Chapter 3

Jack ran as fast as he could. The trees of the forest seemed to be the same and it was hard to find the right way. He heard Goa'uld death gliders flying above the trees randomly shooting the ground with their weapons. He felt tired but knew if he stopped he would certainly be killed by the Jaffa chasing them. An orange blast hit the ground only a few feet from him and it knocked him off his feet. The clearing couldn't have been far away. Telling himself he was going to make it Jack got himself together and continued running. He couldn't hear the Jaffa's voice behind him anymore but he was sure they were there. Once they made it the clearing, they dial home and leave this evil planet.

Beyond the trees in front of him he finally saw the clearing. That gave him more hope and strength. As he left the tree line he found himself looking at the stargate. They might have made it this far but the hardest part was still ahead.

Jack looked back to wait up the rest of his team but they didn't come. They were right behind me, he told himself. A glider swept above his head so close that he had to throw him on the ground to avoid it hitting him.

He couldn't stay much longer in that open field with no places to hide. But none of the other three appeared among the trees. Nor did Jaffa. They should have reached the clearing by then. Something must have happened. We don't leave anyone behind, the motto of SGC echoed in his head.

There was no time for thinking. Jack jumped up and headed back into the woods for his friends. Just as he took a step he heard a loud noise behind him and he knew without checking that a death glider blast hit the very spot he was laying at five seconds ago. Without turning back, Jack disappeared among the trees.

He listened carefully but could hardly separate the mixture of noises around him. Noises of the gliders flying around, blasts hitting the ground in every direction and his heavy breathing, these all fused into one huge chaos.

'Carter! Daniel! Teal'c!' He called for every member of his team but he received no response. 'Dammit!'

Jack wiped aside a bunch of twigs that were crossing his way as he ran aimlessly hoping he would find his friends. He suddenly heard Jaffa cries from his left. Come on, he told himself. The Jaffa voices grew louder and that urged Jack to pick up his pace. He looked back over his shoulders but couldn't see the source of the voices.

He took two more steps and suddenly found himself on the same clearing he'd come from. He stopped and looked around. The stargate was in its place, everything was the same, only now the clearing wasn't empty. Jack could see Daniel, Teal'c and Sam kneeling in the middle of the field with a dozen Jaffa surrounding them pointing their staff weapons at their prisoners.

He had to save them. Jack started to run towards his team but as he moved the weapons charged and as he took his second step the Jaffa fired and the three dead members of SG-1 fell on the ground.

'No!' Jack cried but it was too late. He could feel as the tip of another staff weapon touched the middle of his back. Before he could turn around he felt the sharp pain in his body as the blast left the weapon.

oOo

Jack O'Neill suddenly sat up in his bad. He was breathing heavily and he could feel as sweat streamed down on his forehead, into his eyes. His eyes burned from the sweat so he lifted his hand to his eyes and rubbed them until they were clear. He checked the clock on the nightstand next to him. According to the red glowing numbers it was 3:15 AM. Jack figured he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep so he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He washed his face with cold water to end his half-asleep, half-awake state. Once he was fully awake he headed for the kitchen to get something to drink. He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of cold beer. Jack closed the door of the fridge and headed back to his room when he noticed something. In the living, in front of the huge glass windows Sam was standing watching the darkness outside the house.

Jack put down his beer on the dining table and walked to Sam careful not to wake the other guys sleeping around them.

'Can't sleep?' Jack asked when he was standing right beside Sam.

She obviously didn't expect anyone because his sudden voice gave her a jump but when she saw it was Jack she relaxed.

'No, sir. You?'

'Bad dreams.' Jack told her quietly.

Jack saw Sam was holding something in her hands and when she lifted one of them to her mouth he realized they were the macaroons she had baked.

'You mind if I have one?' Jack asked her pointing his finger at the macaroons.

'Sure.' Sam answered and gave him one.

Jack noticed Sam hadn't looked at him the whole time they were talking. He wouldn't force it, he just found it odd. It wasn't too long until he found out why. As the moon lightly lit the room he could see Sam's eyes were wet. He definitely had been crying.

'What's on your mind?' Jack asked not really sure how to approach her.

'These macaroons don't taste as good as they should.' Sam said still staring out the window. Jack saw she didn't want to tell him what was going on but he knew it would be better for her to talk about it with someone. And he would gladly listen.

'Carter, look at me,' he told her and touched her chin turning her head towards him.

She first tried to resist but knew there would be no use so she looked straight into the general's dark eyes. He reached out and gently wiped a teardrop from her face. 'What's up?' He asked softly.

His tone sounded unfamiliar even to himself.

'I was thinking about my dad.' Sam responded.

'He was a good man, Carter. I'm sure he gained the best place up there.' Jack said commiserating.

For a moment they both stayed silent. Jack could see new teardrops appearing in Sam's eyes. 'Come 'ere.'

Sam moved closer to Jack who again laid his arm over her shoulder keeping her next to him. Sam folded her arms in front of her chest and laid her head back, resting it on Jack's shoulder.

'I miss him so much, Jack.' She sighed, fighting her tears and crying.

'I know.' He responded, slowly caressing her arm. 'I know.'

Sam nestled up to Jack as much as she could. She felt safe in next to him. The unexplainable feeling she felt for Jack made her want to be close to him. The feeling that was beyond friendship, the feeling that was something else.
None of them could tell how long they had been standing there. The view they could see outside hadn't changed, it was still dark.

'I think I'll go try to sleep.' Sam finally broke the silence.

'Fine.' Jack responded and released Sam.

They walked towards their rooms then as they first reached Jack's room he went in.

'Sir,' he could hear Sam's weak voice from the doorway. He turned back and waited for whatever she wanted to say. 'Nothing.' She finally told him. ''Night, sir.'

''Night, Carter.' Jack closed the door behind him and walked to his bed when he heard the same loud roar he had heard when that creature attacked Sam. Only now it came from much closer than last time. He quickly reopened the door and hurried to the living room.

The noise had awakened everyone and they were standing beside their beds watching and listening carefully.

'You all heard that?' Vala asked as soon as she and Sam appeared in the room.

'It was hard not to.' Daniel answered still a little sleepy but obviously his sarcasm had fully awakened.

A second roar followed the first one, this time from the opposite direction but still close.

'It appears to be circling the house.' Teal'c said. He didn't need too much time to wake up.

'I hate when they wake me up.' Cameron said, sounding upset. 'It's time for a hunt.'

oOo

Cameron walked to the drawer next to the entrance door and took one of the P-90s. He loaded it and headed for the door.

'Cam, the last time we tried to kill that thing with a P-90, it didn't work.' Sam told his friend.

'That's why you are gonna get the zats while I and Jack cover you.' Cameron explained his plan to the others.

They heard a blunt thud coming from the direction of the guest room. They all knew what that meant.

'We better get moving.' Jack said and followed Cameron. Teal'c took his staff weapon and joined them.

The door of the house suddenly opened and the three armed men stepped outside the house. Jack swept the area in front the house, Cameron the left side, Teal'c the right.

'Clear.' Jack said after he was sure the creature wasn't there.

Daniel, Vala and Sam came out of the house and they ran towards the car. Their movement must have caught the attention of the creature because with another loud and frightening roar it attacked.

'Here!' Cameron shouted as he saw the shadow moving in front of him. Jack and Teal'c both turned in Cameron's direction and fired at the moving target. They managed to slow it down enough for the others to get the zats. The P-90 bullets also pissed it off because it gave up going after the girls and Daniel and rather turned to the men firing at it. Teal'c's staff weapon proved to be ineffective too. It just made the creature become angrier. Cameron's clip become empty and Jack also stopped firing because he knew there was no use. The creature approached quickly and Jack was about to shout fallback when an electric wave shook its body. It stopped and turned towards the source of the attack. Daniel was walking towards them followed by Sam and Vala. Among other circumstances Jack would have smile at the two women walking in nightgowns with weapons in their hands but this time was different.

'Shoot it!' Jack ordered when he saw that the creature was still standing.

Daniel fired the zat. The first shot staggered the monster but didn't stop him. As it took another vague step forward Daniel fired his zat again followed by Sam and Vala. The three shots seemed to be effective as the monster roared in pain then fell on the ground.

They waited a minute to become sure it was dead then they moved closer to it. It was bleeding from several wounds but it wasn't the loss of blood that had killed it.

'This is what those get who wake me up.' Cameron said and kicked the dead body lying in front of him.

'Son of a bitch.' Jack expressed his opinion and sent another three bullets into the monster.

Everybody took a step back in surprise. They all looked at Jack, waiting some explanation.

'Just to be sure.' Jack simply said.

'We should go back to sleep. If that's even possible after this.' Sam suggested and nobody objected.

'I will take the body into the forest.' Teal'c told the others.

'Right. Be careful, though.' Cameron told Teal'c and he went into the house.

Jack patted Teal'c's shoulder and followed Cameron.

oOo

When Teal'c returned everyone walked to their beds attempting to sleep through the rest of the night. Jack lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He replayed the events of the last ten minutes.

'Unbelievable.' He muttered and checked the clock beside him. 3:53 AM. He closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind so that he could fall asleep. Sleep came but now Jack didn't have a nightmare. He dreamed of Sam.

oOo

Daniel was sitting on the edge of his bed, unable to sleep. He could snap the monster out of his mind. He was just looking at the Christmas tree that was standing in the corner of the room. He heard Cameron move in his bed and turned towards him. He met the eyes of the colonel.

'Try to sleep, Jackson. You need to rest.'

'Yeah. Probably.' Daniel answered pokily.

'C'mon. It's 4 in the morning. What could you possibly do for the rest of the night?'

Daniel knew Cameron was right. He needed sleep. 'Fine.' He finally said and lay down on his bed.

'That's it, Jackson.' Cameron said and turned on his side with his back to Daniel.

'That's it.' Daniel repeated but he was not thinking about him. He was thinking about the dead creature lying somewhere in the forest. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted away into the world of dreams.

oOo

'So what about Daniel?' Sam asked Vala, willing to continue their previous conversation.

They were both lying in their beds staring at the ceiling. They could tell from each other's breathing that none of them were asleep.

'I thought we were done with that.' Vala answered after some time of thinking.

'No. You were done with that. I am still curious.'

Vala didn't want to answer. She was tired.

'He's a nice guy. Handsome, smart, kind. He's a good friend.' Vala finally told her roommate.

'Yeah. Friend. I know what you're saying.'

Vala didn't reply and Sam seemed to be out of questions.

'Goodnight, Sam.'

'You too.' Sam replied and closed her eyes hoping that she would fall quickly asleep.

She remembered the time she'd spent on the Prometheus, alone in that energy field. She remembered what Jack had told her. She could hear his voice echoing in her head.

I will always be there for you. No matter what. Believe me.

Sam believed him. She wanted to believe he will always be there. She needed him.

~TBC