NOTE from the Phoenix: The painting is finished, and is one my homepage, but since I decided to leave her naked (her body came out so beautifully that I couldn't bear to cover it) you'll need to sign into DA to see it. If you are a member of Stargate Intel or Chevron One it is posted there as well. Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Sam woke with a start and froze solid. Laying on her back, something she had grown used to, she had her head turned to the side. Her keen eyes scanned the scene while her mind tried to piece together her chaotic memories. The silver bars of the cage took up most of her attention and for a moment all she wanted to do was throw herself against them in a desperate bid for freedom. However a mix of physical and mental exhaustion kept her still.

When she was able to take her focus off the bars she could see rows of other cages. Some of them were empty others held animals. Some of the animals were almost recognizable, others were so alien that it was difficult to categorize them as being either mammal, reptile or bird. There was a line of cabinets that looked like someone had torn through them. The instruments and packages on the floor looked out of place in the sterile environment.

A sudden hot breath sighing across the back of Sam's neck caused her to jerk violently. With her heart racing she struggled to understand what was going on. The wash of warm air repeated itself in a slow steady rhythm. Slowly recalling that she hadn't been alone the last time she'd woken Sam brought her hand to the slight pressure pushing down on her stomach and found a strong hand resting there.

Sam closed her eyes and took a few minutes to gather her courage. She turned her face towards the gentle breathing and opened her eyes. An immense sense of relief washed over her when she found Jack sleeping soundly next to her. She had worried that the reunion had been a delusion and feared to know who's clutches she'd been sleeping in.

Slipping her hand into Jack's she smiled as he automatically gripped down on her fingers. Taking a deep breath she instantly noticed that the air didn't lance into her lungs the way it had before. With the fever broken the air in the room didn't seem so cold in comparison to her body temperature. Experimenting with movement Sam managed to roll over on her side facing Jack.

Locked in sleep he looked peaceful. Although his weight loss was still apparent he looked healthy. He had been sleeping on his side but now he rolled over onto his back. Sam's eye caught the scar at his temple where one of the aliens had hit him with a rock. Reaching up she delicately touched the white mark. It helped her realize that her memories were real.

"Assuming this is."

Sam was shocked by how hollow and faint her voice sounded. Bringing her hand away from Jack's face she noticed the teal coloured symbols that had been burned into his skin when he'd first arrived. Furrowing her brow Sam began to trace out the eight strange symbols. They felt no different that the surrounding skin, like a tattoo.

Coming to Jack's collar bone Sam discovered the chain he wore. She hooked her finger into his shirt and pulled out his dog tags along with her own, and the choke collar. Finding herself beginning to tremble again Sam tucked all the necklaces back into his shirt. Sam didn't know what to do next, she wanted to wake him, to start a plan of how they were going to get out of here. At the same time she was still so weak and tired.

Sam blood started to run cold as a panic attack needled into her veins. It was not an emotion that she was overly familiar with and it angered her to have butterflies bumping into each other in her stomach when there didn't seem to be an immediate danger. With ever second that passed the unpleasant sensations intensified until she felt herself on the edge of tears again.

Seeking comfort Sam worked her way under Jack's arm and rested her head on his chest. Jack's powerful heartbeat was an incredibly soothing sound. Listening to his heart helped Sam as she once again tried to moor herself to reality. She had been drifting in and out of dreams and nightmares for so long that knowing the difference between asleep and awake had become difficult.

Sam snaked her arm over Jack's stomach and held on to him as tightly as her weakened muscles would allow. Closing her eyes she decided that she was just going to enjoy this moment. The steady thumping of Jack's heart and the rushing sound of him breathing easily eased Sam's tension. She hadn't even noticed that her every muscle had been pulled tight until they started to relax.

As she laid curled up next to Jack the realization that she no longer had to fight this battle alone slowly sunk into Sam's mind. The man she'd trusted her life to time and time again was here with her now and that meant that they had a chance. Even if they didn't survive she no longer had to worry about what was happening to him, she didn't have to worry that he was frightened for her. Having that burden lifted from her shoulders Sam settled in and concentrated on nothing more than Jack's warm body against hers.

A few times Sam almost slipped into sleep, but she fought to stay awake. She was afraid that everything would change back if she fell asleep and she'd wake in the suffocating liquid once again. Instead she stayed awake by nuzzling against Jack every time she felt herself starting to fade. It was hours before Jack stirred. When he did he automatically reached up and stroked Sam's hair.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrified."

"Post traumatic stress disorder." Jack smiled.

"'Post traumatic'?" Sam repeated. "I don't know about you, but I'm still in the middle of being traumatized."

"It's going to be okay, I've been making friends."

"What do they want?"

"I'm not sure they want anything. As far as I can tell we've just been taken from one zoo to another."

"And you're okay with that?" Sam asked incredulously. "I...I never thought I'd see this day."

"What day?"

"The day that someone domesticated the wild Colonel Jack O'Neill."

"'Domesticated'...ouch." Jack chuckled. "I'm certainly not thrilled about being 'caged', however, right now all I care about is that I have you back and we are somewhere that you can regain your strength. You just concentrate on getting healthy, we'll work on the rest later."

"Do you really think we'll ever manage to get back home? We have no idea where we are, no idea where the Stargate is, no means of defendi..."

"Carter," Jack interrupted "what did I just say?"

"Something about health."

"Exactly."

"But..."

"Carter that's an or..." Jack stopped himself. "I guess I can't give you orders anymore, can I?"

"You can, but it means we'd have to go back to the way things were before."

"I don't think I'd survive that." Jack said seriously.

"So if we do get home..."

Sam left the sentence open. Jack reached into his shirt and pulled out all the metal around his neck. Finding his own dog tags he pulled them off and with a little work he placed them around Sam's neck. Rolling over onto his side to face Sam he drew her into a deep kiss. When he pulled away he stared at her with a mischievous smile.

"As of this moment I officially retire...again."

"What took you so long?" Sam teased.

"Truthfully, I always felt that you deserved better than me."

"I don't think it would be possible for me to find 'better'."

"Well of course not..." Jack said casually "I'm physically the only human male on the planet."

Sam smiled and Jack couldn't help but steal another kiss. Afterward Sam closed her eyes and nuzzled against him once again. The short conversation had sapped most of her strength. Jack held her tight and sighed contently. He really did seem to be absolutely fearless and it helped take the edge off her own nerves.

"Tired?"

"Yes."

Jack wrapped his arms around Sam's waist and rolled over onto his back, taking her with him. Laying on his chest Sam was given a chance to be a position other than on her back. She appreciated it and made herself comfortable. Jack reached up and rubbed at the small of her back. Sam made a quiet noise of appreciation and quickly fell asleep.

When Sam woke again she blinked against a brighter light than she was used to. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and moaned pitifully. Her belly felt uncomfortably distended and more than a little nauseous. Another hand suddenly joined hers and she looked up at Jack.

"It's called 'food', you'll get used to it again."

"Wha...what? What's going on?"

"You just slept through about half an hour of medical treatment, you had me worried again."

Sam weld her eyes shut and groaned against the general malaise she felt. Reaching up to rub her eyes Sam jerked back when metal touched her face. Snapping her eyes back open she stared at the mental chains around her wrists. Clawing at her neck she found one around her throat as well.

"Take it easy, it's alright. I tried to ask them not to do that, but I think it's some sort of protocol around here."

"Tried to ask them? You were with me?"

"Ser'in was nice enough to allow me to hold you the whole time."

"Ser'in?"

"I told you I was making friends." Jack reached out and ran his fingertips down the side of Sam's neck where new set of teal symbols lay. "Do I have a tattoo here?"

Sam nodded.

"It's beautiful on you, very delicate. I bet it looks silly on me though."

"It is certainly not something I would associate with you getting on your own free will."

"I wouldn't wear this outfit if I had my choice either." Jack smiled.

Sam tried to smile as well, but she couldn't manage to fake a mirth she didn't feel. Struggling a bit to turn her head she caught sight of more bars. They filled her with painful memories of dying slowly forcing her to turn away again. Looking up she saw the white ceiling was a good eight or nine feet away. They had been moved out of the small cage and back into the cell that Jack had been calling home. Sam looked up at Jack, his chain collar was resting outside his shirt and his tattoo was clearly visible.

"Sir...er...Jack, if these aliens are just trying to help us...why have we been tagged and collared?"

"I've been thinking about that. What would we do if we came across an alien on Earth and we had no idea where they were from and they couldn't tell us? Particularly if we were unsure of their level of intelligence. Would we just let it roam our planet?"

"No." Sam admitted.

"I honestly don't think they know what to do with us. I'm just grateful that they know enough about 'alien' life to not be completely shocked and want to dissect us or something."

"Maybe they think they learn more from us alive."

"If they think I hold some great secret they haven't been trying to get it out of me." Jack smiled.

"Thank you." Sam said suddenly.

"For what?"

"Being so calm about all this. I'm still overwhelmed by the idea that we might never get home."

"One step at a time, Carter. We need you healthy."

Sam just nodded and closed her eyes again. Once again she felt tired, like someone had replaced her blood with lead, making her heavy and every motion difficult. She had been laying with her head resting on Jack's lap, but now he carefully moved her as he got up. Jack pulled on the blankets that she was laying on to pull her a few feet away from the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Something I learned from Janet during one of Daniel's many comas." Jack replied. "Just relax."

Closing her eyes Sam surrendered to whatever treatment Jack had planned. Sitting down next to her he took her wrist in a gentle grip. Supporting her at the elbow as well Jack slowly moved her arm through its full range of motions a few times. She tried to help him move the limb at first but he insisted that she just relax completely.

When he was done moving her arm he took her hand in both of his and started massaging the sore muscles, starting at the fingertips and moving towards her shoulder. As he moved up her arm Sam sighed in contentment and relaxed even further. Jack repeated the process on her other arm. Moving down to her foot he brought her knee up to her chest and held it in a soft stretch. Sam arched into the stretch, enjoying the soothing strain.

The arches of Sam's feet hadn't supported her weight for more than a few seconds in months so when Jack pressed his thumbs into the soft tissue Sam couldn't help the deep moan. Jack smiled and continued the therapeutic massage. His touch didn't hold a hint of hesitation or uncertainly despite the fact that it was the first time he'd truly touched her in such an intimate fashion.

Sam didn't feel uneasy about it either, which came as a surprise to her. She had expected to feel that same tension that teenagers get when they realize that they want a friend to suddenly be something more. Instead it felt more natural to be handled by him than by anyone else who had ever touched her. She decided that it was intension that made all the difference. Jack wasn't trying coax her into sex, he was just trying to make her feel better without personal gain or expecting any favors in return. It was a completely selfless act that only served to strengthen the bond they had been developing for years.

Putting her leg down Jack switched positions so that he could rub at her temples. Jack moved her head to one side and then the other to help with the stretch. Slipping down to her shoulders he worked the tension out of the taunt muscles that connected from the back of her ear to her shoulder blades. Sam opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Is this getting some blood moving?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Anytime. Of course Daniel didn't get quite this kind of treatment." Jack purred. "Don't tell him that though, wouldn't want him getting jealous."

"Do you think Daniel and Teal'c are alive?" Sam asked quietly.

"If Daniel was dead he would have visited us by now and Teal'c...well I'm not so sure he can be killed." Jack teased. "I'm sure they're fine."

"I hope so."

Jack smiled reassuringly, however Sam could see some doubt in his eyes. Their original capture had been chaotic, but until everything went black for her Daniel and Teal'c had been right there with them. She had woken in a small wooden crate and when she'd called out Jack was the only one who had ever answered. So either they had decided not to take the other two or they had been sold to someone else.

"What happened that night?"

Sam had just been musing out loud, but Jack seemed to take it as a direct question. She could feel his hands on her neck suddenly tense. She looked up at him and saw that his previous optimistic mood had faded.

"Sir?"

"I'm sorry, Carter. It's my fault we're here. When you were hit by that tranquillizer and fell behind I ordered Daniel and Teal'c to continue on to the Gate to open and secure it, and that I'd take care of you. But it was a selfish choice, I should have had Teal'c carry you, he's stronger. I wasn't fast enough while trying to move you and they got us both."

"You can't know that Teal'c would have done any better."

"We both know that Teal'c's strength lays in strength. I should have sent him to get you and I should have stayed with Daniel."

"You may have saved Teal'c life. If he had been here with me instead of you he wouldn't last more than two weeks without the Tretonin. And honestly...I wouldn't have lived this long either."

Jack flashed Sam a more genuine smile and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. In that moment Sam could feel that Jack knew he was forgiven. Jack looked down on Sam and brushed her cheek. Sam saw the scars on his forearm and recalled that it was more than his moral support that had kept her going. As much as she had hated it he had give up his own health to keep her alive with the gory meals.

"Carter?"

"I'd like to sit up for a while."

"Good idea."

Sam was frustrated by how much help she needed with the simple task of sitting up. She had only been able to stand and fight the aliens after being released from the tank by the force of pure adrenaline. Jack sat with his back to the wall and let Sam sit between his leg so that she could lean back on his chest. Jack wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from falling to either side as she was stuck by some dizziness.

When the vertigo passed Sam looked up and jerked in fright. The pink alien that had greeted her when she'd first woken was sitting on the far side of the bars. She had a small square device with a series of flickering lights on it in her hands that she held up facing them. Noticing she'd been caught the pink dragon pulled her lips over her teeth.

"It's okay, Samantha, that's Ser'in."

"How long has she been sitting there?"

"About an hour."

"What is she doing?"

"I think she's recording how we interact."

"What? Why?"

"If I know her at all she's trying to help us."

"H...how?"

"By trying to prove to others that we're more than just animals."

"Technically we are animals."

"Yes, but we're animals capable of and in love...and that makes us special."