samandjack.net

Story Notes: Email: Gicky_H@hotmail.com

Spoilers: Abyss.

Archive: sj and helipothis

Note: I would like to dedicate this to Vicki who has taught me so much. Without her i wouldn't of written another fic. She is truly an angel. Thanks Vicki!


"Why are you here?"

"I heard the weather was nice this time of year." Jack remarked through gritted teeth. God it hurt. Every inch of his body was screaming its protest. He couldn't think of a word good enough to describe the excruciating feeling of having something metal and sharp burro itself under his flesh and tear at his veins and muscle. He'd wish for death, if only he knew its sweet embrace would last.

"You love her." He was momentarily confused. How could he possibly know about Car...Oh. He was talking about the slave girl. His face hardened. He would protect the knowledge as fiercely as he protected his own secret. Jack would be the last to admit it, but in his dazed state, he'd agree to sharing something in common with another snake. A snake that had been true to his word- even if he had landed him in hell.

"Your not like the other humans I've encountered." Ba'al drawled, pacing back and forth in front him. Jack felt if he kept darting back and forth he'd throw up, and he knew the trouble that would get him in.

"Oh, I bet you say that to all your prisoners." Sarcasm. It was all he had left of himself and he was coming up with some of his best stuff yet. Ba'al raised both eyebrows unimpressed by his witty comment and laid both hands on the top of his chair and was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"I pity you." Jack snorted at Ba'als words, or at least tried. It came out as more of a strangled cough. The action resulted in Ba'al's latest toy to move and burro further in his arm, which he could no longer feel. His head sagged and he struggled to keep the lump that was sitting in his throat back. "Which is why I offer you this advice." Jack felt like telling the guy he'd missed his calling and that he'd recommend him to his friend McKenzie. "Tell me."

Jack stared at him blankly, trying to keep his eyes hooded even when images from Kannan's past life flashed through his eyes. "Tell you what?" They'd played this game dozens of times already and he wondered why Ba'al hadn't tired of it yet.

"Don't make it harder than it is for yourself." Ba'al insisted sitting in his chair. "Tell me what he wanted with my slave and I give you my word that it'll be over."

"Gee, and your word is worth SO much." Jack spat, wanting to laugh or at least spit in the guys face. How stupid did he think he was? Ba'al obviously knew he wasn't impressed by 'his word' and moved on quickly. He did what he always did when the questioning seemed to be going nowhere. He selected a new weapon and would tease Jack before letting it slam into him.

"My Lord. I am reluctant to disobey your orders, but I must interrupt."

Ba'al turned away from Jack as his first prime bent to his knees and lowered his head. Jack was grateful for the interruption, hoping his body would give up on him before Ba'al brought his favorite torture toy out. "It better be of the most importance. For you can be sure to join him in his suffering."

"It's of great importance My Lord. It's..." He paused and glanced at Jack hesitating before glancing back at Ba'al and looking back down to his feet. Ba'al sensed the importance of his First primes message and motioned to the other guards to take Jack down from the wall.

Jack knew better than to feel relieved. He knew exactly where he was going. Three corridors down and a dark passageway to the left, then two rooms down sat the sarcophagus. The worst torture weapon of all. Jack was tugged from the wall and dragged across the floor. He took some satisfaction in the fact that his blood spilt on the floor messing up the immaculate marble. But it was short lived as they approached the last corridor.

"Couldn't you just dump me in the corner? Or hell, feel free to zat me a couple of times. I'd be ever so grateful." The guards said nothing, which only angered him. Were they that mindless? Didn't they contain a shred of humanity? No. He knew better than to assume so. It was not people he was dealing with. It was a parasite that was no bigger than his arm and yet twice as deadly as any man could be. For it felt no sympathy, held nothing of value and was only interested in itself and it's desire to cause pain. Jack wondered oddly what had made the snakes so angry in the first place? What was their problem?

It was as he was pushed into the sarcophagus that he heard the guards speak for the first time since he'd been captured. "He'll not last much longer." One of the guards said with no emotion, merely stating a fact.

"He's lasted a lot longer than most." The other one reminded him and they fell silent again as the lids began to close. Jack considered reaching up and trying to pull himself out, but he knew better. He'd tried that the first time. He'd received broken fingers and a dose of being hung upside down as punishment. The white light hurt his eyes and Jack knew he'd never look at a solarium quiet the same ever again.

"Please." He blurted out before he was overcome by dizziness. His vision swam before him and he wished with all his might that it would be the last. But before he was completely put to sleep he conjured up one image of a face that always manage [d] to ease the suffering slightly. Her smile danced in front of him even as his eyes closed and



Jack awoke from his nightmare to the sound of clicking in his right ear. A series of taps before a longer thump, followed by more taping. He blinked and was relieved to see it wasn't the bright lights of the sarcophagus that greeted him. He had awoken, curled up on his side, in an infirmary bed. The lights where turned down low, a curtain circled his bed giving him some privacy from the rest of the gawking base.

The tapping continued and he recognized it to be the sound of a keyboard. He blinked several times before recognizing the face that he had seen before he had fallen asleep. Sam sat beside him on a chair, using the table normally reserved as a food tray as a bench for her laptop. She paused, sipping the coffee that sat next to his water glass and held it in both hands absorbing the warmth.

Something bothered her as she narrowed her eyes on a particular sentence on the screen. Abandoning her coffee mug, she began to delete the sentence and re-write it. He smiled as she bit her lip and lent closer to the screen squinting.

Tempted to comment, he lay watching her for a moment. Why was she there? Had Frasier sent someone to keep an eye on him? But that didn't make sense; she would of sent one of her busy body nurses, who never stopped reading their damn gossip magazines. But here she was, sitting there beside him, working away on what ever it was as if she was in her lab. "You know you should be sleeping."

He was startled when she spoke up, feeling embarrassed at being caught. But a small smile flirted at the corner of his mouth before he responded. "Who can sleep with all that racket?" She shrugged, and continued to work on her laptop.

He sighed and rolled onto his back, letting out a groan as his stiff neck protested. He must of have slept the entire time curled up on his side. Normally it was his favorite sleeping position, but there was something about the infirmary beds that made it particularly uncomfortable unless you where sleeping on your back. Which is what Frasier preferred and Jack had the suspicion she had designed the beds to suit that purpose.

"Thirsty?" He shook his head, noticing that she could see his reflection on her laptop screen. He realized she'd set it up deliberately to keep an eye on him. "Janet will check on you in a couple of minutes, so try to act surprised when she tries to force some food into you." He almost smirked at her comment, feeling slightly comforted by her casual attitude. He didn't think he could face reality just yet.

Seemingly satisfied that he was ok, she went back to work, typing away about what he couldn't even guess, until he felt his eyes drift close again. He tried to resist out of habit, but relaxed when he heard her speak, "It's alright Sir, I'll keep watch." Her words sent a rush of comfort through him that he was slightly overwhelmed by. He didn't need someone to cradle him and tell him it was going to be ok. He didn't need anyone to tell him it was over. What he needed she had given him.

Faith.

Faith in knowing that while he let his guard down, she'd keep watch and make sure no one came too close. It was that trust in her that let him fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End




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