~ Each Man's Life Part 3: The Eyes of Another ~
Copyright © 2003 Ruth
**********
'Show me, O Lord, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth
The span of my years is nothing before you
Each man's life is but a breath.'
Psalm 39:4-6
**********
The sky was a deep red colour when SG-1 and SG-2 fled from the encroaching warships. SG-1 ran to the left, SG-2 to the right. An acrid black smoke was descending down upon them, mixed with gunpowder and the coppery smell of blood.
Each breath drawn almost choked them, but they forced their tired bodies to keep running at all costs. Muscles began to sting from oxygen starvation, eyes began to water and feet began to ache.
"FALL BACK!"
Kawalsky yelled at his men to keep running - they were in the midst of a battle zone.
"Major Kawalsky!" Daniel's voice crackled on the radio.
"Dr JACKSON?" Charlie shouted above the gunfire.
"Major Kawalsky, we need SG-2's backup!"
"WHAT'S YOUR SITUATION?" He shouted, aiming his M-16 at the approaching Tel'tak and firing with all of his might.
"We have two men down, I repeat, two men down!"
Kawalsky's blood ran cold.
"WE'LL BE RIGHT WITH YOU!"
His legs felt numb as he continued to run from the approaching ships, bearing down on them like massive black monsters.
"SG-1 NEEDS OUR HELP!" he shouted.
"We got it!" Feretti shouted, signalling to the rest of the men. They darted into the cover of a nearby cave, and stood there in the darkness, drawing baited breath.
"Does anyone else think that that was just a bit too easy?" Feretti asked.
As if in answer, they heard a loud boom from behind them and the cave erupted into flames. They ran from their shelter and found themselves racing against a river of fire.
"DR JACKSON, WHERE ARE YOU?" Kawalsky yelled.
"We're about 10 clicks Northwest of Apophis' base."
"WE'RE UNDER HEAVY FIRE, JACKSON, WE'D APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE US."
"I'll see what I can do," Daniel replied.
**********
Daniel looked across the cave at Teal'c.
"SG-2 are under heavy fire from the Tel'tak ," he said breathlessly.
"I will see what I can do, Daniel Jackson. They are not normally armed quite so heavily."
"Thanks, Teal'c. I'd cover you, but I think…"
"You must grasp the castle here, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel frowned, and then a small smile spread over his cracked lips.
"Hold the fort, Teal'c. Hold the fort."
"Indeed," he replied, and left the entrance of the cave, staff weapon in hand.
Daniel looked over into the corner of the cave where his two wounded friends laid silently, not moving. He crouched down beside Jack and pressed a finger to his neck, relieved to feel a pulse. He moved over to Sam, taking her wrist in his hand and pressing gently, searching for a sign of her life. He also felt a pulse, though it was so faint that it would have been possible to miss it.
"C'mon guys," he said, wincing as his own injuries started to make their presence felt.
He had a large graze above his right eye, which was stinging like a carpet burn and had a thin, sticky layer of blood over the top of it. It burned as he gingerly touched a fingertip to it, so he drew back quickly with a sharp intake of his breath.
His throat still stung from the acrid smoke that had descended upon them; his eyes smarted from the gunpowder that had hung in the air from their weapons. His hands were raw and bleeding from falling down, ripping at the skin as he dragged himself up over thorns and roots.
But most of all, his mind was filled with the sounds of Jack taking a hit and falling to the ground, his body twisting in agony as he lost consciousness.
He could hear Sam's choked breaths from behind him, her cry of pain and the sudden smell of coppery blood that swam over him as she fell to the ground.
He shook his head, as if trying to dislodge the memories, and tried to remain focussed - Sam and Jack needed him to remain focussed. He licked his lips and grimaced at the salty taste, running a hand gently through Sam's hair.
"C'mon, guys," he whispered, "Stay with me."
**********
Kawalsky and his men made a final dash for the cover of the cave that their friends had hidden in and sat down, their weapons laying discarded on the floor as they made sure that they were okay.
Kawalsky looked over at Jack, who had taken a staff blast to his shoulder, and had broken his ankle. He was just regaining consciousness, and was doing so very noisily.
"Hey, Jack!" said Charlie, waving as Jack opened his eyes.
"What happened?" he asked, trying to touch his shoulder. Daniel kept hold of his arm.
"You don't want to do that, Jack - trust me on this."
Jack reluctantly let his arm fall away and he looked back at Charlie.
"Casualties?" he croaked, trying to sit up and putting too much pressure on his wounded ankle.
"Agh!"
"Just your fat ass, mate," Charlie lied.
"Good. Oh, God." Jack was in a lot of pain.
"Just go back to sleep, Dorothy!" said Charlie, reaching for a syringe to inject him with some painkillers.
"Okay," Jack said, cautiously lying back and closing his eyes.
He was unconscious again before Kawalsky had put the needle anywhere near him.
"Sleep well," he said, covering his friend with another jacket and turning to Sam.
She'd taken a hit on her left side, which had finally stopped bleeding profusely and was now pretty controllable. Fortunately, it hadn't gone very deep, and the intense heat from the staff weapon had cauterised most of the main blood vessels. It was still red and angry, and Sam was still unconscious.
"Hey, Sam," said Kawalsky, stroking the side of her face, trying to wake her.
"Ya know, Jack's gonna have your balls for not telling him," Feretti said, shrugging out of his jacket and trying to make a pillow out of it.
"Thanks, Feretti, you're really improving my mood."
"No problem, sir."
**********
Later that night, the attacks thinned down, and they were finally able to get some sleep. Kawalsky took the first watch, Feretti the second and his other men the third and last.
His watch had practically melted to his arm in the firefight, the display unreadable. He tried to pull the plastic off of his arm but failed, hissing in pain as it tried to take his skin with it.
"Damn, and I liked that watch," he muttered.
The cave was dark, no wider than Sam's lab. It was, however, tall and able to hide them from the attacks, totally invisible from the surface - Daniel had done a good job of finding it.
Its surface was sharp and pointed, with small droplets of moisture running from the tips of the spikes. It would have been pitch black but for their small fire.
He sighed deeply and looked over at Jack again. He was hurt badly, and Charlie never liked it when Jack was weak. Jack was always there when he was in trouble, when he was in need of strength - but Jack was never tired, he was never hurt and he was never upset. He was just Jack, happy, sarcastic and strong. Seeing him lying there, so pale and tired, Charlie was terrified.
He pulled his small notebook out of his bag and began to write, as he had nothing better to do.
**********
Dear diary,
Sorry I haven't written in so long, but there was just the small problem of a Goa'uld getting stuck in my head for a few days. Thankfully, no word from family since dreaded dinner party incident at Christmas.
He cast his mind back to that Christmas Day he'd spent with them, after Nate and Elena had been married for a year.
**********
He woke up with a start at 9am. He had to be at his mother's house by 11am, so he only had two hours to get himself organised.
He stumbled into the shower and turned the water up on full, letting the heat bite into his skin, waking him up even more. He got out of the shower and padded into his bedroom, trying to find something that his mother would deem suitable.
By 10am his outfit was sorted out, and he just had time to sit down with his small pile of presents. He opened each one slowly, savouring it.
From Jack, he had a 'Wizard of Oz' video with added special features. That had made him chuckle for a long time, and he made a mental note to watch it the minute he got back.
From Sam, he had a gift voucher for a test-drive in a Ferarri. He made a mental note to kiss her later.
From Daniel, he had a coffee mug with free marshmallows. That made him smile, too. Daniel was obviously trying to rub his coffee addiction off on Kawalsky, as well as Sam.
From Teal'c, he had a set of meditation candles, because the jaffa believed that he needed to relax.
No presents from his mother or from Nate, and certainly not one from Elena.
He opened another card that was from Jack. It read:
Good luck with mom, brother and bitch. Call Carter or me if you need backup.
Jack
He smiled, and tucked the note into his breast pocket. He would need it as a constant reminder not to kill himself.
**********
He pulled up outside of the house and sighed, deeply.
"It's just dinner," he told the glovebox, "And you can call Sam and Jack when you inevitably need help."
Then, he got out of the car and walked towards his doom…
His mother, wearing a bright red dress that was far too small for her, opened the door and embraced him in a choking hug.
"Charlie," she smiled, "Come on in!"
Charlie walked past his mother and into the main room, where his brother sat with his precocious wife, who was also wearing a dress that was too small for her.
"Charlie, mate!" Nathan grinned, walking over to Charlie and slapping him hard on the back in what was meant to be a cheerful greeting but nearly ended up as a helmlich manoeuvre.
"Nate, good to see you," he smiled, deciding that it really wasn't worth it trying to talk to Elena.
"Come and sit down, please!" Nate was grinning from ear to ear, and Charlie almost felt ill. "Mom's getting lunch for 12, so we've only got an hour to talk!"
More like you've only got an hour to talk about yourself, Charlie thought.
He was right. Nathan talked solidly for an hour about how wonderful things had been for him in the months that they had been parted, even interrupting his own wife on several occasions.
Charlie could hardly wait for the time his mother announced that dinner was ready.
"So, Charlie, mate," Nate said, through a mouthful of Brussels sprouts, "How's life been treating you?"
"Well, I almost died last year," Charlie said calmly, taking another mouthful of turkey.
The table was silent.
"But of course none of you even bother to ring me anymore, so I couldn't tell you earlier."
Elena flicked back her hair and picked at a piece of turkey with her fork.
"Serves you right for going out and killing people," she said, picking up a pea and eating it slowly.
"You okay, mate?" Nathan asked, suddenly appearing concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's the job!" he joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
The rest of their meal was eaten in painful silence, broken only when Nathan started talking about his wonderful life again. Charlie sighed inwardly - things had been very awkward there, but they had deserved it.
After dinner, they sat down to listen to Nathan talking more about his wonderful job, wife, patients, blah, blah, blah…Charlie had to fight very hard to stop himself from falling asleep.
Suddenly, his cellphone went off, disturbing Nathan's speech.
"Sorry," he said, standing up and walking away from them.
"Kawalsky," he replied.
"Hey, Charlie!" a familiar voice said, "It's Jack!"
"I'd never have guessed that," Charlie grinned.
"Shut up. How's it going with your family?"
"Uh…" Charlie paused, well aware that his brother, mother and sister- in-law were listening to him.
"Oh, I get it - they're listening to you right now?"
"Yeah," he replied.
"Did you get the video? I thought maybe you'd like it!"
"It's great, Jack, thanks," said Charlie, grinning again. His grin got even wider as he heard a second female voice in the background, then muffled giggling.
"Jack, is that Sam there with you?" he asked, sitting down and completely ignoring his family, who were still engrossed in his conversation.
"I…uh…well…"
"You old dog!" Charlie chuckled, hearing a snort of disgust from Lena.
"You say anything and I'll kick your ass, Charlie. We had dinner together because we're both alone, okay?"
"Ah, and now you're having dessert," Charlie quipped, greatly enjoying the sound of Jack squirming on the other end of the line.
"Charlie, shut it!"
"Sam?" he asked, "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas to you too, Charlie - how's it going with your mum?"
"Oh, it's been worse. It's also been a hell of a lot better."
"Do you need some backup?"
"The hell do I need it!" Charlie said, watching Elena flinch from her chair, as if he'd said the f-word.
"Well, we'd come and bail you out…"
"But you're otherwise engaged," Charlie grinned.
"Godammit, Charlie, I swear to god that Sam is here washing up dishes right now, nothing more!"
"You're making her wash up? Jack, I'm ashamed of you."
"She offered, Charlie - now, do you want your ass bailed out or not?"
"I'm okay at the moment," he said.
"But if you really get into trouble," Jack said, "Call me."
"I will, Jack. Merry Christmas. Enjoy yourself - you're never too old."
"Charlie…" Jack growled.
He turned his phone off before Jack could threaten him with anything else.
**********
"Who was that?" Charlie's mother asked.
"Oh, just some friends from work," he said.
"Oh, well, it must have been nice to hear from them," she smiled, "They work with you?"
"Well, I…I actually got command of my own team…"
"Go Charlie!" Nate smiled, giving him a high-five that nearly broke his wrist.
"They're on a different team, but we often work together."
"That's nice," said Elena, clearly not interested.
Charlie's temper finally snapped. "Why don't you wear a banner on your head saying 'Charlie, I hate you'?" he asked, "It'd be less obvious."
"Charlie! That is no way to talk to Elena!"
"Yeah, Charlie mate, I'm ashamed of you."
"That's no way to talk to a lady," Elena replied, examining her fingernails.
"I 'ain't talking to one," he said, getting up out of his chair as Elena gasped in shock. "I think I should leave," he said, walking out of the room and shutting the front door behind him.
**********
That look on her face was worth being expelled from my family for. Oh, I finally got her! Anyway, after I escaped from purgatory (my mother's house) I decided to pay a visit to the local bar, leaving Sam and Jack in peace to get on with their 'washing up.'
**********
Sam washed soapy bubbles over the next plate, not noticing that she'd splashed some of it on her cheek. She carried on washing as Jack entered the kitchen and started laughing.
"What?" she asked.
"You've got bubbles on your cheek," he said, watching as she turned a little pink and tried to rub the bubbles off of her face, missing.
"C'mere," Jack smiled, picking up a dishcloth and gently wiping them off of her face.
They were standing very close together now, so close that he could feel her breath on his chest. Their eyes met, and for a small second the tension flared between them.
Jack gently took her chin in his hand and tipped her head up a little. Then, his lips touched hers.
She returned it, momentarily lost in his arms.
He dropped the dishcloth on the floor and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.
Eventually they had to stop for breath, and pulled away from each other, a little embarrassed.
"I…uh…"
"We…"
"I just have to…"
"Jack," she said, looking at him tenderly, "I…I'm not going to tell you that I didn't enjoy that, because I did - a lot, but…but…we can't."
"I know," he whispered sadly.
**********
I went into the bar and got talking to this girl - her name was Anna, I think, but I'd had three bacardi's by then, so I could have been mistaken. Anyway, one thing led to another and I ended up wearing a fourth one.
I look over at Sam and Jack now, and part of me envies them. They look so good together, they fit together like pieces of a puzzle and they love each other, but they're just not allowed to be. Damn the regs, it makes me mad to see them so close, but yet so far away from each other.
I hope they're dreaming about each other. They need all the strength they can get right now. I've no idea how I'm going to get them back to the SGC.
C.K.
**********
He put his notebook back in his bag and looked around the cavern at his friends. Feretti was snoring loudly, so he leant over and gave him a poke in the back.
That shut him up, Charlie thought with a smile. He was just about to have a drink when he felt a cool hand on his arm, and turned around to see Leila.
"Leila!" he whispered, "I'm so glad you're here."
"Charlie," she smiled, "I felt your distress and I had to come here. What's wrong?"
Charlie nodded over to Sam and Jack, who were still sleeping.
"My best friends," he said softly, "They're hurt bad. I think they're…" his voice trailed off.
"Maybe it is better for them," Leila replied.
"Better?" Charlie said, his despair turning to grief. "Better? How can it be better if they die?"
"Everything happens for a reason, Charlie," she said, casting her bright blue eyes over Jack's sleeping form.
"I won't let them die!" he said determinedly, "I won't."
"You cannot change what is meant to be."
"Leila! Please! Can you help them? Please, I'll do anything!"
She shook her head.
"You know that I cannot, Charlie."
"Dammit! Why?" he asked, "Why won't you help them?"
"It is against our highest laws," she explained.
"But - what is the point of giving you so much power if you won't use it?" Charlie asked in desperation.
"I cannot help them, Charlie."
"Dammit!" he said in a harsh whisper, "They're dying!"
At that point, Feretti grunted and rolled over onto his back, which started his snoring again. With a sigh, Kawalsky leant over and poked him in the back again, but by the time he sat up again Leila had gone.
**********
Charlie's eyes were closing when he heard another muffled noise. Thinking that it was Feretti again, he leant over and poked him in the back, but this time he woke him up.
"Ow - Charlie, what are you doing?"
"Sorry - I thought you were snoring again."
"I don't snore," Feretti protested.
"The hell you don't," Kawalsky said, listening for the sound again. It came again, and he realised that it was coming from Sam's direction.
Carefully making his way over to her, he tripped over Daniel's butt and fell on the floor beside her.
"Hey, Carter," he said.
"Charlie…"
"Yeah, it's me. How are you feeling?"
"Bad," she managed, swallowing deeply.
"You got hit in your side," Charlie explained, "But you're gonna be fine."
"What about the Colonel?" she asked, trying to sit up but finding it impossible.
"He's fine," Charlie said.
She looked up at him with a small smile. "Liar," she whispered, and coughed.
"Here," said Feretti, offering her some water.
"Go back to sleep," Charlie said, "Everything's gonna be fine, Sam."
"Yes, sir," she said, obediently closing her eyes and going back to sleep.
Feretti looked at his watch and tried to stop himself from sneezing.
"It's my watch," he said, "Get some sleep - you look like crap."
**********
Kawalsky woke up the next morning to sunlight pouring in through the mouth of the cavern. He struggled to sit up and wiped the fatigue from his eyes.
Feretti was asleep, still snoring like a steam train.
"I don't snore, my arse," Charlie mumbled, getting up and going over to Jack and Sam.
Jack woke up and looked at Charlie.
"Morning, Dorothy!" Charlie smiled.
"Are we at the end of the rainbow yet?" Jack questioned, shifting his weight about so that he could sit up.
"Not yet," Charlie said, pouring Jack some water. "Here - drink."
Jack obediently drank from the bottle but nearly choked as his eyes fell on Sam's sleeping form.
"Wha-"
"Ah - stay there," Charlie ordered, practically holding Jack down.
"You told me she was okay," Jack said, "You told me she was fine!"
"Jack, I didn't want to stress you out - you were and still are in pretty rough shape!"
"So is she!"
"Listen to me, Jack. She woke up in the early hours of the morning. I spoke to her - she still has her sense of humour and she could tell that I was lying when I said you were fine, so I don't think we're desperate yet. She's just in shock, it'll take her a while to come round - and so are you, so relax!"
"Yes, ma'am," Jack said feebly, still casting anxious looks over at Sam.
"The attack seems to have ended, but we're going out to check in a minute. We'll leave Daniel here with you."
"Be careful, Charlie," Jack said, "And thank you."
"For what?" he asked, going over to his gun and checking that it was loaded.
"For looking after my ass."
**********
A few moments later, SG-2 and Teal'c left the sanctuary of the cavern, still fully armed. Daniel and Jack were talking for a few moments when Sam began to stir.
Daniel was torn between helping Sam and preventing Jack from doing himself any more damage.
"Jack," he warned.
"Hey, Sam!" Daniel smiled, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got my side blown out by a staff weapon," she smiled weakly, turning her head to look at Jack.
"Major," he said, "Glad you've still got a sense of humour."
"Yes, sir. It's good to see you too."
Sam shifted her body so that she was closer to Jack.
"Sorry," she said, "It's just a bit lonely over there."
"Be my guest, Major," he said, his concern deepening as he saw her wince in pain as she laid back against the wall.
"SG-2 and Teal'c might not be back for a while," Daniel said, pouring some water for Sam, "So I'm afraid you're stuck with Doctor Daniel."
"Dontcha mean Nurse Danielle?" Jack asked.
"If your ass wasn't already so kicked I would kick it," Daniel said, handing the cup of water to Sam, who was trying not to giggle.
"Don't…make…me …laugh," she said, clutching her side, "It hurts!"
"Sorry," said Daniel, "C'mon, drink this."
"Daniel, when did you last get some sleep?" Jack asked.
"Hmm…I think that would be last Easter," he smiled, then stopped for fear of making Sam laugh.
"Go," Jack said, "Get some sleep."
"No way, Kawalsky left me in charge of you two whilst they're gone."
"What'dya think we're gonna do?" Jack asked dryly, "Get up and run?"
**********
Dear diary,
The battle seems to have ended, and we've found another cavern to rest in. We're just trying to collect rations and general Intel to take back to Sam and Jack. We're still 12 clicks from the gate, though, and I don't know if they'll be able to make it that far. Still, at least they were both awake this morning. That's a start. Now all we need is for Thor to come along, or for Leila to get down off of her damned pedestal and help us!
C.K.
**********
After a lot of persuasion from Jack, Daniel finally fell asleep. Jack looked across at Sam with a small smile.
"It's like Antarctica all over again, just without the ice!" he grinned.
Sam kept her hand held to her side. "I told you not to make me laugh," she moaned.
"Sorry," Jack said, "C'mere."
She edged slowly closer to him, unable to stop her cry of pain as her side protested.
"Easy," Jack said softly, gently pulling her the rest of the way, avoiding his ankle.
"Thank you, sir," she said.
"Sam, we're on a planet a million miles from home, we're near death, and we only have a sleeping Daniel for company. D'ya think you could call me Jack?"
"Sorry," he smiled, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, "Thank you, Jack."
He smiled as he felt her go to sleep on his shoulder (not the wounded one, of course) and gently took his arm out from underneath her so that she was resting on his chest. Then, he wrapped his arm around her.
Looking over at Daniel to check that he was still asleep, Jack bent down and kissed Sam on the top of her head. Then, he laid his cheek there and closed his eyes, trying to get a bit of shut-eye.
When he woke up he saw that Daniel was also awake, and grinning at him.
"That's why you wanted me to go to sleep," he smiled.
"Shut up, Daniel. I don't want to wake her up," he said. "Anything from SG-2?"
"Nothing yet. I don't suppose they'll be back until nightfall."
Jack grunted in confusion. "How long have I been asleep?"
"All of about ten minutes, I think. How's your ankle?"
"It hurts like a bitch," Jack smiled weakly.
"Do you want me to try and splint it?" Daniel asked. "No, wait - I will try and splint it - no arguments."
"Yes, Daniel," Jack said, wondering if he would hurt him more than Carter had done.
**********
Three agonising hours later, Daniel had splinted Jack's ankle to the best of his ability, and was watching the two of them sleeping together.
Daniel smiled as he watched them. They looked so peaceful, even though they were both in pain. At that point his radio crackled into life.
"Dr Jackson?"
"Here," he answered.
"We've collected all the Intel we need, and we should be back at base camp at 1800 hours - that's three hours from now."
"Thank you," Daniel replied.
"How are the patients?" Kawalsky asked.
Daniel looked over at Jack and Sam. "They're doing just fine, Charlie."
**********
At 1800 hours SG-2, accompanied by Teal'c, made their way back into the cavern.
"Hey, cripple!" Charlie grinned, sitting beside Jack.
"So nice to see you again," Jack said sarcastically.
"I know you love me really," Charlie smiled. "How're you doing?"
"Daniel splinted my ankle and the shoulder's just being a bitch, but apart from that I'm fine."
"What about Sam?" he asked.
Jack's face fell. "I'm not sure…I think she's getting worse."
Kawalsky went to Sam's side and gently put his fingers to her neck.
"Her pulse is a little weaker," he said, "But that could be because she hasn't eaten anything."
"Charlie - she's got a hole in her side! Would you feel like eating anything?"
"No, that's a point, Jack. Are you hungry? I'll make you both something just in case."
Feretti sat down with the rest of SG-2.
"We've managed to collect supplies, and we've assertained that the attack has ended - Apophis must think that we're dead. We're not sure what to do from here."
Teal'c looked at Kawalsky. "Should we make our way back to the Stargate to get reinforcements?"
Kawalsky looked at his 2IC, Feretti. "What do you think? Could you make it?"
"Well, light doesn't end here until 2200 hours, sir, so if we left soon, we'd be near the gate by the time darkness fell."
Kawalsky frowned. "I'd be happier if we waited until tomorrow morning."
Jack looked over at him. "Charlie! I'm not sure if we can wait until tomorrow morning."
"We're happy to do it, sir," Feretti replied.
Kawalsky sighed and looked over at Jack.
"Trust me, Charlie, I've been doing this for longer than you - get back to base."
"Alright - but take Daniel and Teal'c with you. I'll stay here until you get backup."
"Kawalsky, dammit - go with them! We'll be fine!"
"Jack, I am not going to leave the two of you here on your own, is that clear?"
Feretti sneezed, breaking the tension.
"As soon as we've eaten, sir, we'll be off."
**********
"Godspeed, Major," Kawalsky said, saluting his 2IC. "Bring us America's finest."
"Will do, Charlie, will do."
Kawalsky watched his men until they were out of sight, before returning to the cavern.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"Okay, Charlie. How are you doing?"
"Yeah, so-so."
"You made the right decision, Charlie. Besides, if anything does go wrong - which it won't - you can blame me."
"Thanks, Jack. You really know how to reassure me."
"No problem, Charlie."
Jack looked down at Sam, who was still sleeping soundly.
"She's so beautiful," he said softly.
Charlie smiled. "She is."
Jack blushed for a moment, but Charlie soon reassured him.
"Jack, I'm not gonna say nothing to nobody. I'm all in favour of the regs being scrapped."
Jack gently stroked a finger through Sam's hair, watching the rise and fall of her chest.
"You remember when I called you on Christmas day?" Jack asked.
Charlie grinned. "Yeah."
"We weren't…well…you know."
Charlie nodded.
"I mean…we kissed..but….we both agreed that we couldn't go any further."
Charlie smiled sadly. "You'd make a wonderful couple."
"We will," Jack said, "One day. Just not yet. That is, if she doesn't…"
"Jack, look at me," Charlie said. "We're all gonna get out of here, trust me. I'm not gonna let you die, no way! Either of you."
"You should get some sleep," Jack said, "You look like crap."
Charlie snorted. "So do you."
**********
Later that night, when Sam and Jack were sleeping, Charlie wrote in his diary again.
Dear diary,
So. They actually did it. At least they're being honest with each other now. All I want is for them to be happy together, but things don't look too good for them at the moment. Sam's getting worse, and Jack's not all that far behind her. I hope my men have got back to the SGC in time - they don't have much left.
C.K.
**********
He put his book away and turned around to see Leila.
"Hey," he said.
"Their condition is grave," she said, looking over at Sam and Jack.
"Yeah, it is," Charlie said, not wanting to talk about it.
"Charlie, if I could help, I would!"
"Why is it that you can put a snake in my head, but you can't save my two friends?" he asked angrily.
"I had nothing to do with the symbiote," she said, "I told you. I merely showed you the value of your life."
"And look!" he said, "It's about to be taken away from me again!"
"They are but two people, Charlie. And as I said, everything happens for a reason."
"But, they're not just two people, Leila. They're my best friends, and they're in love. And because of this - if they die - they'll never get to show how much they care about each other. They…they'll just die."
"I can do nothing to stop it, Charlie," she said sorrowfully.
"What do you use your powers for, then?" he asked, anger radiating through him.
"Charlie, I once tried to use my powers to heal a dying Tau'ri, but the moment I began, Oma Desala stopped me. She would not allow me to continue, because it was in breach of our laws. Even if I wanted to help them, even if I tried - I would not be able to continue."
Charlie sighed.
"I am sorry," she whispered, and disappeared.
Charlie looked back over at Sam and Jack, and felt his eyelids beginning to droop. Fighting to keep them open, he failed, and fell asleep against the rock. Gentle hands covered him with a blanket and placed a kiss on his lips, before going over to the other two sleeping forms.
She looked at the woman and the man together, and felt a pain in her chest. She shouldn't even have been considering this. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Then, she touched the woman with one hand, and the man with the other. A bright white light radiated around the room, and she cried out silently in pain. Then, in a flash, she was gone.
**********
Sam and Jack opened their eyes instantly. Sam struggled to lift herself up, so Jack helped her.
"Did you see anything?" she asked, looking up at him.
"No," he said, gently putting his arm around her. His hand grazed her side, and came away sticky with blood.
She smiled weakly. "I know you're…gonna kick my butt for saying this… but…it was an honor, Colonel."
"Don't you dare!" Jack whispered softly, terror filling him. "You said that to me once before, remember."
She looked at him desperately, feeling the last of her energy being sucked from her.
He owered his head and his lips brushed against hers. She moved her arms up to hold him closer as their kiss deepened, lost, shutting out everything but each other.
Eventually they pulled away from each other.
"I love you," Sam whispered.
"I love you too," he replied, holding her tightly as her eyes closed.
**********
"What you have done is in violation of our highest laws. You will have to be punished."
"If you will let me explain my reasons…"
"You will explain in time, Leila. All in good time."
**********
'Show me, O Lord, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth
The span of my years is nothing before you
Each man's life is but a breath.'
Psalm 39:4-6
**********
Story Notes: Each Man's Life Part 3: Spoilers: Children of the Gods, The Enemy Within, Solitudes
End Notes: Continued in 'Each Man's Life Part 4: Blood and Water.'
PLEASE R&R! What did you think? (email address not provided)
PLEASE R&R! What did you think? (email address not provided)
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 ]