AN: After the last chapter there was some concern that things weren't getting better. They are, but as I said earlier, recovery isn't a smooth path. There will be backslides and pitfalls. We just have to stay with it. Also, I can't promise that everything will be 'fixed' in this story - fair warning. Life isn't that neat and tidy. Finally, another thank you to the Guest reviewers.

Reminder: Information about the members and purpose of various SG teams is from Stargate Wikia. Used as many identified team members as possible. Summary for you: SG-3 -Marine combat/search and rescue, led by Colonel Reynolds; SG-5 - Marine combat, led by Major Altman; SG-6 search and rescue, led by Colonel Barnes; SG12 Medical/military, no identified members on site - named leader as Captain Mumar.

***SG1***SG1***

"What is it Sergeant?" Hammond asked over the blare of the klaxons calling security personnel into the gate room.

"Unscheduled off world activation," Walter replied, his fingers dancing on the keyboard. "It's SG-5, Sir. They are under fire."

Jamming his finger on the radio switch, Hammond barked, "Major Altman, report. What's your situation?"

"O'Neill here, Sir."

George braced his knees against the rush of relief that went through him at Jack's voice. "Colonel, report."

"Coming in hot, Sir. Down to half dozen or so Jaffa left. Two injured. Going to send Twelve through with them first."

"Roger Colonel. Medical will be standing by."

Leaning forward, he pressed the switch on the intercom. "Look alive down there," he barked to let the gathering security forces know to expect anything before snatching the phone off the wall. "Medical team to the gateroom." Turning back, he laid a hand on Walter's shoulder. "Open the iris."

Sending the all clear sign back, Walter held his breath as he felt the tension radiate in the room. A laser bolt shot through the hole and bounced on the wall below his feet. "Weapon fire."

The words were barely out of his mouth when two members of the team carrying a stretcher came through, darting down the ramp as quickly as they could to safety. Before they had cleared the ramp, the site of Daniel Jackson being supported by a medic appeared along with the final member of SG-12 walking backward providing cover fire.

"Injured and Twelve are back Colonel," Hammond reported into the radio. "Ramp is clear," he relayed.

***SG1***SG1***

"Reynolds," O'Neill barked into his radio. "Move it," he ordered, knowing everyone had heard the General's words. Sending a spray of bullets into a Jaffa that had made a move to impede SG-3's advancement, Jack scanned the area for any further signs as he heard the sudden absence of the sound of their feet pounding on the stone steps indicating they were through the gate. "SG-5, Six, you're up," Jack yelled, shifting to provide more cover as the two teams advanced closer.

Sliding to the ground next to O'Neill, Colonel Barnes scanned the area as he yelled for the rest of his team to keep moving. "Planning on keeping all the fun for yourself here?" he quipped, firing off a few rounds to deter another Jaffa.

"I'm sharing," Jack retorted back, jerking his head toward a nearby Teal'c.

"Yeah, well, I think it's time to call it a night," Barnes retorted back, spotting an Alkesh in the distant sky. Drawing Jack's attention to it, he glanced toward Teal'c to make sure he saw it.

"I think you're right," Jack breathed, making sure Teal'c was ready. Getting a nod from both men, he glanced between the tree line providing the Jaffa cover and the Gate. Reaching into his vest, he pulled a detonator from it. "Let's go."

***SG1***SG1***

"Was your commander a total ass too?"

The words snapped Sam's attention back to the group. Realizing everyone was looking at her expecting a response, she swallowed. "Er... I'm sorry?"

"Your commander when you told him about the rape. How did he react?" Nikki said gently, giving Sam an indication of the topic and a context for the original question.

Shifting, Sam sent a tight smile of thanks to the counselor. "The Colonel... He was the one who found me," Sam said, glancing around the group. "He," she glanced at their hands, shaking her head. "Uh... Saw it...Stopped it... Got me out."

"So you had it easier."

The words were dismissive, harsh, snapping Sam's eyes up to the speaker. Anger flooded her. "You don't know a damn thing about what happened or what it was like for me, Lieutenant," she growled, her eyes hard.

"Let's keep the ranks out of this, okay?" Matt threw in gently, feeling the tension permeating the area. Turning his gaze toward the Lieutenant, he added, "Rick, just because Sam didn't have to tell her boss doesn't mean it was any easier for her than anyone else. None of us have the right to judge anyone else's experience. That's not why we're here."

"Matt's right," Nikki reinforced, glancing around the group as a whole. "Saying someone's experience is less or more than your own is not fair to either of you because it's either minimizing what the other person went through or it's minimizing your own. Each of you went through a violation and it all matters. No one's," she stressed the word, "experience was easier or harder than anyone else's. It was just different, okay?"

"You're saying that the difference between how her commander reacted and how mine did doesn't matter?" Rick challenged.

"No, I'm saying that how others reacted to you is different, not that it doesn't matter," Nikki pressed. "How others react to what happened absolutely matters. Rick, your commander challenged you, saying it didn't happen and basically accused you of lying. Sam, your commander knew it had happened and from the sounds of it, saved you. Does either of those make what happened go away for either of you?"

Sam and Rick shared a look before both shook their heads to indicate it did not.

"Does it matter on how you feel about what happened? Or maybe how much you doubt yourself about what happened, think that maybe you are blowing it out of proportion and it wasn't really that bad?"

A shrug from Rick told Nikki she was correct. A softening of Sam's gaze told her that the Major was understanding the difference and how the Lieutenant could have jumped to the conclusion that because there was external collaboration of what happened to Sam, he would see it as being easier.

Licking her lips, Sam shifted before looking at Rick. "Let's just say, that when it comes to superior officers, I'm luckier than you because even if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have believed me."

"You can't know that," Rick blustered, unsure and trying to cover it up.

A small smile pulled at Sam's lips. "Trust me on this one." Cocking her head, she added, "Did anyone believe you?"

Rick looked down. "My wife," he said lowly. "She was the only one. She's stood by me. Without her," he stopped, looking away.

"Yeah," Sam breathed, a shudder passing through her at the thought of going through this without Jack being there for her. The thought sent a cold shard of pain through her body and froze her.

"Sam."

The call of her name snapped Carter's head up to the speaker standing by the door. Seeing Doctor Rogers' tense features, she came to her feet feeling the blood rush from her head. "No," she breathed, reaching for the chair for support.

"It's okay," Tiffany called, moving closer, a tight smile on her face. "Come with me. I'll explain," she said softly. Seeing the curious glances of the others, she added. "Sam's unit has been out of touch for awhile. They've finally reported back in," she offered, knowing the others would understand the implications of teammates being missing.

Stepping into the hallway, Tiffany let the door close behind her before she said, "General Hammond is on the phone for you."

***SG1***SG1***

"Doc?"

Pulling the surgery cap off her head, Janet smiled tightly at the group gathered to meet her. "He'll be okay. His vest took the brunt of it but his shoulder did get into the game. I've repaired the rotator and with some time and physical therapy, he should be back to the same Doctor Jackson that we know and love."

A wave of relief passed through Jack as he hissed a "yes."

"Now, I suggest that you gentlemen," Janet's eyes trailed from Jack to Teal'c to Colonels Reynolds and French, "get some rest. He'll be out of it for several hours yet," she added, holding up a hand when it was apparent that Jack was going to protest.

Conceding with a nod, Jack asked, "What about Nelson?"

A frown pulled on Janet's features. "He's critical. There was a lot of damage and his body is having trouble fighting off the infection. Right now, I just don't know. I still may have to take the leg."

"Damn," French breathed, looking down at the floor. "How long before you know?"

"Next twelve to twenty four hours will be critical," she said as gently as she could. "I've already informed the General about both of them and I'll keep all of you posted if anything changes."

As the men began to move away, Janet touched Jack's arm. "Colonel, a minute please?" she said.

Waiting until the others were out of ear shot, Jack turned back to Janet. "What's up?"

"The General was going to call Sam. I thought that maybe you might want to stop by his office to say, oh update him on Daniel or something."

A smile pulled on Jack's lips. He was definitely going to have to remember how devious this woman was. "I might just have to do that."

***SG1***SG1***

"How bad, Sir?" Sam breathed out, sinking into the chair, her knuckles going white from gripping the phone.

"Doctor Jackson's shoulder was hit by enemy weapon fire but Doctor Fraiser assures me he'll fully recover," the General replied, his tone warm and soothing.

"And," Sam faltered, not sure if she should ask what she truly wanted to ask. After a brief hesitation she added, "the others?"

"Hold on for a minute," the General replied, the sounds becoming muffled as if he had placed his hand over the phone but she guessed someone had come into his office. "Major, I'm going to put you on speaker phone. Can you hear me?" he asked confirming he had not lost her.

"Yes, Sir."

"Hey Carter."

The unexpected sound of Jack's voice seeped into her. "Sir," Sam choked out as her body slumped in relief.

"We're okay," Jack assured her, hearing the unspoken question in the single word. "Besides Daniel, Reynolds's team has some injuries, one serious. Teal'c broke a fingernail," he added dryly, "but other than that, he's fine."

Swallowing hard, she drew a breath. "That's good to hear, Sir."

The brittle timber of her voice brought a frown to Jack's face. "Carter? You okay?"

"I'm fine, Sir," Sam replied, her tone not quite matching the words.

"Carter?" Jack pushed, unconsciously taking a step closer to the phone, his eyes flickering toward his commander. The General's expression told him he had heard the discrepancy also. Muffled voices coming through the line did nothing to ease their concern.

"Doctor Rogers? Major Carter?" George asked as the sounds continued until they were replaced with the sound of rustling fabric.

"General," Doctor Rogers' voice filled the air. "Sir, may I speak with you in private?"

Raising an eyebrow, Hammond picked up the handset. Listening, he glanced down and nodded. "I understand. I'm going to put you on hold for a moment." Pushing the hold, he looked up at Jack and gave him a tight smile. "Colonel, I need to take care of something. If you would be so kind to finish this briefing for me," he said, gesturing to the phone.

"Yes, Sir," Jack acknowledged slowly, realizing the General was giving him an opportunity to speak with Sam without an audience and wondering what the doctor had just said to him.

"Carter?" Jack said picking up the telephone as he heard the door close behind him. "What's going on?"

"Did you have to go on that mission?"

Jack froze at the unexpected, emotion laden question. This wasn't a Major challenging her superior officer. This was something else. "Reynolds was pinned down."

"Did you," she stressed the pronoun, "have to go on that mission?" Sam asked again, her voice strained.

A sigh escaped Jack, knowing he owed her the truth. "I requested SG-1 to go."

A rush of air left Sam. "I can't do this."

The choked, whispered words stabbed at Jack. "What can't you do?" he asked softly back, fighting to hold his alarm at bay.

"I can't," Sam swallowed the pain trying to escape in the form of tears. "I can't do this," she repeated again, "be here, and have to worry that you're going on some mission and never coming back. Not right now."

"Carter," Jack sighed, realizing that he had not even considered that while he may have needed the mission, she wasn't ready for all of the potentials that came with it. "You weren't suppose to know," he confessed back, trying to salvage some piece of it. The silence that met his words told him that didn't help. "I didn't mean to..." Jack cut off, blowing out a breath, letting all the things he wasn't saying meld into the silence.

"I know," Sam replied, her voice heavy with emotion but no longer as strained. "And I'm sorry for asking you to do this," she whispered. "But I need to know there's something beyond this and there can't be if you're dead."

"Okay," Jack breathed, his body sagging from the emotions that came with the acceptance of her plea. "No more right now," he conceded. "Not unless it's really big," he added, stressing the really part to convey his meaning of potential earth destruction or ending the war type of importance. Shifting to break the hold her pain had on him, Jack closed his eyes feeling like he needed to apologize for being unable to agree to her request unconditionally. "Sam," he began only to be interrupted.

"Don't," she said, stopping him. "Don't apologize for being who you are."

A small smile tugged on Jack's features at her words. "We'll make it," he said gently. "They'll be something beyond this," he added, mirroring her words back to her and reminding her of his earlier implied promise.

"Okay," Sam choked out, her voice emotional but no longer pained. Clearing her throat, she let out a breath. "Let me know how Daniel's doing later, okay?"

"You got it," Jack replied, easing the phone into its cradle. Reaching over, he picked up a piece of paper and pen from the General's desk and began to write.

***SG1***SG1***

AN2: Yeah, I had the same reaction when my muse put on this little evil grin, tucked her hands into her pockets and wandered away, humming some song off key. Lordy, she can try my patience and fortitude! Don't worry, I think she'll be back after she's done tormenting me.