Note from the Phoenix: I'm so thrilled that people are seemingly enjoying this story! It's got a bunch of watcher already, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I love to chat with readers because they often will change the course of a story. So HUGS to you all! I'm so excited that you are into this little experiment of mine (I'm not a shipper by trade).

Chapter Four

It was raining again or possibly 'still', Jack was losing track of how time worked. Laying on the ground with the cold stone pressing into his spine Jack took a deep breath. He had rolled Sam up on to his stomach so that she didn't have to lay on the hard stone. Sleeping with her belly pressed against his Jack could feel her now sharp hip bones digging into his own wasting flesh.

Staring up at the gray ceiling Jack slowly ran his hands up her sides. She'd always had enticing curves, but now she was literally hourglass shaped. Sam's ribs felt like a sheet of corrugated iron, however they slowly expanded and receded from his touch as her lungs kept working hard. Jack kept his hands loosely on either side of her rib cage and matched his own breathing rhythm to hers.

Jack spent the next hour wondering if he continued with synchronizing himself with Sam's gentle breathing that if she suddenly stopped he could as well. He could accept her death if he knew he would be right there with her. Jack was getting lightheaded from matching Sam's slow steady breathing, but he forced himself to continue.

Outside it started raining even harder. Turing his head to the side Jack looked out through the wet bars. The rain was a solid sheet of shimmering gray. Jack found it comforting. The waterfall blocked out the sight of the other dying inmates, it cleansed the air of the smell of putrid rot, and above all it drowned out the maddening silence. The drumming of the rain masked the fact that the souls that still lived were too far gone to cry out anymore.

Sam shifted in her sleep. Jack wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from slipping from her perch. When his hand came in contact with a wet spot on her lower back he furrowed his brow in confusion. Jack pulled up her shirt a bit and explored the area with his fingertips. Her spine was clearly defined through the thin muscle. However that's not what concerned Jack the most, it was the sticky feeling at the point where her spine and pelvis met.

Jack brought one of his hands up over Sam's shoulder and craned his neck up to inspect his hand. Jack's rancid breath hissed across his teeth as he caught sight of the watery blood that stained his skin. He cursed himself for not thinking of this before. After several weeks of laying on her back on the unyielding stone she had developed an infected pressure sore. It was a potentially fatal complication.

Jack actually managed a hollow chuckle at this last thought. Sam was on the brink of having her organs shut down from a lack of fuel or a fever induced seizure slipping her into a coma and he was worrying about a hole in her skin. Although he still wished he had thought about it sooner so that she didn't have to cope with another open wound, it could have been prevented. Carefully avoiding the infection Jack positioned his arms higher up her back in a cradling embrace.

Turning his head to the side once more Jack watched as the rain slowly slackened. The canine beast across the way was lapping the rainfall off the bars of his cage greedily. He had survived this long only because there used to be another one locked up with him. When they started to grow weak the stronger of the two wolves had no moral issues with killing the other one and consuming her.

Jack had been sick to his stomach when he'd witnessed the frenzied animals turning on each other. Sam however had brought up the subject of cannibalism, knowing even then that she would be the one to die first.

"Not if it would keep me alive for the next thousand years." Jack had said firmly.

"And yet you've been feeding me your blood for two days."

"I'm a hypocrite, sue me."

"I just might."

That had been one of the last true conversation they'd had before Sam's voice had simply become too difficult to use. Even though she was excellent at communicating through her expressions Jack wished they'd chosen a different topics for their last words together. He regretted not discussing how much she meant to him when she still had a chance at truly responding. Now he could see the frustration in her eyes every time she tried to speak and failed.

The pounding rain had finally ended. With the end of the rains came the earthy smell that hung in the heavy humid air. Jack broke from Sam's rhythm to take a deep breath of the organic laden air. Suddenly being lifted up higher by Jack's expanding chest woke Sam. He held his breath for a moment to see if she would just go back to sleep again.

Sam drew her arms in so that she could press her palms on either sides of Jack's ribs. Softly digging her nails into him she let him know that she was awake and alert once again. She was laying with one cheek on his chest, but didn't have the strength to lift her head up to look at him. If she had any recollection of his attempted murder she wasn't showing it.

"Thirsty?" Jack asked.

Sam squeezed at his ribs twice.

"No." Jack translated. "Okay. Comfortable?"

Jack felt Sam's nails press against him once.

"Good."

For a while Sam just relaxed. Jack reached up and stroked her hair. In response she started lightly scratching at his sides. Jack smiled, enjoying the intimate touch despite the circumstances. However, the longer he laid there in silence the more his stomach hurt with something that had nothing to do with hunger. He no longer even felt hungry, he was beyond such things.

"Carter...I need you to forgive me." Jack whispered, noticing for the first time how hoarse his own voice was becoming. "I gave up on you before you were ready to give up on yourself. I'm sorry."

Sam started struggling and for a terrifying moment Jack thought she was about to have another seizure. Instead he discovered that she was trying to push herself up on her palms. When that failed she snaked her hands up onto his shoulders and used the purchase to drag herself up higher on his chest.

Trying to see what she was doing Jack brought his head up and before he knew what was happening Sam gave him a soft kiss. Their lips had barely touched, but it still caused Jack's laboring heart to pound harder against his ribs. Sam tugged on his shoulders a little harder to bring her lips near his ear. Jack could feel her taking a deep breath and parting her lips in an attempt to speak so he held his breath to keep his own noisy lungs from drowning her out.

"I...love you..."

Sam's voice had been just a faint whisper, a light breeze rustling a single aspen leaf. Exhausted from the effort Sam fell back against his chest. She was breathing like she'd just run a mile and suddenly dug her nails into the flesh of Jack's shoulders. She was starting to shake as her breathing became more ragged. Sam was drawing blood with her nails, but Jack just kept holding her while the tremor wracked her system.

"I've got you...it's almost over." Jack whispered soothingly. "It has been an honour to serve with you, and nothing short of awe inspiring to be at your side."

Jack wasn't sure how much of what he had said got through to her. Sam went into a violent seizure the moment the last word had touched his lips. With one hand pressed against her mid back and the other cradling the back of her head Jack kept her from thrashing. Tears streaked from the corners of his eyes as her shaking subsided. When it was over her breathing was shallow, but she was still hanging on.

"Damn it woman, why won't you let go?"

Drained despite the small amount of physical effort it had taken to hold Sam down Jack started to fade. He turned his head to the side to stare at the bars, hoping to keep himself awake. He didn't want to pass out and find that Sam had slipped away while he'd dropped his guard. When he focused his eyes Jack noticed that he was being watched.

A reptilian alien with a pink hue to its scales was staring at him with shockingly blue eyes. It was crouched down so that they were at eye level with one another. When the creature saw that it had been noticed it pulled its lips away from its slightly pointed teeth. Jack furrowed his brow at the sight, it almost looked like the alien was smiling. It stood up and looked over at something Jack couldn't see.

"Crlouk!" The alien called. "Est mer hana!"

Jack still didn't know what was going on and wondered if he was hallucinating. When there was a sharp cracking sound by the door he turned his attention in that direction. There were four more of the humanoid lizards that were the natives of this planet and they had broken the door. Adrenaline pulsed into Jack's blood and instantly sent him into a fight or flight mind set. Since flight was out of the question he prepared to fight.

Using what was left of his strength Jack rolled Sam gently off and pushed her into the far corner. He tried to get to his feet, but his blood pressure would only allow him to get to his hands and knees. Out of other options he looked up at the lizards entering the cage and bared his teeth at them like a junk yard dog.

"Stay away!"

The alien that had stepped into the cage backed away in cautious fright. They were about Jack's height, and right now they were only slightly heavier than he was which meant that if he had been healthy he could have easily hurt one in a fight. However, Jack was not healthy and the aliens knew this. Still they kept back for a moment and discussed between each other what to do.

The original alien with the pink scales joined them. She stepped forward and knelt down. She extended her long fingered hand towards Jack. He just stared at her apprehensively. Exposing her teeth again she started talking in a soft voice that Jack had no hope or desire to understand. Jack's head was spinning and the longer he stayed on his knees the greater danger he was in of passing out or scumming to another fit of dry heaving.

"Leave her alone!" Jack growled. "Back off..."

The pink reptile was not disturbed by Jack's clumsy attempts at an aggressive display. Getting back to her feet she took another step closer. Jack lashed out at the pink dragon, even though it wasn't nearly close enough to be hit. One of the other aliens came up and put its hand on its friend's shoulder. After a moment the pink one made an odd circular motion with her head and stepped back.

Jack wasn't sure when it had happened but one of the larger lizards had either retrieved or had been given a device that looked suspiciously like a rabies pole. The simple stick had a loop of wire at one end a way to pull it tight at the other. The alien stepped forward slowly with the stick held out in front.

Backing up Jack quickly bumped into Sam. He automatically turned to make sure she was okay and that was when the alien took the advantage. The wire noose snapped tight around Jack's neck and jerked him back. He brought his hands up to his throat, but he wasn't strong enough to pull off the wire.

Jack had assumed that they were just going to use the hold to strangle him to death, however, it quickly became clear that they were doing their best not to hurt him. No matter their intentions Jack fought them till they managed to tie his hands behind his back. On his knees gasping for breath Jack spat curses as them. It wasn't until they started pulling him towards the now open door that fear took over his senses.

"No!" Jack cried. "No! No, I can't leave her! Let me go!"

Straining to keep from being moved Jack cried out incoherently. The pink alien stepped up to Sam and knelt down next to her. She reached out with her scaly hand and pressed her thin fingers against Sam's throat. Sam's eyes fluttered open and instantly filled with fear. She looked around desperately to try and understand what was happening. Jack locked eyes with her for a moment before being forced out of the cage and into the tall grass.

He'd spent over two months wanting nothing more than to get to the other side of the bars. Now that he was out he was willing to fight to the death to get back. His hands were suddenly cut free, but with the wire around his neck he was still at the alien's mercy. Despite his bests efforts he was backed into a metal box a little larger than he was. The noose was removed and a wire mesh door quickly slammed shut.

A heavy black cloth was thrown over the kennel that plunged him into a an inky darkness. Jack heard a desperate cry that under normal circumstances he would not have thought was human. Sam screamed again, a distorted and painful sound. He slammed his shoulder against the door, but it wasn't going anywhere. Jack laced his fingers through the mesh of the door and pulled at it with what was left of his strength. The crate he was in was suddenly moving, they were taking him away.

"Samantha!"