice it.

"Yes, she could die. Granted, she is hard to kill, especially now that she is getting the hang of her healing. She could get a wound that would be mortal to any human and survive if she manages conscious healing. Nevertheless, due to the nature of your job itself and the kind of bonds you both share, you will have contradictory feelings, Colonel. However, there is one thing you cannot do."

"What?" Jack frowned.

"Whatever happens, Colonel, you cannot place her in a crystal box and expect her to be happy. Consequently, you can only allow her to be who she is and be there when she needs you, no matter how damaging freeing her could be for you," Helen finished in a hushed tone.

"I can't lose her, Doctor," Jack confessed in a whisper. Helen inhaled deeply and lowering her cup; she looked at him in earnest.

"Neither can I, Colonel," Helen affirmed, and he saw in her eyes that was true. "Believe me; I know the weight of a loss; I did lose two daughters and a great number of loved ones."

"Your daughters are alive now," Jack pointed.

"They are, alas, that doesn't discount the weight over my shoulders from all those the years I thought one was dead and the other one lost to me. Bear in mind that between Ashley's death and the moment I found her conscience again, there were over a hundred years of mourning her passing. Those become even more years in Samantha's case," she shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, Colonel, I'm not trying to make a competition of who is the biggest sufferer," she waved dismissively. "What I'm trying to say is, provided that you give her enough room to be who she is as you have been doing up until we found you in those sewers, the chances are that she will survive just like she has been surviving until now."

"But," Jack frowned. "What if she gets hurt?"

"She will heal. Now, I should also warn you that now she knows the extent of her healing skills, and she might become a lot more reckless than she was before. Samantha might try one silly thing or two before she realizes she isn't immortal despite her skills."

"So, what you are saying is that getting zatted twice might kill her? But she might jump in front of the guys or me to protect us even if it means she will get a second zat?" Helen crooked her head.

"Wasn't that something she would do regardless of her abnormality?" Magnus wondered out loud, knowing that was the way she or any member of her team would act being that a zat or an actual gun.

Jack frowned and thought for a while. He huffed, 'Yes, Sam would jump in front of almost anything to keep them safe even if that resulted in her injuries. They all were like that.' The Colonel thought as he considered all they had experienced during the years. His mind bringing forward a memory of Sam pleading with him so he would leave her behind and save himself.

"Yeah. She would," the Colonel admitted. "I suppose we all would, given the circumstances," Jack rubbed his face tiredly. "This will only get worse, won't it?"

"If it is any like I'm imagining, then yes, it will only get far worse." Helen grimaced, and they fell silent. Jack huffed and chuckled after a while. "Pray tell, what's so amusing?"

"I thought that from all the one-to-one conversations we had, this is the first time you don't comment on my relationship with Carter or lack of thereof," he shook his head.

"Well, no matter how correct my assessment of your feelings is, there is something I failed to see at that point. And that is that you are too respectful of each other's work. You've been here for fourteen days, Colonel and so far, you haven't called her other than Carter or Major. And she's always calling you sir. That's quite telling on how entangled you are on your work."

"We have rules," he pointed somewhat defensively.

"Yes, and any other couple in your position would've forgotten the book the moment they had realized their rules of topside don't follow you here. However, since you have committed to those rules even in life or death situations, you are in a mold that will be very hard to break. I do hope it isn't impossible."

"So you won't be pushing us to," he waved. Helen smiled, mischievously.

"Oh, you can expect me to be the one moving the threads so that you can be together, Colonel. I would love to see my daughter overjoyed. However, I won't push either of you into doing something you can't do without betraying who you are." She pointed.

"See, at this point, the whole idea of you being a couple, wouldn't only imply a massive leap of faith for both, but it will mean giving space to someone you aren't, someone capable of breaking the rules or bending them to have a better fit. And allowing such kind of situation could destroy any chances you might have to be happy."

"I," Jack huffed.

"I reckon your situation isn't ideal, and you, more than her, are running out of time, Colonel. So, the last thing I will say to you about this is: please do remember you only have a set of days to be happy. And you deserve to be, just like any other being in this or other worlds. The whole point of fighting for freedom is the hope that you or your loved ones will reap of it. I do hope that day comes soon. You both deserve it."

"I," he started, and Helen placed a hand over his and leaned forward as if she was about to disclose the secrets of the world.

"When that moment comes, Colonel. Do give me a call or visit. I'll be more than happy to help. And yes, I won't mention this conversation to her. If that was it, I need to get back to work, that pile of folders won't disappear on their own," she grinned, pointing to a pile on her desk.

"Yeah," he stood up. "Thank you, Doctor Magnus. For everything," he smiled, and she nodded.

"I'll assume my next contradictory phrase will have meaning for you, Colonel. Keep her free, but keep her safe, as you have been doing." Helen smiled, and Jack nodded. "And I should be the one thanking you for that. Good night, Colonel. See you tomorrow bright and early."

"I promise, ma'am. Have a good night."

Later that night

"How are you dealing with it?" Will asked Helen as she joined him on the bed. She sighed as she cuddled closer to him.

"Children are supposed to leave once they get to a certain age, William. No matter if you knew them from their whole lives or only for a few days." She pointed tiredly.

"That so doesn't answer my question," he chuckled.

"I know. I can only hope once Samantha is settled back in her life that she remembers she has a family somewhere, and that we won't mind hearing from her."

"I bet she will."

"I will give them the means to contact us if they need," she sighed. "Alas, that's as much as I can do at the moment. I can only allow her to be who she is." He hugged her tightly.

"I admire you, Helen. You could have chosen so differently to end up in a different position than you are today. I mean, if you could create all of this, I can't imagine what you could've done if you were someone self-centered. And yet, here you are; telling me you are going to take the daughter you lost back to her life. And making all the things you can to make everyone's life easier. I admire you, and I'm proud to call you my friend not to say other things." He winked at her, frowning when he noticed a tear rolling down her cheek. "What is it?" he whispered, wiping the tear away.

"No one ever told me that. I suppose at some levels; I am still human."