See disclaimer in Part I

****

Jack came to with a groan. As it turned out, Davis was just as good as Carter in setting a leg. Mercifully, for both their sakes, Jack had finally passed out and let Davis finish the job.

He was still lying on the floor of the plane, but something dark was draped over him. He reached up and realized Davis must have pulled him forward between two standing seats and draped a blanket across the arms to keep the snow off of Jack. He'd also zipped Jack into his parka, pulled up the hood to keep him warm, and put his gloves on for him.

"Davis?" Jack called out. No answer. "Davis, where are you?" Jack began to feel somewhat alarmed. If something had happened to Davis he was alone and he wasn't exactly in the best shape to save himself at the moment.

He struggled to sit up, dislodging his blanket roof, which dumped all of the snow it had collected all over him. "Shit!" He flung it aside and tried to clean himself off. There was a clattering at the back of the plane and Davis appeared through the hole wearing and identical parka to Jack's. "Everything okay, sir?"

"Couldn't be better," Jack bit out snarkily. "Where the hell were you?"

Davis pushed his hood back. "Doing a little reconnoitering. I think I found us a better shelter than this."

Jack craned his head around to look into Davis's face. "Oh? Do tell. What kind of shelter?"

"A cave. It's got a kind of narrow opening, but I took a look inside and I think we'll fit."

Jack sighed. He couldn't decide what hurt worse, his pounding head, his gouging ribs or his newly set leg. "Sounds lovely, but I'm hardly mobile right now, if you haven't noticed."

Davis crouched down next to Jack. "Yeah, that is a problem, but I think if you let me be your crutch we can make it. It's not too far away. It will be slow going, but we can do it."

"I like your confidence, Davis, but I'm not making any promises. I'll do what I can, though."

Davis gave him a determined look. "That's all I ask, sir."

****

The going, as it turned out, was slower than even they had anticipated. The unrelenting snow, carried along by a brutal wind, pelted them heavily. There was about a foot of snow on the ground, making them wade slowly along, Jack's arm around Davis's shoulder. Jack grit his teeth and fought to stay conscious. His ribs felt like cracked eggshells and he wondered if his labored breathing didn't indicate a lung puncture, but he was determined not to let Davis down.

He glanced Davis's way, but couldn't see his face due to the fur trim around his hood. He could hear him breathing heavily. He was practically carrying Jack. Jack tried to make a better effort and was rewarded with another stabbing pain in his ribs. He faltered, but Davis dragged him along with him.

After what seemed hours, Davis pulled him to a crest in a hill. "Sir, I have to put you down for a moment. I think the entrance has been snowed over."

Jack nodded and let himself be lowered to the ground. He fought to catch his breath to ask, "How do you even know it's here?"

"I left a marker." Davis pointed. A jagged piece of metal stripping had been stabbed into the ground, a mound of snow packed around it to support it. It had a glove on top of it like a flag.

"Don't you have one cold hand, Davis?"

"No, sir. Not my glove. I found it in the wreckage."

Jack's lips tightened. This hadn't just happened to him and Davis, and this was a reminder. "Oh."

"Sir, in order to get into the cave, I have to crawl inside. There's no way you'll be able to do the same. Let me crawl in, then I'll have you lie down and I'll have to drag you inside, okay?"

"I'm already down here. Let's do it."

Davis got down on all fours, shoveled some snow away with his hands, then crawled into the depression and disappeared. His front half appeared again almost immediately. "Lie flat, if you can, sir, and I'll pull you in." Jack did as he was told and felt Davis grab him under the arm pits and drag him in. Jack hissed through his teeth. The pain was incredible. Just as he started to black out again, He was inside. It was almost like the place he and Carter had been stranded in, but thankfully, there was a dirt floor and stone walls instead of ice. Davis sat him up and leaned him against a wall. It was by no means warm where they were, but it felt much better than the outside.

Davis took the opposite wall, leaning against it and breathing heavily. Despite the cold, when he pushed back the hood to his parka, he was sweating. "You all right, sir?"

"Thanks to you. You did all the work."

"I'm just very, very motivated to get out of this in one piece, sir."

Jack looked around and saw some animal bones piled into a corner. "Let's just hope whoever lives here doesn't come back anytime soon."

"Amen to that, sir."

*********

"I don't understand. It's almost stopped snowing. Why can't they get up there?" Jessica Davis looked to Sam for the answers.

"It's lighter down here, for the moment, but there's still heavy snow and a strong wind on top of the mountain. The choppers are still running a risk. I know one of them made a try for it earlier, but I don't know any more than that." Hammond had told Sam that much, but he wasn't exactly forthcoming with the details. Sam knew he was trying to protect her, but it was still dammed frustrating, and she'd told him as much.

Jessica frowned. "I'm sorry. I don't want the chopper crew put in any danger, I just…"

Sam put a hand on Jessica's back. "I know. Me, too."

Jessica gave her a grateful look and wandered over to a row of empty crates that had been stacked in the corner of the control tent. She lowered herself down on one of them slowly and braced her hands on her knees.

"You okay?" Sam sat down next to her, concerned.

Jessica put a hand on her belly. "The baby's moving around a lot lately. Check this out." She opened her coat to show Sam a small bulge protruding from her stomach. She put a thumb against it and slowly pushed until it went back in. The bulge disappeared. She smiled at Sam. "Foot. He stretches himself out and pushes a foot out all the time now. It's like he knows I'm upset and he's reacting, too."

Sam looked at her, mouth agape. "Wow. I…I didn't know they could do that."

"Oh, yeah. The doctor tells me what you have to watch is the baby getting his foot caught between your ribs. I'm told that's extremely painful. For both of us."

"I can imagine. You still have another month to go?"

Jessica nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, but I don't think I'm going to make it that long. Things have been changing lately. I don't think it will be too long before this little guy makes his appearance." Her smile faded. "Paul was my Lamaze coach. He wanted to be involved in everything."

Sam rubbed a hand up and down the other woman's back. "He will. Don't count him out yet."

Jessica nodded sadly, but the discouraged look didn't leave her face.

"Ladies," Colonel Reynolds approached with two Styrofoam cups in his hand. "Something warm to drink?"

Sam took her coffee with a smile, but when Jessica started to refuse, Reynolds added "I made yours hot chocolate, ma'am."

"Oh, thank you, Colonel." Jessica gave him a grateful look.

"I have two girls of my own, ma'am. I know the drill. Couldn't get you any marshmallows, though. Sorry." He gave them a curt nod and left them to it.

Sam and Jessica each took a sip of the very welcome drinks. "So, Jessica, how'd you talk the AF into bringing you to the site? I can't imagine they were too happy about that."

Jessica huffed out a laugh. "Oh, no. In fact, they categorically refused to allow me to come. I begged, pleaded, all to no avail. The General I spoke to told me it would be better if I waited at home in Georgetown. They'd let me know what was going on. Ha. When I finally realized I was getting nowhere with them, I booked a commercial flight, and was going to rent a car to drive myself here, but I'm too big to get behind the wheel right now. I had to hire someone to bring me here. I dare them to kick a pregnant woman out of here."

Sam huffed out a laugh. "I admire your determination, but you know, it might have been better if you had stayed in Washington."

"Hey, you're my cheerleader, here, remember? Don't let me down now."

Sam looked at the ground. "I'm hoping for the best, but I think we also have to be prepared for the worst."

Jessica opened her mouth to reply when General Hammond entered the tent and approached them. "I just got word. A crew made it to the crash site." Sam and Jessica both tensed for the news. "The bodies of the pilot and co-pilot were found and are being returned to the surface. No one else was in or around the plane but there's evidence of possible survivors."

"But if there are survivors, where could they be? Where could they go?" Jessica's voice trembled.

Hammond shook his head. "I have no idea. I do have to tell you, the entire tail section of the plane was ripped off. If anyone were sitting in that part of the aircraft…" He shook his head and left the words unsaid.

Sam heard Jessica say "Oh, God," softly, but couldn't even look at the other woman. All she could do for the moment was bite her lip, trying to maintain some control. She realized that while she was supporting Jessica Davis she didn't have to think about her own situation, think about Jack. She felt her control slip a considerable degree and her vision blurred. At that moment she knew she may never see him again and it was something she couldn't face right now.

The sky above the tent was filled with the 'thump, thump' of a helicopter approaching. Both women wiped their eyes and went out to see the chopper land in a clearing not too far from the base site. A crowd had gathered filled with rescue workers, military personnel and others who awaited news from the crash site.

The rotars on the chopper slowed and eventually stopped. A hush fell over the crowd, knowing what was to come. Reynolds and a couple of others approached the craft and helped the pilot and his crew remove the two body bags. Hammond called out "Tenhut" and all the military snapped to attention in respect for the lives lost. The bags were carried slowly across the clearing into the compound, heading for a tent on the edges of the base site. Sam looked on in horror. This could be Jack. It could very well be Jack in the very near future.

An involuntary sob escaped her and she felt an arm wrapped around her. Daniel. He didn't say anything, he just held her to him. Teal'c stood on her other side, silent and stoic, his support an almost tangible thing.

*******

Jack woke up to find Davis gone again. He'd already made one trip back to the wreckage to retrieve blankets and anything he could find that would burn so he could make a small fire, where was he now?

Jack coughed and tasted blood in his mouth. Damn. It was just what he thought. His ribs had stabbed something inside him. Great. It was just his luck to have almost the identical injuries he'd had in Antarctica. Broken leg, concussion, broken ribs with a side of internal bleeding. Lovely.

Something was shoved unceremoniously into the opening of the cave before Davis appeared again. "Hey, Scrounger, what did you find this time?"

Davis pushed his hood back and smiled. "You're confusing me with James Garner, I think. Great movie." He opened the blanket containing the items he'd brought with him. "Got some food, although since it was such a short flight all we have are munchies. Chips, pretzels, cheese in a can, that kind of thing, and several bottles of some pretty good hooch." He held up a bottle of Glenfiddich. "Traveling with Generals pays off, apparently. Thought this might pass as a painkiller for you."

Jack made a 'come on' gesture with his hand. "Give." He opened the bottle and took a swig. "Ah, now that's nice."

Davis settled himself across from Jack. "How are you doing, sir?"

Jack adjusted his position gingerly. "Davis, you've saved my butt on more than one occasion since the crash, lose the 'sir.' It's Jack, okay?"

Davis looked at him, considering, and nodded. "Okay, Jack it is. But I really haven't done anything you wouldn't have done for me, had the situations been reversed."

"Bull. You've really gone above and beyond. Don't think I'm not grateful."

Davis took a slug from his own bottle. "I appreciate that, si…Jack, but I was glad to do it."

Jack nodded. They sat in silence for a while until something occurred to Davis. "You never did answer my question, you know."

Jack grimaced. "You're as bad as Daniel. I'm the same as I was right after the crash. A little worse off since you're attempt to set my leg, but still about the same."

Davis stared at him. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

Jack took another drink and felt liquid fire seep into his bones. "Who? Me? I'm a General. Generals never lie."

Davis grunted in disbelief, but declined comment. After a moment a look of realization crossed his face. "Damn. I didn't think…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open, and looked disappointed.

Jack grinned. "Gee, no bars? No cell tower up here? I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you. I think when we get home we should write a very strongly worded letter to the cell providers, don't you?"

Davis gave him a wry look. "It could just be interference inside the cave. I'll try outside later. At least if I could get a signal we could let someone know we're okay." He looked at Jack and amended, "Well, alive, anyway." He took a drink and said quietly, "It's Christmas Eve, you know."

Jack grunted and refused to meet Davis's eye. "Just another day to me, Davis."

"Really? Well, I thought you and Colonel Carter…you know, would be spending it together."

Jack took another drink. "Well, you thought wrong. I doubt Colonel Carter even realizes I'm gone. Or cares." He'd said more than he intended. The liquor must be getting to him already.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true, sir."

Jack grunted and turned his face away, then something occurred to him. He turned back. "How about you, Davis? You got someone at home waiting?"

Davis smiled. "Yes, sir. My wife. We're having a baby in about a month and I refuse to miss that."

"Wife? Baby? I didn't even know you were married, Davis." Jack had always pictured Davis as someone who was married to his career. Someone who went home to an empty house every night. This was a surprise.

"For a little over a year now. Jess was my real estate broker when I bought a new townhouse in Georgetown. We spent a lot of time together going over plans and finding potential homes. When I finally found a place, she stopped over the night I moved in with a bottle of champagne to celebrate and ended up staying the weekend." Davis drank from his bottle again. "We christened every room in that house," he recalled fondly.

"Eww, Davis, TMI." Jack took another drink himself. He was starting to get that warm, floaty feeling and he liked it.

"Sorry. The point is, I have been looking forward to our baby being born for a long time now, and no plane crash is going to keep me from it. I WILL be there to see my child grow up. I refuse to accept anything else."

"Good for you. Do you know what the baby's going to be?"

Davis gave him a quizzical look. Apparently the liquor was getting to him, too.

"Boy or girl?" Jack elaborated.

"Oh. No. We wanted it to be a surprise."

"So, yellow or green nursery, then?"

Davis smiled. "Mint green. Jess and I painted it ourselves." He sobered. "I may never know what sex the baby is now."

"Hey, Davis, buck up. You're the one who said he refused to accept defeat. Hang in there."

"Yes, sir."

"Jack."

"Right."

*************