Deliberate Speed

Slight change of pace. Hope it's in a good way! The reviews are so helpful. Special thanks to RoczaDeb and VisualIDentificationData for great info on motorcycles. Please keep reviewing, and reading, too!

3. And the Law Won

"Thank you. We'll have someone there right away," Jack said into the phone then added, "Yeah, yeah. I know I owe you big for this one." He hung up. He took his first full breath since Carter had gone missing. Daniel and Teal'c were chasing down a lead in the western part of the county, and would be unavailable. "Walter, I'm going off-base," Jack told his aide as he headed out of his office. Walter jumped out of the general's way. "I'll be in touch," Jack said without turning around, and went out the door.

His heart was beating erratically with dread. The tip said Carter was involved in a police chase. Why didn't he believe she was aiding them in apprehending a criminal? Jack drew on his uniform blue bomber jacket and cap. He was racing through the corridors like a fugitive himself.

The elevator was agonizingly slow, allowing him too much time to consider all the things that could blow up around this. Was she all right? Had she hurt anyone? Damn, did she need to be bailed out? Was she too old to banish to her room? "Whoa, nix that thought," Jack muttered. He stepped quickly out of the elevator and made for the motor pool. The irreverent image stayed with him a little longer, however, especially when he thought of what she had to lose.

Wheeling the SUV out of the compound, Jack acknowledged his headache. It was zero six thirty hours and the sun was up. What had Carter been doing all night? If anything were going to kill him it would be her, for cryin' out loud. Escaping death from a black hole only to be captured by Fifth, and now getting herself on the most wanted list or whatever. He couldn't go on like this. If anything had happened to her just when he thought she was safe...

Jack made his way along the streets, itchy with anxiety. There was one thing he had decided before the phone call came: he would get Carter to talk about what was still bugging her. It wasn't as if, deep down, he didn't understand. He had never disclosed the full details of his own ordeal when he'd been captured by Ba'al. And it wasn't as if she'd never offered to listen.

---SGC Infirmary, 5 years ago---

Early on, just after his escape, he'd been aware that Sam, Daniel and Teal'c had kept a round-the-clock vigil by his bed. Memories surfaced over time, how she'd kept watch by his isolation room when his sarcophagus withdrawal became violent, and his body was enveloped in wracking pain and sickness. He remembered her voice, and at times Daniel's and Teal'c's, penetrating the swirl of confusing emotions of rage, helplessness, and hopelessness with calm and compassionate words.

And when the fog of it all finally began to recede, his first clear recall was that she'd brought him flowers. She'd silently set daisies by his bedside. She had looked as though a breath would blow her off her feet. Her eyes had been a little reddened, but she had smiled at him when he awoke. That smile had brightened the last of the darkness from his body and his soul.

---Present---

He would do whatever he had to to bring that smile back to him. Back to her. Jack shook his head. Easy, old fella; he had to care the right way. The next turn would bring him, he hoped, to where she was reported to be. "Don't make my headache worse, Carter," Jack said. "Be there."

---

Fifth's hand reached for her –

Sam awoke suddenly, defensively flinging her arms up. Someone yelped as her hands made contact with a body part.

"Hey! Calm down! Calm down!" a no-nonsense voice ordered.

Cautiously, Sam raised her helmet visor. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds; then her eyes took in her situation. She was on the grass, boxed in by a wood rail fence behind her and what looked like a platoon of flashing police cars. She spotted her bike just across from her. A couple of uniforms were checking it out; admiring it, she gathered from their grins.

"Hey, you awake again?" the authoritative voice asked her. Sam's gaze tracked up from dusty leather boots tucked with tan slacks with a blue and gold stripe, up to a matching jacket, and finally up to a woman's face. A woman somewhat younger than herself, she guessed, looked down at Sam with keen eyes. Brown-skinned, with hair braided in neat rows that collected into a knot at her neck. The officer waited.

"Yes," Sam croaked out, realizing she was parched. Had she slept? A water bottle – hers, she saw – was handed to her. "Thanks," Sam said after taking a long swallow. Her eyes were stinging, her head felt like a blacksmith concert in there. "Is the other biker all right?"

"She'll live. Whether she'll live it down is another matter."

Sam nodded, and then wished she hadn't. After some seconds, she leaned on her drawn-up knees. The officers were passing by, looking at her. Some were distinctly pissed off, she guessed, while some winked at her. Oh, for cryin' out loud. Sam looked up and noted the name on the officer's jacket.

"Officer Dearing, am I under arrest?" Sam asked. Immediately, she regretted her question as laughter erupted nearby. She sighed. Officer Dearing at least just grinned. "Ok, sorry I asked."

"Don't spoil the surprise party we're holding her for, Ronnie," a female voice said in a snarky stage whisper. She came up beside her fellow officer, dressed similarly, but with more dust on her clothing. The one who'll live, Sam surmised. Lighter in complexion than Officer Dearing, this one had a short mop of dark brown, curly hair that was attractive even when mussed. Her dark eyes took in Sam from head to toe, with Attitude. Officer Castella, Sam noted.

"Yeah, this is she. Alive and well. Now, how about a name? And no, we didn't search you. You're a light sleeper and I rather like my nose the way it is," Officer Dearing said, leaning on a car, studying Sam; she didn't look doped up, at least.

"Samantha Carter," Sam replied. "Look, I'm really sorry about all this."

"No!" Officer Castella lamented. "Could speeding, riding knee-down on public thoroughfares, resisting arrest, assaulting an officer, and a dozen other highway infractions not tempt you to our little party at the station, Samantha? Oh, don't be sorry yet," the officer added, making a big deal of swiping the dust from her uniform.

"Well, I'm sorry about that; it was a dirty trick," Sam said, straight faced. Dearing hooted, and even Castella's lip twitched ever so slightly. Sam eased to her feet and stumbled as dizziness hit her. Exhaustion was catching up with her fast.

"Whoa, hey. That spill hurt you?" Dearing asked, stepping closer.

"No, I'm just a little tired," Sam said, grateful for the fence to lean on. This was not turning out to be a good day. O'Neill was definitely going to have her strung by her guts.

"Let's see some ID, fly girl," Dearing said when Sam seemed steady. Sam handed over her license. The officer's eyebrows rose and she laughed. "Hey, you ARE a fly girl! Look, Penny!"

"Air Force! I told you she looked like she thought she could fly that bike!" Castella laughed with her fellow officer. Her expression thawed when she looked back at Sam. "Ok, I can forgive your dirty maneuver, Major Carter. That was some decent riding, after all."

"Oh, just decent? I noticed you couldn't catch me," Sam replied, catching the note of challenge from the officer. Both officers gave her speculative looks. Sam laughed, and immediately regretted that act. Lifting the helmet off finally, she gulped in air and struggled to stand upright. I'm Air Force, she chanted, I can hang in there.

"Have to do a breathalyzer now, Samantha. That or blood test; I doubt we'll need it, but rules," Dearing said, placing a supporting hand out in case this woman keeled over.

"Sure, no problem." Sam agreed to the breath test. Blood testing was out of the question. When they brought her the analyzer, she cooperated. Boy, was she in for it. Maybe she'll make bail before she falls on her face and wakes up like a lost soul in detox. Sam noted that some of the patrol cars had cleared the area, with just a few remaining.

"Well, not surprised, the alcohol level is negligible. So, what's with the bad biker trip, fly girl? You made us think we were chasing some hyped-up lunatic these past hours. And I have to say you spooked those truckers like crazy," Dearing said when she came back. She watched the woman struggle to keep her eyes open. For a quick moment, Dearing thought she saw a very troubled person lurking there. These military types; macho even when they're not men, Dearing thought.

"Just got carried away, Officer Dearing. I just wanted to clear my, um, head, do some thinking," Sam answered. "I'm really sorry. Guess I wasn't thinking particularly clearly, though."

"No need to guess about that, Carter."

The voice jolted her to attention, or as near as she could while using support behind her. Where was an Asgard beam when she needed one? Or a black hole. She forced her eyes to focus. Yep, it was him, the gut-stringer. Sam grinned at the silly thought.

"Amuse you, do I? Do tell." Jack's words cut through her fuzzy thoughts. He was looking at her from behind his all-concealing aviator shades. She wished she had hers. Now his head was cocked in just THAT way, the way that meant no way was he feeling benevolent.

"No, sir. Not amusing. Sir," Sam replied, fiddling with her helmet. He watched her, hands in his pockets. She was aware of how unnaturally quiet it had become. "Um, this is my commanding officer, Gen. O'Neill," she mumbled to the officers. They nodded to one another. Silence. Oh, this was bad.

She saw Officer Dearing and Officer Castella watching with acute interest. Whether that interest was in her situation or in Jack was unclear to her. The few others remaining were watching from afar. Was this whole affair on hold because she was… Oh, d'uh! Of course because she was Air Force, and more. She straightened and looked directly into the dark shades.

"Good. Can you walk?" Jack asked, his voice even and as expressionless as his face. She was barely on her feet. She knew he watched while she took a few deep breaths and eased herself upright. It was touch and go, but she finally moved toward him.

"I can walk, sir," Sam replied. Oh, boy. Her legs were fluid with fatigue from hours on the bike. But she was going to walk away if it bent every bone in her legs. She looked past Jack to see her bike being loaded into an SUV. She stumbled. "I'm ok, just finding my land legs," she said, waving off Jack's assistance. He fell in step beside her.

"Major Carter," Officer Dearing came to her other side, "I hope everything works out. If you feel the need to play thread the needle again, give me a call. We'll take you and any of your fly-girls in a legal race you won't forget," she said, handing Sam her card. Sam halted to take it, smiling.

"And I owe you one," Officer Castella said, playfully saluting as Sam passed.

"You're on. That is, if I'm still..." Sam said, looking at Jack.

"At liberty. Let's go," Jack replied, walking ahead of her a step or two.

"Yeah, show her who the boss is, General!" A male voice called out, and laughed along with one or two other officers. Jack stopped, then took his shades off to regard the men. The caller and the others quickly lost their grins under Jack's piercing gaze. They shuffled their feet, then separated. Jack replaced his sunglasses and started toward the SUV again.

Sam almost grinned; she heartily approved his sharing that military-brass look with someone else! Now if she could focus and get herself to the car before he ripped into her.

"Hey, Major Carter," Officer Castella called, and waited till Sam stopped to look, "Nice bike, too."

"Thanks. Whoa..." Sam replied just as her legs finally gave out. Instead of folding to the ground, she found herself lifted up. Oh, damn, damn, damn! Sam pried her eyes open. Jack was looking down at her as he held her; close enough for her to see his eyes through the shades. He was good and steamed, she could tell. "Uh, sir..."

"Save it, Carter," Jack said, and carried her to the SUV. Officer Dearing hustled to open the passenger door for them. Jack eased Sam gently into the seat, paused to look at her, and then fastened her seat belt. He shut the door, saluted his thanks to the officers and climbed into the driver's seat. They were off.

---

"Pay up," Officer Dearing smiled at Officer Castella, a knowing look on her face. "Flyboy was SO ready to catch his girl, in a hero-swoop no less!"

"Guess that officer and a gentleman stuff is true," Officer Castella grumbled good-naturedly, but paid her five nonetheless.

----

"Sir, I just want to..."

"Your place or mine?"

"SIR?" Sam gaped at him. Her body felt like one big wet sponge, too heavy to move. But her brain retained some function: HIS place?

"You have some explaining to do, Carter. This was not one of your smartest moves," his voice was edgy. "So, your place or mine?" Jack repeated, taking the entrance to the highway. At her silence, he added with less tension, "Listen, this isn't an order, but I think we should talk first. My contact in the local police department got you released before they took you in. So for the moment, there's no record about tonight. And as your friend, I'm asking." Not too nicely, but he was asking.

"Um, would it be too much to go to...yours?" Sam responded after a pause. She looked down at her hands. "I don't think I can go home right now. I just couldn't stay in."

"My house it is," Jack agreed. After a period of silence his cell phone rang. "O'Neill. Yeah, she's with me. I'm heading to my house," Jack said, and turned off the phone. "Daniel and Teal'c said they're glad you're ok. They'll call the house later." Jack informed her curtly, then was silent.

Sam nodded sleepily, now looking at him. Why was he doing this, this not-regulations thing? It's not as if she deserved it. She would wait until he was a general to cut up, Sam thought. Crap.

She wished she was anywhere but here. She considered herself a soldier first, a scientist next, and female? Hardly. Now she cringed at how weak she must look to him, of all people. Of all the superiors she ever had, this man's opinion of her carried more weight than she could measure. Sam just took a breath. She was Air Force, right? At least she could try not being a total wimp right now.

Jack had been through worse. She couldn't flip out on him.

Could she tell him, or anyone, why she did such crazy things tonight?

Sam hoped so; she needed to know, too.

"Thank you, sir."

"Anytime, Carter."

TBC

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