Jack sensed a large presence nearby and immediately woke to find Teal'c placing his BDU shirt over the naked form of his Second, who was still wrapped in his arms.

"Teal'c!" he exclaimed in a soft voice, so as to avoid waking Sam.

The Jaffa inclined his head. "O'Neill."

Jack's eyes darted from Teal'c to Sam and back again. "Uh, this isn't what it looks like."

"It appears that you endeavored to keep Major Carter warm last night after having been caught in the storm," he replied, stoic as always.

Jack considered whether Teal'c's words had a double meaning and decided it didn't matter. "Well, I guess it's exactly what it looks like, then." Jack got up carefully, still trying not to disturb Sam. He began gathering his clothes, which he'd had the foresight to set near the fire during the night. "Where the hell have you been?"

The Jaffa stood tall with his head held high. "I have been on a journey, O'Neill."

"Really? No kidding," Jack said sarcastically, as he pulled on his pants.

"It would seem that the fruit we ingested contains certain hallucinogenic properties."

"Once again, really? No kidding." Jack poked his head through his T-shirt.

Teal'c continued without missing a beat. "For several days I have been following what I believed to be the spirit of the animal we killed and ate."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "The goat? You've been following the goat?"

"I have."

Jack laughed. "I haven't heard anything that crazy since the 60's. Sounds like it was some trip."

"Indeed."

"So how'd you find us?" Jack asked, as he laced up his boots.

"My vision led me to this place yesterday. I was able to take shelter in one of the ruins during the storm. I observed your fire last night and came here this morning when the rains ceased."

Jack squinted at Teal'c. "So what's with the..." He pointed to yellow tuft of hair under the Jaffa's lower lip.

For the first time that morning, Teal'c may have looked concerned, though Jack could never be sure. "I am uncertain. I believe it may symbolize the completion of my journey."

"Your journey. Following the goat." Jack's voice was laced with skepticism.

"A vision quest," Sam said from the other side of the room. She was sitting up, with Teal'c's shirt wrapped around her.

"Hey," Jack said softly, walking over to her. He knelt down in front of her and touched the back of her head. The lump that had formed there yesterday had decreased significantly. "How are you feeling?"

She gave him a small smile. "Much better, sir. Thanks." They exchanged a long look. Jack let his fingers trail from the back of her head, to the side of her face, and down her cheek. He smiled back at her, then stood.

"What is a vision quest, Major Carter?" asked Teal'c.

She stood too, Teal'c's shirt now hanging like a dress on her. "Well, I'm sure Daniel could do a better job of explaining it, but in a nutshell, it's a Native American ritual where a person takes a journey into the wilderness alone, seeking spiritual direction. The person is often led by a guardian that takes the shape of an animal."

"It's was also a mediocre movie from the 80's," Jack added.

Sam shot Jack a pointed look, but Teal'c ignored him. "It does indeed sound as if I were on vision quest."

"So where exactly did this vision quest lead you?" asked Jack.

Teal'c looked at him as though the answer were obvious. "I believe it led me here, O'Neill."

"Here? As in this crumbling ruin? Because while it's going to make one heck of a 'Get Well Soon' gift for Daniel, I'm not sure it was worth a three day trek through the forest."

The Jaffa looked at Jack thoughtfully. "Perhaps I was not the one meant to find something on this journey." And with that, Teal'c turned on his heel and left Jack and Sam staring at each other.

oOoOoOo

Once Sam was fully dressed, she joined Jack and Teal'c outside the library.

"So what is this place?" Jack asked her.

"I don't know, sir. I don't think it was discovered when they scouted the planet."

"Remind me to have a word with whoever was in charge of that mission," he muttered. The three of them looked around the ruins for awhile but failed to find anything other than various writings in a strange language that none of them recognized.

"Well, I don't see anything here of technological significance. I think this is something more up Daniel's alley."

"I agree, O'Neill. Perhaps we should make our way back to the Stargate."

They searched the edge of the ruins, and eventually found a path that, according to Sam, led back in the general direction of their camp and the Stargate. Several hours later, with the Stargate now in sight, Jack continued to question Teal'c about his quest.

"So, if the purpose of your journey was to find the ruins, T, I'd say you took the long way around."

"It often takes a significant amount of time to discover that which is worth finding," he replied, somewhat cryptically.

Jack slowed his stride and fell back next to Sam. In a low voice he said to her, "You know, I'd really appreciate it if he'd stop talking like Yoda."

"Yoda was extremely wise, O'Neill," Teal'c stated from several feet ahead. O'Neill grimaced, apparently having forgotten that the Jaffa's senses were more finely attuned than a human's.

Sam chuckled. "Should we try the Earth 'gate, sir? They should have it up."

"Definitely," he responded enthusiastically.

The three of them bypassed their camp and walked straight to the Stargate. Sam punched in the coordinates for Earth, but when she hit the orange crystal in the middle, nothing happened.

"Son of a bitch!" Jack swore.

Sam furrowed her brow. "Something must be wrong. It's been over a week. The second gate should be working by now."

Jack ran his hands through his hair. "Okay, so we'll camp here tonight and try again tomorrow morning. If that doesn't work, then we'll go to Cimmeria."

They wandered back to their camp, and Jack took out his fishing gear. Before long, they were gathered around the fire once again, eating fish for dinner. It was a quiet meal, all three in a pensive mood.

When Teal'c left to Kel'noreem, Jack extended his hand to Sam, like he had two nights before. She took it without question. He led her to an open space, away from the fire, and lay on the ground, looking up at the clear sky. Sam joined him, her head next to his. They watched the stars in silence for awhile before Jack spoke.

"So, tomorrow we go back to work. So to speak."

Sam sighed. "I know. And I know we will probably need to be even more professional around each other than we have in the past."

He turned to look at her. "And we're all right with that?"

She smiled softly at him. "We are. At least for now."

He reached over, grabbed her hand, and gave it a small squeeze. "For now," he repeated.

oOoOoOo

All three members of SG1 rose early the next morning, eager to return to at least some form of civilization. After eating what they hoped was the last of the fish, they packed up what little they had and trekked to the Stargate.

Sam punched in the coordinates for Earth. By now, they were so accustomed to nothing happening, when the event horizon blossomed toward them, all they could do was gape at it for several seconds.

"It's working!" Sam said.

"Finally!" replied Jack.

"O'Neill, Major Carter." The officers turned toward Teal'c. "I believe it may be wise to keep the details of our journey over the last few days confidential."

Jack grinned. "You mean, you don't want us to mention that you got hopped up on psychedelic berries and chased an imaginary goat all over the planet?"

Sam wasn't sure, but she thought Teal'c might have been glowering. "Indeed. Likewise, I would assume that you would prefer not to discuss the manner in which you prevented Major Carter from becoming hypothermic."

Jack looked sideways at Sam, who was blushing slightly. "I think we can get behind that idea. Sort of a 'what happens on P3X-234, stays on P3X-234' kind of deal?"

"Indeed." Jack and Sam nodded their agreement. Sam quickly punched in the IDC, and she and Teal'c began moving toward the event horizon.

"Just one more thing," Jack said. He walked up to Sam. "Since everything here remains confidential," he said to her in a low voice.

He placed his hands on either side of her face and brought his lips down to hers. He hoped to convey the depth of his feelings for her and the sincerity of his promise that one day they would explore this thing that had developed between them. He was more than a little relieved when she responded in kind. And knowing that he would not likely have another opportunity to share a kiss with his Second anytime in the near future, he committed as much to memory as could - the way she tasted, the way her hands moved over his back, how her body felt pressed to his, how her passion matched his own.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard Teal'c speak. "I do not believe it is possible to sustain a wormhole for more than 38 minutes, O'Neill."

Jack broke apart from Sam and still holding her face, looked directly into her eyes. "Okay?" he whispered.

"Okay," she replied, a soft smile gracing her features.

Jack grinned. "Then let's go home!" And with that he turned and walked through the Stargate, Sam and Teal'c following closely behind.

The End

A/N - Having watched all of the episodes in the series pretty much back to back, it seemed clear to me that something happened between Jack and Sam during their time on P3X-234 to alter the nature of their relationship and set up all of the shippiness in Season 4. If you watch the parallel scenes at the beginning of Nemesis and Small Victories between the two of them, you'll see what I mean. And even though I usually don't do UST (didn't we get enough of that on the show?), it seemed to fit here. Hope you're not disappointed. :)

Thanks for reading, and if you get a chance, I'd love to know what you think.