Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Stargate, or any elements of the show. I did create this storyline however. Sequel to "A letter, or two".

No more

Malicious doohickey

"Come on, Cass, we're going to be late!"

"Geez, hold your horses! Doesn't a General get to pick when he has to show up for work!"

"Sadly enough, no!"

Jack grinned.

'That'll be the day. I'd come in at three o'clock in the afternoon, and probably set fire to all of the paperwork swamping my desk. No, not a good idea.'

Cassie finally emerged from the house, having done her hair and make-up. She wanted to look good for the SGC. He had asked her to come visit the base to relive some memories, spend some more time with them. And he had another birthday present for her in his desk drawer. It was the diary Janet used to keep. They found it in her locker hidden behind a stack of BDU's. He thought it only fitting that she should have as many reminders of her mom as possible. And maybe he could coax her into telling him some of the secrets that lay within; Daniel and Sam had forbidden him to read it. Even though they were dying to read it themselves, he was sure of it.

Cassie closed the front door, and walked to the car. They both climbed in, and Jack started the engine.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Right, to Oz!"

"Jaaack!"

"Whaaat!"

"Ooh, just drive!"

"Yes, Miss Daisy."

"Jack!"

"Miss?"

"Quit it!"

Grinning from ear to ear, Jack pushed down on the gas and they were off.

- ∞ -

"Now you go and bug Carter for a while, I'm sure you can be of some use to her. Maybe you can figure out what her latest doohickey does."

Cassie gave him a big grin and set off for Sam's laboratory. Before the elevator doors closed, Jack could see Cassie walk through the corridor, a slight sway in her hips he never noticed there. He slowly shook his head.

'She's definitely gonna break some hearts in her time.'

He then pushed the button for his floor, and prepared to face another day of running the most secret military facility on Earth.

- ∞ -

Sam and Cassie had been happily chatting in the lab, when an airman came by informing Sam her help was required up in the control room, something to do with the dialing computer. Assuming it wouldn't take long her told Cassie to stay put, she'd be right back.

Already a bit bored, Cassie looked around the lab. She noticed the metallic orb, laying innocently on the table, and remembered Jack's last remark. Maybe this was what he was talking about, she thought. She gingerly picked up the orb and studied it. It appeared inaccessible. Just a simple, round and smooth orb. She put it back on the table and her eyes started roving for something else interesting.

A loud click caught her attention. She turned back, wondering what made that sound. There were several machines happily beeping and buzzing that became suspects, but then a whirring sound started. And it came from the orb. Unsure of this new development she took a step back, and half hid behind another table, crouching down a bit. Suddenly the orb opened up several holes along its side and a deafening bang filled the room, like a not so distant jet breaking through the sound barrier. Then she felt something sharp bit into her shoulder. She cried out in pain. It was almost like a spear had been thrust into her shoulder with enormous force, and it caused her to fall back. When her head hit the concrete floor she saw gigantic white stars, before the world went entirely back.

- ∞ -

He could no longer do this. He was sure of it.

It felt like the universe was determined to make as miserable as possible, and it emotionally drained Jack completely. SG-6 and 8 ending up in the infirmary, around the same time as Cassie. It was rapidly becoming too much for him to handle.

SG-6 and SG-8 had been assigned to lead the combined mining and archeological expedition on PX2-574 for a three-month period after the successful initial mission. However on the very first day of their stay they were greeted by a large force of Jaffa on the other end of the gate, and were forced to retreat back to Earth. Of course, such a thing never goes smoothly. And so the infirmary was filled with injured members of SG-6 and 8; some of them only lightly injured, two of them more seriously. And two lying in the base morgue, a third forcibly abandoned on the distant planet.

Jack couldn't help but regret the timing. He could have sent them out earlier, or even later, and this might not have happened. Fortunately for his conscience the last telemetry they received from the MALP (before the Jaffa discovered it and blasted it to hell) was of a Hatak-class ship landing. The SGC and the Goa'uld had simply found out about this planet at the same time, and the Goa'uld had come with more firepower. Still, labeling it as a coincidence didn't take away the hurt. Nor the guilty feeling Jack found himself dragging around of late.

And it certainly didn't help lift these guilty feelings having Cassie in the infirmary. Matter of fact, it made him sick to his soul to have her lying in one of the beds.

The metallic orb, or so Sam figured was something of a booby-trap, a nice 'gift' for someone you obviously didn't like. Somehow Cassie triggered it, and it went off. Several barbed darts, about an inch long, shot out with tremendous force. All of the were still embedded in the concrete wall of Sam's lab. The one that had hit Cassie went straight through her shoulder, before burying itself in the wall. If Jack closed his eyes he could still remember everything.

He was heading down to the labs to bring Carter and Cassie some Jell-O, when it happened.

The loud bang startled him, but the female cry he heard next froze the very marrow in his bones. When he entered the lab the sight of Cassie lying on the ground, a dark red puddle forming beneath her delicate frame, his heart stopped in terror. Luckily his military side kicked in, and he quickly grabbed a phone and called the infirmary.

Doctor Brightman told him Cassandra's shoulder blade was punctured but posed not serious threat. No poison or such further complications, and as a result of the fall to the ground and the colliding of her head with the solid floor she had a concussion that caused her to fall into a light comatose state. But the Doc was sure she would wake up within the coming week.

Another thing Jack felt guilty about. He was the one that invited Cassie to come to the base. He left her with Carter in that lab. Damn it, he even told her to check out the latest doohickey! The echo of her cry still pierced his soul every time it grew quiet around him.

Everyday Jack found a few minutes to go down to the infirmary, to see how everybody was doing. Again, doubt about his capabilities being the General in charge starting nagging at him. But this time, he also began doubting if he still wanted to do this. Sure, he was well aware of words like duty, honor and self-sacrifice. But the responsibility of the deal was getting heavier and heavier each day. He felt guilty sending out the good men and women of SG-6 and 8, but they understood the risk they were taking. Cassie, was an innocent bystander. A girl that got caught up in this war for no good reason, and the war kept dragging her back. It already took away her biological family, her home, and her wonderful and loving newfound mother. And now it almost claimed her life, again. It just wasn't fair.

"It just isn't fair," he softly mumbled.

Still having to run a base and a hectic schedule of missions Jack couldn't find much time to visit Cassie. So he came back after work hours. He arranged for his backed-up paperwork to be delivered down to the infirmary, and he did it at night, while keeping a silent vigil at Cassie's side. It had been a while since someone close to him ended up in one of these hospital beds for an extended period of time. But every time it had happened in the past, he had held a vigil at their side. He just couldn't be anywhere else. His feelings of guilt wouldn't let him. After becoming a General he could no longer afford the luxury of time to be sitting all day long in the infirmary, so he was forced to do it at night. It was something he could not give up on, one way of penitence he could not abandon.

It had been five days now, and Cassie still gave no sign of waking up. The panic that had held him ever since he found her on the ground in Sam's lab was now replaced by a sheer terror, slowly squeezing the life out of him.

This night several documents lay open around him, but he could bring himself to look at them. He just kept staring at Cassie's still form, the heartbeat monitor filling his ears.

"It just isn't fair."

Just the other day he found himself praying in his office, speaking to a God he had left behind as a part of his childhood. Now the words just seemed to force their way out, begging to be heard.

"Hail Mary, full of grace . . ."

He knew this particular prayer by heart. His mother had always made him say it before going to sleep at night. But the words felt futile to him and he paused mid sentence. Instead, his heart filled his prayer.

"Please, God, don't let her …"

He never heard the footsteps behind him.

- ∞ -

Sam and Daniel had both decided to come and check on Cassie one last time before going home. They entered the infirmary, but stopped when they saw Jack sitting next to Cassie's bed. Sam wasn't surprised at all. She had gone down to the infirmary everyday to check on Cassie. And quite a few times at night too, unable to sleep. The event kept playing in her mind, driving away any chance of peaceful sleep. Feelings of guilt assaulted her at every turn.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Colonel. But Sergeant Harriman is requesting your presence in the control room. There is a small problem with the dialing computer, ma'am."

Sighing inwardly at the constant need of her presence to fix things she held up her hand, indicating the airman could stop right there.

"All right airman, thank you."

The airman nodded and returned to his post. Sam grabbed her jacket and made her way to the door.

"Probably just a glitch. You just wait here, I won't be long." she told Cassie.

She was halfway to the elevators when a faint clicking sound reached her ears. Thinking it was just one of the many noises made on base she walked on and swiped her security card through the scanner at the elevator. A whirring sound? Now that's unusual even for this place, she thought. Then a loud bang shook her out of her reverie, and with a shock she made out it had originated from her lab.

'Cassie!'

Without a second thought she sprinted back. Outside the door she noticed a tray with broken bowls covered in Jell-O on the floor, and before she could enter her lab a distinct and very familiar male voice rang out.

"Medical team to Colonel Carter's lab, ASAP!"

Every time she went to see Cassie at night Jack had been there. It reminded her of his days as Colonel O'Neill, making sure injured members of his team would make it through. It emotionally touched her he was doing the same for Cassie, even with all his responsibilities as a General. She had stood there, near the door of the infirmary, unable to come nearer and announce her presence. She couldn't bring herself to face him during a situation like this. She wasn't sure if her military composure would hold up. And that was very important to her, especially in the presence of her commanding officer. Even though he was her –friend.

Sam realized Daniel was just about to greet his good friend when she held up her hand to stop him. Jack's posture and the fact he hadn't noticed them coming into the infirmary told her that something was wrong. When Daniel looked at her with a questioning look she nudged her head at the door, asking him to leave. His face scrunched up with confusion for a moment. He turned and took another look at Jack. Now picking up on the sadness his friend radiated he seemed to understand Sam's warning. He nodded his consent to her, softy turned on his heels and left. Sam stood there for a few moments, unsure what to do. She startled a bit when she heard Jack speak. He hadn't done that the other times she had been here.

"You know your mom always had to use the big needles to keep me down here? Yeah, I'll admit, I'm the worst patient. She nearly knocked me out with one of those gurneys one time, that's how annoying I was. But every time I got injured again she was there, ready to give everything to save my life. And what did she get in return? She g—"

He had to swallow hard, before he could continue.

"She was taken from us, and I didn't even get to say how much I respected her, how much she meant to me."

Behind him Sam felt a lump forming in her throat, and the familiar sting of unshed tears at the back of her eyes.

"You're all that is left of Janet, being her daughter. We all promised to keep you safe, care for you in every way we could. I think we already promised that when Sam took you down that old missile shaft."

Sam couldn't say what affected her more, the truth in his words or the usage of her first name.

"She loved you from the moment we met you. Think we all did. That why we're all so worried. W—"

A single weak sob filled the room. It nearly broke Sam's heart.

"We . . . can't lose you, Cassie. I . . . I can't lose you."

That was the final straw for Sam. Unable to restrain herself she stepped forward, and softly placed her right hand on his left shoulder. His right hand immediately shot up and grabbed her by the wrist, and his head snapped round facing her directly.

Two sets of misty eyes met. Both of them held an amount of pain they hadn't shared for a long time, not since the time Janet had died and he had been shot. Unresolved grief over their friend was written on their faces. They looked at each other for just a few seconds, but it felt like hours. There was a silent exchange of pain, fear and grief. Then, exactly at the same time, they gave the other a look of understanding and support. A look containing a level of affection and trust neither had expressed for an even longer time.

Jack broke their eye contact and turned back to Cassie. He let go of Sam's wrist, but held onto her hand. And she didn't remove it from his shoulder. She took another step, and pressed herself against the back of the chair Jack sat in. Folding her left arm around his torso she rested her forehead on top of his head. She closed her eyes, and without her consent, tears streamed down her cheeks. But she couldn't stop them. Seeing Cassie lying in the hospital bed had already weakened her defenses, but the look she had shared with Jack had completely blown her away. 'How much more must we take before things get better?'

- ∞ -

He never took his eyes off Cassie, but reached up with his right hand and started caressing the back of Sam's neck.

Tears burned in Jack's eyes, blurring his vision. With Sam softly crying behind him, cradling him in her arms, he felt even more emotions threatening to surface. And in that instant he could think of only one thing.

'No more. No more…'

- ∞ -