A/N: And our final five times chapter. I hope you enjoy it – it's a little longer than the others. I may or may not do a bonus chapter… I mean, well, there's no 'may' about it, I'm doing a bonus chapter! Keep an eye out for it.
Thank you to LexisMom and dpdp for reviewing! I really do appreciate it! I look forward to hearing what you all think about this one!
I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish you all happy holidays! I hope you have all enjoyed the day with your loved ones!
I would also like to shamelessly promote an update for my fic 'The Quest for the Cure', which is sequel to another fic I wrote called 'The Tree of Freedom'. It has a couple of OCs in there and some slow burn SJ lovin'… if that's your thing! Updates every week!
As always, mistakes are mine.
Enjoy!
5. Lean On Me
"In short, General, we successfully extracted the artefacts from the temple ruins and brought them back to study further." reported Daniel, gesturing towards the slides of his presentation as he spoke. "Unfortunately, we couldn't find any trace of living people – they might have died out."
"From what?"
"Sickness, an major catastrophic event, we won't know for sure until we look into the samples and artefacts brought back from PX29-113." summarised the archaeologist, looking to Sam to jump in.
"We've scanned the artefacts and we couldn't identify any radioactive particles or any viruses on their surface. Teal'c's symbiote was also helpful in determining the risk of bring them back through the gate."
At Sam's words, the general deflated, happy that if Sam said it was safe, then it was most likely to be the case. "Alright, thank you Doctor Jackson, Major. When investigating the artefacts and samples, ensure you follow the safeguarding protocol."
"Yes, Sir."
Hammond turned to Jack, who was doodling in the top corner of his notepad, his head being propped up by his fist. Hammond cleared his throat. "Colonel."
Jack looked up to see Sam looking down at her report to hide her smirk, he caught Daniel's eyeroll as he looked at the general. "Sir?"
"What did you see?"
"It looked like a small farming town, Sir. There were plenty of houses and other structures, but there was no-one home. No signs of violence or a fire fight but they haven't been there for a while, Sir."
"The planet is vast, almost the same size as Earth," commented Teal'c, "Perhaps they left in search of a better place to continue their livelihoods."
General Hammond nodded. "I'll authorise a UAV to fly out and recon the planet. Major Carter?"
Sam stood. "I'll calibrate the UAV so it can fly a little further." At that, she left the briefing room.
"All in all, another success for SG1." General Hammond stood. "Dismissed."
As the General left, Jack looked at Teal'c. "It'd be interesting to find out where the locals went. Something's not quite sitting right with me, you know? There's no obvious reason for them to have left. I'd feel better if we find out where they went."
"Indeed."
"Well, Sam's on that." said Daniel, packing up his presentation. "I can help as soon as I get a look at those newspaper clippings we found."
"Well," Jack pushed himself up and began to walk towards the door, "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the mess hall getting acquainted with a beautiful little thing called pie."
oOoOoOoOo
After Jack had hastily written up his mission report, he settled himself in the commissary with a slice of pie and a piping hot cup of coffee. He had just sunk his fork into his treat when Teal'c joined him with a tray of his own.
"Light snack, Teal'c?" commented Jack, a hint of amusement in his tone as he lifted the forkful to his mouth.
Teal'c looked at the array of fruits covering the base of his tray before raising an eyebrow at the silver haired man opposite him. "I required sustenance, O'Neill."
Jack snorted as he finished his mouthful of pie. "I can see that. You really like those berries, huh."
"This fruit was not commonly found on Chulak or on board Apophis' ship. I have grown rather fond of them." replied Teal'c seriously as he placed a blueberry into his mouth.
"Everything alright with the UAV?"
"Yes, Major Carter managed to add an additional twenty miles to the UAV's range. She is now currently in her lab looking into the artefacts we found on PX29-113."
Jack sighed as he lowered his coffee. "Of course she is." He looked at her watch. "Well, I'll give her half an hour before I go and disturb her."
Teal'c nodded, though a half smirk graced his features. "I am sure she would be most grateful for your show of restraint."
Jack raised a single finger. "Ah! You know as well as I do she'll forget that life exists once she really gets into it. I might take her some jello."
The Jaffa nodded as he peeled his banana. "You may wish to collect it now, there is only one blue one left and Nurse Chohan also favours the blue."
"Goddammit." huffed Jack, pushing himself out of his chair roughly in order to reach the jello section before the nurse did.
Daniel arrived in time to see the nurse's face fall as Jack swiped the last aqua coloured dessert and he placed several old looking books down on the table. "Tough luck, Kali." He muttered as Jack smiled at the annoyed looking nurse.
The bespectacled archaeologist had just seated himself when Jack returned with a victorious grin and the infamous blue jello.
"Daniel." greeted Jack as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"Your ability to make friends astounds me, Jack." commented Daniel, a hint of mirth lacing his words. He caught eyes with Teal'c and the two exchanged knowing smiles.
They weren't the only ones as Daniel spotted several airmen, who had witnessed Jack's actions, sharing the same grins with those around them. Even Kali, having resigned herself to selecting the less favourable red jello, had lost the annoyed look on her face as she understood why Jack had snagged the blue dessert from her reach.
"You know what I say, Daniel. Happy Carter, happy galaxy."
"Yeah, that must be it." countered Daniel cryptically as he pushed himself up to go and get a snack of his own.
Once Jack had finished his pie and coffee and had listened to as much of Daniel's theories about the people of PX29-113 as he could without inducing a migraine, he excused himself and left the mess hall with Sam's blue jello in hand.
He weaved his way through the different people who crossed his path and before he knew it, he had reached Sam's lab.
He walked through her small office and popped his head around the entrance to her lab. His brow furrowed as the blonde was nowhere to be seen. He had envisioned walking into her lab to see her bent over a device of some sort and was most perplexed to be met with an empty room.
He took a step in and placed the jello on the workspace closest to him and he was just about to turn to leave when a tuft of blonde hair caught his eye. Walking closer and around the workbench in the centre of the room, he found Sam curled into the corner of her lab.
Sam's back was flush against the cool metal of the machines behind her, her head was resting on her knees, her arms were wrapped around her legs and by her feet laid her safety goggles. He looked at her desk to see a device and her tools on the side.
"Carter?"
Jack watched as the woman seemed to jump at his voice. His frown deepened as he registered her slight rocking, almost as if she was trying to soothe herself.
Crouching down and ignoring the twinges in his knees as he did. He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Carter, you okay?"
Sam stopped rocking and let out a shuddery breath. "Not really."
"What happened?"
Sam lifted her head and gazed at him. Jack couldn't see anything that could appear to bother the woman until he registered something that made it feel like someone had dropped a heavy weight in his stomach.
Sam wasn't gazing at him.
She was gazing right past him. As if he wasn't there.
"Sir, I can't see."
oOoOoOoOo
"How did this happen?" demanded General Hammond, looking at Janet as she scribbled on a chart.
After finding Sam in her lab, Jack had helped her up and had guided her straight to the medical wing. He had watched as Sam was poked and prodded and he had felt his chest constrict when the blonde didn't react to a light being shone directly into her eyes.
He, along with Hammond, Teal'c and Daniel, were stood around Sam's bed waiting for Janet's verdict.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Sam remembered studying the device and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor without her ability to see." surmised the doctor, she had placed a comforting hand on Sam's knee. "There aren't any foreign objects or substances in her eyes so there is nothing to clean away. We did an eyewash, but that didn't change anything. We are waiting for bloods to come back but I don't know what will show."
"Is this permanent?" asked Daniel quietly.
Jack watched Sam deflate, a flash of worry crossed her features before she reapplied her poker face.
"I don't know. I couldn't say. We don't even know how or why this happened."
General Hammond nodded. "Understood."
Jack held his breath as he heard the emotions in Hammond's voice waver. "We'll figure it out though, right? I mean, the UAV has a further range, maybe we just need to go back and explore."
"Indeed," agreed Teal'c, "If we find the people of PX29-113, perhaps we can find answers."
General Hammond nodded again. "We'll bring forward the UAV's recon. In the meantime, Doctor Jackson, I would like to suggest you look through the writings and samples you found. I think it would be best if we leave the devices alone for now."
"Yeah, I'll start that now," Daniel placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and squeezed it tight, "I'll be back later, okay?" At that, he left the room.
"Major Carter, as soon as we hear anything, we'll let you know."
"Thank you, Sir." responded Sam quietly.
Hammond regarded Sam with a sad, worried look before leaving. Teal'c followed him, intent on overseeing the UAV's recon for himself.
Jack looked at Janet. "Does she have to stay here?"
Janet bit her lip as she weighed up the risks of having Sam leave the hospital wing before settling on her decision. "Sam, would you feel more comfortable here or in one of the guest rooms?"
"The guest room, please."
Janet nodded. "Okay, I'm happy for you to do that, but I'd have to advise you against leaving the base for now. At least until we understand a bit more."
"Sure." nodded Sam, she swung her legs down and made to hop off of the bed when she stopped.
Sensing her hesitation, Jack reached forward and grabbed her elbow. "We got you, Carter."
Sam linked her arm with Jack's and clung to him like a lifeline. Once she had found her feet, she allowed him to guide her out of the medical wing and towards the offered guest room.
Despite not being able to see, she could feel people staring at her as Jack led her through the corridors. She remained silent on their trip to the guest room, trying to envisage the journey in her mind's eye. Her heart thumped uncomfortably in her chest. What if this was permanent?
She would never be able to go offworld again, or work in the labs, or tinker with the different technology that came through the gate. She'd never again be able to see the shimmering event horizon, or the stars that she had spent nearly a lifetime studying, or the intricate inner workings of the devices given to her, or the faces and smiles of her friends.
She had managed to keep a very calm façade in front of her boys, General Hammond and Janet, but now, there was a level of panic bubbling away inside her, dangerously close to the surface.
By the time, she had reached the guest room, her head was so full of thoughts that she felt very dizzy and very overwhelmed.
She heard Jack open the door and he led her in. He unhooked his arm from hers and pulled her hand to move her forward before placing it gently on the bed, instantly grounding her.
His footsteps retreated, presumably to be closer to the door. "Do you want me to stay? Help get you settled?"
"No," answered Sam softly, "Thank you." She heard Jack run his hand through his hair, as if unsure of what to do.
"Okay, well, if you need anything, come find me, okay?"
Sam snorted. "Sure, right after I invent the cure for cancer and the perfect microwave meal."
Jack swore under his breath. "Sorry, Carter, I didn't mean-"
"Sir? It's fine. I'll figure it out." Sam bit her lip. "Sorry, Sir."
"It's okay," He reached for the door handle. "I'll come back in a bit, alright?"
Sam nodded and hummed her response before turning to face what she hoped was the bed.
The door closed softly and Sam could feel that she was alone. She raised her leg and was happy when her knee met a soft mattress. Taking off her boots, she made a point of putting them together the correct way and placing them close to the foot of the bed.
With a soft groan, she curled up on top of the bed and faced away from the door.
Her strong resolve lasted for two minutes, before the events of the day caught up with her and she felt the first of what would be a lot of tears slide down her cheek and land in the pillow beneath her head.
oOoOoOoOo
Jack fidgeted nervously in his seat. His hand had picked up his pen and he was tapping it on the table in an inconsistent rhythm.
It had been three hours since Sam had lost her sight and for the last two, she had been holed up in the guest room.
They had turned on the camera, just to check that she was okay, when the sight of her shoulders heaving made them turn it straight off again. They didn't need audio to know what she was doing.
Everyone seemed to be affected. Daniel was a lot more quiet than usual, focused on just pouring over as much of the writings as he could to try and find something to help Sam.
Teal'c, like Jack, had grown increasingly frustrated at not being able to do anything, so he had hovered over Siler and Walter as they guided the UAV to do recon, much to their unease.
General Hammond seemed a little more barky than usual, intent on trying to help his best friend's daughter any way that he could and after Sam's bloodwork came back empty, Janet had reached out to experts in optometry to get different ideas on how to treat her, a difficult mission as she was restricted with how much she could share.
Jack had been kicked out of the gym and the firing range. Those that passed him in the corridors gave him a wide berth, worried that that they would be the unintentional target of his anger. He had even had the idea of trying to contact the Tok'ra, to see if they could offer aid, but until the UAV was done, he wouldn't be able to act on it.
So, he had settled on basing himself in the briefing room where he had a visual on the Stargate.
"At ease." sounded Hammond's voice as he climbed the last few stairs.
Jack jumped, he hadn't even realised that he had been joined by Janet, Daniel and Teal'c at the briefing table.
"Where are we?"
Daniel stood and passed a sheet of A4 paper to the general. "I've read through the writings. Long story short, the people of PX29-113 may still be around."
Jack looked up at the archaeologist as General Hammond scanned through the report handed to him. "What do you mean? There was no-one there."
"The writings were kind of like newspapers, for a lack of a better word. It said that an illness swept across the population. Reports of healthy, young people waking up without sight. They decided to leave their home to find a cure."
"Did they figure out why?" asked Hammond.
"No, I couldn't see a reference, but I'd be willing to bet that it has something to do with the device Sam was studying."
"Wait," Jack shook his head, "Carter picked that up and handled it on the planet. Why now? And why isn't anyone else blind?"
Daniel threw his hands up, exasperated. "I don't know. Maybe she triggered some sort of defence mechanism? Maybe it was designed to protect and it perceived her as a threat? I don't know and I doubt we will until we find those people. It's our best bet."
"We don't know where they are, Danny." said Jack lowly.
"I believe we may be able to find them." input Teal'c. He barely registered everyone looking at him before he continued. "The UAV was able to locate what looked like a small settlement before it reached the limits of its range. We were able to see two people, they did not appear to have trouble seeing as they were able to point at the UAV."
"How far from where we were?"
"I would estimate at least nineteen miles from the gate." reported Teal'c.
Hope surged through Jack and he looked at Hammond. "It's gotta be worth a shot."
The general nodded. "I concur, Colonel."
"If they have a cure, we can get it for Carter."
"And if they don't?" questioned Janet.
Jack turned to face her. "What about our allies? We've risked our asses a bunch of times for them. Surely they can help with this."
"We will look into it while you are on PX29-113."
"When do we leave?" asked Jack, moving to stand up.
"You can leave within the hour."
"What of Major Carter?" prompted Teal'c.
"I think it would be best if she stayed here." commented Janet, ignoring the glare she was receiving from Jack.
"What if we can't bring the cure back? What is she has to be there?" said Daniel, his normally patient manner seemed to disappear.
"It would be cruel to force her to walk all that way for something that might not actually exist," defended Janet heatedly, "How do you know they haven't just adapted to being blind?"
"And if there is a cure? You'd make her wait longer than what she'd need to?" argued Daniel.
"Why don't we ask her what she wants to do?" snapped Jack, he got to his feet and fixed Hammond with a determined look. "However we feel about it, it should be down to her."
Hammond hesitated. "And if you come across hostiles?"
"I would defend Samantha Carter until my last breath." stated Teal'c, a determined look in his eyes as he held Hammond's gaze.
"And she would kick our butts for it when we got back." added Jack, making the older airman's lips quirk into a knowing half grin. "It should be her choice."
"Agreed. I trust you are able to speak to her about this?"
"Yeah," said Jack, moving quickly towards the stairs. "You two, gear up."
oOoOoOoOo
Precisely twenty minutes later, Jack turned to watch the gate as it cut off. Adjusting his cap, he turned to face his team. Daniel was looking at a gadget that showed a digital version of a map, from the UAV's previous recon and Teal'c had a steadying hand on Sam's back.
Upon entering Sam's room after knocking, she had listened intently to what Jack had to say. He reached out and placed a hand on her knee as he spoke, the sight of tear marks on her face pulling at his heartstrings.
That feeling was replaced with immense pride when she had accepted the invitation to go back to PX29-113. She nodded with understanding as she listened to the risks and the potential of there not being a cure and had reached down to grab her boots.
He had linked arms with her and guided her to the changing rooms and Janet had offered to help her change.
Now, they were offworld, ready and raring to go.
Jack checked his watch. "We should reach the settlement in around ten hours." He shouldered his P90 and nodded to Teal'c, who bowed in understanding to his unspoken request. Keep an eye on her and let me know if she needs to stop.
They started their hike. The trail, thankfully, was relatively level and Teal'c's grip on Sam had saved her from falling over one or two uneven parts.
Daniel was walking in front, leading the team, often turning his head back to Sam to complain about how easy she made it look when she took point with the device. Sam had laughed before quieting again, her anxiety preventing her from doing anything except putting one foot in front of the other without falling.
The team had reached a small grass verge that looked over vast fields of green and Jack suggested that they break there. He checked his watch and the device that Daniel was holding and was pleased to see that they were over half way.
He watched as Teal'c helped Sam sit before reaching to her pack to find her canteen. He caught a flash of frustration on the blonde's face, but she schooled her features and thanked Teal'c gratefully as he handed her the water.
Jack caught Teal'c's eye and jerked his head towards Sam before making his way over to them. The jaffa nodded and made his way over to Daniel.
"How you doing, Carter?"
"I don't think I can do this." she admitted softly, so softly that Jack had almost missed it.
"What do you mean?"
"What if there isn't a cure?"
Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Then we go home and we talk to the Asgard or the Tok'ra. We have the Nox, too, and the Tollan. We have options, Carter."
Sam opened her unseeing eyes and looked in, what she hoped was, Jack's direction. "And if they can't help?"
"We'd work it out, okay?"
The astrophysicist shook her head. "I'd have to leave SG1." Ah, and there it was.
"Over my dead body, Carter," scoffed Jack, squeezing her shoulder. "I told you, you're a national treasure. I'm not losing you from my team."
Sam sighed and allowed Jack to hold her for a moment before clearing her throat. "Shouldn't we keep going?"
"Right you are, Major."
oOoOoOoOo
SG1 reached the settlement a little later than predicted. Sam had tripped over a dip in the ground hidden by long grass and needed to be patched up, much to her frustration.
Jack had linked his arm with hers after that, keeping her close to him.
They were met by people observing them curiously as they walked further into their settlement and to Jack's utter joy, all of them were giving direct contact.
Daniel stepped forward and was immediately ushered towards the leader. Jack watched with bated breath as Daniel gestured through his explanation for their visit. He pointed at Sam and the leader nodded with understanding.
Sensing Sam's unease at the sudden halt and silence among her teammates, Jack uncoupled his arm from hers and chose to take her hand in his, squeezing it tight. He murmured what he could see and as he did, he felt some tension leave her body.
The leader beckoned three women from one of the huts to go over to Sam.
Feeling Jack bristle slightly, Sam squeezed his hand. "Sir?"
She felt three sets of hands come into contact with her body, trying to pull her away from Jack. "Sir?!"
"I'm here, Carter." said Jack, relinquishing his hold on Sam's hand as he saw what the women were trying to do. "Don't panic, we're with you."
Jack watched as the women led Sam through the settlement. Daniel jogged over to join him and together, with Teal'c, they followed the small crowd.
The party came to a halt by the edge of a small pool of water that seemed to glow. He observed the women help Sam into the water and towards the middle of the pool. One of the woman spoke in her native tongue before dunking Sam's head under the surface.
Jack reacted by moving his hand towards his weapon but Daniel stilled him with a hand on his shoulder. "Wait."
Sam resurfaced, coughing as the women helped her right herself. They led her in silence towards the bank and Jack reached forward to help pull her out of the pool.
Taking her hand, he noted that Sam kept her eyes firmly shut. "Hey, Carter. No matter what, we'll work through it, okay?" He used his free hand to brush a wet lock away from her eyes.
Sam nodded. "Yes, Sir." She steadied herself with a deep breath before biting the bullet.
She opened her eyes and let out a small sob as she was met with Jack's warm, brown eyes gazing at her with concern.
"We winning, Carter?"
Sam nodded, her eyes locked onto Jack's. "Yes, Sir."
Jack pulled her into a tight hug, just as Daniel whooped and punched the air. Even Teal'c reached up to brush a rebellious tear from his eye.
"We better go thank these guys, huh."
Sam nodded and looked at the smiling people observing her. "Yes, Sir."
His hand still intertwined with hers, Jack pulled Sam up and let her lead the way.