Disclaimer: Neither Samantha Carter or Olivia Benson belong to me. Ergo, none of their supporting casts belong to me either. Atlantis isn't mine, New York belongs to no one in particular and I had nothing to do with forming the universes these two ladies originally hail from. They're just a fun place to play in.

Author's Notes: Set during the beginning of SVU Season 9 and before the episode "Be All My Sins Remember'd" for Atlantis. There is also a spoiler for the movie Serenity, just in case people haven't seen that.

Summary: Olivia returns to New York after her brief time in Atlantis, but can't stop thinking about what she's learned. Meanwhile, in Atlantis, Sam makes a frightening discovery that may put Earth - and Olivia - at risk.

The Sentries of the Heart

By Geonn

At night, in the dark, it was harder to deny the draw. Olivia climbed out of bed, wrapped a robe around herself and walked to the balcony of her temporary lover's apartment. She wasn't sure why she had agreed to come back to this place; she hadn't been particularly drunk and she had never considered sleeping with her before, but something about the night had made it seem okay. Had made it seem like the right decision.

The wind picked up the bangs of her freshly-cut hair and pushed it away from her face. She lifted her chin and looked at the sky. There were no clouds, just a thin layer of pollution that made the night impossibly purple. She could see precious few stars this deep in the city, but there were a couple, burning stubbornly bright. The apartment across from her seemed to have a halo of blue light, bleed-over from the next street's security lights most likely.

She wondered which direction the Pegasus Galaxy was. She had no point of reference. Did the Stargate go out, toward Pluto, or back toward the sun? Was Sam to the north, east, west...? Space was infinite, stretching out in all directions, so she might have been southwest or northeast. There was absolutely no way for her to tell. No way for her to even begin to track.

Something rustled in the bedroom behind her and a soft voice whispered, "Liv? What are you doing out there?"

Olivia turned. Casey's hair was a mess, her eyes half-lidded as she tried to focus. "Nothing," she said. "Just trying to find some stars."

Casey stepped closer to the door and craned her neck up. "Good luck. Did you find any?"

Olivia smiled sadly. "Not the right one."

Casey extended her hand and Olivia took it. She allowed herself to be drawn back into the apartment and shut the door on the night.

~

The long, brown hair swam in the air like ribbons on a windy day. But they were stationary, frozen until Sam's hands swept them aside. The arched eyebrow, the Cupid's-bow of her upper lip. Sam kissed along her jaw and they twisted in the air. Olivia's blouse hung in the air behind them like the Invisible Man.

They were both naked, Olivia's legs wrapped around Sam's body as they twisted and spun through Midway Station. Sam kissed Olivia's eyelids and put her hand out against the wall. They floated safely to the ground and Olivia settled on Sam's lap. They were both weightless, but clinging to each other so they wouldn't separate.

Olivia pushed Sam's hair out of her face and smiled at her. "This didn't really happen," she whispered. "Aliens and galaxies and... having sex in a weightless space station. It didn't really happen. Right?"

Sam kissed Olivia gently and, when she pulled back, she said, "You can believe as much of it as you want to."

Olivia traced her hands down Sam's face and said, "This part."

"Any other parts?" Sam asked. "In particular?"

"I can probably think of a couple," Olivia said. She smiled and bowed her head to kiss Sam's neck. Sam released her grip and pushed her palm against the wall. They went spinning again.

Sam woke from the dream with her hair matted to her cheeks and forehead from sweat, her blankets kicked down around her ankles. Atlantis was suffering from a heat wave, and the ancient air conditioning mechanism happened to fail around the same time. She had already shed her usual pajamas for a pair of boxer shorts and a thin tank-top, but it wasn't helping much.

She sat up and pushed the blankets away. She had a headache from too much stress and not enough sleep. She wanted to get away from the base. All the years working at the SGC when she had taken quarters down the hall from her lab just so she would be within walking distance of her work should inspiration have struck, and now all she wanted was a house, with a nice warm bed that had a nice pillow shaped to her head.

And someone waiting to welcome her home with a kiss and a "How was your day?"

She had had that once. A long time ago. She closed her eyes and pictured Janet. Sometimes she herself had only been home for five minutes when Sam came in the door. She would greet Sam in the entry hall in her stocking feet, put her hands on Sam's shoulders and pull her down for a kiss. "How was your day?" she would whisper.

Sam ached for those moments, with Janet in her rumpled uniform, the top button of the blouse finally undone, talking about whatever experiment they were stumped on or what alien race they had met. Sometimes Janet would rant about some patient who was being stubborn, or budget restraints that were tightening their purse strings in the infirmary. But it always ended the same way; on the couch, Janet curled in Sam's lap, both of them listening to the other's heartbeat.

Something only one of us still has, Sam thought with a pang. She stood up and went to the balcony. The doors were open in the hopes the sea air would help cool her off. She leaned against the railing and thought about Olivia Benson. She was so strong, like Janet. So easy to pretend Olivia was Janet. There had been times, holding her, that Sam could close her eyes and pretend for a split second that it was really true, that Janet was alive. But she never pretended long; it wasn't fair to Olivia. And it wasn't fair to herself to keep pining for someone who was literally billions of miles away. Even if they did somehow work out a way to be together, they would never get to see each other. Her leave-time from Atlantis, if she ever did take it, wouldn't allow her to visit New York.

Sam closed the balcony doors - they weren't helping anyway - and went back to bed. She stripped off her sweat-stained clothes and lay down naked. She pushed her hair out of her face, checked the clock and threw her arm across her eyes as she tried to push Olivia Benson out of her mind.

~

Ronon Dex was Satedan, a warrior who had spent the majority of his life either fighting the Wraith or imprisoned by them, forced to run so they could hunt him for sport. In his brief time on Atlantis, Sam knew that he had pushed himself to the very limits of human endurance on several occasions. So when she got word that he was in the infirmary with a case of the sniffles, it was something she had to see to believe.

She walked into the infirmary and smiled at the warrior. "Ronon. Everything all right?"

"Fine," he said. He sniffed and ran his tattooed wrist under his nose. "Relatively speaking."

Sam winced, looked around until she found a medical cart, and plucked a Kleenex from it. She held it out to him and he stared at it, then her. Finally, he took it and swabbed under his nose.

Dr. Keller approached, a barely-contained smile playing on her features. In deference to the heat, Sam had decided to allow a little leeway with the dress code. Keller's jacket had been abandoned in her office and she wore a sleeveless turtleneck, unzipped to mid-chest. Sam herself wore a black blouse that was low-cut enough to allow a bit of ventilation, but not so much so that she was in danger of falling out of it. Keller nodded a greeting. "Colonel Carter."

"Doctor." She put on her most-serious face and nodded at Ronon. "Tell me. Is it fatal?"

"It's a cold," Keller said. "Kind of ironic that he would catch it now, given that it's been over a hundred degrees for three days, but it's been known to happen. I've prescribed lots of fluid and bed rest."

Ronon said, "Yeah, about that. I don't like orange juice. It's always got... things in it."

"That would be pulp," Keller said.

"Your people need to figure out a way to get that crap out of it, because it's disgusting."

Sam smiled and said, "I'll make sure the mess hall has some pulp-free orange juice in the next shipment from Earth. Get well soon, Ronon."

"The sooner," he sniffled, "the better."

Sam said good-bye to Dr. Keller and left the infirmary. She was halfway to the elevator when Rodney McKay called out to her from down the hall. "Colonel Carter! Just the person I was looking for."

"Rodney," she said. She slowed and let him catch up with her. He was carrying a flat tablet computer, making a few calculations as he approached her. "Any progress on getting the air conditioning fixed?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, I got, ah, Zelenka's team working on that. I have much bigger fish to fry. I was wondering if you would go over these readings I took on the replicator fleet."

Sam raised her eyebrows. "You want me to check your homework?"

He stared at her, exasperated, and held out the computer. "I just want to make sure I've extrapolated it right. It won't do us any good to know where the replicator ships were five days ago. I'm asking you because you're the only person on this base who is even close to understanding how this sort of thing works."

Sam took the tablet and said, "Okay, I'll give it a look." She tucked it under her arm and started to walk off. She noticed McKay was following her and stopped. "What, you meant now? McKay, I'm..."

"It'll just take you a second!"

She rolled her eyes and looked at the tablet. She checked his calculations, did a little math on her own to make sure what he had come up with was correct and then held the tablet out to him. "Looks good to me."

"Thank you. It, uh, means a lot."

"You're not going to have me double-checking all of your work now that I'm here, are you?"

"What? No. Of course not. Only the big, galaxy-threatening projects where it's important to make sure every miniscule calculation is entirely correct."

"Ahh. So only every other project."

McKay smirked and held up the tablet. "Thank you for the help."

Sam shook her head and continued walking to the elevator. She had just hit the call button when a nurse called out to her. "Colonel? I think you need to come back in here."

Sam hurried to meet the nurse. "What happened?" But as she hurried into the room behind the nurse, it became apparent what the problem was. Ronon was standing up with both hands wrapped around the legs of a medical cart. Two SFs with weapons drawn flanked him on the opposite side. Keller was pinned between the irate Satedan and the wall. Sam said, "Ronon!"

He turned to look at her and she saw raw hatred in his eyes. "They tried to make me bleed."

"We wanted a blood sample," the nurse said sotto voce. "Just to make sure this is a regular, run-of-the-mill cold. It was nothing! He agreed, but once we pricked him with the needle, he went off."

Sam stepped closer. "Ronon, do you know where you are?"

"Atlantis," he growled. "You're Colonel Carter, she's Dr. Keller, and she and her nurse were trying to bleed me."

Sam glanced at Keller. So apparently he hadn't lost his memory and he didn't seem to be suffering from hallucinations. "Ronon, I think you're having what we call a paranoid delusion. Just take it easy and..."

Ronon swung the cart around and nearly took Sam out with it. "You're on their side," he growled. He shoved the cart forward and Sam had to jump to one side to avoid it. The cart crashed to the wall and Sam held up both hands. "Okay. Okay, they're not going to take your blood." She looked at the orderly and waved her away. "Dr. Keller doesn't need any blood. Right?"

"Right," Keller said.

Ronon swallowed and eyed the SFs.

"Guys," Sam said. She waved them away and they reluctantly lowered their weapons.

Ronon straightened slowly and looked at her. He sniffled and said, "Thanks." He sniffed, rubbed the shredded Kleenex under his nose and walked casually from the room.

Keller moved to one side as he passed, watching him warily until he was gone. She finally relaxed and walked to Sam's side. "That was not something I want to relive any time soon."

Sam touched her earpiece. "This is Colonel Carter to Major Lorne."

"Lorne here."

"We're going to need a security team on Ronon's quarters effectively immediately."

"Anything we should be concerned about?"

"No. He's not to be treated as a prisoner. Just... keep an eye on him until further notice."

There was a pause before Lorne said, "Yes, ma'am."

Sam looked at Keller and said, "You got some readings before he attacked, right?" Keller nodded. "Good. Let's see if we can find out what prompted the attack. I don't want anyone else accidentally setting him off."

~

Olivia and Elliot raised their badges to the secretary, not slowing as they rounded her desk. "He in there?" Elliot asked, pointing into the office.

"Yes, but... excuse me, Detectives! You can't..."

Olivia pushed the office door open. David Harrison looked up and his clients turned in their seats to see who was interrupting their consultation. "Excuse me," Harrison said. "You can't just barge in here in the middle of--"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we can," Elliot said. He smiled at the clients. "Afternoon, folks. You might wanna step outside. We need to talk to your financial planner about his affinity for little girls."

Harrison's face turned deep red. "How dare you?" He grabbed the phone, but Olivia took it out of his hand and hung it up.

"Stand up, please, Mr. Harrison. You're under arrest for the murder of..."

"You have no evidence!" he shouted. "I am going to sue you... all of you! And I'll..."

Olivia got in his face. His breath smelled of onions and she had to resist the urge to rear back from him. "You'll what? You'll have our badges? I suppose you're close personal friends with the commissioner? We've heard it before, asshole. None of it matters. Because we have your DNA inside a little girl." She reached up and slapped him across the face. "You have no rights, you son of a bitch prick."

"Olivia," Elliot said.

Olivia smacked Harrison again and said, "You want to hit me back? Or is it only fun when they're defenseless? You want to try and take me? Huh? Or am I unattractive to you because I have breasts? Answer me!" She punched him in the stomach and he doubled over.

Elliot had rounded the desk and threaded his arms around Olivia's. He yanked her back, physically picking her up off the ground and spinning her around. "Get off me!" she hissed, flailing against him. He set her down and pushed her against the wall with one hand. She glared at him, eyes dark and baring her teeth.

"What the hell are you doing?" Elliot said. "You want to get this thrown out of court on an excessive force complaint?"

Olivia scoffed. "You're telling me about excessive force?" She shoved his hand away and glared at Harrison. "Be glad he was here, you prick," she growled as she stalked out of the office. Elliot watched her go, then pulled out his cuffs and motioned for Harrison to stand up.

~

By mid-afternoon, security had received five more claims of unusually antagonistic behavior. Two of the scientists on Zelenka's team had come to blows regarding whether an access shaft door needed to be pushed or pulled to open. Sam called Sheppard, McKay and Teyla into her office and said, "This can't just be a response to the heat," Sam said.

"I don't know," Sheppard said. "In Afghanistan, a guy almost took our CO's head off because he was shuffling cards too loudly. Heat can do weird things to people."

"Still," Sam said, "I find it hard to believe everyone is cracking now, today. It's been sweltering for a week. Everyone just hit the same tipping point at the exact same time?"

McKay said, "It's been known to happen. A, uh, settlement of this size, in terms of averages and..."

Teyla held up a hand to cut him off. "Ronon's outburst seems to eliminate the possibility of heat as a cause. I do not believe he has complained of the heat once..."

"That's true," Sheppard said. "I don't think he's even broken a sweat all week."

Sam said, "I'm tempted to offer leave for anyone who needs a break from the heat, a nice trip to a temperate planet... but if this is an infection of some sort, I don't want to risk spreading it to the galaxy at large. I'll have Keller run some more tests on the blood from infected people and see if she can't find a link. If anyone on any of your teams exhibits a quicker-than-average temper, send them to the infirmary immediately. Even if you have to knock them out and drag them there."

~

Sam dipped a towel into the now-tepid water, wrung it out and dabbed it against her chest. She had gotten the water icy cold from the bathtub but it hadn't stayed that way long. Her neck, chest and shoulders were all wet, but it wasn't doing very much to combat the heat. She was about to give in and take another bath when her door chimed. She groaned and grabbed her robe off the back of the chair as she stood. "Who is it?"

"Dr. Keller."

Sam tied the robe and opened the door. "Jennifer. This is a surprise."

Keller smiled and looked down at Sam's robe. "Oh. Oh, you were going to bed..."

"No, Jennifer, it's all right. I was just trying to cool off. What's on your mind?"

"Can I come in?" Sam nodded and stepped side. Keller walked into the room and Sam closed the door behind her. Keller looked at the basin of water and moved closer to the window. "I just wanted to thank you for... for earlier. It was really tense there for a minute, with Ronon..."

Sam said, "It's no problem."

"No, it is a problem. I should have been able to stand up for myself. If you hadn't been there..."

Sam stepped forward and put her hands on Keller's shoulders. "You need to stop second-guessing yourself, Jennifer. You're a fantastic doctor. You deserve your position. You don't need anyone to tell you that you deserve it. You earned it."

"I know. But, like someone brilliant once said to me, a day like this, it doesn't hurt to hear it."

Sam smiled. "I think that same person said that some days are worse than others. Right?"

Keller sucked her bottom lip and said, "So, um... no second-guessing."

"Right. Just have faith in yourself and your abilities and--"

The rest of her advice was cut off by Keller kissing her. Sam kept her eyes open, her hands on Keller's shoulders until the kiss broke. When they separated, Keller blinked at her and said, "No second-guessing."

"Jennifer, I meant..."

"I know. I just had to do that, or I would have regretted it." She smiled and said, "I'll go now."

She started to step away, but Sam slid her hand down to grip the doctor's wrist. "Wait," she said softly. "Don't." Keller moaned as Sam pulled her close again. They kissed hard, Sam's hands going to the back of Keller's head. Their tongues touched and Sam closed her eyes. Keller was young, but as Vala had once so tactfully put it... the best way to get over someone is to get under someone.

Of course, with Keller, Sam planned to spend the majority of her time on top. But she figured the saying had some wiggle room.

Sam pulled the zipper of Keller's top down and slid her hand inside, along the warm flesh. Keller was sweating from the heat and her skin was slick. Sam broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "Stay the night."

"I was plannin' on it," Keller breathed.

Sam pulled Keller to her and they fell to the bed.

~

Olivia returned the phone to the charger, but left her hand cupped around the back of it. She lifted it, started to dial the number she had been given, disconnected and put the phone down. "If you ever need anything," Sam said, pressing the card into Olivia's palm. Between two galaxies. "Call this number. They'll know how to get in touch with me." And then she had cupped Olivia's face and kissed her hard, a kiss that would sustain them across a billion miles, as the impossible thing behind them sparked to life.

"I can't," Olivia whispered. There were tears in her eyes as she finally released the phone. She saw Lauren's gun explode, saw her die all over again and squeezed her eyes shut. Then she picked up the phone, charger and all, and hurled it against the far wall.

~

Sam reported to the infirmary the first thing the next morning. "What happened?" she asked. Keller wore a light purple wrap-around top and Sam glanced momentarily at her arms as the doctor picked up a chart.

Keller cast a coy look in Sam's direction before she began to read. "Major Lorne's team reported another eighteen attacks during the night."

"My God," Sam sighed.

"It gets worse," Keller said, leading Sam to a trio of beds. "Dr. Mikhail, Major Kline and Major Dodson were all brought in with deep cuts on their inner thighs." She saw that Sam didn't get the significance, so she added, "Self-inflicted."

Sam blinked. "They were cutting themselves? How long?"

"Mikhail and Dodson, it started very recently. Major Kline, however, had several old scars. I believe she started as a teenager, stopped, and then started again not long ago."

"How long is not long ago?"

Keller said, "Yesterday. All three of them started cutting themselves... yesterday."

Sam closed her eyes and shook her head. "Have we found a link between the incidents?"

"No, ma'am. If it is some kind of weird neurological disease, it could have come from anywhere. It could have come from the mainland, for all we know. Dr. McKay is working on forming a connection."

"Like he doesn't have enough on his plate," Sam said. "Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome, Sam."

Sam hesitated and touched Keller's elbow. "That's not necessary. But..."

Keller smiled and ducked her chin slightly.

Sam walked from the infirmary and went to the elevator. She rubbed her forehead and tried to focus on the problem at hand. People were having strange and drastic mood swings. There had to be some connecting force between them. Maybe they had all served on the same team at some point, maybe they had all examined the same piece of alien technology.

She arrived at the control room without remembering quite how she had gotten there. She walked toward her office but was stopped halfway by a comm call. "Dr. Zelenka to Colonel Carter."

"Carter here," Sam said. She stopped just in case his news would make her turn around and go back. "What have you found, Doctor?"

"I simply wanted to tell you to listen carefully for the next... three seconds."

Sam frowned, and then the air around her seemed to stir. There was a stiff, cool breeze and she felt like she had just dropped into a freezer. Sam closed her eyes and smiled. "Radek, I don't care what Rodney says. You're a genius."

"What does he say?"

Sam could almost see the Czech scientist rising from a stooped position, shock and confusion on his face. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Radek. I'm sure this will calm the tempers that have been flaring lately. Excellent work."

"Thank you, Colonel."

Sam smiled at one of the Gate technicians and went into her office. Hopefully it was a sign things were going to start improving around the base.

~

Olivia's leg jumped as she stared at the far wall of her apartment. All the lights were off, the better to see the stars. She heard Cragen's voice "You need a little time. Take a breather." She felt Melinda's hand on her arm. She had stood in Agent Cooper's apartment for hours. Just staring. Standing until her legs wouldn't support her anymore. Everyone thought she was traumatized by seeing someone she cared about commit suicide. But that wasn't it.

Of course, it was a part of it. She wasn't stone. But the truth was, she was losing control. Her mind was slipping. She had yelled at Munch when he coughed. Too loud, obnoxious, she was sure he didn't have to cough that loudly. She had spent fifteen minutes in the shower that morning weeping, and she didn't know why.

Casey knocked on the apartment door, then Elliot. She didn't answer either of them.

She just wanted to be alone. She wanted to sit in the dark, stare at her reflection in the windowpane and try to convince herself that she wouldn't turn out like Lauren Cooper.

~

The computer screen was lit up with several names - yellow and red - with bright white lines connecting them to each other. McKay angled it so that everyone in the briefing room could see. "Everyone have a good seat?" he asked. "There's no glare or..."

"Rodney," Sam said.

"Right." He cleared his throat and said, "Judging from the point of first outbreak, I have determined where and when the infection most likely began."

"The first outbreak being Ronon," Sheppard said.

McKay held up a finger. "Ah, the first reported symptoms were Ronon's, yes. He said he felt weak and vulnerable when all he really had was a case of the sniffles. But those feelings were magnified to almost paralyzing levels. Just like the anger and depression that other people have been reporting. But we weren't taking into account people who had not yet reported to the infirmary. He just happened to be there when he went..." He glanced at the Satedan and cleared his throat, "...when, uh, when... he understandably overreacted just a teensy bit."

Ronon smirked.

"Who was the first outbreak?" Sam asked.

"Dr. Mikhail," Rodney said. The name lit up on the screen. "Also among the earliest complaints were Dr. Kavanagh, Major Greene and Lieutenant Sikes. They all pinpointed their first emotional outbursts hours before anyone else. So I searched the records and discovered they had all been off-world together for only one mission. Three months ago, they went to M64-771 to obtain... I don't know, rare alien beets or something like that. They found an abandoned Wraith laboratory. They checked it out, found nothing of interest, came home."

"With beets," Sheppard said.

"No, there were no beets," McKay said. "Beets was an example. It could have just as easily been asparagus or..."

"So that was the only mission the three men went on together?" Sam interrupted.

"Mm, yes," McKay said. "I took the liberty to extrapolate later reports... Mikhail had lunch with Tompkins, who sparred with Ronon... Lieutenant Sikes was temporarily loaned out to Major Lorne's team, which..."

Sam suddenly straightened in her chair. "Dr. Kavanagh was infected three months ago? What dates are we talking about here? I need to know exactly."

McKay said, "It's in your report."

Sam flipped open the report and scanned the dates. "Shit," she breathed. She stood up and hurried to the doors. "And everyone who came in contact with one of the people on that mission ended up infected?"

"Well, yes, and people who came in contact with those people and people who..."

Sam was already out of the briefing room, running across the landing to the control room. "Dial Earth!" she said. "Tell them we have a possible quarantine situation."

"What?" Sheppard said. "What quarantine? No one has gone back to Earth since..."

"Since Detective Benson left," McKay said.

"And she interrogated Dr. Kavanagh while she was here," Sam said. "The dates overlap. Olivia is infected."

McKay said, "Oh, this is so very not good..."

Sam ignored him and focused on the Stargate. Olivia being ill was bad enough... but it also meant that Sam herself was definitely infected as well.

~

Elliot met Casey halfway to Olivia's apartment with a cardboard container of Chinese. Casey had two cups of coffee and they smiled to each other. "Care package?" Elliot said.

Casey said, "I'm just hoping to get past the door. Maybe she'll smell this and weaken."

"Tough couple of days," Elliot said as he fell into step next to her.

"Very tough," Casey said. "I'm trying to be there for her, but she keeps shutting me out. She..." Casey frowned and said, "What is that?"

Elliot looked up and saw a white van parked in front of Olivia's apartment. He was about to say it was just someone moving when the front door of the apartment opened and three men in Haz-Mat suits came out. Two of the men were on either side of Olivia, holding her arms, while the other one followed close behind. A mask covered the lower half of Olivia's face and she seemed to be in a daze as they walked her to the back of the van.

"Hey!" Elliot dropped the Chinese and Casey dropped the coffee. They ran through the ensuing wave and Elliot's hand went to his gun.

The men in the suits didn't pay any attention. They climbed into the front of the van, slammed their doors and the tires shrieked in protest as they pulled away from the curb. Elliot had his cell phone out and connected to 911 just as he reached the street. "This is Detective Elliot Stabler, Manhattan SVU, badge number 6-3-1-3, reporting a possible abduction... repeat..."

~

The steady drone of the engines woke her. Olivia was stretched out on a couch, her knees against her chest, and she had been covered by a hard plastic suit. She was wearing a helmet of some sort and breathing filtered air. She sat up with a gasp and looked around, frantic to find out where she was and who had taken her. She saw a large black man across the plane from her, watching her carefully. "You are awake," he said.

"What do you want? You... I know you..."

"Indeed. I am Teal'c, of Samantha Carter's team SG-1. We worked together long ago, I believe."

"Not that long ago," Olivia said. Even though he did look quite a bit older than she remembered. She looked around the plane. "Why am I here? Why am I in this suit?"

Teal'c - who had been introduced to her as Murray - said, "There has been an outbreak of a virus on Atlantis. The outbreak occurred while you were there. The incubation period is quite long, and it was believed you were infected."

"What kind of virus? Is it fatal?"

"Unknown," Teal'c said. "We have taken the liberty of observing those closest to you and they do not appear to have been infected. However, until we have identified the cause of the infection, Colonel Carter believed it best that we isolate you."

Olivia said, "In Atlantis?"

Teal'c looked at her. "No. There would be little point in taking you there. You will be housed at the SGC's infirmary until such time as..."

"I want to go to Atlantis," Olivia said. "When they do find a cure, it'll be best if I'm there, right?"

Teal'c seemed to be looking through her, searching her for the real motive. She pleaded with her eyes as best she could through a thick sheet of plastic, and he finally softened. "Perhaps you are correct. I will consult with Dr. Lam and General Landry on the situation."

Olivia closed her eyes in thanks and sagged against the back of the seat. She was going back to Atlantis. Back to Sam. The dark cloud that had been filling her world the past few weeks suddenly showed signs of a silver lining.

~

Due to the circumstances, they lifted the mandatory two-day waiting period between galaxies. Sam came down the steps to the Gate room just as Olivia came through the event horizon from Midway. They smiled to each other and Sam said, "See? Gets easier every time."

"I'm still a little nauseated," Olivia said. "Is that... could it be part of the illness?"

"There haven't been any physical complaints," Sam said as they started walking. "At least not so far. The only symptoms have been extreme mood swings."

Olivia said, "Well. Then I think I definitely have it."

They were well away from eavesdroppers, but Sam lowered her voice. "Has everything been okay?"

"No," Olivia said. "It hasn't."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Eventually," Olivia said.

Sam clasped her hands behind her back and said, "I, um... I'm sort of seeing someone."

"Me, too," Olivia said.

"It's not serious," they said together.

Olivia smiled.

"I've miss--"

"Colonel Carter."

Sam closed her eyes and touched her earpiece. "Go ahead."

"We have a situation, Colonel."

Sam looked at Olivia and silently invited her along. They went to the nearest elevator and rode to the infirmary. When they arrived, they found Keller's team huddled around a bed. Sam heard the whine of charging defibrillators and Keller called out to clear. When they reached the bed, they saw Captain Rheingold, a member of the German team, lying bare-chested on the bed. Keller zapped him again, his body lifted off the bed and then lay still once more.

Keller shook her head and said, "It's no good. We lost him. Time of death, 13:46." She stepped away from the bed and realized Sam had arrived. "He came in weeping. Five minutes later, he collapsed. We did what we could."

"He wasn't one of the early sufferers," Sam said.

"No," Keller said. "Apparently this disease doesn't kill in a set time frame." She finally looked at Olivia and said, "Detective Benton."

"Benson," Olivia corrected.

Sam said, "Olivia was here during the initial outbreak."

Keller nodded. "You'll need to be checked out. If you'll come this way..."

Olivia looked at Sam, who nodded and said, "You can come find me in my office when you finish." She squeezed Olivia's hand and left the infirmary.

~

Sheppard put his hand up against the stone header of the doorway and ducked inside. He swept his gun to the left and right, using the light attached to make sure they were truly alone.

The door was at the bottom of a stone staircase and led into a narrow hall filled with dust, cobwebs, rubble and random foliage debris. Sheppard's boots crushed ancient, dried leaves as he stepped into the hall. Teyla and McKay followed him, all three breathing heavily through their Darth Vader masks. "All right," Sheppard said. "McKay, check out down there. Teyla and I will..."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Why do I have to go alone?"

"McKay..."

"Well, it's not cowardice, it's just common sense! If I find something and I'm elbow-deep in it trying to find the answer to the mess we're in - once again, I might add! - then I can't really defend myself, can I?"

Sheppard stared at McKay and kept his voice even. "Fine. Teyla. You're with McKay."

"Thank you," McKay said. "I'm just... you know, you're more than capable of..."

"Go, Rodney," Sheppard said. "We'll meet back here in fifteen minutes." He turned and shook his head as he walked down the curving corridor. Most Wraith labs he had been in were more organic than this; built into the side of a mountain, covered with vines and looking like the "This Is Your Body" display at the Science Center than the mad scientist lair he was now exploring.

He swept cobwebs out of his way with his hand and found a wide pentagonal room. There was a waist-high display in the center of the room, fronting a pedestal. He stepped up to the machine, placed his hand on the flat top and blinked up at McKay. He frowned. "I thought I told you to go the other way."

Teyla said, "There was a discharge of energy, and then you cried out."

Sheppard suddenly realized that he was lying on the floor. He looked down at himself, brushed his uniform off and said, "Oh. I touched that pedestal. I guess there was a built-up electrical charge. Help me up, please?"

Teyla and McKay each took a hand and helped him up. "Did you find anything?" he asked McKay.

"Depends on what you mean by 'anything.' I didn't find anything particularly germane to the virus on Atlantis, but I did find a lab with countless samples of..."

Sheppard waited for him to continue. "Of...?"

"Oh. It's just... you usually interrupt me about then. Um. Of local flora and fauna samples. I think whatever Wraith was using this lab was interested in maybe reverse engineering some of the aspects of the local animals for his own use. Say, the camouflage capabilities of a chameleon or the ability to leap tree to tree like a flying squirrel."

"Interesting," Sheppard said. He looked at the pedestal again and said, "I think we should check this place out."

"Really?" McKay said. "Oh. Well, um, we could call for a science team--"

"You're busy working on tracking the Replicator presence in this galaxy," Sheppard said calmly. "Ask Zelenka to take over. And warn him to be careful around that pedestal."

Teyla said, "John, are you sure you're all right?"

Sheppard nodded. "Fine. Come on. Let's keep looking around. I want to give Colonel Carter a full report on this place when we get back." He brushed himself off, making sure he got off all of the cobwebs and garbage that he had landed on. Teyla and McKay exchanged a look and followed him deeper into the building.

~

Olivia and Sam took their lunches from the commissary to Sam's quarters. Olivia set her tray on the desk and moved to the balcony. "Wow. I just realized I never got to see this place last time I was here."

"I noticed," Sam said. "It's why I remedied it as soon as possible this time." She put her hand on Olivia's shoulder and turned her around. "I missed you," she whispered as she pulled Olivia close for a kiss. Olivia slipped her hands inside Sam's open jacket and laced her fingers together in the small of her back.

"Do you know the best thing about what we got for lunch?"

Sam looked at their trays, as if refreshing her memory about what they had gotten; two sandwiches, an apple and an orange respectively, two pudding cups, and a banana for Sam. She said, "No..."

"It doesn't get cold if you don't eat it right away."

Sam smiled and kissed Olivia slowly. They moved to the bed and Sam eased Olivia down onto the mattress. Olivia spread her legs apart and moved her hands down to Sam's ass. Sam knelt and began to work the buttons of Olivia's blouse. When they parted, Olivia reached up and stroked Sam's hair out of her face. "You look good with long hair."

"So did you," Sam said.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "You're alone with that sentiment, I'm afraid."

Sam threaded her fingers through Olivia's hair. "Don't get me wrong, I like this, too. I'll just have to find something else to grab on to later."

They kissed again and Sam finished opening Olivia's blouse. She swept it off Olivia's shoulders and broke the kiss, bowing her head to run her tongue along Olivia's throat and shoulder. She pushed the bra strap out of her way and closed her lips around the tanned flesh. Olivia pushed Sam's jacket off, letting it fall to the ground, and cupped the back of her head as Sam moved down to the swell of Olivia's breast.

Sam ran her tongue along the lace edge of Olivia's bra and then moved lower, finding her nipple through the underwear and circling it slowly with her tongue. She nipped at it with her teeth and cupped the other breast with her hand. Olivia arched her back and dug her fingers into Sam's hair. Sam pressed a kiss to Olivia's cleavage and looked up at her. Olivia leaned back and reached behind her back to undo her bra. Her breasts fell free and Sam lunged. She closed her lips around one bare nipple and pinched the other.

Olivia couldn't wait anymore; she grabbed a handful of Sam's blouse and yanked it up. Sam leaned back and lifted both arms, letting Olivia strip the shirt off. They kissed again as Olivia pushed her hand into Sam's bra. She pinched the nipple between her thumb and forefinger and Sam whimpered into Olivia's mouth. "Yeah... like that..." Sam sighed. She reached down and undid the button of her trousers, pushing them down around her thighs and cupping herself with one hand.

Olivia looked down and said, "Hey, hey... that's my job..."

Sam leaned back and stood, letting her pants fall around her knees. "Well, get to work, then."

Olivia kissed Sam's stomach, then eased her boxer shorts down. She looked down at Sam's trimmed pubic hair and said, "Do you ever wear panties?"

"Special occasions," Sam said. "Dressing up."

"I'm not worth dressing up for?" Olivia said.

Sam cupped Olivia's face and said, "You make me so wet, I don't want to take the time to dress up." They kissed and Olivia slipped her hand between Sam's thighs.

"Mmm," Olivia said. "I guess I do make you wet..."

Sam ran her hands through Olivia's hair and said, "Put your fingers inside of me..."

Olivia closed her eyes and kissed Sam's belly again, trailing her tongue up to find her breasts as she slipped two fingers along Sam's pussy lips. Sam said, "Oh, God, Olivia..." Olivia leaned back and looked down, watching as her fingers slipped easily into Sam. She curled her thumb back and brushed it across Sam's clit.

After a few seconds of gentle thrusting, Sam pushed Olivia's hand away and stepped back. She scrambled to get out of her boots and bra, dumping them on the floor as she pushed Olivia back on the mattress. Olivia had her pants undone and Sam yanked them the rest of the way off. She still wore her panties, but Sam climbed on top of her before she could get them off. They kissed and Sam settled between Olivia's legs. Olivia bent her knees and planted them on either side of the mattress, burying herself against the pillow, smelling Sam's scent all around her.

They kissed as Sam pressed her hips hard against Olivia. Olivia groaned and pressed back hard, rocking against Sam's body as the blonde colonel fucked her. Sam cupped Olivia's breast, breathing hard and pinching the nipple as she thrust against Olivia. They were both making quiet, wanting noises as their bodies moved against each other, but it was Olivia who finally went over the edge. Sam had slipped her hand between their bodies, into Olivia's panties, and touched her clit.

Olivia arched her back, her head against the pillow and her shoulders hovering in the air above the bed as she came. Sam circled her fingers around Olivia's clit and bent to kiss her lips, smothering Olivia's cries of orgasm. Olivia curled her tongue inside Sam's mouth, trying to taste as much of her as possible, and exhaled only when Sam finally pulled back.

They kissed slowly, gently, until Olivia pushed on Sam's shoulder. They rolled until Olivia was on top and Sam reached up, wrapping her hands around her headboard. Olivia perched over her like a predatory cat, eyes ablaze with hunger and lips curled back in an almost-evil smile. "How do you want it?"

Sam reached out with one hand and ran her thumb across Olivia's bottom lip.

Olivia got the message. She slid down Sam's body, kissing whatever she could find, and eased Sam's thighs apart with both hands. She tensed her fingers a few times, giving Sam's tight muscles an impromptu massage before she lowered her head. Sam whimpered as Olivia's mouth touched her pussy lips. She kissed gently, eyes closed, and then opened her mouth and used her tongue to ease them apart.

Olivia ducked her chin and pushed her tongue deeper. Sam twitched underneath her and Olivia tightened her hands on her thighs again. She made slow, gentle strokes and drew lazy lines with the tip of her tongue. She sucked Sam's hard clit, drawing it from the hood with her bottom lip and smiling when Sam cursed above her.

"Ung... 'Livia," Sam gasped.

Olivia closed her eyes and thrust her tongue deeper into Sam's body. Sam cried out and twisted her body, the powerful muscles of her arms tight as she held onto the headboard. Olivia reluctantly pulled out, following the tremors in Sam's legs and thighs. She kissed Sam's hips, her stomach and her breasts before settling on top of her.

Sam kissed the curve of Olivia's eyebrow and feathered her hair with her breath. "Olivia," Sam whispered.

"Yes, Sam?" Olivia said, her head resting on the flat of Sam's chest, hearing the thud of her heartbeat.

Sam thought about the unimaginable distance between New York and Pegasus. Hell, even if she was still based in Colorado it would have been an almost insurmountable distance. She kissed Olivia's forehead again and smothered what she had been about to say. "Nothing. It's not important."

~

Halfway through their lunch, Sam received a call that Sheppard's team was returning. Olivia put down her sandwich and said, "Should I come, too?"

"No, it's all right." Sam bent down and kissed Olivia's lips, which tasted of ham and mustard, and squeezed her shoulder through her robe. "You can take a shower if you'd like."

"Okay. I've never used an alien shower before."

"Don't expect too much. Only so many ways to make water fall out of the ceiling." She smiled and then bit her lip. "Although... use the massage feature."

"Oh, really?" Olivia said.

"God, yes. You may not need me anymore," Sam said. She smiled and cupped the back of Olivia's neck to kiss her again, long and hard. She straightened and picked up her jacket off the floor. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Olivia nodded and watched Sam leave. She looked back at her lunch, then stood and went to the balcony. It was strange; similar to looking out of Casey's window. Only this view was much more beautiful. The sun glinted off the water and from the glass towers. No pollution, no screaming of tires or car horns. No one on the ground below dying by degrees from their poison of choice. She inhaled the fresh, clean, alien air and held it in her lungs as long as she could before exhaling.

She wondered if the Air Force would consider renting some of the towers out for summer getaways.

~

"What did you find?" Sam asked as she came down the stairs to the Gate Room.

Teyla eyed her curiously, but McKay and Sheppard didn't seem to notice anything wrong. Sheppard said, "It was a great big stone castle. Mad scientist territory."

"Stone?" Sam said. "That's peculiar. Have the Wraith ever used anything other than their organic designs?"

McKay said, "Not that we've seen, but who knows. Maybe they managed to evolve into interior decorators when they woke up this time."

"We didn't find anything to explain the outbreak," Sheppard said, ignoring McKay's comment entirely. "There was a bizarre pedestal that knocked me out for a second when I touched it, but..."

"Get checked out," Sam said. "I don't want to take any chances."

"Yes, ma'am," Sheppard said. He and McKay headed off to their respective destinations.

Teyla gestured for Sam to lead the way and they headed up the stairs. "Are you all right, Colonel Carter?"

Sam glanced at her. "Yes. Why?"

"It seems..." She examined Sam closely once again and then smiled. "Oh. I apologize."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Sam put a hand on Teyla's arm. "What?"

"Your skin appears to be flush, and your hair is a bit mussed." Sam put a hand to her hair without thinking about it. She thought she had done an okay job putting it up after she and Olivia had finally gotten out of bed. "I believed you might have been under the influence of the virus that is spreading through the base, but now I see that it was from a more... enjoyable endeavor."

Sam blushed deep crimson. "You can tell when someone has had..."

"Not always," Teyla said quickly. "However, there are occasionally signs..."

Sam cleared her throat and said, "Just between us."

"Of course," Teyla said. "I did not say anything the last time you accompanied Detective Benson to Midway Station." Sam's eyes widened. "You spent four days in a voluntary quarantine," Teyla explained. "It does not take an illiiat carver to figure it out."

"Illiiat carver," Sam said. "Is that anything like a rocket scientist?"

"I believe so," Teyla said. She touched Sam's arm and said, "I am just happy you have found someone. We all have... secrets we would rather not become common knowledge. Yours is safe with me."

"Thank you, Teyla." She turned to walk away and realized Teyla remained where she was, looking out the window. "Teyla? Was there something else?"

"I am not sure," she sighed. "After the incident where Colonel Sheppard was knocked unconscious, he seemed... reasonable."

"That's a bad thing?" Sam said.

Teyla shrugged. "He ignored several comments by Dr. McKay. He seemed remarkably casual about things that would usually, at the very least, cause a smart remark."

"Maybe he's just having an off day," Sam suggested.

"Perhaps. I know that the virus causes extreme emotional outbursts, but..."

Sam nodded. "It could also have the opposite effect. I'll contact Dr. Keller and make sure she gives him the full works."

~

Keller rang the chime and then swept her hand over the pad without waiting for a reply. She wanted to surprise Sam, to show her how good they could be together. Her plan was to light a few candles, redress Sam's bed with silk sheets and show her what it could be like. She stepped into the room and hesitated when she saw the New York detective standing next to the bed. She was wearing her trousers and bra, but her shirt was still crumpled on the floor.

"Oh," Keller said.

Detective Benson said, "Oh, Dr. Keller. Colonel Carter is letting me borrow her room until..."

"Yeah," Keller said. It wasn't hard to tell what was going on; the room reeked of sex. She toyed with the edge of the silk sheet and said, "I understand. No, it's okay. I'll... I'll just leave you alone to finish... getting dressed. I'm sorry I disturbed you." She turned on her heel and fled from the room.

She held her emotions in check until she got to the infirmary. Sheppard was waiting for her when she rounded the corner. "Dr. Keller," he said. "I was knocked out off-world, some kind of strange alien pedestal. Colonel Carter told me to get it checked out."

At the mention of Sam's name, Keller sobbed. She brought a hand up to her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut as big, fat teardrops rolled down her face.

Sheppard looked at her for a moment and then turned to look around for help. "Can I get a hand out here?" he asked. He reached out and squeezed Keller's arm as he waited for someone to show up to help.

~

McKay's hair stood up from repeatedly raking his fingers through it. He jabbed his finger against the screen and growled when it didn't load fast enough. "Come on. Come on."

The Wraith half-turned and said, in his deep hiss of a voice, "Perhaps it is time for a break."

"Perhaps you need a break, did you ever think of that?"

The Wraith faced McKay fully. "Yes. A meal break would be... perfection. Are you volunteering, Dr. McKay?"

McKay's eyes widened and he said, "No, of course not. Get back to your side of the lab." The Wraith smirked and inhaled sharply through his nose. McKay got the sense that he had just been sniffed like a freshly-baked pie sitting on a windowsill. He turned his back to the Wraith and hunched over his tablet again. "Come on, work, you piece of crap..."

~

It was late when Sam got back to her quarters. There was a note on the table where she and Olivia had shared lunch. "Sam. Went exploring. I'll try to be back at 11. Olivia."

Sam smiled and put the note back on the table. She reached back and loosened her ponytail, letting it fall around her shoulders before she ruffled it. The day had been hectic, following reports of emotional outbursts from one corner of the city to the other. Scientists were coming to blows about experiment results, a security officer had nearly opening fire on someone for looking at him wrong, Keller breaking into tears in the infirmary... the base was turning into hormone central. Sam was just lucky Sheppard seemed immune to the entire thing.

She had her shirt half-unbuttoned when the door chimed. She smiled and held the shirt closed with one hand as she went to answer it. "Did you find anything--"

Keller pressed the gun against Sam's throat with one hand, pushing her into the room. Her eyes were red from crying, her chin quaking as she followed Sam into the room.

"--interesting." Sam finished.

~

Sheppard stopped short when Ronon appeared in front of him. "Hey, Ronon. Everything okay?"

Ronon nodded and sniffled. "Yeah. I'm... I'm good. I was just thinking. You know. About that movie you made me watch last year. Brian's Song. Those guys, man. Those guys only had each other. And I was thinking about it. That's like you and me. You know? I got your back, man. And you got mine. I love you, man." He grabbed Sheppard and pulled him into a rough hug.

Sheppard exhaled sharply as Ronon squeezed the air out of him. Finally, he brought his hand up and patted Ronon on the back. "Right. You and me."

Ronon released him and wiped at his eyes. "Sorry. I just... I've been thinking about it a lot lately."

"Sounds like it."

Ronon nodded and stepped out of Sheppard's way. Sheppard gave him a wide berth and continued down the corridor.

~

Keller held the gun against Sam's chest, over her heart, and wiped her eyes with her free hand. "How could you do that to me? How could you just use me like that?"

"Jennifer," Sam said quietly. "We both knew it was a one-time thing. We talked about it. Remember?"

"You talked about it! You did! I just agreed because I didn't want you to think I was a psycho stalker or something. I thought I could convince you to change your mind."

Sam looked down at the gun. "Jennifer, we can talk about this. Just put the gun down..."

"No! She doesn't deserve you! She shouldn't even be here! What are you going to do when she leaves? It's not fair! I love you, Sam! I'm here. Why don't you see that? Why won't you love me like I love you?" She stepped forward and grabbed the back of Sam's head. Sam protested as Keller kissed her roughly, forcing her tongue into Sam's mouth.

Suddenly, the weight of the gun was off her chest. Sam gasped and looked down to see that Olivia had tackled Keller and had freed the gun from her grasp. She had Keller's arms pinned behind her back and looked up at Sam. "I cut my wanderings short," she said.

"Thank you," Sam said. "Take her..." Where? To the brig? To an isolated medical room? Keller was their chief of medicine. If they locked her up, their chances of finding a cure for the disease dropped dramatically. Sam rubbed her face and said, "Let her go."

"Are you sure?"

Sam nodded and Olivia released Keller's arms. Keller got up, her face streaked with tears. She glared at Sam and said, "I hate you. Go to hell."

Sam closed her eyes as Keller stormed past her. The doors swished closed and Sam bent to pick up the gun Keller had dropped. She touched her earwig and said, "Major Lorne..."

"Who is it this time?" Lorne asked, sounding more than a little perturbed.

Under the circumstances, insubordination could be tolerated. "Dr. Keller. She just threatened me with a gun."

"We're on it."

"Thank you, Evan," Sam said. She unhooked the earpiece and dropped it on the table next to the gun. Finally, she looked up into Olivia's eyes.

"I guess it was serious. The person you were seeing."

"For one of us," Sam said. "Apparently so."

Olivia looked down at Sam's unbuttoned shirt. "Are you all right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I did that myself. All she did was kiss me."

"Not just that," Olivia said. "I heard a little of what she said through the door. Her emotions may be running rampant right now, but she does have a point. She cares a lot about you. When this is all said and done, she'll be back to normal and I'll be back in New York."

"You don't have to be," Sam said.

"I'm a cop, Sam. There's nothing for me to do here."

Sam said, "We always have a need for security. As you just saw for yourself." She closed the distance between them and touched Olivia's cheek. "You don't have to answer now. When all this insanity is said and done, I want you to consider it. You'd be an asset here. The Air Force would be lucky to have someone of your skill here. And I would love having you here."

"The Air Force would be okay with you requesting they give your lover a job?"

"They don't have to know."

"They'll probably suspect," Olivia said.

Sam lowered her head. "It wouldn't take an illiiat carver to figure it out."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Olivia laced her fingers together behind Sam's head and pressed their foreheads together. "You could come to New York. Be a civilian for once in your life."

Sam closed her eyes. "I was given command of the most important outpost in two galaxies less than a year ago. If I walked out now, that might be grounds for a dishonorable discharge."

Olivia smiled.

"Besides. I don't know if I can stand to be a civilian. Knowing everything that's out here..."

"I know how you feel. Since I came here last time, it was all I could think about. The stars, other planets and galaxies... It scares me and thrills me at the same time. You know?"

"I know," Sam said softly.

"So what can we do? Send an email every month or so? Send pictures?"

Sam shook her head and kissed Olivia's lips, her cheek and her neck. Olivia buried her face in Sam's neck and they embraced. Sam whispered, "I tried so hard not to fall in love with you."

"Then we're both failures," Olivia said.

Sam pulled back and kissed Olivia's tears away. Then she kissed her lips and softened her grip on Olivia's shoulders. Olivia moved her hands between their bodies, finding the last few buttons of Sam's blouse and undoing them slowly. She pushed Sam's shirt off, draped it across the chair and took Sam's hand. They walked to the bed and Sam laid down, drawing Olivia to her. Olivia rested on top of Sam and they kissed, eyes closed and hands exploring.

Olivia sat up to take off her blouse and bra, and Sam unhooked her own bra. Olivia put her head on Sam's chest to listen to her heart again. "Those who fight monsters should make damn sure they don't become one."

"What?" Sam said softly, her fingers smoothing Olivia's hair away from her temples.

"It was... someone's last words. She killed herself." Her tears slipped free and landed on Sam's chest. "I watched her shoot herself in the head. Five feet away from me."

"You're not a monster, Liv," Sam whispered. "You stop the monsters."

"How many times can I do it? Save a raped woman from some hideous torture machine, or watch the ME examine the body of a raped five-year-old girl? This virus just makes our emotions stronger, it doesn't create them. I am this angry. I do feel this helpless sometimes. And sometimes I worry that I'm heading for that edge, and the ground is falling away beneath my feet. It scares me, Sam. What I might be becoming."

Sam kissed the top of Olivia's head and said, "Look at me." Olivia lifted her head and Sam kissed her lips. Sam moved her lips to Olivia's ear and whispered, "You'll always have a safe harbor here."

Olivia closed her eyes and sobbed. She pulled back and kissed Sam's lips. "Make love to me, please?"

Sam brushed away Olivia's tears and slowly undressed her. Olivia did the same for Sam and they pressed against each other without urgency. Olivia kept her eyes open as she touched Sam, their arms crossed as Sam returned the favor, slowly fingering Olivia. They kissed and Olivia sighed through her orgasm. "Sam," she whispered.

"I love you, Olivia," Sam said. The words finally out, she wrapped her free arm around Olivia's waist and came against her fingers.

Olivia kissed Sam's lips and finally closed her eyes. She wrapped herself in the warmth of Sam's body and fell asleep as she felt Sam draw the blankets up over her.

~

Teyla hesitated, then lowered herself into the seat across from Sheppard. "Hello, John. How are you today?"

"Fine," he said as he munched on an apple slice. He looked around the commissary and said, "I'm glad Colonel Carter suspended normal Stargate operations."

"I agree. It would be unwise to spread... whatever this is... to our allies."

"Right," he said. "But I meant it wouldn't be wise to have us out there in the thick of things with our emotions on our sleeves."

Teyla watched him carefully. "True. However, you wouldn't have that problem, would you?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sick."

"No. No, you're not. John... I was talking with Rodney earlier and he said the most bizarre thing. He claimed Canadian football was superior to its American counterpart."

Sheppard shrugged. "The argument has its merits."

"He also claims that Johnny Cash was a hack musician who stole everything he did from... blues musicians?"

Sheppard picked up another apple slice. "Influence can come from anywhere."

Teyla leaned back in her chair. "Really."

"Although the 'hack' comment seems like a blatant attempt to raise my ire. I don't appreciate it, but Rodney is certainly entitled to his opinion."

"Ah. Interesting theory, John."

He nodded and gestured at his tray. "I'm going to bed. Would you like the pudding?"

"That is all right."

"Sure? It's just going to go in the trash."

She took the pudding and said, "Very well. Thank you, John."

"My pleasure."

Teyla watched him walk across the commissary and nervous tapped her finger against the foil top of the pudding.

~

Sam woke when Olivia shifted, and she realized her earpiece was chiming. She eased herself away from Olivia, kissed her shoulder and walked naked across the room. She hooked the earpiece on and softly said, "Colonel Carter."

"I apologize," Teyla said. "I woke you."

"It's all right," Sam assured her. She started gathering her clothes. "What's up?"

"I'm concerned about Colonel Sheppard. In the commissary, I attempted to anger him with several loaded comments about American football and Johnny Cash. He did not show the slightest trace of anger."

Sam frowned and zipped her trousers. "That's odd."

"It seems to have started at the moment he encountered the device on M64-771. I believe he is affected, but suffering the exact opposite effect as everyone else."

"It's an interesting theory," Sam said. "Where are you? I'll contact Sheppard and Dr. Keller and meet you there."

"I am currently on my way to your office in Stargate operations."

"Good. We'll meet there in twenty minutes." She disconnected the earpiece and turned to see Olivia watching her. "Hi. There's..."

Olivia said, "I heard. It's okay. Usually it's me running out in the middle of the night."

Sam bent down and kissed Olivia's lips. "I'll try not to be too long."

Olivia hooked her hand in Sam's blouse. "I heard you mention calling Dr. Keller. Will you be all right?"

Sam nodded. "It'll be fine. Go back to sleep."

"Okay. Be safe."

Sam stopped at the door and turned back to watch Olivia pull the blankets up. After the hurt of Janet's death, she thought she would be happy to be alone. But a warm body waiting in her bed was definitely something she could get used to again. She forced herself to turn away and left the room, touching her earpiece to call Sheppard.

~

"Sorry to wake you, John," she said as she entered her office.

Sheppard shrugged. "You wouldn't have if it weren't important."

Sam glanced at Teyla as she sat. "Right. Well, I just wanted to talk about the incident off-world. It seems to me you showed an egregious lack of safety when you touched the artifact. You could have endangered your entire team. So, as of this moment, you are busted back down to the rank of Captain."

"If you think that's the best course of action."

Keller walked in, flanked by her security team, and glared at Sam. "What." Her eyes were red-rimmed.

Sam shifted in her seat and gestured at Sheppard. "The Colonel needs to be isolated."

"Why don't you just have him followed? Like you did with me."

Sam slumped her shoulders. "Jennifer, don't..."

"Don't what? Make a scene? You fuck me and then throw me away like last week's garbage." Sheppard did look interested at that, proving he hadn't been replaced by a robot. "Why should I do anything you say?"

"Because I'm your commanding officer and this is a goddamn order. Am I making myself clear, Dr. Keller?"

Keller looked away.

"And if you ever bring up my personal life in a public setting again, I will have you sent back to Earth where you will be assigned to the coldest, loneliest outpost imaginable. I've done it before. Just ask McKay. Am I clear, Dr. Keller?"

Keller pursed her lips.

"Am I clear, Dr. Keller."

"Crystal."

"Then take Colonel Sheppard to an isolation room immediately."

Keller turned to Sheppard, who stood and faced Carter. "So I'm not busted back to Captain?"

"No," Sam said. "I think you're infected by a different strain of the virus that's taken over this base. Unlike everyone else, you aren't showing any emotions whatsoever."

Sheppard looked down and nodded. "Huh. I hadn't noticed."

Sam stood and watched Keller walk out with Sheppard. She looked at Teyla and said, "Wake up McKay and Zelenka. Go back to M64-771 and check out the pedestal Colonel Sheppard touched."

Teyla nodded and left the office. Sam dropped into her chair and rubbed her forehead. So much for being fine.

~

Zelenka pushed his glasses up and looked at Teyla, then looked across the room at McKay. To Teyla, he asked, "He, um... looked at this, yes?"

"Briefly," Teyla said.

Zelenka grinned and muttered something in Czech. It was still daylight on the planet, so weak light was filtering into the room from slits high in the stone wall. Zelenka had the pedestal open and had just finished examining the interior. "Oh, Rodney," he called in a sing-song voice.

"Yes, what?" McKay said. He was at the wall, searching for a hidden compartment that could house a power supply.

"This device is not Wraith design."

McKay turned. "What? No, of course it is. Mikhail checked it out."

Zelenka scoffed. "Well, if Miss-Nothing Mikhail checked it out..."

"What did you find?" McKay asked, sounding more exasperated than usual. Slightly more, anyway. He walked over and crouched next to the machine. "Oh..."

"What is it?" Teyla said.

McKay looked at the pedestal again, as if it had changed in the past three seconds. "It's Ancient. This place was designed by the Ancients."

Teyla scanned the room. "It does not appear..."

"No, no, they must have been hiding it or something... no, but the interior is definitely Ancient. Which I would have caught if I had taken the time to open it and..."

"Sure you would have, Rodney," Zelenka said.

McKay glared at him. "I've also been suffering from a disease and trying to work with a Wraith to ensure we don't get obliterated by the Replicators..."

"Sure, sure," Zelenka said. He patted Rodney's arm. "We all have dry spells occasionally."

"Yes, you call yours the twenty-first century."

"There is no need to be snippy..."

"Gentlemen!" Teyla snapped. They quieted. "Can the effects of the machine be reversed?"

McKay and Zelenka looked at each other, then looked into the machine. "Sure. I mean... why make a machine that's effects couldn't be reversed?"

"Then perhaps your time would be better spent attempting to discover how to achieve that."

McKay and Zelenka both said, "Right," and went to work.

~

Sam stood at the door of the commissary, watching as McKay and the SFs moved through the room. They would occasionally pat someone on the shoulder, shake a hand or just brush by somebody. Dr. Keller walked up and said, "The cure is being spread as we speak. I can't tell you how easy it is to cure a disease just by touching them."

"I've seen it before, with Ancient technology. I'm just glad they were consistent in their cures."

Keller nodded and looked down at her feet. "Colonel..."

"You don't have to say it."

"I should be court-martialed. Or... the civilian equivalent. It could cause problems for you if..."

Sam said, "No. Teyla and Sheppard are being discreet. The SFs know not to say anything. Don't ask, don't tell and all that. I'm more concerned about you."

Keller shook her head. "The night we spent together was great, don't get me wrong. But I never saw it as anything other than what it was. There may have been some lingering feelings that the virus brought to the forefront, but don't worry. I'm happy with seeing it for what it was."

Sam nodded. "Thank you. I am sorry, though, Jennifer. You deserve someone..."

"Right. And so do you. I saw you with Detective Benson." She smiled. "I can't compete with that."

Sam ducked her chin and said, "We're not doing a very good job hiding it, are we?"

"I doubt anyone out here cares. Major Lorne being gay is pretty widely known. No one cares. Out here on the edge of reality, you take what you can get."

Sam nodded. "I hope you find someone, Jennifer, I really do."

Keller said, "Me too."

Sam said, "There's one thing you said that didn't make much sense to me. You said that Olivia shouldn't even be here."

"Oh." Keller looked ashamed. "I took a sample of her blood when she first arrived on the base. I never told you the results because I was jealous of how much time you were spending with her. Olivia was never infected with the virus."

"Are you sure?"

Keller nodded. "I reran the test once I was myself again. She's totally clear."

Sam thought back to Olivia's comments, about her depression and quick temper. Then she thought about the suicide Olivia had seen. Apparently it had affected her more than she thought. "Thank you, Jennifer."

"Of course, after spending all this time on the base, there's a chance she could have picked up the illness while she was here. I'll leave it to you to administer the cure. You know you just have to touch her once, right?"

"Skin to skin," Sam nodded. She raised an eyebrow and added, "Any skin will work, right?"

Keller laughed, "I'll be in the infirmary if you need any help."

"You mean like a threesome?"

"Good-bye, Colonel Carter," Keller said.

Sam watched her go with a smile and turned back as McKay walked over to her. "Everyone in the room has been touched... a comment which makes my skin crawl just thinking about it... but the cure is spreading as we speak."

"Excellent. Thank you, Rodney. Have you and Zelenka been able to figure out why the Ancients had an... emoter?"

"That's what we're calling it?" Sam shrugged. McKay sighed. "Well, I don't know how many Ancients you've met... I mean, I know that one lived in your house for a while and you guys kind of had a..."

"Rodney."

He pressed his lips together. "Yes, well, we've met more than a few here in Pegasus. Their one identifying trait is that they aren't exactly the most emotive people you've ever met. Kind of sticks in the mud."

Sam thought back to her experience and raised an eyebrow. "Kind of wooden."

"Yes. Well. The, ah, pedestal that Colonel Sheppard activated was a way for them to remove their worse emotions. Anger, hatred, disappointment... they were getting their asses kicked by the Wraith, they had the Replicator experiment blowing up in their faces... they needed a way to step back and be objective in their fight."

"So why did it backfire?"

"Have you ever seen Serenity? Joss Whedon movie? Based on a..." Sam stared at him. "No? Well, suffice to say, you can't completely eradicate human emotion. Can't be done. There's an opposite end of the scale; pure, unadulterated rage. The actual experiment created more of a muddy, middle ground. The Ancients who were trying to remove their emotions ended up with wildly fluctuating emotions. That's what happened here. Except to Colonel Sheppard, who has the Ancient gene. It worked correctly on him."

"Right. Well, thank you, Rodney. I'm sure you've got a lot of work to do yet..."

"Yeah," her groaned. He rubbed his hand and grimaced. "I have to go cover the botany labs now. And I have to find some disinfecting hand lotion." He grumbled and stalked out of the commissary.

Sam looked down at her right hand. Zelenka had come through the Gate with his hand extended, shaken her hand and proclaimed her cured. Since then, she had imagined she could feel the hand tingling, as if it actually did have some kind of magical curing properties. She sucked her bottom lip and decided Olivia had waited long enough for a cure. And for as long as she had been infected, she would have to touch her quite a few times. Maybe over the course of several hours.

She left the commissary; she had a lot of healing to do.

~

Olivia's hair was still wet from the shower. Sam had assured her the skin-to-skin cure wouldn't be washed off in the water. After being healed - several times, in several interesting places - they had talked about Lauren Cooper. Sam had convinced Olivia that she wasn't becoming a monster, that she cared for the victims but didn't martyr herself for the cause. By the end of their whispered conversation, Olivia had felt a weight lift from her.

After Sam had fallen asleep, Olivia sat on the edge of her bed in borrowed BDUs and turned to look at the sleeping Colonel. Sam was sleeping peacefully, her eyes moving quickly under the lids. Her lips were slightly parted, her hair spread out across the pillow like a 'sleepy golden storm,' as the song said.

Olivia bent down and lightly kissed Sam's eyebrow. Sam murmured in her sleep and rolled over, but did not wake. Olivia stroked Sam's long, blonde hair, no longer reminiscent of Alex, and whispered, "I love you, too, Sam." She blinked the tears from her eyes, picked up the small duffel bag with her 'Earth' clothes, and left the room.

~

A few hours later, Sam entered Stargate operations. "Chuck. Was there a traveler to Midway Station last night?"

He checked the log. "Yes, ma'am. Detective Benson left at 0115. Should I contact the station?"

Sam hesitated and said, "Is she there alone?"

"No, ma'am. A botanist from Dr. Brown's team went with her."

"Then no. No, that's fine." She turned and went into the office. She could see the Stargate one floor below, lit up from behind with the early morning light. She touched the glass of her office window and said, "Good-bye, Olivia."

~

Olivia had to deal with countless phone calls and well-wishers and had to explain her cover story a thousand times. She had been ill, the Centers for Disease Control had identified a strain of influenza on the flight she had taken to Colorado Springs three months earlier. They had taken her away without warning because time was of the essence and they couldn't risk further infection. When asked how she had been healed, Olivia pictured the actual process and smiled. The laying on of hands, she thought sadly. She explained that her mood swings and personality changes had been from discomfort and nausea. Easier than explaining the true cause.

When everyone had been assured she was okay, and that she wasn't ill and would be back at work Monday, she was finally left alone.

She undressed down to her underwear, put on sweats and looked out her apartment window. She walked to her desk and opened her laptop. She stared at the screen, chewed her thumbnail and re-read what she had written. "And so it is with the utmost regret that I am tendering my resignation to the New York City Police Department."

The squad room was full... Casey, Munch, Fin, Stabler, Chester, Huang, Cragen... she wasn't leaving them understaffed. She was a good detective, but the city was full of them. She had worked in Special Victims for almost a decade. Ten years of her life hunting down rapists and child molesters and serial killers. How many mutilated babies had she seen? How many little girls with dead eyes? And how many more could she see before it drove her insane?

She printed the letter out and looked at the blank space under her name. She picked up a pen. Uncapped it. Looked at the blank space. She capped the pen and laid it across the letter.

Olivia walked barefoot out of the room and looked out the window at New York. Her town. But for how much longer?

The letter could wait for the signature. At least until she was absolutely sure.

Until then, she would just have to hope Sam would wait for her.

end