Stargate SG-1: When We Dream 5/5
Title: What You Want
Author: Lhinneill
Summary: Do we leave it in the room? Do we walk away - again?
Rating: PG
Length: About 1500 words.
Category: Angst/Romance/General
Pairing: Team friendship, Sam/Jack
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Spoilers: Set sometime in season 10 before The Quest, but there aren’t any real spoilers.
A/N: I know, I suck. I'm sorry, guys. I've had terrible writer's block, which I know is really no excuse for leaving you hanging, but it's finally finished! I nearly tore the whole fic apart, but I managed (with the help of Lionchilde) to leave it in one piece. I still don't like how it turned out, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Written for fic101 prompt #83, home.
Got Pants? | Chapter 1/5 | Chapter 2/5 | Chapter 3/5 | Chapter 4/5
What You Want
Daniel hurried though the hall towards the infirmary, his teammates following close behind. They had returned from the planet less than an hour before, and after briefing General Landry on their findings, Daniel had insisted they come here immediately. Once the General told him what had happened while in the infirmary while the team was offworld, Daniel definitely didn't want to waste any time.
"Jack!" he called as they entered the infirmary. His shout earned him a corrective glare from one of the nurses, but he ignored her. Jack stood from where he'd been seated by Sam's bed, turning to face his friend. Daniel rushed over to him, glancing down at Sam. "Is she...? Landry said she was starting to wake up."
Jack's lips curved in a tired frown. "She was." He glanced back at Sam, brows furrowing. "She hasn't moved again in hours."
Cam stepped up beside Daniel. "Jackson thinks the device is...was...a... Uh, Jackson?"
"They were trying to save themselves," Daniel explained. "From what I gathered from their journals, the culture was on the brink of destroying itself. Scientists created this machine to teach the people to value life again."
Jack stared blankly. "Okay."
"It's running some kind of...program," Daniel said with a frown. "Sam would understand it better than I do, but if I read the translations correctly... Once it's finished, she'll wake up."
The General's eyebrows raised, and he looked back at Sam again. "That's it?"
"Not exactly, sir," Cam said with a heavy sigh. "Jackson seems to think it won't be finished until it thinks she's learned...whatever."
"Of course the scientists were delightfully vague on that little detail," Vala supplied with a wince.
"So...that's not it?" Jack frowned.
"That's all we know, Jack."
Jack bit back a sudden retort and turned his back, taking a slow step towards Sam's bed. He drug a hand through his hair and sighed. Daniel fully understood the pain and confusion he knew his friend was feeling. To Daniel, Sam was the sister he'd never had. She'd saved his life more than once and she had been there when it felt like his whole life was crumbling around him. Seeing her injured and helpless, waiting for them to find some way to save her... He grit his teeth. She trusted them! But so far, their only hope of finding a cure had left them with nothing but more unanswered questions.
Vala quietly cleared her throat. "Maybe we could try talking to her...?"
Jack looked back, meeting Vala's eyes. She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "What could it hurt?"
"Yeah," Jack nodded slowly.
"Sounds like the best idea we've got so far," Cam said, dropping a hand onto Vala's shoulder. She gave him a weary smile, then followed the rest of her team to Sam's bedside. Silently they formed a protective circle around her, each shuffling into their own position at their friend's side.
Jack glanced up, meeting Daniel's gaze. Daniel translated the silent message and nodded. Someone's missing.
Cam and Daniel broke off from the circle to retrieve Teal'c, returning moments later with their injured teammate supported between them. As they rejoined their friends, Daniel glimpsed General Landry come through the infirmary door, stepping close to his daughter to watch and to lend his silent support.
Now that they were all together, Cam reached out and patted Sam's blanketed knee. "We're all here, Sam."
Vala firmly nodded and added her own comment. "That's right, and we're not going anywhere. Which means you'd better wake up quick, because that coffee I drank earlier is on the move."
Daniel rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. He wasn't going to start a squabble now, especially not when he knew Vala was genuinely concerned about Sam, despite her usual outward flippancy. They were a family, and they were going to get their friend back.
--**--
Voices whispered in the wind, familiar and comforting to Sam's ears. She closed her eyes. It would be so easy to drift away now, but she wanted to hear his voice again. Just one last time. He’d told her not to give up, but she no longer knew what she was fighting for.
It would be so easy to drift away.
“Do not give in, ColonelCarter.”
“Come on, Sam.”
“...you still owe me a new pair of shoes.”
“Hang in there, Sam. You’re not getting out that easy.”
And then, there it was.
“Don’t let it win, Carter. Come on... Damn it, you’re stronger than that!”
It suddenly got harder to think of letting go. She held her breath, listening. The voices washed over her. His words mixed with others, echoing and building until they were almost unbearably loud. She strained to make out what they were saying, struggling to separate the individual voices. They were all so familiar, all so...real. More real than the image she’d been trying to project since General O’Neill had died.
“Where your treasure is...” a new voice whispered, barely audible over the others. Sam fought to hear it, but whatever came next was lost.
Suddenly the voices stopped. Everything stopped. When she opened her eyes, there was nothing but blackness. Another voice, unfamiliar and cold, reached through the nothing, “You have seen into your heart and found the truth. We have no further purpose.”
At his words, everything she had lived through for the past few days, the beach, the voices, the memorial, the hospital - everything, rushed past in a blinding montage. She thought it was going to keep going, showing her entire life, but without warning, everything disappeared in a flash.
--**--
They were finally alone. Dr. Lam and her needle-wielding army had retreated to their caves and the rest of SG-1 had respectfully filtered away, recognizing that their two friends needed time to talk. In the time they had been alone, however, neither had said a word. They sat side by side on Carter's infirmary bed, Jack slowly swinging his legs while Carter sat still and silent. Jack had tried to say something more than once, but too many thoughts clamored and clawed for attention in his mind for him to focus on any single one. He didn't want to ruin the moment with a stupid comment, so he stayed quiet, his eyes locked on his clasped fingers.
"You were dead," Carter said, startling him with the abruptness of her voice.
Jack's brows dipped in a frown and he tore his eyes away from his knuckles, meeting her gaze. "No I wasn't."
"Sir..." she shook her head, biting her lip. "It was so..." She trailed off and let silence fall once more.
“Carter...”
"You wouldn't understand," she mumbled.
"Damn it, Carter-Sam. Give me a chance," he snapped. She looked startled, but he didn’t apologize. “Believe it or not, I do. I think. It’s not like I haven’t been...stuck. I’ve known my share of nightmares.” When she didn’t answer, he reached out and lifted her chin with his finger. "I'm here. I'm not dead. Okay?"
Slowly, she nodded, smiling faintly through her tears. "Yeah."
Jack smiled back, tenderly brushing her chin before withdrawing his hand. "Okay.”
“Sir?”
“Yeah?”
“I thought I heard something while...while I was in there.”
“Oh?” Jack’s brows rose. “You mean about Vala’s shoes?”
Carter snorted, ducking her head and smiling-for real this time. “No. Something else. Something about treasure.”
“Treasure?” Jack echoed.
“Yeah. There was more, but I couldn’t hear it.”
“Oh. So no secret map?”
“Sir! I’m serious!”
Jack coughed, hiding his grin behind his hand.
“I think it was what got me out of there. I wish I knew what it meant.” She sighed, staring hard at her hands. Jack just let her sit there, not saying a word. When she looked up, meeting his gaze, tears glistened in her eyes again. “When you were...when I thought you were dead. There was so much I wanted to tell you. And then...”
“It’s okay, Carter. I know.”
Her eyes searched his face. “Do you?”
He smiled. “Promise.”
She tilted her head, still not breaking eye contact. Jack decided he liked being looking at her like this, without a thought of what someone else might think. He could believe nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. Just O’Neill and Carter.
“Now what?”
He knew what she was asking. Do we leave it in the room? Do we walk away - again?
He smiled again and leaned close. “Now we go fishing.”
Author: Lhinneill
Summary: Do we leave it in the room? Do we walk away - again?
Rating: PG
Length: About 1500 words.
Category: Angst/Romance/General
Pairing: Team friendship, Sam/Jack
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Spoilers: Set sometime in season 10 before The Quest, but there aren’t any real spoilers.
A/N: I know, I suck. I'm sorry, guys. I've had terrible writer's block, which I know is really no excuse for leaving you hanging, but it's finally finished! I nearly tore the whole fic apart, but I managed (with the help of Lionchilde) to leave it in one piece. I still don't like how it turned out, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Written for fic101 prompt #83, home.
Got Pants? | Chapter 1/5 | Chapter 2/5 | Chapter 3/5 | Chapter 4/5
What You Want
Daniel hurried though the hall towards the infirmary, his teammates following close behind. They had returned from the planet less than an hour before, and after briefing General Landry on their findings, Daniel had insisted they come here immediately. Once the General told him what had happened while in the infirmary while the team was offworld, Daniel definitely didn't want to waste any time.
"Jack!" he called as they entered the infirmary. His shout earned him a corrective glare from one of the nurses, but he ignored her. Jack stood from where he'd been seated by Sam's bed, turning to face his friend. Daniel rushed over to him, glancing down at Sam. "Is she...? Landry said she was starting to wake up."
Jack's lips curved in a tired frown. "She was." He glanced back at Sam, brows furrowing. "She hasn't moved again in hours."
Cam stepped up beside Daniel. "Jackson thinks the device is...was...a... Uh, Jackson?"
"They were trying to save themselves," Daniel explained. "From what I gathered from their journals, the culture was on the brink of destroying itself. Scientists created this machine to teach the people to value life again."
Jack stared blankly. "Okay."
"It's running some kind of...program," Daniel said with a frown. "Sam would understand it better than I do, but if I read the translations correctly... Once it's finished, she'll wake up."
The General's eyebrows raised, and he looked back at Sam again. "That's it?"
"Not exactly, sir," Cam said with a heavy sigh. "Jackson seems to think it won't be finished until it thinks she's learned...whatever."
"Of course the scientists were delightfully vague on that little detail," Vala supplied with a wince.
"So...that's not it?" Jack frowned.
"That's all we know, Jack."
Jack bit back a sudden retort and turned his back, taking a slow step towards Sam's bed. He drug a hand through his hair and sighed. Daniel fully understood the pain and confusion he knew his friend was feeling. To Daniel, Sam was the sister he'd never had. She'd saved his life more than once and she had been there when it felt like his whole life was crumbling around him. Seeing her injured and helpless, waiting for them to find some way to save her... He grit his teeth. She trusted them! But so far, their only hope of finding a cure had left them with nothing but more unanswered questions.
Vala quietly cleared her throat. "Maybe we could try talking to her...?"
Jack looked back, meeting Vala's eyes. She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "What could it hurt?"
"Yeah," Jack nodded slowly.
"Sounds like the best idea we've got so far," Cam said, dropping a hand onto Vala's shoulder. She gave him a weary smile, then followed the rest of her team to Sam's bedside. Silently they formed a protective circle around her, each shuffling into their own position at their friend's side.
Jack glanced up, meeting Daniel's gaze. Daniel translated the silent message and nodded. Someone's missing.
Cam and Daniel broke off from the circle to retrieve Teal'c, returning moments later with their injured teammate supported between them. As they rejoined their friends, Daniel glimpsed General Landry come through the infirmary door, stepping close to his daughter to watch and to lend his silent support.
Now that they were all together, Cam reached out and patted Sam's blanketed knee. "We're all here, Sam."
Vala firmly nodded and added her own comment. "That's right, and we're not going anywhere. Which means you'd better wake up quick, because that coffee I drank earlier is on the move."
Daniel rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. He wasn't going to start a squabble now, especially not when he knew Vala was genuinely concerned about Sam, despite her usual outward flippancy. They were a family, and they were going to get their friend back.
--**--
Voices whispered in the wind, familiar and comforting to Sam's ears. She closed her eyes. It would be so easy to drift away now, but she wanted to hear his voice again. Just one last time. He’d told her not to give up, but she no longer knew what she was fighting for.
It would be so easy to drift away.
“Do not give in, ColonelCarter.”
“Come on, Sam.”
“...you still owe me a new pair of shoes.”
“Hang in there, Sam. You’re not getting out that easy.”
And then, there it was.
“Don’t let it win, Carter. Come on... Damn it, you’re stronger than that!”
It suddenly got harder to think of letting go. She held her breath, listening. The voices washed over her. His words mixed with others, echoing and building until they were almost unbearably loud. She strained to make out what they were saying, struggling to separate the individual voices. They were all so familiar, all so...real. More real than the image she’d been trying to project since General O’Neill had died.
“Where your treasure is...” a new voice whispered, barely audible over the others. Sam fought to hear it, but whatever came next was lost.
Suddenly the voices stopped. Everything stopped. When she opened her eyes, there was nothing but blackness. Another voice, unfamiliar and cold, reached through the nothing, “You have seen into your heart and found the truth. We have no further purpose.”
At his words, everything she had lived through for the past few days, the beach, the voices, the memorial, the hospital - everything, rushed past in a blinding montage. She thought it was going to keep going, showing her entire life, but without warning, everything disappeared in a flash.
--**--
They were finally alone. Dr. Lam and her needle-wielding army had retreated to their caves and the rest of SG-1 had respectfully filtered away, recognizing that their two friends needed time to talk. In the time they had been alone, however, neither had said a word. They sat side by side on Carter's infirmary bed, Jack slowly swinging his legs while Carter sat still and silent. Jack had tried to say something more than once, but too many thoughts clamored and clawed for attention in his mind for him to focus on any single one. He didn't want to ruin the moment with a stupid comment, so he stayed quiet, his eyes locked on his clasped fingers.
"You were dead," Carter said, startling him with the abruptness of her voice.
Jack's brows dipped in a frown and he tore his eyes away from his knuckles, meeting her gaze. "No I wasn't."
"Sir..." she shook her head, biting her lip. "It was so..." She trailed off and let silence fall once more.
“Carter...”
"You wouldn't understand," she mumbled.
"Damn it, Carter-Sam. Give me a chance," he snapped. She looked startled, but he didn’t apologize. “Believe it or not, I do. I think. It’s not like I haven’t been...stuck. I’ve known my share of nightmares.” When she didn’t answer, he reached out and lifted her chin with his finger. "I'm here. I'm not dead. Okay?"
Slowly, she nodded, smiling faintly through her tears. "Yeah."
Jack smiled back, tenderly brushing her chin before withdrawing his hand. "Okay.”
“Sir?”
“Yeah?”
“I thought I heard something while...while I was in there.”
“Oh?” Jack’s brows rose. “You mean about Vala’s shoes?”
Carter snorted, ducking her head and smiling-for real this time. “No. Something else. Something about treasure.”
“Treasure?” Jack echoed.
“Yeah. There was more, but I couldn’t hear it.”
“Oh. So no secret map?”
“Sir! I’m serious!”
Jack coughed, hiding his grin behind his hand.
“I think it was what got me out of there. I wish I knew what it meant.” She sighed, staring hard at her hands. Jack just let her sit there, not saying a word. When she looked up, meeting his gaze, tears glistened in her eyes again. “When you were...when I thought you were dead. There was so much I wanted to tell you. And then...”
“It’s okay, Carter. I know.”
Her eyes searched his face. “Do you?”
He smiled. “Promise.”
She tilted her head, still not breaking eye contact. Jack decided he liked being looking at her like this, without a thought of what someone else might think. He could believe nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. Just O’Neill and Carter.
“Now what?”
He knew what she was asking. Do we leave it in the room? Do we walk away - again?
He smiled again and leaned close. “Now we go fishing.”