A warm summer breeze blew through the trees as they lay at the end of the dock. Feet dangling into the warm water, they took turns guessing which of the stars they could see in the sky above the pond and the woods surrounding the cabin were stars they had been to together.

"It's your turn." Sam nudged him playfully with her shoulder.

"Hmmm?" Was all the reply she received and she looked over to find him staring at her.

"What?"

Jack reached over, lacing his hand through Sam's silky, blonde hair pulling her closer. Their lips touched softly and he heard her whisper his name.

"Jack."

His eyes flew open at the sound of his name on her lips. He let them close again as he realized he had been dreaming, her voice echoing in his mind.

"Jack?"

He heard it again and was off his bed and by her side so fast that his brain barely registered what was happening.

"Jack?"

He grabbed her hand between both of his and smiled down at her. "I'm here, Sam." She smiled up at him and let her heavy eyes drift closed once again.

Jack let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and leaned down to kiss her forehead before laying her hand gently back down on the bed. He hated to walk away for even just a moment now that he knew she'd been conscious, but he wanted to get the news to Carolyn as soon as possible. Stepping out into the hallway, Jack nearly ran into a limping Sgt. Siler and couldn't help but grin. He found Carolyn in her office going over Sam's latest blood work. She looked up to see him smiling at her from the doorway.

"General?"

"She woke up Carolyn. She's asleep again now, but she woke up, and she spoke."

He was beaming and she couldn't help but smile back at him. She'd been about to tell him that Sam's blood work was inconclusive and she was at a loss as to what to do next. She inwardly sighed in relief. "Well, let's go have a look at her shall we?"

He practically skipped down the hall behind her as they headed for Sam's room. She paused outside the door and turned to face him with a serious expression. "Sir, I'm not saying that this isn't a good thing. And I don't want to ruin this cloud nine feeling, but we…"

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he cut her off. "I know Carolyn. This isn't my first rodeo. After the last few days, I can't help my optimism at seeing her awake, but I know this is gonna be a long road and I won't count my chickens before they hatch. But, she was awake and I have to believe right now that that means that she is going to be okay."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Okay. As long as we're clear."

It took her a few minutes to check Sam's vitals and Jack found himself holding his breath once again as she made notations in Sam's chart with her doctor's face firmly in place. When she had finished her notes, she put the chart on the table beside the bed before taking her penlight from her pocket. She leaned over to check the reactions of Sam's pupils and when Sam flinched away from the light, Carolyn turned to Jack and smiled. "Colonel?"

Sam turned her head back toward Carolyn's voice and tentatively opened her eyes. "Yeah."

Carolyn smiled again as Sam caught Jack's eye behind her. "Hey."

"Hey yourself."

Carolyn took a step back from the bed and cleared her throat. "It's good to have you back with us Sam. I'll need to run a few more tests, but for now, I'll let you and your husband have a little time alone. If you don't mind, I'll go ahead and let SG-1 know the good news."

"Do you think you could wait a few minutes before telling them, Doc?" Jack raised an eyebrow at her.

"Not a problem, Sir. I have some paperwork to finish and," she winked at Sam, "some tests to order. Should take me at least twenty minutes to sort things out."

Jack grabbed the chair by the bed and pulled it closer before sitting down. He couldn't take his eyes off of Sam's. They sat in silence, locked in each other's gaze for several moments. They'd never had much use for words when it came to serious situations. Somewhere between guarding their feelings and keeping things professional, they'd developed their own non-verbal communication. There were the small touches as they sat next to one another or exchanged paperwork, brushing past one another or walking together just close enough to be just a little too close, but it was the things that they could say with their eyes that always betrayed their true feelings.

So much was said in this moment. Jack could see the guilt, remorse, and fear she held over what had happened on P9C-882, as well as her sorrow over putting him through the emotional ringer. But, God what deep abiding love she held in her heart for him. A love he felt he never deserved but truly cherished. A love he could clearly see reflecting back at him from her gorgeous blue eyes.

Sam kept her eyes focused on the warmth in Jack's chocolatey gaze. All of his fear and uncertainty poured over her and she inwardly rebuked herself for causing him such pain. With her wedding vows she'd sworn to herself that she would never do this to him. He'd already sacrificed so much in his life. But she'd known better than to make promises she couldn't keep, especially with SG-1's reputation for missions going balls up. She mentally kicked herself thinking she should have been more careful. She should have been more adamant about delaying the large scale test of Merlin's device. She knew she hadn't been 100 percent certain she could pull it off but had been pushed to prove once again that she could do what was asked of her. God, if Cameron hadn't been there, she knew she wouldn't be lying here staring into the eyes of the man she loved.

"Stop it Carter, this wasn't your fault."

True to her word, Carolyn waited until she'd finished her review of Sam's blood work and ordered the tests she'd need in order to downgrade Sam's condition and move her out of isolation before she sought out Teal'c, Cam, and Vala.

Their barrage of questions delayed their arrival in Sam's room even longer. So, when when their faces finally appeared in the doorway, Jack mouthed a "Thank You," as he caught the doctor's eye.

Like countless other times in the past, SG-1 gathered themselves around the bed of their injured comrade. Sam thanked Cam for his quick thinking and for keeping her alive in the field, she eased Vala's guilt for adding to the pressure for Sam to make Merlin's device work to hide the village and the villagers, and she made sure Teal'c knew that he had not failed her as he had a habit of blaming himself when anyone on SG-1 was wounded on a mission.

Jack fell back and watched the team interact with a pang of jealousy. God how he wished he could still be a part of that. Though he knew his current role in Washington was important, this was his home. And it was more than just Sam that made him feel that way. As cliche as it sounded, he'd found himself under this mountain, rediscovered something that'd been missing after the death of his son and the collapse of his marriage. Though initially it was Daniel who convinced him to keep on living, his years on SG-1 and the relationships he'd built with Daniel, Teal'c, and especially Samantha Carter had kept him alive.

Sam caught his eye and brought him out of his reverie. Once again, with just a glance he knew what to do.

"Okay guys and gal, my wife needs rest. Hit the commissary and I'll join you for breakfast? Lunch? Help me out T?"

"It is almost midday O'Neill." Teal'c obliged.

"Lunch it is then. I'll join you in a bit, now scoot." He shooed them out of the the room and reclaimed his place at Sam's side.

She smiled at him sleepily. "Thanks."

"Think nothing of it. Now I want you to close your pretty eyes and at least try to pretend to rest before Carolyn gets in here to poke and prod you some more."

The corners of her mouth lifted in another grin. "Yessir." She yawned. "I don't think it's going to be a problem."

He reached down, grabbed her hand and lifted it briefly to his lips before resting it against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her palm. "I missed you," she sighed.

"You know Carter, you could have just called if you'd wanted to see me so badly. No need to go and get shot."

"I'll remember that next time." She smiled at him and let her eyes fall closed. "I'm sorry, Jack"

"Hey, I said it before and I'll say it again, this was not your fault, Sam."

She opened her eyes again, "Wasn't yours either." With a moan she scooted herself over to the edge of her bed. "C'mere."

Jack smirked in response. "I never was one to turn down an invitation to bed from a hot blonde."

Sam tried not to giggle as he carefully climbed into the bed beside her. He helped her try to get comfortable and she managed to get herself snuggled up against his chest mindful of all of her tubes and wires. Jack wrapped his arm snugly around her and sank back onto the pillows with a sigh. He lay his head upon her own and whispered into her hair, "I love you Samantha Carter. I really hope you know that." Only when he could hear Sam's breathing slow and even, only when he knew she was asleep and safe in his arms did he finally let himself fully relax. And, as he drifted off to sleep himself, he smiled as he heard her softly whisper, "Always."

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and thank you to those who left reviews. This is the first story I've written in a long while and the response has been truly overwhelming. XOXO