Stranded

Ch.1

"Carter, wrap it up."

"Right away, Sir."

It was a routine mission on a routine planet, or so they thought. Daniel and Teal'c had already left through the stargate. Daniel was eager to get back to base and work on translating the ancient texts he'd found on the deserted ruins. Jack had stayed behind with Sam while she collected rock samples and performed a geological survey in the caves they found on the uninhabited planet. The sun was getting low in the sky and Jack wanted to be home before dark. Just because the daytime creatures were fairly meek, there's no telling what will come out when the sun sets.

Sam gathered the last of her samples and they exited the cave. They started down the side of the mountain heading toward the clearing below, where the stargate stood.

"Any plans for tonight, Sir?" asked Carter. She truly wasn't fishing, but making conversation with her CO.

"Nothing much. I thought about stopping by O'Malley's for a steak on the way home. Interested in joining me?" he was surprised he asked the question. He and Sam admittedly had feelings for each other, but they also knew not to cross any lines. Dinner, alone, with her CO was awfully close to the line.

For Sam's part, she was taken aback as well. She knew what she wanted to say, but she also loved her job. She was not prepared for being court-marshalled. She didn't get a chance to respond.

They were descending the mountain and Sam fell. At first she thought she lost her footing. She hit the ground and began rolling. Dropping thirty plus feet before hitting a rather large pine like tree and stopping.

"SAM!" Jack yelled and started after her. He too, tripped and rapidly slid down the hill, stopping just short of hitting Sam full force. Once they both stopped, they realized that the ground was moving, shaking violently. They hadn't lost their footing, but the ground had literally moved underneath them.

After a moment, the shaking stopped.

"Earthquake, sir."

"I realize that Carter." He said it before he could stop the sarcasm from escaping his mouth. But she wasn't fazed. She knew her CO well enough to not take the comment personally.

He looked at her. Concern showing on his face. Usually he hid such obvious emotions, but sometimes, when it was just the two of them, it would slip up. "Are you okay, Sam? Can you stand?"

She was always a little surprised to hear him use her first name, but she loved it when he did. "Yes, sir, I think so."

Sam gingerly stood up and brushed herself off. She had a hole in her pants and a bloody knee, but was no worse for the wear. "I'll live," she said. "What about you, Sir?"

But Jack was already on his feet. "Let's hurry" he said. "I want to get back to the stargate, ASAP."

They took off at a moderate jog and were just about to the edge of the forest, when the ground started to shake again. This time, it felt even worse than before, but because the ground was more level, they stayed upright. They quickly made it to the tree line, just in time to hear a deafening crash and see the ground crack open. The earth seemed to just swallow the stargate whole.