So, here we are folks, a brand new story for you to read. I'd like to thank everyone who sent in reviews for my last story, 'Unity'. I still can't believe how many reviews it received. It was incredible! Thanks for being patient with me too, so here is the first chapter. I sure hope you folks enjoy it. I've only written a couple of chapters so you may have to wait a while for updates, but I'll try not to keep you waiting too long in between chapters.

My daughter and I are still chewing our fingers waiting for the results of the tests, so I'll keep you informed of what's happening. Thanks too, to all of you who wished her well. It's really very sweet of you all.

Now on to the story:

Censure.

By LetitiaRichards

Category: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance.

Pairings: Sam/Jack...as always.

Season: 5

Summary: A trip off-world brings unexpected results which cause no end of worry for all concerned.

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1. I wish I did, because Sam and Jack would be together. No copyright infringements intended. Just borrowing the characters for a little fun, and I promise to put them back together again by the time I've finished the story.

Censure.

By LetitiaRichards

Chapter 1

"Colonel!"

The soft, desolate gasp was wrenched from the lips of Major Samantha Carter as she rounded the door frame of the ruined basement. She quickly brought the P90 up to her shoulder and scanned the otherwise empty room for any sign of danger. As far as she could see, it was clear, so she edged cautiously over towards the prone form of her CO., Colonel Jack O'Neill. He was lying crumpled and motionless among the dust and debris littering the floor. She toggled the button on her radio, keeping a close eye on the doorway.

"Daniel? Teal'c?" she whispered.

"Sam?" Daniel responded softly, already alert to warning in her voice.

"I found him, and it doesn't look good," she said grimly.

"Sam? What? What's happened to Jack? Where are you?" Daniel's panicked voice echoed loudly in the silence of the room.

Sam cursed him for almost yelling when there may be a hidden danger lurking nearby.

"I'm in the red brick building across the street from your position; lower ground floor level. He appears to be unconscious but I can't see any real evidence as to why yet."

"I'm on my way Sam," Daniel puffed as he hurriedly packed away his notebook, pencil and torch.

"As am I Major Carter!" Teal'c's voice rumbled quietly through the radio, telling her that he was listening in to the conversation too.

"Go careful Daniel, Teal'c, it's still a little unstable down here," Sam informed them as she eased the fingers of her other hand under her CO's throat, feeling for a pulse. She sighed in relief as she discerned a steady pulse throbbing regularly and with a strong beat against her fingertips. She released the radio and carefully examined him for any obvious signs of injury.

Her gentle probing hands found nothing amiss with his limbs or ribs and his breathing appeared to be normal. The thing that worried her most though was the sluggish trickle of blood that seeped from his right ear, and his unconscious state.

There wasn't supposed to be any life signs on this deserted planet, so what had occurred here? She wondered.

The ruined cityscape of what was once a thriving community lay deserted and eerily quiet around them. The building's themselves were similar to those on Earth, though the interiors were well in advance of the most modern edifices back home. Sam felt a prickle of unease shudder down her spine. As far as she could tell, her commanding officer was lying there oblivious to the world through no accident or fault of his own that she could see, so what had happened to him? Something warned her to be wary though, maybe all was not as simple as it seemed.

She took her hand held doohickey, as Jack called it, and scanned the room. Something nearby was emitting a low EM pulse but she wasn't sure what it was and just maybe, maybe the Colonel had touched it; or not.

Daniel had spent the last few hours studying the history of the planet in what he called the most advanced library that he'd ever come across; and was more than thankful that whoever the last inhabitants were, they still used some books despite their superior technological achievements. There were some 'discs', for want of a better word, lying around and what looked to be some sort of a scanner, to read them, nearby and Daniel was determined to take it back to the SGC for further study.

There was a sound of crunching debris as footsteps hurried over the brick, concrete rubble and broken glass littering the floor, then Daniel appeared in the doorway, Teal'c right behind him.

Daniel stopped at the sight of his best friend lying so still and in obvious trouble. He paused briefly trying to take in the situation. How? Why? Those were the questions uppermost in his mind. What had happened to Jack? He rushed over to kneel on the opposite side of Sam, wincing in pain as he knelt on a small piece of the stone debris. Brushing it aside he looked down at the prone figure silently asking Sam for more details than she could probably give him.

"I can't see any obvious signs of injury Daniel," Sam informed him with a heavy sigh, "but something happened...a blow to the back of the head or something...I don't know, I can't see any breaks in the skin or lumps though. He's got blood seeping from his ear though and that's not a good sign. It could indicate a severe head injury, maybe some brain damage. One good thing is that pulse is normal, so, I really don't know what to think. We should get him back to the SGC. Teal'c?" she turned towards the towering Jaffa warrior, "Can you carry him?"

"Indeed, Major Carter..." Teal'c answered, "...but would it be judicious to move him without knowing if he has sustained any serious injuries?"

"I think it'll be okay this time Teal'c. I can't see anything physically wrong with him, he hasn't got a mark on him, other than a few scrapes on his face from when he fell. It's a complete mystery to me, as to why he's like this," she floundered with a wave of her hand over O'Neill's inert form.

Teal'c dipped his head in acknowledgement of her statement then bent down and dragged his commander's limp body up and over his shoulders with their help, then they made their way back up to the fresh air. Daniel scurried over the rubble in the street in order to reach the DHD, ready to dial Earth's co-ordinates.

OoOoOoOoO

"What have we got Sergeant?" General Hammond asked. He had been summoned by the sound of the Stargate activating and had hurried down to the control room. No teams were due back just yet, which invariably meant something had gone wrong for one of the several teams currently off-world.

"Receiving SG-1's IDC sir."

"Open the Iris and you'd better get a medical team down there!" Hammond ordered, stepping towards the lower stairway which ultimately led to the gate-room. His heart weighed heavy at the news; anything could have happened knowing SG-1's propensity for getting into difficulties, but then, they always came through in the end. So what had gone wrong this time? He wondered.

He arrived in time to see Daniel run through the event horizon, his booted feet clattering loudly on the metal ramp; he was yelling for a medical team as soon as he could utter the words.

Hammond had expected trouble from some of the other teams currently off-world, given their situations, but it was not so with SG-1. Their mission was calculated to be a simple one this time; exploring a ruined city. The planet was supposed to have been deserted.

His racing thoughts were curtailed abruptly when Teal'c stepped through carrying a squirming Jack O'Neill who was demanding to be put down.

Hammond sighed in relief as he watched Sam come through behind them with a big grin on her face despite his earlier fears, and the Colonel didn't look to be in too dire straits if he was complaining about being carried home.

Teal'c lowered his burden to the grating and Jack yanked his jacket back down into position again, pouting at his team; though his expression faltered when he wavered slightly. Teal'c kept a hold on his arm to steady him.

"Colonel? Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Hammond asked.

"I would sir, if I knew what the hell was wrong," he grouched, wincing in pain as he spoke, his hands holding his head.

"Colonel?" Hammond frowned at Jack's reaction.

"Headache sir," Jack answered somewhat tersely, but in a quieter tone added. "Nail in the head type sir!"

Hammond then turned to Sam, expecting to be filled in with the details as to why they'd had to carry the Colonel home.

"Major Carter?"

Sam gulped down a sudden lump in her throat; both the General and the Colonel were looking at her, eyebrows raised awaiting her explanation.

"Yes, Carter, do explain all!" Jack demanded. He'd like to know what happened too.

"Well sirs. We couldn't raise you on the radio Colonel..." she started, shooting Jack an apologetic glance, "...so Teal'c and I split up to look for you and after about 15 minutes...I...er...discovered you lying unconscious on the floor sir. In the basement of one of the larger buildings." She turned back towards the General to finish her report. "I couldn't find anything wrong with him sir, there were no broken bones or anything that was conducive to a fall of any kind but I thought it best to get Colonel O'Neill back here sir. That's when I ordered Teal'c to carry him back to the Stargate. Once we'd arrived there, Daniel dialled and stepped through the gate but the Colonel started to recover just before Teal'c entered the wormhole."

"Really? Don't remember a thing," Jack said, wrinkling his brow in puzzlement.

"Janet," Sam said, just as the Doctor entered into the room, "The Colonel was bleeding from his right ear, and I think he still is," Sam said, significantly alerting Janet to a possible reason for his former unconscious state.

Jack looked surprised at the news and reached up his right hand to touch his ear and looked even more stunned when his fingers came away bloody.

"Go with Dr. Frasier, Colonel," Hammond ordered, as he sensed Jack's hesitation.

"Yes sir," he said meekly, which brought a frown to everyone's brows. It wasn't like Jack to undergo any form of medical examination at least without making a fuss first.

TBC