Chapter 23: Treating Sam
"Ya know," Jack started as the wormhole snapped shut behind them, "I could almost feel the iris smacking my ass on the way out."
Daniel turned a disbelieving eye towards his friend, "What?"
"Oh come on, Daniel. They all but shoved us through the gate..." Jack protested. "And what was up with Frasier's exam? She didn't even ask me anything..."
Daniel sighed. Was it too much to ask for an easy, quiet walk to the Za'tarc tent? Whatever crime he had committed in a former life, his penance in this life was apparently not quite over yet. "She wasn't going to stop you, Jack. Why do a detailed exam? Didn't she just do one on Friday?"
"Yeah," Jack replied belligerently. "But that's not the point."
"Oh, and what is the point?" Daniel asked absently as they navigated through the supplies awaiting transport to the Cytherans new home planet.
"That we were being railroaded," Jack explained carefully. "Somebody had to have greased the wheels to get us off-world in under 10 minutes."
Daniel actually smiled as Jack carefully outlined the obvious NID plot to get them off base. Yup, Jack was in full denial mode. Daniel knew for a fact that General Hammond had personally greased those wheels. Fastest off-world authorization ever... baring imminent death and all that.
Daniel understood all too well how much stress the rest of the base had been under while tip-toeing around Jack. He had been doing the same thing around Sam. And while Daniel would favor Sam for a larger body count, he was certain that the kind of havoc that Jack would wreck would ultimately be far more destructive and long lasting. Definitely not worth contemplating for too long.
"Yeah, and it had nothing to do with the way you have been acting over the last two weeks," Daniel quipped.
"What?" Jack stopped mid-rant.
"Jack, you have haunted and terrorized the base for the last two weeks. Is it any wonder they were glad to see you go... anywhere?" Daniel asked exasperated.
Jack shook his head, still in denial, "I haven't been that bad."
"Wanna bet? General Hammond was this close to locking you in solitary. Janet was ready to sedate you... Hell, they considered you their own personal ticking time bomb. I took one look at you and hoped to God that I was right, because the alternative was you going postal at the SGC," Daniel explained. He didn't mean to let his concern bleed through. Sam had scared the hell out of him these last two weeks. But when Jacob had mentioned Jack, Daniel had just about gone into a panic.
Jack contemplated Daniel's words in silence as they crossed the final distance to the Za'tarc tent. At least now he seemed to be listening. As they approached the tent, Daniel could just make out Sam's voice raised in anger. Jack raised an eyebrow at Daniel as they paused at the doorway and listened.
"...of all the misguided crap I've had to put up with my whole life... You have to pull this shit now. Now! What the fuck, Dad?" Sam's voice was ringing with suppressed rage and hatred.
"Sam," Jacob's voice broke into her rambling, "I didn't mean it that way." He was trying for reasonable, but he couldn't quite keep the parental tone out of his voice.
Jack winced. Sam hated the 'Dad' voice. She had broken her team of even thinking in the parental tone. She seemed to have a sixth sense about it and it just pissed her off more.
"Really?" Sam replied sarcastically, her voice laced with venom. "And just what exactly DID you mean?"
Daniel shoved Jack through the opening in the tent. He had to stop this before they said anything they would regret... well, more anyway... crap!
"Sam!" Daniel cried too loudly, in an excited tone. "I'm back... and look who I brought with me." He loudly slapped Jack on the back, making his friend an instant target.
Sam had backed Jacob and Anise into the corner of the tent. Jacob covered Anise protectively while Teal'c stood off to one side looking hesitant. As Jack and Daniel took in the scene before them, Sam rounded on Daniel. The look she directed at him should have incinerated him on the spot. Luckily, her eyes moved past him quickly and landed on Jack and... softened.
Jack clumsily cleared his throat, "Hey, Carter... uh... long time, no see."
Jack gave her a half wave as he took another cautious step into the tent. He obviously knew his role as sacrificial lamb. But he wasn't moving fast enough for Daniel's peace of mind. So, Daniel started shoving him over to Sam. He stopped only when the two were inches apart.
Sam seemed to freeze in place, drinking in the sight of Jack. Finally, she took several deep breaths. Daniel was sure they were to clear her mind, but the effect they had on her was even more dramatic than Jack's reaction in the briefing room. She seemed to glow. No longer was she a vision of feminine fury. Now she was the ideal Venus. A radiant example of feminine passion. The heat was still there, but now it was more productive than destructive. And all of it was solely directed at Jack.
Daniel was relieved and saddened at the same time. Once again, his friends had the excuse of alien influence to fall back on. But watching his two friends, oblivious to the others in the tent, he was also a wee bit jealous. They shared a look of such love and longing that it hurt to watch them. The painful beauty in that one shared look brought tears to his eyes and triggered an open longing for something similar for himself. Or maybe he just hoped that one day his friends could have more without interference from the rest of the galaxy.
"Hey," Sam replied softly, with a smile gently curving her lips. "What brings you to this neck of the galaxy?"
"Oh, you know... Weird alien chemical messing with my body chemistry... the usual..." Jack replied casually as he leaned in even closer.
"Oh..." Sam replied with a hint of teasing, "Let me guess... only I can help you get better..." she said seductively, completely unaware of the others in the tent.
"God, I hope so..." Jack whispered to her, his voice rough with feeling.
"Holy Hannah!" Jacob stated, clearly in stunned by Sam's abrupt change from anger to lust.
Jacob's words seemed to break the spell surrounding them. Pulling Jack and Sam back into the present and their current company. Jack took a reluctant step back away from Sam and gave Daniel and Jacob a sheepish smile.
"Um... sorry, Dad... where were we?" Sam said, abruptly returning to business.
"Oh no. You're not getting out of this one, young lady," Jacob replied. "Jack, did Daniel explain everything?"
Jack shrugged noncommittally.
"O-kay... then that just leaves Sam," Jacob said as he turned slowly back to his daughter, his reluctance obvious to everyone present.
Sam gave him a questioning glance. "Leaves me where… exactly?" she asked.
Jack grinned, "In the dark."
"Right..." Sam shooting a smile at Jack before turning back to her father. "And...?"
"And... from what Daniel and I have observed, you and Jack are experiencing a rare side-effect of the Tears of Aphrodite compound." Jacob glanced at Daniel for help
"The compound does something with the naquadah in your blood to change your hormones... You become... addicted, for lack of a better word, to your partner... The Cytherans call it 'bonding.' They say it is irreversible, but they don't exactly see it as a problem," Daniel said quickly.
Sam gave him a disbelieving look before turning back to her dad, "And you're on board with this theory?" she asked blandly.
"Well," Jacob started, "I had hoped Daniel was wrong. But after seeing this…" he gestured to Sam and Jack standing closely together.
Anise chose that moment to remind everyone of her presence, "The transformation of your mood was quite impressive. I believe that you have not been this calm since setting arriving on Cythera." She turned to Jacob, "And you are saying that this is a result of their exposure to the compound? Is Colonel O'Neill carrying the compound?"
"No… Look, it's complicated," Jacob started.
"And none of your damned business," Jack finished for him. Jack turned back to Sam, "General Hammond sent me here because Daniel says we have to stay together. I didn't believe it… until I saw you… I… I just… I just knew," he finished lamely.
"So, what do we do?" Sam asked him in a small voice.
"I don't know," Jack replied honestly. "But the general didn't say anything about us needing to go back… unless you want to?" He smirked, "In fact, I would bet that the general would prefer that we take our time before heading home…"
"Oh?" Sam asked cautiously.
"Yeah, apparently, I've been a bit of an ass since you've been gone," Jack answered a bit sheepishly.
"Anyone die?" Sam asked with a grin.
"Nope," Jack replied with an answering grin.
"Then what the hell are they complaining about?" Sam pointed out cheerfully.
"See, that's what I said…" Jack said grinning inanely.
"Well, at least you got to get off-world again," Sam pointed out helpfully.
"Yeah, there is that," Jack sighed. "So, need any help? I promised General Hammond that I wouldn't kill anyone while I was here, so that kind of limits my duties… so to speak."
"You like sheep?" Sam asked.
"Not particularly," Jack replied casually.
"Okay, well, you can scan the boxes of goods slotted for the next shipment…" Sam started.
"Sounds boring," Jack replied with a sigh.
"Or you could scan the sheep waiting for transfer…" Sam continued.
"Cargo it is," Jack said as he gave her a jaunty salute. He gestured for Sam to proceed him out the door and they disappeared leaving a bewildered group behind them.
"Did they even remember we were in the room?" Jacob asked into the following quiet.
Daniel continued to stare at the tent flap and replied casually, "No, I don't think they did."
"Did O'Neill truly swear to harm no one?" Teal'c asked calmly.
"Yeah. General Hammond insisted that he promise to not kill, bully, or otherwise threaten anyone on Cythera and endanger the Tok'ra mission…" Daniel replied absently. Finally, he seemed to organize his thoughts, "I'm going to have a long talk with High Priestess Alana. I think we need a bit more information about this whole process and what they expect from bonded couples."
"You do that," Jacob replied quickly. "Teal'c and I will keep an eye on them. Though, I doubt we need to, now that they are together."
"Indeed. Their tempers appear to have improved greatly," Teal'c seconded.
"Good," Anise added imperiously, "I will have Delek join me in screening the next group of Cytherans."
Jacob gave a tired sigh and nodded his assent to Anise as the group split up and went their separate ways.
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Jack and Sam stopped in a quiet corner of the clearing and sat down out of sight. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Jack just felt the need to be near her. Standing next to her now, he felt invincible. But he remembered the overwhelming frustration of the last two weeks far too easily.
"So… Want to talk about it?" Jack started casually, referring to her angry outburst in the tent.
Sam didn't answer immediately, but grabbed his hand and cradled it next to her face. She had to take several deep breaths before she could finally speak. "I wanted to kill her," she said evenly, devoid of emotion. She was calm now, almost objective. She gave a short bland laugh, "I wanted to kill her because she kissed you once. I was so… full of rage. I've never felt so out of control. I don't even remember what she said to me. But if Dad hadn't been there…"
"You didn't do anything," Jack pointed out.
"But I wanted to…" Sam said softly.
"But you didn't," Jack interrupted. "You didn't lose control, no matter how much you wanted to…" He leaned into her touch, their shoulders pressing together. Jack pushed his belief into his words, "You can only be judged by your actions, not your thoughts or desires. You didn't do anything wrong." He smiled in relief when she finally relaxed against him, accepting his words.
Sam pulled his hand away from her face and carefully kissed his knuckles before frowning and examining them closer. Her fingers traced the scabs gently before turning to face him.
"What happened to your hands?" Sam asked with concern.
Jack smiled warmly, soaking in her concern. It was balm for his soul. "I had an argument with the heavy bag in the gym… I think I won, but Frasier called it a draw," he drawled, humor evident in his tone.
They sat quietly for a bit more, both lost in their thoughts and enjoying the peaceful feeling of just being together. But they both knew that they couldn't hide forever in this quiet corner and their thoughts followed parallel paths.
"What are we going to do?" Sam finally asked aloud.
Jack gave her a resigned look, "Whatever we have to."
"And what if I don't want to lose this… lose you?" Sam asked sadly, resisting the inevitable conclusion.
They would have to fix this, if they could. But Sam didn't want to. She liked being this connected to him. She wanted to need Jack as much as she did. She liked knowing that he needed her just as much. It was a peaceful sense of security.
"Then you have to think about what you would lose to keep it," Jack said quietly.
But that security was bought with her freedom. Sam didn't choose this, as much as she wanted it now. Did she truly want to lose her freedom? Would she be able to travel off-world knowing what their separation would cost them both? Or would they be restricted to Earth because of their condition? What impact would that have on Earth's security? Was she willing to sacrifice the safety of her planet for the warm touch of the man next to her? And was her answer based on her own choice or was it influenced by the drug in her system?
Sam didn't have an answer that satisfied both her desire to stay with Jack and keep her planet safe. Was she being selfish by wanting a bit of happiness for herself?
Sam turned to face him and looked deep into his eyes, "What would you lose?" She needed to know what Jack would lose. Her loss could be great, but she could live with it. She was sure that the SGC could work out something that didn't result in the end of the world. But she couldn't bear it if Jack was unhappy with the choice.
"I don't know," Jack replied honestly. Then he grinned at her, "But I would gladly give up everything to keep it." His free hand gently reached out to cup Sam's cheek as he leaned in for a gentle kiss.
Sam beamed at him, "So would I." Then she pulled Jack into a deep kiss, showing him exactly how much she had missed him.
And for now they were at peace. They were bound to each other tighter than any kind of marriage vow. But they were both at peace with the decision that they didn't want it any other way.
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