Sam woke slowly but didn't open her eyes or move, even though the pain in shoulder made her want to roll over. She focused on the sounds and smells in the room, footsteps, a fire, something cooking. A foot nudged her back and she wasn't able to stop the moan of pain.

"Awake, huh? Wondered how long you were gonna sleep." Sam peeled her eyes slowly open. He was standing over her glaring down. "Hungry?"

"No."

He shrugged. "Probably for the best." He walked away as Sam took a better inventory of her physical condition. Her wrists and ankles were bound with plastic ties, the kind you get at the hardware store not the ones used by law enforcement. Her back was sore, but she could move her legs and arms. Her left shoulder hurt more than anything else but if she pushed through the pain she could move it.

"You dislocated it when you wrecked." She looked over at him as he stirred something in a pan on the stove. "I put it back in place while you were taking your little nap. Good thing you were wearing a helmet though."

Sam tried to sit up, but the pain stopped her and she laid back down on the hard wooden floor. He laughed at her effort.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to be mine."

"That is not going to happen."

"All the others said that at first too, but in the end they were all begging to be mine. You'll ask too."

Sam sneered "Don't count on it."

He snickered as he moved the cast iron skillet from the center of the wood fire stove to the edge. "In case you're wondering about rescue let me put your mind at ease, we are in the middle of nowhere. There's no electricity and no bars on your cell phone. We don't even have running water, but the well isn't too far away. The outhouse is a bit of walk but no worries we've got a bucket." He glanced towards the corner and Sam followed his line of vision to the rusted bucket.

He sat down at a small table in the corner and ate the food he had just finished cooking. Sam took advantage of his inattention to analyze the cabin. There was a fireplace with a roaring fire making the cabin stifling hot. The mantle over the fire was devoid of pictures or mementos but there was a deer head mounted on the wall. There were two fishing rods propped up in the corner near the only door and a tackle box on the floor. If she was lucky there would be a knife in the tacklebox that she could get her hands on. There was a half full wood box on the other side of the door. The small table where he was eating had an oil lamp on it and he was using a fork and knife to eat. Sam mentally cataloged the second potential weapon. There were dishes in a drainer beside the sink and cabinets on either side of the sink with a window over the sink. It was either still before sunrise or just after sunset based on the dimness of the sky.

"What time is it?"

"Not sure why it matters to ya, since you probably won't make it to morning, but it's round six I'd guess. I don't wear a watch, never had much use for one really." He took a drink from a can of beer. "What will you miss most?"

Sam crinkled her brow, not following the change in topic. Her captor laughed. "There must be something you're sorry you didn't do before you died. What is it?" He laughed again at her discomfort. "There's nothing I'll miss. The nice thing about my life is I do what I want when I want."

He finished his meal and put his plate and utensils in the sink. He moved one of chairs from the small table over towards Sam. He hauled her up unexpectedly, making pain radiate from her shoulder. She screamed as he lifted her into the chair. As she was catching her breath he ran one hand down from her shoulder to her breast. He removed his hand before she had a chance to flinch.

Sam was repeatedly swallowing, trying to not throw up, as her head spun and her nausea was kicked into high gear by the sudden movement. He brought her a glass of water. "This will help."

She started to shake her head but that turned out to be a mistake. She swallowed twice more before she could speak. "No, thanks."

"Anything?" Jack looked over Daniel's shoulder at the laptop screen.

"Not since the UAVs left the crash site."

"Damn. We should have something by now. What's taking so long?"

Daniel shook his head. "We have no idea what direction they went after they left the main road. There's a lot of territory to cover. We also don't really know if this is going to work."

Jack went back to pacing.

Sam's head was throbbing and her vision was blurry but she was forcing her eyes to stay open. Her kidnapper had cleaned up from dinner and had built up the fire, even though the cabin was already too hot.

"Are you ready for something to drink?"

"No."

"This is very different. The others were so desperate, so willing. It was too easy. I like the thought of having to break you." He ran his fingers through his hair. His fingers moved down along her jawline to her neck. "You are so beautiful."

Sam's jaw tightened. His hand trailed to her shoulder and she braced herself as he again moved his hand down her chest. He moved so he was standing behind her and placed both hands on her breasts. Her stomach rolled as he pushed his groin against the back of her head. She used his distraction to twist her feet, breaking the plastic tie. She bent her head forward and slammed it backwards into his groin. He screamed and fell back as Sam pushed up out of the chair. She stumbled forward and fell into the still warm stove. He moved forward and slammed her head down onto the stove.

"Bitch, you'll pay for that."

Sam grabbed the heavy cast iron pan and swing it back towards her assailant making solid contact with the side of his head. She didn't wait to assess the damage. She headed for the door, finding her left leg was weak and trying to give out under her. She limped out to the deck, stumbled down the stairs, and headed for the woods. It was fully dark now, which would help her hide but also made it tough for her to navigate out. She moved from tree to tree, pausing only to listen for sounds that she was being chased. She was covered in sweat and breathing hard. Exhausting was growing to be as much of a danger as her kidnapper then she heard trees rustling and her heart tightened. She stood as still as possible, hoping he would pass by her.

"SAM!" She looked to her right, towards his voice. "SAM!"

"JACK!" There was more rustling. "JACK!"

He appeared through two spruce pines to her right. She pushed off the red maple she was resting upon and fell into his arms.

"I knew you'd come. I knew you'd come, no matter what."

"Always, for you always." He put his hand on the back of her head as she pressed her face against his neck. "I'VE GOT HER! SHE'S ALIVE!"

Teal'c appeared before Jack had finished announcing her rescue. "Let me assist you back to our vehicle Colonel Carter."

Sam lifted her head from Jack's shoulder. "Thanks, Teal'c. I think I'll take you up on that if you're sure."

"I am very positive." He lifted her gently.

"There's a guy after me."

Jack shook his head. "No, there isn't."

"Yes, Jack, he…"

"He's dead Sam. You're safe now." Sam relaxed and laid her head against Teal'c's chest as he carried her out of the woods. They walked past the cabin and down the hill until they encountered three sheriff's vehicles, the military truck Jack had borrowed, and a black SUV. Teal'c put Sam in the back of Jack's truck and Daniel sat with her. Jack drove them all to the closest hospital with the sheriff giving them an escort.

"She has a small brain bleed, a concussion, her shoulder had been put back in place after being dislocated, she has a severe left ankle sprain, and numerous cuts and bruises. I want to keep her overnight to monitor her brain bleed. If she's stable tomorrow morning I can release her, as long as she will check in with her physician when you get her home."

"Will do doc. Thanks. Can we go see her now?"

"Of course."

All three men surrounded her bed in the dimly lit room. She opened her eyes at the sound of all the shuffling. "Hey guys, hope you had more success talking the doctor into letting me go."

Jack shook his head. "You're here for the night."

"Aw, come on, I'm fine."

"Would you like me to turn on a few more lights?" She glared at him. "That's what I thought."

After Sam fell asleep Jack ran out to the closest Wal-mart and bought her a few things to make her hospital stay and leaving a bit easier. He was back a little over an hour after he left and found Daniel pacing the room.

"Problem?"

"The SGC needs me back to translate something SG-8 just brought back."

Jack waved his hand. "So go."

"I'd rather stay."

"I get that, but I'll be here. Go."

Sam had a fitful night and it didn't help that nurses came in every two hours to check her vitals. Jack slept a bit, but the chair was uncomfortable, and he was exhausted the next morning. Sam was released a little after ten. Jack gave her the clothes and dark sunglasses he had gone out to buy the night before. The sheriff had asked them to come to the station when she was released, to get her personal items and to give a statement.

Jack insisted on staying with her as she was questioned. He made it clear that if he wasn't allowed to stay with her they would be waiting until an Air Force lawyer could join her. The sheriff kept repeating that wasn't necessary since she was a victim, but Jack was equally insistent that they would not be interviewing a concussed Sam without some type of representation. The Sheriff relented.

Jack stayed perfectly still as Sam told the whole story, starting with meeting him in the diner to her escape. Sam asked about her assailant's history and the Sheriff told her his prints had been found at six crime scenes, but they suspected there had been more than twelve murders over the last three years. They were processing the cabin, where they suspected he took the women to kill them before leaving them in cheap hotel rooms or gas station bathrooms.

A couple deputies helped Jack load Sam's bike into the back of the truck. He held her helmet gently as he examined the crack down one side. He was about to throw it away when she stopped him. He put it in the back of the truck along with her bags.

"Is my cell phone in there somewhere?"

Jack opened the bag closest to him and fumbled through it. "Here it is."

He handed it to her. "Thanks." The screen was cracked but it still turned on. Jack drove through a fast food joint and got them burgers, fries, and drinks before leaving town. They ate in silence, but Jack glanced over at Sam several times.

"Did any of you call Cassie when you were looking for me?"

"No, should we have? Did she know where you were?"

"No, she didn't. I just wanted to be sure I didn't need to call and tell her I was fine."

"Did you tell anyone where you were going?"

Sam looked down at her hands in her lap. She was picking at a hang nail. "No, and you don't have to say it. I know it was not only stupid but also against regulations."

"Yep, I expect Hank will have your hide for it."

"Probably, but I deserve it. I know better."

"So why did you do it?"

Sam swallowed. "There are only a few ways I can really relax and shut down all the noise in my head when I'm having trouble working out a problem. Riding my bike and beautiful vistas are two of those ways. I knew if I called the SGC and gave my change of plans Daniel would be on me like white on rice to find out why my plans changed and I didn't want to talk about it."

"You couldn't have found anything closer to home to keep you occupied?" He glanced over at her. "No big projects to get absorbed in?"

"Not really and anyway that would get me back to Daniel's annoying questions."

"True. You couldn't just garden, huh?"

Sam grinned. "That doesn't really help."

"There seriously isn't anything you could have done without disappearing, huh?"

"Nothing that was an option at the time."

Jack looked over at her again, trying to decipher her answer, but he decided to let it go. The silence was making them both uncomfortable but neither knew where to begin.

"I'm gonna stop here for gas, no telling how much further until we get to some real civilization."

"Sounds good. I think I'll go to the restroom. Not many of those out here in the boonies either." Jack pulled up at the pump, came around to Sam's side, and helped her out of the truck.

"I can carry you to the door if that would help." Sam really needed to be on crutches but her sore shoulder just couldn't handle it, so she was using a walking boot.

"Thanks, but I can make it." She hobbled to the side of the small gas station as Jack went back around the truck and started pumping gas. Once inside the bathroom she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. The message she couldn't open before was now lit up green. She sat on the toilet and pressed play.

"Hey, Sam. I…I'm not really sure what to say. I mean I don't really want to leave a message. It seems wrong really, so I guess what I'm saying is we need to talk. Face-to-face would have been better but by phone will do. I'm home again and I'll be here all night so just call me and we can talk."

Sam had trouble stopping the message because her hand was shaking. 'We need to talk' was the universal way of saying I want to break up. He wasn't mentioning it now because she was injured but she was sure he hadn't changed his mind. Tears started streaming down her face. She had to find a way to collect herself and get through the rest of the ride home. The knock on the door startled her.

"Sam? You ok in there?"

Sam steadied her face. "Yes, sorry. I'll be out in a minute." All the IV fluids had left her well hydrated, so she really did need to use the bathroom, which gave her a chance to stop crying. She washed her hands and her face before going out the door to find Jack had moved the truck closer to the bathroom. He was waiting for her beside the open passenger door.

He put his hand out as she moved closer. She turned to face him instead of getting in the truck. She hadn't meant to bring it up before they got home but it came out.

"It's over isn't it."

"Absolutely, yes."

Sam gasped and fell back, catching herself with her good hand on the seat behind her. She had not been prepared for such a quick definitive answer. She began shaking as her eyes filled with tears. She looked down and away from Jack.

He reached out for her. "Sam? What's wrong?"

"I figured you wanted to…to…break…" She gasped again.

"Break? Sam? What are you talking about?"

"It's…it's all o…over."

"Of course it is, he's dead. He can't ever hurt you again. That's a good thing."

Sam looked up at him through her wet lashes. "What?"

"You asked me if this whole ordeal was over and I said yes because it is." Concern was written all over his face and she could tell he wanted to reach out to her, but he didn't.

Sam steadied herself against the edge of the seat behind her and took a long slow breath before trying to speak. "I meant us, Jack. Are we over?"

"No! I mean I don't want us to be. Do you want us to be?"

"No, no I don't." She pushed off the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck. "No, I don't want this to end."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. "But you thought I did?" He felt her nod slightly against his neck. "Why?"

She pulled back slightly and he wiped a tear off her face. "I never heard my phone ring but when I got up Saturday morning I had a message I couldn't play. When I got my phone back at the sheriff's station I checked and the message was still there. I just…I just played it. I was finally able to listen to your message. You said we needed to talk and I thought that meant…I mean that's what you say when you…when you want to break up."

He cupped her face. "I'm sorry, Sam. I honestly just meant we needed to talk. I didn't mean it in a break up kind of way." She leaned her head into his hand as he leaned forward and kissed her. Their kiss got longer as he pressed her back against the truck.

"Do y'all need a room?" Sam turned her head and giggled. Jack looked over his shoulder at the gas station owner. "You two are a little old to be making out in a parking lot."

Sam buried her face against Jack's chest as she laughed. Jack shook his head. "You're never too old to make out, no matter where you are, when a hot woman agrees to kiss you back." The older man gave him a psst and went back into the gas station. "Let's get home so I can kiss you some more with a smaller audience."

Sam stopped giggling as Jack helped her into the truck. "Sounds good to me."

Sam looked at the seat between them and was pleased to see drinks and candy. She opened the chocolate covered raisins first and ate a few. She opened the twizzlers second and pulled one out for him. He took it and bit off one end before turning it around and biting off the opposite end. That made her smile.

He finished one twizzler and was on the second one when he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked unhappy again. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

Jack stared straight ahead. "Do you mean about the…about when you were…"

"Raped, yes."

Jack's face tightened as she shook his head. "You didn't lie to me. Captain Carter lied to Colonel O'Neill." He glanced at her. "And I suspect Captain Carter felt she had a good reason for doing it. She tended to think through everything."

Sam ate another chocolate covered raisin. "She did, didn't she."

"So, what was she thinking back then?"

"Back then I knew you saw me as a burden not an asset." He opened his mouth, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. "Don't you dare try to deny it. You painted me with the same brush as Daniel, except you saw him as a key to communicating with the natives. At that point I was a geek you had to protect, and my skill set didn't seem necessary. I was worried if you found out I had been raped I would seem like an even bigger burden and you'd kick me off SG-1. General Hammond said you wouldn't, but I refused to listen to him. It took a lot of convincing, but he finally agreed to keep my secret as long as I went to counseling."

"He told me he required counseling for anyone held captive, even if it as short term." Jack shook his head. "How did he talk you out of having me court martialed?"

Sam's brows knitted as she looked over at him. "I never suggested court martialing you. I told General Hammond that everything you did was within the scope of our mission, given what we knew. In hindsight splitting up was a mistake but at the time we all thought it was the right move."

Jack was gnawing at his lower lip as he slowly shook his head. "I heard you when you testified, you said you recommended one officer be court martialed, but their superior agent didn't agree with your assessment."

Sam rubbed her hands up and down her legs as Jack grabbed another twizzler. "I was the officer I recommended for court martial."

"That makes no sense, Sam."

"Argos."

"What?"

"When we were on Argos I allowed you to be drugged, separated from the team, and raped. You almost died because I was too chicken to listen to my gut. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't say anything and I, more than anyone, should have seen what was happening."

Jack's face turned red. "You have got to be kidding me. Jeez, I remember Hammond asking me about disciplining you. I thought it was ridiculous then and I still do now."

Sam twisted her hands, "I didn't. I let you down and I knew better."

Jack was silent, and Sam could tell he was processing so she let him be until he was ready. "How long was it before you felt like you could trust me?"

She twisted her hands in her lap and glanced out the window. "After Jolinar. You…you stood by me."

Jack's grip on the wheel increased. "You spent that long working for me and thinking of me as a jerk?"

"No, not a jerk, not exactly. For a while I thought you were a male chauvinist pig who would sleep with anything in a short skirt, which is part of why I let Argos happen, but then I got to know you better and I figured out you were a very moral man who was loyal to those you cared about."

Jack scoffed but his hands also relaxed a bit on the wheel. "How did you make a shift that big?"

"Part of it was talking to Daniel in the weeks following the crystal entity but mainly it was our time in Antarctica." She saw his confusion. "You talked to Sara. That told me you still cared for her, not the actions of a male chauvinist pig."

"Ahh. But even then you still didn't trust me?"

She reached over and put her hand on his leg. "I trusted you with my life, still do, but I didn't think you valued what I added to the team, at least not until you stood by me after Jolinar. I never questioned my place on the team again."

Jack swallowed. "What I don't understand is how you could care for the man who let you be raped and made you spend a year of your life feeling like you cold lose your job any minute."

Sam pursed her lips and blew out a long breath. "How did you fall for a woman that let you be raped and almost let you die?"

"That's totally different, I didn't even think of it all that way."

"I know you didn't but be honest, did you love that Sam Carter?"

He shifted his hands around on the wheel. "No."

"But now?" The corner of his mouth went up.

She nodded. "Things changed, despite all we've been through and because of everything we've done together. I can't pinpoint the moment it happened, but I know when I knew it." His eyes widened. She'd never admitted this to him before. "When we lost you on Eudora and I thought I would never see you again."

He remembered how she had looked at him after that. There was a pain in her eyes that he told himself couldn't be related to him. He had assumed he had missed something while he was gone but he had been so wrapped up in his own transition that he never questioned it.

"I knew when we were in hell together." He put his hand over hers. "Hell of a pair we made, knowing it and fighting it the whole time."

"Yeah, it drove Daniel crazy."

"In that case it was totally worth it."

Sam snorted. She slipped her hand out from under Jack's and got herself a twizzler. "These aren't bad, but I don't understand why you bite off both ends first."

"Try it and see." Sam glanced at him but did as he requested. "Now put it in your mouth and suck, or blow."

Sam laughed. "There's a hole in the middle."

"Yep." He enjoyed seeing her laugh and hated that he had so often been a reason she cried, especially lately.

They decided to push on and wait until they got to Sam's to eat dinner. Sam went straight to the shower while Jack ordered a pizza. He unloaded her stuff from the truck while he waited on her and the pizza. It arrived just after she had emerged, clean for the first time in days. She wasn't wearing the sling or the walking boot. Jack considered nagging her but it seemed pointless, so he brought her some dinner and a soda before joining her on the sofa. They watched television for less than an hour and then Jack saw Sam's head nodding, so he decided to call it a night. They were both exhausted.

Sam was the first in bed. When Jack walked out of the bathroom he paused beside her bed. "I can go to the guest room, so I won't jostle the bed and hurt you."

Sam reached over to the other side of the bed and flipped the covers back. "I'd rather you stay here."

"You're sure?" Sam nodded so Jack crawled in beside her. "Good night beautiful."

"Good night Jack."

He forced himself to stay awake until he knew she was asleep. He'd never told her but she had a tell, when she fell asleep she curled her fingers and stretched out one hand until her knuckles hit something. At first it confused him because when they shared a tent her hand would be pressed against whatever was close to her, the tent wall, her pack, or his arm. She did it to Daniel and Teal'c too, which bothered him slightly, so he often made sure he was to her left when they shared a tent, since that was the side she preferred to face at night.

Tonight, when he felt her knuckles graze his arm he knew she had fallen asleep. He relaxed and let himself be taken over by the exhaustion of the last three days. He woke a little before four in the morning. These days he couldn't tell whether his aches and pains woke him and he realized he needed to pee or if his need to pee woke him up and then he felt his aches and pains. Getting old sucked, but either way he needed to get up for a few minutes. He slowly rolled out of bed, trying to not let the cold air invade the covers and shuffled into the bathroom.

He slid back into bed, hoping he hadn't woken Sam, but she rolled towards him and put her arm across his chest.

"Good morning."

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"You didn't."

"Really? How long have you been awake?"

"Not more than an hour, probably."

"You need more sleep than that."

"Agreed but I just can't seem to get back to sleep."

"All that noise in your head again?" He put his arm out and she scooted closer.

"I guess."

"Well no bike rides for you this time and I refuse to let you go to the mountain this early. You'll need to find another way to quiet that amazing brain."

"There is one other way to distract me." She scooted a little closer and he curled his arm around her. When she pressed against him he realized she was topless. He was pretty sure she'd been wearing a top when she went to bed. He certainly hoped he hadn't gotten so old he had missed that little detail. "You happen to be an expert in this particular distraction method."

His fingers tightened against her. "You're injured."

"You'll be gentle." She kissed his jawline as her hand slipped under the edge of his shirt and moved into his chest hair. Jack decided denying her would be pointless. An hour later they were both back asleep.

She woke to the smell of coffee. She threw on yoga pants and a comfortable shirt before joining Jack for a cup of coffee and doughnuts that he had clearly bought before she woke. A morning news show was playing while Jack was sitting on the sofa using his laptop. She peeked over his shoulder and saw he was just catching up on a long list of unread emails.

"That looks boring."

He grinned at her. "It is but well-meaning people get on my case when I have more than five hundred unread emails."

"Five hundred! I can't stand having even one just sitting there."

Jack shrugged. "I got you one of those apple cinnamon ones you love."

Sam smiled. "I saw. Thank-you. When do you have to go back?"

Jack glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "I scheduled a flight for Sunday afternoon. I hope that's ok."

Sam's smile double in size. "You'll be here all week?"

Jack nodded, "I'll do a bit of work from here, but I will mostly be taking care of you." She raised her eyebrows as he raised his hand. "Don't even tell me you don't need to be taken care of. I don't want to hear it. Even if you can physically take care of yourself I still want to be here to make your life easier. I'd also just like to relax a bit together. We don't really do that much."

Sam sat down beside him and relaxed against his shoulder. "No, we don't and it sounds like a good idea."

Sam read while Jack finished his emails. When he was done she borrowed his laptop while he got a shower. When he got back his laptop was sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa and there was a document open on it. He sat down beside Sam and put his arm around her. "What are you working on?" He glanced towards the laptop.

"It's the report." She swallowed. "I still have access to the original copy as well as the addendums added later. Figured the best way to be sure all your questions are answered is to let you read what we really wrote instead of just hearing tidbits taken out of context." She leaned forward, picked up the laptop, and placed it in his lap. "I really assumed you found out at some point. I never intended to keep it from you this long."

He kept his eyes on her. Her pain and misery were written all over her face. "I believe you, Sam. I don't have to read it to know you never meant to hurt me."

"But you do want to know the truth and until you read it you will think there are things you don't know. It will gnaw at you, at us. Just keep in mind my view of you was very different back then and I also wasn't as sure of myself as I am today. Neither of us is the same today."

"Noted."

Sam got up and went to the study to work on a book she was writing. She came back an hour later. Jack still had the laptop but he didn't seem to be looking at it. She sat down beside him.

"Jack?" He looked over at her. "We're gonna talk to each other, remember."

He clenched his jaw. "You blamed yourself for not fighting back."

She nodded. "I never should have been taken from that tent let alone dragged through the forest. I had the skills to take the boy down, but I didn't want to embarrass the poor kid."

"Damn Daniel as his stupid advice."

"He didn't know any better either. We all learned our lesson."

"But you ended up being whipped and…" He looked away.

"Raped. You can say it."

He closed his eyes. "Do you still blame yourself?"

Since his eyes were closed he couldn't see her shake her head. "Not really, but if I had to do it over again I wouldn't let it happen but since I can't change it I have learned to live with it."

He opened his eyes. "That isn't a no." He watched her as she glanced away. "He had two men hold you down, but you fought anyway. He whipped you until you stopped fighting." He put his hand on her leg. "There was nothing you could have done."

"No, not once he had me."

"And yet you let this eat at you and your confidence for years, didn't you?" She swallowed and gave him a small nod, acknowledging something that she had denied, even to herself, for years. "So when you went into that cave with Jonas alone were you trying to prove something to me or to yourself?"

Sam leaned back against the arm of the sofa. "Both I guess."

"And according to this he laid his slimy hands on you too."

Sam nodded, "Yes, but I expected that."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "That was only a few weeks after…"

"Say it Jack."

He grimaced. "It was only a little bit after you were raped." It made him nauseous to say it.

"True but all he did was get a bit handsy and I was ready for it."

"Anyone not in these reports that's been a bit handsy?"

Sam gave him a small uncomfortable grin. "Many, starting before I even stepped foot on academy grounds. I'm female, in case you hadn't noticed, and that comes hand in hand with being sexually harassed. Since I picked a male dominated career I've encountered many instances where men felt they could take liberties and I've learned how to shut them down."

Jack rubbed his hands on his legs. "It just burns me. I never saw it."

"It's pervasive, in society as well as in the Air Force. The good news is I encountered far less sexism in the SGC than I did at any previous job. General Hammond didn't tolerate those types of behaviors when he knew about them and neither did you." Jack gave her a small head tilt to indicate he heard her but was still processing it. "Daniel is in these reports far more often than I am."

"Yeah, I noticed that. I never really understood what all those ladies saw in him."

Sam sighed. "It didn't have anything to do with attraction. Rape is about exerting power."

"But Daniel never saw himself as having been…"

"Yes, he did Jack. I recommended a great psychiatrist though."

"He did? He never told me that."

Sam shrugged. "He knew you never saw yourself that way even though you were also raped." Jack put his hand up to protest, but Sam put her hand on his arm. "I get you never saw it that way but if the same thing had happened to me you would have called it rape."

He grunted. She slid her hand down his arm and held his hand. "We all deal with things differently, Jack. Daniel and I have both come to terms with what happened. I don't want this to drag you down all this time later, that's not why I gave you the report."

"You wanted me to see the data Janet kept later."

Sam nodded. "If I had known why I was being called to testify I would have found a way to present it. These reports and the changes that General Hammond accepted, and you helped implement, made a difference."

He still looked very conflicted. Sam closed the laptop and moved it to the coffee table. She rotated her body and put her legs over Jacks, making it easier to put her head on his shoulder. He put his hands on her legs and his right thumb started moving in circles.

"What else?"

Jack raised his eyebrows and look at her. "Huh?"

"I can tell there's something still bothering you. What is it?"

Jack looked down at her knees. She could tell he was trying to decide what to say so she just gave him time. She put her hand on his, putting a bit of herself in his view.

"You and Janet pointed out that in several situations the victims were drugged and unable to give consent."

Sam nodded. "Yes."

"Well, then, that means I…" His thumb was still twitching even with her hand over it. "I…" His voice was a whisper. "I…raped you when we were on that ice planet."

"No." Sam shook her head even though it made her a little nauseous. "No, you didn't."

Jack swallowed and nodded. "You'd been drugged and you didn't know who you were. If you'd known who you were and who I was you never would have given consent."

"Stop, just stop." Sam tensed. "Don't you dare make it sound so…" Sam reached out and put her hand on the side of his face, but he wouldn't look at her. "First, you had also been drugged and you were not liable for your actions. If you had known who you were you never would have slept with me. Second, I'm the one who asked you to meet me behind that boiler and I made the first move. That means technically speaking I was the aggressor and you were the victim. And third, I'm not sure I would have turned you down if you had shown up at my door and kissed me the way we kissed behind that boiler." His eyes lifted to her face. "I have never regretted a single thing that happened under that ice and I don't want you to try and sully those memories for me."

"Up until I read this report I rather enjoyed those memories as well."

She kissed his cheek. "Don't let that change."

He put his arm around her. "Would you have really?"

She grinned. "Have slept with you?"

"Yeah."

She shrugged slightly. "I'm honestly not sure but it is very possible."

"Damn." She quietly snickered. "Wait, did you tell Janet?"

"Not at first but I'm pretty sure Daniel sad something because she was on my case a couple weeks later. It didn't help that we were being so weird around each other. I finally spilled."

"That has to be why my exams got a lot more intense after that."

"Janet wouldn't have done that. She actually encouraged me to find a way to make it work."

"Really?" He leaned his head against hers. "Why didn't you?"

"Part of me wasn't sure you were really interested in me and I was also worried about what people would think about both of us. I knew I would never get another promotion if people thought I'd been sleeping with you while we served together. I also didn't want to ruin your career."

"And I didn't want to ruin yours." He snorted. "What a pair we make."

She moved her head, forcing him to raise his head. She turned his face towards her. "We do make a great pair." She leaned in and kissed him. He twisted and brought her a little closer, deepening the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned back, pulling him down. The air was clear and they were together.