A/N - Enjoy (and review)!

Chapter 5

Dr. Janet Fraiser bounced her foot nervously as she sat waiting for General Hammond to join her in his office. She had just finished examining SG-1, and the General had demanded an immediate report. She debated how much she should tell him. Relaying the medical condition of each team member was the easy part; it was her indecision regarding how much to share about their emotional state - particularly that of the military members of the team - that was making her uncomfortable.

Before she had an opportunity to dwell further on the matter, though, Hammond opened the door to the office and strode in. Janet started to rise, but the General immediately motioned for her to keep her seat. As he settled himself in his large leather chair, he looked expectantly across the desk at his CMO. "So how are they doing, doctor?"

Janet took a deep breath. "Well, not surprisingly, they're all still experiencing some confusion and memory lapses, but they should make a full recovery." She sat forward in her chair a bit as she prepared to relate her medical findings. "Teal'c has been affected the least; I believe his symbiote protected him for the most part, and the mind stamp didn't seem to fully take, probably due to his alien physiology. The Colonel and Dr. Jackson appear to be fairing well, and physically they are both fine. Colonel O'Neill did have some burns on his left arm, but they are mostly healed. Major Carter lost a significant amount of weight, but I don't think she'll have any trouble putting it back on. Otherwise, they seem to to be in good health."

"What about psychologically?" Hammond asked.

Leave it to Hammond to get straight to the point. She let out a small sigh. This was the discussion she was dreading. "Teal'c seems to be doing well, though it's always hard to tell with him. Dr. Jackson is a little embarrassed about a relationship he developed with a local woman there, but I think he'll get over it."

"And Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?"

"Well," Janet started, pausing for a moment as she carefully thought through her next statement, "I'm not a psychologist, sir, but I'd say they're suffering from depression."

"Depression?" he asked, not bothering to mask his surprise. Of all the things he thought she'd say, that was at the bottom of the list.

"Yes, sir. Dr. Jackson told me that the two of them were extremely close on the planet, even though they were stamped with other personalities and had no memory of their real lives." She paused for a moment to let that sink in. "Without the barrier of their reporting relationship..." she trailed off, reluctant to finish that thought.

But Hammond, who didn't miss a thing, finished it for her. "You think they might have crossed the line." It was more statement than question.

She sat forward now, needing him to understand the entire context of her opinion. "They both denied any sexual activity while on the planet, but...off the record, sir?" Hammond nodded. "I have no way of knowing whether they're telling me the truth. Plus, even if there wasn't a physical relationship, I think it's clear they became much closer than their reporting relationship would allow."

"What makes you think that, doctor?"

Janet shifted in her seat, growing increasingly uncomfortable with this line of questioning. She had a great deal of respect for Colonel O'Neill, and Sam was her best friend. She knew how they felt about each other and the lengths they'd gone to not to let those feelings interfere with their professional lives. She really didn't want to be the one to destroy all of their hard work. But she also respected General Hammond. He was her commanding officer, and he had asked for her opinion.

"Still off the record, sir?" He inclined his head. "Ever since the zatarc incident, they've been careful to keep their feelings for each other well hidden, from themselves as much as anyone else. But earlier, in the infirmary, their behavior...it was completely unguarded. The way they looked at each other...I've never seen them like that before. They weren't interacting as supervisor and subordinate, more like..." She hesitated again, not wanting to indict them.

Hammond looked at her intently. "Doctor?"

"More like a couple, sir."

Hammond figured that was where she was going, but it made his life significantly more difficult. "Do you think they can return to a strictly professional relationship?"

"Maybe. They've done it before. But if they were...involved on the planet, it may take some time for them to come to terms with the fact that they can no longer be together."

Hammond sat back and considered what she'd told him. He'd known Jack and Sam had developed feelings for each other, but he'd been confident, at least until now, that they'd been able to put their duty first. He'd always assumed that they would let him know when it had become too much. Now he wasn't so sure. Maybe it was time for him to make the call. But then, he'd always had faith in their judgment, and perhaps he could find some middle ground.

His mind made up, he looked up at Janet, who was anxiously awaiting his response. "I appreciate your candor, doctor, and frankly, I think you may be right. Still, I hate to split up my flagship team based on speculation about what might have happened on that planet. Let's get them over to MacKenzie. If he clears them to return to the field, then I'm willing to let things lie for now."

"Yes, sir," Janet responded, her relief evident.

oOoOoOo

5 Days Earlier

Thera watched Jonah through lowered lashes from her position behind the console. He had been resolutely avoiding her ever since the night of the party. She had attempted to speak with him on a couple of occasions, hoping to clear the air, but he had firmly, though politely, put her off.

The whole thing made her heart ache. She missed him terribly. Most frustratingly, she still couldn't explain her hesitation to explore a romantic relationship with him, not that it mattered much now. He had made it clear that he was done pursuing her. In fact, for the past two nights, he hadn't slept in his bunk, and she wondered where he had gone. The thought that he might be with another woman made her sick to her stomach.

A flashing red light on the console shook Thera from her thoughts. She sucked in a breath when she saw the magnitude of the problem. "Clear section 8-B!" she screamed. But it was too late. Before the words had completely left her mouth, the plant was rocked by a massive explosion. Thera grabbed at the console to avoid being thrown to the ground.

All around her alarms were blaring and people were screaming. She immediately began searching for Jonah and had to fight back a rising sense of panic when she couldn't find him. Quickly, she made her way onto the plant floor. Workers were pouring out of the impacted section, many dragging others with them. Thera's stomach clenched when she saw that several were badly burned.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind. "We've got to leave! The other section's going to blow!" yelled Solan.

"But there are still people down there!" she screamed back at him over the din. "If we can open up the C valves, we might be able be able to prevent another blow out!"

"It's too late! Those people are dead already!" Solan's voice had taken on a panicked edge, and he was already backing away from her.

"Solan! I need your help!" she yelled after him desperately, but he simply turned and ran.

Thera fought back her fear and forced her way into the chaos. She felt like a salmon swimming upstream, trying to get to the heart of the plant as everyone else was desperately trying to evacuate. The plant's sprinkler system had activated, and she was drenched. Even worse, the water hitting the overheated pipes was causing steam to blanket the area, making it difficult to see. But she knew that if she didn't locate and release enough valves, the entire plant could go. Blindly, she felt her way forward.

Finally, she stumbled upon the first valve, and began trying to turn the wheel to open it. Despite the amount of force she was putting on it, she could not get it to budge. Desperation threatened to overwhelm her, and she cried out in frustration as she lost her grip for the third time. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her.

"Here, let me," said Jonah, as he stuck a rod in the spokes of the wheel and, using all of his strength, began turning it. She almost wept with relief. "Where else?" he asked, and she pointed to the next valve.

Bit by bit, they made their way through the maze of pipelines, opening several valves and dodging burst pipes along the way. After the last valve was opened, they turned around to leave the affected area, when suddenly a bruised and bloodied worker stumbled toward them.

"Please! You have to help my friend - he's trapped!" The worker pointed back toward the source of the explosion, then collapsed.

Jonah helped him up and looked at Thera. "Do you think you can get him out of here?"

"Jonah, no. You can't! That section is still unstable. Any number of individual lines back there could still rupture." She was pleading with him, even as he passed the injured worker to her. "Jonah!" she yelled after him, but he just gave her one last long look and took off into the steam.

Cursing under her breath, she began moving out of the damaged section of the plant with the barely conscious man in tow. After several minutes, they emerged into what looked like a battlefield. Injured workers were everywhere, some crying or moaning in pain, while others were far too still. The small medical staff was clearly overwhelmed, though they were doing their best. A handful of others were trying to help in any way they could.

Someone took the injured worker from her, as Thera stood staring, shocked at the scene before her. A series of small explosions shook her from her reverie. Several people screamed, but the explosions stopped almost as soon as they started. Thera paled as she realized where they must have originated. "Jonah," she whispered in horror.

Desperately, she watched the steam continuing to roll out of the damaged area of the plant, looking for any sign of him. As the minutes ticked by, she felt the knot in her stomach tighten. It occurred to her that she had no desire to live in a world that didn't include him. She closed her eyes as the magnitude of that realization washed over her.

Just as she thought she might collapse herself, a lone figure emerged from the wreckage. "Jonah!" she yelled in relief and ran toward him, throwing her arms around him. He winced in pain. She pulled back to look at him and saw that his expression was steely. "Where's the other worker?" she asked, though she was afraid she already knew.

"He didn't make it," he said, before walking off.

Thera looked down at her hand and saw that it was covered in blood. She ran to catch up to him and noticed for the first time a large and weeping burn covering his left bicep. Quickly, she grabbed a tube of antibiotic ointment and some gauze bandages from a nearby medical station. "You need to treat that," she said, trying to catch up to him. Still, he didn't stop. "Jonah, your arm..."

"Not here," he said tersely, as he continued to walk away.

She reluctantly followed him through several twists and turns, winding up finally in a little utilized area of the plant. With one look over his shoulder at her, Jonah squeezed between two parallel pipes placed about a foot apart. Thera hesitated for only a moment before following him through the narrow opening. Once inside, she was startled to find an open space, just large enough to fit the two of them comfortably. A blanket and pillow were thrown on the floor, and it dawned on her that this must have been where he'd spent the last two nights.

"What is this place?" she asked in a low voice.

He shrugged. "A place to get away."

Thera looked around the small space and gestured to a narrow ledge along the back wall. "Sit up here," she directed. He did as he was told. Carefully, she removed his jacket and slowly peeled away what was left of his burned shirt. She gasped when she saw the raw skin on his left bicep.

An irrational anger took hold of her. "Damn it, Jonah. You've really hurt your arm." She began smearing some of the ointment on his burned skin. "What the hell were you thinking?" He flinched when she touched his arm, but she paid no attention, continuing her rant. "It was blind luck that you didn't die in there." She pulled apart the gauze bandage with more force than was really necessary, and still he sat there, simply watching her. "Just had to be the hero, didn't you?" she muttered as she dressed the wound.

He let out a grunt of pain when the gauze touched his sensitive skin. He grasped her hand in mid air, but undaunted, she ripped it away then finished wrapping his wound. She immediately began packing up the medical supplies. "It was a foolish risk, Jonah!" she exclaimed as she vigorously bunched up the remaining gauze. She wanted him to argue with her, anything to keep her from facing the depth of her emotions, but still he sat there, watching her calmly. "You could have died!" she said angrily, but the tears that she had been trying to prevent welled up unexpectedly. She looked down at her hands, all the fight leaving her at once. "I thought you died," she whispered.

Without a word, Jonah gently cupped her cheek with his hand. She raised her eyes to his and was instantly drawn into a memory so vivid it made her breath catch. They were standing just inches apart yet couldn't touch each other, an impenetrable blue light separating them. She knew she was about to die, and so did he. Fear, desperation, and unrequited love were openly displayed on his features, just as they were on hers. As she gazed into his eyes, she realized with painful clarity that he was never going to leave her, not even in death.

Unable to withstand the intensity of the vision, Thera looked away. Her tears were falling freely now, but Jonah placed both hands on her face, calming her as he wiped away the wetness on her cheeks with his thumbs. Still, he didn't say anything but simply waited patiently for her to give him some sign of where she wanted this to go. While he needed her desperately, he couldn't bear to be rejected again.

She finally brought her eyes back up to his and saw the same raw emotion reflected there as in her vision. Her heart leapt into her throat. She didn't know who they were or what past they had shared, but she was certain they were meant for each other. Without conscious thought, she grabbed his face and pulled it to hers, her lips meeting his with an unfettered passion that belied their seemingly brief time together.

That was all it took for the dam that he'd been barely holding back to break. In one move, he slid off the ledge and brought his hands around her back, pulling her firmly to him. His prior restraint now forgotten, he took control, capturing her mouth with his, demanding entrance. She opened to him without hesitation. Her body was liquid against his, molded to every inch of him, and he knew then that anything he ever wanted she was more than willing to give.

He pushed her against the wall and in his haste to touch her bare skin fumbled awkwardly with the remainder of their clothes until the heavy garments finally fell to the floor. Then his hands and mouth were everywhere, and she whimpered involuntarily as his soft and deliberate caresses set her body on fire. Trailing kisses down the long column of her neck, he lifted her up and moaned her name as he positioned himself more intimately against her.

The warning voice in Thera's mind sounded one last time, but she silenced it instantly. The time for hesitation and doubt was over. All she wanted was to give herself to him completely and for him take her, body and soul.

He was more than happy to oblige.

TBC...