He had fallen into an exhausted sleep on returning to the cave the night before, but for the first time since his arrival here, he had woken before her in the morning. He felt better, stronger, in the morning light and found it easy to lift his battered body to its feet.

He stirred the fire, reawakening the flames, and fed a few dry logs into it watching as it burst into life. He quickly found the container she used to make tea and filled it with water from a sealed animal stomach. The water boiled quickly and he searched though her stock of herbs, not recognizing any of them. He finally found chamomile simply by smell, his Grandmother had always drank chamomile tea when he had been a boy and the smell had stuck with him all these years. He threw some of it into the boiling water, watching as the water changed color slightly, the taste and smell seeping out of the dried herbs.

He poured some of the mixture into a cup and moved to throw back the drapes that hung over the mouth of the cave. She stirred slightly as cool morning light slanted through the entrance, but only mumbled something unintelligible and rolled over throwing her arms across her eyes, blocking out the sun.

"Time to get up" Jack said shaking her shoulder slightly and handing her the cup of tea.

She smiled up at him, her eyes still filled with sleep and her hair mussed up and he thought that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Thank you" she said accepting the tea from him.

She drank it down quickly and then stretching like a cat leapt to her feet with surprising grace. She set about making a pain killing tea for him and even showed him which herbs she used, naming them for him as she threw them into the boiling water.

He took the tea gratefully, his earlier energy fading slightly.

"You do too much" she said reproachfully "But you are getting stronger, I think in a few days we will be able to make the journey to the Stargate"

"How far is it?"

She considered for a second, working out the distances.

"Me and Relam have traveled that distance in as little as a day. But for us I think it will take three days. We will have to move slowly and now that the weather is warmer we will have to be careful of hunting parties from the south."

This worried him, from the snaps of images he had captured from her, he had little desire to meet any hunting parties from the south. His pistol and rifle had been lost in the river and he knew they would be vulnerable in the forest.

"Do not worry. I know the deeper parts of the forest, where the hunters do not go. We will be safe"

She looked sure, but the feeling didn't reach her eyes and Jack realized that she was more hopeful than sure.

_________________________________________________________

The days passed quickly and as his strength returned he began to help her with everything he could. He owed her that much. She hunted and then showed him how to butcher the meat, how to prepare the hide for leather or for furs and how to use the parts of the animal he would have been inclined to throw away, but the large stomach and long intestines of the deer she hunted were as useful as the meat or leather. She also took him up to the higher meadow most days and schooled him on his riding technique. It had been years since he had sat on a horse's back and he was out of practice, that coupled with his broken limbs and ribs made the going tough and left his body sore and tired.

Nightly trips to the spring at the far end of meadow soothed his aching muscles, but did nothing to cool his lust for her. She remained confused by his feelings, but as he became more attuned to her thoughts, he could sense that she was similarly lusting over him and this only served to confuse her even more.

He began to dread the day that they would set out for the Stargate. He was less and less inclined to leave her here alone and return to his life of deadlines and mission reports. Deep down he knew that she had been right when she had said that he would grow bored, eventually, he was sure of it. But he longed to be able to give it all up and stay with her. She longed for it too. In the short time they had spent together she had grown accustomed to his presence and she was terrified of finding herself alone once again.

As the day they had set for leaving drew closer she spent more and more time away from the cave, leaving with Relam early in the morning and returning late at night. He had continued climbing up to the meadow every night, but without her. He sorely missed her presence and couldn't help feeling guilty, it was his fault that she withdrawn inside herself, his fault that he now felt mostly sadness when she was near.

The night before they were due to leave, he waited late for her to return, putting off his climb to the meadow until she arrived. She looked tired when she arrived, she had been gone since dawn.

"Come on" he said reaching for her hand.

She took his hand and followed him blindly to the spring, stripping off her clothes without thinking and slipping into the water without seeing. He shed his own clothes and joined her in the water reaching out for her as he joined her under the trickle that flowed from the stone. He turned her to face away from him and used his good hand to massage the tenseness out of her shoulders. She groaned slightly and he felt the knots in her back loosening.

When he was done she turned to face him and he became all too aware of her naked body almost pressed against his own. The moon lit her face and the stars reflected in the green depths of her eyes, glistening in the tears that had pooled on her lower lids.

"I will miss you Jack"

She looked so beautiful with her wet hair swept back away from her face, her eyes sad and her lips parted slightly as she fought against a sob. His body kicked in and his mind was helpless to resist. He slipped his arm around her bare waist, pulling her to him and bending his head he captured her lips with own. She tensed for a moment, her whole body going rigid in confusion, but her lips parted slightly allowing his tongue entrance, and as the shock wore off she kissed him back.

They were both breathless when he finally pulled away from her, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Come with me" he whispered.

"Jack. I cannot"

Images of cages filled his head and he felt her fear run through him like an electric shock.

"I'll think of something I promise"

He was sure he could pull a few favors, work something out. She smiled at that, and slowly nodded her head.

He took her hand and they began their decent to the cave. She banked the fire for the night and then shyly came and lay down with him in what once been her sleeping place. She rested her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She reached up and kissed him hesitantly, it was a sweet kiss and there was none of the passion of the one they had shared in the spring but somehow it meant more.

"Sleep" he whispered his hand running through her hair "We've got a long day tomorrow"