Stargate SG-1: When We Dream, 3/?
Original post date: March 8, 2007.
Title: Losing Control
Author: Lhinneill
Summary: "You’re saying there’s nothing you can do?"
Rating: PG
Length: About 1600 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.
Author's Note: Written for fic101, prompt #4, friend. Much thanks to so_out_of_ideas for the beta job and all her help.
Got Pants? | Chapter 1/? | Chapter 2/?
Losing Control
Daniel shuffled into the briefing room, rubbing his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. After calling Jack, he’d gone to the commissary to find Mitchell and Vala bickering over the last bowl of red jello. He grabbed a slice of pie and joined them. They spent most of the night there, drinking day-old coffee and rescuing leftover deserts. When Jack called at three in the morning, Daniel had driven to the airport to give his friend a ride to the SGC. He’d gotten back in time to collapse into bed for an hour before the alarm clock reminded him of that morning’s briefing. Now all he wanted was a steaming cup of coffee; hopefully it would help him wake up before the briefing started.
He headed straight for the coffeepot and filled a mug. He didn’t bother with any cream or sugar; he needed it strong and black. Taking a slow drink, he winced at the bitter taste. Walter must have made the coffee this morning. He took his seat at the table, carefully taking another sip.
Voices from the hall announced the arrival of another two members of the team--Vala and Mitchell. Vala took the seat beside Daniel while Mitchell aimed for the coffee. A moment later, Landry and his daughter emerged from the General’s office, the doctor toting a stack of folders under one arm. She placed one in front of each team member before sitting beside Mitchell, across the table from Daniel and Vala. Jack was the last to appear. He looked worse than Daniel felt.
Once they all were seated, coffee in hand, Landry tapped his folder on the table and cleared his throat, then looked at Jack. “I assume Daniel briefed you on the situation?” Jack nodded, and the CO of the base motioned to his daughter, handing the briefing over to her.
She gave him a clipped nod and flipped open her folder. “I kept Colonel Carter under observation all night. And from what I can tell... She’s in perfect health. All the tests came back clear, her vitals are good, and there’s no signs of any alien viruses in her system. Aside from an abnormal amount of brain activity, I can’t find anything wrong.”
Mitchell frowned. “Abnormal how?”
Dr. Lam lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I haven’t seen anything like this before, Colonel. Her synaptic responses are far faster than we normally see during sleep. It’s like she’s not really asleep, or at least in a very deep state of REM.”
Jack waved his hands, drawing the attention of everyone around the table. “So, that means...?”
The petite doctor sighed, meeting Jack’s gaze evenly. “Best guess? She’s dreaming.”
Daniel planted his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Dreaming? That’s it?”
Dr. Lam nodded. “That’s what it looks like, Dr. Jackson. I can’t find anything else to explain her condition.”
“So... You’re saying there’s nothing you can do?” Jack prompted.
She sighed. “I honestly don’t know, sir. We’ve made her comfortable and isolated her so she can’t--”
Jack interrupted, face contorted with frustrated anger. “Well maybe that’s the problem.”
“Excuse me?” Dr. Lam blinked, surprised.
Jack exhaled sharply and started to respond, but Daniel swiftly cut in. “What Jack means is Sam needs us. We’re a team. Her--” he cut himself short, glancing to the faces of the team members of SG-1, both the old and the new. He’d started to say they were her friends, but that didn’t come close to describing what they meant to each other. They’d been through hell together. They were a family.
“I understand, Dr. Jackson.” The doctor’s gaze shifted from the team to her father, and she bit her lip thoughtfully. “We haven’t found any signs of any toxic contamination. As far as I’m concerned, she’s not a threat, sir. It should be safe for us to release her from isolation.”
Landry nodded. “Good.”
“So we can see her now?” Vala asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Dr. Lam shrugged.
Jack pushed himself out of his seat, only to be stopped by Daniel’s voice. “Hold on, Jack.” The archaeologist folded his hands and looked at Landry once more. “I think we should go back to the planet.”
General Landry leaned back in his seat, eyes widening in surprise. “Do you think that’s wise? After what happened to Colonel Carter, I don’t want to risk exposing any more of my people to this...whatever it is.”
“General, if we’re going to find out what happened to Sam, we need to go back. There could be texts there that might give us a clue to what’s going on,” Daniel insisted.
“He has a point, sir,” Mitchell chimed in.
Landry nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “All right. Take some time with Colonel Carter, people. You’ll head out with SG-7 in the morning.”
“Thank you, General,” Daniel said.
Landry stood, looking at each member of the team. “Just keep your eyes open. You won’t do Colonel Carter any good if you join her.”
"Yes, Sir," Mitchell responded, getting to his feet. The rest of the team followed his lead, then waited for Landry to dismiss them. Once he had, Jack lead the way out of the room. Sam was waiting.
---
There just over an hour left before the memorial service began, but Sam still didn’t feel like joining her teammates. Cam had dropped by earlier to invite her to join the team in the commissary, but she’d opted stay here in her lab. Right now, all she wanted was some time alone. It wasn’t easy, though. People kept dropping by every few minutes, interrupting her solitude. Dr. Lee was the last one; he brought her a bowl of blue jello and a fresh cup of coffee. Food was the last thing on her mind, but she hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings. The coffee now sat forgotten by her laptop, rapidly cooling beside the jello.
He’s really gone. She lowered her head to her hands, eyes closed. She hadn’t cried since the morning Daniel called. She couldn’t. All of her training told her she had to be strong, that she was wrong to feel this at all. Somehow everything had become so complicated. What should have been a relationship of mutual trust and respect had grown to something so deep it scared her. She told herself it didn’t matter. Whatever chance they might have once had was gone long before now. So many opportunities had come to do something about her feelings, but she’d let them pass by. She had chosen duty over love. The stark truth of the thought caught her off guard. Was it really love? For years, she’d kept herself from even thinking about it. There was too much at stake, too much to lose if she took the chance only to find it wasn’t real.
When she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she jumped, startled. She looked up to find Vala standing beside her, brow creased with visible concern. “Mind if I join you?”
Sam shook her head and motioned to an extra stool beside her workbench. “Go ahead.”
Vala grabbed the stool and pulled it closer before sitting down. Sam averted her eyes, looking from the blinking green lights of the machinery over Vala’s shoulder to the abandoned bowl of jello.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” Vala said softly.
Sam met Vala’s gaze, swallowing hard when she saw the look of open compassion in her teammate’s eyes. Her vision wavered as tears filled her eyes. Damn it, Carter. You’re not going to cry! A single rebellious tear tracked down her face anyway. She brushed it away and struggled to choke down the lump in her throat.
Vala didn’t say anything else but wrapped an arm around Sam’s shoulder, holding her friend as Sam’s control crumbled and the tears came.
---
The team gathered around their friend, who now occupied a bed in the infirmary near Teal’c, each taking up their own places beside her bed. Daniel grabbed a chair and pulled it close; Vala hovered near him, reminding Carter of their shopping date that Friday. Mitchell stood at the foot of the bed, silently adding his support. Jack hung back at first, realizing anew that this wasn’t his team anymore. They’d formed a close friendship, different than the one his team shared, but powerful all the same.
“Jack?” Daniel prompted.
The General nodded, moving up the opposite side of the bed from Daniel and Vala. His gaze was fixed on his former 2IC; she looked calm, peaceful--like nothing was wrong. He took another step; he was close enough to touch her now, but he didn’t. “Hey, Carter,” he whispered, aware that SG-1 and a couple nearby nurses were watching him. His eyes flickered from her face to Daniel’s. The archaeologist met Jack’s gaze, then nodded slowly in understanding.
Daniel pushed out of his chair, reaching for Vala’s arm. “I need some coffee.”
She started to protest, but Daniel glared pointedly. She glanced from him to Jack, eyes widening. “Oh. Me too.”
Mitchell coughed. “I’m gonna go check on Teal’c.”
Jack waited while they drifted away, an amused smirk touching his lips as Vala ambushed the nosy nurses on her way out. Now alone, Jack turned his eyes back to his friend, only to find his mind empty. What could he say? There were things that needed to be said, but even now, he couldn’t find the words. He settled for a quiet, “I think you’ve slept long enough, Carter.”
Title: Losing Control
Author: Lhinneill
Summary: "You’re saying there’s nothing you can do?"
Rating: PG
Length: About 1600 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.
Author's Note: Written for fic101, prompt #4, friend. Much thanks to so_out_of_ideas for the beta job and all her help.
Got Pants? | Chapter 1/? | Chapter 2/?
Losing Control
Daniel shuffled into the briefing room, rubbing his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. After calling Jack, he’d gone to the commissary to find Mitchell and Vala bickering over the last bowl of red jello. He grabbed a slice of pie and joined them. They spent most of the night there, drinking day-old coffee and rescuing leftover deserts. When Jack called at three in the morning, Daniel had driven to the airport to give his friend a ride to the SGC. He’d gotten back in time to collapse into bed for an hour before the alarm clock reminded him of that morning’s briefing. Now all he wanted was a steaming cup of coffee; hopefully it would help him wake up before the briefing started.
He headed straight for the coffeepot and filled a mug. He didn’t bother with any cream or sugar; he needed it strong and black. Taking a slow drink, he winced at the bitter taste. Walter must have made the coffee this morning. He took his seat at the table, carefully taking another sip.
Voices from the hall announced the arrival of another two members of the team--Vala and Mitchell. Vala took the seat beside Daniel while Mitchell aimed for the coffee. A moment later, Landry and his daughter emerged from the General’s office, the doctor toting a stack of folders under one arm. She placed one in front of each team member before sitting beside Mitchell, across the table from Daniel and Vala. Jack was the last to appear. He looked worse than Daniel felt.
Once they all were seated, coffee in hand, Landry tapped his folder on the table and cleared his throat, then looked at Jack. “I assume Daniel briefed you on the situation?” Jack nodded, and the CO of the base motioned to his daughter, handing the briefing over to her.
She gave him a clipped nod and flipped open her folder. “I kept Colonel Carter under observation all night. And from what I can tell... She’s in perfect health. All the tests came back clear, her vitals are good, and there’s no signs of any alien viruses in her system. Aside from an abnormal amount of brain activity, I can’t find anything wrong.”
Mitchell frowned. “Abnormal how?”
Dr. Lam lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I haven’t seen anything like this before, Colonel. Her synaptic responses are far faster than we normally see during sleep. It’s like she’s not really asleep, or at least in a very deep state of REM.”
Jack waved his hands, drawing the attention of everyone around the table. “So, that means...?”
The petite doctor sighed, meeting Jack’s gaze evenly. “Best guess? She’s dreaming.”
Daniel planted his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Dreaming? That’s it?”
Dr. Lam nodded. “That’s what it looks like, Dr. Jackson. I can’t find anything else to explain her condition.”
“So... You’re saying there’s nothing you can do?” Jack prompted.
She sighed. “I honestly don’t know, sir. We’ve made her comfortable and isolated her so she can’t--”
Jack interrupted, face contorted with frustrated anger. “Well maybe that’s the problem.”
“Excuse me?” Dr. Lam blinked, surprised.
Jack exhaled sharply and started to respond, but Daniel swiftly cut in. “What Jack means is Sam needs us. We’re a team. Her--” he cut himself short, glancing to the faces of the team members of SG-1, both the old and the new. He’d started to say they were her friends, but that didn’t come close to describing what they meant to each other. They’d been through hell together. They were a family.
“I understand, Dr. Jackson.” The doctor’s gaze shifted from the team to her father, and she bit her lip thoughtfully. “We haven’t found any signs of any toxic contamination. As far as I’m concerned, she’s not a threat, sir. It should be safe for us to release her from isolation.”
Landry nodded. “Good.”
“So we can see her now?” Vala asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Dr. Lam shrugged.
Jack pushed himself out of his seat, only to be stopped by Daniel’s voice. “Hold on, Jack.” The archaeologist folded his hands and looked at Landry once more. “I think we should go back to the planet.”
General Landry leaned back in his seat, eyes widening in surprise. “Do you think that’s wise? After what happened to Colonel Carter, I don’t want to risk exposing any more of my people to this...whatever it is.”
“General, if we’re going to find out what happened to Sam, we need to go back. There could be texts there that might give us a clue to what’s going on,” Daniel insisted.
“He has a point, sir,” Mitchell chimed in.
Landry nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “All right. Take some time with Colonel Carter, people. You’ll head out with SG-7 in the morning.”
“Thank you, General,” Daniel said.
Landry stood, looking at each member of the team. “Just keep your eyes open. You won’t do Colonel Carter any good if you join her.”
"Yes, Sir," Mitchell responded, getting to his feet. The rest of the team followed his lead, then waited for Landry to dismiss them. Once he had, Jack lead the way out of the room. Sam was waiting.
---
There just over an hour left before the memorial service began, but Sam still didn’t feel like joining her teammates. Cam had dropped by earlier to invite her to join the team in the commissary, but she’d opted stay here in her lab. Right now, all she wanted was some time alone. It wasn’t easy, though. People kept dropping by every few minutes, interrupting her solitude. Dr. Lee was the last one; he brought her a bowl of blue jello and a fresh cup of coffee. Food was the last thing on her mind, but she hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings. The coffee now sat forgotten by her laptop, rapidly cooling beside the jello.
He’s really gone. She lowered her head to her hands, eyes closed. She hadn’t cried since the morning Daniel called. She couldn’t. All of her training told her she had to be strong, that she was wrong to feel this at all. Somehow everything had become so complicated. What should have been a relationship of mutual trust and respect had grown to something so deep it scared her. She told herself it didn’t matter. Whatever chance they might have once had was gone long before now. So many opportunities had come to do something about her feelings, but she’d let them pass by. She had chosen duty over love. The stark truth of the thought caught her off guard. Was it really love? For years, she’d kept herself from even thinking about it. There was too much at stake, too much to lose if she took the chance only to find it wasn’t real.
When she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she jumped, startled. She looked up to find Vala standing beside her, brow creased with visible concern. “Mind if I join you?”
Sam shook her head and motioned to an extra stool beside her workbench. “Go ahead.”
Vala grabbed the stool and pulled it closer before sitting down. Sam averted her eyes, looking from the blinking green lights of the machinery over Vala’s shoulder to the abandoned bowl of jello.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” Vala said softly.
Sam met Vala’s gaze, swallowing hard when she saw the look of open compassion in her teammate’s eyes. Her vision wavered as tears filled her eyes. Damn it, Carter. You’re not going to cry! A single rebellious tear tracked down her face anyway. She brushed it away and struggled to choke down the lump in her throat.
Vala didn’t say anything else but wrapped an arm around Sam’s shoulder, holding her friend as Sam’s control crumbled and the tears came.
---
The team gathered around their friend, who now occupied a bed in the infirmary near Teal’c, each taking up their own places beside her bed. Daniel grabbed a chair and pulled it close; Vala hovered near him, reminding Carter of their shopping date that Friday. Mitchell stood at the foot of the bed, silently adding his support. Jack hung back at first, realizing anew that this wasn’t his team anymore. They’d formed a close friendship, different than the one his team shared, but powerful all the same.
“Jack?” Daniel prompted.
The General nodded, moving up the opposite side of the bed from Daniel and Vala. His gaze was fixed on his former 2IC; she looked calm, peaceful--like nothing was wrong. He took another step; he was close enough to touch her now, but he didn’t. “Hey, Carter,” he whispered, aware that SG-1 and a couple nearby nurses were watching him. His eyes flickered from her face to Daniel’s. The archaeologist met Jack’s gaze, then nodded slowly in understanding.
Daniel pushed out of his chair, reaching for Vala’s arm. “I need some coffee.”
She started to protest, but Daniel glared pointedly. She glanced from him to Jack, eyes widening. “Oh. Me too.”
Mitchell coughed. “I’m gonna go check on Teal’c.”
Jack waited while they drifted away, an amused smirk touching his lips as Vala ambushed the nosy nurses on her way out. Now alone, Jack turned his eyes back to his friend, only to find his mind empty. What could he say? There were things that needed to be said, but even now, he couldn’t find the words. He settled for a quiet, “I think you’ve slept long enough, Carter.”