AN I Really like this chapter – hope you guys do too...

Chapter 15 – The Wrong Side of Wrath

Sam sat resting on a clump of moss on the floor of the dark forest . She was listening keenly for any unexpected noise and swinging her p-90 around, the flashlight cutting through the blackness. She may have come out here to unwind but she wasn't about to let herself get caught with her guard down.

She grit her teeth against the anger she felt rising in her chest whenever his final words drifted through her mind. She could understand him being angry but she wasn't willing to be accused of cowardice without protest.

She sighed, realising their friendship was going to need a lot of work if it was ever going to be repaired. The times when they could casually flirt and sit close together on team nights seemed like a lifetime ago and she felt a stab of loss at their memory. Surely they had been through worse than this and come out alright at the other side, hadn't they?

Hyden may have bruised her face; imprisoned herself and her friends and put Daniel's life in danger but the thing she hated him most for, right at that moment, was the damage he had done to hers and Jack's friendship. She knew that to muse on the possibility of a life without him as a friend would be too painful so she forced him from her thoughts and focused on her reasons to get home: Cassie, seeing Janet again, watering her plants, a warm shower.

A twig snapped behind her and Sam spun, in a crouch, pointing her p-90 towards the source of the noise.

"At ease Carter." It was the colonel, his hand in front of his face, shielding himself from her flashlight, shining in his eyes. She noticed that he did not sound angry.

"Sorry Sir." Neutral enough.

"That's alright Carter. Thought I'd come...make sure you're okay. Not been eaten by any lions tigers or bears?" He sounded positively light hearted. Sam wasn't.

"No Sir."

"Carter--" I don't have a clue what to say.

"Sir?" He sighed. Lowering his hand and moving towards her. She realised she was still aiming at him with a loaded gun and redirected it to the forest floor, illuminating the leaves littering the ground.

He motioned for her to sit back down on the moss and crouched beside her, grimacing at the cracks from his knees.

"Carter...I'm sorry." She just stared at him. Clearly, that wasn't enough for him to get back in her good books. "What you did – I know you weren't running away. I made it sound cheap – it wasn't."

"What was it then sir?" He looked at her, confused. Her hard stare was not something he was used to facing. Though he had seen it directed at others more times than he could count, it had never been him.

"What? I dunno. I just wanted to say that I've been a jerk about it. You don't deserve the way I've been treating you. Friends?" He stood, holding out his hand to help her up. She stood without his help, her jaw clenched.

"We should get back to the guys." She turned her back and started walking away from him. Behind her, the colonel gaped. Finding his head, he moved quickly to grab her arm before she took another step.

"Carter wait!" She spun to face him, anger flaring in her eyes.

"What sir!? What is it you want?" Her voice was raised and she pulled her arm free from his grasp. In another situation she would have found his gob smacked expression funny but she was too angry with him. Does he seriously think that's going to cut it!? Two minutes of friendly chat and everything's dandy again? No chance.

" What? Carter, I said I was wrong - I wasa jerk to you. I've said that!"

"Well great! I'm glad you've got your guilt off your chest! I'm glad you're feeling like the bigger person! I'm glad you've got some moral fucking high ground! Congratulations sir!" Jack couldn't believe it. She was actually yelling at him. His straight-laced major was actually shouting in his face. It was a sight to see.

"Hey! I apologised too! I said you didn't deserve it." Jack got the impression from her derisive snort that this wasn't helping him any. "What do you want from me Carter? I want us to be ok again – what do I need to do?"

Sam seemed to take pause for thought. Jack decided she was probably considering suitable means of punishment. He would do anything. As long as they could all get home, he would do anything to have Sam back on his side. He knew a hint of his desperation had come over in his voice but he couldn't stand the idea of her hating him. He couldn't stand the idea of never making her smile again. He needed her to smile at him dammit! What was wrong with her. She began talking again.

"Why did what I did make you so mad?" What? Her as well? Do I have a team of psychics!?

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you feel the need to be a jackass from the moment we met back up?"

"Jackass?" He was torn between amusement at her choice of phrase and annoyance that she was insulting him. She though, clearly did not find it the least bit funny. "I – you disobeyed me Carter. I'm your CO and you went and did the exact opposite of what I asked you to. That's not the way things work and you know it."

"Yeah, because you're such a stickler for the rules, huh sir?" Nothing, Jack decided, nothing would surprise him ever again. He had seriously underestimated how unpleasant it would be to be caught on the wrong side of Carter's wrath. "What was it really? Did it damage your pride? Did it make you feel like less of a big man?" Her voice cracked, because there was a reason she never said any of the things that flashed across her mind when she was angry with him: He didn't deserve it. He was too good for that.

She never truly agreed with any of the things she thought about him when she was angry, but this time, they tumbled out of her mouth uncensored, because he had hurt her and she wanted to hurt him back. But she knew he didn't deserve it and the hurt look on his face clutched at her heart. It's too late to take it back now. A voice in her mind taunted.

Jack was silent for a moment. Was that what she thought of him? That he was just another testosterone fueled asshole getting his kicks from bullying junior officers. Well Jack, you haven't exactly done anything recently to convince her otherwise. But what about before? Surely at some point I've done something good enough to earn her respect?

"I was mad, because you didn't trust me." His voice was quiet.

"What?" It was her turn to deal out the monosyllabic questions, soft and uncertain.

"I asked you to wait a little while for me to get us out, but you went anyway. You went back to him."

"Sir--" She tried to approach him but he waved her off.

"Forget it Carter. That's the truth. I hope you can think slightly better of me for it." His words were so broken and heartfelt that tears immediately sprung to her eyes, when she realised how deeply she had wounded him. He thought she didn't trust him? How?

He was looking away from her, drumming his fingers against his gun, where it hung from his vest. She wanted desperately to be close to him, now more than ever. To think that she was capable of hurting him so much made her sick. The thought occurred to her that they were both as stubborn as each other. Two little kids bickering when really all either of them wanted was to make up. A small laugh escaped her, clear in the silent forest. He looked round sharply, aghast at the look of humor on her face.

"Sir, I trust you. I went back to Hyden because...because I knew that it was our only way out but that you couldn't order me to do it. You have to think about everybody – get everybody home safely and if you had let me go back to Hyden then you couldn't guarantee that i wouldn't get hurt." She took a breath, looking him square in the eye. "I could take the risk, because I'm not the CO. I'm not responsible for everybody, just for following your orders. It was easier for me to disobey you than for you to put the life of one of your team at risk."

He blinked at her, digesting her little speech. After a few moments he focused on her again.

"Thankyou." This time, his look stunned look was funny. She laughed again.

"You're welcome sir." Slowly, he smiled. She watched the lopsided grin light up his face, his eyes shone brighter than they had in weeks. The breath left her. God he has an amazing smile. Much too rare though...

"Friends?" He was joking now, taking the piss of their stupid argument. She was so relieved to have him back to himself, in a way that he hadn't been since they arrived on this shit-faced planet, that before she thought about it, she had leapt the two strides separating them and crushed herself against his chest, hugging him fiercely, her eyes tight shut, lost in the familiar strength of him.

Jack swallowed. Carter was in his arms, hugging him – damn near suffocating him, not that he cared. He wrapped his arms around her completely, loving the warmth of her, the scent of her. After weeks of near total sensory deprivation, he felt alive again. They were going to be fine, until something else went wrong. But for now, he was content to bury his face against her neck and hug her back, making a mental note to never piss her off again.

When they pulled apart, grinning foolishly at each other, Jack was surprised to see that it was getting lighter – or he was more used to the dark. It wouldn't be light enough to travel for another few hours, but it was getting there. Agreeing that they both needed sleep,before walking again, they set off back toward their little camp.

Unnoticed by either officer, a person dropped silently from the tree behind them, landing on the leaf strewn ground. Smiling, he watched their retreating backs for a few moments before hurrying off to get back to the camp before they did and before it was noticed that he was missing. Slipping away from the sleeping, injured man had been easy. The jaffa was more observant but even he hadn't caught Roan slipping silently into the woods after his friends.

AN Dun dun duuun! I liked 'The Conversation.' Tell me what you thought please? ( too fluffy?) And tell me what you think Roan is up to...? (Creepy huh?)

prometheus246