�There are no raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses,
It�s sleeping with roaches and taking best guesses
At the shade of the sheets before all the stains
And add a few more of your least favorite things��
- �Build God, Then We�ll Talk�
Panic! At the Disco

The force of the staff blast knocked Janet flat on her back amongst the dead leaves and debris. Pain shot through her, an unbearable stinging and burning in her lower abdomen.

�I must be dying�� Branches were above her head, thin black lines stretching out against the steel grey sky. The sounds of fighting and screaming faded to a faint background thrum behind the pounding of her heart in her ears. But that was slowing.

�JANET!� Daniel rushed forward to her just in time to see her eyes close. He grabbed the radio. �Dr. Fraiser�s hit! We need a medical team here now!�

�Daniel!� Sam�s voice crackled in. �I�m almost there, all the medical teams are busy, but I�m almost there!� Seconds later Sam came crashing through the trees. �We need to get them out of here!� she indicated Wells and Janet. �There�s a battalion of Jaffa closing in on this position.�

Daniel was looking at her, his mouth open. �Sam��

Sam was shaking, though she wouldn�t let Daniel see it. �I know they�re injured, Daniel, but we have-�

�Sam I don�t know��

Sam suddenly shoved Daniel out of the way and crouched down next to Janet, putting a finger to her neck. �She�s got a pulse, Daniel.� Sam carefully slipped her arms under Janet, lifting the limp form of the doctor. �You�re going to have to get Wells��

The tree trunk behind Sam exploded with the blast from a staff weapon. Sam began running back to the gate, Daniel on her heels.

When Sam emerged into the gate room with the bloodied form of Janet still in her arms, the pandemonium that was already prevalent only seemed to intensify. Janet was immediately taken from Sam and rushed down to the infirmary.

Sam slumped against the wall of the gate room. She looked up as more people came injured through the gate�they were going to run out of room in the infirmary soon. Sam wiped a hand over her eyes.

�Ma�am, are you alright?� A concerned airman looked over at Sam.

�I�m fine,� Sam nodded, wiping her eyes again. She really just wanted to change out of her uniform, to get rid of the stench of blood and death that clung to her clothing. With a nod to the airman she turned and left the gate room, heading down the hall towards the showers.

Emmett Bergman and his camera crew appeared out of nowhere. �Major Carter-�

�No!� Sam held up her hands, trying to ward them off as angry tears formed in her eyes. �No, I don�t want to talk to you�� she scowled at the lieutenant behind the camera. �And turn that damn thing off!�

Her words didn�t discourage Bergman, who continued pestering her and trying to get answers. He stopped, however, when Teal�c loomed suddenly over him.

The Jaffa�s face bore an angry scowl. �I believe you are showing great disrespect to Major Carter,� he walked over to Sam, standing protectively next to her. �I suggest you leave immediately.�

Bergman raised his chin defiantly. Teal�c glared at him, then put an arm around Sam�s shoulders and steered her off down a side hallway. By the door to the women�s locker room he stopped, keeping one hand on Sam�s shoulder.

�Will you be alright, Major Carter?�

Sam smiled at her friend�s concern and nodded. �I think so�Thanks, Teal�c.� She jerked her thumb at the door to her right. �I uh have to go clean up and go talk to General Hammond.�

�Very well.� Teal�c bowed his head, then turned and headed back to the gate room.

The principal was a very professorial man, a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his thin nose, and a short grey beard covering his small chin. �What can I do for you, ma�am?�

�I�m Major Samantha Carter of the US air force,� Sam said rather quickly. �I work with the mother of your student Cassandra Fraiser. I�uh�need to speak to Cassie.�

�Mr. Baldwin?� the secretary at the front desk called to the principal. �Samantha Carter is at the top of Cassandra�s emergency contact list��

�Ok.� The principal nodded. �Follow me, Ma�am.�

Cassie was sitting in advanced algebra when the door opened and the principal entered, Sam behind him. Thirty heads snapped up and stared at Sam.

�Cassandra?� the principal scanned the students.

Cassie�s friend Katherine laughed quietly. �Ooh, Cassie what�d you do? They had to bring the army in here to get you!�

Cassie rolled her eyes, closing her book. �Ok, for one thing, Sam�s in the air force and second I didn�t do anything, she works with my mom.� Cassie stood up and walked over to Sam.

�C�mon, Cass.� They walked out into the hall. Sam cast a wary look at the principal then turned back to Cassie. �Your mom was injured on a rescue mission.�

�What?� Cassie�s face paled. �Is she ok?! What happened?!�

�Cass, you know the details are classified��

�Is she ok?�

Sam took several deep breaths. �Go get your stuff.�

�Is. She. Ok.� Cassie said again, refusing to move.

Sam just turned away.

�Sir?� Sam looked up.

Hammond walked over. �I was just in the infirmary talking to Dr. Warner�there�s been no improvement with Dr. Fraiser.�

�Oh.� Sam looked back down at her laptop.

�Major,� Hammond sighed heavily. �I just wanted to know if you have plans for Cassandra in the event that Dr. Fraiser doesn�t make it.�

The bar on the computer screen that showed how much of Sam�s latest program had loaded was creeping towards 50. She tried to focus on it instead of the grief that was threatening to overwhelm her. Janet isn�t dead yet!

�Cassie would come stay with me, sir.� Sam answered rather mechanically.

Hammond nodded, then said gently, �I�m sure it won�t come to that. Good night, Major.�

�G�night, sir.�

Sam jumped. �What? Oh, sorry�no I was just thinking��

�Sam, are you ok?� Daniel looked at her seriously.

�Oh, aside from worrying because my best friend is in a coma with a staff weapon blast to her abdomen, I�m perfectly fine.�

Daniel pushed his plate away, giving Sam a serious look. �Sam, talk to me. I�ve known you for seven years, I can tell that you�re keeping something in.�

Sam�s fork moved around her plate, pushing pieces of lettuce to either side. �Do you ever get that feeling,� she mused, �like you don�t actually know who you are anymore?�

�Are you kidding?� Daniel�s eyebrows shot up. �I get that about every other week. Why?�

Sam shrugged. �I don�t know, I�ve just�been asking a lot of questions about myself lately.�

�Like what?�

Sam sighed heavily, sitting back and pushing her plate away from her. �I don�t really want to talk about this right now.�

�Ok.�

Sam stood, and walked briskly out of the commissary.

�Hey, kiddo,� Sam said quietly.

Cassie sighed despairingly, her breath fogging the window. �Sam�promise me again that you�ll never abandon me.�

�What?!� Sam turned Cassie around so they were looking eye to eye. �Cass, I would never, never abandon you.�

�That�s what she said!� Cassie was teetering on the edge of grief and anger. �That�s what my real mom said, and that�s what Janet said, and now look where I am! Look how far their promises lasted!�

�Janet isn�t going anywhere.� Sam said forcefully, giving Cassie a stern look. �She�s going to get better.�

�But what if she doesn�t?�

Suddenly Sam wasn�t looking at the headstrong teen that Cassandra had become, but once again at the frightened little girl she�d brought back from a disease ridden planet. A little girl who�d seen everyone she ever knew and cared about die, a little girl who had very nearly been the goa�uld�s Trojan horse.

�Cassie,� Sam�s voice was gentle now as she pulled Cassie to her, hugging the girl tightly. �You won�t ever have to be alone. I promise, there will always be someone to take care of you, ok?�

�But I want you and Mom!� Cassie looked up at Sam. �I want both of you always here with me.�

Sam sighed heavily, running her hand over Cassie�s hair, thinking how much she wanted that as well.

�I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me,
I still feel your touch in my dreams,
Forgive me my weakness but I don�t know why,
Without you it�s hard to survive.�
- �Every time We Touch�
Cascada

The first thing Janet felt as she regained consciousness was pain. Searing, burning, horrible pain that lanced through her abdomen and made her wish for the blissfulness of sleep.

The second thing she felt was a cool hand on her forehead, smoothing her hair back. A second later it was gone. Janet forced her eyes open, wondering who it was. As her eyes got used to functioning again after god-knows how long, she recognized the tall, blond haired form sitting next to her to be Sam. The major�s chin was resting in one hand, a far off expression in her bloodshot eyes.

�Sam?� Janet managed.

Sam�s eyes immediately flickered down to Janet. Her lips parted slightly in a surprised expression. �Janet? You�re awake.�

�Barely.� Janet chuckled, reaching out for Sam�s hand. �How long was I out?�

�A couple days,� Sam replied, leaning a little closer. �Cassie and I�ve been worried sick about you.�

�Oh�� Janet�s forehead wrinkled. She was impossibly stiff, but moving would probably just mean more pain, so she remained on her back, her head turned to look at Sam. �How�s Wells?� she asked.

�He�s doing really good, all things considered,� Sam said, giving Janet�s hand a comforting squeeze. �He�s really grateful for what you�ve done for him.�

Janet managed a smile. �I�m sorry I worried you and Cass so much.�

�It�s not your fault.�

�I know, I just�� Janet stifled a groggy yawn.

Sam slipped her hand from Janet�s, raising it to brush the loose strands of hair off the doctor�s forehead again. �It�s ok. Just rest.�

�Promise you won�t leave?� Janet asked, forcing her eyes open to squint up at Sam.

Sam smoothed her hand over Janet�s forehead again, letting her fingers run lightly down Janet�s cheek. She smiled faintly. �If you really want me to I�ll stay.�

�Good.� Janet closed her eyes, then whispered faintly, �It makes me feel better��

�I�ll say the same about you, Colonel,� Janet pulled out a tongue depressor. �Open up.�

It was more than a week after they�d returned from P3X-666. Janet had gotten back on her feet and seemed more zealous than ever in her work, as though she felt the need to prove just how fast she could rebound. Now Teal�c, Daniel and Sam all stood around watching their CO get his physical.

Daniel smirked as Janet checked the inside of Jack�s ear. �You won�t find anything in there, Janet, trust me.�

�Haha, that�s so funny I forgot to laugh.� Jack said, rolling his eyes.

Janet stepped back and made a note on her clipboard. �Well, colonel, you�re all set to go.�

�So no dangerously pointy objects this time?� Jack asked warily, getting to his feet.

Janet�s eyes sparkled. �Well, you�re not due for any boosters for a couple of months, but if you really insist��

�No, I�m good, like you said.� Jack walked over and slapped Teal�c on the back. �What do ya say to beating me at ping-pong, T?� The two walked out into the hallway.

Daniel looked back and forth between Janet and Sam. �I should probably go make sure those two don�t kill each other.� He said, jerking his thumb towards the hall. �See you, guys.�

�Bye, Daniel.� Sam called. She turned to Janet, who was just organizing the notes on her clipboard. �So, now that you�ve determined that we�re all in good shape, what about you?�

Janet smiled reassuringly at her friend. �I�m fine, Sam, really. I�m avoiding all the heavy lifting��

�Getting some rest�� Sam added.

�Eating all the right foods�� They both giggled, grinning bemusedly at each other. Janet almost seemed to sense the mood change before it happened, and quickly changed the subject. �Don�t you have a pre-mission report or something to be typing up?�

Sam stared at her blankly.

�Our trip to P3X-514 tomorrow?� Janet reminded her. �The villagers struck with that unique strain of virus that seems to be attacking a completely alien protein in their blood?�

�Oh, right.�

�You know, Sam, I�m not going to break the minute you leave the room.� Janet said.

Sam felt herself turning pink. �I know�I just promised Cassie I�d keep an eye on you.�

Janet rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. �And she claims that I�m overprotective! At least I don�t have her best friend as a spy�� She gave Sam a friendly jab with her elbow. �Go�you may not have reports to fill out but I certainly do!�

�I need you to get these samples checked out,� Janet said, handing some vials of blood to her assistant. �I think I can probably guess what this is, but we need to be sure.�

�Of course, Doctor.� Her assistant took the samples.

�Bring some more blankets and another box of syringes on your way back!� Janet called after him. Glancing around she could see SG teams one and three patrolling around the village and lending help to the medical crew. Janet was just bending down to examine one of her patients when Jack walked over.

�Hey, Doc, you sure this stuff isn�t contagious?� he asked, watching Janet checking the sick woman, who was coughing.

�Positive.� Janet straightened up. �We don�t have the right protein in our blood for the virus to feed off of. I think there must be something in the diet of these people that puts the protein in their blood, or quite possibly some contaminant in the water or pollution in the air.�

�Colonel O�Neill?� A voice crackled over the radio. �There�s something you should come have a look at.�

Jack groaned, recognizing the voice of one of the members of SG-3. �I�ll be right there.� He grimaced at Janet. �Catch ya later, Doc.�

Sam was patrolling the western edge of the village, farthest from the Stargate and farthest from any interesting action. More then once she�d been tempted to say �All�s quiet on the western front!� over the radio, but resisted, knowing that Jack probably wouldn�t find it funny. She was just about to head back to the village and see if Janet needed a hand, when the unmistakable sound of staff weapons reached her ears. She stood still, staring into the woods, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. Then the trunk of a tree near her head exploded with a blast from a staff weapon.

Sam turned abruptly and ran back towards the village, shouting orders for people to take cover. Seconds later Jack and the others appeared, hotly pursued by a battalion of Jaffa. More blasts from staff weapons were exploding all around and the villagers who were able to walk were screaming and heading for the shelter of the trees. Sam ducked down behind a large rock.

�Someone stop those people from running!� Jack called over the radio. �Get them back to the Stargate, they�re just running in the direction of more Jaffa!�

Peering over the top of the rock she was sheltering behind, Sam could see another group of Jaffa headed her way. She burst out, opening fire to cover for the villagers seeking shelter. She glanced to her right and saw Janet helping some of the more feeble villagers. She turned suddenly, heading back out into the open.

�Janet!� Sam shouted at the top of her lungs. �Get out of there!�

The tell-tale roar of an al�kesh sounded above, suddenly as the last of the Jaffa Sam was firing at fell. Sam ran to Janet, pulling the petite doctor to her and sheltering her body as the al�kesh fired, sending debris everywhere. Sam continued to cover the doctor�s small form, shielding her face with one arm until the explosions finally ceased.

�Everyone retreat back to the �gate!� Jack ordered over the radio, his words accompanied by the sounds of the gate dialing up. �We�re way too outnumbered and there�s more coming, we have to come back with help. Don�t bring anything, just get your asses out of here!�

Sam stood up, pulling Janet to her feet.

�What about the �" The rest of Janet�s sentence was cut off by a loud explosion. Again Sam pulled Janet to her, shielding her friend from danger. Straightening up, they both made a charge for the Stargate.

�What�s wrong?� Sam asked, frowning slightly.

�They�re all dead!� Janet growled. �SG-3 and 5 went back and everyone was dead. The Jaffa had already left.� She glared at Sam. �What was all that about not leaving anyone behind?�

�Janet, I�� Sam�s voice trailed off. �I don�t know what to say�� The two watched each other warily across the room for a moment.

Janet sighed. �I�m sorry, Sam, I didn�t mean to snap at you.� She walked over and sat down in the unoccupied chair next to Sam�s lab table. �But I just felt like those people were my patients and we left them there to be slaughtered.�

�Janet there was nothing we could do,� Sam said quietly. �We were outnumbered. If we�d tried to stay long enough to save all those people we would have been killed.�

Janet nodded. She sighed heavily again, wrapping her arms around herself and closing her eyes. Sam looked up, watching Janet carefully. Sitting like that she looked like a little girl trying to shut out some bad dream, not like the headstrong doctor who could take control of any situation.

Before Sam realized it, she�d gotten to her feet and walked over to Janet. With the doctor sitting on the tall chair, she was at a level with Sam for once. Sam brought her arms up around Janet, holding her close as Janet buried her face in Sam�s shoulder.

�God, Sam, I don�t know what I�d do without you.� Janet murmured.

�Shhhhh.� Sam whispered. Janet�s words, or maybe just the way she�d said them, had sent a pleasant tingle running up and down Sam�s spine.

Janet moved her head so that her chin was resting on Sam�s shoulder. �I really can�t keep going like this��

�Like what?�

�Like�I don�t know, exactly.� Janet turned her head so that her mouth and nose were a mere centimeter away from Sam�s ear. �That�s just it�for once, I don�t know what�s wrong with me�� She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It tickled Sam�s ear, and the blonde shivered slightly. �Thank you.�

�What for?�

�The other day, during the fight when you were shielding me.�

Sam let out a breath, trying to shrug it off. �It�s just a natural instinct, protect the ones you care about.�

Janet looked up at her suddenly, brown eyes focusing on blue eyes.

Sam blinked, looking away.

�Sam?� Janet�s voice was timid, but she put a hand to Sam�s cheek, turning her face.

Sam�s breathing had become slightly ragged, though she couldn�t explain why. �Hmmm?�

�Would you take me home with you tonight?�