Cam stood in front of the device now completely under its control, his mind forced to shut down as his body complied with the demands that were being made of it. Reaching out he placed his hands on either side of the device, his fingers applying various degrees of pressure at specific intervals. Stepping back Cam waited. After a moment the box began to vibrate gently, as the vibrations became stronger it began to open up. The top and sides sprung open to reveal a black crystal suspended in mid air amongst a web of bright light, in a slow and steady spin. Cam remained motionless as the crystal began spinning faster and faster each revolution building up to the release of a high intensity beam, blasting him from head to toe.

Cameron woke up to find himself tangled up in bed. It took him a moment to realise that he was still at the SGC, looking at his watch he knew it was too late to head home. His head hurt badly, his brain felt like mush and his mouth dry. The only time he felt like this was when he had been out drinking the night before and he was pretty sure he hadn't. He forced himself to work through the pain in his head, trying to think. He remembered waiting for Sam and then falling into a very comfortable bed… and then nothing.

His body protested as he got out of bed, "God I feel like an old man!" Stretching gently he tried to work out the kinks in his sore body, unaware of everything that had transpired the night before.

"Coffee… must have coffee!" Cameron muttered to himself, closing the door behind him.

"Col. Mitchell!"

Cameron looked up to find the resident BFG, looking not so friendly.

"What's up Teal'c?" Cameron asked him draining the last of the coffee in the mug and pouring himself some more.

Teal'c looked at him raising his eyebrow; he would never understand the compulsion the humans had for the hot dark liquid. Over the years he had observed that most humans were unable to function without at least one cup of coffee first thing in the morning, he didn't want to consider what would become of the Tauri if coffee no longer existed. He had tried it once, at the insistence of O'Neill, but one sip had been enough and he never touched it again.

"I believe we were scheduled for a sparring session."

Cameron looked at him blankly, "We were?"

"Yes, this morning at 0700 hours."

"You're sure?"

Teal'c only had to straighten his back a little more than usual and angle his head a few degrees more to the right, a look he rarely used, and Cameron received the message loud and very clear.

"You're sure."

Teal'c was worried. During the sparring session, he noticed that Mitchell was having trouble focusing. He was slow to react and as a result, he failed to block against his attack. A few times Teal'c had given him the opportunity to stop but Col. Mitchell insisted in carrying on.

They circled each other waiting for the right moment to strike. Teal'c made the first move and managed to land a couple of hard blows to Cameron's ribs forcing him on to the mat.

"Do you require medical assistance?" Teal'c asked kneeling down beside him watching him coughing and wheezing, struggling to catch his breathes.

Holding his side, he shook his head, "I'll be alright…just need a few minutes… catch my…"

Teal'c was unsure, however, and decided to end the session.

He didn't feel right. He was tired and very achy, not to mention that his ribs hurt like hell. Stripping himself of his clothes Cameron stepped under the shower, sighing as the hot spray provided much needed relief to his bruised and pained body.

Sam watched Dr Lee pack the device in a specialised storage container, readying it for shipment. They had been trying to solve the mystery of the device for almost a month now and had made no progress at all. Between them, they had conducted every test and experiment they could think of but had to reluctantly, admit that they had no idea how to make it work. General Landry ordered them to send it to Area 51 for further study; disappointment was evident in him as it was in everyone else. They had all their hopes pinned on this weapon, a weapon that promised to deliver them free of the Ori.

Leaving Dr Lee to finish off the paperwork, Sam made her way to the briefing room her thoughts drifting to Cam as she stepped into the elevator.

She was worried. He was constantly fatigued and all he seemed to be doing was sleeping. He had trouble focusing on anything. He wasn't eating properly and when he did, it wasn't much. He had attributed it to having caught a nasty cold. More than once she had tried talking him into going to the infirmary to be checked out but he maintained that, he would be fine in a couple of days and told her to stop worrying.

She bumped into Cameron outside the briefing room. He looked pale. His eyes had dark circles under them though he was sleeping more than usual, he spent most of that time tossing and turning. Before she could say anything General Landry exited his office and joined them in the briefing room.

SG5 had returned from a routine recon mission to PY2-419 where they had discovered what looked like an Ori training camp. It was the first they had heard about it and because it was a possible change in their strategy, it required a closer look. The General wanted them to go to the planet and learn all they could and if deemed necessary, to destroy it.

Passing copies of the Intel gathered to each of them, he said, "You leave at 0900 hours, dismissed."

The General stopped Cameron at the door, "Son, you don't look well at all," the General held his hand up to stop Cameron from beginning his protest, "In fact, I want you to go home right now. If in the morning you're not feeling any better, you're to report to Dr Lam first thing."

"Yes Sir."

He didn't know how he managed to make it through the briefing without throwing up. He had never felt so nauseous and so ill in his life. His head hurt so badly it was as if a jackhammer was digging further and further into his skull. In fact, his entire body was in constant pain. He couldn't eat anything as it burned his insides; the only thing he could manage to stomach was water. All he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep it out but sleeping wasn't doing him any good either as he felt worse when he woke up. He no longer considered that he had a cold. He sensed something was wrong. He knew he should go to the infirmary right now but every time that thought came to him, something made him forget it.

He found the others gathered in Daniel's lab going over the Intel. He didn't have the energy to say or do anything; instead, he just sat on the chair next to Sam, rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you're not feeling any better are you?" Sam whispered stroking his back trying to soothe him, understanding what it was he wanted.

Cameron rubbed his face against her neck, seeking comfort in her love. He began to relax to the rhythm of her hand on his back, content to remain there.

It was the first display of real affection that the others had seen between them. Witnessing the strength of their love, they knew there were no two people more perfectly matched, in every way. Daniel, Teal'c and Vala watched Sam transform to the role of lover as she took care of an ill Cameron. They didn't care about when and how they came to be together, just thankful that they did. It was strange to see Cameron, a very strong and independent personality, allow himself to be tended to, to be taken care of and Sam finally seemed to have that sense of completion she had been in search of for as long as they'd known her.

The five of them discussed the Intel report at great length. Coming up with potential scenarios based on the intelligence available to them, they debated strategies in accordance with each possible outcome.

There was only so much preparation an SG team could do prior to a scheduled mission. Satisfied with their readiness, they parted ways, each planning to get as much sleep as possible.

Once at home, Sam helped Cameron out of his clothes and into bed. She watched him struggle to find a position comfortable enough for him to sleep. When he did manage to doze off, he didn't look anywhere near relaxed. Instead, he turned a shade paler and sheen of perspiration dampened his skin. Careful not to disturb him, she climbed in next to him but giving him space.

Over the last week or so she had paid careful attention to him, as each day passed his condition gradually worsened but he was too stubborn to admit it.

Sam moved closer to him, near enough to kiss him without waking him up. She loved him very much and it hurt when he didn't confide in her. She knew he didn't do it intentionally, it was just they way he was, but it still hurt nonetheless.

"Sam?"

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Cameron called out her name in his sleep. Sam placed a hand on his chest, making him aware of her presence, "I'm here."

Still in an agitated state, Cameron reached out for her. His body was hot to the touch and Sam realised he was in the grips of a full-blown fever. She held him still as shivers from the fever took possession of him. Cameron opened his eyes once the shivers had passed, there was such a far away look in those beautiful blue eyes that Sam had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying.

"Sam?"

"Sshhh baby, close your eyes," caressing his face, Sam reassured him, "I'm going to be right here, Cam, I'm not going anywhere."

He didn't need to understand what she said, just knowing her voice reached him through the fever was sufficient to appease her.

Cameron's breathing remained uneven and wheezy and his temperature continued to rise. Using a cold damp washcloth, Sam tried to cool his body in an effort to bring his fever down.

Later on that night, Cam's condition took a drastic turn for the worst.

"Sam!" Daniel shouted out as he ran through the front door, followed very closely by Teal'c. He'd had the life frightened out of him when he'd answered the phone. Sam was sobbing uncontrollably on the other end. He could make out enough of what she was saying to understand that something was very wrong. She needed their help.

He'd driven like a mad man, first to pick Teal'c and then over to Sam's place.

"Up here!" They heard her cries from upstairs.

They rushed up the stairs and came to a halt outside the bedroom. The sight that greeted them was one they wouldn't soon forget.

A medical team was waiting for them as soon as they arrived at the SGC. Sam was inconsolable as she watched Teal'c carry the still form of her soul mate to the medics. The two of them stood by watching as they rushed him into the elevator and straight to the infirmary.

Sam ran all the way to the infirmary but was abruptly stopped, just inside, by a pair of strong arms. She ceased struggling to free herself from the vice like hold when she saw the scene in front of her.

Dr Lam was holding Cameron's head, as he was violently sick. She watched as his entire body began to shake with the shock of its weakened state. Blood was literally pouring out of his mouth, he cried out as the pain became too much. The convulsions eventually ended and he collapsed with exhaustion.

Sam's legs buckled beneath her as she took in the sight before her. His eyes were red raw and bloodshot, his pallor ghost like. Perspiration drowned him as his lips turned blue. Incessant beeps could be heard from all the monitoring equipment surrounding him. For a moment, just a moment, he looked straight at her, right there and then her heart shattered into a million pieces. Sam stared at him powerless to do anything, helplessly she watched him fight for each breath and then one final weak gasp of air. The next few minutes were a blur as Carolyn and other medical staff, frantically, tried to revive him.

Dr Lam walked over to them, a bearer of bad news. Shaking her head, she told them the truth, however difficult, "he's in a coma, and there's nothing we can do for him now."

General Landry suspended all gate activity until further notice. Until they could determine what had caused Col. Mitchell's illness and whether or not it posed a threat, no one was authorised to leave the base.

Dr Lam worked day and night trying to find the cause; the entire base was on tender hooks. Carolyn glanced over at Col. Mitchell, now in isolation; there was nothing in his blood work, no sign of infection and no sign of contamination of any kind. She had no idea where to look next, she was doing her best she only hoped it was good enough.

She turned her attention to the results of the latest batch of tests. All personnel were ordered to undergo testing, so far all tests came back negative that didn't mean anything as Cameron's results proved.

In the infirmary Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and Vala each waited for their turn. Sam was the last to be tested and she would be lying if she said she wasn't worried that Cameron might have passed something onto her when they made love. In truth, she wasn't worried about that as much as she was worried about their relationship becoming known.

If her result was positive, though she felt fine physically, and the others negative that would lead to only one conclusion but it was too late to think about that now. When the last of the blood samples were taken from her, she pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, as near as she could get to him without breaking quarantine. All she could see was the endless number of tubes and machines that were attached to her boyfriend's body, working together to keep him alive. She closed her eyes and focused all her energy towards him. Willing her life force to transfer into him, for him to wake up so that she could lose herself in those gorgeous pools of blue. The scientist in her told her it was impossible but the lover in her told her anything was possible, she was going to cling to that hope for all she was worth.

"I love you, do you hear me Cam? I love you!"

Daniel stood and watched her from the doorway. He saw her talking to him. It broke his heart to see her go through this, to see them both suffering. He walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, as that was all he could offer her. He knew from personal experience, that no words could help when facing the loss of a loved one. All he could do was be there and support her, as she had done for him.

Sam looked up at him with tearful eyes, her lips quivering in an effort not to cry. He watched her resisting, fighting to keep her emotions in check, when all she wanted was to release them.

She squeezed her eyes shut and still the tears escaped. Her heart heavy, her mind lost and her soul wept for its mate. Hope and reality
fought a bitter battle within her. It was a stalemate, neither won nor lost; this was what she feared the most, living her life in a stalemate. Unable to live in a past with him and not able to live in a future without him, the thought of it was enough to kill her.

Please review as all your comments are very much appreciated. Next chapter coming soon.