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The faint sound of movement woke her, a rustle of clothing and a slight shuffle of feet. Her eyes still closed, she frowned, trying to make out the sounds. “Jack?” She called out, her voice sounding hoarse, and she tried to swallow in an attempt to alleviate her dry throat.
The rustling stopped and a cool hand suddenly pressed itself to her forehead. Sam scrunched up her face, feeling confused. The hand wasn’t that of a man, but of a woman, someone small, yet strong. “Cassie?”
The hand on her forehead suddenly paused and the rustling started up again, this time accompanied by a high pitched clinking sound.
“Colonel?” The voice appeared soft and yet strong in her ear.
With a sudden sharp clarity, everything came rushing back. Her eyes flying open, a loud gasp left her lips and Sam felt her body project itself upwards as she tried to sit up. The hand that rested upon her forehead moved down to her shoulder and pressed her back down before she could get very far.
With blood pumping in her ears and her lungs heaving, Sam turned to the woman who held her down, the face of Teyla Emmagan slowly coming into view as her eyesight cleared. In the background John Sheppard stood at a panel in the wall, swapping clear flat crystals around and looking completely out of his depth.
Puddle Jumper. She was in a Puddle Jumper. The hard bench beneath her frame suddenly clarified that fact and Sam found herself trying to crane her neck to see her surroundings.
“Colonel,” Teyla said again. “You’ve been injured – please lie down.”
The hand pressed into her shoulder again and Sam found herself obeying. “Arrow...” She murmured, suddenly remembering what had happened. She’d been shot at with an arrow. But it didn’t feel right. She’d been shot before – bullets, staff blasts... the pain this time was all over.
“What do you remember?” Teyla asked. Was she imagining things or did her eyes look really big? “Sam?!”
Sam shook her head slightly, trying to clear it. Everything seemed a little fuzzy. “Diplomats...” she said, licking her dry lips. “Only something wasn’t quite right... I ran for the gate... wait! Where’s the rest of the team?!”
She tried to sit up again, but found herself being pushed back down again. “They’re safe,” Was all Teyla had a chance to say before John butted in.
“Ask her how to get this thing working!”
Sam looked from Teyla and over to where John stood, still fiddling with some crystals. “What’s wrong with it?” She asked, wincing as she shifted, causing a wave of pain to stab her chest.
John threw her a look that, under normal circumstances, would have been court-martial worthy. “Engine won’t start.” He said, his words clipped and full of frustration. “Weapons are down; the temperature in here has skyrocketed!” His head tilted at her. “But on the plus side we’ll get blasted to death before we begin to lose air.”
“Try swapping the third one from the right with the second from the bottom.”
John did as suggested, his face lighting up as a loud hum filled the aircraft. “Let’s get this show on the road!” He cried, leaving the panel open as he jumped back into the cockpit and began to fire up the machine.
Sam felt the vibrations rattle through her body, her vision swimming as the ship took flight. Blood still pounded in her ears and her whole body ached. Burned almost. Like her cells were somehow on fire. “Something’s not right...” She cried out, her voice laced with an unusual hint of panic.
“What’s wrong?” Teyla shifted in her position, turning round so that she sat beside her on the bench, now facing the Colonel.
Sam suddenly noticed the blood on the other woman’s clothes and the dirt on her face. She was holding a blood soaked fabric around Sam’s leg. Sam could see the tail end of the arrow now glinting in the light as they moved through the sky. “I’ve been shot before,” She said, through gritted teeth, her statement forcing Teyla’s eyes to meet hers. “But this... this doesn’t feel right...” Sam placed her head back on the makeshift pillow, the sounds appearing loud and quiet as they pulsed in her ears.
“John?!” The urgency in Teyla’s voice suddenly seemed far away. Her face swam in her vision and she could faintly hear John call back before it all suddenly went black.
-0-
John and Teyla looked up the minute Jennifer exited the operating room. The doctor pulled her plastic apron away and threw it in the bin next to the door, before approaching the two before her. They’d been sat there for hours, still in their dirty clothes, despite her instructions to get some rest.
“How’s she doing?” John asked, clearly concerned.
“Surgery went well,” Jennifer replied, “We’ve removed the arrow and there appears to be limited tissue damage, considering,” she sighed, her eyes scanning theirs.
“But….?” Teyla was the only one willing to speak.
“It’s possible there was poison on the arrow’s tip,” She added. “She still has a fever and her white blood cell count is low. And I think the Naquadah in her blood is creating problems…”
Teyla glanced from the doctor to her team mate. “It’s a Tok’ra thing,” John waved his hand in the air, answering her unspoken question. “What kind of problems?” He asked, his attention back on his CMO.
“That’s just it,” Jennifer sighed, “I’m not entirely sure.” Her eyes skirted over both their faces, before she shrugged in defeat. “Most of my expertise has involved Wraith and replicator DNA… I think I need to consult one of the doctors at the SGC….”
“But she’s going to be okay…?” Teyla asked tentatively.
Jennifer nodded, “She’s stable and for now we’ll keep her sedated to keep her fever and the pain at bay.”
John twitched beside her, before he ran a hand down his face and took a step back towards the wall. “Dr Lam,” John stated, his finger wagging in the air. “She’ll know what to do…” his voice trailed off and both women stood waiting, knowing he hadn’t finished. “I’ll get Chuck to sort out a call to Stargate Command…”
He nodded at them both before starting off down the corridor.
“John?” Jennifer called after him. She watched as he stopped, a fist clenched at his side in frustration. He turned and looked at the two women before him, his eyes darting from one to the other. “What about her next of kin?”
John merely rose an eyebrow, as though it wasn’t something that had even crossed his mind, and Jennifer couldn’t help but see a look pass between the two team mates, as though confirming any intel. “We can’t speak to any family members just yet-”
Jennifer raised a hand to stall him. “It’s… down as General O’Neill,” she added softly. Jennifer had not met the man personally and only knew of him by reputation. But she knew the exploits of SG1 and, from seeing how close the teams were on Atlantis, she knew there had to be similar connections at the SGC as well.
Jennifer watched as the words processed on the man’s face before her. He tapped a finger on the wall. “He was her team mate for a long time,” He finally said, his voice trailed off, and he shrugged helplessly. “I’ll speak to him…” He added, before turning on his heels and heading to the gate room.
Jennifer raised an eyebrow at the other woman as John traipsed off.
Teyla merely shrugged in response. “Your guess is as good as mine…”
-0-
John stood there, watching the screen with feigned interest. In reality, he’d switched off long before Dr Lam and Dr Keller had begun trading medical jargon over light years of space. He knew the highlights, that was enough. Sam was stable and a solution was achievable. For once, it didn’t involve rewriting medical history or the life of one of their own.
From the look on his face, it appeared as though General Landry had similarly lost interest. “Is that everything?” John heard the man ask, the moment there was a gap in the discussion.
“Well,” Jennifer stammered slightly, either a bit thrown off track, or unsure of her next statement. “For this to work, we do believe that the best chance would be for the person who has the highest concentration of Naquadah in their blood, to actually physically come to Atlantis…”
John watched as the doctor and General on his screen shared a glance. A quick nod of Dr Lam’s head, and the General clasped his hands together, turning back to the team in Atlantis. “We’ll have a team sent through at 0700 hours,” A series of nods bobbed around the two gate rooms. “And Sheppard,” the General added, grabbing John’s full attention. “Make sure you all get some rest, you look like you need it!”
“Yes sir,” John automatically hit back, “Sir-” He hesitated, General Landry’s eyebrows rising as he waited. “General O’Neill, sir…?” It was more of a question, than a statement. Though John still wasn’t entirely sure what he was asking.
The other man appeared to understand all the same. “I’ll inform him of the situation,” Landry added, his tone short and to the point. Another quick nod of heads and the Stargate blinked out.
John could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
-0-
Teyla knew that she hadn’t quite met the real Samatha Carter just yet. Sure she’d met her, heard her track record, seen her in the field a few times. She knew she could fight, talk science and blow things up. She also knew that she could make the right call, good or bad, tough or not.
But she’d seen something else in her commander’s eyes that day. Something she couldn’t name and Teyla was damned if she couldn’t put it into words.
She stayed at the Colonel’s side when she could, when the doctor allowed. For some reason she just couldn’t leave her on her own.
It was too soon.
Too soon after having one commander fall, to have another injured like this. She wasn’t the only one who felt it, of that she was sure of. The whole city had been tense since the diplomatic mission went sour. Even without the extra patrols that John had put on, just in case.
She squeezed the other woman’s arm subconsciously.
“Do you think she knows we’re here?”
Teyla looked up at the scientist entering the room. He stopped by her side, and Teyla couldn’t help but get to her feet in response.
She shrugged, feeling helpless. “I like to think so…”
Rodney nodded his head, seemingly in agreement. “Dr Keller says she has a plan so….” He waved his hand around for effect, before bringing it in to fold his arms across his chest. He looked nervous. Unsure even.
Teyla simply nodded.
“She’s dreaming,” Rodney added, seeing his commander’s eyes move under her eyelids. Her face was pale and the white scrubs she was in only served to make her seem paler.
“Her eyes have fluttered open a few times,” Teyla remarked, “But I’m not sure what she’s seeing. Dr Keller says it’s possibly due to the toxins in her system.” Rodney didn’t respond and Teyla drew closer, her hand coming to rest on his arm. She squeezed gently. “Colonel Carter is a very strong woman…” she added.
“Yes,” Rodney merely agreed, his word short. He knew that. “You go,” he added, his chest heaving slightly. He waved his hand at her and then to city outside, “You need some sleep too.”
Teyla nodded, giving his arm one last squeeze before she slipped out of the door. She watched as her team mate slid into the chair she’d vacated, waiting only a few moments to make sure he too settled in for the night.
-0-
When General Jack O’Neill stepped through the Stargate that morning, he wondered, and not for the first time, if this really was a great idea.
He’d let the doctors and scientists go on ahead, lurking behind them, as if a General in uniform with various medals on his chest, could really hide amongst a small group of people dressed in white lab coats.
And if it wasn’t for the young woman beside him, he probably wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of heading to Atlantis the minute Carter was injured. But he’d decided that keeping his charge safe and grounded, was worth more than getting his butt kicked back to Earth.
If Colonel John Sheppard was surprised to see him, he didn’t show it.
“Sir,” John launched himself forward, a salute automatically flying in the air.
Jack smiled at him, almost apologetic for his unannounced arrival. He took off his hat and stuck it under his arm. “At ease, Sheppard,” Came his gruff response, and he cleared his throat, hating how it sounded in the bright, vast gate room this side of the universe.
“This is Cassandra Fraiser,” he motioned to the brunette beside him, trying not to get distracted as he followed her gaze around the city. “She’s here to help Colonel Carter,” he added, his gaze seeking out the base CMO. He’d not yet had the chance to meet Dr Keller, but Sam had sung her praises the last time they’d spoke, and from what Dr Lam and General Landry had told him, her course of action to get Carter back on her feet was a pretty sound one.
Cassie stuck her hand out, introducing herself to the two people before her, and Jack realised that the young woman standing beside John was the woman in question. He nodded at her, not trusting his voice, while Cassie surreptitiously dug an elbow in his ribs. Jack pretended not to notice, instead counting down the seconds in his head, until everyone started moving towards the infirmary.
John slid in beside him as they walked, the two men mere steps behind the young women before them. “We’ve stepped up security, but we’re not expecting any further threats or communications from the Jelovians, sir,” John mentioned, attempting to keep the commanding officer up to date.
Jack nodded, “And the incident?” He asked, not really wanting to know the answer, but knowing it was fully expected of him to ask.
“Contained, sir,” John replied. “The Jelovians are a private people. The team sent with Colonel Carter have all reported that they believe what happened is an isolated incident… well, unrelated to anything else going on in the galaxy right now…” He automatically waved a hand in the air for extra effect.
As they reached the threshold to the infirmary, Jack watched as Dr Keller threw John a look. Taking the hint, the Colonel nodded at Cassie and the General, “I’ll come find you when the doctors are finished, sir,” he said, not waiting for a response, before he slipped down the corridor and out of sight.
Dr Keller smiled at them both, making idle chit chat as she lead them to a cubicle not far from the door. Jack thought she was explaining the medical procedure to Cassie, but he’d unwittingly blanked her out, his mind unable to stop drifting to Sam.
“You can go see her if you like,” Jennifer said, her voice clear and controlled. Her head jutted to an isolation room at the back of the infirmary. Jack looked up at her, studying her face, but she didn’t look at him, her eyes and hands busy with preparing tubes and needles . “She’s under sedation, but Teyla seems to think she’s aware of visitors.”
Jack paused, his fingers previously drumming on the bed that Cassie now sat on. Her feet dangled off the side and Jack studied them with interest as the doctor continued to busy herself with a tray of equipment.
“Go,” Cassie said, motioning at the isolation room with her head and pointedly looking Jack in the eye. “She’d want to see you.”
Jack’s gaze hovered over the doctor for a minute before glancing back at the young woman in his charge.
“We’ll be okay here,” Jennifer reassured him. His gaze found hers again, holding it for a moment before he relented. Nodding his head, he walked across to the other side of the room, purpose in his stride.
-0-
The first time he appeared, she didn’t know what to say. Instead she closed her eyes and sighed inwardly. Hallucinations are not a good thing.
“No, they’re not,” he murmured, as if reading her mind.
Of course, she thinks, and her eyes flicked open again. She studied him, his face pale under the strange array of lights that sum up Atlantis. She watched as his hand fought back the urge to touch hers, as it lay sprawled on the bed beside her. She reached for it anyway, knowing it’s pointless to fight her own thoughts, and his fingers joined hers, his other hand reaching up to cup her face. His thumb circled her cheek, absently swiping away a tear she didn’t even know was falling.
The last time she’d felt like this, she’d convinced herself that she was chasing the wrong dream. She’d imagined herself kissing him then, wishing it was true, knowing that it wasn’t. Her subconscious resigning itself to the fact that she’d never get what she wanted. She’d spent the following year in some strange world where, looking back now, she’d been the most deluded she’d ever been.
She lets herself go then. Unable to shake the tears that fall freely down her face. She was so sorry. It was such a painful time.
And the man before her simply rubbed his thumb on her hand, and the one on her face didn’t move an inch. Tears clouded her vision, but she didn’t care. She’d learnt from that mistake.
-0-
Turning back to her patient, Jennifer rolled up Cassie’s sleeve and pulled the tray of equipment nearer.
“Do you think this will work?” Cassie asked, breaking the silence.
The doctor had previously explained that the Naquadah was actually attempting to fight the poison and the best chance Sam had was regular bursts of it injected into her bloodstream. There were some additional procedures required, but all in all, it wasn’t too complicated for a base that dealt with these things on a regular basis. Cassie wasn’t quite sure who she’d actually dumbed down the science for, her or Jack.
Jennifer glanced up from the needle in her hand. “I do,” She replied, her voice steady.
Cassie watched in silence as the lead from her arm was connected to a pouch, the blood slowly pulsing down the clear tube, onto its destination.
“You and Sam are close, huh?” Jennifer asked, her eyes flitting from her arm to her face. Cassie merely nodded, her throat getting tight. “She has photo of you in her office,” the doctor added, somewhat answering the unspoken question.
“Really?”
“You sound surprised.”
Cassie looked up, unsure what to say. She could feel tears prick at her eyes.
It wasn’t that she was surprised, just that it was… unexpected. Sam was fiercely private, even more so over the past few years. Cassie understood. She got it. She didn’t begrudge it either. She was just glad to see her happy.
The last time her and Sam had talked, she’d mentioned missing home, but Cassie just hadn’t realised the gravity of it all. How lonely it must be, in a different galaxy and no one she knew to fall back on. Having to rise to the top, day after day.
“My mom was a doctor,” Cassie wasn’t sure what made the words tumble out of her mouth. The hands on her arms stilled, the other woman’s eyes connecting with hers. A look of realisation had hit the young doctor and in any other circumstance, Cassie would have laughed. As it was, she just stared back.
“You’re Dr Frasier’s daughter?” Jennifer’s words weren’t quite a whisper. Cassie simply nodded. “She was a legend…” she added, almost wistfully.
“You knew her?” Cassie asked, trying not to be hopeful. It was rare these days that she met someone new who’d known her mother.
“She introduced herself to me at the hospital once,” Jennifer told her, her hands still busy with wires and charts. “I was training and she made a point to come talk to me… Asked me to shadow her one day…” she shrugged, almost embarrassed. “I didn’t realise until well over a year later that, that particular day, was my interview for the Stargate Program…” She hooked the lead from Cassies’ arm up with the bag, pushing everything to one side. “I liked her,” she added. “I even wanted to be like her…”
Cassie nodded. A lot of people had told her similar stories in the past. She just never knew whether to believe them.
“Sam’s pretty legendary too,” Jennifer continued, her words rambling. “When she first arrived, all I heard was story after story from all the air force crew….” She shook her head.
“What?” Cassie asked, noticing the bafflement on the other woman’s face.
“I didn’t know whether to believe them or not,” Jennifer laughed at herself.
“And now?” Her voice was hoarse, her throat suddenly tight again.
Jennifer sighed, looking Cassie squarely in the eyes. She knew Colonel Carter was a fighter. In more ways than one. “Now, I do.” Her voice was strong, unwavering.
“Sam and Jack are all I have left,” Cassie blurted out, not sure what point she was trying to make.
Jennifer squeezed her hand.
Cassie glanced down at it, swallowing the lump in her throat.
“Let’s go heal her…” the other woman said. And Cassie finally let the tears fall.
-0-
When Jack exited the infirmary, it was to find somewhere to breathe.
But he wasn’t expecting to see a soldier standing guard. It wasn’t a standard protocol at the SGC and he was pretty sure it wasn’t one here in Atlantis either.
“General,” the man nodded.
“Lorne,” Jack replied, his words exhaled on a sigh.
“Need some air?”
Jack simply nodded.
Lorne cocked his head and lead the other man down the corridor. “This is Sam’s favourite spot,” He said, as he opened a door to a balcony. Jack couldn’t help but notice the lank of rank.
The balcony itself wasn’t too far from the main control room, her office or the infirmary. But it was far enough away from prying eyes. Jack raised an eyebrow at him and Lorne simply smiled, a shrug on his shoulders. Jack had always thought Lorne was overlooked.
He patted the younger man on the shoulder. “Thank you,” he murmured, before allowing his gaze to fall upon the view before him. The vast towers of the city loomed over him, an expanse of water and a leafy mountainous backdrop of the main land beside it. He could see why Sam liked it.
Lorne simply patted him back in response, before silently slipping out of the door.
-0-
The next time Sam awoke, she could hear beeping. And the smell was definitely familiar. She blinked a few times, her body remaining still as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
“Hey...” The female voice was different this time, but still familiar. And it wasn’t until the young doctor appeared in her line of vision that Sam suddenly remembered where she was. “You’re okay, you’re in Atlantis.”
Sam tried to smile in response, her voice not willing to cooperate. “What happened?” She croaked.
“You were injured off world.”
“Arrow...” Sam whispered.
Jennifer nodded. “You were in surgery for a while but we were able to remove the weapon.”
Sam tried to nod her head, but a wave of dizziness prevented her from doing so and she closed her eyes, resting her head back down onto the pillow beneath her head. “Hurts...” She managed to say, still feeling the blood pumping loudly in her head. She still felt a bit hot and achy.
Jennifer leaned over and squeezed the Colonel’s arm reassuringly. “You’ve had a fever. It may take some time for you to heal, but it’ll pass.”
“I’ve been through worse, right?” Sam said, opening her eyes again. Although in all honesty, she couldn’t remember ever feeling quite like she did at that moment. She wasn’t kidding when she had told Teyla that something didn’t feel right.
“Well,” Jennifer added, “I must admit, it did take me a while to work through your complete medical file...”
Sam attempted a smile. “I’m impressed,” She said, before feeling her eyes getting heavy again.
“Well, I did have help.”
Sam couldn’t help but open her eyes at her statement. Jennifer simply shrugged and moved out of the way slightly, so Sam could see through the window behind her. Two familiar figures stood smiling at her, and Sam watched as they approached the isolation room together.
“I’ll let them explain,” Jennifer simply stated, before patting the Colonel on the arm and stepping outside of the room.
Sam’s eyes swept over Jack and Cassie as they entered, unable to believe they were here. Nervous laughs filtered over her ears and she smiled, happy to see them. Cassie’s warmth seeped through her and she breathed in the smell of her hair as she hugged her.
“Is this what it takes, to get you to come visit?” Sam joked, absently running her hand over Cassie’s arm, while Jack fluffed at the pillows by her head.
Cassie shrugged. “Well if you’d told me how amazing this place is….”
Jack looked down at her and they shared a smile over the young woman’s excitement. He tucked an errant strand of hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.
She reached for his hand and revelled in the contact. Jack glanced from where their fingers were entwined and back up to her face. He rubbed her hand with his thumb and merely smiled back.
He was definitely not a hallucination.
-0-
“I’m not mad that you came.”
The words were simple and clear.
Jack had thrown away that notion the minute he’d seen her cry. He’d held onto that thought, the minute he’d seen her sigh in relief once her dreams were done. And he’d savoured it, the moment she’d thrown a smile his way, the one she always reserved for him.
“I know,” he said, his words but a whisper in the dark.
Hands wove up his chest, tangled in his greying hairs and he stilled them a moment, his hand clutching hers. His eyes sought hers in the darkness, the moonlight the only source of light filtering into her quarters.
She smiled at him then, the warmth from her body pressing into his. “I love you.” Her voice was strong, her eyes not wavering.
He smiled back, a lump suddenly forming in his throat and throwing him off course. He suddenly understood why all the people who came before him, had felt the need to create a word to sum up these feelings that swam around him right now.
“I won’t break.”
And he kissed her then, her words so absolute and ringing in his ears.
His hands dropped hers in an instant...
-0-
As the sun shone off her hair, waves of gold and blue and orange danced across the walls in her quarters, and he couldn’t help but stare at her. She was beautiful. How had they come this far and yet words were often still too complicated to say sometimes.
“You okay?” She asked, uncertain what was going through his mind. She seemed lighter. More focused somehow. Despite everything, this command suited her.
Jack shrugged, “I’ll miss you,” was all he said in response, closing the gap between them. He kissed her. Slow, warm and full of something neither of them dared to question anymore.
Today was the day he had to leave.
“Now, how do I get out of here unnoticed?” He asked, head resting on hers, his breath tickling her jaw.
A shuffle motioned at the door, and they both turned to see a shadow move slowly across the slither of light. They shared a look, before Sam waved her hand over the sensor and watched as the door slid slowly open.
Lorne smiled at her.
Seeing the duffle by her feet, he shrugged, before bending down to pick it up. He was gone in seconds and Sam smiled as she turned back to the man who still stood in her bedroom.
Jack merely smiled back, a finger wagging slightly in the air. “I keep saying that guy needs a promotion….”
-0-
Candles littered her room, familiar smells wafting from sticks and dried leaves.
Teyla paused, her hands still resting upon her knees as she sat crossed legged on the floor. There was a shuffle of feet, a shadow emerging, before she heard the chime go off.
“Colonel!” She cried, surprised to see her commander standing there as she opened the door.
“I’m off duty,” Sam bounced on her feet slightly before her, “It’s just Sam.”
Teyla couldn’t help but smile. The colour had returned to her face, the bandage on her leg barely noticeable under her clothes. She’d seemed happier lately, even with the departure of her friends a few days ago. She’d heard snippets of course, seen some things with her own eyes even. But as with most stories that came from Earth, separating the fact from fiction could be hard sometimes.
“I’m glad to see you well,” Teyla added.
“Thanks,” Sam replied, genuinely. She peered into the room behind Teyla, gesturing with her hands. “Would you mind if I join you?”
Teyla followed her gaze into the darkened room, a little confused by what she was asking. Rarely anyone joined her in meditation these days.
“Teal’c used to carry out Kelno’reem - it’s a form of Jaffa meditation,” She added with a shrug. “I used to find it… grounding…”
The last word was said with so much composure, Teyla couldn’t help but smile. With a bow of her head, Sam followed her into the room. “Please, sit,” Teyla gestured to a cushion, before finding another one and sitting down next to her.
Sam didn’t need any prompting, her eyes closed the minute she sat, posture similar to that of the Athosian beside her.
Teyla smiled. Maybe she’d find out about the real Samantha Carter one day after all….