Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

"You are running a slight fever," Janet said, frowning at the reading on the small device in her hand. "Do you have any other symptoms?"

Sam frowned, and then gently rubbed the back of her neck. "It's been a little sore. I just put it down to damage caused by the goa'uld that it didn't have time to heal before it died."

Janet stepped behind her and gently palpated the thin pinkish scar at the base of Sam's neck, barely hidden by her hair. She pressed lightly, frowning slightly when Sam tensed and hissed in pain.

"The whole area looks inflamed," Janet said. "I need to do some blood work to be sure, but I'd say you were having a reaction to the symbiote."

"What?"

"Think of it like a splinter," the doctor said, moving to look her friend in the eyes. "If you get a splinter and don't get it out, it results in an infection," she said, readying her syringe. Sam obligingly rolled up her sleeve. "In this case, we're talking about something several thousand times bigger."

"But that didn't happen with Jolinar," Sam protested as Janet took her sample.

"Actually, it did. Although on a much smaller scale. Jolinar had time to alter your immune system not to attack her. This symbiote didn't and who knows what effect that antibiotic you injected yourself with has. Your blood chemistry is also different now than it was then," she lectured gently.

"I don't remember getting sick after Jolinar."

"You weren't exactly…paying attention," Janet said. "You ran a low grade fever for a couple of days. You were on IV antibiotics and it cleared up."

Sam frowned at her friend then shrugged. "I remember having the chills a little but I thought it was just the air conditioning," she said as Janet finished drawing the blood.

"I think this is the same thing. I'll know for sure when I run the sample. If it is, some antibiotics should knock it out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we might have to consider something more drastic. Surgery," she said in response to Sam's raised eyebrows. "Remove the symbiote before it can do more damage."

"The symbiote twists itself around the brain stem," Sam said, paling a bit at the prospect.

"Which is why it's the last resort," Janet reassured her. "We can try pills first, then more aggressive IV antibiotics and even contact your dad before we go that far. Don't worry about it. I should have the results in an hour or so." She set the samples on a tray and cautiously looked around. "How is he doing?" she asked quietly.

Sam shook her head a little. "I aah…I haven't been over yet," she admitted.

"Sam," Janet complained.

"Janet, it's just…I don't want to intrude."

"I don't think …being with him is intruding," she said quietly. "You know the colonel. He'll sulk and mope if you leave him alone."

"Janet, I think I'm the last person he wants to see right now," Sam said tiredly.

"That's not true."

"If it wasn't for me he wouldn't have went through all he did. Not to mention the fact that I'm a reminder of what he didn't want to be…"

"You are the reason he's alive. He knows that," Janet interrupted. "And I'm willing to bet that if you stop dancing around the matter, you'll find out that he knows that too. Now, my prescription is for you to go to your office and clear off your desk. I'll tell Hammond you have the rest of the day off. Your bloodwork should be done by then and I'll have you something to take. Then you hit a restaurant, grab dinner for two and take it to him. The longer you avoid it, the worse you'll make it up to be," she insisted to Sam's rolling eyes.

<><><><><>

Jack sat in his living room idly changing channels and fighting overwhelming boredom. This was the worst thing about recuperating…that awkward time when you were too well to sleep the day away, but not well enough to go back to work. Usually this was when Daniel would show up with some boring rented movies and a pizza, likely dragging Carter and Teal'c with him.

That wasn't likely to happen any time soon. Even if Daniel were to appear again, he'd be too existential to eat. And Jack couldn't remember the last time Carter or Teal'c 'were in the neighborhood'. In fact, the two of them had been rather scarce the last couple of weeks before he'd been released, at times only coming by once or twice a day. Since he'd been home, no one had visited. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He wasn't exactly in the mood to play host. At least he wouldn't have to fight over the remote, he thought morosely.

He spied the cordless phone lying abandoned on the entertainment center and tried to work up the energy to get up off the couch and call out for pizza. He needed to eat, Fraiser had been most insistent about that part. Evidentially death was hard on a man and she'd lectured him about gaining a few pounds.

He brought his hand up, sliding it into the unbuttoned heck of his shirt and rubbed it over his chest. His fingers encountered nothing but smooth skin. No knife wounds or acid burns. He didn't have any marks on his back either. It was as if those few days never happened, like maybe it'd been some horribly realistic nightmare. He'd certainly had more than a few of those in his lifetime. He just needed to put it out of his mind. He was good at that. He could forget, he was good at forgetting. Carter and Jonas cluttered their heads remembering all sorts of things; he preferred the clarity of forgetfulness.

The doorbell rang and he groaned, rolling off the couch. He padded to the door and pulled it open, surprised to see Carter standing on his porch, her arms wrapped around a large paper bag, an uncertain smile on her face. "Carter? What…aah, what do I owe the honor?" he asked, trying to remember the last time she'd showed up on his doorstep, with or without a chaperone.

"Well, if your cabinets look anything like mine, I thought you'd like something to eat." She gestured with the bag. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." He stepped back and let her walk past him. He closed the door and followed her into the kitchen. She was right, his cupboards weren't exactly bursting at the seams. Something else he'd been trying to work up the gumption to do was make a trip to the grocery store.

"I hope Chinese is ok," she said, unpacking the bag. She pulled out several cartons, setting them on the cabinet.

"No pizza?" he asked as she opened the cabinet and pulled out a pair of plates.

"Um, no. Teal'c introduced Jonas to Dominos last week." She made a face. "They had this debate about toppings and…well, they couldn't settle it until they tried all the varieties. We can order pizza if that sounds better," she offered, turning to face him.

"No. This is fine." She started dishing up an assortment of the food. He opened a drawer and got them both some silverware. They juggled the utensils and the laden plates and walked into the living room.

"Drink," he said suddenly.

"I'll get it," she offered, setting down her plate. She pulled something from her purse and walked into the kitchen. Jack sat down in his recliner, leaving the sofa for her. This was rather nice, totally unexpected, but not unwelcome.

He picked up his fork and stared at the plate heaping with pepper steak and sweet and sour chicken. As he sat there a smell filled his nose. The smell of his own flesh cooking, being eaten away by the acid. His hand crept again to his chest, but there were no holes in his shirt. That didn't make sense. He could feel the acid eating through his muscles, hear it bubble and hiss as it cauterized the wounds. He felt the muscles of his stomach clench, futilely trying to stop the relentless acid. He could hear Ba'al's voice echoing in his ears.

Every once in a while the goa'uld would yell at him and Jack remembered hearing his voice echo through the tunnel he was suspended over. The tunnel he'd prayed to fall down again. Even falling was better than what he was going through.

He could feel the cold press of metal against his back, the gravity generators pulling him down with crushing force. Sometimes Ba'al did that, turning up the gravity until Jack heard his bones crack, felt his flesh being pulled from his bones.

"Here you go. I hope iced tea is ok. I think Janet will shoot me if I give you a beer." He pulled his eyes from his plate and looked up. Carter was bending over, snagging a coaster to set the large glass of iced tea on, without ruining the finish of the coffee table.

Speechless, he watched her, his eyes locking on the small pink vertical line emerging from her hair. He knew that mark, he had his own. He remembered Ba'al walking away from him, his tormentor bearing the same scar.

His heart pounding, Jack let his plate fall to the floor and lunged from his chair, catching Carter by surprise. One quick punch and she was lying unconscious on the floor. His hands shaking he reached for the back of her neck, pushing up her hair. His fingers traced the scar, his heart sinking when he felt the slight bump of a symbiote under her skin.

He hurried into the kitchen, digging through the drawers until he found the small ball of rope he'd stuck there however long ago. He quickly tied her hands in front of her then dashed to his bedroom, returning with his side arm. He sat on the sofa and loaded the weapon, keeping a wary eye on Sam. Earth had been compromised. And before he called for help, he had to find out how bad it was, and if there was anyone he could trust.

<><><><><>

Sam slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the pain in her jaw, trying to remember what had happened. The last thing she knew she'd been at the colonel's with dinner. Had she fallen? She tried to move her hands and her heart lurched.

"Aah, so you're awake." She heard.

Turning her head she saw the colonel sitting on the couch, his pistol held casually in his hands. "Colonel? What?" She levered herself up looking around the room. She was on the floor beside the coffee table and close to his armchair. She could see his spilled plate still lying on the floor, the various sauces from their dinner slowly seeping into the carpet. "What's going on?" She asked carefully searching his face for some sign.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I would if I knew," she said carefully.

He stared at her for a few minutes. "Ok, I'll start. How many of you are there? How far does it go?"

"Umm…" She made a show of looking around the room. "It's just me and how far does what go?"

"Right. And there's some nice beachfront property just down the road I can sell to ya. Let's cut the crap because I'm really not in the mood. How far does it spread?" he demanded.

She stared at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "Sir, I know the last few weeks have been…bad. Umm…why don't we call Janet?" she suggested.

"Oh, you'd like that, considering she has to be in on it. Is Hammond compromised too or are you just manipulating him?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Janet's not in on anything," she protested.

"Then why are you here?"

"I…" she paused, not wanting to tell him the total truth. That she was here at Janet's behest. "I thought you would be hungry. I brought dinner. Nothing more."

"Just stop it." He got to his feet and walked over to her. She tensed, not sure what to expect. His hand shot out and his fingers grabbed her hair pulling her neck painfully forward. "You should have remembered about the scar. It's a dead give away." He released her head and stepped back, cocking his pistol. "Carter does a lot of things, but coy isn't one of them. Now who the hell are you and how long have you been in her head?"

<><><><><>

Jack watched Carter…or whoever was using Carter's body push herself up with her bound hands, a very annoyed look on her face. He'd almost find it funny, if it wasn't making him sick. How the hell had she gotten another snake in her head? He tried to remember if Hammond had sent them on any missions while he'd been…gone. The old man hadn't said much at all actually. Jack had pressed him for some information while he'd been recuperating but the general had put him off each time with the excuse of 'You've had enough to deal with lately son, it can wait'. Maybe that's because Hammond was in on it too.

Maybe he was next. It was a sound strategy, if you control the chain of command, you control the base. He had to sign off on all transfers and team assignments. How better to infiltrate the SGC. Jack tried to think of whom he could call, if there was anyone he could trust. He did have a lot of connections but since he didn't have a MRI machine in his living room..."Where's Teal'c?" he demanded, thinking of the only person he could be sure of not being taken as a host.

"What?"

"What have you done with Teal'c?"

"I haven't done anything to Teal'c."

"Then where is he?"

"Visiting Ry'ac," she said.

"Well, that's convenient."

"If you don't believe me, call General Hammond and ask him." Jack rolled his eyes. "Ok," she said. "Ask him to call Teal'c. They can dial the planet and patch you in and you can talk to him."

"Why don't you want me to see him?"

"I'm not trying to stop you from seeing him. Go to the SGC. I'm not going to stop you," she said, gesturing with her bound hands, her patience clearly wearing thin.

"I got a better idea." He picked up his cordless phone and dialed the number. "You're gonna tell Hammond to get Teal'c here. And if you try anything, I'll shoot you. And before you start in about the host, ask her, I've done it before."

He held out the phone, placing it close enough to her ear for her to hear, but far enough away that he could listen in on the conversation as well.

"General Hammond," she finally said after a couple of transfers and a few minutes on hold. "It's Major Carter, sir. I'm here with Colonel O'Neill and he was wondering if you could recall Teal'c and send him over to the colonel's house."

"Is something wrong, major?" George asked.

"No, sir. Nothing's wrong. The colonel just needs to see him and doesn't want to wait until Teal'c gets back."

"I can recall him. It may take a couple of hours. I can't disrupt the mission schedule for this. Plus I don't have an extra team handy right now."

"That will be fine, sir."

"Is everything ok, Major? You sound a little tense."

"Everything's fine, general. Thank you." Jack pulled the phone away and turned it off. "Now what?" she demanded.

"Now, we wait," Jack said, stepping back and sitting on the couch. Shooting him a cold look, she grabbed a hold of the edge of the coffee table and got to her feet. He immediately brought the gun to bear.

"If I'm gonna sit here for a couple of hours, I'm not sitting on the floor," she spat, sitting down in his abandoned armchair. He relaxed marginally and lowered the gun, keeping it within easy reach in his lap. She shot him one last look, then turned her head and focussed her eyes on the large sliding door leading to his back yard.

<><><><><>

Sam watched the squirrel scamper along the branches of the tree and fought to keep her face neutral. She desperately wanted to look at her watch but wouldn't let herself give in to the temptation. It'd just give him something else to rag on her about.

Going by the shadows, a couple of hours had to have passed. Teal'c should be showing up anytime now. And it wasn't going to be a moment too soon according to her stomach. Another cramp clawed its way through her gut and she clenched her teeth, trying to quietly breathe through the pain. Evidently Janet had been serious when she'd warned to be sure and eat when she took the antibiotic pill. Now Sam regretted grabbing the packet and slipping into the kitchen to take the medication.

It'd seemed a good idea at the time. She knew the colonel hadn't been briefed on their mission to Steveston and she hadn't wanted to spoil their meal with an informal mission briefing. Besides her problems seemed trivial to what he'd gone through in the last few weeks. She knew he'd find out eventually, or not, depending on if he felt like reading past mission reports.

Now, with the wonderful clarity of hindsight, she wished she'd told him all about it. Or better yet, she should have ignored Janet and went straight home. He had had a point; she wasn't the type to just show up on his doorstep with food. In fact, she hadn't done it for years. That was something Daniel usually did. Both she and Teal'c had come to depend on Daniel having the patience to deal with a recuperating colonel. But that wasn't a possibility any more. She hadn't had the heart to see if Teal'c wanted to check in on Jack, especially since he got to see his son so rarely anymore. And she definitely couldn't ask Jonas…so that left her.

The next thing she knew, she'd found herself at Ming's, ordering enough food for four and on her way to eat with the colonel, using the food as an excuse for checking up on her friend without it looking like she was checking up on him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, breaking their tense silence of the last hour or two. "You tense up every few minutes and get this funny look on your face," he continued.

She continued to ignore him, not wanting to go into a long drawn out explanation. Besides, it wasn't likely that he was going to believe her anyway. She could understand his paranoia, she felt it too. She'd dealt with it off and on ever since her kidnapping. And learning that the NID had let the goa'uld take over a small town in Oregon hadn't helped any. Especially since she couldn't sense them. She'd never realized how much she'd come to depend on the ability to sense a goa'uld until it didn't work anymore. True, the NID said the implantations had been confined to the town, but they weren't exactly known for their stellar dependability.

Another cramp clenched her stomach, the worst one yet, and she couldn't stop herself from reflexively leaning forward, her hands knotting into fists. She had to get something in her stomach, now. Before she ran the risk of doing some permanent damage. "Something to drink," she muttered.

"What?"

"I need something to drink," she said, forcing herself to sit up straight.

"Why? What are you doing to her?"

"I'm not doing anything to her. I took some medication and it's making me sick. I need something to drink, please," she asked, looking up and locking her eyes with his.

"The last snake she had in her head tried the same thing. If you don't like it in there…leave," Jack said. "I'm sure she won't mind."

Fighting a wave of anger that temporarily made the pain go away, she narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. That stubborn, sarcastic, single minded, asinine son of a bitch, she cursed silently. Resolving to never ask him the time of day again, she closed her eyes and tried to tune him out.

Footsteps on the porch and the ringing of the doorbell caused her eyes to fly back open. Jack jumped to his feet, again pointing his weapon at her. "No funny business," he ordered. He made his way to the front door, his eyes darting from it to her. He lowered his gun to his side and opened the heavy oak barrier.

"O'Neill. You require my presence?" She heard Teal'c ask.

"You could say that." She heard the door close, then Teal'c and Jonas walked into the living room, followed by Jack.

"Sam." Jonas walked towards her, only to stop when Jack held up his gun.

"O'Neill. What is transpiring?" Teal'c asked looking cautiously between Jack and Sam.

"He thinks I'm a goa'uld, Teal'c," Sam said tiredly.

"She's not a goa'uld," Jonas said.

Jack made a face. "He won't believe you, Jonas," Sam said. "Teal'c, tell him about Steveston," Sam ordered, resting her head against the back of the chair and closing her eyes. The pain in her stomach was intensifying and it was taking all of her energy not to slide to the floor and curl up in a ball of misery.

"In Steveston, Oregon, we encountered a town whose people had all been infected with immature cloned goa'uld. Major Carter was implanted with one of them, however she had taken an antidote and the creature died within her. Doctor Fraiser and General Hammond are aware of her condition, however since the goa'uld is deceased, it is of little harm to anyone save Major Carter," Teal'c reported.

"She's still got that thing in her, I felt it," Jack insisted.

"It was just last week. It takes longer than that for a symbiote to break down," Jonas insisted.

"I…oh God," she heard Jack mutter and the click of his weapon being un-cocked. She felt hands at her wrists and opened her eyes to see Jonas cutting the rope with a small pocketknife.

"Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded and rubbed her sore wrists.

"Carter…I…"

"Teal'c, why don't you stay here with the colonel," Sam said, ignoring Jack. "Fill him in on anything else he missed."

"Major Carter?" Teal'c asked.

"I'm going home," she said, starting to stand up. She fell back into the chair and hunched over with a small cry, her now free hands wrapping around her waist.

"Sam!" She felt Jonas' hand on her shoulder.

"What did you do?" she heard Teal'c demand.

"I didn't," Jack protested. "She said she took something but…I thought it was the snake."

She felt another hand on her back. "I'm gonna be sick," she muttered, feeling the nausea bubbling in her stomach.

Strong arms scooped her up. "Jonas Quinn, summon Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c ordered, hurrying with his burden back to the bathroom.

<><><><><>

Jack followed Jonas down the short hall leading to the downstairs bathroom just in time to see Teal'c assisting a shaky looking Carter out of the small room. Instead of returning to the living room, she made her way into the small sunken den and sat down on the spare sleeper couch he kept there.

"Doctor Fraiser's on her way," Jonas said. "Sam, are you feeling any better?" She nodded and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"Carter…"

"Not now," Sam whispered.

"What?"

"Sir, please. Not now," she requested.

"O'Neill, perhaps you should remain vigilant for Doctor Fraiser's arrival," the Jaffa suggested.

Jack sighed. "Ok. I'll go." He quietly left the room and walked into the living room, pausing to stare at the mess. The mess that was his life. His gun was lying on the coffee table and he picked it up, automatically clearing the barrel and ejecting the clip. He'd held this gun to her head, his finger on the trigger. He'd been millimeters away from blowing her brains out and all she'd done was close her eyes and wait for it.

Jesus! What the hell had he done? Turned a gesture of friendship into a deadly situation. Shit, no wonder no one wanted to be around him.

The doorbell rang, making his heart lurch. Shoving the pistol between the couch cushions, he walked to the front door and opened it without even looking.

"Colonel O'Neill," Janet smiled then frowned. "The message said someone was sick?" She looked at him from head to toe, giving him a cursory exam.

"Back in the den," Jack said, stepping aside.

She gave him an odd look then walked down the hall. Jack could hear low voices coming from the den and could imagine the conversation. Knowing he'd just make things worse by going down there, he set to cleaning up the mess.

Fifteen minutes later he paced the living room, torn between going back down the hall, and acceding to Carter's wishes that he stay away. Just when his impatience was getting the better of him, Janet stepped out of the room, followed by Teal'c. "Doc?"

"She's fine, colonel," Janet reassured him. "I think it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. I gave her some Benadryl and it seemed to help." Jack saw Carter slowly walk out of the den, Jonas hovering at her side.

"Carter? You ok?"

Sam ignored him, walking past him to pick up her bag still lying on the floor by the couch. She left the house, Jonas at her heels. Jack turned to Janet who simply shrugged. "I'm going to take her home, sir. Teal'c?"

"I shall remain with O'Neill," Teal'c said. Janet nodded, and after giving Jack a reassuring smile, followed Sam and Jonas out of the house.

"I don't need a keeper," Jack said as the door shut. He walked past Teal'c and into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out a bottle of beer, twisting off the cap and tossing it into the sink. He downed half of it in a couple of big gulps then grabbed a second bottle and went outside, pointedly ignoring Teal'c.

The sun was setting, leaving most of his back yard in stark shadow. It matched his mood and he found himself wishing it were darker. So dark that he could just melt into the darkness and disappear. He sat on the step and took another slug from his beer, relishing in the bitter taste of the alcohol.

"I believe Doctor Fraiser did request that you refrain from alcohol." Teal'c sat beside him on the step.

"What the hell's wrong with me, Teal'c?"

"You have had a most trying experience."

Jack snorted and drained the bottle. "Trying. Is that what they call it now?"

"The goa'uld have had many centuries to refine their cruelty. It is perhaps through their subjugation of their host that they gain true understanding of a human's weaknesses. There is no shame in survival. And there is no shame in desiring death." Jack shot him a sharp look. "When Terok held me, I too wished for death. I was fortunate enough that salvation came before I could attain that state. As were you."

"He's still out there," Jack said quietly, picking at the label on the bottle.

"It is possible that Ba'al perished in Yu's attack."

"That mother…no. Hell, he probably beat me out of the fortress. Is Carter really ok?" He asked abruptly.

"While Major Carter's condition warrants observation, it is not life threatening at the moment."

"She tried to tell me what was wrong but…I wouldn't listen. All I could see was the scar," Jack said, his voice shaking with terror he hadn't even realized he felt. The thought that Earth had fallen, that they could come and get him again. That it really wasn't over, that maybe his whole rescue had been a dream, that maybe his mind had tired of creating the illusion of Daniel and was now creating a more insidious vision. He felt again the panic that had swept through his mind, the fear that he was again deep in enemy territory, surrounded by people that wanted nothing more than to hurt him.

"You feared that she and the SGC had been compromised. Given recent events, that possibility was not an impossible one. Aliens have infiltrated the SGC in the past. Major Carter is aware of this fact. She would have acted similarly had the roles been reversed."

Jack jumped to his feet and angrily threw the empty bottle, the brown glass shattering against the trunk of a tree. "Damn it Teal'c! Stop making excuses," Jack yelled.

"What do you wish to hear then? That we no longer have faith in your leadership? Or that we fear your blending with Kanan has destroyed who you are? Or that we fear being in your presence? That is not true. All of us are aware that you are a solitary person and that you desire to deal with your pain privately. We do not avoid your presence out of fear, but out of respect. You desire solitude, and we wish to give it to you.

You injured Major Carter, more in spirit than body. And like you, she wishes solitude to come to terms with her pain. She will avoid your presence until she feels she can be in your company without bearing animosity," Teal'c said quietly. "Just as you have avoided ours until you can hide your weaknesses from us."

Jack looked at his friend, seeing the truth in his eyes. "Crap," he muttered, sinking back down to sit on the step. "When did things get so fouled up?"

"When we let them, my friend. When we let them."

<><><><><>

Sam ran her fingers through her damp hair, her hand lingering over the back of her neck. Maybe she should ask Janet what it would take to remove the scar? Or at least, grow her hair out a bit to hide it better.

As goa'uld possessions go, this one wasn't as bad as last time. Maybe it had been a good thing that the goa'uld needed her to be unconscious to take control. She had been spared feeling her body taken away from her again. Her conscious mind had emerged from its chloroform-induced sleep to witness the last bit of the symbiote's death throes. All she'd had to do was take over as it failed. In an odd way, it'd felt good, being able to control the symbiote for a few minutes while all it could do was hurl invectives at her. That luxury was the one thing that had made it bearable.

She wondered how it had been for the colonel. Beyond telling them that Kanan had left his body and apparently died before Ba'al captured him, he'd said nothing about his blending with the Tok'ra. She remembered how Jolinar pushed her way in and sincerely hoped that Kanan had been more considerate. Thoran said the symbiote would respect his host's wishes…then again, Martouf hadn't completely believed her when she told him how Jolinar had treated her.

Of course, now this little snake was getting the last word. The thought of it absorbing into her body was frankly a sickening one. But the idea of having someone cutting her body open to remove it was even scarier.

Symbiotes controlled their hosts by weaving tendrils in and among their brain stem and spinal cord. Realistically, she knew the chances of having it removed without coming out of surgery a quadriplegic was not good.

Hearing a noise downstairs, she banished her morbid thoughts. Either the symbiote would be absorbed into her body, or it wouldn't. And there wasn't much she could do about it. She had more pressing things to worry about anyway. Like keeping Jonas occupied. She hadn't been crazy about him spending the night, but Janet had insisted. They had no way of knowing that her being sick and the slight headache she'd had was the extent of her reaction to the antibiotic. After the doctor had driven Sam and Jonas to Sam's house, she'd given her one choice. Either let Jonas stay the night, or she could come stay in the infirmary. Needless to say, it hadn't been a difficult decision.

She smoothed her hair back over the scar and padded downstairs, wondering if there was any food left in her cabinets and more than slightly envious of the man's metabolism. "Jonas, if you can't find something to eat, we can go to the grocery store," she said, walking into the kitchen.

She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Jack, Teal'c and Jonas all standing around the small table. There were two large paper containers from a local bagel place and she could smell the aroma of brewing coffee.

"Carter," Jack said. "We brought breakfast." He held up one of the containers. "A dozen for each of them and a couple for us."

Sam looked at her three teammates, reading the expressions on their faces. Jonas was already digging through the bagels, trying to identify the flavors. Teal'c was standing by the colonel, his presence comforting and the colonel…looked positively apprehensive. Almost like a puppy she'd had once.

About once a week she'd come home to find the creature standing over his latest prize, the remnant of one of her belongings. He'd sit there, torn between pride at what he'd done and apprehension at her sure to come punishment. And right now, the colonel looked exactly like that puppy of years ago. "I don't suppose you brought cream cheese," she said, accepting his gesture.

Half an hour later, she sat on her small deck, finishing off the last bite of her third bagel. They'd all agreed to make the most of the unseasonably pleasant weather and eat outside. Things had been a little tense at first, but a lighthearted debate about the best combinations of cream cheese and bagel smoothed out the insecurities.

They'd relaxed, all gladly accepting a topic that had nothing to do with snakes or the general state of the universe.

"Refill?" She looked up to see Jack standing beside her, holding out the pot of coffee. She looked past him to see Jonas and Teal'c off in the distance a bit, exploring the limits of her small back yard.

"Thanks." She held up her mug and he poured the steaming liquid into it, then the last of the pot into his own mug.

She wrapped her hands around the ceramic, raising it to her face to breathe in the revitalizing aroma. "Teal'c said if that thing doesn't go away, Fraiser's gonna have to cut it out," he said as she took a sip of the bitter brew.

"Yeah," she responded simply staring at the iridescent bubbles in the mug.

"When do you know?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a couple of weeks." She took another sip.

"You won't need surgery," he said causing her to look up. "Don't ask me how I know, but it won't come to that."

"And if it does," she insisted.

"WE'LL deal with it. All of us." She smiled slightly and took another sip of her coffee.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm…I am sorry."

She set down her mug and looked down then raised her eyes to meet his. "Part of me knows that…"

"And the other part?"

"Needs a little more time."

"Fair enough," he said, standing up. "I should aah, head home. Do you want me to take Jonas off your hands?"

She smiled. "It's ok. If he gets bored I'll introduce him to the Internet."

<><><><><>

"I hear congratulations are in order," Jack said, strolling into Sam's lab, Jonas and Teal'c following him.

"Sir?" Sam looked up from the experiment she was working on and frowned.

"I just read Fraiser's report, that you're well on your way to being snakeless," he said, cocking his head and staring at her screen saver.

She smiled and nodded. "Oh, that. Yeah, it's going away."

"That's great, Sam," Jonas said.

"I believe the appropriate response is 'this calls for a celebration,' Teal'c said.

"Celebration?"

"A multi purpose, I'm alive, you're alive, Carter's ok, Teal'c…wants one party," Jack said. "Whatta ya say? Pizza at my place."

"That would be most enjoyable."

"Really?" Jonas asked.

"Ooh, umm…I really should work on this," Sam gestured weakly at the small pieces of alien tech strewn across her worktable.

"Sam, you've been burying yourself in this lab for the last two weeks," Jonas said.

"Look, if she doesn't…."

"Major Carter will come," Teal'c declared.

"Teal'c," Jack protested.

"No," Sam interrupted. "Teal'c is right. I should probably take a break before Janet has a fit," she capitulated.

Jack shrugged. "Ok. I'll get the beer, you bring the aliens and we'll meet at my place at 1900," he planned.

A few hours later she slipped away from her friends and into the kitchen. She stepped outside, taking refuge in the quiet of Jack's back yard.

She'd missed this, the gathering of friends. Even before Daniel ascended, they hadn't been getting together as much as they had in the beginning. Things and people had changed.

"You're not sneaking away are you?" She turned to see Jack stepping out onto the deck, two open bottles of beer in his hands.

"Thanks," she said, accepting it and taking a sip.

"Nice night," he commented, leaning against the rail.

She nodded. "It's a nice break. There for a while we had a bit of a heat wave and there were these wild fires and…" She trailed off, realizing that all those things had happened while he'd been sick and with the Tok'ra. "Yeah, it's a nice night."

"You know, there was one thing I said that night that I meant. You don't do coy. What's on your mind?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Sam, come on. We've been friends for too long to lie to each other. You've had…hell you had something on your mind the night you came over. And don't tell me you were worried I'd eat all the crab rangoons." She smiled and looked down. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, looking up to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry I talked you into blending with Kanan. I'm sorry we didn't bring you home instead of leaving you with the Tok'ra. I'm sorry we couldn't come and help you and…"

"Bullshit. You guys did all you could do. I know the layout of that place, some rooms better than others, and there's no way in hell you could have gotten in AND out without getting killed. That was one thing Kanan and I agreed on."

"So…"

"We both went…he was…driving, but it was a mutual decision."

"I'm glad. I mean, we knew you wouldn't just go off and…I was afraid he'd done to you what Jolinar did to me," she finished quietly.

Jack sighed. "No. We aah…we came to an understanding. He was afraid if he waited any longer, Ba'al would find out who the spy was, and he couldn't let that happen to her. Neither of us could."

"Why didn't you come and ask us for help? We'd have went with you and…"

"And gotten caught," Jack interrupted. "What we did was stupid. It was…beyond tactically unsound. It was one of those asinine things new recruits do before they get smart enough to value their own necks. There was no way in hell he was gonna get my team killed just to try and rescue someone who we didn't even know was alive. And…"

"If you don't ask permission, you can't get told no," she interrupted.

"Aw Hell," he cursed.

"What?"

"Hammond's right. I have corrupted you," he quipped. She smiled and took a drink of her beer. "I do owe Kanan one thing."

"What?"

Jack nodded towards the darkening sky, with the first stars of the evening just appearing. "That. And this." He held up his bottle of beer. "He saved my life. I don't blame him for what happened. He told me what Ba'al liked to do to his prisoners. I knew what I was getting into. Just like I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to become a host."

"Colonel…"

"Carter, you did the right thing. Kanan's intel was important. Shaymen is alive and now the Tok'ra have access to a lot of Ba'al's plans. And…I have it on pretty good authority that…as corny as it sounds, it's not my time yet." He stopped as the slamming of a car door broke the night quiet. "Sounds like the pizza's here."

"What kind?" she asked as she followed him back inside.

Jack shrugged. "Teal'c and Jonas ordered."

"You didn't let them order?" she asked in horror.

"Why not?"

Sam grimaced. "Jonas' favorite pizza is Hawaiian with sauerkraut and anchovies," she said ruefully.

Jack blanched. "They make that?" She nodded. "Joy," he muttered, walking past her, digging his wallet out of his pocket. Sam walked into the living room as Teal'c popped a tape into the VCR. "The good news is, I smell pepperoni," Jack said, carrying three large boxes. "Do I even want to ask what you're doing to my TV?" He set the boxes down and the teammates all dug in, claiming seats as Teal'c handed Jack the remote.

"I have procured entertainment," he said, rolling his eyes as Jonas dug into his pizza with the gusto of a starving man.

"Do I wanna know?" Jack stared skeptically at the remote.

Sam shrugged. "Don't ask me."

Jack made a face, then pressed play. "Yes! Teal'c. You are a god!" he exclaimed as a familiar refrain filled the air.

"Who are the Simpsons?" Jonas asked.

~Fin~

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