Authors Note: Yes I am still alive & I'm still writing! I have just been super busy. I currently have 2 little foster rabbits on top of volunteering with horses & an animal shelter and doing Parelli Natural Horsemanship lessons… and of course there is that annoying thing called work. *sigh*

I've joined Instagram & if you like animals feel free to go check out my photos… my username is eccentricrabbit :)

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The Virus – Chapter 28

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The night was warm enough that the four of them didn't bother setting up the light weight tents they had packed. Instead they lay around the fire and whoever was on watch would keep the little fire they had built burning.

Sam found she didn't sleep long, but laying under the canopy of trees and listening to the leaves rustling soothed her. She relished the feel of the breeze brushing over her face. She was quite content to lay there with her eyes closed and just rest. Every now and again she would hear animals and her eyes would automatically open and her gaze would shoot to whoever was currently on watch. Mouse? Possum?

When the sun came up she was on watch and she set about making them all coffees. She had let the fire die down to save them wasting water putting it out so she took out their little gas burner to boil the water.

Jack was the first to wake. As usual the moment his eyes opened he sought her out, his sleepy brown eyes catching hers…

"Morning," he shuffled out of his sleeping bag and moved to sit closer to her, his arm bumping hers lightly.

"Morning;" She echoed with a smile. She loved that the first person he wanted to see every morning was her. She also loved knowing he would fight to protect her the way she would him. Jonas would never have put himself out there to protect her and at first she thought that it was because he respected her independence... but eventually she realized it was just because he cared more for himself than anyone else.

"Penny for your thoughts," he took the mug she held out for him. "Thanks hon," his fingers brushed hers sending a tingle up her spine. She hoped it would always be this way with him... every little touch setting her alight with desire.

"Hon?" She raised an eyebrow. "Are we using endearments now?" He smirked at her.

"You betcha schnookums,"

"Okay... hon I can cope with... anything else and I will hurt you." She teased.

"I'm awake. Can one of you lovebirds hand me a coffee." Daniel muttered from his sleeping bag. He raised his head to look at her, his bed-hair as crazy as usual. She took him a mug and ruffled said hair affectionately.

"Sorry Daniel," Teal'c was laying on his back, his eyes were open and he was staring upwards, lost in his thoughts. "Coffee Teal'c?" She placed his mug next to him and he sat up. She was always surprised how graceful the large man was. He made sitting up - even with a slightly too small sleeping bag up to his chest look effortless.

"Thank you Major Carter,"

They ate breakfast and cleaned up in record time knowing they still had a long day of walking ahead of them.

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They walked mostly in silence and it wasn't until they had been walking a few hours that she felt the tell-tale prickle at the back of her neck. She definitely felt as though they were being watched. So as not to alert whoever it was following them she jogged a few steps to reach Jack and nudged him with her arm so he would look at her.

"Should we stop for a break?" She casually tapped the gun holstered at her hip and raised an eyebrow. He gave her a nod that told her he knew they were being followed too. Teal'c stopped walking and he was clearly aware too.

"Already?" Daniel turned to face them, a look of surprise on his face. Even after all these years in SG- 1 Daniel was still almost always last to notice signs of danger. She put it down to the fact he had such strong empathy for people of all walks of life... he liked to think the best of people despite how many times they had been betrayed! Sometimes Sam envied him this.

"I'm not feeling well," She lied. "We could rest over there?" She gestured to a park she had seen through a gap in the trees. There was a picnic table close enough to the children's play area and public toilets to give them cover if needed. It was also far enough out from the trees they were currently walking under - so they would be able to see anyone coming.

She led the way trying to keep at the same pace as before… But before she even reached the treeline she heard a shout and felt something heavy hit her in the back. She felt her right hand crunch ominously under the gun it had been resting on. She tried to get up but felt the cold metal of a gun on her temple.

"Drop your weapons and slide them over to us or I'll shoot her." She was lying face first in the dirt, a gun to her head and a potentially broken hand... but the first thing that came to her mind was that the man holding her down had godawful cologne on. She nearly laughed aloud but managed to bite her lip and keep her mouth shut. Shock. She told herself. It made her stupid every time.

"Alright, alright. Let the poor lady up would you?" That was Jacks voice. Relief flooded her body, he was okay. Their attackers must have snuck ahead and waited to ambush them. She was relieved to see only two pairs of men's boots in front of her. They weren't outnumbered, so they still stood a chance of escaping... if she could figure out how to get the rather heavy man off her back that was.

She heard the boys unclipping their guns and she considered throwing her body upwards and at least distracting the man before her team become weapon-less. At least they might escape… She tried to wiggle her right hand from beneath her gun but pain made her see stars. She was screwed. She would need both hands to push herself up. Next she heard the guns being tossed on the ground and the weight on her back disappeared along with the gun.

Sam took a deep breath and gently extracted her injured hand and pushed herself up with her good hand. She was shoved over to the rest of her team who were standing with their backs facing their attackers. Hope of escape was dwindling fast.

She stepped up beside Jack and he turned to her, his eyes showing how relieved he was that she was ok. She gave him a small smile before one of the men grabbed both her wrists, yanking them behind her back. As if in slow motion she felt the pain in her hand radiate up her arm and to her horror she felt her legs give out and she fell to her knees.

"Her hands broken, should I still put the cuffs on her?" Through the haze of pain she heard someone say to cuff her hands in front of her. She was gently lifted to her feet and she found herself facing a rather apologetic looking man. "Sorry 'bout this Miss." With much more care than a moment ago he took both hands and placed plastic cuffs on her, to her surprise he was considerate enough to leave the right side loose so it didn't make the pain in her hand worse.

She turned and found Jack, Daniel and Teal'c had their hands cuffed behind their backs. They had matching looks of concern on their faces. She gave them the most reassuring smile she could muster.

"Follow me," the stinky man who had been on her only a few minutes before began walking away and the other two men fell into step behind SG-1. She tried to ignore the pain in her hand and keep her head up. Things couldn't get much worse.

TBC.