AN: Sam's recovery after the death of Jolinar. After In the Line of Duty.

"Hey, Carter... Sam," Jack pulled the stool close to the bed behind her then changed his mind. It had been days since the Goa'uld had died, but she was still a million miles away. Maybe it was time to push her a little. Moving to the other side of the bed so that he could see her face, he sat down.

"I was hoping you'd be up for a snack. Sadly, there was only red or green Jell-O so I got the red for you." No response. She was in her own world, and he hated that he couldn't be there with her to help. "No? Okay, well, you won't mind if I just..." he dug in himself, sliding the wobbly spoonful between his lips. Truthfully, he sort of knew she wouldn't be up for it and had gotten the red for himself. Blue was her thing. She just lay there, unresponsive like she had for the last several nights while he powered through the snack. Even Daniel hadn't been able to get her to talk. She hadn't spoken since she had told him that the Goa'uld had died to save her.

"One of the brainiacs from the science department has been working on that thing you left in your lab, the one with the sort of iridescent looking glowy light. But I don't want you to worry. I've been helping them so they don't break anything." If that didn't snap her out of it, nothing would. He knew Hammond had been considering calling Carter's next of kin, her dad, but Jack had encouraged him to put it off. He wasn't willing to admit there was a problem just yet.

"Of course, you can take as long as you need, but when you do feel up to it, I think we should have a thing." Did he imagine that shift of her eyes? It seemed like she wanted to look at him. "I'm thinking we get a bounce house, maybe hire a mime, throw some steaks on the grill. How do you feel about cake?" If she had connected for a second, she was gone again now. "You probably like chocolate, right? Not my favorite, but hey, cake is cake."

"Can I get you anything? Some of those pink girly magazines that smell like 7 different perfumes? Coffee? I think Teal'c has a bunch of movies in his room too, if you want. Probably all sci-fi." A blink was all he got from her.

"Okay, well, I've got some work to do since you aren't letting me copy your reports these days. Thought I might do it up here tonight if you don't mind." Time to get comfortable. He wondered if he would ever find out if he was annoying the hell out of her by lurking in the infirmary every night.

Pushing aside the empty Jell-O cup, he opened his laptop, and clicked open his latest overdue report. The cursor blinked judgmentally at him from the empty page. He didn't need the criticism right now so he looked back at her vacant face.

"We miss you, Sam." Something about the way she wasn't responding gave him the permission to share with her. "I shouldn't have let this happen to you. I'm sorry." Another blink from her, and then she saw him. She finally locked eyes with him for a moment and then blinked again, looking away. "Take your time. I'll uhh... we'll be here when you're ready."

Sweet Cassandra was curled up next to Sam on the bed and Sam couldn't help but wrap her arms around the girl. Sam remembered. She remembered what she had said to Cassandra when Jolinar had been in control. She remembered the horror on her face at the realization.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she whispered. "I never want to hurt you, Cassandra."

"I know. It wasn't you though. Jack said that Goa'uld was gone now."

"It is."

"So it's just you. And you won't hurt me. He said that too."

"He's right."

"He's smart," Cassie added.

"Yes, he is," Sam agreed easily.

Jack watched from the doorway of the infirmary. Sure, he was putting on a brave face for Cassie, but this could have gone very badly. He owed that kid, and he wasn't likely to forget it. For over a week he had sat with Carter every night, watching her unresponsive except for a blink here or a tilt of her eyes there. Hammond was calling her father tomorrow if this didn't work. For long minutes, they sat together just chatting and making plans for their next visit. He wasn't kidding himself. He knew she probably had a long way to go to get back to normal, but this was a hell of a start.

"Okay Cassandra, we have to get you home. It's a school night. You can come back and visit tomorrow though." Fraiser helped the reluctant Cassandra hop down and scooted her out the door.

Jack hung back as Daniel and Teal'c said goodnight to Carter, Daniel leaning in to squeeze her hand. She smiled up at him in return. Not the wide bright smile that he knew, but it was a smile. Jack approached her bed as the other men turned to leave and acknowledged them with a silent nod.

"So," he began as he reached her bedside, still standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets in fists.

"Thank you," she interrupted him. For the first time in over a week she looked at him. Not Jolinar of Milkshakes, and not those traumatized little glances he'd been getting all week as he sat beside her bed rambling on about nothing.

"For what?" he asked.

"Explaining to her. Sitting with me." She was still quiet and uncertain. He could tell she was still shaken, but it was progress.

"Well, as it happens, I'm fresh out of overdue reports to write, so Hammond will be happy." Then she smiled at him too. Two in one night was an excellent sign. "However, I do have a particularly pesky crossword that's just been giving me fits," he said pulling a folded up newspaper out of his chest pocket.

"I'm afraid I won't be good company," she said.

"You don't have to say a word. I'll be very busy," he said waving the newspaper suggestively.

"Yes, Sir."

She thought, not for the first time this week, that he was probably the best man she had ever known. She knew even through the haze of horror and grief that she was feeling that he had been through hell this week. She knew he blamed himself for what happened to her. She knew what it meant to him to lead this team, and his responsibility to everyone he commanded. But here he was, searching his pockets for a pencil. BDUs had way too many pockets, and he stuffed things in all of them. He lost most of it too, at least from what she had observed. Every night he had stayed with her, carrying on, talking to himself most nights, letting her know she wasn't alone, waiting for her to snap out of it. She wasn't out of it. Not really, but holding Cassandra and feeling that warmth of another person somehow reminded her of who she was. There were moments this week where she had truly wondered if she would ever be just Sam Carter again with no other being intruding into her consciousness, but she had touched that part of her mind tonight that was just Sam. Just Sam, hugging Cassandra.

After days of being in different worlds side by side, it was a little unnerving for him now to look up from his crossword puzzle and see her watching him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just really good to see you." He could tell her that she could have seen him every night if she'd looked the right direction, but that wasn't what she meant. And he had to admit, it was damn good to see her too.

"Likewise, Carter," he replied with a tilt of his lips. "Now unless you know a 6 letter word for unruffled, you should get some rest." She tipped up the corner of her mouth and tucked her face to her pillow.

"Try serene."