"Colonel Edwards" Peters called as he nervously scanned an area of the tunnels on P3X904, the petite scientist had been assigned to this task on last minute notice after SG1 had been taken off this mission. Colonel Edwards wasn't a patient man and had been getting increasingly frustrated with the nervous scientist persistence in becoming alarmed at the slightest variations in the atmospheric levels of the planet.

"What!" Colonel Edwards snapped as he stormed over to the tunnel where peters stood scanning measuring the fluctuations. "What could possibly be wrong now?"

"Uh…" he stuttered as his eyes danced between the piece of technology in his hand and Colonel Edwards fierce eyes "…it…it's reading the presence of a chemical here that hasn't appeared anywhere else sir" Peters managed while Edwards frowned. Peters knelt down on a hunch and held the machine over a small air duct lining the wall of the tunnel. The chemical level spiked. "It's in the ventilation sir" Peters added while Edwards nodded.

"Collect whatever samples or evidence you need Peters, I'll head pack to the gate and report what you've found" Edwards nodded dismissively and then turned around "Uh… good work"

---

Sam groaned groggily as the mid afternoon light hit her eyes. She shuddered at the chill of a cold breeze sweeping over her and unconsciously moved closer to the warmth of the light and the body beneath her.

Her eyes shot open as she pulled back and looked down at the man in her arms. Daniel looked peaceful underneath her in a deep sleep. She glanced around and found they were lying on the balcony tiles on top of a thick blanket. Beside them was a near empty bottle of what looked like a home brewed alcohol.

Sam smiled as she vaguely remember Daniel going into a lengthy tale about the few bottles of the alcohol he'd picked up while on a dig a few years before the Abydos mission. The drink had been fairly potent if she remembered rightly and Daniel admitted to turning to it a few times over his torments without Sha're.

"You miss her a lot don't you?" Sam had asked and Daniel had plainly admitted it with a quick 'yes'.

"But it gets easier" he'd told her as he poured her another 'nip' the size of three.

Sam sighed as she pushed off of Daniel and stepped up to the balcony edge to look over the depth below her. The chill hair brushed against her skin and she closed her arms around herself to block off the cold. With this action, she realized her shirt was unbuttoned and tied in a not so the shirt cupped her breasts in a way that looked stereotypical of a mainstream Hollywood western film. She let out a small laugh as she remembered Daniel putting various CD's into his stereo system and hitting the shuffle button. The music had played through a mix of familiar, unfamiliar, deeply memorable and plain silly music. At one point the music had flicked to 'the Beverly hillbillies' theme song and Daniel had started to pretend to be Jethro as a joke to lighten the mood and she had joined in, playing the role of Elly May. It had only been a briefly quirky spill of laughter but she obviously hadn't untied her shirt.

Sam shook her head and begun to untie the shirt but quickly realized that one of the buttons had become caught on a loose thread and had locked the knot in place. A memory flickered in front of her as she remembered Daniel laughing heartily at her as she furiously fought with her shirt and had eventually started to help and begun fumbling with the shirt himself but hadn't been able to coordinate him self long enough to stand up right and had slumped against her.

At that moment a loud knock came to the door and Sam's head shot up as she looked in at the door. She frowned hesitantly and tried to shake Daniel awake but he refused to budge. The knocking continued and Sam huffed as she moved over to the door and opened it a fraction, careful not to show her self.

She froze as she saw Jack standing before her with a puzzled look.

"Carter?" He asked confused, he shifted on his feet awkwardly "Watcha doin here?" He asked trying to see inside past her.

"Morning Sir" Sam replied somewhat icily and shocked herself before closing her eyes and opening the door, apologetically. "Come in, I'll uh…see if I can wake Daniel"

Jack followed her inside and watched as she walked ahead of him, fumbling with the knotted shirt that exposed her mid drift. He coughed as he watched her and then saw her step out onto the balcony and shake Daniel.

He scanned the room to see a well crumpled couch with pillows stuffed in the corners, tissues scattered over the coffee table, and the stereo system seemed to be playing a 90's pop song he'd never heard before. There were a few glasses on the kitchen bench beside two full bottles of what was obviously an alcohol. Judging by the nearly empty bottle beside Daniel, the tile lines on Carters cheek and the thick blanket beneath them, they had slept out on the balcony.

"Jack?" Daniel's confused voice carried into the room and Jack turned to see him stumbling up, leaning against Sam for support. "Why the hell are you hear?" he asked rubbing his forehead as he walked in slowly.

"Nice to see you too Daniel" Jack exhaled as he raised his eye brows up at them, seemingly annoyed. "You too have a late night?" he asked, fingering the nozzle of one of the bottles on the kitchen bench.

"Um yeah, not that it's any of your business…" Daniel's voiced edged on aggravation as he leant against his couch and folded his arms looking to Jack challengingly. Jack sighed and threw his hands up as if in surrender.

"Fraiser's made some progress, called me a little while ago, and said something about identifying a chemical brought back from the planet. She seems to think it's responsible for our hormonal imbalances" Jack explained as he played with his keys

"Sorry..." Daniel blanked "Hormone imbalances?"

"We" Jack gestured between himself and Daniel "have changed levels of testosterone and a sera something. Janet seems to think the Naquida in you and Teal'c protected you" Jack waved his hand dismissively "I figured you guys would want to be the first to know. No one could get a hold of you though" his hand tapped the phone that had been resting off the hook beside him "I thought I should swing by here first…" Jack glanced at Carter cautiously and she dropped her head looking away as if reacting to a phantom blow. "In any case, we should get back to base; Fraiser is looking into hormone supplements to fix the changes" Jack finished as Daniel pushed off the couch, fury driven.

"I bet you're happy" Daniel snapped as he advanced on him

"Daniel" Jacks tone spoken volumes of warning "Fraiser might be able to fix this, why wouldn't I be?" Jack asked through gritted teeth

"fix us but not this" Daniel spoke furiously as he pushed Jack back "you think this just makes everything go away!" Daniel snapped as he moved to strike a punch against Jacks face.

"Daniel stop it" Sam spoke up as she watched Jack grip Daniels fist and push him back against the kitchen bench.

"Yeah cool it Danny" Jack exclaimed as he put a bit of distance between them.

"No!" Daniel glared up at him as he grasped a blade in a knife rack. "You can't honestly think that this makes what you did any less wrong!" Daniel pushed off the bench holding the knife ready.

"Daniel!" Sam yelled to snap him out of it.

"Ok Daniel, I think we need to get you to Janet" Jack told him as he stepped back, unconsciously pulling Daniel further away from Sam.

"What's wrong with you Jack? This is Sam! You can't do that" Daniel seemed at breaking point, his breathe was quickly coming is shorter; closer gasps "don't you get it? Can't you see what you've done?" Daniel advanced with every word. Jack hit the wall behind him and with the touch; he found himself overwhelmed and cornered.

"Yes!" Jack snapped "I know!" Jack's voiced seemed to shake "Believe me, I know Daniel" His eyes bore into his, unable to look at Sam as she hovered behind them, fighting internally between remaining strong, soldier Sam. And letting her self become overwhelmed with the situation, tears had already begun to form.

"Look at her" Daniel demanded under his breath as he pressed the blade against Jacks throat. Sam panicked and moved to take action and get the knife off of Daniel. "Look at what you've done Jack!" Daniel ordered as he spun around with the intent to point the blade in Sam's direction.

All three of them gasped simultaneously as in that motion a spray of blood hit them. All sound seemed to stop as they froze in the moment. The adrenaline had consumed them in that surreal moment as they tried to regain composure and determine what had happened. The music seemed the only sound, unrecognizable in the moment of panic.

Sam was the first to move, looking down at her forearm.

A thick layer of blood poured out over her pale skin from the fresh slice into the delicate veins.

"Sam" Jack had gasped as it registered. A fleeting look of panic passed over her features as her eyes met his. The blood continued to spill over her in ever increasing quantities, soaking her clothing and pooling at her feet.

"Jack…" she returned as she felt a pull of fatigue and stumbled backwards. Shock took hold quickly as she slumped against the wall and crumpled down to the floor, gripping the wound with her other hand. Jack recovered from the shock faster then Daniel and pushed him aside as he instinctively dove to her side. Daniel dropped the knife to the floor as he watched Jack pull of his polo white shirt and tear a strip from it.

"Daniel!" Jack yelled in a panic after he heard the knife clang against the floor "Ring Janet now!"

Sam's hand closed over Jacks strong forearm as he tightened the strip of shirt he was using as a tourniquet to slow the blood flow. He looked up to see the shear terror in her eyes. They both knew the extent of the injury. Too many years in combat had taught them well. There was a lot of blood, too much.

"It's alright Carter, we're gonna get out of this alright?" Jack's voice trembled with the pounding of his heart that rang in his ears "You're going to be alright" he repeated reassuringly as he felt himself shaking. Sam visibly paled beneath him as her body relaxed against the wall. Pressing her head back against Daniels apartment wall, she bit her lips, closing her eyes and shaking in utter trepidation. She tried to believe him but it was difficult as she felt herself slipping. "Come on Major, open your eyes" Jack ordered as he cupped her cheek with his blood covered hand, smearing a trail of it over the pale flesh.

"Jack I don't think I can…" she felt herself being consumed by the fatigue.

"No Sam!" Jack begged "Don't you dare die on me Major!" he ordered, his voice betraying his fear. "Not like this" he pleaded as she shook her.

Sam pulled her eyes open as she forced herself to look at him.

"Jack, I know you can't forgive yourself…" Sam begun as she managed to squeeze his forearm but her hand fell limp as she slipped again.

"Carter!" Jack ordered as he shook her back to consciousness

"You can't but…" she paused as she drew in a deep breath "I can" she told him finally as she dragged her eyes up to his "I do" she told him and then swallowed a wave of nausea. "If I don't make it…"

"You'll make it!" Jack snapped back "Don't you dare give up on me"

"I love you" she told him finally and he froze as his eyes held hers warmly and then, with the hand cupping her face, he pulled her closer as he moved to meet her. His lips brushed over hers tenderly, pleadingly and begging with her to stay. Sam weakly returned the soft, compassionately tender kiss before she relaxed against him, the weight of her body, sagging against him as he pulled her body into an embrace.

"Please Sam" He pleaded as Daniel approached behind him after putting the phone down.

"I love you"