A New Beginning

Title: A New Beginning

Author: Suz W.

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Spoilers: After Children Of The Gods, The Enemy Within, and Emancipation (episode tag)

Rating: PG

Category: S/J Friendship

Summary: The start of a meaningful friendship between Sam and Jack that opens their eyes to other possibilities.

Disclaimer: All publicity recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended.

Copyright: The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Copyrighted on August 10, 2003, by Suzanne R. Whitmarsh.

Author’s Notes: Let’s see how Sam and Jack grow in their new friendship after their first mission!

Dedication: For all those devoted to S/J!

Colonel Jack O’Neill had just about enough paper work for one evening. Since returning from P3-575, the home of the Shavadi people, and SG-1’s first official mission together as a team, Jack had done anything but relax. After a quick shower and change of clothes, he’d had just enough time to make it up to the briefing room for what turned out to be a very long debriefing. General Hammond had wanted to know every detail of their mission, and with Carter’s kidnapping, her subsequent rescue, and then her challenge to Turgin, not to mention all the cultural details that Daniel had to report on, Jack thought he was going to lose it. And now, as he sat in his office, staring at the last page of his report, he definitely knew it was time to call it a night.

He looked at the clock and was amazed to find that it was only 21:15. He was sure it was already the wee hours of the morning. Deciding that it was worth it to go home since it was early enough, he got up from his desk and began to put on his jacket, fumbling for his keys in his pocket at the same time. He was just in the process of rounding his desk when a knock came at the door.

“Come on in,” Jack said, feeling as tired as he sounded.

“Sorry to disturb you, sir, but I just wanted to drop off your dress blues to you before I left for the night.” The airman who was in charge of dry cleaning the uniforms gave him a quick smile as he hung up Jack’s uniform on the coat hook.

“No problem,” Jack said, attempting to put some enthusiasm in his voice. “Thanks for dropping it by.”

“You’re welcome, sir, have a goodnight.” And with that, the airman left, closing the office door behind him.

Jack finished gathering up his things and started to head out of his office, picking up his dress blues as he went. Arriving at the surface, he stepped out into the night air and inhaled deeply. Oh how he loved to fill his lungs with fresh mountain air after being trapped 28 floors below the ground. The night air was crisp and cool, giving him renewed energy for the drive home. Looking up at the clear night sky, his eyes reflected the blanket of stars that filled the heavens. A full moon hung overhead, illuminating the earth in a sparkling white glow. And somewhere, high above him, a wolf echoed its hauntingly beautiful call to the wilderness below, making the night seem almost mystical.

As Jack reached his truck, he unlocked his door and jumped up in the driver’s seat. As he was placing his dress blues on the seat next to him, he noticed a second hanger. He picked up both hangers and looked at the tags attached. The first tag spelled out his name clearly in black ink. He peered at the other tag and discovered that the uniform belong to none other that his 2IC, Captain Samantha Carter. The airman must have been in the process of delivering the uniform to her lab, and accidentally hung it up with his.

Jack looked at his watch. 21:30. ‘Well,’ Jack thought, ‘I guess it’s not too late to drop it by Carter’s house’. Knowing she had left earlier that night, and feeling confident that she wouldn’t mind a quick visit, he put his keys in the ignition and started out. Jack knew where her house was, having dropped her off by it a few days ago when her car was in the shop. And, after all that had happened on P3-575, Jack felt it might not be a bad idea to check in on her and make sure she was okay. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt like he needed to do this, but trying never to question his instincts, Jack drove on with more conviction.

As Jack drove, his mind wandered to thoughts of Carter. He had to admit to himself that at first he never really believed she’d make it as part of the team. He remembered thinking to himself ‘Come on, a scientist, not to mention, a woman!’. Not that he was sexist or anything, but he had to admit he’d had his doubts.

‘But she definitely has spirit!’ Jack thought to himself as he smiled, remembering their first confrontation in the briefing room upon meeting each other. She had withstood all of his sarcastic remarks, and had countered them very well.

‘Alright, I guess I’ll have to admit to myself that I’ve taken an instant liking to her. She does have spunk, and she is good in the field.’ Jack’s thoughts played out their recent visit to Abydos in order to retrieve Daniel and find an answer to who exactly came through the Gate, killing four of their officers, and abducting another. Her military skill had proven to be very effective, not to mention how smart, ‘Okay, smarter’ she is than he’d ever be. She had definitely already proved herself to earn his confidence and respect.

As he continued to drive, Jack found his thoughts suddenly taking a different turn. He remembered how concerned he’d been when Kowalski went nuts and took her hostage in the Control Room. When those elevator doors had closed, he remembered feeling helpless. And even more helpless when he found her minutes later, lying unconscious on the floor of the elevator, badly hurt.

Those same feelings had returned to him, intensified, when she had been neutralized on P3-575. He remembered being infuriated with himself for just leaving her alone while he, Daniel, and Teal’c went to the ‘party’. ‘How could I have been so foolish assuming that her safety was assured, especially on a strange planet!’. Even though Carter had not offered up details on what had happened to her when she had been held by Turgin, he could sense that it hadn’t been pleasant. He didn’t even want to remember all the thoughts that had gone through his mind of possible scenarios. All he knew is that he had been overwhelmed with relief to find her alive, and, at least physically unharmed.

‘Why was I affected like that? I mean, she’s a member of my team. I would have felt the same way had it been Teal’c or Daniel, right?’ Jack shook his head as he approached Carter’s house.

‘I’m just tired,’ Jack thought as he parked his truck and turn off the engine. He climbed out and reached back into the truck for her uniform. As he stepped onto the sidewalk and started up her front walk, he stopped and looked at his watch.

‘Maybe it’s too late. I don’t need to give this to her tonight. I can give it to her tomorrow. There’s no reason that I have to see her now.’ Jack looked up from his watch and stared up at the sky, as if looking for an answer. As he gazed at the twinkling stars above, his focus went to a star that stood out more brightly than the rest. Immediately, an image formed in his mind of Samantha in that stunning gown the Shavadi women had given her to wear. He smiled to himself as he remembered thinking how beautiful his 2IC had looked. The deep blue color in the fabric had mimicked the shade of blue in her eyes. He hadn’t been able to stop himself from openingly admiring her.

Jack quietly laughed to himself as the memory continued. Looking at her, Daniel was actually, for once, practically speechless, and Teal’c, well he had actually seemed mesmerized. Apparently, her radiant presence had not been lost on just him!

‘Get a grip, man!’ Jack yanked himself out of the memory. ‘You’re acting like a little kid with puppy love!’ Love? No way! First of all, she was his 2IC, and further more, he barely knew her. Yet he couldn’t help but remember how he’d gotten lost in her eyes as that old man, who led the Shavadi tribe, spoke quietly of the love he held for his only wife. What did that mean?

‘Come on, Jack,’ he told himself, ‘just go do what you came to do and go home. Obviously, you need sleep. You’re becoming delirious!’ With that, he walked

the rest of the way slowly up to her front door.

Sam felt a cold shiver run down her spine as his dark eyes greedily looked her over. She attempted to move, to flee, but found that her body wouldn’t respond, as if her feet were literally planted to the ground. Trying to move her hands, she found them bound behind her back. As she continued to attempt to free her hands, he moved closer to her, so close in fact that she could feel his breath on her neck as he looked her over. Her heart raced and her head spun with the possibilities of what could happen.

As he ran his cold hand over her arm, Sam attempted to remain defiant, staring straight ahead and trying to push back the nausea that was rolling through her stomach in continuous waves. A flash of light glinted in the corner of her eye as he whipped out his knife and placed the cold, hard, steeled edge against her throat. She inhaled sharply and forced herself not to swallow, afraid that any movement against the knife would cut her. He forcibly grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her head back painfully as his mouth came down to cover hers, moving it over her face and neck with a sickeningly slow motion.

“No, no, NO!” Sam’s cries became more intense as he refused to stop. “Get off me! Someone, help me, please…”

As Jack approached Carter’s front door, he heard her muffled cries from inside the house. “Carter?!”

Jack’s heart picked up speed as her tormented cries continued to invade his ears. He dropped what he was carrying and tried the door handle, finding it locked. Quickly looking for any open windows, and finding none, he reached into his pocket for the tools to pick the lock on the door. The adrenaline rushing through his body was urging him to just break down the door, but not knowing the situation, he forced himself to use more rational thought.

‘Hang on, Carter.’ Jack thought as he successfully picked her lock and quickly but quietly opened her front door.

Inside her house, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness in the hallway as the wood floor creaked with protest under his weighted footsteps. He stopped briefly and listened, trying to assess the situation from a better perspective. All he could hear were her throated cries and pleas. Not waiting any longer, he followed the sound of her voice into the living room. And that’s where he found her.

Sam was lying on the couch, tossing and turning, apparently in the middle of a terrible nightmare. Her face was scrunched in fear and pain as her cries continued in waves.

Jack’s adrenaline slowed as relief flooded his body. She was okay. The multiple possibilities that had rushed through his head at what could have been happening to her had given him quite a scare. Now, seeing it was just a nightmare gave his heart and mind a chance to rest. He blew out the air that he had been holding in his lungs. Calming down, he walked over to her. He couldn’t let her continue to go through this agonizing state.

As Jack approached her, he sat down on the edge of the couch in front of her. Her blonde hair was matted against her forehead that was glistening with drops of sweat, as a single tear ran down her cheek.

“Carter,” Jack whispered, as he gently wiped the tear off her soft cheek. When she didn’t respond, he grasped her firmly by the shoulders and shook them. “Carter, wake up!” His voiced echoed in the room as he shouted at her with more intensity.

With a final startled cry, her eyes darted open as she sat up quickly, gasping for air. Still in the end phases of her dream, she tried to orientate herself to her surroundings. As she did this, her eyes met his, and she screamed, bringing her arms up in an automatic defense in order to protect herself.

“Carter! It’s me! Whoa, easy there. You were having a nightmare.” As he said this, his hands grabbed her forearms and held tight, protecting him from any beating she may try to lay down.

“Sir?! What, what are you…” Her voice trailed off as she attempted to catch her breath and keep her body from shaking.

“Hey, it’s okay. It was just a dream, you’re fine.” He released her arms and cupped her face gently with his hands. Her cheeks were still damp from a mixture of sweat and tears. Their eyes met briefly and held before instinct took over, and Jack pulled her into his strong embrace. “C’mere here, your okay.”

They sat there in silence, Jack holding her tight as if trying to protect her from some unseen force. The moonlight illuminated the room, creating a shadow on the floor of their embrace. Gradually her body relaxed, and feeling confident she was better, Jack released her from his arms. Suddenly, his arms felt strangely empty. He shook back the thought and looked at her.

“Feelin’ any better?” Jack said, bringing a hand to rest on her shoulder.

“Um, yes, thank you, sir.” Carter looked at O’Neill with confusion. “Not that I don’t appreciate you coming to my rescue, but, what are you doing here?”

Jack smiled briefly as he looked down at his watch. “Well, funny thing, the airman that dropped off my dress blues left me yours as well, by accident. I just figured that it wasn’t too late to drop yours by.”

“Uh, no, it’s fine. I guess I must have fallen asleep on the couch.”

“Yeah, you were having quite the nightmare. When I approached your front door, you were crying out for help, so I picked your lock and came in to see what the trouble was. I was going to knock down your front door, but decided against it.”

Sam smiled. “Thanks, sir, I’m glad you decided against that option.” She brushed at her hair with her hands, knowing that she must look a mess. Briefly wondering why she suddenly cared so much, she continued. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, no big deal, I was in the neighborhood.” They both quietly laughed at his comment. “So, you want to talk about what had you so scared in that dream of yours?”

Sam looked at him for a moment before speaking. “I don’t really remember much, just a lot of feelings and some flashes of images.”

“Of what?” Jack waited patiently as she found her words.

“Of Turgin, and the experiences I had there when he was holding me prisoner.” Sam’s voice cracked with her last few words.

Jack felt a wave of anger rush through his body as he balled up his hands into fists, providing an outlet for those feelings. He had always hated hearing about any woman being abused or raped, and now, fearing she had experienced a similar sort of torture, he knew he had to ask.

“Sam,” Jack said gently, using her first name to convey a more personal level, “did he hurt you?” He tried to keep his jaw from tightening at his own question. He didn’t know why he felt so connected to her right now, but he didn’t try to analyze it.

Sam tried to give him a half reassuring smile. “No, sir, not really. He didn’t…violate me, if that’s what you think.” She took a few shaky breaths before going on. “I took a few slaps to the face, but I got worse abuse in basic training.”

Jack winced at the image his mind created. “What else happened?”

“Well, I guess I did too much talking, so he put a knife to my throat. The tactic worked at getting me to listen.” Sam tried to lighten the mood by releasing a soft laugh.

“Not funny, Captain. Anybody attempting to hurt you is not what I consider a laughing matter.” Jack looked at her, his voice stern, but his eyes soft.

“Sorry sir, just trying to lighten the mood. But knife or no knife, I did manage to kick his butt in the end.”

Jack smiled at the image, and how she had impressed him with not only her fighting skills, but her determination and courage as well. “Yes, you did manage to do that. Is there anything else you’re leaving out? You’re sure he didn’t try to…rape you.” The words sounded cold on his voice.

“No, sir, positive.” Her eyes seemed to reflect a sudden memory.

“Are you sure?”

“Well, I tried to escaped once, unsuccessfully, and he well, wanted to teach me to obey him. He…grabbed my hair and kissed me, forcibly. But that was it, I promise.” Sam tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled nervously at her CO.

“Well, I’d say that was too much in my book.” Jack tried to keep the anger out of his tone. “It’s no wonder that you were having nightmares. I hate shrinks as much as the next person, but maybe you should consider talking to someone about this.”

Sam smiled with more ease at him. “I thought that’s what I was doing with you.”

Jack returned her smile, looking into her eyes. “Well, I haven’t really done anything but break into your house and scare the wits out of you. Now you’ll probably have new nightmares, thanks to me.”

Sam’s smile increased with gratitude. “No, thanks to you, I’ll probably be able to sleep tonight. Talking about what happened was more important than I thought it was. So, thank you, sir.”

“It’s Jack when we’re off base,” he said, placing his hand lightly on top of her hand, “and you’re welcome.” He stood up and stretched his legs, offering her a helping hand off the couch. She took it, holding onto it more than she probably needed to.

“So, can I get you something to drink? I haven’t been the best hostess so far.” Sam looked around her house, breathing a sigh of relief that her place remained relatively neat, since she was hardly ever there.

“No thanks, but I should probably get going. I’ve taken up enough of your evening.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, really.” Sam didn’t know why, but she suddenly hated the idea of him leaving so soon.

Jack, unknowingly feeling the same way as Sam, looked at his watch. “Well, it’s late, and I’m kind of tired, but I’ll stay if you’re still feeling upset.”

“That’s okay, I’m fine, but thanks.”

“You sure, cause I could stay?”

“I’m sure.” Sam smiled at him, trying to give him some reassurance.

Jack took her smile as the sign he needed to assure himself that she would be okay. He gave her a warm smile and turned, starting to head towards the door. “Okay, well, then I’ll let you get back to…whatever.”

Sam smiled once again, or had she ever stopped smiling? She wasn’t sure, but something about having him here gave her a sense of peace. They reached her front door, and opening the door, Jack turned towards her.

“Well, sleep tight, and if you have any more nightmares, I’m only a phone call away.” He glanced out into the night and spotted her dress blues on the ground in front of him. “Oh yeah, and here is your uniform…wrinkle-free, hopefully.”

“Thanks, sir…I mean, Jack,” Sam said, feeling strange calling her superior by his first name.

“You’re welcome…Sam. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you then.” Sam watched as he gave her one last look, walked to his truck and got in. He gave her a wave as he slowly drove off. She waved in return, watching until his truck was out of sight. She looked down at the uniform that she now held and smiled. Jack. He had entered her life in what felt like a whirlwind, keeping her on her toes by silently challenging her to prove herself as not only a team member, but as a scientist and a woman. But after tonight, she felt a strange connection to him, one she wasn’t sure she quite understood.

Sam walking into her house and closed the door, locking it behind her. The image of Jack sitting beside her, holding her close, stood out in her mind. It had been so easy to get lost in his dark brown eyes as they stared back at her with concern. When she had first met him, she thought he was a completely arrogant jerk. But he had quickly changed her mind through his actions: his obvious affection for the people of Abydos, his conviction in bringing justice to those oppressed, and the way he never left anyone behind, unconcerned for his own safety.

‘I can’t deny that he’s incredibly sexy,’ Sam thought, shaking her head as if trying to come back to reality. ‘I’m allowed to be naturally attracted to someone, right? It’s just a reaction. I know there can be nothing more between us. We’re officers in the military, and on the same team no less.’ Despite all her efforts to convince herself otherwise, she couldn’t help but admit that she was attracted to him.

As she walked past the living room to get ready for bed, she paused and looked at the couch where they had just been. He had held her so tight, making her feel so safe. And the strange thing was, it felt so…right, so natural. Alone now, she felt the overwhelming emptiness of the room. If anything, she knew that what had gone on here tonight had given both of them a different meaning to their friendship, a stronger, truer one. Her heart skipped a happy little beat as she walked into her bedroom, looking forward to the dawning of a new day, and the chance to see him again.

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