Beneath A Silent Moon (Part 2)

Title: Beneath A Silent Moon (Part 2)

Author: Suz W.

Feedback: Definitely!!

Spoilers: After Metamorphosis, Solitudes (episode tag)

Old Stories Referenced: “When Destiny Comes Calling”

Rating: R, S/J Friendship, Romance, Missing, Action/Adventure, and sexual situations.

Summary: Will the others find Sam and Jonas before it’s too late? Read on to find out!

Disclaimer: All publicity recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, Sci-Fi Productions, 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 January 15, 2007, by Suzanne R. Whitmarsh.

Author’s Notes: This story follows “Beneath A Silent Moon (Part 1)”. I hope you enjoy this conclusion to my latest story. The featured song for this story is “Wintersong” (right click "save target as..." and download it here!! Be sure and play it when the song comes up in the story) by Sarah McLachlan. I again want to apologize for how long it took for me to get part 1 out to you, but I’ve made it a resolution to do better this year with my stories and putting them out in a timely manner. Thank you for your continued support…I couldn’t do it without you.

Dedication: This story is dedicated to Jenny S. May there be many blessings ahead for you and your family, my dear friend. Congratulations on this new and miraculous part of your life. Enjoy every moment!

It was a beautiful day…clear skies, snow that sparkled in every sunny ray that was being emitted from that bright, constant star in the sky, birds were singing, and the air was as crisp and clean as a freshly starched piece of newly washed cotton. But the surrounding glory of God’s country was incredibly ironic in the face of what had just happened.

Jack felt incredibly small and helpless as he waited for Jacob’s assessment on what he had just told him. He didn’t know where Sam was, Jacob’s only child and his one true love. After describing what he could of the avalanche and how Sam and Jonas had been swallowed up into the ground, he wasn’t sure if he could handle Jacob’s scrutiny on what could have been done differently to save them.

After telling Jacob that he didn’t know where Sam was, Jack watched in agony as reality struck Jacob full in the gut. Looking like he had just been punched in the stomach, it took him a moment to really see Jack again, and when he did, Jack recognized the terror in his eyes.

General Hammond immediately fell into his natural role of commander and gave Tessa over to Teal’c’s care while he went over to his old friend’s side. Placing a hand on his shoulder, General Hammond spoke to him in soft but firm words. “Don’t worry, Jacob. We will find her. Sam and Jonas are trained survivors. Don’t forget the type of daughter you raised.”

Jacob looked over at him. “I know that, George, and I appreciate it. But you know the odds of survival in something like this. Finding them alive will be…a miracle.”

General Hammond stood up straighter. “Well then, a miracle is what we’re going to get. I am not going to give up hope of finding them alive, and I’m certainly not going to let any of you.” Looking over at Jack, he could tell that some of what he was saying was getting through. Addressing all of them, he continued. “Now, unfortunately, the avalanche knocked out the phone lines and has buried part of the road leading back into town.”

Jack felt a wave of panic overcome him. “What?! There has to be some way to communicate to the outside world. Sir, you’re a decorated General…hell, both of you are…and you’re going to tell me we can’t call for help?”

Jacob moved over to where Jack was and placed a firm grip on his arm. “Jack, you need to calm down.”

General Hammond knew Jack was going through Hell, and knowing him as he did, he knew he was also feeling responsible for what had just happened. “I’m sorry, Jack, but my connections don’t extend that far. Without the basic means of communication, we’re going to have to rely on what little manpower we have until help can arrive.” Taking a breath, he continued. “Jacob has a few neighbors that are relatively close by and we’re banking on their help, that is assuming that they’re home. And since it is Thanksgiving, odds are pretty good that someone is occupying those houses. Tessa and I will walk back to Jacob’s house and try and find some help. I’ll also try and contact the local forest ranger. But hopefully someone will have already reported the slide. With any luck, extra help will be on the way before you even reach the area where you think they are.”

Jack, grateful for General Hammond’s leadership, was suddenly impacted with a feeling of dread. With his stomach in knots, he quickly turned and looked back in the direction they had come from.

Jacob sensed his panic. “Jack, what is it?”

Jack, his eyes searching and his heart heavy, just shook his head. “Something’s terribly wrong…I mean beyond what has happened. We’re running out of time.” Looking over at Jacob, he suddenly felt a surge of urgency. Lowering his voice, he spoke just to him. “She’s in terrible danger, Jacob, I can feel it. We’ve got to go…now.”

Jacob, who fully believed in soul mates, didn’t question Jack’s instinct. Nodding towards his snowmobile, he spoke to him with determination. “Alright…let’s go. You drive.”

A shrill scream seared through the black recesses of Jonas’ head. With his unconscious mind suddenly yanked back into the conscious world, Jonas’ body jolted as he sat up too quickly. With pain slicing through his head, he took both hands and held it for a moment while he got his bearings, allowing some time for the ringing to stop and the scene before him to stop spinning and focus.

As he withdrew his hands from his head, a sharp stinging sensation caused him to wince, and he noticed there was blood on his right hand. Reaching back up, he tenderly touched the spot on his head where it was throbbing and found a gashing wound there. Apparently, though, it was cold enough that the bleeding had been kept to a minimum.

As his vision found a steady edge, he looked around, grateful there was enough light filtering from somewhere above for him to see where he was. A sort of makeshift cavern made up his surroundings, with walls completely covered in ice except for the ground he was sitting on, which was made up of actual earth. In front of him, a small pool of water, half frozen, sat churning ever so slightly, and because of the lack of significant light, it appeared dark and forbidding.

Searching his memories for how he’d gotten there, he suddenly remembered the wall of snow coming at them…an avalanche as Major Carter had described it. They had been trying to get away from it when the ground was suddenly ripped out from underneath them.

Looking up, he could see that they had fallen at least 10 to 15 feet into the pit. They… Jonas, with a start, realized that he didn’t see Major Carter. Attempting to get up, he found that he couldn’t move his left leg. Shifting some of the debris and dirt off of it, he noticed that part of a very sharp tree root had pierced all the way through his leg below the knee and was now anchoring him to the ground.

With the conscious knowledge of his injuries, his whole body suddenly felt under siege, pelted with incredible pain. Looking around, he called out. “Major Carter…Sam! Where are you?!”

Listening, he heard nothing but the echo of his own voice vibrating off the walls. Trying to estimate where she would have fallen in proximity to him, something in Jonas’ mind brought back the scream he had heard a few minutes ago that had brought him out of his unconscious state.

At that memory, his heart began to pace a little faster as he called out for her again with a little more urgency. “Sam! Can you hear me?” At first, he heard nothing, but then, as if fate was giving him a hand, be it a cruel one, an object suddenly appeared on the surface of the water, bobbing to the rhythm of the ripples.

Squinting his eyes, it took him a moment to make out what it was, but when a small ray of fading light illuminated a piece of what could only be blond hair, his heart lurched. “Oh my God!” Her body was floating face down in the icy water and no movement could be seen.

With adrenaline filling him, he knew he couldn’t waste anymore time. Reaching down, he gripped the end of the tree root, took a big breath, and pulled with all his strength. Hot-tempered pain scalded his leg, causing him to yell out as the root emerged from his flesh. Forcing the bile down that was quickly rising up his throat, he got up and moved forward, stumbling as his injured leg came face to face with its own body weight. With it unable to support him, he caught himself as he fell forward.

Pushing himself back up, he moved forward again, this time dragging his left leg behind him. As he arrived at the edge of the water, he got down on his knees and reached out. Because of his leg injury and knowing that he needed to stay dry to keep them both warm, he luckily was able to finger the back of her ski pants. Pulling her towards him, he guided her body with his hands until he was able to flip her over.

Her lips were a bright blue, as were the circles under her eyes. Death seemed like it had already claimed her, but he wasn’t go to give up on her until every last ounce of strength he had left him. Dipping his arms into the pool, the icy cold water shocked his system. Hooking his arms underneath hers, he drug her out of the water, using as much strength as his leg would allow him to.

When he finally had her completely out of the water, he hovered over her for a moment, frozen in fear with the knowledge that he was the only one who could possibly save her, if it wasn’t already too late. Taking a breath to calm his nerves, he tried to remember all the steps to what was called CPR. Thanks to his curiosity and ambition, it had been one of the first things he’d learned upon joining SG-1, especially when it was known among the Tauri as a vital life-saving method.

Reaching down, he opened up her airway and gave her two big breaths. Feeling for a pulse, he found none. Placing his hands on her chest, he pressed down, counting out his compressions as he went. “Come on, Sam, don’t die on me!” Administering two more breaths, he continued on, moving back and forth between compressions and breaths, stopping every once in a while to check for a pulse.

After five minutes of CPR, he was beginning to tire. Looking down at her, so lifeless, Jonas could feel tears welling up in his eyes. This wasn’t the woman he’d come to know and admire. She had always been so strong, such a vital force for not only SG-1, but for the rest of the SGC as well. How could she give in to something like this...to just let go without a fight? His thoughts turned to the Colonel. What would he do if he were the one trying to save her? Jonas knew there was a special bond between the two of them, one that he couldn’t truly identify. He also knew that he would rather die himself than have to face Jack and tell him he wasn’t able to save her.

Suddenly feeling renewed energy coursing through him, Jonas gave her two more big breaths and resumed his compressions, this time even deeper, stronger and quicker than before. “Come on, Sam! You have to fight this…I know you can do it! You have to choose to live!! You’re the smartest person I know…so figure out how to beat this!” He continued on this way for another few minutes, praying and yelling, hoping against hope that it would get a better end result than what he was facing now.

As the minutes ticked by, he knew that time was not on his side. From all he’d read about hypothermia, he understood that the ice cold water would work to his advantage for only so long. Temporarily slowing the heart next to nothing, the cold temperatures would keep it from stopping, but not forever. He knew it took at least 10 minutes to revive someone who’d had their body exposed to such extreme conditions, but the chance was there. The cold water also preserved organ and brain function, but again, for only the briefest of time.

He knew that he’d exceeded his 10 minute mark at least two minutes ago, but he wasn’t willing to stop…not yet. But fatigue was setting in, and he could feel his emotions getting the better of him. With weakening compressions, his disbelief began setting in that such an amazing life had been taken. Bending down, he gave her one last final breath, the biggest he could muster, before bending his body over hers and allowing his tears to flow freely.

Reaching out, he placed a gentle hand on her cold forehead. As he did, her body suddenly jolted, and in the next instant, she was coughing and sputtering up water as she gasped for air at the same time. Jonas, shocked at the sign of life suddenly present, helped her turn over on her side, allowing the rest of the water that had been trapped in her lungs to run out.

Jonas wanted to jump for joy. “That’s it, Sam, you’re doing it! Come back to us!” He watched as she continued coughing and gasping for air. Putting his hands underneath her, he propped her up against him, giving her more of a chance to breathe easier. Not yet fully conscious, her body began to shake violently as it attempted to heat up from the bitter cold that had been forcing it to hibernate.

He knew that he had to get her warm, and quickly, or he would lose her all over again. Looking down at her, he started to remove her outer clothing. “I’m sorry, Sam, but I’ve got to get these wet clothes off of you.” Shrugging off his own coat, he continued carefully removing her sweater and then her shirt. Once he had her wrapped in his coat, he carefully laid her down and proceeded to work on removing her wet ski pants. Sam had slipped into an unconscious state, but one in which she was breathing easier and her face now held more color.

Five minutes later, Jonas had managed to remove all of her wet clothes, down to her undergarments, and had redressed her in as many layers as he could give up. Laying her down, he proceeded to put together several pieces of wood and debris that had fallen into the cave with them and stacked it into a make shift pile in hopes of getting some sort of fire going. Without matches, he was forced to resort to the primitive measures he’d read about, and after several minutes of friction, he managed to get enough of a spark to start a small but viable fire.

Carefully pulling Sam over to the fire, he laid down next to her, exhausted. Looking down at his leg, which he’d attempted to bandage with a strip of his undershirt, he could see that he’d have to change the dressing soon. But with no energy to spare, along with his head feeling like it was about to split open, he moved in closer to Sam and then closed his eyes. All he could do was hope and pray that as he rested, Sam would as well. Time would tell their fate, although looking up above them at the enclosed cave, he didn’t see much hope.

As the final rays of the sun disappeared from the horizon, the sky became colored in soft hues of pink, red, and orange, with its strongest definition at the base of the skyline, gradually fading to black as the night began its claim over them. It had been a long, hard five hours of searching in cold, bitter conditions, only to come up with nothing. The landscape had been dramatically changed by the avalanche, and only certain landmarks were vaguely familiar in Jack’s mind.

It was all he could do from breaking down right there. Throughout the hours of endless searching, he had found himself several times at an emotional breaking point for which he saw no end. But Jacob, obviously very aware of his frail state of mind, had kept him from that enticing abyss, always staying close by to keep an eye on him.

Reaching the suspected area first, followed closely behind by Teal’c, they had begun their searching, looking for the grouping of trees that Jack had remembered, hoping that a collapse of the ground would be obvious. But the mass of snow gave the appearance as if nothing abnormal like that had happened. The tracks had been covered well.

Eventually, the number of people looking grew, with the surrounding neighbors that were in residence coming out to help. Several of them had taken a truck into town to go for more official help, but as the day began to fade, hope of them making it before dark also passed away.

As people began slowly departing from their search for the night, promising to come back at first light, Jack continued to trudge forward, oblivious to his growing fatigue. Jacob, becoming more concerned about him by the minute, moved over to where he was poking into the snow.

His voice was tentative as he started. “Jack, I think we should be heading back to the house. You need to rest. Don’t forget you went through the avalanche too.”

Jack, frustrated at his fruitless searching, responded sharply to him. “Don’t you think I know that Jacob! I was the one who left her…I left her to be buried alive on this cold, unforgiving mountain. If I had just gone back, or helped her assist Jonas in the first place instead of having fun at his expense…”

Jacob cut him off. “You’d be buried with her, and that would solve nothing!” His voice was harsh and he knew it, but he felt it was the only way to get through to him.

Jack slammed his pole into the snow and then leaned on it for support, eventually sliding down it to his knees and hanging his head. After a few breathless moments, he spoke up, this time his voice barely a whisper. “At least then I wouldn’t be without her.”

Jacob looked over at Teal’c, who was searching nearby and carefully observing them. When he turned his back, Jacob moved over and knelt down in front of Jack, desperately searching for a way to hold him together. When he looked into Jack’s face, he saw silent tears streaming down his face. Jacob’s heart went out to him.

Reaching out a hand, he placed it gingerly on Jack’s shoulder. “Jack,” he said softly, “you can’t give up hope. If I know my daughter, she’s fighting with everything she has in her to stay alive, and using every brain cell to do it. She’s not going to give up, so you can’t either. But you need to rest. You’ve been through an incredibly traumatic event.”

Jack hastily wiped at his face with one arm. “Well, she doesn’t get to rest, so how can I? Two lives are hanging in the balance…I just don’t see how you think we can just go back to the house and sit around the television!”

Jacob gave him a half-cocked smile. “Good. Get angry. You need that energy to drive you on. But for right now, you need to at least go back to the house, get a hot shower and something to eat. Even if you don’t sleep, at least give your body a chance to refuel itself. Otherwise, you’ll be of no use to us and then Sam will die.” Saying that word put a sudden ominous silence between them for a brief moment, one which was finally broken as Teal’c made his way over to them.

“I believe General Carter is right, O’Neill,” Teal’c began, his voice deep and echoing as the night grew blacker. “We need to rest, and we cannot do anything more here without the light of day. I will be at your side for as long as it takes to find them, but for now I believe it is wise to take some rest.”

Jack looked over at his old friend, a constant tower of strength. Even he looked a bit worn. Tightening his muscles to shed some of the cold that was trying to capture them, he sighed. “What about the search and rescue team? I thought someone had gone to contact them?”

Jacob nodded solemnly. “Apparently they did, but because of how late it was in the day by the time they got in touch with them, it was decided that they would start at first light. I’m sorry, Jack.”

Jack nodded stiffly. Not wanting to leave the area, but knowing both Jacob and Teal’c were right, he grabbed his pole and pulled it from the snow. With that action, it suddenly felt as if he were giving up. Drawing from somewhere deep inside of him, he pushed back the feeling of hopelessness. “Dammit! How the hell did this happen?! It was supposed to be a perfect vacation.”

Turning around, he made his way towards the two remaining snowmobiles. Jacob, catching up with him, fell into step next to him. “Jack, it’s going to be okay.”

Jack gave him a sidelong glance. “You don’t really believe that anymore than I do, Jacob, but thanks for trying.” Looking up at the darkened sky as he continued walking, he sighed wearily. “Everything was going so perfectly…over the last few days, I felt like Sam and I connected on a level deeper than I ever thought was possible. She was so full of life…so beautiful…and now she’s lying somewhere beneath us, cold and struggling to survive, if she hasn’t been claimed already.” His voice was bitter with his last sentence. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if I lose her, Jacob. If she dies…” His voice trailed off, not wanting to even confront the possibility.

Jacob said nothing. He knew that Jack was beyond consoling right now. And frankly, trying to be positive for both of them was taking its toll on him. In truth, he was as scared as Jack was that they were already too late, and losing his only daughter was too much to think about.

The three of them boarded the snowmobiles and began making their way back down the mountain, all with heavy hearts. All they could do was hope that the morning light would come quickly, and pray that when and if they found them, it wouldn’t be too late.

Sam felt like she’d been slammed against a brick wall time and time again. Her entire body was in pain and her lungs were burning. Trying to focus her scattered mind, she attempted to open her eyes. It was dark, incredibly dark, and she was beginning to wonder if her eyes had opened at all.

But then a very faint orange halo of light began to register to her mind, shining around her, and she slowly brought her right hand up and placed it against the part of her head that was pounding. Groaning, she attempted to move anything, and was pleasantly surprised to find that her arms and torso allowed her enough mobility to roll over onto her side, towards the source of light. Her vision was severely blurred, but as she continued to blink, things began clearing up and making sense.

She was facing a very small fire, one whose warmth only extended so far. That’s when she began to realize how cold she was, her muscles feeling like they were very heavy blocks of ice. Pushing herself up very slowly, she assumed a shaky sitting position, holding her head to steady it. Her brain was still trying to figure out what had happened to put her in the condition she was in when her eyes suddenly fell on someone sleeping on the other side of the fire. Jonas.

Trying her vocal cords, she found that at first she could emit no sound at all. A little panicked, she attempted to clear her throat and was relieved to hear a little sound come from that. Opening her mouth, she tried again. “Jonas.” Her voice was extremely scratchy and barely audible, but she kept repeating his name until it finally came out sounding closer to normal. “Jonas.”

He suddenly shot up and then immediately grabbed the side of his head. Groaning, he spoke out loud to himself. “Ohhh…I’ve got to stop doing that…” Stopping mid-sentence, he dropped his hand and looked over at her, as if finally realizing what had woken him up. Staring at her for a moment, he had an absolute look of shock on his face, and then it immediately lit with a huge smile. “Sam!! You’re awake!”

Obviously getting up too fast, he stumbled and almost fell as he put his weight on the leg that had been injured. Catching himself, he limped over to where she was sitting and promptly sat down with a grunt, and then proceeded to throw his arms around her, giving her a big but gentle hug.

Sam, completely confused at his excitement, gingerly patted him on the back. “Okay…glad to see you too, Jonas.”

Jonas pulled back and released her from his hold. Facing her, he continued, excitement still evident in his voice. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you awake! For a while, I wasn’t sure you were going to make it, and then I just kept imagining what it would be like to die alone down here…or if they did find us, how incredibly hard it would be to tell Colonel O’Neill and the others that I couldn’t save you…”

Sam held up her hand in order to stop him. “Whoa, Jonas, hang on.” Her head was still ringing from pain, and her body wasn’t doing much better. But with her voice finding more strength, she continued. “What do you mean that you thought I wasn’t going to make it…and what about them not finding us…” Suddenly, memories slammed back into her head like a hard rock impacting the ground after a long fall. It jolted her, and as she sat there absorbing images of the avalanche and the collapse, fragments of her waking up on the ledge and her subsequent fall into the water cut into her like a knife.

Placing a hand on her chest, she took a sharp breath. “Oh my God!” As she continued to remember the horror of drowning, she felt like her throat was closing up on her. Tears formed in her eyes and began a slow decent down her face. Trying desperately to get control of her emotions, and failing miserably, she suddenly registered a strong hand gripping hers.

As if pulling her from the brink, she began to take shallower breaths, calming her heart and relaxing her chest enough to be able to breathe easier. When her vision final swept away the terrifying memories, she looked up into the face of the man responsible for her still being able to breathe. Jonas was holding her hand and watching her with a concerned and sympathetic expression.

Sam was suddenly overwhelmed with emotional gratitude. “Jonas…you saved my life! I could have died…”

Jonas, always humble, gave her a soft but sad smile. “I thought you had died, Sam. You gave me a real scare.”

Sam furrowed her brow. “How long was I not breathing?”

Jonas shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure, but it was at least 10 minutes. I performed CPR, but towards the end, I thought it was never going to work. You were blue when I pulled you out of the water.”

Sam shivered involuntarily. “God…I can’t believe that you got me back. You must have used every ounce of will you had.”

Jonas uttered a small laugh. “Yeah, well if you’re wondering why your chest is hurting so badly, that would have a lot to do with it.”

Touching her chest where the pain stood out more than the rest, she winced at the response her ribs gave her. More than likely a few of them were fractured. Looking over at Jonas, she studied him for a moment. “Jonas, what you did…was incredible. How did you ever will yourself to keep going? You’re obviously hurt yourself.”

Jonas shrugged. “I guess it’s a lucky thing that I am a quick study and basically absorbed the entire library on the base after arriving on Earth.” Giving her a small smile, he continued. “I remembered that hypothermic patients could be resuscitated after a period of time, and had more of a window of time than those who weren’t since the cold was supposed to preserve organ function.”

Sam, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her by how fortunate she was, took Jonas’ face between her hands and pulled him towards her, kissing his cheek. “If it had been anyone else here with me, I don’t know if they could have done what you did…or gone on like you did.”

Jonas, now fully blushing in the midst of her kiss and praise, tried to tone down what he’d done. “I doubt that, Sam. I’m sure that Colonel O’Neill would have had just as much will to save you.”

Sam, suddenly struck by his comment, studied him carefully. “What do you mean?”

Jonas shrugged again. “It’s just obvious that you two share a close, special bond…I mean, you’ve been in SG-1 together since the beginning. It’s natural that you would be close. Besides, the fact is that the Colonel doesn’t give up on anyone very easily, least of all me. There have been several times when I was sure that he was going to send me back through the Stargate, but he didn’t.”

Sam gave him a secret smile. “Jonas, once Jack hears of what you did for me, you’ll never receive anything but the utmost gratitude from him. He may even tone down his pointed sarcasm that usually is designed to torture you.” Looking around at the ice cave, now only lit by the small fire still burning, she shivered again. “Of course that depends on if we ever get out of here.”

Jonas looked up at the now blackened ceiling, their only apparent means of escape. “Yeah, well I guess we’re just going to have to keep our fingers crossed.” Crossing one index finger over the one on his opposite hand, he held them up to symbolize his hope.

Sam couldn’t help but laugh despite the pain it caused her. When he gave her a strange look, she just shook her head. “Jonas, hasn’t anyone ever shown you how to cross your fingers?” When he only continued to look perplexed, she crossed her fingers and showed him. “This is how we do it.”

Jonas, feeling suddenly a bit foolish, laughed along with her at his mix up. Despite the cold, dark existence surrounding them, the world felt a little brighter, at least for a moment.

As their echoes subsided, Sam looked down and realized that she wasn’t wearing the clothes she’d started in. Looking over at Jonas, she suddenly noticed that he was basically only wearing his long johns, with the exception of a stocking cap, shirt and his shoes. “Jonas…you must be freezing.”

Jonas waved her off. “It’s not so bad. I think my limbs have just become numb to the cold.” Suddenly looking a little shy, he nodded in the direction of her clothes lying on the ground near them. “I’m really sorry that I had to change your clothes, but I had to get them off you. I dressed you in as many layers that I could give up…I guess it’s a good thing I dressed in practically double of everything. Another good tip I picked up from reading.”

Sam nodded, amused at his boyish charm. “Well, thank you again. Are my clothes almost dry? I could give these back to you.”

Jonas shook his head. “Unfortunately, the fire that I managed to get going isn’t big enough to dry them out. They’re basically ice crystals.”

Sam looked over at the little blaze. “I’m amazed that you got any of the wet wood to burn. You’re quite the Boy Scout…again for which I will be forever grateful for.” Looking down at his bandaged leg, she pointed it out. “What happened there?”

Jonas proceeded to tell her from the beginning what had happened after he woke up, all the way to collapsing by her side, waking up every hour to tend to the fire in order to keep it going, along with checking her breathing.

Sam took it all in. It left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach at how close to death she had come, and how much worse their situation could be. Looking around her, she was able to decipher that they were trapped in some sort of ice cave that had obviously been formed during the early winter days. It was just their dumb luck that they had happened to be standing right on top of it when the avalanche occurred. The tremors coming from that event had apparently been enough to shake the obviously already unstable ground beneath their feet, and after they had been deposited into its base, the forceful snow proceeded to nicely cover them right back up, providing another ceiling, as unstable as the first one had been.

The cave itself wasn’t very big, and pieces of the mountain jutted out from all walls. But with the exception of the ground, every ledge was sealed in ice, and the walls were solid crystals. As Jonas continued to recount events, she could feel her heart growing heavier. The likelihood of anyone finding this place was incredibly slim, and she knew without even being able to see it that the collapse had changed the appearance of the landscape, and the snow provided the perfect cover, making it appear as if nothing had happened. As cold as it was in the cave, she knew the outside temperatures were predicted to drop to below zero, which would only help to solidify the snow now concealing them. Hope seemed almost inconceivable.

The only curious thing that kept her from completely giving in was the small body of water that she had almost died in. An access point had to feed it from somewhere, not to mention the fact that the fire was not smoking them out, indicating that the smoke was escaping from somewhere.

On that thought, she looked over at the fire as Jonas finished his retelling of the tale. “Jonas,” she said, her mind beginning to spin, “what if we build up the fire bigger? There has to be enough debris from the collapse around here that we can burn.”

Jonas shook his head. “I thought about that, but I guess I was afraid the smoke would become too intense without a means of escape for it.”

Sam held up her finger, her mind still calculating. “But that’s just it…there has to be a place up in the ceiling of the snow where the smoke is getting through. If we can build the fire up enough, it might create a signal for anyone searching for us. If it doesn’t work and the smoke becomes too much, we can always douse it with the water.”

Jonas cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, but won’t the fire melt some of the ice in here…it could cause a collapse.”

Sam furrowed her brow. “True…but I think it’s worth the risk. And I would think that it would take a lot longer for the heat to melt the ice than for the smoke to be seen. I’m willing to chance it if you are.”

Jonas, always more the optimist than not, gave her a smile and nodded. “Let’s give it a try.” As he started to get up, he noticed Sam attempting the same thing. “Um, Sam, I think you should let me do the gathering. You can feed the fire. I don’t think you need to be moving around too much. You could be injured more severely than you think.”

Sam, knowing he was right, but determined to help, shook her head. “I appreciate the thought, Jonas, but I’m not crippled. I may have a few cracked ribs and some soreness, but I think I can collect a few sticks. Besides, you don’t appear to be in much better shape than I am. After we finish building the fire, I’d like to at least look at your wounds and try and clean and bandage them a little better.”

Jonas, not at all surprised by her stubbornness, assisted her in getting up. Once he was sure she had her feet under her, they both slowly made their way over to a large pile of dirt, torn bushes and broken trees. Sam grimaced with every step, her ribs jolting in pain as her breathing increased. Yet despite the discomfort, it felt good to move a little to work some of the bitter cold off her joints.

After about an excruciating hour of pain and labored breathing, Sam and Jonas had managed to build the fire to twice its original size. They would have made it even bigger except they were worried about running out of debris. Once they did, and the fire ran out, they knew their chances of survival would be next to nothing.

Finally sitting down to rest, Sam watched as the smoke rose and disappeared into the unseen ceiling above them. Somewhere up there the smoke was escaping, and all she could do was pray that it would signal someone that they were down there. In the quiet moment as Jonas lay dozing and Sam was watching the fire, its pop and crackle a welcome sign of life, Sam’s thoughts turned to Jack for the first time. In all the time that she had been trying to recollect the time stolen from her, she suddenly realized that in her mind she had assumed that the rest of their group had made it.

But what if they hadn’t…what if Jack were laying right now beneath a thick layer of cold, frozen snow, dead or breathing his last breath. It impacted her that she was suddenly afraid, deathly afraid, that if they were rescued, Jack might not be there, not to mention Teal’c or Tessa. The idea of facing the world without Jack made her want to give in right there, to allow cowardess to prevail over heroism. With tears overcoming her, she drew her knees up as high as she could and gently placed her head down upon them, crying softly. ‘Oh, Jack,’ she thought miserably, ‘I can’t live without you. You have to be alive somewhere…please. I need you…I love you so much.’

Jack’s eyes flew open. Was someone calling him? Despite the cold that had set into the room, he was sweating and his heart was racing. Disoriented, he sat up and placed his hands over his face, rubbing it hard. Opening his eyes, he dropped his hands and listened. He could have sworn that he had heard his name, even if it were only a breath of a whisper. Concentrating, he suddenly felt as if his soul was hurting, weary from all that had happened. His thoughts immediately went to Sam, and he found himself wondering if there was a connection. But then in his mind, along with the way he felt, that would mean…He couldn’t even bring himself to think it.

Looking around, he noted the darkness of the room, the pitch black mimicking what he felt in his heart. With the only light coming from a nearby window, he got up and walked over to it, as if searching for anything to bring him some kind of hope. Casting his gaze out of the frosted window pane, he noted a scene of serene tranquility, a snow covered landscape bathed in moonlight that was of an iridescent white glow. The moon itself had risen late in the night, and it hung over the mountains before him, its face huge against the jet black curtain of night. And somewhere out there, buried beneath ice and snow, was the one person who mattered the most to him…the love of his life…and he feared that his life was now over, because he couldn’t imagine how either she or Jonas could have survived this long.

Looking over at the clock, it read 0037 hours. Jack and the others had spent most of the night going over surveillance photos taken from a recent aerial shoot of the surrounding area. A few members representing the search and rescue squad had been waiting for them when they arrived back at the house with the layouts in hopes of figuring out a more specific search plan for as soon as the first rays of sunlight hit the sky. Though they had never voiced their opinions on the situation either way, Jack had enough military experience to sense their doubts in finding anyone alive.

After they had broken for the night, Jacob had to practically escorted Jack upstairs to his room. Promising him he would take a shower and at least try and rest, Jack only lasted five minutes in his own bed before he had found himself walking into Sam’s bedroom. When he had lain down on the bed, he’d found that her pajamas were still lying across it, and gathering them to him, he’d taken in a big breath of air. They still carried the scent of lavender and vanilla from the soap she had used before donning them. He had remembered that smell from when he had snuck into her bed later that night, the last night they had spent together before the disastrous day had dawned. Allowing the tears to fall silently down his face, he had slipped into sleep, one filled at first with nothing, but then as the time had droned on, his mind ran from nightmare to nightmare, until he was jolted awake an hour later to what he thought was his name being called.

Frustrated and depressed, he moved over to the clock radio and flipped it on. Hoping to find some kind of music to dial down his thoughts, he stopped at a station playing Jingle Bells. As had become tradition with most radio stations, the Christmas music was now in full force, even though it was only one day after Thanksgiving. Moving back to the window, he barely registered the end of the song, until the chords of the next piece of music suddenly started plucking at his heartstrings and drew his attention:

The lake is frozen over,

The trees are white with snow,

And all around reminders of you are everywhere I go,

Oooooh….oooooh.

It’s late and morning’s in no hurry,

But sleep won’t set me free,

I lie awake and try to recall how your body felt beside me,

When silence gets too hard to handle,

And the night too long;

And this is how I see you,

In the snow on Christmas morning,

Love and happiness surround you,

You throw your arms up to the sky,

I keep this moment by and by,

Oh I miss you now,

My love,

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas

My love.

Since the joy fills the air,

And I daydream and I stare,

Up on the tree and I see,

Your star up there;

And this is how I see you,

In the snow on Christmas morning,

Love and happiness surround you,

You throw your arms up to the sky,

I keep this moment by and by.

Jack suddenly felt as if the walls were closing in on him. He found it harder to breathe and it was all he could do to keep from losing it right there. The idea of never being able to celebrate Christmas with her again had his stomach in fisted knots, and he was sure he was going to throw up at any moment. Hastily reaching for the lock on the window, he threw it open and was grateful not to find a screen attached to it. Sticking his head out of the window, which had opened wide, he closed his eyes and took in a bitter cold breath of mountain air as it impacted his skin, slicing across his face like a sharp knife. But he welcomed the sting, and was happy to feel his nausea subsiding as the air saturated his lung base.

What was he going to do? He felt helplessly lost in a world he now barely cared to know. Looking up at the night sky, he noticed a plane flying high above them, its tail lights blinking in a steady rhythm as it made its way across the sky. As he followed it with his eyes, he tracked it to the level of the moon, which was hanging directly above the area where Sam and Jonas had disappeared. And then he caught his breath. Peering carefully, he noticed something that he hadn’t seen before due to how bright the moon was, especially since it was at its peak for the night. As he continued to study it, he suddenly knew he was right. It was Charlie’s star, shining just to the left of the North Star, and right between the constellations of Andromeda and Perseus, if they could have been fully seen. Jack had had the star officially registered as Charlie and had given it to Sam as a gift.

As he continued to watch it, attempting to draw strength and peace from it as it had always done for him, he noticed that it suddenly appeared to be growing brighter. Rather it was his eyes playing tricks on him or it was really Charlie trying to tell him something, he didn’t care. All he knew was that that star had always been a place of hope for him, and right now it was giving him just that. With a sudden feeling of urgency, he nodded with conviction to the sky. “Okay, Charlie, I’m listening. Show me where she is.”

Turning around, he left Sam’s room and returned to his own as quickly and quietly as possible. Pulling on his clothes, he dressed warmly in multiple layers and then proceeded to exit his room, creeping softly down the stairs. Once on the ground level, he made his way through the house to the side door leading out to where the snowmobiles had been parked. Just as he was reaching for the door knob, a voice spoke out from the darkness.

“O’Neill.” It was Teal’c, his low voice settling around them.

Jack jumped, swore under his breath and hissed at his friend. “Geez, Teal’c! Give me a heart attack why don’t you!”

Teal’c moved forward into what light was coming from a nearby window. He looked stoic as always, a constant harbor of strength and resilience. Bowing his head to him, Teal’c spoke up more softly. “I am sorry, O’Neill. I did not mean to scare you.” Pausing for a moment, he went on. “Might I inquire where you are going in the middle of the night?”

Jack gave him a slightly irritated look. “Oh, come on, T, don’t stand there and pretend you don’t know what I’m doing. I’m not going to sit here, all warm and cozy, while Carter and Jonas are out there somewhere freezing their butts off and probably breathing their last.” Thinking for a moment, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Let me guess. Jacob put you up to this, right? Guard duty?”

Teal’c gave no hint of expression except for the slight raise of one eyebrow. “I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about. General Carter is upstairs sleeping.”

Jack just shook his head. “Never mind. I know what he did, but neither he nor you are going to stop me from going out and looking for them. The moonlight is sufficient enough to see by and the snowmobiles have headlights.” Of course Jack’s real motivation was Charlie’s star in the sky, but that was something only shared between him and Sam. The fact that he suspected it was telling him something was nothing Teal’c, or anyone else for that matter, would understand, except for Sam.

Teal’c reached for his coat. “I was not going to stop you, O’Neill. My intention is to accompany you.”

Jack was taken aback for a moment. “Oh…well, okay then. Let’s get going.” As he opened the door, he spotted the gun cabinet to his left and moved over to it, taking a guess that the key was someplace on top of it. After successfully finding it, he unlocked the cabinet and removed two shot guns, grabbing extra ammo that he stuffed in his pocket.

When he turned around, Teal’c was watching him with a curious expression on his face. Wasting no time, he thrust one of the guns into Teal’c’s hands and moved around him. “Rule number one…never go out into the forest at night without a means of protection. You never know what you’re going to meet…even in the dead of winter.” Wishing he hadn’t used the word dead, he shook off the feeling and stepped outside.

Not wanting to wake the household, not to mention Jacob’s severe irritation, they pushed the snowmobiles as far from the house as they could before starting up the engines and taking off, heading up the slope and never looking back. With Jack keeping a constant watch on Charlie’s star, he said a little prayer as they went, hoping their efforts in the middle of the night would pan out. Only time would tell.

“I can’t believe I never thought of that possibility, but…you’re right.” Jonas was sitting next to Sam, staring into the fire that was still going strong thanks to the constant feeding of debris. He had awoken to find dried tear tracks on Sam’s face, and from the sad expression that she still wore, he knew something was wrong. When she had told him the reason for her mood, he sat back, stunned.

The idea that the others hadn’t made it either had never crossed his mind. His focus had been on Sam and trying to stay alive. But the new perspective was leaving an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. The possibility that they may never get out of here was growing stronger with each passing minute.

Sam looked over at Jonas and placed a hand lightly on his arm. “I’m sorry, Jonas, I didn’t mean to bring you down. It would have been easier on both of us if I hadn’t ever thought about it at all.” In truth, she hadn’t intended to share her fears, but with everything that had been happening, it wasn’t very easy for her to conceal her emotions.

Jonas just shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I just can’t believe I was so self-centered as to not have thought about them before now.”

Sam looked over at him, astonished. “Self-centered?! Jonas, you saved my life. I think you had every reason for not thinking of them immediately.” Turning back to the fire, she took in a shaky breath. “All we can hope for is that they somehow made it out alive…and of course that someone will find us before it’s too late.” Looking over at the pile of debris they’d collected that was steadily growing smaller, she was beginning to wonder how much time they actually had left. For once the fire went out, so would their chances.

For a few minutes, nothing was said. Than Jonas looked up and focused his gaze on her face. “Hey, didn’t you and Colonel O’Neill go through something similar to this in the past? I thought I read a mission report about the artic early on in the Stargate program.”

Sam allowed the briefest of smiles to color her face. “Yeah we did.” Looking over at him, she continued. “We were on a mission to P4A-771, fairly routine, when we came under attack from an unknown force. Upon dialing the Stargate, Daniel and Teal’c went through first, and then Jack and I followed.”

Jonas broke into her story. “But some sort of blast hit the wormhole as you entered, right?”

Sam nodded. “That’s right. The blast and subsequent surge of energy redirected the wormhole to another gate….Antarctica. Unfortunately, no one knew about the Gate’s existence here on Earth, and therefore made a rescue mission very difficult.”

Jonas spoke up. “As I recall you couldn’t dial home because you were on the same planet. How’d you figure that out?”

Sam shook her head. “I didn’t. Daniel and the others did. Luckily, our Stargate picked up the transmission from the other Gate in the form of very small tremors. But Jack and I essentially gave up. I’d managed to make it to the surface from the glacier crevice we were inside of, but when I did, there was nothing but snow and ice…I assumed it was an ice planet.”

Jonas shivered. “I’m sorry you have to go through something so similar again. I’d imagine the memories aren’t too fond from that mission.”

Sam gave him a secret smile. “Not all the memories are bad. I guess it gave the Colonel and me a chance to get to know one another a little better…especially since we hadn’t been a team for very long.” Looking back over at the fire, she allowed her mind to drift back to that time in the past….

Sam’s mind began to register subtle movement beneath her, stirring her consciousness to a somewhat alert level. Enjoying the warmth that was encompassing the left side of her body, she snuggled in a little closer. It was only until Jack’s voice registered in her ears that she realized what or rather who was emitting the heat.

“Captain…much as I might otherwise think this is nice…”

Sam, her body exhausted, didn’t have the energy or desire to worry about the fact that she was practically laying on top of her commanding officer. It wasn’t like they were a couple…although in the back of her mind she could deny that she’d rolled around the fantasy more than once. Moving a little closer, she responded to him, still half asleep. “Ssshhh…try to sleep.”

Jack’s voice came across to her as groggy. “Is that what we’re doing?”

Sam, wanting to get back to sleep, and unwilling to give up the warmth and comfort of Jack’s body, did her best to convince him. “You were exhausted…you passed out. I just thought we had to combine body heat or we wouldn’t make it through the night.”

Jack grunted slightly. “That’s fine…it’s just really hard to sleep with…broken ribs…when someone’s lying on you.”

Sam’s brain immediately registered why he was grunting. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” Feeling foolish, she moved off of him just enough to give him more breathing room while remaining close enough to still benefit from his body heat.

Jack sighed contently. “That’s better.”

It didn’t take Sam long to settle herself back into a drowsy state. “Sleep for a few hours and I’ll fix the DHD.”

Jack barely mumbled out his response. “Okay…night.”

Sam, surprising herself at how natural this seemed to feel, responded in kind. “Night.” Moving her hand down slightly, she suddenly fingered a long, hard object. Feeling as if the flood gates of adrenaline had burst opened, she could feel color rising to her cheeks. Hesitantly, she spoke up again. “Uh…Colonel?”

Jack, who must have felt her hand movement and deciphered what she was assuming, quickly responded. “It’s my sidearm…I swear…”

Sam couldn’t prevent the laughter from following his comment. She knew she was enjoying the moment a lot more than she should be.

Jack, trying not to laugh himself, spoke up. “No giggling…please!”

Sam, settling herself down and snuggling in as close as she dared, found herself flashing through her life to the moment before them and the man beside her. Smiling to herself and allowing a bit of a fantasy through, she spoke up softly after a moment. “If we don’t make it, I won’t have any regrets. You?”

Jack, taking only a moment to respond, answered her. “One regret…dying.”

Sam thought on this for a moment, allowing her realistic brain to battle it out with her heart. After both analyses were made, she decided to go with her heart. Even though she and Jack had no future together beyond a working relationship, she took his answer as she would have hoped it would have meant in another lifetime…that he didn’t want to die because he loved her too much to leave her…

Jonas’ voice finally reached Sam. “Sam! You okay?”

Sam, blinking, realized that she’d zoned out. “Yeah…sorry, Jonas…I guess I was just thinking…” Her voice faded off, still lost in the memories of that fated mission and how close they’d coming to dying….

Sam felt utter despair running the course of her veins, allowing the bitter cold of her surroundings to finally seep into her skin as the realization hit her that the chances of survival were gone. Clicking on her radio, she delivered the bad news. “Colonel…it’s an ice planet! That’s all there is as far as the eye can see. No chance.” When he didn’t respond, she bent back down into the crevice and called down into the darkness. “Colonel?!”

Suddenly realizing the frightening perspective of dying alone, she wanted nothing more than to keep him alive long enough to at least die with him. Shouting down again into the glacier, she tried to keep her voice from cracking. “I’m coming down!” As she put her foot down, it hit an icy patch and found no possible means of gripping any surface to prevent a fall. Not truly caring or trying to stop the fall, she slid down the rough terrain, only to land with a hard thump on the ground next to Jack.

Extremely weak, tired, cold, numb, and sore, she crawled over to him and snuggled up against him once again. “Colonel,” she breathed into his ear, wanting nothing more than to hear his voice.

When she did, it came out weak and thin, and barely audible. “Sara…”

His ex-wife. Remembering the story he had just told her about his wife’s image getting him through a parachuting accident overseas, she decided it would do no harm to pretend that the once-upon-a-time love he’d felt for his wife was being laid at her feet. Moving in closer to his ear, she responded softly to him, her voice laced with as much love as she could muster. “I’m here, Jack.” The use of his given name allowed a very brief but warm surge to run through her body.

Jack was shaking. “Cold…so cold…”

She knew the end was near. All she had to do was close her eyes and let go. “I know…it’s alright. You can sleep now.” Not wanting to let go without telling him one more important thing, she continued on. “It was an honor serving with you too, Colonel.” Closing her mind off to all other thoughts except for Jack’s presence, she drifted off into a swirling black abyss…

Jonas, who’d been listening to the part of the mission Sam would tell him, shook his head. “That must have been incredibly scary.” As if reality decided to smack him in the face, he looked around their settings. “And I think I know how you were feeling.”

Sam, trying to be optimistic, placed a hand on his shoulder. “Try not to worry…they found us didn’t they?”

Jonas gave her a slight smile, one obviously not reflective of a positive feeling of that same kind of luck for them. “Yeah, but they had the other Stargate as an indicator and a way to pin point your location. Unfortunately, I don’t see one of those here.”

Sam looked up at the black ceiling and then down again at the dying fire. Their light would go out soon, and then so would their luck and hope. Taking in a shaky but resolving breath, she was beginning to accept her fate when something high above them suddenly cracked.

They both looked up, daring not to breathe for a few moments. When nothing was heard, Jonas spoke up first. “Um…that probably isn’t a good sign.”

Sam, her eyes still trained on the unseen ceiling, swallowed hard. “No, it probably isn’t. Rather someone’s up there standing directly over where the snow closed us in, or…”

Jonas finished for her. “Or our little bonfire here is melting enough of the ice to make it unstable.” As he finished his sentence, another loud crack echoed above them, this time sending shavings of snow down to them. “We should probably move…”

Sam shook her head in agreement. “I think you’re right.” Not wasting another minute, Sam struggled to her feet, doing her best to ignore the pain shooting through her upper body. Jonas, who was behind her, steadied her as she took a few steps towards the nearest cave wall.

Without warning, the ceiling above them that had been imprisoning them suddenly and violently collapsed, sending a cascade of snow and debris down upon them. As Jonas and Sam struggled to take cover anywhere they could find some, a deep-throated cry was heard as the collapse met the mouth of the cave and the small body of water.

Jonas, who had turned around to see where the sound had come from, barely glimpsed a chunk of falling ice before it impacted the side of his skull, sending him reeling to the ground in an unconscious heap. Sam, trying her best to dodge the falling snow and ice, dropped to her knees and curled up into a tight ball, not caring how much her ribs were screaming in pain.

It only took a few more seconds for the collapse to subside. As the quiet settled in around them, Sam, partially buried in snow, uncurled her body and used the nearest wall to stand up. As she did, her step faltered and she almost tripped and fell on something directly behind her. Turning around, her eyes searching the ground, she found Jonas lying in the snow, bleeding from the side of his head.

Bending down, Sam called out his name. “Jonas! Can you hear me?” When he didn’t respond, she felt for a pulse and was relieved to find a strong one. Reaching down under the collar of her coat, she ripped at a piece of her long johns that was already torn. Getting a fairly good-sized piece, she did her best to tie it around his head to prevent any further bleeding.

As she was finishing the knot, she heard a sound that made her body go ridged and her blood run cold. Looking up slowly, her eyes quickly adjusted to the cave that was now filled with the light of what had to be a full moon. And there, standing only 10 feet from her, basked in the moonlight that only intensified its shadow and size, was a giant adult black bear.

Sam could feel the fear running the course of her veins. “Oh God…” With her eyes transfixed on the ferocious bear’s, which were like glowing balls of radiance, she very painfully inched up to a standing position. As she did, the bear reciprocated, coming to stand on it’s hind legs to a full height of at least eight feet. Letting out a tremendous roar, with it’s breath smoky in the icy cold temperatures, Sam stumbled backwards until her back impacted the ice wall behind her.

She knew that the worse thing she could do was show fear, for any animal could sense that, especially a bear. But it was fear that had the best of her at that moment, and it was all she could do to control the emotions she had left. Not wanting to put Jonas in harm’s way, she inched along the wall towards a corner of the cave that had a slight overhanging ledge of ice. With a slim chance that she could pull her injured body up onto it before the bear got to her, she tried to keep her body calm as she deduced how this could have happened.

‘The avalanche…the avalanche must have disturbed it’s hibernation.’ Trying to keep her fear in check, she kept thinking. ‘And the smoke…the bear must have smelled the smoke coming from our fire and thought it would find food. Think, Sam, think. But she was unable to.

Reaching the corner, she tried to jump up and grab the edge of the outcropping, but was only rewarded with intense pain from her injuries. Stifling a cry, she watched as the bear slowly advanced on her position, his intent obvious. Her eyes darted around the length of the cave, hoping to come up with some plan or means of escape. Though she could now finally see the surface above them, she saw no way to get to it. And even if she could run around the bear, there was no where to go, and the water that was now filled with floating ice chunks and moonlit ripples would not stop the bear from advancing.

Flattening herself against the wall, the ice pressing into her back, she stood paralyzed in deathly fear as the bear was almost upon her. Within a foot of where she stood, it stood up once again and let out an intimidating roar, preparing to attack. Tensing up, she closed her eyes and covered her head with her arms, preparing herself to feel the incredibly sharp teeth of the bear bite into her flesh. But as she did, a voice not her own, suddenly filled the room.

“Hey…over here!!” The next thing she knew, the bear was roaring again, but this time it was a different sound. Looking up, she discovered that Jonas had come to, and upon seeing her impending doom, had taken what appeared to be a sharpened root of a broken tree and had dug it into the back of the bear. As it cried out in pain and reared back, Jonas moved away from it towards the water.

The bear, with a new target, whipped around and quickly advanced on Jonas, it’s breathing heavy and it’s eyes full of vengeance. Sam cried out. “Jonas!! Watch out!!”

Jack and Teal’c had just reached the area where they thought Sam and Jonas had been buried when Jack heard the distinctive sound of a bear. Cutting the engine to his snowmobile and giving Teal’c the indication to do the same thing, Jack reached for his gun and listened. Within a minute, another roar sounded, also equally powerful, somewhere to their left. But what had Jack’s heart stopping wasn’t the voice of the bear, but the frantic voice of a woman yelling out what he could have sworn was the name Jonas. It had to be Sam, and from the sound of it, both of them were in terrible danger.

Whipping his head in the direction it had come from, he quickly surveyed the area around them. And only a short distance from them, beneath a silent moon…and Charlie’s star…was what appeared to be a collapsed section of snow. With no time to waste, Jack, with Teal’c following right beside him, quickly started his snowmobile and made a beeline at top speed for the black hole that was carved out amid the glowing, moonlit snow.

Jonas heard Sam’s warning, but before he had a chance to react, the bear raised one of it’s powerful paws, and with claws out, swiped at Jonas, impacting his chest and forcing him to fall backwards into the water. Holding his chest, he tried to regain his footing as he moved further into the icy water and away from his predator, as fresh blood began to soak the front of his shirt.

Sam, her mind searching for a way to help Jonas, could think of nothing. But she was not about to watch him die after all he’d done to help save her life. Moving as fast as her body would allow, she circled the length of the room and came up behind him. Stepping into the water, her body revolted at the violent change in temperature. Pushing back the stiffness that was settling into her bones, she moved forward and reached out for Jonas, who was down again in the water with his back to her.

Quickly grabbing him under the arms, she pulled at him. “Come on, Jonas!” Her body was so cold she could barely speak let alone move, but she was determined to give this bear the fight of it’s life. Half dragging him along, they were just stumbling out of the water with the bear’s breath at their necks, when two shots rang out, reverberating off every inch of their surroundings.

The bear, crying out, stopped in shock at the sudden pain coursing through it’s body. When another shot rang out and hit him squarely in the side of his chest cavity, he turned away from his prey and stumbled out of the water on the opposite side, finally collapsing into a furry heap near one of the far walls.

Looking up, Sam could barely make out two black shadows standing at the edge of the hole. And then a voice of salvation reached her ears. “Sam…Jonas…are you okay??” It was Jack!! His voice was so full of urgency and sounded so sweet that all she could do was nod. With the impact of all that had happened, along with the emotional turmoil that had been raking her body of not knowing if Jack was alive or not, she discovered that she could take no more as her knees suddenly gave way.

With Jonas unable to support her weight due to his own state of semi-consciousness, she collapsed to the ground as her mind gave in to the sweet, utter darkness.

Sam’s eyes fluttered slowly open as she allowed the light to filter into her blurred vision. Blinking several times, she waited for things to become clear before turning her head to observe her surroundings. It was no longer dark, nor was it cold. Instead, she was lying in a hospital bed, covered in blankets with a heart monitor beating steadily behind her. A nasal canula had been placed in her nose and was delivering oxygen, while an intravenous line dripped in saline and other bags of medication she could not identify from her current vantage point.

Moving her head slowly she looked to her right and found the door to her room was closed, keeping the noise of the hospital out. Looking over to the left, her eyes fell on the sleeping form of her father, who was sacked out in a nearby chair, his head cradled perfectly in his propped up hand.

Trying to speak, she cleared her throat and attempted to call his name several times before she finally found success. “Dad.”

Jacob’s eyes open with a start as he jumped at the calling of his name. Looking up, his eyes met those of his daughter’s, sleepy as they were. “Sam! You’re awake!” Getting up, he took her hand and pulled his chair closer to her bedside. “Thank God! You gave us a real scare.”

Sam, trying to clear her head, spoke up gingerly. “What happened?”

Jacob gave her a gentle smile. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Sam, searching her memory banks, answered him after a moment’s hesitation. “Being in the cave…the bear…shots ringing out.”

Jacob nodded to confirm what she knew. “That’s right. Those shots you heard came from Jack and Teal’c, who had been out looking for both you and Jonas and luckily heard the bear. They ended up wounding it to a point that it collapsed, giving them time to go for help and to get the two of you out of there before the bear had a chance to attempt anything else.” Giving her a moment to absorb what he was telling her, he continued. “When Jack and Teal’c got down to you, you were unconscious and Jonas was not doing much better at remaining alert. Once they had you both lifted out of there, you were brought here to the hospital. That was two days ago.”

Sam, shocked at how much time had gone by, shook her head in disbelief. “Two days?! How is that possible?”

Jacob squeezed her hand. “I’m sure you were aware down in the cave that you had a few broken ribs…but your injuries were a lot more severe than that. You had some pretty major internal bleeding and your spleen had been ruptured. It took hours of emergency surgery to repair the damage. The doctors had to induce a medical coma for the first 24 hours to make the surgery a success.” Taking a shaky, emotional breath, he went on. “It was touch and go for a while. We almost lost you.”

Sam, noting the exhausted look on his face by all that had obviously gone on, tried to give him a reassuring smile. “Well, I survived. I guess the bitter cold helped slow the bleeding.”

Jacob nodded in agreement. “That’s what the thinking is. That, along with the time you spent in the water.” When Sam’s eyes flashed the memory recognition, Jacob answered her question before she could ask it. “Yes, Jonas is okay and he told us about how he found you. I owe a lot to that young man.”

Sam, suddenly overcome with emotion, tried to fight the tears that were trying to form. “Oh, Dad…I know…” Taking a steadying breath, she furrowed her brow. “Where’s Jack?”

Jacob smiled at her question. “Oh, he’s been here every minute I would let him. I practically had to order him out of your room from time to time just to take a break and get something to eat. I also had to constantly remind him that he had to keep up the proper appearances…as that of your commanding officer and not as a man head over heels in love.” Nodding at the door, he continued. “He just left about 30 minutes ago to check on the others and get some coffee. I’ll go find him for you. I’d never hear the end of it if I didn’t. He’ll be irritated enough to know that he wasn’t here when you woke up.”

Sam attempted a light laugh but found it was accompanied with intense pain. Trying to find a more comfortable position, she pushed herself up slightly in the bed, grimacing as she did.

Jacob helped her with a guiding hand. “Easy, Sam. You’ve got a bit more recovering to do before you’re up and around again. Just promise me you’ll not overdo it.”

Sam nodded and gave him a smile. “Promise. I don’t think I can even argue that point by the way I’m feeling.”

Jacob gave her a look of concern. “I’ll stop by the nurses’ station and let them know you’re awake and that you probably need an increase in your pain mediation. And then I’ll go find Jack for you. But do try and rest. I’ll come by and check on you later.” Bending down, he kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, Sam.”

Sam squeezed his hand. “I love you, too, Dad.”

As she watched him leave the room and close the door behind him, she let the quiet absorb from around her and began processing all he had said. She knew that she had broken some ribs and been in quite a bit of pain, but she assumed that was from the CPR that Jonas had done on her. Realizing how close she came to death, multiple times down in the cave, sent a chill down her spine. But she was alive and had Jonas to thank for that.

Sam drifted in and out of sleep for the next half hour, opening her eyes briefly to find the nurse changing the bags on one of her drips, along with injecting what she assumed was pain medication into her line. Sometime later when she awoke again, Sam looked over at the window in her room and found Jack standing before it, with his back to her.

Watching him for a moment as he studied the life going on outside her window, she was overcome by how much she loved him…not only for who he was, but for always being a tower of strength, courage, and hope for her. They’d been through more than most couples ever would dream of, and she wasn’t naïve enough to pretend that they wouldn’t go through more turmoil and heartache that had yet to plague them. And though she knew that they were strong enough to survive anything that would come their way, she found herself questioning if they were always going to be lucky enough to cheat death over and over again.

Suddenly remembering the fear and feeling of loss she’d experienced in the cave when she didn’t know if Jack had survived the avalanche or not, she found tears silently streaming down her cheeks, grateful he was alive and standing before her.

Jack, sensing that he was suddenly being watched, turned around to find Sam looking at him, her beautiful blue eyes finally connecting with his after what had felt like a hellish eternity. Seeing the fresh tears tracking down her cheeks, he felt his own begin to form in his eyes. With a huge lump in his throat, he took a seat next to her bed, taking her hand and kissing it.

Not letting her hand go, he used his other hand to wipe at the wet skin on her face as he looked into her eyes and smiled softly. “Hey.” His voice sounded raw and he knew it, but he didn’t care. It was impossible at this point to disguise any of the heartfelt emotions he was experiencing.

Sam, returning his smile, squeezed his hand. “Hey.” Adjusting her head on the pillow to see him better, she cleared her throat. “I’ve missed you.”

Jack hung his head for a moment. When he looked up again, a single tear had escaped the rim of his right eye and was making its way down his face. “The feeling is mutual.” Taking a moment to collect himself, he went on. “It’s been the longest 48 hours of my life…from the moment I watched you disappear in the snow…to having to watch you lie in this damn hospital bed, fighting for your life.”

Sam reached out and placed her other hand on top of his. “I know…I was so scared as Jonas and I sat trapped down there that I’d never see you again…and if we were rescued, I was terrified that they’d tell me you’d died in the avalanche. The not knowing…that was the worst.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, well I obviously did survive, although I wanted my life to be over when I thought I’d lost you.” Clearing his throat, he suddenly chuckled to himself.

Sam furrowed her. “What could possibly be funny?”

Jack smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “Oh, I was just thinking it might be a good idea if we give the ski vacations a rest for a while. After all, the last time we went on one, you and I ended up stranded in a cabin, and as I recall your life hung in the balance then as well.”

Sam laughed momentarily and then cringed at the pain as a result. “Oh…this is going to take some getting use to.”

Jack tried to lighten the moment. “Oh, if I know you, you’ll be back on your feet and barking orders at me in no time.”

Sam smiled at him. “When have I ever barked orders at you?”

Jack kissed her hand again. “Oh, please…I may be commanding officer of SG-1, but you really run things…and you know it. I’m just a body.”

Sam squeezed his hand. “And an incredible body you do have.”

Jack laughed. “I think we’re going to have to wait a little while before exploring that area again.” Sobering his face, he brought it closer to hers. “I love you, Samantha Carter.” Moving in the rest of the way, he kissed her tenderly on the lips. Pulling back, he took her hand between both of his. “I want you to know that I’m now very willing to retire if that’s what it’s going to take for us to be together. I can’t come this close to losing you again, Sam. It about killed me.”

Sam was speechless for a moment. She knew how much what he did meant to him, and it was a testament to his love for her that he was willing to give it all up. Taking a breath, she squeezed his hand once again and smiled. “Jack, I love you too…so very much. And it’s an amazing honor that you’re willing to step down just for me. But I also know you…and I know that no matter how scared you were, retiring right now…even if it means being with me for everyone to see…that won’t make you truly happy. You’re not ready for that yet. And I’m not ready to leave SG-1 yet for a civilian job. I guess I feel there’s still more for us to do. So…I guess we’re just going to have to be more careful and endure this torture of hiding how we feel a little while longer.”

Jack studied her for a moment before squeezing her hand and placing it carefully down on the bed. Standing up, he reached into his pocket and fished something out of it. When he sat back down, he smiled at her. “You really do know me best, don’t you? And you’re an incredible woman…probably the best person I’ve ever known, and I don’t deserve you.” Opening his hand, he revealed a tiny but beautiful ring, completely encrusted with diamonds all the way around the platinum band. Taking a breath, he continued. “This was my grandmother’s. It’s an anniversary ring that she received from my grandfather after 25 years of marriage. I know it’s probably too small for you to wear around your finger, but…I was wondering if you’d wear it next to your tags…as a sort of promise that one day I will retire…and will then ask you to be my wife.”

Sam could barely speak she was so overcome with emotion. “Oh, Jack! Yes…of course I’ll wear it around my neck. It’s beautiful, and an incredible gift for you to give me.” As he placed it in the palm of her hand, she gently moved it between her fingers. “I will wear it always and take perfect care of it. Thank you.” Reaching up for him, she guided his face to hers and placed an equally tender kiss on his lips. As he pulled back, she felt for her dog tags.

Jack held up a finger. “Ah…their over here in this drawer. With all the scans you had to go through, they took them off.” Picking them out of the drawer, he undid the top of the chain and then reached for the ring. Slipping it carefully onto the chain, he watched the ring slide down it, coming to rest next to her tags. Closing the chain again, he closed his hand around the necklace. “I’ll hold on to these for you until we can get you out of here.”

Sam sniffed and nodded. “Thank you.”

Jack sat back in his chair. “I want you to know I was planning on giving that ring to you on this trip…I just didn’t intend to have to do it in a stale hospital room. I had this whole scheme planned out…involving a fireplace…a little wine…you know, all that romantic stuff.”

Sam let out a light laugh, ignoring the pain. “You are a romantic, Jack O’Neill, rather you care to admit it or not.”

For the next hour they talked about everything, including the details of what had happened to each of them during their time apart. When Sam described waking up after Jonas resuscitated her, Jack’s face turned grim. “Yeah, Jonas told us how he found you, along with how long it took him to bring you back. I now owe him more than I’ll ever be able to repay. He’s a good man, and I haven’t given him enough credit for that.”

Sam smiled. “He is a good man. How is he by the way? I haven’t even asked about him.”

Jack filled her in on his condition, which hadn’t been nearly as severe as hers. “After we shot the bear, I sent Teal’c back for help while I stayed and climbed down into the cave. When I got over to the two of you, Jonas was barely hanging on to a state of consciousness. You on the other hand were unconscious, and when I couldn’t wake you, it scared the hell out of me. I kept expecting you to wake up…hoping you had just fainted…but when we lifted the two of you out of there and airlifted you to the hospital, your condition went downhill fast. From what I was told, they had to shock your heart in the helicopter, and by the time we arrived at the hospital, you were already in emergency surgery, and we had to just…wait.” Taking a breath, he went on. “In the meantime, Jonas was patched up…he had a pretty nasty gash to his chest from where the bear got him, and he’s probably going to have some scars from it. They also had to clean out his leg, which had gotten infected from where the apparent tree root pierced through. He also has some other cuts and bruises, but he’s doing better and was released after an overnight stay.”

Sam nodded. “Where is he now?”

Jack smiled. “He’s pacing out in the waiting room with the rest of the group. I asked your dad not to let them know you’re awake yet so I could selfishly have my time with you.” Kissing her again, he stood up. “I probably should go let them know the good news, otherwise your dad will be in here giving me the third degree about keeping you all to myself, and making them suffer.”

Sam tried to laugh again. “Will you send Jonas in first? I’d like to properly thank him.”

Jack nodded. “Sure thing…be right back.”

As he was walking off, Sam called after him. “Hey, what happened to the bear?”

Jack turned around. “Unfortunately, I won’t get a new rug out of the deal. The bear survived…we apparently only injured it. From what I’ve been told, the wounds are being healed at a local zoo until he can be released into the wild again.”

Sam responded. “That’s good…after all, the bear was just as scared as we were. It had been interrupted from its hibernation and was just looking for something to eat. All it probably knew was that we looked like a good meal.”

Jack answered back. “Yeah, well, excuse me for not being as charitable in my sentiments. It did attempt to kill you…not to mention Jonas.” Giving her a reassuring smile, he slipped out of the room.

A few minutes later, Jonas entered the room, followed by Jack. He looked a little worse for the wear, but was alive and only had a slight limp. “Hey, Sam! It’s great to see you awake. You really had us worried.”

When he’d approached close enough for Sam to take one of his hands, she grasped it. “Jonas, I wouldn’t be here to worry any of you if you hadn’t saved my life all the times you did down in that cave. I don’t know how I’m ever going to thank you.”

Jonas smiled. “You can take me on a tropical vacation next time.” As they laughed together, he continued. “Seriously, I would have done it for anyone…but I guess you could say that I had a little more motivation to save you since…well, I kind of feel like we’re family. You guys saved me after all when you offered me a home here on Earth.”

Jack placed a hand on his shoulder. “You are family, Jonas, and even though I like to give you a hard time ever so often, what you did for Carter here…well, words really can’t express how grateful I am to you.”

Jonas looked over at Jack and smiled. “Thanks, Colonel. That means a lot, especially coming from you.”

Jack went on. “Seriously, Jonas, we owe you…big time.”

Jonas just shook his head. “There’s no need. Just seeing Major Carter alive is thanks enough.” They continued talking for the next 30 minutes until Jacob stuck his head in and said that Tessa was anxiously waiting her turn outside.

As Jonas and Jacob were leaving, Tessa came bounding in and sat immediately on the side of Sam’s bed. “Sam! You’re awake! I’m so happy!” Throwing her arms carefully around her, Tessa hugged Sam lightly.

Sam smiled and did her best to return the hug without causing herself too much pain. “Hey, Tessa…it’s good to see that you’re okay. I was worried.”

Tessa sat back. “I’m fine. Jack and Teal’c saved me from the avalanche. Were you as scared as I was?”

Sam shook her head. “You bet I was. But luckily Jack and the others didn’t give up finding us.”

Tessa looked over at Jack, who was standing back against the door observing them with a half-smile. Looking back at Sam, she continued. “Yeah, we were all really worried about you and Jonas…Jack most especially. And when they found you and you had to go through surgery, Jack was really scared. Your dad kept trying to get him to sit down or take a walk with him, but he wouldn’t…and Grandpa kept watching him. And I was afraid that he was going to figure out the secret that you love each other, so I went over and whispered to him to remember the secret…”

By that point, Jack had walked over to the bed and was standing behind Tessa. “Okay, kiddo, that’s enough ratting me out…why don’t you take a breath.” As Tessa giggled, Jack’s eyes met Sam’s and he could see her concerned expression. “And don’t worry…I didn’t give us away. After she told me that, I took Jacob up on his walking invitation.”

Sam smiled and winked at Tessa. “Well thanks, Tessa, for keeping him in line.”

Tessa grinned. “No problem! Hey, I’m going to get Grandpa…I know he’s been dying to see you.” As she ran out of the room, the door closed behind her.

Sam reached out and took Jack’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “So, what did you talk to my dad about on that walk?”

Jack gave her a half grin. “Guy stuff…and it’s not important now anyway. But I did ask him later about giving you that ring…of course it was before we knew if you’d wake up. I think he gave me his blessing because he was feeling sorry for me.”

Sam pulled on his hand so he would come down closer to her. Giving him a soft kiss, she reluctantly let him going, knowing that the door would open any moment. “I love you.” Just then, the door opened and in walked General Hammond, followed by Teal’c. Jack quietly left the room as Sam spoke with the others.

Walking down the hall, he stopped at a water fountain to get a drink. After he had finished, he stood up straight and found Sam’s nurse waiting for him to finish. “Oh, sorry…it’s all yours.”

The nurse smiled. “Oh, I don’t need a drink. I just wanted to see if you’d like me to arrange for a cot to be brought into your wife’s room.” When she saw the confusion on Jack’s face, she quickly continued. “I’ve spoken with Major Carter’s father, and I explained to him that only direct family could stay past visiting hours. Were you planning on staying the night?”

Jack, still a bit dumbfounded, stuttered. “Um, yeah, I guess so, but I’m not…”

The nurse cut him off, stepping in closer. “General Carter said that even though he’d like to stay, he knew that you as her husband would want to.” At that, she winked quickly.

Jack finally figured out that Jacob must have done or said something to pull some strings. And being that Sam wasn’t scheduled to be transferred to a military hospital until she was stable allowed for some rule bending. He made a mental note to thank him later. He’d been dreading having to leave her ever since she’d woken up. Clearing his throat, he nodded. “A cot would be great, thanks.” Deciding that Jacob would make up an excuse for his absence to the others, he waited down the hall until he saw General Hammond and Teal’c leave Sam’s room.

After a few minutes, he went back into her room. Walking up to her bed, he looked down at Sam, who was now sleeping peacefully thanks to the pain medication that was consistently dripping through her line. Bending over her, he kissed her lightly on the lips. “I love you, Sam.” And with the heart monitor beating steadily, he walked over to the window as the light faded once again from the sky and the night took its hold. It was forecasted to snow later that night, providing a new, fresh layer of powder to would-be skiers.

But at that moment, the sky was clear, and off in the distance, hanging over a mountaintop, was the now waning moon. And next to it, more visible than before due to the diminishing light of the moon, was Charlie’s star. Smiling, he placed a hand up to the window. “Thanks, Charlie,” Jack said in the faintest of whispers. “I owe you one too.”

Next story---> "Moments Shared"

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