She hadn't been able to call Pete that night. She was too upset after her conversation with Daniel. She knew she had to contact him, though; it wasn't fair to leave him wondering what had happened to her any longer.
The General had called him and had simply said she was on a long term mission and would be unable to contact him for a while. He hadn't like it, but at least he hadn't been worried. If he'd known the truth he would have been much more than worried!
She called him the next day, telling him she was back and was okay. Of course, he wanted to see her right away. He even said he was going to take some leave so he could come and stay with her for a few days. It had taken everything she could think of to put him off. She'd finally had to be somewhat truthful.
"Pete, I need some time alone. It's not you, okay. I was on a very stressful mission and I just need to go away for a while and be by myself. I'll call you as soon as I'm back, I promise." As he went to argue some more she cut him off. "Pete, if you love me you'll do this for me and not argue. I really need this." She felt guilty for using his love for her but she was at her wits end. She didn't think she could talk to him much longer without breaking down and all that would do would be to bring him to her door in no time flat.
There was a brief pause on the phone and then his voice, sounding tense, continued. "Okay Babe, if that's what you want but I don't like it. I don't think you should be alone right now. Just promise me you'll call if you need anything and get in touch as soon as you're back."
"Okay Pete … and thank you."
"Just one thing more Sam. Where are you going to be? I don't want to worry any more than I have to."
She panicked for a moment, realizing she had no idea where she was going. Finally, to appease him she said, "I'm going to Mark's."
"But I though you said you wanted to be alone?" he sounded confused.
"Ah – I will be. He's off visiting his in-laws." She hoped that he would buy that Mark had taken the family, in the middle of a school year, to visit the kids' grandparents – who actually lived about five blocks from their house. God, more lies!
"Uh, okay" he sounded like he didn't believe her but wasn't going to push it. He was a such nice man, she thought. "Call me when you get back?"
"Of course. And thank you again Pete."
"Hey – I love you Sam. I'd do anything for you, don't you know that?"
"Yeah, I guess I do. I'll talk to you soon."
"Bye Babe."
"Bye" It was only after he'd hung up that Pete realized she hadn't said she loved him back. He sat for a long time, wondering if his world was about to come crashing down.
Sam also sat for a while, asking herself what she was doing. Maybe she should call Pete back and have him come down. Maybe that's all it would take. He would hold her and love her. Instead of the thought making her feel better, though, she actually began to feel sick and that just wasn't right. Thinking about the man you were supposed to marry should definitely not make you feel ill.
She stood up restlessly, knowing she had to get away but unable to figure out where to go. She had a brief idea about going to the Colonel's cabin. He'd offered it on numerous occasions. As tempting as the idea was, she knew that it would truly be a really stupid idea. The whole point was to try and get over him. Being surrounded by his things – and probably even by his 'smell' definitely wouldn't help matters. There was also the danger that he'd show up himself. Wouldn't that be a fun to try and explain!
In the end she decided to just get in her car and drive. A trip across the country – her own country – might be just what she needed. Heck, she spent huge portions of her year on other planets and had hardly been anywhere on her own in years. That decided, she grabbed her bag, her purse and her keys and headed out the door. Getting behind the wheel of her car she was soon on the highway going to someplace, somewhere.
"Where's Carter?" Jack asked, trying to be casual about it. He'd finally been released and was about to head home. He hadn't seen the Major in a couple of days but hadn't wanted to ask where she was and no one had said anything to him.
"Uh – she went on vacation." Daniel answered, looking uncomfortable.
"What?" Jack stopped and looked at his friend in shock. "On vacation?"
"Yeah. You know the General gave us all two weeks off? Well, I think she wanted to get away for a while. She had kind of a hard time of it."
"I know Daniel. I was there, remember!" Jack turned and stalked away. God, she couldn't even bear to be around him. There goes that dream!
"Jack, come on I'll drive you home." Daniel hurried after him; worried at the look he'd seen on the Colonel's face.
"I have my truck", Jack answered abruptly.
"Okay then, why don't I meet you at your place? We can watch the game or something. Why don't we invite Teal'c over as well – make it a team night." Oops, Daniel winced. Way to go Jackson, remind Jack of the team and who's missing.
"Daniel, I feel like being alone." Jack kept walking toward the elevator.
"But Jack, are you su- "
"I'm SURE okay? Just let it go Daniel. I don't need you or Teal'c or anyone right now." The elevator arrived and Jack got in and viciously punched the button.
"Jack – I just want to …. help." His voice faded to nothing as the doors closed. He shook his head. He had been right – his two friends were idiots, intent on destroying any chance of happiness they might have had. As he turned back to his office he wondered how this was all going to turn out.
Jack got in his truck and drove home. By the time he arrived at his house he realized he hadn't noticed anything about the journey. He'd literally been operating on autopilot. It was a good thing he hadn't had an accident. He unlocked the door to his house and the first thing he noticed was the musty smell along with that of something that had definitely gone bad in his kitchen. Wrinkling his nose he dropped his duffel bag and walked to the kitchen. He finally found the culprit in a bag of onions that had gone rotten in his lengthy absence.
"Oooh" he muttered as he wrapped them in a bag and took them out to the trash. As he walked back in he noticed how chilly it had gotten outside. Very chilly for this time of year, he thought.
Entering his house he went over and turned up the heat and then went and threw a sweatshirt on over the shirt he was wearing.
Not wanting to think about anything right now he sat down and turned on the TV. He flipped back and forth from one channel to the other, not finding anything he really wanted to watch. After a while he stood up and went to the kitchen. Opening the fridge he couldn't find anything that appealed – or that was even edible. He wasn't hungry anyway. He finally just grabbed a beer, opened it and returned to the living room. He took one sip and set it down. It didn't taste very good.
Restless, he stood up again and wandered around his house. As he walked by the thermostat he reached over and turned it up. The heating didn't seem to be working too well. He'd have to check it out tomorrow and maybe get the repairman in.
After a couple of hours he decided he might as well try and go to bed. He wasn't particularly tired but didn't know what else to do. As he lay down he tried everything to keep his mind off the one thing he didn't want to touch. He would not think about … Carter. She was nothing more than his 2IC and never would be. After tossing and turning for a while he got up and went to the guest room. Grabbing the comforter off of the bed he returned to his room and threw it over his covers. The heat definitely wasn't working.
It was finally early morning before he fell into a restless sleep. Visions of the planet, of D'jindra and Ba'al and finally of Sam kept intruding on his dreams. It was the memory of her body pressed up against his that finally gave him some comfort. For a while he slept deeply until a new dream intruded. This one was of Sam – a very pregnant Sam – laughing at him as she walked off, arm in arm, with Pete. With a groan he sat up suddenly, instantly and violently awake, shaking from the effects of the nightmare.
"God" he groaned again, pulling his hands through his hair. "Why the hell did I have to love you Sam?" Throwing his feet over the side of the bed he walked to the bathroom. After relieving himself he turned the shower on. He was still shaking from the nightmare and needed something to get his mind off things. When the water was hot he stripped and got in.
He stayed in for a long time, turning the heat up every few minutes. It seemed to cool down as he stood under the stream. Something was definitely wrong with his heating system, he thought. As he turned the heat all the way up he didn't even notice that he was scalding his skin. All he knew was that it was cold, he was cold, and he had to warm up.
He finally got out, thinking that the hot water had run out. He grabbed a towel and quickly dried himself off.
"Ow!" His skin hurt. He looked down and saw that it was bright red and blistered in places. "What the hell?" he wondered. "What was wrong with him?" He then looked down at his chest, which still sported the rings with the chain in between. He laughed to himself. Life was hell.
Knowing that he should do something about whatever was wrong with his skin he decided it didn't matter. Putting on as many clothes as he could, he crawled into bed, piling the blankets on top. Turning, he tried to fall asleep.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sam woke up with a start. It took her a minute to realize where she was. For a while she imagined she was back on Matsya's planet with Jack. When it sunk in that she was actually in a Motel 6 in the middle of South Dakota she closed her eyes, unutterably weary and disappointed. By the time morning came she was exhausted. She'd hardly slept. Anytime she closed her eyes she would dream about her time with Jack on the planet. The dreams always started out well but ended up with some horrible twist. The last one had her giving birth to Jack's child and then watching as Matsya came and took it away, laughing and bragging that he was giving it to Ba'al. She had woken up, shaking and in a cold sweat.
This morning she woke up exhausted and sick – again. She'd hoped that the virus had left her but it appeared to have returned. She went to sit up and ended up having to run to the bathroom, just making it before she lost the little bit of supper she'd eaten.
Besides feeling tired and sick, she also had no appetite. It wasn't surprising, really. With everything she'd been through it was to be expected that the trauma of it all would finally get to her. Sitting back down on the bed she rested her eyes, her head still swimming. Turning to look at the clock radio by the bed she saw that it was only 5 a.m. She could try to sleep or just get up and get on the highway. It's not that she had anywhere to go, but at least driving gave her something to do.
As each mile of her trip had rolled by Sam had tried to come to a decision as to what to do with her life. She spent a lot of time thinking of Pete and their possible life together. Could she be happy married to him? What would it be like, running around the galaxy by day, fighting aliens and saving the world, and returning to a normal husband who wanted to talk about his day handing out speeding tickets and wanted to get together with the neighbors and play bridge! Could she do that? Could she split her life in two – one part the Air Force officer with the exotic job, the other plain Mrs. Shanahan?
It was somewhere in Nebraska that it came to her. Of course she couldn't marry Pete. She couldn't do that to a decent, kind man. Her life was too crazy, too different. What would he tell the neighbors when she didn't return for days at a time? "Oh, my wife is off fighting aliens. She'll be back on Monday and I'm sure she'd love to get together for tea!" No – it wasn't fair to him and, she realized, upon entering S. Dakota, it wasn't fair to her either. She didn't need normal. No, what she needed was someone who understood her and could hold her when things went bad. Someone that understood that sick feeling you got when you'd killed someone – even if that someone was evil and intent on destroying you. She needed someone who understood that you sometimes had to do things that you didn't want to do but that were for the greater good. Someone that got duty and sacrifice and honor. Someone who told her she really could blow up a sun. No, she didn't need 'normal'. What she needed was Jack!
What the hell had she been thinking? She pulled the car off to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes. Staring out the window she thought back to what she'd said and done before leaving the SGC. How could she have been so awful? She'd just left the man she loved – the man she'd told she loved – without a word. She'd even refused to talk to him while he was still lying sick, in the Infirmary.
"You Samantha Carter are an idiot! Daniel was right, you're screwing things up." Just then there was a knock on her window, which just about caused her to have a heart attack. Turning, she saw the face of a policeman looking at her through the driver's window. Fumbling, she opened it up.
"Something wrong Officer?" she asked.
"That's what I was going to ask you Ma'am. You pulled over suddenly and stopped. Is something wrong?"
"Uh – sorry, I was just feeling a little sick, but I'm better now."
"Are you sure? Are you safe to drive?"
"Yes, I think so. It was just something I ate but I'm better now."
"Well, you'd better get going then. It's not safe to sit here. Take it easy now. I suggest you stop in the town up ahead and get a cup of coffee or something. Make sure you don't drive if you're unwell."
"Okay. Thanks officer, I'll do that." Rolling up the window Sam carefully pulled off the shoulder and began to drive. What she'd said to the policeman was true – she still felt sick. At the same time, she felt an incredible sense of relief. She was going to tell Pete it was over (that thought made her feel even more sick) and then she was going to talk to Jack.
She didn't know if anything would come of that. They still had the regs to deal with and so maybe things would return to normal – she laughed a bit at that thought – or to the way they had been before Pete - but at least there would be no Pete in the way. They could 'lock it up' again, but at least they'd know where they stood with each other.
A few minutes later she stopped in the small town of … Benson. Glancing up she realized that she was no longer in S. Dakota but at some point had entered Minnesota. Ironic, she thought. Maybe she should just go and stay at Jack's. She could check to make sure he wasn't there. She could call Daniel and find out if he'd come up to his cabin. With a pang of guilt she realized she her friend an apology. She'd been awful to him as well.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
By the next morning Jack felt worse than ever. He felt like he'd received a serious sunburn. His skin was tight and hot – but at the same time he was cold. The heat wasn't working at all. He decided, at the last minute, that he'd drive up to his cabin. He needed to get away and at least there he could do something. He had a number of things around his cabin that needed fixing. That would keep him busy and his mind occupied. He also figured that the heat would be working there.
He should call the repairman to come in and fix it so that it was working when he was back. He'd give Danny a call and arrange to have him come and let the man in.
As he waited for Daniel to answer he shivered. Damn, it was cold out – not a good time for the heat to go.
"Hello."
"Hi Daniel."
"Jack?"
"Yeah. I'm calling to ask a favor."
"Ah, okay. What is it?"
"I'm going to head up to my cabin for a few days. I need to get away and the heater in my house went. I'm going to call a repairman to come and fix it but was wondering if I could have you let him in?"
"Sure, yeah – of course. Just let me know when and I'll be there."
"Great, thanks Daniel. I'll call you back with the details."
"Uh Jack – how are you doing?" Daniel had been worried and had planned to check up on his friend the first chance he had. Both he and Teal'c had discussed it and felt that they had to do something.
"Just fine Daniel. Glad to be out of the Infirmary."
"Are you sure you're up to going to the cabin?"
"Of course. It'll be good to get away. I have some things I need to look after up there. I've been meaning to fix some of the shingles on the roof and the dock needs some work. I'll be fine." He worked really hard to make sure his voice sounded okay. Yup, just happy-go-lucky, nothing wrong in my world Jack. He knew Daniel didn't buy it – but as long as the man pretended it didn't matter. He just really didn't want to talk about anything serious right now.
"All right. Well take it easy. Give us a call when you get in okay? You know how Teal'c worries!"
"Yeah Daniel. I wouldn't want to worry Teal'c. I'll call you in a couple of days. Thanks again." As he hung up the phone Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He'd gotten through that relatively easily.
Once he'd arranged for the repairman and had called Daniel with the details he'd packed a few clothes and had headed out. Cranking the heat in his truck as high as it would go (he was still chilled from the lack of heat in the house) he began the two-day drive to Minnesota.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sam stopped at a small diner and ordered a tea and a bagel. She didn't think her stomach could handle anything more. She was starting to get a little worried. Maybe she had picked up something more serious on Matsya's planet and it just hadn't shown up yet in the tests. She knew that sometimes it took a while before you could tell if you were sick … she stopped. Sometimes it took a while? No, there was no way. Janet said she wasn't and she'd know, wouldn't she?
Sam suddenly felt like throwing up again but this time due to panic. She stood up and rushed to the Restroom. It was while she was there, sitting in one of the cubicles, that she convinced herself it couldn't be true. She wouldn't have been getting morning sickness so soon. She knew it took at least three or four weeks – not days – before you would feel the symptoms. So, it had to be something else.
As she returned to her seat in the restaurant, shaky and still nauseated, she suddenly stopped. She had received some of the stuff that the Colonel had been given. It was supposed to be a fertility drug and they could definitely cause nausea, almost like in pregnancy. Maybe that is what had affected her on the planet. But if that were the case, why did she still feel sick?
She knew she had to find out, even though she was terrified. She asked the waitress where the nearest Pharmacy was and, after paying her bill, walked to the Walgreens down the street.
As she exited the store carrying the bag with the pregnancy test, she knew there was no way she could go to some public restroom or hotel to do this. No, she had to be somewhere safe. She could drive back to Colorado, but that would take almost two days. The other option was, of course, going to Jack's cabin. Somehow, that seemed right. First, she had to call Daniel.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Hey Teal'c, it's me, Daniel. I was calling to see if you wanted to come over to Jack's with me?... "No, he's gone to his cabin but he asked me to let in a repairman – the heat's broken in his house. …. Yeah, bundle up and I'll pick you up. The repairman is coming in a couple of hours and we can watch a movie – Jack's TV is much better than either yours or mine….. No, you know him, he won't mind….. Okay, I'll pick you up in an hour." As Daniel hung up the phone he again wondered how Jack and Sam were doing. He hoped they were going to be okay.
As he left his apartment he missed the ringing of his phone.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
She'd been unable to reach Daniel. He was probably off somewhere with Teal'c, whom she couldn't reach either. Maybe they had decided to do a vacation of their own. Oh well, she'd chance going to the cabin. She doubted Jack would feel up to going after all he'd been through.
She'd purchased a map of Minnesota and hoped she remembered the directions Jack had given her in case she ever decided to take him up on his offer. She knew it was close to a small town – she looked at the map – yes, there it was. She figured that if she had trouble she could simply stop and ask. She was pretty sure that people would know who Jack was in that part of the world. She knew the cabin had been in their family for years.
As she drove she couldn't help but keep looking at the package sitting on the seat beside her. She didn't know how to feel. She knew she'd been terribly disappointed about not being pregnant when she'd taken the original test – but that was before she'd screwed things up with Jack. Would he even want a child? She didn't know.
It was late in the evening by the time she reached the cabin. She'd taken a couple of wrong turns and at one point had gotten terribly lost. Fortunately, she'd stopped and asked for directions and a very nice couple had led her to the access road to Jack's cabin. They had known him for years and their raised eyebrows and grins probably meant he was in for a grilling the next time he was up.
As she pulled into the driveway she could see that the place was dark. Thank heavens. That meant he wasn't here. Stepping out of the car she had to grab the door to steady herself. She was feeling quite dizzy.
Going around to the back she looked in the place he told her he had a key hidden. After rummaging around for a few minutes she found it. "Yes!" She took it and, grabbing her case, opened the door.
She had never been to his cabin before, knowing it would be too dangerous to be alone with him. So, she was curious as she turned on the light. Looking around she smiled. Yes, this was definitely a Jack O'Neill house. It was warm and cozy while still being masculine. The furniture was old and looked well loved. He had a big couch, clearly long enough for his tall frame to lie out on. He also had quite a selection of books. There was a stereo but no TV. He must like to enjoy quiet and solitude when he was here.
Sighing, she walked in, feeling the tension and distress of the last few days drop away from her. Here she felt safe and wrapped in a warmth she hadn't felt since those few days on the planet when she and Jack had slept in each other's arms. Putting her things on the floor she walked over and sat down, loving the feeling of sitting in a place she knew Jack loved.
After a few minutes she stood up and checked out the rest of the cabin. There were three bedrooms, the master (which was definitely Jack's by the look of the clothes and things lying around, especially the picture of Charlie which stood on the nightstand) and two guest rooms. She debated for a minute but then brought her things into the master bedroom. She wanted to sleep in Jack's bed.
Putting her few things away she made her way to the bathroom where she cleaned her teeth and got ready for bed. Returning to the bedroom she dressed in her pajamas and then went out and turned all the lights out. Knowing that she was avoiding the inevitable, she finally went and retrieved the pregnancy test. With a small prayer – for what she didn't know – she walked back into the bathroom. This was it!
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Daniel pulled into Jack's driveway and got out, followed by Teal'c.
"The repairman is supposed to be here at three. Keep your coat on; I expect it will be cold in the house. Good thing it's not winter." Daniel reached over, unlocked the door and walked in.
"Holy Crap!" he exclaimed. "What's going on?"
"It is very hot Daniel Jackson."
"I know. It feels like a furnace in here." He walked over to the thermostat, which read 95 degrees. "What the hell is going on? I thought Jack meant the heat was off. He must have meant that it was broken and he couldn't turn it down. I'll try and turn it down anyway." Daniel adjusted the thermostat and then he and Teal'c went and opened windows throughout the house.
"Daniel Jackson!"
"Yeah Teal'c?"
"I think you should come here." Teal'c was calling from upstairs. Daniel took the stairs two at a time until he found his friend, standing in the door of Jack's bedroom.
Worried, Daniel asked what was wrong.
"Look", Teal'c pointed to the bed. Daniel looked at the bed and back to Teal'c.
"What's going on?" Both men stared at the thick pile of blankets and comforters that covered the unmade bed. "Why would he have had so many blankets? Do you think the heat was off and then came back on on its own?"
"That is possible. It may also be that he is unwell again."
The two men looked at each other, worried now about their friend. "I thought Janet said he was okay."
"It may have only been temporary. Did not D'jindra say the condition was permanent? It may be that there is no cure – that there is only a temporary treatment."
"Do you mean that he will have to take the injections regularly?"
"It is possible. Or it may be that they are not sufficient. Did you not hear that it was not just the body but also the mind and emotions that played a role? Maybe O'Neill needs more than just Major Carter's DNA. Maybe he needs her."
Daniel looked at his friend, worried about Jack, but also hopeful. If that was true it might mean they'd have to come together. This time he was going to tell Sam – he didn't care what Jack said.
"What should we do Teal'c? I'm worried that he could be really sick."
"I suggest we wait for the repairman to tell us if there is something wrong. If there is not, we must make our way to O'Neill's cabin. We must call Dr. Frasier and have her accompany us."
"It's a long drive Teal'c."
"Can we not fly?"
"Yeah – we could probably ask General Hammond to arrange a transport for us." Just then the doorbell rang. The two friends went to answer it, not sure what they wished for.
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Jack steadily felt worse the more he drove. No matter what he did, he couldn't get warm. He'd been driving for a number of hours before the truth hit him.
God, what an idiot he'd been. He'd just spent days suffering from this addiction, freezing cold, and it hadn't registered that that was what was happening again. He could only blame his distraction on his feeling of depression and loss. That, and the fact that he'd so hoped he was okay after the injection. He realized that a part of him had known all along, he just hadn't wanted to admit it.
He was going to pull into a small hotel but then decided that he'd really rather sleep in his own bed, even if it meant arriving late. He knew it was probably stupid, especially with the way he felt, but, like a wounded animal, he desperately needed to find someplace safe. For him, that was his cabin.
He finally arrived at close to 3:30 in the morning. Exhausted, freezing, weak and sick he stumbled out of his truck, not noticing the car parked over to the side. He walked to his door and unlocked it. Entering into his house he decided he simply needed to sleep. He didn't even bother to turn on any of the lights.
Knowing he'd better go to the bathroom first he walked in and used the toilet in the dark. He knew this place like the back of his hand and didn't need a light. It was as he reached to wash his hands that he heard something fall on the floor. Wondering what it could be – he was usually meticulous about leaving the place clean when he left – he reached over and turned on the light. Looking around he saw something sticking out from under the cabinet. Kneeling down he picked up a long, white plastic stick of some kind. What the hell was it?
He stood up, his knees creaking, and looked at the object. It looked familiar but he couldn't place where he'd seen one before. Finally, turning it over, he saw that it had a tiny window.
Sitting down suddenly on the edge of the bathtub, he realized what he was looking at. But what the hell was it doing here? He hadn't had guests up here since Teal'c and this was very definitely not something he would have. What was going on?
It was then that he noticed something else. There was a travel bag sitting on the top of the toilet tank. He could see a toothbrush and toothpaste and what looked like some kind of flowery shampoo. Someone was in his cabin! Putting the white stick in his back pocket he stood up.
Shit, he didn't even have a weapon on him. Hoping that it was just some traveler who'd gotten lost and had decided to use his cabin, he made his way silently out of the bathroom. He eased his shoes off, not wanting to make a noise, and began to check out his place. Everything seemed okay. He carefully checked each of the guest rooms but they were empty. That left his bedroom – and the door was closed.
Walking silently to the door he reached down and slowly turned the handle. He almost blew it as a sudden, violent shiver shook his body causing the door to rattle slightly. Not now, damn it, he thought. Keep your cool O'Neill. That made him smile briefly – that definitely wasn't a problem right now!
He opened the door, glad that he kept the hinges well oiled, and looked into the room. At first he couldn't see anything but then noticed the lump in the bed. Someone was definitely sleeping in his bed. Pretty sure it wasn't Goldilocks he made his way over until he stood looking at the body under the covers. He couldn't tell who it was – although he was pretty certain it was a woman based on what he had found – all he could tell was that she was asleep from the sounds of the even breathing and the regular movement of the covers.
Moving quickly he jumped on the bed and straddled the person, holding on to the blanket covered arms. He still couldn't see the person's face, covered as it was by a sheet.
"Don't move!" he spoke loudly. He was answered by a small 'squeak'. It took him a moment to realize he recognized that squeak!
"Sam?" He felt, rather than saw, a small nod. He carefully got off the body and sat back on the side of the bed. Nobody moved for a second until he saw an arm gradually snake out from under the covers. It cautiously pushed them down until he was looking in the very sheepish face of Sam Carter. A Sam Carter with red rimmed eyes and very tousled hair.
"What are you doing here?" he asked calmly. Actually, he wasn't calm at all – it was more like shock – as the fact of her presence hadn't really caught up to him yet.
"Uh – I'm sorry Sir", she answered softly, guiltily. "I didn't mean to intrude. I just needed to get away and you told me I could use your cabin whenever I wanted. I didn't think you'd be using it. I can go." She pulled the blankets aside and started to get up. He reached over and stopped her.
"No, stay." He didn't know what else to say. He was stunned and couldn't figure out what was happening. He was also sick and that was making it hard to concentrate. All he wanted to do was lie down with Sam curled up against him. He continued to stare at her until she began to look puzzled.
She couldn't figure out what was going on. She'd been mortified when Jack had found her – or tackled her more like. She expected him to be angry or sarcastic – but not this silent, stunned looking man. As she continued to look she suddenly realized that Jack was shaking as if he were freezing. Oh no, not again. The 'cure' had obviously not worked.
"Come here Sir", she said gently. Taking his hands she pulled him onto the bed and pushed him down. She then walked around and lifted his feet – noticing that he'd already taken off his shoes. She pulled the blankets up around him but saw that he was still shivering. Finally, not knowing what else to do, she climbed in with him and wrapped her arms around him. She could feel the sigh that went through him and felt his arms gather her tightly against him. He buried his face in her hair and was silent.
Slowly, his tremors seemed to get better. Again, her nearness was helping. Thank God she was here, she thought, her earlier embarrassment giving way to relief. What if he'd been on his own? As she lay there, she suddenly felt that everything was going to be all right. Oh, they still needed to find a cure – but they'd figure it out. There was no way she was going to lose him, not now.
Jack still hadn't said anything more after asking her to stay. He was holding her fiercely, almost as if he was afraid she would leave. It wasn't surprising that he'd think that, not after the way she'd acted.
"It's okay Jack. I'm not leaving you ever again." She whispered to him. It was a few seconds later that she felt something wet drop on her neck. She couldn't figure out what it was and pulled her head back. Jack tried not to let her see but she reached down and touched his face. That's when she realized he was crying. Oh God, what had she done to him? She gently, carefully kissed his cheeks, murmuring soft words of reassurance and love. After a while he calmed and his arms relaxed and he slept. She soon followed.
The sun was just rising, golden light entering the room, when she felt him stir. She looked down at him and saw that his face was pale and he was still shivering, although not as badly as before. Placing a small kiss on his cheek she saw his eyes begin to open.
"Morning", she spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the tender moment.
"Morning", he replied, equally as softly.
"How are you Jack?" she asked, concerned.
"Better – good – great." He grinned, looking both happy and sick.
"We need to get you back to the SGC. You're sick again."
"Mmm hmm" he agreed although he didn't seem to care. He continued to grin.
"Why did you drive here when you were sick?" She started to get peeved. The stupid man could have killed himself.
"Didn't know I was sick till I was almost here." He closed his eyes but kept his arms around her. No way was he letting her go – ever!
"Jack, I should get up and call Janet."
"No phone." He had it disconnected when he wasn't here.
"I've got my cell."
"No service." He started to nuzzle her neck. He might be sick – he wasn't dead!
"Jack!" She squeaked again. He loved her squeak.
"What are you doing?" She asked as his hands began to wander.
"If you don't know Sam, then I'm obviously not doing it right!" A shiver went through him but he ignored it. He figured that he really needed some body heat right now.
"Jack"
"Yeah?"
"I love you." He stopped what he was doing and leaned back so he could look in her face. Staring intently he wanted to make sure he had heard her right.
"I love you too. Does this mean …?"
"Yes, I hope so."
"What about the regs? You know what we're doing is wrong?"
"No, it's not wrong. We've given up everything for the Air Force and this is our time. Anyway, there are extenuating circumstances."
"Really? What would those be?"
"I'll tell you later." She noticed that his shivering was increasing. "Jack, should we be doing this? You're sick?"
"It's okay. This'll make me feel better – warm me up."
She grinned and blushed at the same time. "Yeah – that's what I'll say. I needed to warm you up!" She reached up and pulled his face down to hers.
Later they lay naked in each other's arms both sated and very, very happy. Jack was feeling great, better than he had in …. He stopped. He didn't remember ever feeling this good. It was quite amazing.
"Jack?" Sam was playing with the chain on his chest. For the first time he kind of appreciated the rings. They had added a new … dimension, which was really quite interesting. Maybe he shouldn't get rid of them right away!
"Yes?"
"How are you feeling?" She looked at him with worry in her eyes.
"I feel good – great even. I think you cured me."
"Really?"
"Yeah – really." He wondered if now was the time to tell her? No, he figured that had better wait. She might worry that that was the only reason … ah hell. She wouldn't believe that would she? Yes, she would. Crap – he was going to have to convince her that it had been the last thing on his mind. He definitely hadn't made love to her for any reason other than because he loved her.
That thought was swiftly followed by another one. There was something he needed to ask her.
"Uh Sam?"
"Yes?" He got out of bed and found his pants, which had been thrown across the room. He reached in the back pocket and pulled out the white stick. Walking to the bed he sat down on the edge and held it up.
"Care to tell me about this?" he asked sweetly
She looked up, guilt written all over her face. How had he found – oh crap, she'd left it in the bathroom.
"Uh, I kept feeling sick and thought that maybe I should take another test. The first one was negative but sometimes, if it's too early, they don't work."
He looked down at the stick and saw the two little red lines. Looking up again he grinned. "So, does this mean I'm going to be a Daddy again?"
She smiled back, relieved and overjoyed at his reaction. "Yes" she answered simply. He threw the stick over his shoulder and reached for her, happier than he could remember being in a long, long time.
Neither of them heard the door to the cabin open or the sound of worried voices. The two lovers were sound asleep, entwined in each other's arms, exhausted by the trauma and the joy of the past weeks. Nor did they hear the door to the bedroom open or the footsteps that approached the bed.
There was complete silence as the eyes of their friends, Daniel, Teal'c and Janet, looked down and watched the two sleep soundly, their faces relaxed and happy. Gesturing silently, Janet indicated that they should all leave. They quietly exited, relieved and joyful at what they had just witnessed.
There is an epilogue to follow. Sorry to those who didn't want a pregnant Sam. I just couldn't resist!