AN: This chapter is Sam's story. It's hard, but again tried to not be too graphic, but also left no illusions here either. Please heed this warning and take care of yourself. I had to find a happy place for myself after this one too. Created a totally sappy, fluffy scene in my head about Jack and Sam to erase the images this wrought. Encourage you to do the same.

Needless to say, language and situation warnings still in effect.

***SG1***SG1***

Catching sight of the persons coming in the room where the investigative hearing was getting ready to recommence, O'Neill shifted his eyes toward the two Colonels watching the newcomers. "Hell no," he snapped, drawing the men's attention. "There is absolutely no reason for her to be here."

Sharing a look with Nelson, Tom French took a moment to nod a greeting to Major Carter and the others who had joined them before focusing on O'Neill. Assessing the tension radiating from the man, he deliberately kept his voice low. "We need to hear what happened to Major Carter when she was isolated from everyone else."

Snorting, Jack rolled his eyes. "Look, we both know the only thing in question here is whether or not I knew what I was doing when I snapped Faber's neck. There's no question that I did it... hell, look at the video. She," Jack corrected himself, "they've got nothing to do with that. She should be in the infirmary for god's sake."

Staring down the agitated man, Albert Nelson squared his shoulders before saying, "I think she has everything to do with what happened that day."

"You son of a..."

"Sir," Sam called out, interrupting him and trying to break Jack's heated focus on the Colonel. When his eyes flickered to her, she continued. "I need to do this," she said, her voice low, rough. Licking her lips, she looked down. "I don't know if I can, but I need to," she added, the whispered words rushing out with her breath

"Colonel O'Neill."

Jack started at the General's voice. Realizing for the first time that Hammond had followed Fraiser, Daniel and Teal'c into the room, he fought to get his anger under control. "Sir."

"Major Carter has until this point been unable to file a report or debrief about the mission. She has graciously agreed for me and Doctor Fraiser to be in the room so that she doesn't have to go through what happened multiple times." He pinned Jack with his eyes seeing the objections about to start again. Taking a brief moment to look toward the Pentagon officers so they knew what he was about to say was a warning to them as much as an assurance to Jack, he added, "She will be treated with the utmost respect at all times and I have assured her that we can stop if it is too much. Doctor Fraiser will also be monitoring her condition and at any time can and will stop this hearing if it's in Major Carter's best interest. Am I making myself clear?" he asked glancing again at the subordinates.

Three "yes sirs" echoed in the room.

Shuffling the papers under his hand, Colonel French cleared his throat. "Doctor Jackson, Teal'c, if you'd be so kind," he said gesturing toward the door.

The General caught the flicker of panic in Carter's eyes as she looked toward the two men standing in her peripheral vision. Making up his mind, he said, "Doctor Jackson and Teal'c are following orders to stay with Major Carter. Now, unless Major Carter wishes for me to counter those orders..."

"Let them stay," Sam rushed out, flashing the General a relieved glance before darting her eyes back toward O'Neill. "They have a right to know, sir" she added, silently asking Jack to agree.

Locking eyes with Sam, Jack struggled to keep the objections choking him from escaping. Reading her silent plea to let her do this her way, Jack fought the anger back so that she would know it was not directed at her. Allowing some of the tension to seep from his muscles, he gave her an almost imperceivable nod in affirmation of her wishes and at the same time silently warned her that he would not allow it to go on too long or go too far. Her eyes indicated she had received the message.

Looking over his shoulder toward the rest of his team, Jack nodded a greeting to them. He had not seen or spoken to them since the mountain. Running eyes over them, he read the fatigue and concern in their countenance. Hearing Nelson start the recording and acknowledge the room participants for the record, he swung his eyes back to the front and wiped all emotion from his face. He had no doubt this was going to take everything he had to not react to what he was about to hear.

***SG1***SG1***

"Major Carter," Colonel Nelson said, looking up from the paper on the table. "Let me start by saying that we are fully aware of the trauma you have experienced and it is not our intention to make it worse for you. That said," Nelson paused, catching a sarcastic look from O'Neill before refocusing on the junior officer, "It is important that we understand anything that may have impacted Colonel O'Neill's behavior and that might explain what happened in the infirmary." Seeing her flinch at his words, Nelson swallowed. Shifting slightly, he glanced toward French noting the tension in his jaw. Neither of them were comfortable with what they were about to do.

"Colonel O'Neill has taken us up to the point where Lieutenant Werner and Doctor Matson were killed. I believe you and the Colonel were still in some sort of waiting or observation room."

"Yes sir," Sam said, closing her eyes briefly at the memory. She had averted her gaze when she saw that the young officer was quickly going to loose the battle he was fighting. The only saving grace was the fact that they had been unable to hear anything. Opening her eyes, she felt and saw O'Neill gaze upon her.

"We were being held at gunpoint, our hands tied," she said, averting her eyes toward the Pentagon officers. "They were," Sam swallowed, "disappointed that Lieutenant Werner did not win. Said they hoped the next round would prove to be more entertaining." Sam dropped her eyes to the floor. "One nodded to a guy in the back of the room and he opened the door. Two others came in and grabbed my arms."

"They took you from the room," French hazarded. "You resisted?" seeing a nod, he made a notation. Looking up he asked, "What about Colonel O'Neill?"

Sam's eyes darted to Jack, the memory of his cursing and protests at her being taken ringing in her mind. "He objected, said they could take him and leave me alone."

"Did he try to stop them?"

"He tried. He, uh..." Sam shifted. "They hit him in the back of the head with something. I saw him going down as they drug me out." She gripped the arm of the chair at the memory, her eyes absently noting the whiteness of her fingers as they curled around the steel. Forcing her fingers to unclench, she watched the color seep back in.

"Sam?"

Janet's voice snapped her attention to the doctor. Realizing she had been quiet for longer than she thought, she nodded to let her know she was okay. Sweeping her gaze back to the officers, she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, sirs." Straightening her shoulders, she let out a breath. "The men took me down a hallway. I thought I was going to the cage that Major Hitch had been in."

"They took you someplace else," Nelson stated, noting the tense expressions of all of the room's occupants.

"Three other men came into the hallway. They," Sam stated, her body stilling, a frown etching itself into her forehead, "surrounded me. They were," she shook her head and cleared her throat at the memory of the lecherous stares "not interested in my fighting skills," she spit out, a tinge of bile in the back of her throat.

"Someone stabbed a needle in my neck," she continued, her hand trailing up to the spot. "I tried to see what they were doing but they grab my legs, arms, carried me down another hallway into a room."

"You fought them," French said quietly.

"I couldn't get any leverage," Sam stated, her eyes on her hands clasped in her lap. "I tried," she whispered, her eyes raising toward Jack.

"Not your fault, Carter," Jack murmured, his eyes locked with hers.

Watching the exchange, Nelson pursed his lips. Shifting to make noise, he drew Carter's attention back to them. "The room, is that where Colonel O'Neill found you?"

Nodding, Sam took a deep breath to try to steady herself. "They.. uh.. strapped me onto a table, cut my clothes off," the words tumbled out in a single breath, her eyes tracing the lines of bruises around her wrists.

"Is this when they brought Colonel O'Neill in?"

Jerkily, Sam shook her head. "They started," Sam looked up, biting her lip, wincing, "groping," Sam shook her head again, "hands, mouths ... er, biting."

"Damn it." The breathed words rang quietly in the room.

"Then one," Sam's voice hitched, "climbed on top of me. Oh god," she gasped, her body hunching to instinctively protect herself. "It hurt so bad," she whispered, a tear streaking down her face. "I tried to get him off, to get away," she choked out.

"Major?" Colonel French called softly. "Do you need to stop for the day?"

Sniffing, Sam shook her head and straightened her shoulders. Drawing a breath, she shook her head again. "No sir. You need to know," she said huskily, her eyes straying again to O'Neill.

"Carter," the warning growl drew everyone's attention.

"No, sir," Sam pushed, her head shaking to reinforce her words. "I need to do this."

Sitting up at the exchange, Nelson shared a look with French. "Major, I will remind you that Colonel O'Neill cannot order you to do anything right now. If he did something..." Nelson trailed off at the look of horror on Carter's face.

"No," Sam barked, interrupting him. "Sir," she added, remembering who she was speaking to. "Colonel O'Neill did not hurt me in any way if that's what you are implying," Sam said, her voice stronger than it had been since she entered the room.

"Then what do we need to know?" French asked, his voice soft, prodding.

A frown creased Sam's forehead again. "After that one..." Sam gestured randomly, clearing her throat, "another one climbed on top of me." A ragged breath passed her lips. "I don't... er... . remember much other than I kept screaming at them to stop and trying to get loose... and... the pain." The sound of ragged breathing echoed in the silent room. "I remember them laughing," she whispered, "taunting, not leaving me alone." Shaking her head, Sam brushed the tears off her cheeks. "Another one started to climb up and he was pulled off. I didn't know why at first," she said, her voice strained, "and then I realized it was the Colonel, he was in the room."

Ignoring the shuffled movements behind her, Sam continued. "I screamed for him to help me, pleaded with him to let me off the table," Sam whispered, her eyes locking onto the stone profile of her commanding officer.

"He was able to do that," French stated.

A jerky nod affirmed the statement. "I," Sam rubbed her forehead. "was out of my mind," she said, her voice husky and broken. "Shaking... hurting... bleeding. Part of me knew it was the Colonel but part of me didn't. I tried to fight him, get him to let me go. I begged him."

"You begged him to get you out of the room?" French queried, trying to understand what she meant.

Sam shook her head, her skin almost a translucent white. Taking her hands off the arms of the chair to clasp them, she could not hide the tremors running through them. "No, not that."

Frowning, Nelson shook his head. "I'm sorry?"

Locking eyes on Jack, Sam whispered, "I wanted the Colonel to kill me."

Swift intakes of breaths mingled with nervous shuffling in the room. The only two who were not moving were the two involved in the original incident.

As Jack's head lowered, she could see the flexing of his jaw. Sam fought to keep a sob from escaping her mouth at the pain she was seeing and feeling. "I'm so sorry, sir."

"I'm sorry sirs, but that's enough," Janet interjected, stooping by Sam. She was alarmed by the slight trembling of her shoulders and the gray tinge that had begun to seep into her features. "Sam, honey, let's go back to the infirmary," she coaxed, laying her hand on her arm to draw her attention.

"I made him promise, Janet," Sam rasped out, her eyes unfocused. "I made him promise that if he couldn't stop it from happening again, he had to kill me." Shaking her head, a hitched breath escaped. "It's my fault. I screamed. He was just protecting me."

"Shhhh," Janet soothed, before glancing back. "Teal'c," she called. When the big man stepped forward, she added softly, "She's going into shock. Can you carry her?"

Nodding, he moved to the other side. Kneeling down, he called to Sam. "MajorCarter, we must go now," he urged. When she looked his way, his features gentled. "Are you able to put your arms around my neck?"

It took a moment for Teal'c's words to register. Slowly nodding, Sam did as she was bid to do. Gently sliding his arm under her legs and around her back, the big man stood. Pausing only long enough to nod once to O'Neill that he would care for Carter, the big man strode from the room, Janet close behind.

Clearing his throat, Colonel Nelson looked at the other men standing around the room, their features mirroring his own sorrow and horror at the events. "Recording ended... er... sixteen fourteen," he quietly recited, shutting off the machine.

Stepping closer to Daniel, General Hammond squeezed his arm. "Go on, son. I'll bring Colonel O'Neill in a minute," he said gently. Looking back toward the two Pentagon officers, he added, "I think it would be best if Colonel O'Neill stayed in the infirmary tonight." Not waiting for a reply, he turned back towards his second in command who was standing like a statue beside the table. "Jack?"

Haltingly, Jack looked toward his superior.

"Come on, son. Let's go."

"Sir," Jack said, his voice deep, thick, haunted. "Permission to dial PX9-493 and nuke every one of those sons of bitches off the face of that fucking planet."

Sighing, George glanced down. Looking back up, he slowly shook his head. "I wish I could, son. God help me, I really wish I could."

***SG1***SG1***

AN2: Thanks again for your support. I know the content is not always easy to think about or read. Hopefully you can stick with it. I'll try to get them to a better place eventually. Don't forget to go to that happy place we talked about.