Chapter Ten
“General Hammond, we are grateful for your willingness to serve as a neutral party and for the possible solutions you offered to our problem. We are honored to call you friends,” Edrana was telling the tired SGC Commander.
They had spent days at the negotiating table, Bregan, Edrana and Omnem representing the Segarans. Commander Sache had appointed Zac Tomaz and two other senior officers experienced in diplomacy to represent Huna. He was now the Acting President of Huna, currently under military rule after the massacre of their President and his staff, and he was extremely busy back in his city.
There had been bitter, offensive words thrown at each other during the past few days, but reason had prevailed at the end. Hammond and his negotiators had provided invaluable assistance and words of wisdom, but credit had to be given where credit was due. It had been Sache’s determination to resolve their issues once and for all that had kept them at the negotiating table until an agreement had been reached. He had given them no other option.
Sacrifices had been made by both parties and compromises had finally been agreed upon. The Segarans had decided to relocate to an uninhabited planet offered by Hammond, and Huna had agreed to allow the Segarans to borrow the Stargate for this purpose. It would be moved to Segara until they were done with the evacuation, supervised by SGC personnel.
The Huns had also agreed to provide the Segarans with supplies and technical assistance in the new planet until their new communities were established. Earth had also generously offered assistance, as well as promised that they would notify Segara, the name of the new planet, the moment they came across other Segarans in their travels.
“It has been our honor to assist in the resolution of this conflict,” Hammond responded sincerely, shaking everyone’s hands as they prepared to leave. He was most grateful that there had been no mention at all of Jack and Teal’c’s execution of Adros. He was surprised, but grateful.
Hammond had had to deal with the issue within the privacy of his Command. They had both reported the incident in their verbal and written reports, with no regrets or justifications mentioned. Dr. Jackson had omitted Adros’ fate in his reports.
Hammond had reluctantly written reprimands and filed them in their records, but had refused to do more than that. He had been appalled by the sight Dr. Jackson and Major Carter had presented upon their return to Earth. The archeologist had been on his feet, but his Major had taken many hours to awake. He understood the two men’s actions even if he did not approve.
Adros’ two victims had truly looked much worse than they really were, but Dr. Fraiser had been in an extremely testy mood for the following couple of days, angry beyond words at the signs of torture on her two patients.
Sam had not recovered her senses for too long, keeping them all in suspense and worry, but she had eventually awakened and had been visibly relieved at finding herself in the infirmary, back home.
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“Hey, Sam,” Daniel greeted as he walked into her lab. “Ready for lunch?” he asked, approaching her to see what she was working on. “I see you’re getting good at typing one-handed,” he smiled, peering at her flying fingers in amusement.
“Almost,” she replied, her eyes still focused on the computer screen. “It’s still frustrating, but I guess I should be grateful that my left shoulder was stabbed and not my right one,” she remarked optimistically. Her left arm had been immobilized with a sling in order to allow her shoulder muscle to heal faster.
“It would have been better not to be stabbed at all, don’t you think?” Jack’s voice commented from the doorway.
Teal’c was also there, patiently waiting, although he was probably very hungry already.
“Can’t argue with that, Sir,” she chuckled as she finished saving her document.
Hearing her laugh was a balm to their spirits. Daniel knew that Jack had been seriously worried about the after effects of torture, having had similar experiences himself. He had shared with Daniel what it could do to a person. But Sam seemed well, barring a few nightmares while she had been recuperating in the infirmary, and she had assured Dr. Fraiser that she was sleeping okay now. She was such a trooper!
Daniel noticed Jack’s thoughtful look as Sam turned off her computer and started to put away some documents inside her drawer. The Colonel’s love and concern for his Major were patently there, clear in his eyes, and the young man felt terrible for him again. Sacrifices continued to be a fact of life for them.
“Teal’c, you look famished,” Daniel suddenly remarked, deciding to give the couple a break. “Let’s go ahead. Jack will wait for slow-poke here.”
He smiled at Sam, who made a face at him, and he grabbed Teal’c’s arm as he left the lab, dragging a puzzled grizzly behind him.
-----
Sam could feel Jack’s eyes on her as he just stood there, watching her lock up her drawer. She was well aware of his presence but was reluctant to return the attention, not knowing how to respond to him.
She finally finished, but remained where she was, looking down, her heart pounding. She knew he had been trying to get her alone for days, but she had been good at evading him. She also knew she had been cowardly, but she had not wanted to discuss the matter that had been hanging over their heads ever since they had been forced to declare their feelings publicly.
“We need to stop doing this to ourselves, you know,” he finally said, his voice almost a whisper.
Sam looked at her CO, her eyes brimming with sadness, but she said nothing. What could she say? What could they do differently?
He slowly walked up to her and stood close, just staring at her forlornly for the longest moments.
“We agreed we could do this. Were we wrong?” he asked her, his voice low and gentle. Sam thought he looked almost vulnerable just then.
“We have to do this,” she replied in a soft voice, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “We have no choice,” she concluded.
Sam wanted very badly to throw herself at him, to have him hold her and tell her that he loved her. She had felt unusually fragile during her recovery days, her feelings too close to the surface after her torment at the hands of that maniac, and she had missed Jack’s presence every single time he had been missing from her side.
That first day back at the SGC, finding Jack sleeping next to her bed when she had awakened in the middle of the night, had sent a bolt of raw anguish racing through her soul. She had wanted so badly for him to awaken and wrap her in his arms, give her the comfort she so greatly needed!
But she had remained silent, letting him sleep. Instead, she had watched him for a long time, taking in his graying hair, his dark lashes, his strong features, his callused hands and everything else she loved about him, until she had drifted back to sleep again, feeling safe in his presence.
Now she looked at him with the same eyes, taking in every single feature she adored but not daring to say a word.
-----
Jack nodded, brought his hand up to her still bruised cheek, and softly traced her cheekbone with his thumb, wanting very much to kiss her again as he had done weeks before, without restraint.
He almost lost control when he saw her close her eyes and sigh, unmistakably relishing the caress, her warm cheek resting softly onto his palm. But he just kept his hand there, not moving another muscle.
Sam slowly opened her eyes and told him a million “I love yous” with one look, her lips then found his fingers for a moment before she took his hand in hers. Griping it hard and lowering it between them, she then let it go.
“Let’s go to lunch, Sir. I’m starving,” she smiled bravely.
So it would continue, their secret adoration hidden and their sacrifice a daily, excruciating chore.
He nodded to her, brushed her hair with his fingers as a parting caress, and moved aside so that she could pass.
Together and still apart, they walked down the hallway in silent companionship knowing that, for the time being, they would give each other only as much as they were allowed. Nothing more.
The End
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