First, we just won the Eurovision Song Contest! Hurrah! Go and listen Lordi´s "Hard Rock Hallelujah!"

Second, I am having little difficulties with this story. I had the storyline ready, but now it´s just changing all the time and I don´t know where it´s going. Hope you still like it though. Oh, and my holiday in Greece was very, very nice. Lots of sun shine and so much more.

Now, enjoy the story! -Lia

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Who was he kidding?

It would have actually been a bigger surprise if his plan had worked. It hadn´t been Hammond, or the Asgard, or the Tok´ra, not even Jacob Carter who had kept them at the base, still, days after their return from the icy hell. It hadn´t been the replicators, or a Goa´uld who had suddenly decided that this would be his time to try and destroy the Earth.

No, it had been Janet Fraiser.

And like everybody else, Jack O´Neill too knew that he would never win a battle with her. And no matter how much he enjoyed their constant bickering, no matter how much he whined and complained when she made him stay at the infirmary, he would never question her reasons to keep Carter there for a few days longer.

Some days ago when he and Daniel had been released from the infirmary, Teal´c of course already back in active duty and on the mission with SG-7, he had worried over Carter when Fraiser had told them she was going to stay there.

And he had frowned and whined for her, simply because Carter had been too weak to even care, until the nurse had kicked him out from the infirmary and sent some threatening glares toward him that Janet would have been proud of, warning him not come back until much later.

"You don´t look so good." He said sympathetically to Carter when he sat down on the uncomfortable chair someone had thoughtfully brought there, probably a payback from the nurses for him being such a pain in the ass while he occupied one of the beds in the infirmary.

"I don´t feel so good either." She felt his hand moving to brush a lock of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering against her face a little longer than intended.

"You want me to call Janet?"

"No." She shook her head tiredly, leaning slightly against his hand.

He sat next to her bed, the chair pulled close to her, a curtain closed around them to offer them at least a little privacy. She let her eyes close for a moment, the tiredness taking over.

"Do you want me to go?" He asked softly, his fingers moving along her hair line.

"No."

The familiar click of the heels was followed by a polite cough before Janet pulled the curtain open. Jack was leaning back against his chair, arms crossed across his chest.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" She asked softly, moving around the bed to grab her chart.

"Sick."

The doctor chuckled a little as she wrote something on the chart. "I know you do, sweetie."

Jack frowned at her answer and Janet glanced at him amused before turning her eyes back to Sam. "It´s just stomach flu. Half of the staff probably has it. Both Daniel and Cass have it too."

"Then why keeping Carter here? You let Danny go home."

"Well," Janet finished writing and lifted her eyes from the papers in her hands. "I promise you, colonel, you don´t have to worry over Daniel´s health. He is getting extra care from me at home."

"For crying out loud, doc. I really didn´t need to now that." Jack said and ignored the snicker escaping from Carter´s lips.

Janet offered him a sweet smile in return and then turned to look back at Sam. "I´ll come to check you before I´ll leave."

"Thanks, Janet."

As soon as the curtain was pulled closed again, his hand reached for hers. The look on his face softened and she gave him a tired smile. "You should go to sleep." He said quietly.

He wasn´t sure if he had been always like that with her. Probably had. He knew he had always worried. More than he was allowed to.

He really would have wanted to take her away for a while. Just to be with her. Something was different between them. They were more comfortable around each other, more caring.

It was getting late, the voices of other patients who occupied the beds of infirmary were slowly hushing. The lights were turned off and the nurses making the last rounds before the night shift would be taking over.

Maybe it was Janet´s order, or just a thoughtfulness of the staff, but they were been left alone in the far corner where she was placed every time when she was down there. So he could sit by her bed and worry without being bothered.

She fought to keep her eyes open, but was slowly losing the battle. His thumb moved softly against her hand, his other hand coming to smooth her silky hair. And just before sleep took over, she could feel his warm breath against her face, his soft lips brushing gently across her forehead.

He sighed deeply, leaning his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He knew he had gone too far. Their relationship wasn´t there just yet. Things had been changed after their return, but he didn´t know why his feelings were suddenly so strong. He had loved her for years, and he knew she was feeling the same.

Maybe it was simply the fact that they had almost lost each other. Maybe he was just too tired to attempt to not feel.

A cough that pulled him back from his thoughts and made him lift his head to look up, didn´t belong to Janet Fraiser.

And the look on Jacob Carter´s face wasn´t threatening or unapproved. But it wasn´t a happy one either.

"Ah, Jacob..." Jack stood slowly up, letting go of Sam´s hand. ´This is not what it looks like´ came first in his mind but those weren´t the words leaving his lips.

"I love her."

And Jacob Carter sighed.

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Thanks for reviews, everybody. More to come...