~ 6 ~

Sam froze when he spoke. Jack pulled back further and his eyes held shock and amazement. She had no idea what his sudden epiphany entailed, but the silence was unsettling. When he had leant in to kiss her, she found herself unable to move due to nerves.

The tense silence was ruined by her sneeze. Jack was finally aware of the cool evening air and dragged Sam by her cold hand back inside the cabin. He pulled her through the room and left her in front of the fire.

Sam sat down and wrapped her arms around her body.

Jack tore his sleeping bag from the hammock and dumped it on the floor behind her. He grabbed the blankets on the bed and shook them vigorously, till the dust was mostly gone. He picked up the sleeping bag and placed it over the top of the blankets. Satisfied that the bed would accommodate both of them for the night – which would consist of sleep and only sleep – Jack returned to the other room.

Sam didn't acknowledge his activities. Jack manoeuvred around the rope that served as a clothesline and positioned his body at Sam's side. He tucked one leg into his body and ran his other leg behind her.

"Sam?" Jack asked softly. Sam simply sniffled and stared at the fire. "What's going on in that brain of yours?" He looked up and down, from the crown of her head to her neck. She sighed.

"I thought you had died," She admitted. The angst of the moment was taking its toll. He was asking more of her than he had before. A few minutes of silence encouraged her to recall the events that followed his fall down the side of the mountain. She stopped when they finally made it to the cabin. She didn't describe what she had said on the bank. When she talked about the pain, the injuries she had sustained, her fears, she sounded so casual. As if they were insignificant details.

Jack was in a state of disbelief. He had asked her to go beyond the call of duty before, and she had done so. Every single time. He didn't expect her to be able do half of what she had done. But Jack knew Sam well enough to know she would have tried her hardest.

Tired from the ordeals of the day, Sam let her body fall sideways into Jack's chest.

"Come on, time for you to get some rest," Jack firmly grasped her hand and shuffled back along the floor until they were sitting the bed. Her movements were careful and he was able to comprehend how much she had kept hidden from him. It was still warm, but at this distance, they would not become overheated as they slept.

Despite Jack's protesting, Sam helped him to lie down.

"Carter, you're in worse condition what I am," Jack objected.

"Sir, you were virtually dead!" Sam frowned. Jack flicked his fingers and beckoned her to lie down against his right side. She hesitated, but slowly curled up around him with her back to the fire. As soon as her head hit Jack's shoulder, she relaxed and an intense wave of exhaustion overcame her.

"God I'm tired," She yawned. Jack chuckled and placed his right hand flat on the base of her back. It was the only place he could touch her without agitating any of her bruises.

"I wonder why," He joked. Sam smiled and sleepily turned her head into his chest, draping an arm over his stomach.

"Um... Sir?" Carter asked quietly.

"What?"

"I think you need to get some more exercise," Sam said in a completely serious manner. Jack let out a loud chuckle.

"Are you trying to tell me I'm getting fat, Colonel?" He quipped, pulling her closer into his side and them loosening his grip.

"I'm saying you were heavy," Jack could feel her wide grin on his chest, and the way she snuggled further into his embrace. Her hair was right under his nose and he took in a breath when his body had calmed. She smelled like rain and pine.

Jack closed his eyes and his body began to heat with desire. He really, really wanted her. She was right there. But they were both injured, tired and this wasn't the place for it. Sam shifted again and lightly scratched his ribs.

A little indulgence wouldn't hurt? Right?

"Carter?"

"Mm?" She groaned sleepily, though she didn't sound too alert.

"Sam?" He put a tiny bit of pressure on her back. She stirred and opened her eyes.

"What?" She whispered. Her voice was not croaky as it had been this morning, but soft and concerned. Jack lifted his head and found his nose practically touching hers.

"Thanks for not letting go of me," He said sincerely. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes, unwilling to freak her out with an awkward silence. As he began to worry that he had made a mistake, Sam settled again and tightened her grip around his waist.

"Got to have someone to do the paperwork, Jack." She mumbled and smiled again.

Jack was silent at the sound of his name. At the risk of jumping on a dangerous train of thought, he chose not to dwell on it for long. Sam's breathing slowed and Jack could feel the precise moment she fell asleep.

~ SJ ~