Title: Strands

Author: Kate1013

Spoilers: Threads... yeah... I know...

A/N: Okay so you've read it all before, and to be honest I really didn't want to write this, but it wouldn't just leave me alone, and I succumbed... What can I say? Didn't really mean for it to expand the way it did, or feature certain people quite so heavily but alas, here it is...

It was late when he finally sought her out.

He peered into the apparently empty lab, hands on the doorframe either side of his body. The lights were on and the door wide open, and he knew she hadn't gone home. It took a few seconds for his eyes to scan the room, until finally settling on a pair of boots tucked away in the corner.

He wandered in, his steps light and slightly hesitant. She was sitting on the floor, back to the wall, head resting on her knees and a small velvet box lying no more than a foot away.

Jack slid down the wall to sit beside her.

"I just called Pete..."

He didn't respond, merely shifted, and Sam could sense the tension in his body no matter how much he tried to mask it. She looked up at him, eyes seeking his as he tilted his head towards her. His expression was deliberately blank, and Sam didn't have it in her to voice what she really wanted to say. "I told him to meet me at the house tomorrow."

The true words screamed over and over inside her head but all she could do was stare at him and hope somehow he understood. His eyes seemed to soften somewhat and she saw him glance quickly at the discarded ring.

"Do you think he knows...?"

"Yeah," Sam whispered and nodded her head up and down. Tears pricked at her eyes and she turned away as two lone drops fell silently down her cheeks. Closing her eyes, Sam took a deep breath and wished them away. Hoping against hope that Jack wouldn't misinterpret them, and yet at the same time scared that he would understand what they really meant.

"I meant what I said, you know..." Jack's voice was soft and so quiet Sam almost thought she'd imagined it. "I'm here for you," He added, obviously seeing the question in her eyes.

Her throat tight, Sam merely nodded. "What about...?" Her voice cracked and she winced at the very sound of it, even as she let it trail off.

He didn't need to answer. The tilt of his head and the look in his eyes told her all she really cared to know at that moment, but Jack pursed his lips and attempted a smile anyway. "Gone," he told her.

They sat in silence for a few moments, the air between them thick with unspoken emotions. Risking a glance in his direction, Sam looked up to see Jack's adam's apple bob in his throat.

"Did you manage to get hold of your brother?"

She nodded and wiped at her face with her sleeve, throwing him a quick glance. "He'll be arriving in a few days." Another onslaught of tears threatened to take over and she turned away, frightened by how suddenly easy it was for her to be overcome with grief.

Mere seconds passed before Jack put his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. She felt him sigh when she let go, letting the tears fall and the sobs rack through her body. She hadn't wanted this; hadn't wanted to break down in front of the one person she had taught herself to be strong around, and for so long. The walls that she had so carefully built up over the years were in real danger of tumbling down. Sam wasn't sure what was going to happen when the pain was over and she realised that she had nothing to hide behind any longer.

Somehow, she didn't think Jack knew either.