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.

"T," Jack said, the single syllable asking for assistance. His friend stepped forward, Jonas at his heels and helped him catch Carter as the machine released her. Teal'c caught her, gently lowering her to the floor as Jonas reached in.

"She's alive, colonel," he reported.

Jack sighed quietly, then stepped forward. "That's it?" he asked Egar.

"Yes," the alien replied. "The reprogramming has been reversed."

"Why isn't she awake?"

"She was very near death, Colonel O'Neill," he said. He looked to Wodon who nodded slightly. "It is possible that her body can not withstand the strain."

"What?" Jonas asked, preempting Jack's question.

"The reprogramming is very stressful upon the body. It saps a person's strength. She may not have enough strength left to survive," he said sadly. "Please, colonel. I did truly try to fix her," he said sincerely.

"I know," Jack said after a second. "Look, I know we promised to help you, and we will. We need to get her home first. Then we'll come back."

"It would be best if you did not do that," Wodon said.

"You will prevent our leaving this place?" Teal'c asked, his body stiffening, anticipating a fight.

Egar shook his head. "No. However, it would be better for your friend if she rested, quietly. The stress of being transported to and taken through the Stargate would not be good for her."

"Nirti's got chambers upstairs," Jonas suggested.

"Dare I ask how you know that?" Jack asked.

Jonas shrugged and blushed a bit. "She showed me around."

Jack raised his eyebrows then shook his head. "You're next," he told Jonas, gesturing towards the machine.

"She didn't do anything to me, colonel."

"You were absent for quite some time, Jonas Quinn," Teal'c said.

"Nirti did not alter him," Wodon said. "She merely scanned his genetic makeup."

Jack looked to Jonas, who nodded. "That's all she did, sir."

Jack shrugged, taking their word for it. "Ok. You and Teal'c get Carter upstairs," he ordered. "I'm gonna go report to Hammond." Teal'c nodded, effortlessly getting to his feet, Sam in his arms. Jack watched them go, then turned to Egar and Wodon. "We need to talk."

<><><><><>

Following Wodon's directions, Jack made his way upstairs, using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the sweat off of his face. It was hot outside, the accumulated heat of the day and lack of a breeze making the atmosphere close and heave. To say Hammond hadn't been happy would have been an understatement, not only about what Nirti had done to Carter, but also at the prospect of accounting for yet another dead Russian. At least the other three members of Evanov's team had made it back, that might smooth some ruffled feathers in Moscow.

The old man also wasn't too thrilled at them having to remain on the planet until Carter was fit to travel. That was a sentiment Jack could whole-heartedly agree with. No matter how well meaning Egar was, he'd still feel better if she was safe and sound in the infirmary then marooned off world.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said as he stepped into the room. Both he and Jonas were seated beside the large bed, keeping their vigil.

"T, Jonas. How is she?" Jack asked, moving closer.

"Not good," Jonas said. "It looks like she's going through the same thing as when Nirti changed her the first time."

"We witnessed the first spasms about an hour ago," Teal'c reported. "They have been increasing in severity and frequency since then."

Jack frowned, reaching down to feel her forehead. "She's got a fever too," he said, sighing heavily. "This changes things. You two see if you can rig up some sort of stretcher, we'll take her back."

"Colonel, do you think that's smart?" Jonas asked. "What I mean," he continued at Jack's dark look. "Is that Egar said the trip through the gate would kill her."

"We don't have a lot of options here, Jonas."

"Last time Doctor Fraiser said she couldn't have done anything to save Aleobran."

"If Doctor Fraiser can be of no assistance then it would be unwise to expose Major Carter to the rigors of a journey through the Stargate," Teal'c said.

"Shouldn't we at least find out first?" Jonas suggested. "We can contact her and ask her advice. Then if she can help Sam, we can bring her back to Earth, or maybe bring the doctor here."

"Yeah," Jack said, acknowledging the wisdom of the plan. "I'll go."

"Colonel, why don't you let me," Jonas offered. "You just got back."

Jack nodded. "Ok. Our radios should reach that far. You can dial Earth and relay the conversation."

Jonas nodded. "I'll get there as soon as I can." He turned, leaving Jack and Teal'c alone with Sam.

Jack unclipped his gun, setting it against the wall and unfastened his vest, gratefully sliding the heavy item off his shoulders, setting it beside his weapon. Sam had been laid on the bed and he could see that they'd taken her boots off, the footwear setting neatly beside the bed. Her face was pale and damp with sweat. There was a bowl of water and a towel beside the bed and Jack could tell that they'd been using it to help with her fever.

Even though she was at best, semi-conscious, he could still see her body tense, her breathing catch with each new spasm. It was just like how he'd known down in the cell that she was in pain, except this time she wasn't able to try and hide it.

"Major Carter is a strong person, O'Neill. She will survive," Teal'c said softly, almost reading his thoughts.

Jack ignored him, lost in his own thoughts.

"We've never dialed these coordinates before ... I ... sort of hope you know what you're doing."

"It is not my final destination. Without a sample of her blood, I will have to begin my experiment again."

"Ah nuts."

"At least you've honored this part of our bargain. In your place I would not have done the same."

"I'll keep that thought alive."

"I let her go," he said softly.

"O'Neill?"

"We knew, YOU knew she wouldn't stop her experiments. We knew we were releasing something evil back into the universe, and we still did it."

"Such was the price for Cassandra's life," Teal'c said.

"Right." Jack turned to face him. "One life, ONE kid. We let that bitch go to save ONE kid, and she killed a whole planet."

"We do not know if she murdered the inhabitants of this planet or if she merely took advantatge of a situation. And you could not have known what her plans were when you allowed her to depart the SGC."

"Oh please. It's not like this was the first time. Hell, we knew what she was capable of, we knew what she'd do. And we let the ends justify the means."

"Do you regret saving Cassandra's life?"

Jack sighed, taking off his hat and scratching his head before putting it back on. "No," he admitted quietly.

"Neither does Major Carter. In fact, I believe releasing Nirti was her idea."

"Colonel?" Jonas interrupted. "I have Doctor Fraiser on the radio. It's being relayed through the MALP."

"Doc?" Jack asked.

"Colonel."

"Did Jonas fill you in?"

"Yes, sir. He did. I have to agree with the alien's assessment. Some of our readings suggest that the strain of dematerializing and rematerializing may have exacerbated Aleobran's condition."

"You're saying he died faster because he went through the gate," Jack translated.

"Yes, sir. As near as I can tell given that we have no…body to autopsy. From what Jonas has told me of Sam's condition, I don't think I could do much beyond pain relief, and I'd even hesitate to do that for fear of making it worse."

"So you're telling me you can't do anything?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'd be more than willing to come through and help you monitor her, but without a lot more study, I really don't know of a treatment."

Jack met Teal'c's gaze, shaking his head in frustration. "Don't worry about it, doc," he said, fighting to keep his voice even. It wasn't her fault she couldn't help. "We'll let you know if we need something."

"Yes, sir," she said. "Good luck."

He heard the transmission end, assuming Jonas had shut down the gate. "Jonas?"

"Yes, Colonel?"

"Come on back."

"Shouldn't I stay here, in case we need to call Doctor Fraiser again?"

"No. If something goes wrong she can't get here fast enough anyway. May as well be under shelter."

"Yes, sir," he answered. Jack released the radio, leaning back in his chair and scrubbing his hand over his face.

"You should sleep, O'Neill," Teal'c advised.

Jack shook his head. "Not tired."

"Regardless of that fact, you do need rest. When Major Carter awakens she will most likely require assistance to return through the Stargate. "

"I don't want to…" He stopped and sighed. "The last time I left I thought she'd be dead when I got back," he admitted softly.

"Maintaining a vigil will not alter the outcome."

Jack shot him a cold look, then got to his feet, crossing the room to look out the window. The sun was starting to set on the planet, the first hints of twilight appearing on the horizon. He could see the Stargate in the distance and make out the form of Jonas returning along the path. He figured the Kelownan would arrive just as darkness fell. A soft breeze stirred the trees, carrying the scent of the surrounding forest up to the window.

This whole scenario was all too familiar to him. The waiting, the hoping, the guilt. Knowing that people got hurt by the decisions he made was a fact of command, having those people be his friends made it worse.

Carter had backed him when he'd made the argument to let Nirti go. She knew the ramifications as well as he did. It still didn't make him feel any better. He knew her judgement was clouded when it came to Cassie, that she'd do anything to save the girl. Hell, he'd counted on it when he'd presented his case. He'd played both her and Daniel. Daniel'd been easy, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd vote to let Nirti go. Carter however, Carter should have looked beyond her emotions and realized just what they were doing.

He knew she couldn't. And he knew that if they presented a united front, Hammond would cave. Which was exactly what he'd done. Exactly what Jack knew he'd do.

"It doesn't alter the fact that because of a decision I made Nirti killed God only knows how many people of this planet, did kill Evanov and …"

"I'm not dead yet," a weak voice muttered. "Although death warmed over comes to mind."

"Major Carter."

Jack turned, hurrying back to the bed. "Carter. How ya feeling?"

"Ok," she whispered, trying to push herself up on the bed. Teal'c stretched out his hand and helped her, pushing a few of the pillows behind her back. "Just tired." She looked around the room. "Jonas?"

"He went to the gate to report in. He should be back any second." She nodded as Teal'c offered her his canteen, helping her take a drink. "Teal'c, Jonas should be back by now. Why don't the two of you go find somewhere to crash," he ordered. "We'll see if we can go home in the morning."

Teal'c nodded and left the room while Jack laid claim to the divan a few feet away from the bed. "You need anything?" he offered.

"I'm fine," she said.

He settled down, pushing pillows off of the narrow surface to make room for his long legs. He contemplated removing his boots, then decided against it. It had been a long walk to and from the gate.

"It was my decision too," she said softly, breaking the silence of the room.

"Huh?"

"To let Nirti go. I could have sided with Hammond, he gave me every opportunity, but I didn't." She turned her head, looking him in the eyes. "I knew she would do this again, and I didn't care. All that mattered was that Cassie was alive."

"Look, Carter…"

"No, sir. WE made the decision. We're responsible for what happened, ALL of us. General Hammond didn't have to listen to us. Just like Cimmeria and Linea…we did it, not just you. There's more than enough guilt to go around."

Jack sighed, flopping back down on the divan. "Get some sleep, Carter," he said. "It's a long walk back to the gate."

"Yes, sir," she muttered and he heard her shift around a bit, seeking a comfortable position. A few minutes later he heard her breathing even out, signaling that she'd fallen asleep. He got up and made his way back to the window, looking out at the night sky.

He knew he wouldn't really sleep tonight, and it had little to do with sharing a room. In truth, he rarely slept alone. Guilt, remorse and grief were old friends of his, long time companions that usually visited in the wee hours of the night, when his mind was allowed to lose its focus on the present and delve into the past. As he watched the moon rise he gave thanks, thanks that the latter wasn't going to be visiting tonight.

~Fin~

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