605 Nightwalkers

At first Sam thought it was a crank call, then a make-work mission to keep them distracted while the Colonel was with the Tok'ra, being healed.

She had helped carry the Colonel to the Tok'ra base but was then dismissed. Damn arrogant Tok'ra. She had wanted to be with him for the implantation and healing. The Tok'ra were their secretive uncooperative selves and refused her. Sam felt guilty for her part in convincing the Colonel to accept the symbiote. She knew Jack would hate every minute of it. Sam could not sit by and watch while he suffered and died so she pleaded and he relented. And although asked, they had sent no updates on the Colonel's condition. She had to believe he was recovering and a new host was soon to be found for the symbiote.

What she thought was a crank call in the middle of the night turned out to be a mission to protect a town turning into Goa'uld colony right here on Earth. So the remaining members of SG-1 were briefed and threw themselves into the mission as odd as it was. Nothing like commanding two aliens on an Earth side mission.

This mission was totally insane. If Colonel O'Neill was here she was sure he'd want to nuke the town. It gave Sam something to do, something to concentrate on, to totally absorb her body and mind so she would not think about O'Neill.

Cloned symbiotes were used to make "Zombies" out of the town folks to build a ship to escape Earth. It proved to be a leftover of the horrible Adrian Conrad experience. This time she would have to save herself. And she came to find out the N.I.D. were in it up to their ears and lost control in the end. Colonel O'Neill would have been fuming.

The Colonel would never believe it, they would have a shared experience. She was implanted too. And both, so she hoped, would come out without a scratch.

After a lengthy debrief and complete physical Sam connected up with Alec Colson to arrange for his company to liaise with the Air Force about the partially constructed Hatak.

What had been prime on her personal agenda she could finally attend to, she needed to see the Colonel.

Janet had said that he seemed well enough to go home but was told to stay close to the SGC for health, mental as well as physical, (although she'd never say that to him). He balked, wanting the peace of his cabin and pond, but complied and stayed in Colorado Springs.

O'Neill was surprised to see Carter at his door. He looked like crap, obviously not sleeping. And thinner than usual.

He had been watching television, she could hear the audio from the living room.

She apologized for interrupting his evening. He brushed that off and invited her in.

He got her a beer and they sat on the couch. An old black and white movie was playing.

"I couldn't find a decent game on. This is old but good, Bogie and Bacall."

A young Lauren Bacall sits in Bogie's lap and kisses him. "I've been wondering if I'd like it." she says.

Sam wondered that too and wondered if she'd ever have the nerve.

"It's even better when you help."

Jack glanced over and saw the blush creeping up Sam's neck, blooming on her cheeks.

Sam thought she'd like to do the same thing to O'Neill. She's sure he'd participate once he got over the shock.

"You know you don't have to act with me, Steve.

You don't have to say anything and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing.

Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?"*

Sam glanced over to O'Neill who was smiling.

"Poor Steve, looks like he was hit with a brick." Jack said. "She was only 19, it was her first real acting job."

"I was barely confident in a classroom or a lab at 19." Sam replied.

"I was in Nam. Get confident or get dead."

She left shortly after the movie was over. Both of them in better spirits than when their evening began.

One day the next week Sam found near her computer a blue plastic whistle that looked like it just fell out of a Cracker Jack box. She put it in her pocket and smiled all day.

*Movie quotes from To Have and Have Not