Thank you so much to all of you who have been reading and to those of you who have taken the time to comment, I really appreciate it. This one was always intended to be a whump fic but it went in a slightly different direction that I had anticipated.
Thank you so much to 3StarJeneral and SamCarterIsMyMuse for talking me through this one. Thank you also to rsunday for bouncing ideas around with me.
Warning: This chapter is much angstier than the others and contains some sensitive topics.
"How's she doing, Doc?" Jack stands as Carter and the duty doctor move towards him, he's been waiting in the hallway for two hours, fighting the urge to walk in and find out what the hell is happening.
He tries not to wince as he takes a proper look at her. She's covered in dark bruises and deep cuts. There's a deep gash, now stitched up, running from her ear that travels along her neck, over her collar bone and under her new, clean shirt. Smaller cuts cover her face and arms. There is barely an inch of her skin that can't be used as evidence of what had happened to her on that planet.
Her arm cradles her broken ribs as she shuffles slowly towards him. The bastard beat the hell out of her.
"She's going to be fine, sore, but fine. I'm happy for her to go home as long as someone is with her for the next forty eight hours. She'll have to come in every day to get the bandages changed."
He wishes that Fraiser was here though he can't begrudge her for taking a few weeks away with Cassie.
"Teal'c and Jonas already briefed Hammond on what happened," Jack forgets to mention that he'd refused to go, too concerned with checking that she was okay. "He's happy to talk to you tomorrow if you'd rather-"
"Tomorrow," she mumbles, surprising him. He was almost certain that she would insist on doing it today as she usually would. He nods and follows as she slowly limps towards the lift.
~SJ~
Every step hurts but she breathes deeply and grits her teeth, determined to make it to the car without having to stop. Colonel O'Neill walks behind her, carrying her bag. He hasn't said it but she knows that he's going to take her home. He hasn't actually said anything, and for that she's grateful. She doesn't have the energy to respond.
She says nothing as he helps her into his truck but can't help the strangled cry that escaped her lips as her ribs protest against the move. He keeps his hands on her for a few seconds longer than he needs to before he asks if she's okay. She nods, breathing through the pain.
She wants to tell Colonel O'Neill that she'll be fine on her own, that he doesn't need to stay but she's so tired she knows that he will anyway, so she says nothing.
~SJ~
He glances at her as he drives, watching as she stares blankly ahead. She looks completely exhausted; he doesn't think he's ever seen her so subdued.
His grip on the wheel intensifies as he thinks about how he'd found her.
The mission had seemed simple, help the Tok'ra to build relations with the Jaffa. They'd been introduced to a new Tok'ra, Aron and his host Maktel, they were leading the mission. He'd immediately attached himself to Carter, charmed by her as most aliens seemed to be. She'd laughed it off when Jonas had brought it up on the first evening but it was clear for everyone to see that Aron had an interest in more than the Tok'ra/Jaffa treaty.
It hadn't been an easy mission. The jaffa and Tok'ra were reluctant to agree about almost everything. He remembers sitting with Teal'c one evening, listening as Teal'c admitted that it felt as though someone had tried to sabotage the alliance. He warned that something was not quite as it seemed, as though the little hiccups they had experienced over the course of the mission had actually been small acts of sabotage. From that moment Jack had been on high alert.
All hell broke loose when Jonas burst into the tent early on the last day to announce that Sam was missing.
~SJ~
Sam bites her lip as the ache in her ribs intensifies, it will be another few hours before she can take anything for the pain so she concentrates on breathing. She thinks back to how this all started.
It was her watch, the sun was barely an hour from rising when she heard movement behind her, before she could react she felt a cold blade pressed against her throat.
"Carter," Jack's voice shakes her from her thoughts. "We're home."
~SJ~
He walks behind her, careful not to touch her even though she is clearly struggling. He knows her, he knows that if she wants his support she'll lean into him, she wants to do this on her own.
"Want some food?" He asks, pushing the door closed behind them, watching as she shakes her head. "Shower?"
"Can't." The doctor had cleaned her up the best she could, scraping as much dirt and blood off of her body and then patched her up. She'd warned Sam not to get her multiple bandages wet. No showers for at least a week.
Sam so desperately wants a shower.
She moves slowly towards her bedroom, grateful that she lives in a single storey house. She knows that he is right behind her, she doesn't care. She can't wait to lie in her bed, to take the weight off of her aching body and to forget about everything that has happened in the last twenty four hours.
She stops as she enters her room, sighing. As though he can read her mind, in seconds he is at her feet, helping her out of her boots.
"What else?"
He helps her out of her pants and into the pyjama bottoms that lie at the bottom of her bed. He clenches his jaw, fighting the anger that builds in him as he discovers new injuries that cover her legs.
It only occurs to him just how inappropriate what he's done could look to an outsider after she's edging towards her bed. He doesn't care, he knows that he should but he doesn't, he'd do anything for her right now, rules be damned.
She slowly lowers herself to the bed and moves to lie down, grimacing in pain until her back is flat against the mattress. He's there, watching, wishing that he could make it better.
It scares him that she's so quiet, she's said barely a word since her release from the infirmary. He takes a step forward and helps her to reach for the sheet, pulling it over her.
He leaves and returns with water and pills, even though it will be a while before she can take anymore.
"I'll be in the spare room?" he asks. She nods, granting permission as she struggles to keep her eyes open.
~SJ~
He can't sleep. He can't stop thinking about how he'd found her, about those seconds where he thought that she was dead. He'd found her weapons just a few miles from their camp with no sign of her or her captor. Jonas had run towards both he and Teal'c with information, "Apart from Sam there's only one person who's unaccounted for."
It had been Jonas that had spotted the clearing in the bushes, he'd quickly confirmed the trail of two people. Jack sent him to get Teal'c, if this was what they thought it was then they would need him.
Jack moves forward, unable to wait for his team to get back, he crouches as low as he can and follows the trail, praying to whoever will listen that he's not too late.
He sees him first, lying on his stomach, still. It takes just seconds to spot her, she's underneath him, trapped between his body and the ground. "Carter!" He runs towards them, his heart pounding, all he can think about is how much blood there us and that he can't see who it's coming from.
"Carter!" He can't hide the panic in his voice as he drops to his knees. Her assailant is dead, a knife protruding from his throat.
"Off…" He releases the breath he hasn't realised he's been holding as he hears her, it's barely audible but he heard her. "Off…" she wheezes, her hands weakly pushing against the dead man's chest.
Jack rips him off of her, his hands are on her in immediately, checking for injuries as she lies, unable to move. He can't tell how much of the blood is hers and how much is his and soon his own hands are covered. "I gotcha, you're okay" he whispers, carefully pulling her up until she's cradling his arms.
A strangled cry shakes him from his thoughts and he's up and in her room in seconds. He finds her sat up, grasping her ribs, shaking and sweating as she struggles to catch a breath.
"Breathe, Carter. You're okay, you're safe." His hand cups her cheek as she reaches for him, fingers digging into his skin of his wrist, she pulls at him until he is sat against her on the bed.
She needs to know that he's real, that he's here and that she's safe.
"It's okay," he speaks so softly and quietly, in a tone she's never heard before. She continues to cling to him as her breathing becomes less laboured. She closes her eyes briefly as his thumb carefully strokes her bruised cheekbone. "It's okay."
~SJ~
"You're a goa'uld?" Sam spits, watching as a huge grin spreads across Aron's face. He reaches for her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh as he drags her further and further away from the camp.
She pulls against his hold and is rewarded with a punch so hard it knocks her to the ground, her hand flies to her cheek as she struggles to focus, stunned by the blow. She moves to get up but he kicks her, hard. She cries out as she feels a rib snapping. He kicks again, harder and she collapses onto the ground.
"It would be unwise for you to attempt that again," Aron hauls her up and pulls her towards him until her body is pressed flush against his. "Move."
~SJ~
Jack's hand remains on her cheek, the gentle stroke of his thumb is helping her to regulate her breathing. After a few moments she realises that she's still gripping his wrist and forces herself to let go, he follows her lead and takes his hands off of her. He reaches for the water and the pain meds. She swallows them, one at a time.
~SJ~
"Anubis has promised a great fortune to anyone who can deliver a member of SG1 to him," Aron boasts, tugging her towards their destination. He cannot wait to present her to Anubis, to use the reward to rebuild his fleet and to break free from the shackles that have restricted him for so many years. She is bleeding and bruised but he is sure Anubis won't mind.
He stops, turning to face her. A smile spreads across his face as he sees a tiny flash of fear in her eyes.
"He will be most pleased with you," he trails the knife along her cheek, scratching but not breaking her skin. "You could be his new queen."
"Over my dead body," she speaks through gritted teeth.
"Maybe."
~SJ~
When she is settled again and lying under the covers he moves off of the bed. She takes a shallow breath, as though she wants to say something and he looks at her.
"Or I can stay in here?" he suggests, saving her the embarrassment of having to ask.
~SJ~
She stops struggling as the knife trails along her cheek, slicing into her skin, she gasps as it drags along her neck and collar bone. She can feel the blood trickling across her skin.
~SJ~
He reaches for her hand, their fingers intertwining as he lies next to her. They have done this once before, for comfort. He wishes that he could hold her properly, that he could wrap his arms around her but he couldn't bear hurting her any more than she already is. He lies on top of the covers, still in his BDU's not sure if she would be okay with him climbing under the covers with her.
When he closes his eyes she's there, covered in blood, her eyes wide with shock, her hands shaking. He remembers taking his jacket off, draping it over her shoulders in order to cover her exposed chest.
~SJ~
She freezes as the knife cuts through the fabric of her shirt effortlessly; he stops only when he gets to her bra. He glares at her exposed chest and his eyes light up.
~SJ~
In the silence and darkness he can no longer avoid what has been playing on his mind since he found her.
"Carter," he speaks quietly. "Did he…"
~SJ~
Aron lands on top of with a thud, knocking the wind out of her. "You are most beautiful," he purrs, pressing his nose against her neck and inhaling. When he pulls back and meets her stare she sees something in his eyes that terrifies her. She feels a deep fear building in the pit pf her stomach, suddenly realising what his intensions are.
"No!" She thrashes underneath him, the palms of her hands pushing against the hard planes of his chest, ignoring the pain that courses through her body. This isn't happening, this can't be happening.
~SJ~
She swallows the lump in her throat. "No."
~SJ~
She fights with every ounce of strength she has but nothing she does seems to deter him. He's so much stronger than her and blocks every blow that her exhausted body tries to land. "No, no, no!" she cries out as he drops the knife and reaches for the button on her BDU's.
She bucks against him to no avail; he lets out a roar of laughter, enjoying the panic that is building within her as his free hand moves to grip her throat, cutting off her air supply.
~SJ~
"Because I killed him."
~SJ~
Aron's eyes widen in shock as she slams the blade into his throat.
~SJ~
Jack tightens his grip on her fingers, unable to speak as a strange mixture of anger and relief whirl around his stomach. It takes him a few moments to pull himself together and when he does he all he can say is, "You did good, Carter."
~SJ~
She wakes with a start several times in the night but with whispered words of reassurance he coaxes her back to sleep. He lies awake, thanking whoever will listen that she's safe and that the son of a bitch who hurt her is dead.
He wakes in the morning to find her head resting on his shoulder, he remembers her wincing as she'd edged towards him the night. He thinks about moving, about getting up and getting out of her room but he can't. He needs to stay like this, with her safe in his arms, for just a little while longer. He'd almost lost her.
~SJ~
It takes about a week before she can move without severe pain. She spends almost the entire week in bed, unsure if it's her injuries or the heavy duty pain killers that are making her so drowsy. She's grateful for the visits from her team as they deliver groceries. She doesn't know who brought the flowers that sit in her kitchen but she thinks it was Jonas.
Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c come in to her room to check on her often, to leave her food. They have small, meaningless conversations before leaving her to sleep. They make sure that she is never alone, each spending a night or two in her spare room, on hand if she needs them.
She only realises this when Teal'c rushes to her while she's in the middle of a bad dream in the dead of night. He quietly promises her that she's safe and stays with her, perched on his knees at the side of her bed, until she falls back to sleep.
The Colonel doesn't get into bed with her again, he often stands at the side of her bed instead offering a steady source of comfort. She wakes once to find him on a chair (that usually sits in the kitchen) reading a book, one of hers.
~SJ~
It's on the fifth night that she begins to think that she might be losing her mind. She wakes to find Daniel in the very chair that Colonel O'Neill had been sat in just hours before. She stares at him for a moment, her eyes filling with tears as he offers her a soft smile. She wants to tell him that she misses him, that life is so very different without him in it, but she's too choked to speak.
"I miss you too," Daniel speaks with a tenderness that she has so deeply missed. A single tear slips down her cheek as he reaches for her hand and gently squeezes in reassurance. "You're going to be okay."
~SJ~
On the sixth morning she feels lighter, as though a fog has lifted and she slowly and painfully makes her way towards the kitchen.
Teal'c and Jonas are surprised when she slowly sits at the table, used to her only appearing for a few seconds at a time.
"You are feeling better." Teal'c smiles, it isn't a question.
"I am."
~SJ~
General Hammond tries to encourage her to take more time off but she only lasts two weeks before she's back in her lab, examining some sort of power source found off world. SG1 watch her carefully, noting every flinch, every wince. She should probably be at home, they all know it.
She wants to tell them that she has to be here, that she's spent two weeks at home and that she's driving herself crazy. She needs to do something.
~SJ~
Jack stares at her, his mouth wide as he tries to take in what she has just told him. Her bruises are fading, now a shade of yellow and green and her cuts are beginning to heal.
"Carter," he stops her mid-sentence, holding his hand up, his confusion evident. "Why would I want you to brush up on your hand to hand combat skills?" This is the first time he has managed to catch her alone all day and he wasn't expecting the conversation to go this way.
"Well, you may not want me to but don't you think I should?" She had made the comment absentmindedly, the idea popping into her mind as she spoke to her CO but the more she thinks about it the more it feels like a good idea.
"No."
"Sir, he managed to overpower me, to get me away from the camp." She says, slightly irritated that she's even having to explain this to him. How can he not see?
"He had a knife-"
"I had a P90-"
"Carter, this isn't your fault." He watches as her shoulder tense and she takes a deep breath, her hand absentmindedly travelling to her damaged ribs.
"I know," she bites the inside of her cheek. She knows, but that doesn't help.
"You're looking at this the wrong way." He takes a step towards her as she frowns. "You had three broken ribs, a concussion, you'd lost a hell of a lot of blood and that's just for starters, you still managed to kill him. You won."
She has never thought about it that way, she takes a moment to take in what he has said.
She doesn't think about extra hand to hand combat training again.
~SJ~
She starts her compulsory therapy fifteen days after the attack. It helps. After a few weeks her dreams become less vivid, she starts to sleep through the night again.
~SJ~
It takes six weeks for her to be cleared for gate travel. The very next day she waits at the bottom of the ramp, itching to get through the gate.
"To the land of trees and rocks, oh, joy!" Jack announces, watching as Sam hides a smirk. SG1 make their way towards the gate.
"Colonel, I actually think it's going to be really interesting. The rocks are said to have magnetic qualities that-"
"Jonas, I don't care about the damn rocks-"
"Gentlemen," Sam interrupts, "shall we go?"
"After you," Jack gestures towards the gate with a grin. She disappears in a matter of seconds and he follows close behind.
As always I would love to know what you think.