Sam woke up slowly. She stretched and came more awake at the realisation that she was still in her clothes. Her blue eyes snapped open and she shifted into a sitting position with a swiftness born out of her years of mission experience with SG1. She'd been kidnapped in her sleep once and it had made her wary. A light woollen throw had been placed over her and it slipped down to pool at her hips as she took stock of her environment. OK, she was on a bed, on top of the covers and she was fully dressed although her shoes were missing. This was good. Her last memory was of getting in the car and deciding to close her eyes just for a moment. A blush stained her cheeks. God, she must have fallen asleep on the General…Jack. OK, correction; this was bad.

'Oh boy.' She muttered. It only took a moment for her embarrassment to be chased away by her curiosity as she realised that Jack had obviously placed her in his own room.

It was neater than she had expected. The furniture was solid oak, scarred and a little worn but sturdy. The bedding was a dark green that complemented the bare wooden walls of the cabin. There was an abstract picture on the far wall and she frowned as she realised it was trying to represent the solar system. She much preferred her art to look like the thing it was portraying. There was an absence of personal effects but her eyes fell on a photo frame atop the dresser. She shoved the throw to one side and padded across the bedroom to pick it up.

It was a picture of Jack's late son, Charlie. Her finger swept over the happy image of the child. She had worked with Jack for months before she'd even known he'd had a child or the tragic circumstances around his death, an accidental shooting with Jack's own weapon. Looking back to SG1's first missions, she could see with perfect hindsight that he'd still been grieving for the loss of his son and his marriage which hadn't withstood the strain of the tragedy. At the time, she'd been so in awe of him that she hadn't picked up on the grief under the tough soldier act Jack wore so well.

She replaced the picture as her own grief swam to the surface and she pushed it away ruthlessly. She turned back toward the bed and caught sight of a note propped up against the lamp on the bedside table. She hastened over to pick it up.

'Sam, gone for a few supplies the caretaker missed. This room's yours for the duration. Make yourself at home. Back soon, Jack.'

Sam reread the note and put it back on the table with a sigh. She rubbed her hands on her thighs and pulled at her top. Her eyes landed on her bag and the fresh towels Jack had put out on the chair across the room. She wouldn't mind freshening up. OK, a shower and some clean clothes. She gathered a few items from her rucksack and made her way a little nervously out of the bedroom.

She made a cursory exploration of the cabin to get her bearings; to her right was a door that led out to the den and kitchen area; her immediate thought was that they were going to be cosy with the four of them sharing the space. Opposite the bedroom door was another which led to a second bedroom with twin beds. It was half-filled with junk and boxes and she figured it didn't get used often as a guest room. The door to her left at the end of the hall was the bathroom. She closed the door and threw the lock. The fittings were old and basic and she feared the worst as she turned the shower on full. She was pleased at the steady rush of hot water and quickly stripped off to take her place under it.

For a long time, Sam just stood with her face turned up and her eyes closed, and let the water flow over her, let the warmth soothe her. She reluctantly reached for her shampoo as the water started to lose heat. She was still tired, she thought, in a down-to-the-bone kinda way. It was just as well Jack had driven them up to the cabin; she probably would have fallen asleep at the wheel and driven them into a tree. Not that it excused the macho crap he'd pulled. She smiled. Back when they had first met it probably would have riled her into a feminist diatribe as she tried to prove she was just as capable as he was. In fact, she considered thoughtfully, the first year of serving with him had seemed to be all about proving herself.

Jack had made it clear when they'd met that he had doubts about her. She'd known enough about his military record and had been impressed enough by his initial leadership that she had wanted to wipe those doubts from his mind completely especially as he seemed to maintain a distance with her that he just didn't have with either Daniel or Teal'c. She'd figured she'd succeeded in getting his approval after she and the other female personnel had stopped the base from being taken over by Hathor but then there had been Jolinar…

She frowned and reached for the shower gel as her mind turned to the Tok'ra symbiote that had briefly taken over her before giving up its own life so she would live. Jolinar had left memories of her own life in Sam's subconscious and a changed blood chemistry that gave her residual powers to use Goa'uld technology. It had taken a long time before she'd been able to accept that whilst her experience had changed her, it hadn't fundamentally smothered who she, Sam Carter, was.

It had taken a longer time for her to realise it hadn't really changed how the people around her felt about her either especially Jack. She'd believed the experience had almost put her back at square one with her CO; that whatever trust she'd gained with him had been eroded. She wasn't quite certain when she'd realised that he did trust her. Maybe when he'd given her permission to try something as his life hung in the balance…maybe when they'd met the rest of the Tok'ra…it was like a mathematical problem she couldn't quite solve. Just like she wasn't sure when her feelings for Jack had changed; when her regard for him had changed from professional respect and a friendship to being all the way in love with him. She did know the exact moment when she'd realised her feelings; it was etched into her mind like a carving. It had been the instant when they had gone to bring him home from Edora and he had walked away from her into the arms of another woman.

Sam smiled ruefully at the memory as she rinsed off. Really her first clue should have been the fact that she had worked night and day for three whole months to build a particle beam generator from scratch so they could rescue him. Oh, she'd admitted to Janet that she missed Jack but when her friend asked if it were a problem, she had brushed her off. Sam had truly missed the subtlety of the question. It had taken that moment on Edora for the truth to smack her over the head. Even now, she could still feel the gut-wrenching sense of loss as he walked away from her, the sharp sting of jealousy as he hugged another woman and the staggering realisation that she was in love with her CO. She'd had to turn away and take a breath; the whole thing had made her dizzy. Although, she mused, that could have been the not sleeping or eating properly for three months…she had pretty much collapsed as soon as they got back through the Stargate to the SGC…

Consciousness seeped back in and she opened her eyes unwillingly. The first person she saw was Colonel O'Neill sitting in a chair by her bed in the infirmary; he was reading reports. So it hadn't been a dream. They really had managed to bring him home. Her happiness dimmed a little at the memory of him hugging Liara. He had obviously formed a relationship with the Edoran woman in the months that he had been trapped there. Jealousy brought a bitter taste to her mouth and Sam took a deep breath. Jack was her CO and she was not in love with him. Right.

'Carter.' Jack smiled a little self-consciously as his brown eyes snapped to hers and realised she was awake and staring at him. 'Glad to have you back with us.'

'Likewise, sir.' She struggled into a sitting position and accepted the glass of water he handed to her gratefully. She smiled at the sight of Daniel asleep in the chair on the opposite side of the bed.

'He passed out a couple of hours ago. I threw Teal'c out around the same time to do his kelno'reemy thing.' Jack noted as he sat back down. 'I'm still on Edoran time, I guess.'

Sam nodded. 'What exactly happened, sir? I don't remember getting back to the SGC.' Her last memory was of stepping into the wormhole on Edora.

'We stepped onto the ramp in the gate room. The General welcomed me back and I was making a joke…a really great joke, by the way, when you passed out with exhaustion.' His tone was slightly accusatory. 'You've been out for about eighteen hours. You missed the debriefing.'

'Sorry, sir.' Sam wasn't sorry; listening to him describe his time on Edora given her new feelings for the Colonel and what she had surmised had happened with him and Liara would have been excruciating.

'I hear I owe you a thank you.' Jack said folding his arms. 'Something about a partition beam thingy?'

'Particle beam generator, sir.' She automatically corrected before seeing the glint of humour in his eyes that gave away he'd been teasing her.

'And I want you to know that the next time I get stuck on a planet I want you to work just as hard as you did this time to get me home. All hours. Night and day. Don't stop for food or rest and feel free to work yourself into the ground again.'

Her lips twitched at the teasing tone even as she felt her cheeks heat, doubly glad that she'd missed the debriefing. 'Yes sir.'

'Seriously, Sam…'

Her eyes flickered back to his at the unusual use of her first name and widened at the intently solemn gaze he was directing at her.

'Thank you. I'd almost…' He cleared his throat. 'Well, let's just say it's good to be home.'

She nodded slowly. 'Any time.'

There was something in the way he was looking at her and she realised with a shock that she wasn't feeling the professional distance that usually existed between them…

But then Janet had walked in, Daniel had woken up and the mood had changed. Sam smiled as she switched the shower off and reached for a towel. It seemed most of her personal conversations with Jack were interrupted by something. The last one had been a doozy: she'd turned up at his house unannounced and had been about to declare that she was having second thoughts about her impending marriage because they'd never really discussed what was between them when Kerry Johnson had walked out of his house. The rush of jealousy had been all too familiar and she'd known immediately that, despite the fact that Jack was involved with someone else, she definitely couldn't marry Pete.

Poor Pete. He really did deserve better. She should never have accepted the ring. She shook her head. Maybe if she hadn't, Jack wouldn't have tried to move on too and she wouldn't have ended up standing awkwardly in Jack's back yard with him and Kerry. She'd thought when her phone rang giving her an out that the call had been a gift from God until the news of her father's collapse had wiped that thought from her mind completely. She'd run from Jack's back yard and raced back to the base. Jack must have followed her because he had turned up only moments after she'd spoken with her father and learnt the truth of his condition; that his Tok'ra symbiote, Selmak, was dying and he would die too.

Sam sat down on the edge of the bath as she towelled her hair dry. She'd been so grateful for Jack's presence as she'd watched her father fade away; so grateful that whoever else was in his life he'd still cared enough to be there for her…

She glanced up at the sound of someone entering the observation room and shifted nervously as Jack sat down beside her. They both looked out at the sight below of her father lying in the infirmary bed saying a last goodbye to the Tok'ra who was with him.

'You OK?' His quiet question startled her.

'Actually I'm fine.' She replied ignoring the press of tears against her throat. 'Good even, strange as that sounds.' She attempted to explain her jumbled up emotions to him, to herself. 'I thought I'd lost him four years ago. Since then we've been closer than we ever were my whole life. In a way, Selmak gave me the father that I thought I'd never know.'

There was a moment's silence.

'C'mere.' She glanced at him and felt his arm sliding around her. She didn't think about it, she just leaned into him and reached for his hand, holding it against her. At that moment, she couldn't have cared less about the fraternization regulations or about where they were. She just knew she needed the comfort, needed his comfort and knew he'd known that too even though he didn't have to be with her. He was obviously involved with the CIA agent and he believed she was still engaged to Pete; technically she still was. But he'd come to be with her anyway and for that she was deeply grateful to him.

'Thank you, sir.' She murmured.

'For what?' He sounded confused.

'For being here for me.' She admitted, swallowing the rest of what she wanted to say.

There was another silence.

'Always.'

The word startled her and she turned her head to find him looking back at her with no distance, no evasion, nothing but love and worry for her in his eyes. She'd had to look away, only able to press his hand to her cheek, unable to speak, unable to tell him how she felt and then…

And then the Tok'ra had looked up at them and she'd slipped out of Jack's hold to say goodbye to her father. The rest of the day was a blur in her memory…

'Sam?' Jack's worried voice and the knock at the bathroom door startled her out of her reverie. He must have gotten back from shopping, she realised absently. She reached up with a trembling hand to brush her tears away. God, she had to stop crying every five minutes, she thought, ignoring the voice in her head that murmured she was grieving, that it was natural.

'Yeah?' She was proud that she'd managed to get the word out without her voice shaking.

'You want a snack? Daniel called and they're going to be another couple of hours yet. It could be late when we eat dinner.'

'Sounds good.' She answered. 'I'll be right out.'

'OK.'

She heard his footsteps walking away from the door and tightened the knot on the towel around her body before she slipped out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. She slathered some moisture over her skin, dressed hurriedly and swiped a comb through her hair. Barely ten minutes had passed before she found herself heading towards the smell of frying peppers.

Jack turned at the sound of her footsteps and pointed at the breakfast bar. 'Have a seat. There's juice or I've got some beer or wine…'

'Juice is fine. You sure I can't help?' Sam asked as she slipped onto a bar stool and fiddled with the cutlery that was set out.

'It's only omelettes. I think have it under control.' He added the egg mixture to the frying pan.

She nodded and propped her chin on her folded hands as she indulged in watching him. He suddenly seemed to realise she was staring at him and glanced back at her over his shoulder.

'What?' He asked suspiciously brandishing the spatula.

'Nothing.' She reached for the juice and poured a glass. 'I was just thinking.'

'I'm shocked.' Jack quipped as he frowned at the slightly charred edges of the omelette. He shrugged. It was edible enough. He divided it in two and slipped the portions on the waiting plates. He placed one in front of Sam before he walked around to sit next to her with the other. 'So what were you thinking about?'

'The Ancient weapon on Dakara.' She covered hastily as she picked up her fork and took a hesitant bite. She pointed at her plate. 'This is good.'

'You don't need to sound so surprised.' Jack said smiling at her. 'So why were you thinking about the weapon on Dakara? The Jaffa destroyed the mechanism right after Anubis tried to destroy the galaxy.'

'I know.' Sam swallowed another mouthful of food. 'But before, when the Jaffa refused to destroy it, I began thinking of a way to counteract it.' She gestured with her fork. 'Just in case.'

'You did?' Jack wasn't surprised.

'Hmmm-hmmm.' Sam warmed to her subject. 'I didn't have enough time to do more than some preliminary calculations and designs so it was nowhere near ready when Anubis did press the button but if we'd managed an outgoing wormhole we might have bought enough time for me to finish it. You see I'm certain the answer is in the way the Replicators were able to counteract the energy frequency of the smaller weapon you helped the Asgard build when you still had the Ancient knowledge in your head.'

'Really?'

'Really.' Sam continued oblivious to the indulgent amusement coating Jack's tone. 'I think if I'd had more time I could have come up with an effective counter-measure.' She forked up another mouthful of omelette. 'Of course we don't need one now.' She was almost disappointed.

Jack glanced across at her. He could believe she would have come up with an effective counter-measure; she was that brilliant. She was intent on eating and didn't notice his warm gaze for a moment. She was startled when she looked at him and found him watching her.

'What?' She asked reaching for her juice to cover her confusion.

'Nothing.'

Sam smiled realising he'd mimicked her earlier reply to him.

Jack pushed his plate away and reached for his own juice. 'So, what do you think of the place?'

His ultra-casual tone gave away how important her answer was to him and she took a sip of her drink to give herself time to think before replying. 'What I've seen of the cabin so far has been great. Rustic,' she admitted with a smile, 'but charming.'

He relaxed at her answer. After years of her refusing to go fishing with him, he'd been a little worried that she was going to hate it. 'Wait until you see the outside. It's beautiful.'

Sam bit her lip. 'I guess I missed that when we arrived. I…uh…I'm sorry I fell asleep on you.'

He waved away her apology. 'You needed the rest.' His eyes held hers. 'I take it you're not sleeping all that well?'

She shrugged, not wanting to admit that her sleep pattern was pretty much shot to pieces.

Jack decided not to press it. He'd had his own experiences with grief and knew Sam was going to have to find her own way through it; all he could do was be there for her when, and if, she did turn to him. 'Well,' he said easily, 'that's all you need to do for the next couple of days; rest.' He picked up his plate and slid off the stool, walking round to slip it into the sink. 'That and one other thing, of course.'

She looked at him warily. 'What?'

He met her gaze with a smile. 'Fishing.'

'Right,' she muttered, 'fishing.'