Sam rushed into the ‘Gate room, noting that her team were waiting for her, Jack looking rather impatient. “Sorry, I’m late,” she told them, giving Jack an apologetic smile.
“Everything okay?” he asked, knowing Sam was normally very punctual.
“Fine,” she replied. “Just had to grab some Advil off Janet.”
“Have you got a headache, Sam?” Daniel asked, brotherly concern clear on his face.
Sam grimaced, not wanting to broadcast her problem to everyone in the area. Thankfully the Stargate started dialing, effectively ending the conversation.
Jack walked over to his wife, concerned. “You all right?” he asked her.
“I’m fine, Jack. I’ve just got cramps, that’s all. One of the joys of not being on the pill remember?”
Jack nodded, giving her a sympathetic look. Trying to have a baby may be a lot of fun for him, but there were some unpleasant aspects for Sam. He glanced toward the ‘Gate, noticing that the last chevron had just locked into place.
“SG-1, you have a go,” Hammond called as the event horizon stabilized.
“Come on, kids,” Jack said to his team, moving up the ramp. A dizzying couple of seconds later, he was on the other side of the galaxy. His eyes immediately scanned the trees for dangers, as he heard his three team-mates exit behind him. “Okay, let’s secure the area.”
They swept the immediate area, and everyone concluded that there had been traffic in the vicinity recently. “I thought this place was supposed to be uninhabited?” Jack asked, looking to Sam for answers.
“There was no life detected by the UAV,” she replied with a shrug. She pointed to the MALP. “Whoever it was has disabled the MALP. They must have heard the ‘Gate when we sent it through and come to investigate.”
“Well, let’s move on before they come back,” Jack ordered. They shouldered their packs and moved out.
They’d been walking for almost fifteen minutes, when Teal’c heard a rustling in the bushes to the left of him. Before he could warn the others, they were set upon by a large group of men, brandishing clubs and spears. They lunged for Sam, but Teal’c was quicker, grabbing her and pulling her behind him before firing his staff. The native’s shrunk away from them when they realized Teal’c was a Jaffa, but Jack had been further ahead of the group and was separated from the others when the natives surrounded him.
“Jack!” Sam screamed, seeing that he was surrounded.
“Teal’c! Get her home!” they heard him shout back.
Teal’c picked her up, ignoring her cries to go back. He knew it would be suicide to return without backup. The native’s weapons may have been crude, but their numbers were far larger than SG-1’s.
Flung over her teammate’s shoulder, Sam watched as the group got further away, surprised that nobody was even chasing after them. Then she saw someone step out from the group, and her heart stopped.
*****
Teal’c didn’t put Sam down until they were safely back at the SGC. By that time she had given up her protesting and just stood in shock.
“What’s going on?!” Hammond barked. “Where’s Colonel O’Neill?”
“We were ambushed by natives, Sir,” Daniel told the man quietly. “They got Jack.”
“It was not possible to retrieve him, General Hammond,” Teal’c informed the General. “We were severely outnumbered.”
“How did the UAV miss them?” Hammond thought out loud. “By all reports, the world was uninhabited.”
“I don’t know what happened, Sir,” Daniel concluded. He looked over at Sam, who was as white as a ghost. “Sam? Are you okay?”
“Major Carter?” Hammond asked quietly. “Do you have any ideas?”
“I thought he was dead,” she whispered. “We all saw him die.”
Daniel cast a worried glance at the General before moving over to her. “He’s not dead, Sam. You know how hard Jack is to get rid of.”
She shook her head. “Not Jack. I saw who ambushed us... it was Jonas Hanson.”
*****
Jack was thrown unceremoniously into a hut, landing on his knees. “Thank you!” he called with obvious sarcasm. He looked up as a figure walked through the door and gasped in recognition.
“Colonel O’Neill. How nice of you to come and visit us,” Jonas Hanson stated.
“You’re supposed to be dead!” Jack growled.
Jonas laughed. “Well, I *was* God, remember? ‘On the third day he rose again.’” He looked at Jack for a moment. “It must be more than a coincidence that SG-1 was sent to explore this planet. Do you believe in divine intervention, O’Neill?”
“I believe in dumb luck,” Jack returned.
Jonas laughed. “I guess something like that would go above your head, wouldn’t it? They say people who have done things like you and I have, go two ways. They look to God to help explain it, or they turn away from their faith and refuse to believe. You’re the latter, aren’t you?”
“Ya know, I was warned never to get into a discussion about politics or religion when you were at a dinner party. I think that might extend to include when you were being held hostage by a psychopath.”
Jonas ignored him, continuing on as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’ve always been the former, and my faith has allowed me to take on a higher power, to bring me closer to the Almighty by becoming a God to these people.”
“You really have that arrogance thing down pat, don’t you?” Jack replied, sarcastic as always.
“If you are trying to make me lose my patience, O’Neill, you are failing.” He walked over to a bowl and filled a cup with water. He offered it to Jack, who refused, before shrugging and drinking it himself. “So, how’s my girl doing?” he finally asked.
“*Excuse* me?”
Jonas looked at him as if it were obvious. “Sam. I’ve been thinking about her so much. You know, we were getting married. That was until her brother interfered. He tried to tell her that I was no good for her! *Me*! I worshipped her! There was nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
“Yeah, that’s why you tried to control everything she did.”
“What would you know?!” Jonas roared, throwing the cup across the hut.
Jack shut up, not wanting to antagonize a man who was obviously crazy. “How’d you manage to turn up alive?” he asked instead.
Jonas shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing I can think of, is that I somehow misdialed. Pretty lucky really. This place is similar to P3X513. The natives assumed I was a God. Who was I to disagree? The only thing missing is my Goddess, but I know she’ll be along soon.”
Jack’s heart leaped into his throat as he realized what Jonas was saying. He wanted Sam. “Why didn’t you just capture her when your goons grabbed me?”
“These dimwits saw the Jaffa protecting her. They thought she was Goa’uld or something. That’s what I get for trying to get peasants to do a soldier’s work.”
“You realize they’re gonna come back with reinforcements, don’t you? You’re not going to stand a chance.”
Jonas just smiled. “They won’t do anything to risk you getting hurt, especially not if Sam’s around. It was obvious when I first met you, that Sam had a thing for you. And that was what, over five years ago?”
Jack said nothing, thinking back to the time Jonas was talking about. Were Sam’s feelings obvious, even back then?
Jonas turned as one of his men walked in. “Your worship, I have disciplined the men responsible for letting the woman get away. Would you like us to wait at the Forbidden Circle for their return?”
“I want one man only there. They won’t risk hurting him for fear they won’t find their beloved colonel. Now leave. I do not want to be disturbed until they arrive.”
“Yes, your worship,” the man replied, bowing before leaving the hut.
Jonas turned back to Jack, noticing he seemed to be deep in thought. With an evil grin, he decided he may as well have some fun with the man while he waited for Sam to return. “So, you screwed her yet?”
Jack’s head snapped. “What?!”
“Sam. You know, there’s one woman who knows what she’s doing in bed. That mouth of hers was just made for...”
“That’s enough!” Jack growled.
“Ooh. Touchy subject, huh? Is that because you have, or because you haven’t?”
“How could you talk like that about someone you’re supposed to love?”
Jonas shrugged. “Because I know her. She’s a slut. She always has been. But she’s my slut and she won’t go sleeping around once she’s here with me. I’ll make sure of it.”
Jack tried hard not to lose his cool. He knew that if he let it slip that he and Sam were married, Jonas would go nuts. He just had to ignore the comments this psychopath was saying about his wife. “What makes you think that she’ll come?”
Jonas grinned. “Sam hates failing at something. I’m the only emotionally wounded soul she couldn’t heal. She’ll come. She won’t be able to resist trying one last time.”
*****
“Sir! We have to go back!” Sam almost shouted. Even a pointed glare from Hammond did little to curb her anger.
“Major Carter. As much as I sympathize with your situation, I cannot act without authorization from the president.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. “You’re just going to have to be patient, Sam.”
Sam slumped into her seat, her head in her hands. She didn’t want to cry in front of the General, but she didn’t think she could hold it back much longer.
“Go and have yourselves checked out in the infirmary and then try to get some rest. I’ll let you know as soon as I get authorization for a rescue.”
Sam nodded briskly and got to her feet. She needed to leave the room before she completely broke down.
General Hammond cast a concerned gaze after her before turning to the other two members of the team.
“We’ll look after her,” Daniel told him.
“Indeed we will,” Teal’c agreed, nodding to Hammond before following after his friend.
Sam had walked as fast as she could to the elevators and headed straight to the infirmary. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer when she saw Janet. They streamed down her face as her friend rushed over to her. “God, Sam, what happened?” Janet asked, alarmed.
“Jack,” Sam sobbed. “He was taken by...” She couldn’t finish, her sobs taking her breath away.
Janet led Sam over to one of the beds, hoping that the others would hurry so she could find out what was happening. She could only look on as Sam curled up in a ball, crying. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Daniel and Teal’c walk into the room. “What’s going on?” she asked them.
“We were ambushed by a group of natives and they captured Jack. Sam thinks she saw Jonas Hanson with them,” Daniel told her, casting a worried look in Sam’s direction.
Janet’s jaw dropped. “But he’s... he’s dead!”
“It would appear that we were mistaken,” Teal’c replied.
Three pairs of eyes turned to watch Sam, who was beside herself with grief. In her mind, she knew exactly what Jonas was capable of and was scared to death that she would never see her husband alive again.
*****
Jack sat up against the wall of the hut, thinking about his wife. If she had seen Jonas, he knew she would insist on returning and trying to talk to the psycho that was holding him. Although Sam had never spoken much about her relationship with Hanson, Jack had a feeling that Jonas had some kind of power over her, and he was worried that if she returned, he might lose her. Not that he doubted the bond that they had, but he knew well that Sam would do anything to keep him safe, including risk herself.
He hated to admit it, but he knew that Sam was also his best chance of getting home. If anyone could talk this guy down, it would be her. He seemed to have an obsession with her, and Sam could use that to her advantage. He was fine with that, as long as she didn’t do something stupid like trade herself. She could do what ever she felt was necessary, as long as the end result was the two of them going home and living happily ever after.
*****
Sam had only calmed down when Janet had tried to give her a sedative. That had snapped the distraught woman out of her anguish and she adamantly demanded Janet did no such thing. “I’m going on this rescue, Janet. I can’t do that if I’m doped up on sedatives.”
“I don’t think you’re in any condition to be involved in a rescue, Sam. You’re too emotionally involved.”
“Well it’s not everyday that you’re psychotic ex-fiancee is holding your husband hostage. So forgive me if I’m a little off balance,” Sam replied, a sarcastic edge in her voice.
“You’ve been learning from the best, haven’t you?” Daniel said with a wry smile.
“Huh?”
“Jack does exactly the same thing when things get a bit too emotional for him,” Daniel explained.
Sam smiled slightly. “Birds of a feather...” She sighed. “If Jonas is still as unstable as he was last time we saw him, Jack could be in serious danger.”
“And so could you if you go back there,” Janet pointed out. “It could be exactly what he wants, Sam. What if he knows you’ll come back for Jack?”
“How could he know about Jack and I? We barely knew each other when Jonas went nuts on that planet. Besides, if he had wanted me, then they would have captured me instead of Jack.”
“They attempted to do just that, Major Carter,” Teal’c said, remembering how the native’s had gone for Sam. “In fact, it seemed as if they were only interested in you. It was only after I fired my staff that they turned their attention to O’Neill.”
Janet looked, wide eyed, from Teal’c to Sam. “You can’t go, Sam!”
“I have to go, Janet! I have to try and reason with him.”
“Sam, this is me you’re talking to. You told me that you could never reason with that man, and that was before he went over the edge.”
“I have to try,” she insisted, her voice cracking.
Janet found herself agreeing, against her better judgement.
Having been declared healthy, Sam headed back to Hammond’s office to see if there’d been any word on the rescue. She knocked on the General’s open door, smiling slightly when he ushered her in. “Any word yet, sir?” she asked, the hope clear in her voice.
“I’m sorry, Major. I’ll let you know if there’s any word.” He gave her a fatherly smile. “Get some rest, Sam.”
She was about to reply, and probably say something that could damage her career, when the shrill of the red phone interrupted, making her jump.
The General picked up the receiver, “Hammond.” He listened for a few minutes, before thanking the president and hanging up. He could see that Sam was about ready to jump out of her skin, deciding to forgo the explanations and just tell her what she wanted to hear. “You have a go. SG teams two, three and seven will go with you.”
Sam jumped to her feet, even managing a slight smile. “Thank you, sir.”
“Go get him back, Major.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied before turning and hurrying out the door.
*****
They were surprised when they stepped through the Stargate. There was one native standing there waiting for them, not the small army they were expecting. “My God wants me to take you to him,” the burly man told them, showing no fear as he turned and headed off into the dense forest. It only took them fifteen minutes to reach the village. Unlike most villages, which were set in clearings, this one was set into the densest part of the forest, making it impossible to see form the air. It went part way to explaining why the UAV had missed it.
They were led to the centre of the village, where Jonas was waiting. Sam’s heart leaped into her throat when she saw her ex-fiancee, pointing a gun at her husband’s head. Jack was on his knees, watching her with large, worried eyes. At Jonas’ command, the natives pushed Sam closer to him.
“I knew you’d come,” Jonas grinned, running a finger across her jaw.
Sam moved away from him, disgusted. “Don’t touch me.”
“That’s not what you used to say. You used to beg me for more. Don’t you remember what it was like?”
“I remember. I remember thinking, ‘is this the day he finally loses it and hits me?’”
“That was only once! And it was your own damn fault!”
“No it wasn’t! I did *nothing* wrong!”
“You were screwing that guy!”
“I was not! Tell me, Jonas, when did I have a chance to have an affair? You knew everywhere that I went, how long I was there. When could I have had an affair?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now anyway. All that matters is you’re here now and we can finally be together. We should have been together years ago, Sam. First Mark sticks his nose in, turns you against me. Then our greatest American hero here.” He nudged the gun against Jack’s head, making him wince. “Well not this time, Sam. This time it’ll be just you and me. Then we can have those babies you said you had no time for.”
Sam blanched visibly, her thoughts immediately going to the baby she was trying to have with Jack. She remembered when she and Jonas had become engaged. He started talking almost immediately about having children. She had been very reluctant. At the time she’d thought it was just because of her job. She didn’t want to give that up for anything. But now, Sam suspected it had been her subconscious that had not wanted anything to tie her to the man.
Trying to focus, Sam tried once again to get Jonas away from Jack. “Jonas, just let the Colonel go, and we can talk, but I’m not talking to you while you’ve got a gun to his head.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Give him the chance to escape.”
Sam stepped closer, lowering her voice slightly. “Come on, this is between you and me. Let him go.”
Jonas grinned, reaching out and grabbing a fist full of Sam’s hair, pulling her to him for a bruising kiss. He laughed as she yanked her mouth away from him. “I may love you, Sammy, but that doesn’t mean I trust you. This guy tried to kill me, I think it’s only fair that I return the favour.” He pushed her away and put both hands on the gun, readying himself for the shot.
“God, Jonas, don’t do this!” Sam cried. “I’ll do anything you want, just let him go!”
“I’ll let the others go, but he’s gotta die, Sam.” He looked up at her, surprised when he heard a gun load. She had her side arm pointed at him, her hands shaking.
“Please, don’t make me do this,” she pleaded.
He laughed at her. “This seems awfully familiar. Haven’t we tried this before? Think you can actually pull the trigger this time, Sam? That’s what you’ll have to do. The only way you’ll get O’Neill to live is to kill me.”
Tears stung Sam’s eyes but she blinked them away, trying to make the gun stop shaking. Jonas grinned, his gun still pointed at Jack’s head. “You can’t do it, can you? You never could raise a finger against me. You’re too weak. Your darling Colonel can’t protect you this time, Sammy. Time to say goodbye.”
Sam pulled the trigger. Not stopping at one bullet, she emptied the clip into his chest. Even when there were no bullets left, she continued to pull the trigger, tears streaming down her face.
Jack stared for a few moments, before getting to his feet and hurrying over to her. He gently took the gun from her hands and pulled her toward him. She sobbed into his chest, her arms snaking around his waist to hold him tightly. It was as if she was afraid he would disappear if she let him go.
The other teams watched on, stunned. Some had no idea what had just happened. Others, who had been with the programme from the beginning, knew all too well. Ferretti was the first to snap out of his stupor, walking over to where the couple stood. “Take her home, Jack. We’ll take care of things here.”
Jack nodded his thanks. “Come on, baby. I’ll take you home.”
Teal’c escorted them back, wary of the natives. Although many had dispersed as soon as they realized Jonas wasn’t a God, there was no telling what they may do. Thankfully, they returned to the Stargate without incident.
Jack watched Sam closely as Teal’c dialed up. She was staring into the distance, her face pale and her hands shaking. He recognized the early signs of shock and once again cursed Jonas for putting her through hell. He was under no illusions, Sam had just killed a man that she used to love. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through, all he could do was be there to help her through it.
The wormhole established and Jack led Sam through, glancing over his shoulder to ensure Teal’c was following. They were met on the other side by a smiling General. Hammond’s smile slid from his face though when he saw the state Sam was in. “What happened?” he asked.
“Hanson’s definitely dead this time, sir. Can I explain after I get Sam down to the infirmary?”
“I’m okay,” she said, the first words since she’d shot Jonas.
“Sam, you’re in shock...”
“And I want you in my infirmary, stat,” Janet finished as she walked into the ‘Gate room.
Janet whisked Sam off to the infirmary, telling Jack she wanted to check him over as soon as the General was finished with him.
“I won’t keep you long,” Hammond said as they watched the two women leave. “I’d just like to know what happened.”
“Hanson wanted Sam and he was using me to get to her. He was going to kill me in front of all of them, but Sam shot him. He’s dead, sir.”
Hammond nodded. “Where are the others?”
“They’re just cleaning up, making sure the native’s are okay. I think they’re going to bring the body back.”
Hammond nodded. “That’s all for now, son. Why don’t you go and see how you’re wife is? We can debrief in the morning.”
Jack nodded his thanks and walked out of the room.
*****
When Jack got to the infirmary, Janet was taking Sam’s blood pressure. She still looked pale to him, but at least she was talking. He smiled as she turned to look at him, pleased to see a small smile in return. “What’s the verdict?” he asked, moving to stand next to the bed Sam was seated on.
“She’s cleared to go home. Just keep her warm and make sure she rests. I’d stay off the alcohol for tonight, just to be on the safe side.”
Jack nodded. “Okay, let’s go then.”
Janet raised a hand. “Not so fast, Colonel. I haven’t checked you out yet.”
Grumbling, Jack sat on the bed next to Sam and allowed Janet to check him over. He took his wife’s hand, giving it a squeeze. She sighed, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. In her mind’s eye, she went over the last few minutes of Jonas’ life, trying to figure out if there was something else she could have done. Remembering the attitude he’d had, she realized that no one could have talked him round, least of all her. So the only other option she had was to allow him to shoot her husband.
“Sam?” Jack asked, interrupting her thoughts. “You okay?”
She nodded, believing it this time. She’d done what was necessary to protect Jack, it was just a shame it had come down to one life or the other.
Jack smiled, caressing her cheek. “Let’s go home, angel.”
Nodding her agreement, they got to their feet, bidding farewell to Janet before heading home.
Jack made a conscious effort not to ask any questions until they were home. Sam dozed for most of the trip, exhausted from both worrying about Jack and the incident on the planet. Once they were home, Jack steered her into the living room, wanting to talk. He quickly lit the fire and then sat on the sofa next to her. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his eyes begging her to talk to him.
“I’m okay, Jack. I know that if I hadn’t shot him, he would have killed you. I saw the look in his eyes, he was beyond reason.”
Jack sighed in relief, pleased that she wasn’t torturing herself over Hanson’s death.
They were silent for a few minutes, just watching as the fire roared. Then Jack asked the question that had been on his mind since they were on that planet. “Why didn’t you ever tell me what Jonas was like?”
Sam looked at him. “I did tell you.”
“You told me what I wanted to hear. Why didn’t you tell me that he was abusive?”
She shook her head, standing up. “Why? So you could tell me that I was stupid? So you could question why someone so smart could be with a man like that?” Her voice rose as she spoke, her emotions getting the better of her.
“No,” Jack replied, adamant. “Because I love you and I want you to feel like you can tell me anything. Why didn’t you trust me with this?”
Sam sighed, moving to sit back down next to him. “I guess I was embarrassed. I’ve always been the tough soldier since you’ve known me, it’s hard to admit that I was once that insecure.”
“Tell me,” Jack asked her, holding her close.
Snuggling into the warmth of his body, Sam began her tale. “Jonas and I met in the Gulf. I was involved in getting the Intel. that helped save him and his team. They came to thank us all personally and Jonas was such a charmer. We just hit it off. He was different back then. He was funny and passionate and he was so attentive. I’d never been in a relationship like that before. It felt amazing to be so loved, and I was desperate to be loved back then. When he asked me to marry him, it was like a dream come true. Dad thought he was great, but Mark and Jonas never got on.
“Anyway, Jonas went on a mission and when he returned he was different. He was clingy, always wanting to know where I was and never wanting me to leave his sight. I just put it down to a bad mission, but then he’d start in on me whenever I’d go out. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without him. One night, a group of people from work had gone out celebrating, I can’t even remember why now, but it was late and one of the guys gave me lift home. Jonas saw red. He thought that I’d been screwing around and when I denied it, he hit me.”
The tears welled as Sam remembered the helpless feeling. “I couldn’t do anything, Jack. I couldn’t raise a finger against him. I don’t know why. If it had been anyone else, I probably would have beaten them senseless, but I just took it.”
Jack could see the self loathing in her eyes and sought to comfort her. “But you got away, Sam.”
She nodded. “Mark came to visit the day after. He took one look at my black eye and whisked me away to San Diego. He told Dad, which apparently took some convincing, but he eventually believed Mark and took care of it. Jonas was given an ultimatum, get help and leave me alone or get kicked out of the Air Force. He left me alone, but it took a long time to get my self confidence back. I was so used to having someone dictating my life.”
“You did it though, you became the super strong Sam Carter that I met and fell in love with.” He hugged her close. “I’m sorry that you had to go though that. I wish I could make it better, so none of it had happened.”
Sam shook her head. “If Jonas hadn’t been the man he was, I would have been married to him years ago. If he hadn’t hit me, I’d be bored out of my brain, raising a tribe of kids, instead of travelling across the galaxy and trying to make a baby with my soul mate. I don’t regret anything that happened to me, Jack, because it all happened to get me to you.”
Jack held her closer, amazed at her inner strength. Sam had been hurt badly in her life, but she still managed to give her all to him. It took a strong person to do that, and spoke volumes about the bond they shared. If possible, he fell in love with her more.
*****
And I don't regret the rain
Or the nights I felt the pain
Or the tears I had to cry
Some of those times along the way
Every road I had to take
Every time my heart would break
It was just something that I had to get through
To get me to you
Get me to you
Get me to you
*****
COMING SOON- Songbook Series 20: This I Promise To You
Story Notes: Songbook Series 19: AUTHOR: Jez- jez80@ozemail.com.au
SPOILERS: The First Commandment
ARCHIVE: Sam and Jack and Heliopolis please.
AUTHORS NOTES: A huge thanks to my two beta gal's, Kes and Jenn!
FEEDBACK: Very much appreciated and cherished.
SPOILERS: The First Commandment
ARCHIVE: Sam and Jack and Heliopolis please.
AUTHORS NOTES: A huge thanks to my two beta gal's, Kes and Jenn!
FEEDBACK: Very much appreciated and cherished.
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]