The base had become extremely busy. Carter couldn't keep up with all the teams coming in and out of the gate, most of them coming in heavy under attack, and ending up in the infirmary. Jack even started to help out, seeing that they were becoming shorthanded in maneuvering the wounded. There was one team in particular that came in extremely heavy under fire. But they weren't alone, they brought back with them several people from the planet injured.

"Medical team to the gate room" an airmen yelled.

"What now?" Sam voiced. She was in the control room and was able to see the team, with these additional people from the planet that were being attacked. Jack was there too. They both had to put their personal explorations and or confusions aside, hoping Atlantis would soon settle down. They made their way down to the Gate Room.

"SG6 report" Sam said.

"Ma'm…we were ambushed. These kind people were able to get us through a cave, that brought us to the gate..if not for them Ma'm I'm not sure we would have made it out alive" The solider said.

Sam moved closer to the new visitors.

"Hello…" Sam acknowledged the people.

"It's ok…you're safe here. No one is going to hurt you" She tried to reaffirm to them.

They all stood still. No words were spoken. They all had these blank faces. Sam could only attribute that to shock.

"Get them to the infirmary, and we'll debrief in an hour" she said. The airmen escorted them to the infirmary. But before they left, one of the visitors looked back at Sam, with this blank look on her face that gave same a chill she couldn't understand. So much so Jack noticed Sam's reaction, and could see how uncomfortable she had become.

"Hey.." he said, almost placing a hand on her back, but stopped himself.

"You ok.?" He asked, with the all familiar tone in his voice, letting her know that he was truly concerned without any other gestures. That's how well they knew each other.

"Yea..i'm fine…" she said as she looked at him, knowing he knew she was lying. But at this point there was nothing he could do. He knew that she was in charge and she had to fight through whatever tiredness and other "feelings" she had. He gave her that all familiar smile and they both left the Gate room.

Everyone was settled in the infirmary. The new visitors were all situated. SG6 was in the debriefing room.

"Ma'm, when we arrived at the planet, at first we didn't see anything. But then we came upon a small area, where a small aircraft had crashed. The visitors we brought with us were trying to repair it. At first they were frightened and tried to attack us but we explained to them that were weren't there to hurt them. They gained our trust, and we tried to assist them with repairs of the aircraft. It was just a couple of hours before we were ambushed. The visitors had been on the planet for quite some time so they were able to provide us with a means of escape, Ma'm" SG6 stated.

SG6 continued their debriefing. Carter dismissed them and they headed back to their duties.

Sam sat for a while. She took a deep breathe. She was utterly exhausted. She just prayed something would give, cause there was no crash and burn for her.

While Sam was busy in the debriefing, Jack was conjuring a plan that involved Carter's quarters. He didn't want anything between them anymore. He knew Carter would never act on her emotions knowing the regulations were still in place. So he planned away. Everything was set. Now to get Carter to her quarters was another story. With Atlantis being on the front line as of late, she had taken up in her office, for sleep. Jack made his way to find her.

Once he made it to the debriefing room, he could see a tall blond sitting with her head in her hands. He slowly walking towards her.

"Hey" Jack said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Sam jumped. She had dozed off right in the debriefing room.

"Hey" she said back startled by his approach.

"You ok?" He asked, already knowing the answer to that question. Her face was pale, and her eyes were dark and heavy. He knew she wasn't sleeping or eating.

"When's the last time you ate something, or slept for that matter?" he asked her, knowing all too well the times she would skip on meals when she would get to involved in something.

"Sir…I'm fine really…it's just been a long several days…" she said, sounding not too convincing.

"Carter….that wasn't an answer" he said. He knew she probably couldn't even remember when she ate last.

"Sir really, I have a power bar, in my office, I'll be fine" she said.

"Power bar, really Carter" he said, with that look of 'are you kidding me'.

She smiled. Even in her exhaustion, she can give that mega million smile that would light his heart up.

They had a brief moment, before Mitchell's entrance broke the silence.

"General" he said. "Hey Mitchell…" Jack quickly said to diffuse any suspicions.

"perfect timing…Hey you think you can hold down the fort, while I make Carter eat something" Jack said.

It annoyed her that Jack just asked Mitchell without asking her first, but she knew he was right; all the base needed was for her to pass out from starvation on top of exhaustion.

He looked at them both.

"Go..I got this" Mitchell responded. He too had seen how Carter was pushing herself way too hard. The two men nodded and it was settled. Sam knew that Jack never doubted her leadership abilities, but she also knew she was going to crash and burn if she didn't take heed to his warning.

Jack looked down to her and smiled.

"Shall we go?" he asked. He had his hands in his pocket, and pushed out his elbow so Sam could link her arm with his.

She didn't shy away even with Mitchell there. He smiled at both of them admiring them so deeply for the sacrifices they'd make to save earth, so many times, including sacrificing their love for each other.

They made their way down the hallway only for Sam to realize the Commissary was the other way.

"Ahh..Jack…" she said softly, using his first name only when they were alone.

"The commissary is the other way" she said, and she pointed to the other direction.

"I know" he said, and continued to look straight ahead, but not before Sam could see a smile she knew all too well.

"What is he doing?" she said to herself. But she was too tired to think anymore of it. She leaned her head against his shoulder and just let him lead her to wherever he was going. She loved this man and trusted him with her life. He could feel her leaning closer into him. His heart could explode with the love he had for this women.

They finally reached a door. It was her door. She looked at him, but didn't say a word.

"I need you to do something for me" he asked.

She just nodded.

"Can you close your eye" he said. Without any hesitation, she did just that. She could hear the doors open, in front of her. He held her arm and slowly guided her into her room. Her heart was pacing. What could he possibly have planned in the middle of all the chaos Atlantis was under?

He moved away from her, and watched her with her eyes closed. "God she was beautiful" he said to himself. He leaned in slowly and reached her eyes with his lips. He let them brush her earlobe, and he can feel her body generating a heat from within. "Open your eyes" He said, Open your eyes.