samandjack.net

Story Notes: Email: levi@uswest.net

Rating: PG-13

Classification: Heavy angst, some drama

Spoilers: None

Required Reading: Samantha’s Pain (or you will be confused...)

Archives: Samandjack, Heliopolis, all others please ask.

*___* Indicates thoughts...

Summary: Takes place immediately after Sam’s Pain. Everyone, including Sam has a hard time dealing with what happened.

Author’s note: After re-reading my story, I realized that it ended too quickly. Thanks to the feedback from a few readers, (you know who you are!) I was able to continue this. I hope you like it, and as always, feedback is more than welcome!


"Sam! Sam! Wake up!" Jack had been sleeping on her sofa when he woke up with a start from the screams coming from her bedroom. He ran in there to see her thrashing about. He sat on the edge of her bed. "Sam, please wake up. It’s Jack."

She stopped thrashing about, slowly waking up. Realizing where she was, that she was safe in her bed. That it was only a dream. She looked at Jack through hazy, tear filled eyes and started to cry.

Jack moved closer and embraced her. "Shh. Sam. It’s okay. I’m here. It was a bad dream. You’re okay. I’m here. You’re safe." He kept repeating it over and over, until she started to relax. He stayed there, holding her until she fell asleep again. Laying her back down, he took up a spot on the floor by the foot of the bed. He couldn’t sleep, so he watched her. Grief overwhelmed him, and anger was starting to fester in his blood. *I will kill that bastard if and when I find him.*



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



A week later Sam was in Janet’s office, for a recheck. Janet gave her a thorough exam, making sure everything was healing nicely. Sam winced a little bit when Janet removed the stitches.

"Okay Sam. You can sit up. All done here." Janet removed her gloves, tossed them into the trash and picked up Sam’s chart. She walked over to where Sam was sitting. "Everything is healing fine. You can go ahead and get dressed, but don’t go yet. There’s something else I want to cover before you leave." Janet left the room to give Sam some privacy.

A few minutes later, Janet knocked on the door, waited a moment and came back into the examining room. Sam was still sitting on the cart, but was dressed. She was looking at her hands, and didn’t look up at Janet when she came in. Janet sat down next to Sam.

"Just a few more questions, then you will be free to leave, okay?" She saw Sam nod and continued. "How have you been sleeping?"

"Okay I guess. Why?" She had turned to face Janet.

"Just some things that I need for the next time you come in. How’s your appetite? You have lost a few pounds."

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "Could be better I guess." Sam gave her a smile. "But that might have to do something with the three stooges."

Janet laughed. Every night since the attack, one or more of the three guys have been over at Sam’s house, making sure she was okay. Janet wasn’t sure about the culinary skills of those men, but had an idea that it wasn’t the best food made. She sighed and looked at Sam wringing her hands. She also noticed a depressed look on Sam’s face.

"How are you?"

Sam looked up, face instantly clearing up. "Well, you told me I was fine, so I guess I’m fine."

"That’s not what I meant Sam. How are you?" She repeated more slowly, putting the emphasis on ‘are’.

Sam didn’t say anything. Janet gave Sam a suspicious look. "Sam. General Hammond has been asking about your return to active duty."

"I feel fine, Janet."

Janet looked at her friend before continuing. "The General wants to make sure that you are able to return to your previous duties."

Sam sighed. "Janet. I am more than ready to return to active duty. I am going stir-crazy staying at home all day. It’s nice that the guys come over and all, but I need to... Oh I don’t know, get moving." *Get back to my normal life* was what she almost said.

Janet looked at her friend for a long time before deciding. "Okay, Sam. I will tell General Hammond that you checked out fine and will be reporting for duty tomorrow. That okay?"

Sam had a smile on her face that Janet hadn’t seen in a long time – relief. "Thanks so much! I mean, having three nice looking men hanging around all the time sounds like fun, but be careful of what you wish for!" Sam got up to leave when Janet stopped her.

"One week." Looking at Sam’s confused face, she smiled. "I want to see you back here in one week for another check-up." She watched as Sam left the exam room. Walking back to her office, she wondered if Sam really was okay as she had said.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Janet was in her office finishing up on paperwork from that days’ patients when there was a knock at her door. It opened up before she could respond.

"I hear that Sam is going to be back to work tomorrow. Do you think she’s ready?" Janet looked up to see Jack enter.

Jack had shut the door behind him and was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed on his chest. He eyes were furrowed with concern. Concern that Sam wasn’t really up to facing the challenges of her job, but mostly concern for her well being.

Janet leaned back in her chair and motioned for Jack to take the chair opposite her desk. "I don’t know Jack. I do think that she will be fine physically, but..."

Jack interrupted her. "But what?"

"I don’t know. She seems to be fine emotionally as well. But, I am not for sure about that. She was behaving as if nothing was wrong. No outward signs that anything had happened. But I know Sam. She’s very good at dealing with stressful situations on her own."

Jack thought for a moment. Janet was right. He couldn’t recall right off hand when Sam wasn’t strong. "Well, what to do?"

"Just be there for Sam. Don’t push her into anything she isn’t ready for."

Jack sat there for a while, not saying anything. Janet returned to her paper work and watched as Jack finally got up and left. She was worried about him. *This is going to be hard for all of us.* She sighed, shut off her light and left.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The next day, Sam walked into the lab to see Daniel and Teal’c there. They looked up when she entered. She gave them a smile and they smiled in return.

"Good to have you back, Captain Carter." Teal’c said.

Daniel stood up, walked over to Sam and unsure whether if hugging her would be the right thing to do, he patted her on the shoulder. "Yeah, I agree. How does it feel to get out of the house?" He laughed. He knew that Sam was getting frustrated with having them over all the time.

She smiled. "It feels good to get up and around. Although I’m going to miss watching those soaps."

Seeing that Teal’c was confused. "Why would one sit around and look at soap?"

Daniel laughed at his friend. He went on to explain what Sam had meant.

"I hate to interrupt this deep meaningful conversation that you all are having, but we have work to do."

They turned around to see Jack walk in the room. Jack had looked at Daniel when he said this. Taking the hint, Daniel asked Teal’c if he wanted coffee from the cafeteria. "Be back in a minute!" Daniel called over his shoulder.

Jack shut the door after they had left. Sam had sat down at the table, looking over the images Daniel and Teal’c were working on. Jack walked over to where Sam was and pulled up a stool.

"Hey."

Sam looked up at him and smiled. "Hey yourself." She went back to looking at the papers.

They sat there for awhile. Jack was unsure of what to say. *Just treat her normal, be there for her.* Janet’s words echoed through his mind. He was about to say something when Daniel and Teal’c walked back in. They sat down opposite Sam.

"So, now that we’re all here, should we start?" Daniel was anxious to get back to the images he was deciphering. They were from P3X-1001, the planet they had just returned from.

Sam felt fine at the start of Daniel’s presentation on the data they had collected on their last mission. But as the meeting went on, she became more and more edgy. She noticed that Jack was sneaking glances her way. That was also making her more uncomfortable. She started feeling claustrophobic. *What is the problem with me?* She broke out into a cold sweat, and her breathing became shallow. She started massaging her eyeball sockets.

Teal’c was also glancing at Sam every now and then. When he noticed that something was wrong, he interrupted Daniel by asking Sam if she was all right.

Sam jumped visibly at hearing her name. "Ah... Yes... Teal’c. I’m, ah... fine." She looked over at Jack. "Sorry sir, I have to go." With that, she got up her chair and practically ran out of the room.



~~~~~~~~~~



Sam ran down the hall and went into a storeroom. She shut the door. Not bothering to turn the lights, she sat on the floor next to the back wall between some shelves. She had her knees bent with her feet on the floor, her elbows resting on her knees. She put her head into her hands and started to cry. *What is wrong with me?* She was confused as to why she would be acting this way. Trying to think back to find out what the problem might be, images of the night of the rape came back. As quickly as they surfaced, she buried them. *No, that's not the problem. I am over that. I am fine. It must be those pills Janet gave me.* She collected herself as much as she could, and when she felt ready, she left the storeroom, heading back to the lab.



~~~~~~~~~~



They all stared at Sam as she ran out of the room. Turning to Jack, Daniel asked him. "Do you think one of us should go and find her?"

Jack started to answer Daniel when Teal'c spoke up. "Maybe Captain Carter needs to be alone."

"That's all well and good, Teal'c, but I’m uh, worried about her. We all are. That’s why we should go after her."

Daniel looked at Jack. "I will go after her," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I don’t think so Daniel." Jack said slowly shaking his head.

Teal’c watched Jack and Daniel argue about who should go when Sam walked in.

"Hi guys."

"Sam, are you alright?" Daniel walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off giving Daniel a suspicious glance, but immediately smiled.

"I’m fine. I was feeling a little sick, and needed to get out and get some air. I think it’s those pills I’m taking. They make my stomach a little upset." She was grateful that none of them questioned her further. If they thought she was lying, they didn’t say anything.

Sam sat down and the others followed suit. She looked at Daniel and apologized for running out on such an interesting presentation. They all laughed.

"Great Sam. Now you’re becoming like Jack." This got a smile from Sam and Jack and raised eyebrows from Teal’c. "Now, where were we. Oh yes..."



~~~~~~~~~~~~



When Daniel was finished, they all went about various duties. Jack and Teal'c went to teach a class on advance strategies. Daniel went back to the office to try and decipher more of the images from the MALP. Sam stayed in the lab, going over some air, soil, and water samples. The guys seemed hesitant to leave Sam by herself, but she persuaded them that she would be fine. They left her to run her tests, but not more than twenty minutes later Daniel walked in. He knocked on the door before coming in the room all the way; he didn’t want to startle her.

"Hey Sam." Daniel walked over to her and sat down on a stool opposite her. "Need any help?"

She stopped what she was doing and smiled. "No, Daniel. Thank you though for asking." She turned back to what she was doing.

He sat there for a minute, then got up. "Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be in the office." She said thanks with a wave of her hand, not looking up at him as he left. He was walking out when he saw Jack coming from the other way.

Daniel stopped Jack from going into the lab. "She said she doesn’t need any help."

Jack gave Daniel a sarcastic look. "Well, as a matter of fact, I was going in there for a different reason." He went knocked on the door and went into the lab before Daniel could respond.

Making sure that Daniel hadn’t followed him; Jack walked up to Sam and leaned on the table. "So, Carter. You need any thing?"

She was writing down some information down and stopped when Jack came up to her. "No Jack. Thank you though."

"How about some coffee?"

Sam smiled and leaned her elbows on the table. She started rubbing the bridge of her nose with her left index finger and thumb. Jack became concerned.

"Headache?" Sam shook her head no.

"Actually, Sir. Coffee sounds good." Sam made a move to get up from the stool she was sitting on.

"No. Let me get it. I was heading in that direction when I thought I would stop in any ways."

Sam just nodded her head and smiled. "Black."

"Great. I’ll be right back."

Sam watched Jack leave. She sat there for a minute before continuing her work.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Three hours later, Daniel, Teal’c and Jack had each made two visits to her. At first she thought it was sweet, them showing her how much they cared and that they were there for her. No one had brought up the rape, and she was beginning to think that they had forgotten. She was feeling better when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She froze. *What if it was him?* *Don’t be ridiculous, there’s no way he could have gotten in here.* Another voice thought. Slowly she turned around and came face to face with Janet.

Janet saw the look of terror leave Sam’s face when Sam recognized her.

"Hi, Janet. What’s up?" Sam breathed a sigh of relief.

Janet was not one to be fooled so easily. "Sam can you come with me to my office? Are you at a stopping point?" Janet pointed at Sam’s papers.

"Sure, just let me input some numbers in the machine, and I’ll be ready."



~~~~~~~~~~~~



Ten minutes later they were in Janet’s office. When they were both comfortably seated, Janet started talking.

"Sam, how was your first day back?"

"Fine, no problems. I am glad to be doing something with my hands other than use them for the remote control."

Janet didn’t smile. "Sam. Jack told me that you ran out of the room this morning. You want to tell me what that was all about?"

"I felt sick, and needed some air. Maybe it’s those pills you gave me."

Janet leaned forward in her chair. "Sam. It’s not the pills." Sam just shrugged her shoulders. "Sam, you can talk to me. I am concerned about you."

Sam sighed. "It’s the guys." Seeing Janet’s confused look, she continued. "They won’t leave me alone. I think it’s sweet how they are showing that they care, but they are so overdoing it. It’s as if they are afraid to leave me alone. They..." She was interrupted by a knock on Janet’s door.

Janet got up to answer it. The door opened to Daniel, Teal’c and Jack standing there.

"Have you seen Captain Carter?" Teal’c was the first to speak.

Janet looked back at Sam with a knowing look on her face. She raised her eyebrows, and Sam shrugged her shoulders, and nodded that it was okay, understanding what Janet had wanted to know.

"She’s right here. We were just talking." Janet stepped to the side to let the guys in.

Teal'c walked in first, followed by Daniel then Jack. Jack shut the door and turned to look at the women.

"Talking about what?"

Sam shot him a look that could kill. "My, aren't we snoopy tonight." She snapped. Seeing the hurt and confused look on Jack’s face, she apologized. "Sorry Sir, I’m just tired."

Daniel and Jack spoke at the same time. "Do you need a ride home?" They both eyed each other suspiciously.

Sam looked at Janet. "See?" She turned to the guys. "I drove myself here, and I can drive myself home."

"But," Jack started but Janet interrupted him.

"No buts about it Jack. The lady has spoken. Okay?" She looked at Daniel who nodded. "Okay?" She looked over at Jack who nodded as well. "Teal’c, do you have anything to add?" He just shook his head once. She turned to Sam and told her that she was free to go. Sam got up out of her chair so fast, that it almost tumbled over. She left the room with out another word.

Daniel and Jack turned to follow, but were stopped by Janet. "I am going over to Sam’s tonight. Just me. If I see any one of you there, you will regret it." She spoke sternly.

Jack smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Is that an order Doctor?"

"If it needs to be, yes." Janet dared Jack to respond, but her look stopped him from saying anything.

Jack turned to Teal'c and Daniel. "C’mon guys. Let’s go."

Janet turned off her light and followed them out.



~~~~~~~~~~~



As soon as Sam left Janet’s office, she ran to her quarters and grabbed her bag. She headed to the elevator’s that would take her to the surface. When the door’s opened, Sam hesitated a minute before stepping in. She had to put her hand in the door to get them to open up again. She closed her eyes and leaned forehead against the wall, feeling the coolness of the metal. It was really comforting to her. She was feeling claustrophobic in Janet’s office, with everybody there. Talking about her as if she weren’t there. The doors opened and she looked around before getting out. *Good. No one here.* She took in a deep breath of the night’s cool air, feeling the gentle breeze on her face, and through her hair. She sighed. *Much better now that I’m out here.*

Sam started walking to her car when an unnerving feeling came over her. Like she was being watched. She felt the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. She hurried up her walk. *What was that? Footsteps?* She dropped her bag and ran full out to her car. She was afraid to turn around. She reached her car and went to unlock it not realizing that her keys were in her bag. She patted her outfit all over to see if they were in a pocket. She was panicking when Janet spotted her.

"Sam!" Janet ran up to see what was wrong. Sam was speaking incoherently in a high voice, patting herself over and over. "Sam!"

Hearing a voice, Sam froze. *It’s him!*

Janet reached her friend and put a hand on her shoulder. Sam spun around, knocking Janet to the ground and ran away. Janet got up and managed to catch her. "Sam! It’s me, Janet. Janet!"

They struggled a minute before Sam realized that it was her friend there, and not the attacker. She fell into Janet’s arms, sobbing.

"I’m so sorry." Sam kept repeating it over and over.

"It’s okay. Let’s get you home, okay?" Sam nodded her head, and let Janet lead her back to her car. "Stay here, I’ll go and get your bag. I’ll be right back."

Sam watched Janet walk over to where her bag was. *Man. How stupid of me. Why would I get panicked like that?* She stood there berating her self until Janet came back.

"Let’s go get some dinner, and go back to your place, okay? Then we can talk if you want."

Sam was about to tell Janet that she wasn’t really hungry, but decided against it. Once Janet made up her mind, it was difficult to change it. She laughed at that and got a curious look from Janet.



~~~~~~~~~~



Daniel, Jack and Teal’c went back down the hall, towards the sleeping quarters. Teal'c made his apologies and retired to his room. Daniel asked Jack if he wanted to go and get something to eat.

"No, I think I will just finish up some paperwork, and then go home. Thanks any way."

Daniel looked at Jack for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself." He walked down to the lab and grabbed his things, and left for the surface.

Jack went into his office and sat at his desk. He rested his elbows on the table. He folded his hands, and rested his chin on them. *Hmmm. I wonder what that was all about back there. Sam saying ‘See?’* Jack sat there for a moment tying to figure out what Sam had meant. Deciding that his state of fatigue wasn't going to help him find out, he made a mental note to go and talk with Janet the next morning.



~~~~~~~~~~~



Sam and Janet were in Sam's living room, finishing off the Chinese take-out they had brought home. Sam was taking small sips of water out of her glass; Janet was drinking cola.

"Man, that was good Janet. How did you hear about this place?"

Janet laughed. "Purely by accident. I put in an order at a different restaurant, and went to this place by mistake. I was mad that they didn't have my order ready. They apologized and didn't charge me for my order. It wasn't until I was at home that I realized it was my fault. I went back and apologized and explained what happened. I tried to give them some money for it, but they wouldn't accept it. So, out of guilt, I have been going ever since."

Sam was laughing hard. "Oh man, that's funny. What I wouldn't have given to have seen your face when you realized the mistake!" Janet playfully punched her in the upper arm.

After they had both calmed down from laughing, Janet looked over at Sam. "Sam, we need to talk." Sam's expression changed instantly, becoming serious.

"What Janet, is there something wrong?"

Janet shook her head. "No, Sam, we need to talk about you."

Sam's eyes steeled for a minute before returning back to normal. "There's nothing to talk about Janet. I don't know what you mean."

Janet was in no mood to play word games with Sam. "Sam. We need to talk about the rape." Sam flinched at hearing that word and stood up and moved away from Janet's reach. "Sam. Please sit down. I'm very concerned about you." Sam still didn't turn around. "If you don't want to talk to me about it, fine. Then maybe you should go and see a psychologist." Sam spun around when she heard this.

Sam walked over to Janet and stood facing her. Janet noticed there was anger in her eyes, but a deep sadness as well.

"Janet. There's nothing to discuss. It happened. It's over. I'm fine. End of subject." Sam had her arms crossed across her chest.

Janet stood up and Sam took an instinctive step back. Janet eyed Sam with compassion. Janet slowly reached out and took Sam's hands in her own and squeezed them. Janet could see the anger dissipate. Sam started crying and Janet pulled her into a hug. They stayed that way for a very long time. Janet was slowly rocking Sam back and forth, rubbing Sam's hair. "It's okay Sam. Let it all out."

Sam leaned back after a bit longer. She looked at Janet, and gave her a weak smile. "Guess I'm not over it after all."

Janet wasn't surprised. She knew that rape victims often bury their emotions in order to try to get on with their lives. She was now certain that Sam was putting on an air for everybody else's benefit. "Sam. It's going to take some time before you will be ‘over it’. That's normal. The feelings you have, they are normal in a situation like this. Honey, you need to talk to someone. It will help sort out the feelings that you do have. I am more than willing to listen, but if you would rather talk to someone else, I completely understand. What's most important is that you are comfortable with whom you're talking with."

Sam nodded her head. "Okay Janet. I’ll think about it. I'm tired. I would like to go to bed now, if you don't mind."

"Not in the least. You go ahead. I’ll clean up and then let myself out. You'll be okay tonight?"

Sam nodded and went to her room. "Thanks Janet."

Janet picked up the trash and tidied the room up. She made sure that Sam was sleeping before she left. She put a note on Sam's kitchen table. All it said was ‘You know where to find me. Love J.’



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Sometime in the middle of the night, Sam awoke screaming from another nightmare. She sat straight up in bed. Calming down after figuring out that she was in her room, she laid back in her bed. Realizing that she was covered in sweat, she decided to take a cold shower. This dream had been a particularly bad one. This time she wasn't as lucky. Her injuries far worse and she ended up being killed.

She stepped into the shower, and rested her head against the faucet wall, letting the cool water slide over her body. *This is nuts. Maybe Janet is right.* She stepped out of the shower, toweled off and put on an oversized T-shirt and sweat shorts. She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee. She sat at the table, and started to drink when she noticed the note Janet had left. A small smile was on her lips. She read the note a couple of times over before setting it back on the table. She stood up and shutting off the kitchen light she went to her living room. Sitting down on the sofa, she turned on a small lamp that was on an end table.

Sam cleared her mind. This time when the memories of the rape started to surface, she didn't force them back down. She replayed the scene over and over in her mind, eventually deciding with scientific reasoning, that there was nothing that she could or couldn't have done any different. Just the realization of that made Sam feel so much better. She finished her coffee and went back to sleep, this time no dreams awoke her.



~~~~~~~~~~



First thing the next morning, Jack walked into Janet's office. He didn't bother knocking. Janet looked up and didn't say anything as Jack shut the door and sat down.

"Colonel, something I can do for you?" Janet sat up in her chair, waiting for an answer.

Jack went straight to the point. "Last night, when we were all here, Sam said ‘See’. Would you mind explaining what that meant?" He leaned back and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Well, Sir. That would be breaking patient-doctor confidentiality if I told you."

Jack stood up. He eyes flashed with anger. "Like hell it is! It had something to do with the rest of us. Therefore, it involves us, and I order you to tell me what it meant!"

Janet did not like being talked down to. She stood up, just as angry as Jack. "I over-ride the General himself when comes to my patients. You might want to consider that before you order me to do anything right now, Colonel." Janet was seething.

Jack saw that Janet meant business. He put his hands up and sat back down in his chair. "I'm sorry. I have been worried about Sam, and what she said last night made me wonder if it had something to do with me." He looked up at Janet.

Janet sighed. She sat in her chair also and leaned on her desk. "Its okay, Colonel. We are all worried about Sam." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Sam just has been feeling a little, ah, how should I put it. Hmm. Smothered? By you guys. She appreciates the way you all are showing how you care, but she feels that you don't think that she can be by herself, that she needs a baby-sitter." Janet leaned back into her chair when she finished.

Jack sat there amazed. He hadn't realized that he, no in fact; all of them were behaving that way. He started rubbing his eyes with his fingers. "Oh man. I didn't know..."

"I understand. Its easy to become overprotective of someone when something bad happens to him or her. You get the feeling that if you weren't, something else might happen."

"I just don't want to lose her Doc. She seems to be pulling away from me. She won't let me touch her, or even spend time alone together while we are at work. She refuses to have me come over and check on her..." Jack trailed off.

Janet nodded. She knew how difficult it was for Jack to say that. "Its not just you Jack. She has been behaving that way with everybody. What you and Daniel and Teal'c need to do is to treat Sam the say way you did before this happened. Show her the same respect, interact with her the same way. It will hopefully help her start with her healing process. She needs to know that she is okay, that she is not different because of what happened. She especially needs to know that your opinions of her haven't changed. What she also need now is for you and Daniel and Teal’c to get along. It won't do Sam a bit of good to have you arguing."

Jack nodded his head slowly. "They haven't, at least not mine. I'm sure Daniel and Teal’c don't think of her any different."

"I agree."

Jack stood up from his chair. "I ah, I'm sorry about earlier."

Janet secretly smiled. It was one thing for Jack to admit how he feels about Sam, it was another thing to hear him apologize twice for something he did. "That's okay Colonel."

Jack opened the door and was getting ready to leave when Janet called out to him. "Colonel?" Jack turned to look back at Janet.

"Would you please tell Daniel and Teal’c that I would like to speak with them. Just tell them that you don't know if they ask."

Jack said that he would and left Janet to her work. He shut the door and leaned on it for a minute. Rubbing his face and head with his hands he berated himself. *That was stupid of me. Why did I let myself do that to Sam? I know she can take care of herself, but... why.* *Because you love her, that's why.* Jack groaned. This was no time to get into that with himself. There were more important things that needed attention. He turned and went to find Teal’c and Daniel.



~~~~~~~~~~~



Janet had given Daniel and Teal’c the same speech she gave Jack. They all promised to try their hardest when it came to working with Sam.

On the other hand, Jack and Daniel found it harder to adhere to the promise they made to Janet. They both had promised Janet that they would be better in the way they acted towards Sam, but their working relationship was deteriorating. Jack didn't like they way Daniel was staying close to Sam. Daniel didn't like how Jack kept interrupting he and Sam when they were discussing something.

At first, Sam was flattered again by the show of emotions by the both of them, but it was getting to be too much. She couldn't do anything with either one or the other around, and then when they were both there, the tension in the room was so thick you could slice it with a knife. On more than one occasion, Teal'c had to come between the two men before to stop them from coming to blows.

One afternoon when Sam had left the office to go run some tests, Daniel and Jack started in on each other.

"Daniel, do you think you could get any closer to Sam?" Jack was sitting on a stool, leaning so his back hit the edge of the table.

Daniel glanced in Jack's direction and shrugged his shoulders. "What exactly do you mean Jack?" He turned back to what he was doing.

Jack stood up and walked over to Daniel. This action caused Teal’c to also get up and go to the two men.

"You know what the hell I mean!" Daniel shook his head no, but he knew what Jack was referring to.

"I'm sorry Jack, I haven't the faintest idea of what you are talking about."

Jack grabbed Daniel’s shirt and pulled him up to a standing position. "Like hell you don't!"

Daniel pushed Jack away. "Oh, and what about you ‘Mister I have to butt into every thing’."

Jack glared at Daniel and was preparing to come at him when Teal’c stepped between them. He put one hand on Daniel’s chest and the other hand on Jack's chest.

Teal'c was having a hard time understanding the actions of his two friends. He knew that they were all disturbed with what had happened to Captain Carter, but he didn't know why Colonel O’Neill and DanielJackson were behaving the way they were. He remembered specifically what Doctor Frasier had told them. And that any strange behavior by them would only add to the stress that Captain Carter was having.

Janet was coming to SG-1’s office when she heard yelling. She ran in there to find Teal’c between some seriously pissed off men.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

"Jack..."

"Daniel..."

They both stared to speak but stern looks from the Jaffa stopped them both from continuing.

Teal'c remained where he was and explained to Janet what had just transpired there in the room.

Janet was furious. "Jack, Daniel. Sit. Down. Now!" When they remained standing, she yelled. "NOW!" They both sat down immediately with stunned looks on their faces. They had never seen Janet so furious. Teal’c took the seat between the two men.

Janet went and shut and locked the door. She turned back to the men seated before her. She was upset. No, upset wasn’t the word for it. She was livid. She had specifically told them to behave and that meant with each other as well as when they were around Sam.

"Do you remember what I told you?"

Jack and Daniel nodded their heads like school children when they get into trouble.

"So, what happened? Why did you not heed what I had to say? I know that this is a stressful time. It is for all of us. But you must try and put whatever differences you have away for Sam’s sake. Do you think that it will do Sam any good to hear about this?"

Again, Jack and Daniel just sat there and shook their heads no.

"All right then. Now, can someone tell me where to find Sam."

Teal'c responded. "I believe she went to the lab."

"Thank you Teal’c." Janet went to the door and unlocked it. She turned around before leaving and gave them a stern look. "I better not hear of this happening again." She left and slammed the door behind her.

*I could just kill those guys.* She headed towards the lab in search of Sam.



~~~~~~~~~



Janet didn't find Sam at the lab, but in the cafeteria. Sam was at a table in the corner of the room, staring off into space with a cup of coffee ignored on the table in front of her. Janet sighed and walked over to where Sam was sitting. She sat across from her and put her charts on the table. She rested her elbows on the table and looked at Sam.

Sam didn't notice Janet at first, but just sat there with an unreadable expression on her face. She finally noticed Janet when she went to pick up her coffee mug.

"Oh! Janet you startled me. How long have you been there?" Sam grimaced as she took a sip of the now cold coffee.

"Oh, awhile now. Where were you?"

Sam looked at Janet as if that was one of the most stupid things she had heard. "I dropped off some stuff at the lab, and then came here."

"No, Sam. I meant where were you just now?" Sam looked perplexed. "I mean, what were you thinking about?"

Janet moved around the table to sit next to Sam. Sam scooted a little to the side when Janet sat next to her, not looking up. Janet took Sam’s chin in her hand and turned it so that they were eye.

Realizing that Janet wouldn't let her go until she talked, Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I was thinking about a dream I had last night." Sam paused, and Janet nodded for her to go on. "It was bad... I woke up in a cold sweat."

Janet put a hand on her shoulder and shushed her quietly. There were more people coming into the cafeteria and Janet didn't want to discuss this here. "Let's go to my office, okay?"

"Ah, no that's okay Janet."

Janet's eyes pleaded with Sam’s. "Please don't push me away, Sam. I'm your friend, and I want to help you if I can. Please, come with me."

Sam reluctantly agreed, and they both left.



~~~~~~~~~~



Back in Janet's office, Sam had taken the chair that was against the wall; Janet sat in the chair that was in front of her desk. Janet had shut and locked the door, and closed the blinds.

"Okay, Sam. Now, tell me about the dream."

Sam started to fidget. "It wasn’t anything really. I mean, I don't remember much." Sam started to cry and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "After I fully woke up, I took a shower and felt better. I was too awake to go back to sleep, so I made myself some coffee and went into the living room."

Janet was glad to hear Sam finally open up. To hear Sam talk made her feel better. *I hope that this makes Sam feel better as well.*

"I sat down on the sofa and the images of what happened..." she said with disgust, "came from somewhere. So, instead of pushing them away, I let them come." Sam’s voice was shaky. She wasn’t sure if telling Janet was such a good idea. *What if she tells the guys.* *Now, where did that come from, I can trust Janet, can't I?* *Yes, she's been there for you before when you needed her, she is here again for you.* *You never know these days.*

Sam shook her head to clear those inner thoughts. Janet sat there patiently, knowing that Sam would continue when she was ready.

After a long minute, Sam cleared her throat and started again; this time a little more confidant. "I analyzed the events of the night, and came to the conclusion that there was nothing that could or could not have happened to change the outcome." Sam had become her scientific self, discussing the rape as if it were a statistic, that it happened to someone else.

Janet was glad to hear Sam finally talk about what happened. This is the first time that Sam had said anything about it since Janet had been in her quarters. She smiled softly. She realized that Sam was trying to make sense of what happened, to rationalize the events and then store them away on a back shelf. But what Sam had said next, caught her off guard.

"So," Sam continued. "To be able to come to an understanding with that; it means that I'm fine. I wash my hands of it, and can go on." Janet was mildly surprised to hear Sam speak those words. She knew that Sam was a strong person, being able to draw on her own personal strength to get through stressful situations, but this sounded, well, it sounded planned. As if she was reciting from a script. Janet decided not to mention anything, she didn't want to upset Sam by asking any questions. Now was not the time. That conversation would have to take place in more private surroundings.

Sam was looking at Janet for a response. When Janet didn't respond right away, Sam’s mind began to go into overdrive. *She thinks I'm lying! I knew I shouldn't have told her!* Before Sam could berate herself any more, Janet took her hand, breaking her concentration.

Choosing her words carefully, Janet smiled warmly at Sam. "That's great Sam. I am so glad that you are better. I bet you feel good."

Sam nodded her head. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I feel great." Looking at her watch, she gasped. "Ugh! I was supposed to meet with the Colonel a half-hour ago! Sorry Janet." She got up from where she was sitting, and opened the door. Before she left, she turned back to Janet and thanked her.

Janet stared at the door after Sam had closed it. She didn't know what to think about what had happened. She believed that Sam was starting to come to terms with what had happened, but at the same time, Sam was burying the emotions and was behaving as if she was an outside observer. Janet sighed. *Time. Time will heal all wounds. But, just how much time does Sam have?*



~~~~~~~~~



The next day, General Hammond had summoned Jack, Daniel and Teal’c into his office. When they entered, they noticed that Janet was standing next to General Hammond’s desk.

Jack was a little concerned. "Sir?"

General Hammond waived his hands to the chairs. "Sit down please. There is something that we need to discuss." General Hammond’s tone was serious.

Hammond sat up in his chair and put his folded hands on the desk. "I have been hearing some reports of discord amongst your team, Colonel. I would like to know what the hell is going on?" That was more of a command than a question.

Still confused, Jack shook his head. "Sir, I don't quite follow."

General Hammond sighed. He spoke very slowly and clearly. "Janet has informed me that there was some sort of altercation between two of you yesterday." He nodded slightly when he saw Daniel wince and Jack stiffen. "It seems to have been overheard by some members of another SG team, and they were concerned. They came to me, and with what Janet has told me confirms that this took place." He paused for a moment to gauge the reactions of the men. Neither Jack nor Daniel spoke, so he continued. "I don't want this getting out to the rest of the SG teams. It’s nobody else's business. Luckily the people who overheard the ‘conversation’ did not hear what it was about. Doctor Frasier has something to add." Turning to Janet he motioned for her to go on.

Janet stepped away from the desk and in front of the three men. "Sam is stressed. If she were to find out about this, who knows what it would do to her recovery process. It's only been about a week since it happened. She needs all of your support. She can't get that with you fighting over her amongst yourselves. I know it's hard to fathom happening. It's even harder to make sense of when it happens to someone we love. So for Sam’s sake, knock it off!"

Daniel and Teal’c were surprised at Janet's little outburst at the end. Jack started to speak when General Hammond interrupted him.

"I have scheduled SG-1 to go on a mission to P3X-9784 tomorrow 0800 hours. The MALP shows no signs of advanced civilization. There are images of abandoned buildings and lush vegetation. Your objective is to go in, recon the area, gather the necessary data and get out. Captain Carter will be joining you." Seeing Jack about to object, General Hammond looked Jack directly in the eyes and spoke only one word. "Dismissed."

They all got up and left, Janet asked for permission to leave and it was given. General Hammond leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. Doctor Frasier assured him that Captain Carter was physically ready. He was not worried about her at the moment. He was more concerned with Daniel and Jack. He knew that they were upset with what had happened to one of their team members. But after observing the way the two glared at each other, told him that something else was going on. It seemed to him that both Jack and Daniel had taken what had happened to Sam personally, and each believed that they were therefore the only one to be able to help Sam. He shook his head. He hoped that they would be able to work it out before the mission tomorrow.



~~~~~~~~~~



Sam stood before General Hammond’s door. She was summoned to meet him, and was a little nervous. She hesitantly raised a fist and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Sam entered and shut the door behind her. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

General Hammond looked up and smiled when he saw Captain Carter. "Captain, please come in, sit down." He pointed to a chair.

After Sam was comfortably seated, General Hammond started. "Sam, I have assigned SG-1 to a mission tomorrow. I wanted to inform you of it personally, without the other members here." He cleared his throat and continued, more softly "Doctor Frasier said that you are ready to return to active duty. I, however, would like to hear it from you."

Sam sat there thinking for a moment. She was not offended by his question. He was not questioning her ability to do her job, but he was concerned for her. A fleeting thought of him not trusting her came to mind, but she pushed it away. General Hammond has been one of their strongest supporters.

She looked up at him; he was eyeing her curiously. "I am more than ready to go. This will be a nice change of pace. My rear is getting sore from sitting on the lab stools all day."

General Hammond laughed at that. "All right then. Jack and Daniel will give you the necessary information. Dismissed."

Sam stood up and saluted the General, he returned the salute. Sam had opened the door, but turned around.

"Sir?"

General Hammond looked up. "Yes?"

"Thank you." Sam then left and shut the door behind her.



~~~~~~~~~



The next day, SG-1 was in the embarkation room, waiting for the Stargate to be engaged.

"Chevron six engaged." A voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

Jack, Daniel and Teal’c were making final adjustments on their gear.

Jack looked up to ask Sam if she was ready and saw that she was pacing back and forth.

"Chevron six locked." Sam jumped when she heard the voice.

Jack walked over to her. "Sam, a little jumpy today? Had too much coffee with Daniel?"

Daniel looked up at the sound of his name. "Huh?"

Sam laughed. "Nothing Daniel." She looked back at Jack. "I'm fine. Just anxious to get going."

"Chevron seven engaged."

The swoosh of the wormhole as it engaged made Sam jump.

Jack raised his eyebrows in question, and Sam mouthed that she was fine.

Turning back to Teal’c and Daniel he started up the ramp. "Okay, campers. Let's move on out."

Teal’c entered the wormhole first, followed by Daniel and Jack. Sam walked up to the edge of the wormhole and stood there for a minute. She took a deep breath and stepped in.



~~~~~~~~



P3X-9784 was beautiful. The images from the MALP didn't do it justice. The forest was a deep green. There were very colorful plants and flowers interspersed here and there. The air was very fragrant, like freshly picked lilacs. Taking in a deep breath, Sam felt calmer than she had in days. *I could get used to this smell.*

After clearing the immediate area, Sam and Daniel went over to check out some of the closer abandoned buildings. Sam was smiling and Daniel was his usual giddy self when it came to ancient artifacts.

Jack watched them leave. *I never thought I would be happy to see the scientist in Sam.* He yelled after them. "Stay where I can see you!"

Sam called back over her shoulder. "Yes dad."

That made Jack smile. It was good to see Sam happy. *Maybe the General's idea to do this mission is a good thing after all.*



~~~~~~~



Daniel and Sam walked up to the building. It looked to be made of a substance similar to adobe. The walls were decaying, with hunks of the wall missing. There were vines of some sort scaling the outsides of the building. They looked for a minute before they found an entrance.

They both walked in. There was no ceiling, and the sun lit up the room softly, having to pass through the trees. Daniel was in awe of the intricate drawings and writings on the wall. He made several pencil reliefs of the drawings and writings, and took video of the area. Sam went back outside and started gathering soil and other things needed for her tests.

Sam was bent down, gathering samples from near the buildings wall when she heard a twig snap. Sam froze a minute, until she saw a small hairless animal walk out of the woods. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Its nose was twitching, as if trying to smell Sam. Sam was very still, hoping that it would come closer. The animal was almost within reach when Daniel and his impeccable timing walked out of the building.

"Sam..." He stopped when he saw the creature run off. Sam was also startled by his presence. He saw a tense look pass quickly from her face.

"Sorry, Sam. I didn't know you had company."

Sam stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants. "It's okay." She pointed to the papers that she was holding. "Find anything interesting?" She moved closer as he started to explain what he had found.



~~~~~~~~



Jack hated these scientific missions. Nothing for him to do but sit there and watch Teal'c while waiting for the scientist twins to do their thing. *Thinking of that, where are they?* Jack got up from the rock that he was sitting on.

Jack turned to Teal’c and stretched. "I'm going to look for Captain Carter and Daniel. I’ll be right back." Teal’c nodded his head and went back to watching the area, not letting Jack know that he was also watching him.

Jack walked in the direction that Sam and Daniel had gone. He walked from a clearing into a fairly wooded area when he heard them talking. He couldn't make it out, but he heard Sam laugh. Jack walked up to a tree and stood behind it, not wanting them to know he was there. He tensed up when he saw Sam laugh and put her hand on Daniel’s arm, and he moved closer and put his arm around Sam. Jack felt the beginnings of anger start. He was slowly clenching and unclenching his fists. He made his mind up to go and break whatever was up between them when he felt a strong hand lay on his shoulder.

Jack turned around to see Teal’c standing there. Teal'c had sensed that Jack was suspicious of Daniel being with Sam, and had followed the Colonel to make sure that Jack wouldn't cause any more problems.

"Jesus, Teal’c. You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry O’Neill. I sense that something is not right. My symbiote is behaving strangely. I suggest that we leave immediately."

Jack agreed. Teal'c was usually right when it came to his intuition. Jack turned away from Teal’c and walked up to Sam and Daniel. When Daniel saw Jack, he dropped his arm from Sam’s shoulder.

"Jack, what’ up?"

Jack just glared at him. "We're leaving."

Sam was confused. "What, why?"

At that moment, they all heard crashing noises coming through the forest. They also heard angry shouting.

"No time to argue! Let's go!" Jack pushed Daniel from behind and they all ran towards the Stargate.

They were about fifty feet from the Stargate when they were fired upon. Turning around to return fire, they noticed that their attackers were wearing what appeared to be leather loincloths with leather vests. They were carrying arrows, and also firing what seemed to be crude ‘zat guns.

"Daniel, dial us home!" Jack yelled as he was firing at the enemy.

Daniel ran to the DHD and began punching the appropriate sequence of symbols. Teal'c, Jack and Sam fought off their attackers with little resistance. Their weapons were no match for that of SG-1.

Sam had turned back to get to the Stargate when Jack yelled that there was one behind her. She turned around just in enough time for him to run into her. She brought up her fist and gave him a great right hook. They were both up quickly and he yelled and ran at her. She grabbed her gun and emptied what was left of her clip in him. She was screaming. She kept on pulling the trigger even though it just made those clicking sounds. She yelled in anger, dropped her gun and proceeded to kick the ever-loving shit out of the man.

Daniel, Jack and even Teal’c were stunned at Sam’s behavior. Jack walked over to where Sam was.

"Sam..." She just kept kicking the guy. Louder he said her name again. "Sam!"

She turned around and Jack saw the animal rage that was boiling in her eyes. Her breaths were coming rapid and shallow. It took her a moment to see that it was the Colonel there, not another enemy. Her expression changed to that of great sorrow. She looked at Jack for a minute and then passed out. He grabbed her before she could fall to the ground. Teal’c went over and took Sam out of Jack's arms. He turned and walked to the ‘gate leaving a very confused Colonel standing there. Teal’c did not want the two men arguing over who got to help Sam back home.

Daniel sent SG-1’s code to announce their arrival. Daniel went through the gate first, followed by Teal’c carrying Sam. Jack turned to look back at the carnage that had just happened and then walked through the ‘gate.



~~~~~~~~~~



General Hammond was pacing back and forth at the bottom of the ramp that lead up to the ‘gate. He was obviously relieved when he saw Daniel walk through. But that relief was short lived. He noticed the unbelieving look upon Daniel’s face. He was about to ask what happened, when he saw Teal’c walk through carrying Sam. Jack walked through a second after.

Hammond ran up next to them. "What the hell happened?" He was staring at Sam.

Teal'c was the one to speak. "There was an altercation between us and a small group of some sort. Captain Carter was walking backwards when she tripped and knocked her head. I will take her to the infirmary." With that, Teal’c walked out of the room and straight to see Janet.

General Hammond turned back to Jack and Daniel. Eyeing them both suspiciously, but not wanting to say the wrong thing, he had to speak cryptically. He turned so he was facing the both of them. "Debriefing will take place as soon as Captain Carter has recovered."

They both spoke at the same time. "Yes, Sir!"

"Good." General Hammond left to follow Teal'c, leaving Jack and Daniel on the ramp.

Daniel stared at Jack for a minute before following Teal’c. Jack stood there and sighed deeply. He took off his hat and went to join the rest of his team.



~~~~~~~



Janet was going over a chart of another patient when she heard some commotion outside the infirmary doors. She looked up to see Teal'c walk in carrying Sam. She dropped the chart she was reading and rushed over to them.

"Bring her over here, Teal’c." Janet pointed to an enclosed examining room. Janet opened the door and held it for Teal’c. He entered the room and laid Sam gingerly down on the cart that was there. That struck Janet as odd, but thought better not to ask right now.

"What happened Teal’c?"

Teal’c cleared his throat, something else which struck Janet as odd. "Captain Carter was retreating from the enemy and fell and knocked her head against a rock."

Janet nodded. "Okay Teal’c, I'm going to have you step out now, I will come out when I know something." Janet pushed him towards the door. Teal'c took one last look at Sam and left. Janet was smart enough to lock the door behind him.

Jack, Daniel and General Hammond entered the infirmary just in time to see Teal’c shut the door. Jack started to push past Teal'c who put a hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor Frasier said she will inform us of Captain Carter's condition as soon as she knows something."

Jack pulled away from Teal'c’s grasp and went to the door, turning the knob. When he found out that it was locked, he started pounding on it. "Let me in!" Getting no response from the other side, he started hitting the door harder. "Let me in Doctor, that is a direct order!"

General Hammond looked over at Teal'c and nodded. Teal’c understood what the General wanted and grabbed Jack's upper arms, thereby immobilizing him. Jack put up a small fight and stopped struggling when he realized that Teal’c wasn’t going to let him go. Teal'c released Jack's arms when Jack stopped fighting him. Jack turned and glared at Teal’c and stomped over to an empty cart and sat down. General Hammond excused himself, extracting a promise from Teal’c that he was to be notified as soon as there was information on Captain Carter's condition. Teal'c turned back to look at Jack, and then looked for Daniel. It took a minute to see where he was. Daniel was sitting on a cart that was hidden partially by the shadows. He sat there, feet up on the cart, hugging his knees. He was staring at the door to the room where Sam was. Teal’c went over to a rolling chair and sat down. Like the others, he was soon engrossed with his own thoughts.



~~~~~~~



Janet made sure that the blinds were closed, to prevent the guys from peeking in. She walked over to Sam and proceeded to take her vitals, and inserted an I.V. She picked up a chart and was making notes in it when she heard some groaning. She put the chart down and walked over to where Sam was, putting a hand on Sam’s right shoulder.

"Where am I?" Sam was still very groggy.

"It's okay, Sam. You're at SGC, in the infirmary."

Sam tried to sit up, but a massive headache put a stop to that. She laid back down. "My God. Janet. What happened?" She put her right hand to her head, as if to stop the throbbing.

"Easy Sam." Janet walked over to the counter and drew up some medicine into a syringe. She walked over to Sam, laying the syringe next to her.

Sam repeated herself. "What happened?" She was starting to feel a little more clear-headed, although the headache was still screaming.

Janet crossed her arms across her chest. "I was hoping that you could tell me." She picked up the syringe and injected the medicine into the I.V. "This will help with the headache." When she was finished, she threw the syringe away and turned back to Sam. "Better?"

Sam nodded her head slightly. "Starting to feel that way..."

"Good, now can you remember what happened, Sam?" Janet sat on the edge of the cart.

Sam thought for a moment. She remembered being with Daniel looking over the samples he had gathered. She remembered Jack walking over to where they were standing... *was he mad?*

Sam rubbed her temples with her fingers. "Well, I remember talking to Daniel and then Jack came over to where we were. Teal'c said that we must go... We heard voices, ran to the Stargate. I remembered shots being fired on both sides. Daniel opened the ‘gate..." She stopped. She couldn't remember what happened after that. She shook her head. "That's all I can remember. The next thing I knew was waking up here." Sam’s voice had become groggy with sleep.

Janet patted Sam on the arm. "That's okay. Get some rest. I will come in later to check on you."

Sam mumbled something and motioned to Janet.

Janet leaned closer to hear, and smiled at what she had heard.

"Some good stuff, Janet."

Janet turned the lights down, and took one look back at Sam before she left.



~~~~~~~~



Jack had gotten up off the cart he was sitting on and was now pacing back and forth. He could not sit still. Time was passing to slowly as it was, for him to just sit there. *Damn it. What is taking her so long?* He glanced over at Teal'c, still sitting in his chair, and noticed an unusual expression on his face. Disbelief, perhaps? He then looked over to where Daniel was. Daniel was just staring at the wall, not moving. He guessed that Daniel and Teal’c were having as hard of a time understanding what happened as he did. Jack blamed himself. *I should have noticed that guy before I did, then this wouldn't have happened.* Jack sighed deeply and continued pacing.

Teal'c sat very straight in the chair. He was quite upset at what he had witnessed. It was behavior he had seen before, that was not the problem. It was just that he had never witnessed that behavior in a woman before. He looked over at Jack pacing. He knew that O’Neill was very worried about Captain Carter, as was he. He wished O’Neill would stop pacing because it was starting to make him nervous, and that was a hard thing to do. Turning back to face the door, he noticed Daniel. Daniel appeared to be lost in his own thoughts as well. Teal’c couldn't read the expression on Daniel’s face. Teal'c focused his thoughts inward. He took a deep breath in and tried to meditate. It was not easy and soon he gave up; he was too concerned with Captain Carter's condition. Teal’c blamed himself. *She would not be in this situation if I had been more in tune to the surroundings. I should have been paying more attention.*

Daniel was sitting on the cart with his back against the wall. He was hugging his knees, seeming to try to blend in, not to be noticed. To an outside observer, he appeared to be in shock. He sat without moving, without blinking. He knew Jack was pacing, he saw it in his peripheral vision. He could see Teal'c’s profile. He noticed the Jaffa to be very tense. His thoughts kept returning to what happened. Daniel blamed himself. *I've never seen Sam like this before. I know I'm not trained as well as Teal’c and Jack, but I should have noticed the guy. I should have been able to help.*



~~~~~~~~~~



Daniel, Jack and Teal’c looked up when they heard the door open. They saw Janet shut it quietly. They hurried over to her and started speaking all at once.

"How..." Teal’c started.

"Is she..." Daniel asked.

"What..." Jack asked.

Janet held up her hands to quiet the men. "Not all at once, I can't understand you." When the guys had stopped talking, she continued. "Now, would someone tell me what happened?" She noticed the three men look at each other. "Well?"

Teal'c looked back at Janet. "I believe that I mentioned that Captain Carter fell and struck her head."

Janet nodded. "Okay. Okay. Now," she said more sternly. "Will someone be so kind enough to tell me what really happened?" She crossed her arms on her chest and looked at the three of them.

Teal’c and Daniel looked over to Jack. Jack started shuffling his feet, not looking up. He finally looked up when he realized all eyes were on him. *Oh, for crying out loud.*

Looking around to make sure that there were no other people nearby, Jack quietly explained to Janet what had happened.

As Jack was explaining it to Janet, she took a good look at the three men. Teal’c was more subdued than usual, and Daniel appeared to be in shock. When Jack was finished, Janet couldn't believe what she had heard.

"So, that explains why..." Janet said to no one in particular.

Teal'c looked up. "Explains what Doctor Frasier?"

Janet looked over the men's shoulders and noticed that a few of her assistants were entering the area. Quietly she said, "The walls have ears gentlemen. I will finish telling you later, in the briefing room." Louder she continued. "Let me get each of your post-mission exams done, and then check on Sam. I will meet you later, okay?"

Jack nodded his understanding and turned to go to the other examining area. Teal'c followed, and had to gently nudge Daniel to come along.



~~~~~~~~



Janet finished their exams in record time. She went back to the exam room where Sam was and quietly entered. She walked over to the sink and turned on a lamp.

Sam stirred. "Who's there?"

Janet walked over to the cart. "Just me, Sam. How are you feeling?"

Sam slowly sat up, expecting the headache to come back. When it didn't rear its ugly head, she sat up all the way. "Better, Janet. Headaches’ gone, but I still feel like I was fighting bobcats in a burning barn."

Janet smiled at her friends sense of humor. "Good. Feel up for the de-briefing now?"

Sam sat for a minute, doing a mental inventory of herself. "Yeah, I think I'm up to it."

Janet patted Sam on the leg and started to walk away when Sam called to her.

"Janet?"

Janet turned around, and was somewhat disturbed at the strange expression on her friends face. "Yes?"

Sam cleared her throat. "Janet, what happened to me?"

Janet sighed and sat down next to Sam. She debated on whether to tell her now, or when they were at the de-briefing. She decided that telling her now would be better off for Sam, so she would have time to take it all in. She took Sam’s hands in her own and proceeded to tell Sam what transpired.

Sam’s face went pale and she looked as if she was about to pass out. Janet put a hand on Sam’s forehead. "Sam, are you feeling okay?"

Sam slightly nodded. She was appalled to hear Janet tell her what she did. *My God. Is that why I couldn't remember?* She looked up at Janet. "Why would I do that Janet?"

Janet sat thinking for a long minute before she responded. She believed Sam acted this way because of her pent up frustration from her attack. The situation was similar to the attack, in that she was caught off guard. Sam reacted not out of fear, but out of anger. That she was determined to not be in that situation unprepared again. Janet decided that now was the time to bring up counseling again. She had to choose her words carefully.

"Why do you think you acted that way, Sam?" Sam looked a little confused, so Janet continued. "What might have happened to you to make you behave that way?"

It was Sam’s turn to sit and think for a minute. Her eyebrows furrowed as she sat there trying to think of what could have happened. *What was Janet hinting at?* One voice popped up. Another one answered. *You know damn well what she's hinting at.* That voice was spiteful. The first voice was confused. *What?* It seemed that the other voice started laughing maliciously. *The rape, the attack!* Sam covered her ears with her hands and starting shaking her head from side to side to get the voices to stop arguing with each other. She started breathing fast and shallow and started to shout. "No! No! No! No!"

Janet reached out to her friend and pulled her into a tight hug. "Shhh. Sam. It's okay."

Sam sat there and started to sob. She realized that she had no choice in killing the man in order to protect herself. She also realized that she took her frustrations that she was feeling from her rape out on the man. That made her cry more.

"I'm so scared Janet. So scared."

Janet held her tighter and didn't let go until Sam made the move and leaned back.

Janet looked at her friend. She smiled softly. "Feel better?"

Sam nodded.

Janet sat a minute before talking. "Sam. I know this is going to be hard to hear, but I need to say it. You need to talk to somebody about what happened." She paused for a moment to give Sam a chance to respond. Sam just sat there, so Janet continued. "Sometimes, at first, it seems that the easiest thing to do in these situations is to forget about it and put it away, hoping that that will take care of it. But, eventually, it will come back without warning. That's when you need to talk with someone so that you can come to terms with what had happened. It's really the only way that you can get through it." Janet held her breath, hoping that she didn't upset Sam with her words.

Sam took in a deep breath. "I think you may be right Janet."

Janet let out her breath in a big sigh of relief. She took Sam into another hug. "We will get through this together Sam." Janet leaned back and noticed that Sam was not as upset as she was earlier. *A good sign.*

Janet decided to try one more thing while Sam was in the receptive mood. "Sam, you should also think about talking with Jack, letting him back in your life as well." Sam stiffened slightly, but didn't say anything. Janet went on. "He cares so much for you, Sam and it's tearing him apart that you haven't talked to him. He loves you, Sam." Hearing this, Sam raised an eyebrow. Janet smiled. "Don't think that I haven't noticed it. Besides," Janet grinned. "He told me, in not so many words that he does. So, think about it."

Sam nodded.

Janet realized that Sam needed a moment alone to let what she said sink in. "I am going to finish up paperwork and give you a minute to freshen up before the debriefing. Let's meet there in, say, twenty minutes?" Janet started to stand up when she felt Sam’s hand on her arm stopping her.

Sam pulled Janet into a hug. "Thanks, Janet. Thanks for everything."

Janet smiled. She stood up, grabbed a chart and left.



~~~~~~



Sam watched as Janet left. She got up, went over to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She looked up and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

*Janet’s right. I do need help. I can't do this anymore. The stress is getting to me.* She thought for a moment about what Janet said about Jack. Is it possible that he still cared for her? She remembered back to the night after the attack, when Jack came over and held her, telling her that everything will be fine. *And that he loved you, don't forget that.* Sam sighed. She splashed a little more water on her face, and toweled off. She smoothed her uniform down as much as she could, and left to go to the briefing room.



~~~~~~~~~~



Jack, Daniel, Teal’c and General Hammond were in the briefing room, waiting for Doctor Frasier and Captain Carter to arrive. Doctor Frasier had previously informed General Hammond of Sam’s condition and what had actually happened. He was upset at first at his team for lying to him, but at the same time realized that they did it in order to protect Sam, to guard her privacy.

They all stood up when Sam and Janet entered the room. Sam smiled at them all and she and Janet took their seats opposite Jack, Daniel and Teal’c.

General Hammond waited for a moment and then motioned to Jack to start.

Jack briefed the General on what happened on P3X-9784. He explained his part of the mission. After he was done, Daniel explained what he did; the artifacts ("Rocks" Jack quipped, happy to see that elicit a smile from Sam) and what his version of the events was. Teal’c and Sam followed suit. Sam was very calm in explaining what she did, and Janet helped her with some of the tougher parts.

General Hammond sat for a minute and asked a few routine questions. Satisfied, he dismissed them.

At the end of the meeting, after everybody was dismissed, Daniel, Teal’c and Jack came over to Sam’s side of the table.

Daniel went over to Sam and gave her a hug. He leaned back and asked her, "How are you feeling, I was, uh, we all were a little worried..." He looked nervous.

Sam smiled. "I feel pretty good, Daniel, thanks for asking."

Daniel looked considerably relieved when she said that.

Teal'c spoke for everybody when he said, "It is good to hear that, Captain Carter."

Sam smiled. "Thank you Teal’c."

Jack stepped closer to Sam, putting his hands in his pockets. He was unsure of what to say, or how to say it. Janet noticed Jack's uneasiness, and motioned to Daniel and Teal’c that it was time to go. They left unnoticed.

Sam cleared her throat. Jack stepped a little more close to her and gave her an awkward hug. He relaxed when he realized that she wasn’t pulling away.

After awhile, Jack pulled back. He looked into her eyes. "I’m glad to hear you’re fine." He turned to go, but Sam called him, stopping him.

"Sir?"

He turned around, unsure of what he might see in Sam’s eyes.

"Yes, Captain?"

Sam looked at her feet for a minute before she started to speak. "I was wondering, Sir, if, well..." Sam was nervous. What if he said no? She cleared her throat and continued. "Well, if you weren’t doing anything later, maybe you could come over to sit with me?" She looked up hesitantly.

Jack closed his eyes. How long has he been waiting to hear her ask that. Sam thought that that action meant that he didn’t want to come over. She started to turn away when she felt his hand on her arm. She slowly turned and looked up at him.

"I’d love to."

Sam let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. She smiled, and he smiled back.



~~~~~~~~~~

Epilogue... Three months later.



Jack, Daniel, Teal’c and Janet all were over at Sam’s apartment. SG-1 was on three days stand down, and celebrated by meeting at Sam’s place for pizza and beer. They were all seated around Sam’s kitchen table, playing poker. Janet, Teal'c and Daniel folded, leaving Sam and Jack left holding cards.

Grabbing some chips in front of him, Jack threw two blue ones on the pile. "I’ll see your fifty, and raise you fifty more." He sat back with a smug look on his face.

"Wow, Jack, a whole dollar?" Sam had an amused look on her face.

"Well, if it's too much for you...." Jack put his hand around his throat and made choking noises.

Teal’c started to get up to help his friend, thinking that he was choking. Daniel managed to get Teal’c to sit back down and explained to him what Jack had really meant. Sam and Janet found that very amusing and both broke out into laughter.

"I see." Although Teal’c really didn’t.

"Okay, enough already!" Jack glared at Janet and Sam.

Finally catching her breath, Sam tilted her head towards Jack and threw in one of her blue chips. "Okay, fine. I will match your fifty, and raise you a trip to the liquor store for refills, losers treat."



Silence fell over the room. Jack stared at Sam for a minute, thinking. *She's bluffing. She has never won a poker game before, heck; she even had to ask Daniel to explain to her what kinds of hands there were. Sucker.* Leaning forward in his chair, he put out his hand. "You’re on. I call."

Jack confidently put down his hand of a flush. A three, four, five, six and seven of clubs. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms in front of his chest. He was pleased to see a little shock fall upon Sam’s face.

Sam sat for a moment chewing on her lip. She sighed, and looked up at Jack. She narrowed her eyes, and gave Jack a small smile. He was a little taken aback by the change in her expression. She slowly put down her cards. A full house. Jack’s look admitted defeat. What Sam laid down was the Deadman’s Hand. Aces and eight's.

Daniel and Teal’c looked over at Jack with questioning looks. Jack shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Sam leaned back with a very satisfied look on her face. She turned to Janet. "What's your poison, doctor?"

Teal'c started to ask why Doctor Frasier would want poison, but both Daniel and Jack gave him stern looks. He kept quiet.

Janet sighed. "Hmmm. Well, you know that there is a new wheat lager out now, that sounds good."

Sam nodded her head. "You’re right Janet, that does sound good." She looked over at Jack and smiled at his obvious annoyance with his losing. "Two six-packs of that new wheat lager, bottles please. Oh," Sam waved her hands in the air. "Be sure to get something for yourself as well." She was definitely enjoying this. When Jack still sat there, she smiled even more. Yes, she was definitely enjoying this. "Well, Colonel, Sir?"

Jack grumbled and got up. He turned to Daniel and Teal’c and motioned to them.

Daniel shook his head. "Sorry, Jack. You’re on your own."

Jack walked over to where Daniel was sitting and stared at him until he looked away. "You two are coming with me, got it?"

"Why?"

"Well, Daniel, it's your fault I lost." Jack growled at Daniel’s confusion. "You told me that Captain Carter had asked you for instructions on how to play." Daniel nodded. "So, I assumed that I would be able to beat her. That means that you have to pay for the beer." He grabbed Daniel’s shirt, and pushed him towards the door. Teal’c, knowing better, followed without saying a word.

When the door shut behind the men, Sam and Janet started laughing hard. They both had tears in their eyes by the time they had settled down.

"Man, Sam. You really got the Colonel good. How did you manage that?"

Sam smiled for a moment. "Well, you heard him say that I asked Daniel for advice?" Janet nodded. "Well, that was a bluff. I have been playing poker for years with my brother, and he's taught me some good tricks. I knew Daniel would tell Jack... and, well. The rest is history."

Janet was laughing again. When she managed to get under control, she looked at Sam. By this time, the women had moved to the sofa and sat down. She was happy to see Sam in a good mood. It's been a long few months, and thankfully now these good moments were out-numbering the bad ones.

"Sam."

Sam stretched her arms over her head, and turned towards Janet. "Hmm?"

"How are you doing?"

Sam leaned back into the sofa. By now, Sam had learned that when Janet asked that question that Janet was referring to her recovery. Janet, along with Jack, has been her strongest supporter during the last three months. Of course, Daniel, Teal’c and even General Hammond have been very supportive, but Janet and Jack have been the ones that have been there the most.

She smiled at her friend. "I’m doing okay. Starting next week, I’m down to one session a week with my therapist."

"That's great Sam! I am so glad to hear that."

"Yeah. I happy with it also."

Janet observed her friend for a moment. "How are you and Jack?"

"Well, I don't think he's afraid of me anymore." Sam smiled and shook her head.

Janet had to stifle a laugh. She remembered what happened about a month ago. Jack had been staying over at Sam’s house for the first month until she felt safe enough to be by herself at night. Well, about a week after Sam had been staying by herself, she had another flashback nightmare. It was the worst she had had by far. She woke up, but didn’t recognize where she was. She was actually experiencing a night terror. She went into her living room, and noticed a man on her sofa. Well, Jack had slipped in to check on her and fell asleep there. She quietly went over to Jack and had slipped her hand over his throat and another over his nose. He woke up because he couldn't breathe and before he could react, Sam told him in no uncertain terms that she would kill him if he moved. Startled, he was trying to convince her who he was when she woke up a few seconds later. She looked down at him and asked him what he was doing there. Jack slowly sat up and at the same time Sam moved to sit next to him. It was a minute before Sam remembered her dream, and that it was Jack there and not the attacker. Needless to say, Jack was a little spooked by Sam’s behavior. Janet shook her head.

"No, really Sam. How are the two of you doing?"

Sam turned away from her friend and leaned back into the sofa. She sat there thinking about Jack and herself. These last few months they have been getting closer. She smiled at the memory of when she scared the living hell out of Jack. She shook her head. It has been nice for her to be able to talk to him, and it has been even better for her to have him there for the times she couldn't talk.

"We're doing good Janet."

As if Jack was reading her mind, he and Daniel and Teal’c came back in.

"Heard you missed us, we're back!"

Sam turned back to Janet and patted her on the leg. She mouthed the word thanks.

Jack had served everybody with another beverage of his or her choice, and they were all settled in their chairs, around the table. Jack reached for the deck of cards, but Sam put her hand on his to stop him from picking it up. He looked up at her, and saw that she was smiling.

Sam smiled back, and looked at the rest of them. "There's one thing that I would like to say before we continue on with the nights festivities."

Janet smiled, and Daniel, Jack and Teal'c collectively had confused looks on their faces.

Sam looked down at her hands before she spoke. She cleared her throat and spoke softly and hesitantly at first, but her voice grew with confidence as she went on. "I want to thank each and everyone of you for being there for me during these trying times. I know I haven't been the easiest person to live with these last few months, and I don't know how I would have managed to do it if you weren’t there for me. It makes me feel good to know that I have your support during the coming months. Again, thank you."

Sam looked up at the people in her kitchen. Janet had tears in her eyes. Teal'c, Daniel and Jack had peaceful expressions. Janet stood up and went and gave Sam a hug, and soon after, each of the men had done the same. Sam stood back and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Well, then, now that's over with, let's play cards." Sam smiled at her friends.

Jack grabbed the deck of cards out of Sam’s hands. "I get to pick the game, and don't think that you can win again, Captain."

Sam laughed. "Well, we'll see about that."



The end.

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