Archive of Our Own

Jim had a tendency to loiter in the gate room when he knew SG-1 was due back, and people generally let him be. Part of that was probably because he occasionally managed to kick Teal’c’s ass when they sparred, but Jim knew there was also a pool on when he and Sam would take their relationship to the next level.

So, waiting for Sam both helped stifle any rumors that their relationship was on the rocks, while fueling the speculation as to when they’d finally move in together. Inherent in the question was when Jim would make Blair move out.

Thankfully, as Jim’s abilities became more widely known around the SGC, people started chalking up their inexplicable choices as “weird Sentinel shit.” Eventually, people would think nothing of their eccentricities, and they’d fade into the background.

At least, that was Jim’s current game plan.

The gate whooshed to life, and Jim froze when he saw Jacob Carter following SG-1. “Ah, hell,” he muttered.

Jim had managed to avoid meeting Sam’s dad so far, mostly because he’d been off-world every time Jacob Carter had visited.

It looked like his luck had run out.

Jim thought about ducking out, but that would be cowardly, and someone would probably mention it to Sam, and then that would get around the base.

Being at the SGC was like living in a fishbowl.

He decided to play it cool, tucking his hands in the pockets of his uniform, and rocking back on heels to wait for Sam to notice him.

Sam was talking with O’Neill and her father, with Teal’c and Jonas Quinn watching. Teal’c’s silence was natural, but Jim knew Jonas felt like he was on the outside looking in. Jim had overheard enough conversations between Jonas and Blair to that effect.

Hell, Jim would feel that way, too, but he had Blair and his own team, and plenty of people accused them of being insular. SG-1 was twice as bad.

Sam’s face lit up when she spotted him, and Jim grinned back in spite of his shitty, shitty day. “Jim, hey! I thought you were going to be off-world!”

“I was,” Jim replied. “Just got back a little while ago with enough time for post-op medical and a shower. How’d things go?”

“About as well as we’d hoped,” Sam replied, and hugged him tightly. “How bad?” she whispered.

Jim shook his head, knowing that Sam would get the message.

He should have been able to save three people; he’d brought back three bodies.

“Do you need me?” Sam asked in a whisper. “I can ditch those losers and stop by your place.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jim said. “You should spend time with your dad.”

“Speaking of…” Sam pulled back and raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Jim shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”

“Hey, Dad, this is Major Jim Ellison,” Sam said. “Jim, my dad, Jacob Carter.”

“Pleasure to meet you, General Carter,” Jim said formally.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Well, Sam, I’ll give you this much. He’s a handsome devil.”

Jim had faced his share of protective fathers, and he was unfazed. Getting tortured a lot really put things in perspective; meeting the parents was a piece of cake.

“Thank you, sir,” Jim replied evenly. 

“I hope you’re joining us for dinner tonight,” Jacob said. “You didn’t have any other plans, did you?”

“Dad,” Sam began. “Jim just came back from a mission. I’m sure he doesn’t want to be grilled by you.”

“Who said I was going to grill him?” Jacob asked.

Jim shrugged. “It’s fine. If you want me there, I’m there, Sam.”

“If you’re not doing anything else,” Sam said.

“Just let me get changed and let Blair know,” Jim replied. “Should I meet you somewhere?”

“How about by the elevators?” Sam suggested.

O’Neill clapped Jim on the shoulder. “Good luck, Ellison. I think I’m going to head home.”

“You’re abandoning me, sir?” Ellison asked.

“In a heartbeat,” O’Neill replied with a wicked grin. And then he walked off with Teal’c and Jonas in tow, and Jim resigned himself to his fate.

“See you in a few,” he said, and headed off to let Blair know he was going out.

He found Blair in the office that they shared with the rest of SGSR, working on the profiles he’d been building over the last several months. A bad mission like the one they just had sent Blair into research-mode, whereas Jim tended to blow off steam with Teal’c in the gym.

He’d have to meet up with Teal’c tomorrow.

“Hey,” Blair said absently. “Give me a little longer, okay? I think I might have something.”

“If you don’t need me, I’m going out to dinner with Sam and her dad,” Jim replied.

Blair’s head came up. “Sam’s dad? Are you finally meeting the parents?”

“Parent, singular,” Jim said, “and I get the feeling he’s not all that impressed with me.”

“Does he know?” Blair asked.

Jim hitched a shoulder. “As far as I know, no. The Tok’ra might be our allies, but no one wants it getting out that the SGC has a super soldier just in case they decide they need a new host.”

“So, to Sam’s dad you’re just a soldier-turned cop-turned soldier again who rescues people for a living?”

Jim sighed. “Not that the senses would necessarily help me out with him, but yes, essentially.”

“Who hasn’t made an honest woman out of her yet,” Blair pointed out with a smirk.

Jim grimaced. “And I’m sure that’s going to come up at dinner.”

“Are you okay?” Blair asked. “After today—”

“Today was shitty,” Jim agreed. “So, dealing with Sam’s dad on a shitty day means I get it over with, and I don’t ruin what might otherwise be a good day.”

“A valid choice,” Blair agreed. “Are you going to catch a ride, or should I wait for you?”

“If you don’t mind waiting, I doubt I’ll be out too late,” Jim said.

“Well, we’ve got the next couple of days off,” Blair said philosophically. “So, even if you are late, we can always sleep in tomorrow.”

Jim glared at him. “Don’t jinx us.”

“I thought you weren’t superstitious!” Blair called after him as Jim left the office.

Jim paused by the doorway. “Yeah, well, I used to not believe in ghosts, either.”

He kept several changes of clothes at the SGC, including slacks and a dress shirt, and he pulled them on, knowing that the blue shirt was particularly flattering. He doubted Sam’s dad would care, but Sam would appreciate it.

Jim knew he was still leaner than he’d been, and Dr. Frasier said his metabolism was such that he probably wouldn’t have to watch his weight any time soon. It was maybe the one good thing to come out of his experience, although he wouldn’t recommend it as a diet.

His effort was rewarded when he saw Sam’s appreciative gaze, and she smiled at him. 

“You look great,” Jim said, giving her a quick kiss.

“So do you,” Sam replied. “Dad’s talking to General Hammond right now, but he should be here shortly.”

Jim raised an eyebrow. “How much should I be dreading tonight?”

“Well, considering how few opportunities he’s had to intimidate my boyfriends,” Sam began, “not that much. I’ve already warned him to behave himself.” She squeezed his hand. “Are you sure you want to do this? I got the short story from Janet.”

Jim sighed. “It’s fine. Teal’c can beat me up some other time.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam offered.

“We all have rough missions on occasion,” Jim said. “It’s just a part of the job.”

~~~~~

Sam had extended the dinner invitation to Jim impulsively, not really thinking about the fact that Jim had returned early from his mission. Jim and his team had racked up an impressive number of successes, and they had nearly perfected the art of estimating the amount of time a mission would take.

That meant getting home early almost always meant something went wrong. And when something went wrong for Jim’s team, it went really wrong.

Jim seemed game, though, and he was at his most charming through dinner. Times like this, Sam remembered that he’d grown up wealthy and privileged, trained from an early age to be able to talk to just about anyone.

Her dad seemed to warm up to him by the time their entrees were served, asking questions about SGSR and his background as a Ranger, none of which was a secret. Her dad didn’t know about Jim’s senses, though, and Sam had agreed to keep it quiet.

Of course, when Jim excused himself to use the bathroom, that meant she had no way of shushing her dad when he started asking about marriage and kids.

“Is he scared of commitment?” her dad asked as soon as he assumed Jim was out of earshot. “Because he clearly thinks the world of you, and you’ve never introduced me to one of your boyfriends before.”

Sam knew Jim could hear him. “Dad, this really isn’t the time to talk about this.”

“He’s not here,” her dad said.

Sam sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“How?” he asked. “You like him, he likes you, you have compatible careers. I don’t see what the holdup is.”

Sam glared at him. “The ‘holdup’ is actually none of your business. We’re happy with what we have right now.”

And that was the thing—she and Jim were in a good place. After Daniel’s death, when she hadn’t wanted to go home and Jim and Blair had been gracious enough to let her stay there, they’d discovered that Blair’s presence in the house smoothed over the rough edges.

Most of the time, Jim could relax enough to really let go, and he rarely zoned. Blair was a good friend, and Blair included Sam when it was his turn to make breakfast. Maybe it was a little awkward, but by silent accord, they didn’t talk about it. 

And they didn’t talk about it because Jim couldn’t live apart from Blair, and they both knew that, and the logistics stumped both of them.

“What about children?” her dad asked. “You’ve always wanted them.”

Sam frowned. “I’m very happy with how my life is right now.”

Jim walked up to the table, raising an eyebrow in what was probably a conscious imitation of Teal’c’s expression when he was perplexed by strange human behaviors. Sam bit back a smile. “Am I interrupting anything?” Jim asked.

“Not at all,” Jacob replied.

Sam reached for Jim’s hand under the table. “Dad was being intrusive.”

“I think that’s what fathers are supposed to do,” Jim countered with a smile.

Jacob shrugged. “I’ll stop with the third degree. Jim, I would like your take on something, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Jim replied gamely.

“We had a situation recently with a couple of Tok’ra who went missing, and since your specialty is search and rescue, I’d like to know if there’s something we could have done differently,” he said.

Jim winced but replied, “Of course. I’d be happy to look over the scenario and offer my advice. If you don’t mind, though, I’d like to pull my team in on it.”

“Of course,” her dad replied immediately. “It can wait until the next time I’m in town.”

“I appreciate that, sir,” Jim replied. “I’ll give it my full attention.”

“It’s appreciated, Major.” Jacob motioned to the waiter.

Jim neatly intercepted the check when the waiter brought it over. “My treat,” he said. “I insist.”

“That’s kind of you,” her dad said.

Jim waved his gratitude aside. “As I said, it’s no trouble.”

Maybe her dad decided that he was done mortifying her, because the ride back to the base was filled with small talk and other pleasantries, rather than her still-unmarried status, and her dad announced his intention to go straight to bed when they arrived back at the base.

“I am so sorry,” Sam said on a laugh as they said goodbye next to the elevator while Jim was on his way back to his office, and Sam was on her way home. “Dad is—”

“He’s your father,” Jim replied, interrupting her. “He wants you to be happy.”

Sam nodded. “He does. I probably see him more often now that he’s a member of the Tok’ra than I did before.”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Jim promised. “In as much depth as you’d like.”

Sam kissed him lightly. “That’s not necessary. Like I’m sure you heard, I’m very happy with the way things are going now, and I’m fine with letting events unfold.”

Jim cocked his head, and Sam realized that he could probably sense minute changes in her demeanor, heartbeat, and breath that told him she wasn’t entirely okay.

She did want to have kids someday, but she didn’t think Jim would be willing, and the only other man she’d been even slightly interested in recently—Jack—wouldn’t be either.

Besides, Sam had no idea how she’d fit in having a child with her current career or her goals.

“And that is a topic for a much, much later discussion,” she said. “You have some time off?”

“The next two days,” Jim replied. “If you want to come over, just call.”

“Will do,” Sam promised. “If I don’t see you, I hope you get some rest. And if you need to talk, you know where I am.”

Jim smiled and squeezed her shoulders. “Good luck with your dad.”

“I may need it,” Sam replied. 

“Family,” Jim murmured. “They’ll drive you crazy if you let them.”

Sam smiled. “I’m not going to let them.”

“Good for you,” Jim said. “See you soon.”

He left her with a quick kiss, and Sam sighed. At least her dad planned on heading out the following day, because she really didn’t want to face another interrogation.

Although it would be out of Jim’s actual earshot this time.

~~~~~

There were certain things that Blair didn’t talk about with Jim, and now he faced one of those things: access to the service members’ DNA database with all the resources of the SGC thrown at sequencing. The available alien tech made that easier, narrowing their options to those who had the Sentinel gene.

They had the Trust to thank for that information, but it was coming in handy now.

For a certain meaning of that word.

Now, it just meant that Blair knew who the Trust was going to target next—or who they already had, to be more accurate.

Jim entered while Blair was looking for any evidence he could find as to the whereabouts of the Trust’s latest target.

“Hey,” he said. “You about ready to go?”

Blair turned. “How did the dinner go?”

“Well, Sam’s dad wants to know why I haven’t popped the question yet and whether I’m planning on providing him grandchildren, but otherwise, it went just fine,” Jim said wryly.

Blair stared at him. “He actually said that to you?”

“No, he asked Sam just as soon as he thought I was out of earshot,” Jim replied with a grin. “Sam was mortified.”

“Pretty sure that’s a parent’s job description,” Blair joked. “How did Sam take it?”

“She brushed it off, with a conversation on children to be held on a later date.” Jim grimaced. “What are you working on?”

Blair blew out a breath. “Right, well. Sorry in advance for completely ruining your evening and the two days we’re supposed to have off.”

Jim plopped down in a free chair. “I said you were going to jinx us. Hit me.”

“Okay, so I know we don’t talk about this, but you know that Hammond got the President to give us access to the service members’ DNA database a few months ago?” Blair began.

Jim nodded. “Sure. I wasn’t sure what good that would do.”

“That’s because you didn’t read the Trust report on you,” Blair replied. “They had a DNA profile, Jim, and they know what makes a Sentinel a Sentinel.”

“But the Trust doesn’t have access—” Jim stopped, and he frowned. “Oh, fuck. They do, don’t they?”

“What was the Trust’s biggest mistake when it came to grabbing you?” Blair asked.

Jim shrugged.

“You were connected, Jim,” Blair said. “You had an entire police department looking for you, plus me, and that alerted the SGC. People knew about the press conference, they knew about my dissertation and what I did.”

“You’re about to tell me that this guy doesn’t have that kind of pull,” Jim guessed.

“He’s Air Force, with a black mark on his record and a pending reassignment to Antarctica as a glorified bus driver,” Blair confirmed. “When he didn’t show up, they assumed he went AWOL.”

Jim’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, any reason to think he hasn’t?”

“Decorated combat pilot, took total responsibility for disobeying orders—to rescue members of his team, I might add—and accepted the punishment without complaint,” Blair listed.

“To make his escape?” Jim asked.

Blair shrugged. “Maybe, but he has the Sentinel gene, Jim, and it seems out of character given what we know about him. I just—I have a feeling.”

Jim’s voice was carefully neutral as he asked, “Like you had a feeling about Alex?”

“Jim—”

“That wasn’t a knock on you, Blair,” Jim said quickly. “It’s just—there’s something to this guide thing. We may not understand what makes you different, but I think we both know you’ve got something a lot of people don’t have.”

“I don’t know,” Blair admitted. “Maybe I’ve just got a feeling.”

“Then let’s go with your feeling, because I trust your gut,” Jim said. “Bottom line, he’s a service member who’s gone missing, and he has the Sentinel gene. He’s at risk.”

Blair sighed in relief. “Thanks. Are you sure you don’t need a break? I know this last mission—”

“I’ll feel a lot better if I locate someone who’s still alive,” Jim replied. “Let’s take a look at it.”

Blair pulled up everything he had on Major John Sheppard, including his personnel file and deep background. As they went over things, Blair blurted out, "Jim, he could be you."

"How do you mean?" Jim asked, clearly not seeing it.     

"Absent mother, rich businessman father, younger brother, bucked his family's expectations by going into the military rather than joining the family business..." Blair trailed off. "It's kind of uncanny."

Jim shrugged. "I guess, but plenty of people rebel against their parents' expectations. That's hardly unique to Sentinels—or potential Sentinels."

"Maybe, but how many Sentinels do you think stick with the family tradition when it's not protecting the tribe?" Blair countered.

Jim shook his head. "I think you're looking at this the wrong way, Chief. I've known a few pilots in my day, and their primary desire is usually to fly. The military just happens to be the best way to get experience."

Blair had no intention of arguing with Jim, although he still thought he was right. "Okay, so where would the Trust stash him?"

Jim grimaced and said, "I've been keeping an ear open for chatter, mostly for threats to you and me, but we should probably go back to the intel for the weeks leading up to his disappearance, and then for the time period after."

Jim's research was as neat and orderly as he kept their home, laid out by categories based on threat level. Unfortunately, there wasn't much.

"They really weren’t saying much, were they?" Blair asked.

"Not where people could hear them, that's for sure," Jim replied. "It makes sense, though. They lost their shot at me. I doubt they'd put the effort into another Sentinel only to risk it with loose talk."

"Wait, here," Blair said, pointing to an entry logged about two weeks after Sheppard had gone missing. "'Additional measures must be taken. First the trigger, then the protocol.'"

Jim looked seriously unhappy. "I dismissed that as a credible threat at the time."

"It's really vague, man," Blair pointed out. "We aren't entirely sure that it even refers to Sheppard. It could be anything."

Jim drummed his fingers on the desk. "Check out the next day's entry."

"'Same deal as the woman.'" Blair swallowed. "Alex?"

"You did talk about Alex in your dissertation, right?" Jim asked.

Blair grimaced. "Both versions. Which means they're planning on using solitary confinement, sensory deprivation, or a combination of the two."

"So, somewhere dark, quiet, and private," Jim said. "We're going to need information on the Trust's holdings, and that's NID territory."

"Is the NID going to give us that information?" Blair asked. "You know they're going to horn in on the operation if they get wind of it."

Jim smirked. "Then I guess we'd better make sure they don't know about it."

~~~~~

Jack wasn't expecting Ellison to ask him to stop by on his day off.  He'd read the after-action report from Ellison and Sandburg's last mission, and it had been brutal. Instead of bringing back three live SGC personnel, they'd recovered pieces. It was a small favor that they had enough for their families to bury.

Not that it was much of a favor.

Like most of the good officers Jack knew, Ellison felt the loss of each person, and Jack expected him to retreat to lick his wounds, maybe spend what time he could with Carter.

Sandburg met him at the door. "Thanks for coming, Jack. Can I get you a beer?"

"I wouldn't say no," Jack replied, the lack of formal address telling him that whatever Ellison and Sandburg wanted, it was off the books, or maybe was of a personal nature. “Didn’t expect to hear from you two today.”

Sandburg winced. “Yeah, well, we think we might have a problem.”

“I’m shocked,” Jack replied dryly.

“Are you hungry?” Blair asked. “Jim’s grilling steaks.”

“I could eat,” Jack replied, glancing at his watch. It was mid-afternoon, but he hadn’t eaten much. He couldn’t help but feel that he was being buttered up a bit, though. “How much trouble are you two in, Sandburg?”

“We’re not the ones in trouble,” he replied. “Head on out to the deck. I’ll grab the beers.”

Jack had been to the house once or twice, so he knew the way. It was warm for February, one of those random days that felt more like spring than winter. Ellison wore a fleece jacket to ward off the cold wind, and Jack glanced at the grill. “You expecting company?” he asked when he saw four steaks.

“Sam said she might drop by,” Ellison said. “Depending.”

“Jacob went back through the gate mid-morning.” Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. “That was another reason to give you two time off. Hammond and I trust him, but we don’t want the Tok’ra to know about your senses.”

“So Sam said,” Ellison replied. “And I appreciate that.”

“How did dinner go with Jacob?” Jack asked, because he was apparently a glutton for punishment.

Ellison shrugged. “About as well as could be expected.”

Clearly, he wasn’t going to give up any additional information, so Jack let it go. “You want to tell me why you asked me over?”

Sandburg stepped outside with Carter in tow. “Look who joined us.” He handed Jack a bottle of Guinness. “How long on the steaks, Jim?”

“Two minutes,” Ellison replied. “But they’ll need to rest for five.”

“I’ll get the salad put together,” Sandburg replied. 

The dance was well rehearsed, and Jack knew he wasn’t getting any answers out of them until they sat down to eat. Carter leaned closer to Ellison. “You okay? You look exhausted.”

“We were up most of the night,” Ellison replied. “We had to make sure we had sufficient information to offer before we asked you over.”

“You’re killing me here, Ellison,” Jack complained.

Ellison offered an enigmatic smile. “Yes, sir.”

Carter smirked.

Jack shook his head. “You’ve been a terrible influence.”

“Which of us?” Carter asked.

“Both of you,” Jack replied sourly.

The steaks were thick and perfectly cooked, the cheesy potatoes were pure comfort, and the salad was crisp and fresh. “Now I know you’re bribing me,” Jack said after his first bite. “Spill it, because the suspense is ruining my appetite.”

He kept eating, though, because the steak was delicious, and he just knew whatever they were about to tell him really would ruin his appetite.

Sandburg glanced at Ellison, who was applying himself to his meal with a dogged determination. Sandburg looked at Jack. “We think the Trust has found another Sentinel.”

Jack grimaced and put his fork down. “I’m sorry I asked now.”

“We can wait until after you finish eating,” Sandburg offered. “That was one of the reasons we thought we should get dinner out of the way.”

“No, let’s hear it,” Jack insisted, and took a bite of cheesy potatoes. Now he knew why they opted for comfort food.

Ellison finished swallowing and said, “Blair was cross-referencing the service members’ DNA database with my DNA profile from the Trust, looking for anyone who might have the Sentinel gene.”

“You found one,” Jack said.

Sandburg shook his head. “No, I found a number of them, but I specifically found one who’s currently missing.”

“Who is it?” Carter asked.

“Major John Sheppard, Air Force, formerly stationed in Afghanistan,” Ellison replied. “Disciplined for disobeying orders in an attempt to rescue his team members. He was supposed to report for reassignment to McMurdo, but never showed.”

Jack frowned, ready to object. “He could have gone AWOL.”

“He could have,” Ellison agreed. “That’s what I thought at first, too, but this guy has no one looking for him, Jack. No family or friends to speak of to raise a ruckus when he doesn’t show. So, either the Trust has him, in which case he needs a rescue, or he’s gone to ground, which means he’s fair game for the Trust to grab.”

“Jim’s right,” Carter added. “The Trust has a long reach, and having access to the DNA database isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Most active duty military personnel would be difficult to kidnap without someone noticing and raising an alarm.”

Jack nodded slowly. “But Major Sheppard could go missing without anybody thinking twice about it.”

“They just assumed he ran to escape responsibility,” Ellison confirmed. “But everything in this guy’s record says he’s not the type.”

Jack drummed his fingers on the table. “What do you want to do?”

“I say we find him,” Sandburg replied. “If he’s AWOL, we can haul him in and put him in protective custody.”

“You don’t think he’s AWOL,” Carter objected.

Ellison raised an eyebrow. “No. We think the Trust has him, and we’re pretty sure we can figure out where he is.”

“And you want authorization to go after him,” Jack said.

“That’s what we do,” Ellison replied. “There’s just one catch.”

Jack snorted. “Why am I not surprised? What do you need?”

“Information from the NID on the Trust’s holdings,” Sandburg replied. “Preferably without them knowing why we need it, or even knowing that we have it.”

“That’s going to be easier said than done,” Carter said.

Jack waved a hand. “Let me deal with Hammond and the NID. I’ve got a few favors I can call in.”

“How long?” Sandburg asked. “If they’ve got him—”

“I’ll move as fast as I can,” Jack promised. “I don’t want to leave anyone in the hands of the Trust a minute longer than I have to.”

“What about General Hammond?” Ellison asked.

“Send me your information,” Jack replied. “I’ll present it to Hammond, but you two have a lot of capital with him at this point, and with me, too. If you think the Trust has Sheppard, and that he’s a Sentinel, we’ll go with that. In this case, it’s better safe than sorry.”

He didn’t know they were right, but they couldn’t risk the Trust retaining custody of a Sentinel. If they found a way to use him—if they found a way to break him—the consequences could be devastating.

And at this point, after everything, Jack trusted Ellison and Sandburg almost as much as he trusted his own team.

~~~~~

Jim woke slowly, smiling as he realized that Sam had curled around him during the night. He still hadn’t gotten his sparring session with Teal’c, but the fantastic sex had taken the edge off a bit.

Thankfully, his senses had been under control, because Jim didn’t think he could have handled anything else. He already felt like enough of a failure after that last mission. He knew Sam never held it against him, but that didn’t mean it was easy.

Last night had been good, though, a small measure of comfort after a shitty couple of days.

Sam hummed and moved a little closer and Jim breathed her in. “I gotta get up,” he whispered.

“Are we going to talk about what my dad said?” she asked.

“Eventually,” Jim replied.

She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Fair enough. I’ll be down shortly.”

Jim pulled on a pair of flannel pants and a robe, then padded downstairs to start the pancake batter. He got the griddle heating for the bacon, with a few slices of turkey bacon to stop Blair’s comments about his cholesterol.

Although Blair had been a lot quieter about the state of Jim’s heart recently; it was possible he’d off-loaded his concern onto Dr. Fraiser, who kept a close eye on Jim’s physical and mental health.

“Did Sam leave already?” Blair asked, wandering into the kitchen, wearing his own flannel pants and an Air Force sweatshirt. “I thought she was staying for breakfast.”

“She is,” Sam said. She wore a pair of Jim’s sweatpants, rolled up at the legs, and a CPD hoodie she’d liberated from his closet. “How could I pass on pancakes?”

“A woman after my own heart,” Jim replied, kissing her lightly. “Coffee?”

“I’ll help myself,” Sam replied. “Did you want a warm up?”

“I’m good,” Jim replied, since his mug had hardly been touched. “Go ahead.”

She emptied the pot into her cup and restarted it, completely at home in their kitchen. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Well, we’re off duty,” Jim replied. “So, that would depend on you.”

He could see her doing a mental calculation about her schedule. “I’m off today, too, which is probably why O’Neill thought he could get things pushed through. What did you guys want to do?”

Blair shrugged, clearly delegating the decision to Jim. “I wouldn’t mind getting out of my head for a while,” Jim said. “Museum? Theater? I’m open to suggestions.”

“Museum,” Blair suggested. “We’ll need to put our phones on silent in the theater, but I can hang here.”

“No,” Sam said definitively. “We should go together. If we get called in, we’re all going to need to go in together.”

Jim liked that Sam and Blair had become friends, because it made his life a lot easier, but it was still weird. He still remembered how resistant Blair had been to him meeting Margaret in person, way back towards the beginning of their partnership. Neither of them had ever really dated anybody who had become as big a part of their lives as Sam had, or that the other person had been truly friendly with.

Blair grinned. “Yeah, okay. That would be great. I’ll see what’s on. We could go up to Denver.”

“Your choice, Chief,” Jim replied. “But after breakfast.”

Over pancakes, Sam asked, “How sure are you about this guy, Jim?”

Jim shrugged. “I’m not sure at all. What I’m sure of is that he’s one of ours, and either he’s missing or AWOL. Now, AWOL isn’t exactly our realm of expertise, but missing? Sure.”

“Would they—” Sam stopped. “Never mind.”

“It’s okay,” Jim assured her. “They might try drugs, but they’ll probably use the same methods that worked for me and—and the other Sentinel.”

“Alex?” Sam hazarded with a glance at Blair. “I read your dissertation.”

Blair grimaced. “Yeah, not my finest moment.”

“Not your fault, Blair,” Jim reminded him. “And I wouldn’t add that episode to my greatest hits either. So, yeah, I think they’ll definitely use isolation and sensory deprivation.”

Sam frowned. “Okay, that sounds particularly shitty.”

“Well, for me it wasn’t that bad because I was with the Chopec, and then I was in the woods on surveillance,” Jim replied.  “It wasn’t the best time, but I had support.”

“But it’s not like they’re going to provide that support to Sheppard,” Sam replied.

“No, because that would defeat the purpose,” Jim admitted. 

Sam hesitated. “Okay, so what happens when we find him? I’m guessing he’s going to be a mess.”

“He’s going to need a guide,” Blair said quietly.

Jim hitched a shoulder. “Yeah, and you’re the best guide there is, Chief.”

“You going to be able to share?” Blair joked.

Jim gave Blair a look. “Either that, or we find him another guide. But yeah, I think I can share with this guy. I’ll make it work.”

“We’ll all help,” Sam said. “Look, you’ve got Teal’c and Jack and me, too. It’s not just you and Blair anymore.”

“Fair enough,” Blair replied. “I figure we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Jim honestly had no idea how he was going to deal with another Sentinel in his territory; he certainly hadn’t reacted well with Alex Barnes. At the same time, though, if the Trust really did have this guy and it turned out to be a rescue operation, Jim figured he’d owe it to the man to offer whatever aid he could.

He would just have to dial back whatever stupid instincts he had around keeping Blair to himself. And maybe having Sam around would help.

After breakfast, Blair checked what was going on in Denver, and they headed to the Denver Art Museum. Jim liked art fine, and Sam felt about the same, but Blair’s boundless enthusiasm and depth of knowledge had him waxing poetic on several exhibits. Jim didn’t mind, and Sam apparently didn’t either, exchanging a few amused grins with Jim along the way.

They grabbed a quick, light lunch at the museum café, and spent most of the day there, then stopped at the Castle Café on their way back to Colorado Springs.

“You have to try the fried chicken,” Sam said as they entered. “It’s absolutely to die for.” Blair muttered something about arteries, and Sam said pertly, “You won’t be thinking about your arteries after you try the food. And as an occasional treat, it’s not going to kill you.”

She was right about the food, and as Jim groaned over the fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, he realized that he was happy.

No, better than that, he was content. 

They headed back to the house, and Blair said, “Hey, I think I’m going to go for a walk to get that food to settle.”

“Take a phone with you, Chief,” Jim replied easily. “Just in case.”

“Yeah, sure, man,” Blair said easily. “See you in a bit.”

“He’s pretty good at that,” Sam commented once the door closed behind him.

Jim frowned. “At what?”

“Leaving just when he thinks we might need some space.”

Jim scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah, I guess he is. You want a beer?”

He had a feeling that the upcoming conversation was going to be a little fraught, and he knew he wanted a drink.

“Please,” she replied. “I’ve never—I’ve never really thanked either of you for how you were there for me after—after Daniel died.”

“That’s because you didn’t have anything to thank us for,” Jim countered. “Sam, you know I—I love you. Of course I’m going to be there for you, and I just—I wish the senses made things easier, instead of harder.”

Sam shook her head. “Jim, I didn’t know you before, remember? And I love you, too. I’m glad we found a way to make it work.”

Jim handed her a beer, and they sat down on the couch. “But?”

She sighed. “I’m not looking to get married, and my career is important to me. I know yours is important—vital—to you.”

Jim nodded. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if or when I have to get out of the field. But?”

“But I would like kids someday,” Sam admitted frankly. “Or a child, anyway.”

Jim wasn’t surprised. “You’d make a fantastic mom.”

“You’d make a great dad,” she countered. “But the question is whether that’s something you want, too. I’m not saying it’s a deal breaker, or that we shouldn’t be together if you don’t. There’s no wrong answer to that question, Jim.”

Jim stared at his beer bottle. “You can’t want that with me.”

“Why not?” Sam asked.

Jim figured this was what he got for being happy. “Because you know as well as I do that whatever Blair’s skills, whatever he can do, he’s necessary. I can’t not live with him.”

“Yeah, I think I figured that out,” Sam replied, an edge of sarcasm in her voice. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“People will think—”

“Who cares?” she asked heatedly. “Who cares what they think, Jim? It works for us. Blair’s my friend, too, and you guys—I might not get it, but I get that he’s necessary to your well-being.”

“You’re necessary to my well-being,” Jim countered. “It’s not that I—I thought I wanted kids at one point,” he admitted. “My ex-wife, she was focused on her career, and we decided to wait, and then things fell apart. The senses….”

“Are you worried about passing them on?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, I am,” Jim replied. “Aren’t you?”

Sam hesitated. “You said you had them when you were a kid, and you suppressed them.”

Jim nodded. He’d told her about Bud not that long ago, actually. “Yeah.”

“They worked for you then.”

“They were a part of me,” Jim said. 

“So, if we did have a kid, and they had the senses, then maybe with two supportive parents, not to mention Blair, they’d never really struggle with them,” Sam said. “Maybe they’d just be able to use them.”

Jim could suddenly picture it—a small child with Sam’s blonde hair and blue eyes. “What about the SGC?”

“We wouldn’t be the only people in the SGC with kids,” Sam replied. “We wouldn’t even be the only couple in the SGC with kids.” She hesitated, and then said, “But I know what you mean. With both of us in the field, and Blair with you, if something happened…”

Jim had absolutely no idea how to make this work, but he did love her, and his Sentinel abilities had fucked everything else up. They made it difficult for them to be together except under certain circumscribed circumstances. He wanted to give Sam what she wanted.

“I’m open to the idea,” Jim said quietly. “If it—look, maybe we should just—let things take their natural course.”

Sam raised her eyebrows. “What? I should just go off birth control, and if it happens, it happens?”

Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. If it happens, we can figure it out then.”

“Are you okay with that idea?” Sam pressed.

Jim sighed. “To be honest, I don’t know. We don’t even know if what the Trust did to me left me with the ability to reproduce.”

Sam shuddered. “I hadn’t even thought about that.”

“I can’t say that I feel the burning desire to be a parent,” Jim said honestly. “I like kids, and the idea of having a child with you has a lot of appeal. I just don’t know how good of a father I’d make, and I don’t know how we square it with our careers and what we need.”

Sam nodded slowly. “How about we both think about it, and once we’re through this thing with Sheppard, we have another conversation?”

“I can do that,” Jim replied, and drew her closer so they were sprawled out together on the couch. “Are you okay?”

Sam hesitated, and then she said quietly, “I always thought I’d have kids. I’ve always wanted them, and now I’m suddenly faced with the reality that I might have to give up one thing I love for the other.”

“Sam…” Jim trailed off, uncertain of how to respond.

“Jim, it was always going to be this way,” she said gently. “The guys I’ve liked, that I’ve felt drawn to, have never been the house-husband type. There are times when you have wants and goals, and one thing has to give.”

Jim knew that all too well.

~~~~~

Sam was happy to retreat to her own space that night, which was something else she would have to consider if they—or she—decided to have a baby. In truth, she had always assumed that Jim just wouldn’t want kids, and in being with him, they hadn’t needed to have any hard conversations.

It had been casual—until it wasn’t—and she’d been honest with him. She did want kids, and she could probably stay with the SGC and take on a purely scientific or administrative role. Janet managed as a single parent, and Jim’s team didn’t take long term missions the way some other teams did.

But that would almost certainly mean Sam leaving SG-1.

She suddenly understood why Jim suggested letting nature take its course, since the decision would be taken out of their hands—even if that was a decision of a different sort.

Damn her father, anyway.

Sam was off on Sunday as well, but she headed to the SGC anyway, wanting to get in a workout and clear out a few reports.

There was a buzz around the gym that was familiar, and Sam bit back a smile. It looked like Jim was finally getting that sparring session with Teal’c.

Sam elbowed her way through the crowd by virtue of rank and her relationship with both men, and she couldn’t hold back the predatory smile. Sweat was just beginning to darken Jim’s tank top, so they couldn’t have been going at it long.

After a year under Teal’c’s tutelage, Jim moved with the same graceful economy of motion, the staff weapon a blur in the air. They were the same height, but Teal’c probably had 25 pounds of muscle on Jim, even if Jim was slowly starting to bulk up.

Teal’c attempted to sweep Jim’s legs out from under him, and Jim avoided it easily, ducking into a shoulder roll that put him just behind Teal’c, striking him on the back of the leg hard enough to call a grunt from him.

They broke apart, and someone—McConnell—threw Jim a bottle of water, which he drained in short order. “You’re next, Devon,” Jim said with a smile. 

“Yes, sir,” McConnell replied with a grin. “Looking forward to it, sir.”

Jim tossed the bottle back to him, and then he and Teal’c were off again.

“He’s really impressive, isn’t he?”

Sam turned to see Tammy Drake standing next to her, the clear light of hero-worship in her eyes. “He is.”

“I never thought I’d have a commanding officer that was the next thing to Superman,” she said. “And he’s just—I mean, he really cares.”

Sam smiled. “He does.”

Drake gave her a panicked look. “Oh, not that I—I didn’t mean anything by that, ma’am.”

“I know what you meant, Lieutenant,” Sam replied. “Having a good commanding officer makes all the difference in the world.”

Drake beamed. “Yes, ma’am. And, um, if you don’t mind me saying so, you’re very lucky.”

Sam laughed. “I know that, too.”

Jim’s sparring session with Teal’c ended on a draw, and McConnell entered the ring next. Sam noticed that Jim did a lot more coaching with him, and moved more slowly, so it made sense that he’d save McConnell’s training for after his bout with Teal’c.

Sam turned to her own workout, and only a few die-hards stayed to watch, apparently intent on learning what they could by watching.

“It’s really something, isn’t it?” Blair asked, appearing next to her. “From what I’ve been hearing around the base, a lot of people have been really interested in learning this stuff. Before, it was just Teal’c’s alien abilities, but Jim makes them think they could do it too.”

“Isn’t that what a Sentinel is?” Sam countered. “Someone on the edge of human abilities?”

Blair grinned. “You really did read my dissertation, didn’t you?”

She shrugged. “I figured I’d better after…” She trailed off. She had never really talked about the difficulties early on, before she’d started staying over at Jim’s place.

“Yeah, I know,” Blair said. “We talked about it. Or we talked around it. Same difference, really. I’m glad—I’m glad things worked out. Jim’s happier with you.”

“He needs you, too,” Sam pointed out. “I’m glad we could be friends.”

Blair beamed. “Yeah, same here. So, um, have you heard anything from Colonel O’Neill?”

“Not yet, but I figure it will be today or tomorrow,” Sam replied.

“Do you think we’ll get the green light?” Blair asked.

Sam nodded. “I think so. You guys have a lot of stock with General Hammond and Colonel O’Neill. You’ve proven your abilities as investigators, and you were right. Whether they have him or not, it’s a good bet that they’ll want him in the future.”

Blair glanced at Jim again and said, “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. I have a few things I need to get done.”

“Let me know if you need any help,” Sam replied. She wasn’t sure she could be of service, but she at least wanted to make the offer.

Blair waved at her as he left, and Sam finished her workout. Technically, SG-1 was still on stand down, but as far as Sam was concerned, that just meant she had some time for research, and to catch up on a few things.

She was in the middle of reading a report from Dr. Lee regarding the naquadah reactors when O’Neill poked his head in. “I thought I’d find you here. We’re meeting with General Hammond and SGSR in fifteen minutes if you want to be there.”

“Sure,” Sam replied. “Is the general giving the green light?”

“Looks like it,” he replied. “See you there.”

When she entered the conference room, Jim appeared to be freshly showered and was wearing a clean uniform. Blair was still in civvies, which Sam knew he preferred when he wasn’t in the field. Stranger, Drake, and McConnell were all there as well.

Sam noticed that O’Neill hadn’t invited Jonas to join them, but maybe that made sense since Jonas wasn’t exactly on their team for retrieval missions. Plus, he hadn’t been part of the original team that rescued Jim.

“I have to admit, I think the evidence is a little thin,” Hammond said quietly. “Nonetheless, I agree that Major Sheppard at least fits the profile of someone the Trust would like to get their hands on, and we can’t take the risk that they have him now.”

“Let’s talk scenarios,” O’Neill said. “What if they do have him, and they’ve managed to make him into a Sentinel?”

Sam caught the look that Blair shot Jim, and she thought about Blair’s dissertation and his commentary on Jim’s response to the second Sentinel, the woman. There had been something in there about Jim’s behavior being “territorial in the extreme.”

“He’ll need help learning how to control his senses,” Jim replied. 

“And are you and Dr. Sandburg willing to give him that help?” Hammond asked.

Jim nodded. “Of course. No one knows what he’s going through as well as I do, and Blair does.”

Blair twitched but didn’t say anything, and Sam thought she had probably better broach this subject with one or both of him.

“And you feel capable of giving him that help?” Hammond asked. “I understand that you still struggle with your own senses, and I don’t want to increase your burden, Major.”

Jim hesitated. “If it turns out that I’m not up for it, I’ll be sure to let you and Colonel O’Neill know, General.”

“See that you do,” Hammond replied. “Very well. You have my permission to begin to make a plan for possible extraction once you have a location.”

Jim nodded. “I’ll notify you as soon as we have a location and a plan.”

“Dismissed,” Hammond replied. “SG-1, please say.”

Sam remained in her seat and watched as Jim led the other members of SGSR out of the room and made a mental note to check in on them later.

“What are your thoughts on the matter, Colonel O’Neill?” Hammond asked once they’d left.

“There’s a credible threat, and a man is either missing or AWOL,” O’Neill replied. “I trust their instincts.”

“Any concerns?” Hammond asked.

“Well, Ellison has been worth his weight in gold,” O’Neill replied. “If we get another Sentinel, and if he can be trained, he’ll be invaluable. And, since he’s been disciplined and assigned to McMurdo, no one is going to argue with us snapping him up.”

Hammond nodded. “Agreed. I’m going to ask a few more questions about the circumstances of the disciplinary action. I want to know what we’re getting into if we pull him into the SGC.”

“Makes sense,” O’Neill replied. “I’d be interested in knowing the answers to those questions as well.”

Hammond nodded. “Major Carter, I won’t ask you to betray any confidences, but do you have any concerns about this mission?”

“No, sir,” Sam said immediately.

She still planned on talking with Jim, but at present, she didn’t have any concerns. She believed that if something came up, Jim or Blair would say as much.

“Very well,” Hammond replied. “Colonel, I’ll expect SG-1 to provide support to SGSR if and when necessary.”

O’Neill nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Hammond smiled. “Dismissed.”

O’Neill stopped her before she could head out to find Jim and Blair. “Are you going to talk to them?”

“I don’t know what you mean, sir,” she said carefully.

“I read the dissertation, too, and I saw the look that passed between them,” O’Neill replied. “There’s something going on there.”

“It’s Sentinel stuff, sir,” Sam said stiffly. “You’ve expressed discomfort with it in the past.”

O’Neill nodded. “I have.”

“I’ll see you later, sir,” Sam said, absolutely proper.

She found Jim, Blair, and the rest of their team in the SGSR office, the one the others shared when they were at the SGC. Jim smiled when he caught sight of her and waved her inside. “Feel free to sit in,” he invited. “We’re just going over what we know.”

Sam took a free seat at the back and listened as Blair led the discussion. “All right, what are our options for sensory deprivation on the list?”

“Are we limiting ourselves?” Drake asked. “I mean, not to be a naysayer, but they know the SGC found Major Ellison the first time because they held him at a Trust location. What if they’re holding him somewhere they know they can remain undisturbed?”

Jim nodded. “All right. Follow that thought up, Drake. How are we going to run down the location?”

“Bait and switch,” Drake said. “We could leak it that we know they have him, and we’re closing in on his location. That might force them to make a move, or reveal him.”

“It might,” Blair agreed. “It could also force them to kill him.”

Drake sat back glumly. “Right.”

“We’ll keep the idea in our back pockets,” Jim said. “But I think you’re on the right track. How else could we force them to give up the location?”

Stranger leaned forward. “They’re going to use sensory deprivation, right? And while they could use a tank, they won’t, not for long-term use. They’re probably going to want to use solitary confinement. So, let’s eliminate the options that we know of. We can start by surveilling the locations we know them to be active, figure out what facilities they’re actually using, and go from there.”

“Won’t that take too long?” Drake objected. “I think it will work, but we have no idea how long that will take.”

“There are times when we don’t have any other option but to take our time,” Jim replied. “But we can work from what we know. We have a list of the Trust’s known properties. We’ll divide them up between the five of us, and we’ll start running down the surveillance that we do have. Tammy, I also want you to check up on Sheppard’s movement around the time that we assume he was kidnapped. See if you can pull any pictures or video, anything that might help us pinpoint a time he was taken.”

Drake nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Stranger, I want you to work on our known associates,” Jim said. “See if there are any financials we can pull for payments to or from. They’ll have to pay for equipment, personnel, all of it. See if you can find the money trail.”

“Devon, we need your help to go over the chatter and see if we can figure out exactly who’s responsible, and if there are any indications who exactly is behind this,” Blair added.

McConnell nodded. “Sure thing, doc. Happy to.”

Sam couldn’t help but think that SGSR functioned at least a little bit as an investigative arm, probably because of Jim and Blair’s background as cops. That, and they somehow needed to figure out where Sheppard was, and possibly who kidnapped him.

She didn’t think there was a better team for this job, not really.

“All right, you all have your assignments,” Jim said. “Time is of the essence, but don’t rush. We can’t afford to tip our hand to the Trust.”

A ragged chorus of “yes sirs” filled the room, and Sam smiled. Jim glanced at Blair, who nodded, and Jim led her outside the office. “Did the general want something else?” he asked.

“No, I just wanted to let you know that I’m happy to help if you need me,” Sam replied. “And also to ask what that look was, in the briefing.”

Jim grimaced. “Yeah. Can we talk about this later? I promise I’ll give you the whole story, just not here.”

“Dinner?” Sam asked. “I know you’re probably going to dig in to this, and I won’t see you unless you have an ulterior motive like eating, so maybe we try to eat together?”

Jim glanced around and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “It’s a deal. Italian okay?”

“Sounds good,” Sam replied. “Tell Blair he’s welcome to join us if he wants.”

“I will,” Jim replied, although he didn’t sound too sure about it. “Say around six?”

“See you then,” Sam promised.

She had work to do, and she knew she could get caught up in it, so she set a reminder to pull Jim out at the appropriate time.

He was waiting for her when she stopped by his office, but he was alone. “Blair was working a couple of theories with the others, and they hit the mess,” he said. “Besides, this is a weird conversation to have.”

Sam raised her eyebrows. “Does this have to do with the other Sentinel?”

“You could say that,” Jim replied.

The restaurant was one they’d been to in the past, not too far away from Cheyenne Mountain, serving decent Italian for a very affordable price. The hostess recognized them on sight and quickly led them to a table that was becoming their usual.

Sam had never had a relationship where she’d developed a usual anything, but she liked the feeling. They put in their standard order—chicken alfredo for Jim, pomodoro with shrimp for Sam, although they always ended up sharing—and the waitress brought salad and garlic bread.

“So, what’s up?” Sam asked.

Jim took a deep breath. “You read Blair’s dissertation?”

Sam nodded. “I did.”

Jim drummed his fingers on the table. “Things got—weird with Alex, the other Sentinel.”

“Weird how?” Sam asked.

Jim sighed. “There’s a lot about this Sentinel thing that doesn’t make much sense. I mean, even less sense than what we do on a daily basis.”

Sam could think of a lot of ways that the Stargate made perfect sense, but she didn’t say as much. 

“Blair could probably tell you more about the mysticism side of things,” Jim said awkwardly. “The guy who guided me in Peru, Incacha, was a shaman, and when he came to Cascade and died, he told Blair he was passing that torch to him. With Alex, I knew she was in my territory before Blair told me she was there, right? I kind of freaked out.”

Sam had no idea what that meant. “Okay.”

“I kicked Blair out of the loft,” Jim said in a rush. “And then I cleared all my stuff out, too. It was—it was weird, and I can’t explain it. Maybe Blair could, but I couldn’t, and Alex and I seemed to have this connection, and…”

Sam frowned. “So, is that what the look was for?”

“Yeah, well, it took Blair and I some time to get past it,” Jim admitted. “I think he might be worried that I’ll get weird and territorial with Sheppard if he is a Sentinel.”

Sam nodded. “Will you?”

“I hope not,” Jim replied. “I haven’t run into another Sentinel before other than Alex, but that was—that was a weird situation.”

He kept using the term “weird,” and Sam couldn’t pretend to understand it, but she nodded anyway.

“Plus, Blair died, and I was still reeling pretty good from that, not that—”

“What do you mean Blair died?” Sam asked, interrupting.

Jim blinked. “Oh, right. Alex tried to—well, she did kill him. He was dead, and then—then he wasn’t.”

Sam had no idea what to do with that. “How long was he dead?” she asked, expecting to hear “a few seconds, but it seemed to last a lifetime.”

Instead, Jim said, “We think about ten minutes, although it’s hard to say for sure.”

“You know, I’d say that was about the weirdest thing I’d ever heard, but that’s not the first resurrection I’ve heard about,” Sam commented. “So, is there anything I can do?”

“If I start acting strangely, it’s not you, it’s probably me, and if it gets too weird, don’t be afraid to knock me out,” Jim replied. “It’s probably a good idea if someone other than Blair knows about the chance of it happening anyway.”

Sam reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “Thank you for telling me.”

Jim smiled. “Other than Blair, you’re the only other person I’d trust with this.”

Sam took that as the vote of confidence Jim meant for it to be, and she squeezed his hand again.

~~~~~

Blair poured another cup of coffee and took a step back from the bulletin board they were using to organize information visually. That had been Cory’s idea, and Blair had to admit that it was helpful.

“Hey, what are you still doing here?”

Blair turned to see Janet standing in the doorway. “I could ask the same thing of you.”

“I had a couple of patients to discharge, and my kid is staying with a friend tonight,” Janet replied. “I thought I’d take the opportunity to get some paperwork done.”

“Jim went out to dinner with Sam,” Blair said in response to her earlier question. “We’re narrowing down the locations where we think they’re holding Sheppard.”

“Then you’re certain the Trust has him?” Janet asked.

“All sources point to yes,” Blair replied. “It’s possible that Sheppard has gone that deeply to ground, but he just doesn’t seem the type. And chatter from within the Trust says they’ve netted a fairly big prize.”

“Do you think we’re going to have another Sentinel on our hands?” Janet asked.

Blair looked at the board and nodded. “I do.”

“Anything I should know?” Janet asked.

“We don’t really know anything about him,” Blair replied. “I mean, I could tell you how Jim would respond, but we’d lived together for five years before the Trust captured him. This guy, I don’t know.”

“Any thoughts?” Janet pressed.

Blair shook his head. “Not until we find him. Once we do, I’ll have a better idea.”

He didn’t want to get her thinking about one strategy only to have to go another direction, especially when it’s only a guess on his part. 

“Have you eaten?” she asked.

Blair blinked. “I grabbed a snack earlier, but I wasn’t that hungry. I hadn’t realized it was so late.”

“Come on,” Janet said. “I’m buying.”

“Jim and I were going to head home together,” Blair objected.

Janet shrugged. “So, leave him a note, or call and let him know.”

Blair hesitated, but they both had cell phones for rather obvious reasons. He called Jim’s number, and was a little surprised when Jim picked up right away. “Hey, Chief. We’re just finishing up.”

“Janet and I are going to grab dinner,” Blair said. “I’ll get my own ride home.”

Jim hesitated. “You sure?”

“I’ll be fine,” Blair insisted. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll see you at home then,” Jim said, his voice warm.

Blair ended the call and then gave Janet an apologetic look. “Sorry for volunteering you.”

“I don’t mind a bit,” Janet replied cheerfully. “Interesting company is worth the trouble. How is Jim? I know that last mission was rough.”

“I think it helps to have a new project, and the possibility that we could save another Sentinel…” Blair trailed off. “It’s a big deal.”

“It is at that,” Janet agreed. “Burgers okay? I know this great place, and they do a mean veggie burger if that’s more your speed.”

“In spite the of rumors, I’m not a vegetarian,” Blair replied with a grin. “But I battle against Jim’s desire to clog his arteries every day.”

Janet hesitated. “You know, I only tell you this because you hold Jim’s medical proxy, but I really don’t think you have to be worried about that.”

Blair blew out a breath. “Genetic advantage?”

“It’s really very much an advantage,” Janet admitted. “There are elements that, if we could replicate them, could advance longevity on a planetary scale. That said, the methodology is problematic.”

Blair snorted. “You think?”

Janet shrugged. “It’s one of the reasons I haven’t said much about it.”

Blair frowned. “Wait, what does that mean for Jim long-term?”

“We don’t know,” Janet admitted. “Maybe he has a normal lifespan, maybe he lives a lot longer, or maybe the constant stress hormones have him dropping dead as soon as he retires.”

Blair hated that thought, but he’d wondered about that himself. At some point, Jim will reach mandatory retirement age, and Blair was well aware that Jim won’t do well once he’s retired. Even if he can find something to do that will provide the same kind of adrenalin rush that he needs to function, eventually people are going to look at Jim and see an old man.

Although maybe Jim will end up going to the middle of the wilderness.

“There’s nothing we can do about it tonight,” Janet said. “How about we drop the shop talk and get out of here?”

Blair nodded. “Works for me. How is Cassie doing?”

“Oh, she’s fine,” Janet said on a sigh. “She’s definitely a teenager.”

“Thankfully, they usually grow out of that phase,” Blair joked. 

Janet laughed. “The sooner that happens, the happier I’ll be. What about you?”

“We’re fine,” Blair replied. 

“And Sam is still spending most nights there?” Janet asked.

“I can neither confirm nor deny.” Blair had no idea how much Sam had shared with Janet, so he was reluctant to get into detail.

“Sam said you’d been a good friend to her,” Janet replied.

Blair smiled. “Well, we’ve managed to tag-team Jim a time or two when he needed it, and she’s been a good friend to me, too.”

Janet nodded, and Blair could see that there were questions she wanted to ask, but was bound not to. He wondered if it had to do with Jim meeting Sam’s father. He’d sensed some strange undercurrents recently.

Blair wasn’t going to share any information without Jim and Sam’s authorization, and he figured what went on behind closed doors was nobody’s business but theirs.

Janet nodded, and then seemed to understand that any other questions would be out of bounds. “So, burgers?”

As promised, the burger place was to die for, and Blair decided to order the veggie burger Janet recommended. By mutual, unspoken agreement, they kept the conversation to mostly innocuous subjects, like harmless base gossip. 

It was mostly who was dating who, and who had just broken up, who was likely to get promoted, and who was more likely to get transferred to Area 51.

Their conversation was easy, and very low-stakes, and Blair found himself relaxing in a way that he hadn’t for a very long time.

“This was fun,” Janet said brightly when they’d finished and paid. “I can’t remember the last time I had this good of a time.”

“Same here,” Blair said enthusiastically. “It was really nice to get out.”

“You don’t date,” Janet observed.

Blair shrugged philosophically. “Not since I died, no. I have other priorities.”

“I can understand that,” Janet agreed. “Between my job, and being a parent, I have very little time.”

Blair hesitated. “Maybe we should do this again sometime, just as friends.”

Janet’s expression softened. “I’d like that.”

Blair figured it didn’t hurt to make friends with the base doctor, and he really liked Janet. She was good company, and she took good care of Jim.

Blair couldn’t ask for more than that.

~~~~~

Jack walked into the conference room and immediately felt the buzz. Jonas showed up as well, although he probably wouldn’t be in on the mission, but the rest of SG-1 was present, as was SGSR. Ellison was the most composed, and Sandburg just looked pissed off, but the others appeared to be raring to go.

Probably because they weren’t there when SG-1 rescued Ellison. They had no idea just what they were going to find.

SGSR thought they were just going to rescue another service member, maybe someone like Ellison. Jack was under no illusions, however. He had read Sandburg’s dissertation. Ellison had adjusted as well as he did because he had years of trust built up between them.

Major John Sheppard didn’t have anybody he trusted, as far as Jack knew. Rescue was only the beginning of their problems.

Hammond entered last, and he immediately turned the briefing over to Ellison. “The floor is yours, Major.”

“We’ve pinpointed the place where they’re keeping Shepherd, and we’ve isolated some chatter that we believe confirms they have him,” Ellison said. “I’ll play the communications first, then go through the mission plan.”

Jack was impressed that they’d managed to dig through the communications, knowing that there were thousands of hours of recordings of at least forty subjects. The Trust wasn’t going to risk losing another subject, and they used coded language.

Taken separately, the words were unremarkable; strung together, they painted a bleak picture.

The subject seems to be responding to the isolation.

Isolation and deprivation should be continued. There is some concern about the end state of mind, however.

Hearing is online. Still waiting on the other senses.

Now that we know the treatment works, we should consider contacting someone more biddable.

“There are more, but I think that gives you all the picture,” Ellison said grimly. “At this point, we believe they’ve had Sheppard for a little over eight weeks, which is plenty of time for them to activate any latent Sentinel abilities he might have. Sheppard is going to be freaked out and traumatized, and we have no idea how he’s going to respond to a rescue. I’ve asked Dr. Fraiser to prepare to sedate him if necessary, but that’s obviously a last resort.”

“We’re going to wait to see who he responds to, if anybody,” Sandburg added. “That person will take the lead.”

“They have Sheppard in a subbasement holding cell,” Ellison explained. “Because we’re concerned about how much light he’s been exposed to, and because we want the element of surprise, we’re going to hit them after dark.”

Ellison knew how to run an efficient briefing, and he quickly ran through what they knew about the layout of the isolated supply store where they determined Sheppard was being held. Unlike where they’d held Ellison, the old supply store didn’t make a lot of sense as a location to hold Sheppard, which had made it harder to find where they were holding him.

“We’re going to shut down the electricity, and cut any communications,” Ellison continued. “I don’t want a single one of these assholes to escape.”

There was a ragged chorus of agreement, and Jack knew that SGSR would get the job done.

Whatever it took.

Ellison and his team geared up along with SG-1, and they headed out. It wasn’t like going through the gate, because there was no clear transition to a different planet. There were no aliens or clear villains, like the Jaffa or the Goa’uld. 

There were just some human assholes who thought they could get away with anything, up to and including murder.

The location was in rural Montana, and they took the private jet. There were other personnel from Malmstrom Air Force Base meeting them to provide perimeter security and backup. They needed the private jet for Sheppard, assuming they were able to bring him back alive. Ellison insisted on it.

And no one ever contradicted Ellison or Sandburg when it came to Sentinel shit.

The abandoned supply store was about 300 klicks from Malmstrom, but there was a municipal airfield only 50 klicks away. They landed there, and while they risked the Trust hearing about their arrival, that was another reason to use the private jet. Security from Malmstrom would already be surrounding the place.

“My team goes in first,” Ellison said as they checked their weapons. “With the power out, we’ll need to rappel down through the elevator shaft.”

“We’ve got your six,” Jack confirmed.

~~~~~

If he was being honest with himself, Jim was worried about how he was going to react to another Sentinel—right up until he heard the screech of an eagle overhead. A normal eagle wouldn’t be hunting at this time of night, and when Jim glanced at Blair, he raised his eyebrows.

Jim shrugged. He felt a strong drive to locate Sheppard, but he wasn’t feeling the same strange territoriality as he had with Alex.

“Move out,” Jim ordered. “Secure anyone you find.”

By cutting the power, he was hoping that they’d minimize the risk to Sheppard. There was always the chance that they would kill him as soon as they thought their project was at risk. A review of the blueprints, plus a couple of the comments, indicated he was being held in the basement.

The troops from Malmstrom were already inside, rounding up the handful of Trust operatives who were there. Jim and his team headed straight for the elevator at the back of the building. Drake and Stranger set up the winch, while Jim and McConnell pried the elevator doors open with brute strength. 

Blair was the first into his harness, and Jim said, “Not without me, Chief. We’ll be first down together.”

Jim quickly put his harness on, and he and Blair rappelled down side by side. Jim unhooked the rope, leaving it dangling, and then he and Blair pulled the doors open.

“What are you doing here?” The man standing in the hallway was fumbling to get his gun out of its holster, and Jim zatted him.

“It’s probably going to be painful for him, but we’ll use a small charge to blow the door,” Jim said when he spotted the locked door, hearing the cry of an eagle again.

He stepped over the still form of the Trust operative and motioned to McConnell to set the charge. “Move away from the door!” McConnell shouted. “We’re here to rescue you!”

The whole mission was bringing back unwanted memories, and Jim shook his head to clear it. He couldn’t afford any distractions right now.

When Jim made entry, Sheppard was slumped on the floor, his eyes glazed over, his mouth slack. His dark hair was long and lank, and he sported a thick, unkempt beard. 

Jim thought being on this side of a zone incredibly strange. “You okay?” Blair asked in an undertone.

“Grab the smelling salts,” Jim said. “He’s deep in a zone, and we’re not going to be able to pull him out any other way.”

Jim didn’t know how he knew that, but he did. Maybe it was just his own senses on overdrive. He knew he was dialed up pretty high, but he felt steady for the moment, the adrenalin doing its job.

He quickly dialed down his sense of smell as Blair pulled out the smelling salts and waved them under Sheppard’s nose. Sheppard immediately began to cough, gasping for air, and Jim clasped his shoulder. “Are you back with us, Major Sheppard?”

Sheppard blinked at him owlishly. “What—who are you?”

“Major Jim Ellison, U.S. Army Rangers,” Jim replied, keeping the physical contact, sensing that it was helping to keep him grounded. “We’re here to rescue you.”

Sheppard’s eyes were a little wild. “I didn’t know anybody was looking for me. I don’t know what they wanted from me.”

“I know,” Jim replied, trying to sound soothing. “I promise, we’ll explain everything, but we need to get you out of here and to a safe location.”

Sheppard looked torn momentarily, and then said, “Anywhere is better than here.”

Blair crouched down next to Jim. “You may feel strange, but I promise we’ll explain as soon as we’re safe. The important thing to know is that you’re not going crazy, and you really are experiencing what you think you are.”

Jim could tell that Sheppard was spooked on their way out. He kept looking around, jumping at noises that the others couldn’t hear, but Jim could. If there was any doubt in his mind that Sheppard’s senses had been enhanced, he had no doubt now.

Sheppard wasn’t having any trouble navigating the darkened hallway, and Jim could tell the exact moment that Sheppard realized that, and that Jim wasn’t wearing night vision goggles and the rest of the team was. 

There was the sound of a shot being fired, and Sheppard staggered. He might have gone down, but Jim still had him in a firm grip. Sheppard appeared to be responding to him, and Jim knew that touch could be grounding.

Drake and Stranger were the first up the shaft, and Stranger sent his harness back down.

Jim held the harness out to Sheppard, but it was obvious immediately that his hands were shaking too badly to put it on. Blair stepped forward to help, but Jim sensed a minute recoiling in Sheppard. Jim wouldn’t have noticed it if he hadn’t been dialed up and focused on their rescuee. He stopped Blair with a quick shake of his head.

“I’ve got it,” Jim said soothingly. “We’ll get you out of here shortly, Major.” He wanted to use the man’s rank as a sign of respect, and a signal that he regarded Sheppard as a real human, and not some test subject. He still remembered how it had felt to be called “detective,” and to have people actually explain what they were doing to and around him, rather than simply acting, with no care for his feelings.

Blair raised his eyebrows, but Jim just shrugged. For whatever reason, he felt protective of Sheppard, like he was—well. Sheppard felt like family to his senses. Jim had no idea why that would be, but he wasn’t going to question it right now.

Later, he’d talk it over with Blair, maybe try to figure out why Sheppard was different, but that was later.

Jim got Sheppard buckled in, and then tugged the line as a signal.

“What the hell?” Blair asked in a hissed whisper as they hitched their harnesses. 

Jim shook his head. “Not now. We’ll talk about it later.”

“But you’re okay?” Blair pressed.

“Fine, Chief,” Jim insisted. “Let’s get Sheppard into Fraiser’s care.”

By the time they were out of the shaft, Drake and Stranger had Sheppard out of the harness, and Jim took the opportunity to make introductions. There was a little more light to see by, and Jim said, “Major, let me introduce you to my team. Captain Corey Stranger, Lieutenant Tammy Drake, Dr. Blair Sandburg, and coming up right behind you is Sergeant Devon McConnell. We’re part of a specialized unit that rescues service members in trouble. Right now, we’re taking you back to home base, which is in Cheyenne Mountain.”

Sheppard nodded, looking dazed. “Thanks.”

“Let’s move out,” Jim said. 

The transport was waiting for them, and Jim made sure that Sheppard was sitting next to him. Blair sat across from them, and they headed for the airport.

“Sir, we have the major secured and are on our way back to the airfield,” Jim said. “Do you want us to wait for you?”

“No, you go on ahead,” O’Neill replied. “We’ll wrap things up here and take a transport plane back. You get Sheppard into Fraiser’s care.”

“That’s the plan, sir,” Jim replied. “See you back at the base.” He called out to their driver, “Let’s roll.”

Once they got rolling, Sheppard said, “Where are we?”

“We’re in Montana a ways from Malmstrom,” Jim replied.

“You said you’d explain.” Sheppard sounded a little accusatory, but Jim didn’t blame him.

Jim glanced at Blair. “You explain it better than I do.”

“Right, well, certain people have a genetic advantage,” Blair said, and Jim could tell he was trying to hold back his excitement. “They have heightened senses. Sometimes it’s just one or two, like someone who has a good sense of smell and works in the perfume business. Rarely, all five senses are heightened. Jim is one of those people. And some people have the genetic disposition, but the ability has to be triggered.”

“And I’m one of those people,” Sheppard said flatly.

“You are,” Blair agreed. “We found you because we’ve been using the service members’ DNA database to identify those with potential. When I realized you’d gone missing, we put together a rescue.”

Jim could see when the realization hit Sheppard, could see it in the quiet devastation on his face. “How long have I been missing?”

“It’s been about nine weeks,” Blair replied.

Sheppard closed his eyes. “They thought I’d gone AWOL.”

Jim had looked into Sheppard’s black mark, and it wasn’t anything he wouldn’t have done himself. Sheppard was a dedicated pilot, a born leader, and a talented officer. He would never have gone AWOL, not even when he faced a dead-end assignment.

The fact that there had been no one who would insist that Sheppard hadn’t gone AWOL, that he’d instead gone missing, was a tragedy of its own.

“That was the assumption,” Blair replied. “Sorry.”

Sheppard cursed quietly and creatively. 

“We’ve got it taken care of,” Blair assured him. “They’ll know now.”

“Right,” Sheppard muttered and fell silent.

They hustled Sheppard from the transport to the waiting jet, where there was a uniform waiting for him. Jim remembered how much better he felt once he got out of the scrubs and into a uniform, and Sheppard wore a similar look of relief.

And at least he wasn’t blind, Jim thought. That had to help, too, not that Sheppard would think so.

“Are you hungry?” Blair asked, sitting down across the aisle from Sheppard, who took the seat next to Jim. “I have a power bar.”

Sheppard shook his head. “No, thanks.”

Jim felt Sheppard’s mounting anxiety as if it was his own as the pilot started the engines. He hunched over, his hands between his knees as they took off. He was breathing heavily, and Jim asked, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

Sheppard shook his head. “It’s the engines. I can feel them.”

Jim frowned. He could feel the humming of the engines, too, but the vibrations didn’t bother him the way they were obviously bothering Sheppard.

“Okay, we could try headphones, try to block it out, or you can try something else,” Jim said.

Blair handed him a stick of gum. “Here. See if you can distract yourself with taste.”

Jim saw Sheppard’s wince after just a few seconds of chewing, and he figured Sheppard had a headache from sensory overload. “Breathe through the pain,” Jim advised. “Right now, you’re on overload, and your brain doesn’t know how to process all the information you’re getting. Just breathe through it.”

“I want to control it,” Sheppard muttered.

“Okay, focus on the gum then,” Jim replied, a little bemused to hear the words coming out of his mouth instead of Blair’s. “You can taste the mint, and you can smell it. Those are two senses, and we can work on those. What does the sky look like from fifty feet up, and how do you know where you are?”

“Sight, and altimeter,” Sheppard said.

“Taste that mint, and right now, you’re right on top of it, your altimeter indicates you’re maybe twenty feet up,” Jim said. “Can you picture that?”

“Yeah,” Sheppard replied, a little bit of awe in his voice.

“Good,” Jim said. “Pull back on the stick, Shep. You want to go up to 10,000 feet, where you can barely taste it. Tell me when you’re there.”

After a few tense seconds, Sheppard said, “I can barely taste it.”

“Good,” Jim replied. “That’s good. Now, take it back down until the gum tastes like it always does.”

Sheppard nodded.

“Do you feel up to working on your other senses, or is that going to be enough for now?” Jim asked.

John shook his head. “No, I don’t—I’m having a hard enough time with this one.”

“Okay,” Jim said. “That’s fine. Just try to maintain for now. Focus on the gum and let that drown out the vibrations.”

While Sheppard focused on the gum and his breathing, Jim snagged Blair and brought him to the back of the plane. That wouldn’t normally be enough to shield their conversation from a Sentinel, but Jim knew that he’d be too busy concentrating on not zoning or spiking to try to eavesdrop.

“He’s not comfortable with you,” Jim said bluntly, because he didn’t want to leave Sheppard alone very long.

Blair took a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Well, that’s a twist I didn’t expect. You’re doing really well with him, though.”

“He feels—he feels like family, Chief, and I don’t normally get attached to someone that fast,” Jim objected hotly, but he kept his voice low.

“I have a theory about that, but you might not like it,” Blair replied with a wry twist of his lips.

“Shoot,” Jim replied with a sigh. “Because I’m open to it.”

“I think it’s about what happened after I died,” Blair said. “You pulled me back, and when we rescued you—the Sentinel in you knows that Sheppard isn’t a threat to our relationship, but Alex was.”

Jim grimaced. “You’re right. I don’t like it, but mostly because I don’t like thinking about you being dead. So, you think Sheppard’s reacting to you because he knows you’re my guide?”

“It makes sense,” Blair replied. “As much as anything else does. Besides, Sheppard is a lot like you, Jim. He’s a protector, and he was hurt in the same way you were. It’s no wonder you’re feeling protective of him. Maybe there’s a part of you that recognizes him as a member of your tribe.”

Jim sighed. “You may or may not like what I’m going to say next.”

Blair smirked at him. “The basement is finished.”

Jim laughed. “You know me well, Chief. You don’t mind?”

“Well, hopefully he’ll get used to me,” Blair replied. “But right now, you’re his best shot for getting control, or at least feeling comfortable. I’ll give you as much space as I can, Jim.”

“Thanks,” Jim said. “If I can make him feel better, I will.”

“Congratulations,” Blair joked. “It’s a boy.”

Jim grimaced.

Blair’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Seriously?”

“We were going to talk about it after we rescued Sheppard,” Jim admitted. “We haven’t made any decisions yet.”

“You want to talk about it?” Blair asked.

“Not now,” Jim replied. “But yeah, I do eventually.”

Blair nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll bring the beer.”

Jim smiled at him. “Thanks.”

And then he goes back to sit next to Sheppard.

~~~~~

Blair really thought he would be the one to connect with Sheppard, but from the first moment, when Jim reached out to clasp Sheppard’s shoulder and assured him there were there to rescue him, Blair could see a thrumming connection. It was even more obvious when Blair reached out to help with the harness, and Sheppard recoiled. The response was minute, and if Blair hadn’t been used to Sentinels, he might have missed it.

Instead, it was Jim Sheppard looked to, and Jim who ushered Sheppard from the plane to the transport, and then to the infirmary.

“I thought you were the Sentinel whisperer, doc,” McConnell said as Jim hustled Sheppard toward the elevator.

Blair shrugged. “I don’t know, but if anybody understands what he’s going through right now, it’s Jim. Maybe that’s the key right now.”

That explanation satisfied the rest of the team, who had remained fairly quiet throughout the trip, willing to allow Jim and Blair to work their magic, such as it was.

“Let us know if we can do anything,” Corey said. “Whatever we can do.”

“Thanks, guys,” Blair said. “Your support means a lot. I guess dismissed for now?”

He waited to go down to the infirmary, wanting to allow Sheppard time to settle down. When he arrived, Jim and Sheppard were nowhere to be seen.

“Major Ellison asked to take him outside,” Janet said with some asperity. “I allowed it because Sentinels. And that’s apparently a reason these days.”

“If Jim thought he needed to go outside, he needed to go outside,” Blair said.

“You want to tell me why you’re not taking the lead?” Janet asked.

Blair shrugged. “He was comfortable with Jim, but not with me.”

Janet frowned. “I thought it would be the opposite.”

“So did we,” Blair admitted. “But Sheppard is looking at Jim like he’s the second coming, so we’re going with it. But Jim is feeling territorial, and we’re going to put him up at our place.”

Janet blinked. “Seriously?”

“Jim decreed it, and it shall be done,” Blair intoned with a grin. “But if Sheppard isn’t comfortable on base, then our place is probably the friendliest for new Sentinels.”

Janet nodded. “I’ll clear him as soon as I can.”

“Thanks,” Blair replied. “How are things looking?”

Janet sighed. “It’s about what you’d think. He has a lot of the same symptoms that Major Ellison did when he arrived, although they’ve apparently managed to decrease the negative drug interactions, since he’s not blind. I won’t know what he’s got in his system until the blood tests come back.”

Blair nodded. “Unfortunately, I think he has a long road ahead of him. He doesn’t have a baseline level of control to draw on the way Jim did, and he doesn’t…” 

He trails off, knowing the next words out of his mouth made him sound conceited.

“He doesn’t have a you?” Janet asked. “That thought crossed my mind as well.”

Blair sighed. “I just wish there was an easy way to identify someone like me, just as there’s a way to identify someone with the potential to be a Sentinel.”

“Well, if someone presents as your counterpart for Major Sheppard, maybe we can identify a similarity,” Janet suggested.

“Maybe, or we’ll find out that there’s nothing special about me, and it just has to do with chemistry,” Blair countered. 

“Then if that’s the case, let’s hope we find someone with chemistry soon, or it turns out that you and Jim are sufficient,” Janet replied.

“I’ll need the test results,” Blair said. “If you can release them.”

Janet nodded. “Normally, I wouldn’t, but… Under the circumstances, I can treat you as another medical professional, since you’ll be aiding in Major Sheppard’s treatment plan.”

Blair smiled. “I’m happy to help with whatever you need. Tell Jim that I’m in our office when you see him.”

“Sure thing,” Janet replied.

Blair was still in their office, working on his after-action report—one thing that the PD and military shared—when Jim showed up. “Hey.”

“How’s Sheppard?” Blair asked.

“He’s in rough shape,” Jim admitted. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to do much for him.”

“Don’t give up before we’ve gotten started,” Blair argued. “We have absolutely no idea how much we’ll be able to help him, and it’s early days yet.”

“You’re right,” Jim said wearily.

Blair frowned. “Are you okay? This has got to be bringing back some memories for you.”

Jim scrubbed his hands over his face. “Yeah, well. It’s not great, but I’ve had a lot of therapy. I’ll go see Spencer if I need to.”

“Good,” Blair replied. “And I promise I’ll do the same.”

“You ready to go?” Jim asked. “Because I could really stand a beer and then bed.”

Blair nodded. “Definitely, man.”

Jim drove, and Blair waited until they were well away from the base to ask, “So, about Sam.”

Jim sighed. “She wants kids, which is something I knew about her.”

“You’ve never said anything about kids,” Blair pointed out.

Jim ran a hand over his short hair. “No, I guess I haven’t. I don’t really want to pass my Sentinel genes on, and not just because I feel like a freak some days.”

“They’d be in danger,” Blair said. 

Jim nodded. “I’d be worried that the Trust would snatch them, even if they didn’t have the gene.”

Blair thought about the last few weeks, searching for Sheppard, and about Jim’s own kidnapping. “Valid.”

“At the same time, Sam wants kids, and I—I don’t not want them with her,” Jim said awkwardly. “And if you were around…”

Blair blinked. “You’d want me to stick around?”

“Yes, of course,” Jim said, somewhat impatiently. “Why wouldn’t I? You and Sam get along well, and if anybody asks, we’ll tell them that it’s Sentinel shit.”

Blair laughed. “Okay, fair, but if you don’t want kids—”

“I don’t not want them,” Jim corrected. “And maybe I like the idea of having a kid with Sam.”

“What about your careers?” Blair asked, playing devil’s advocate. 

Jim sighed. “Sam doesn’t really want to give hers up, and she understands that I can’t. I suggested we stop using birth control and just see what happens.”

“That’s one way to do it,” Blair commented. “Maybe not the best way, but it’s one way.”

“We don’t even know if it can happen,” Jim pointed out. “It’s a moot point if it never happens.”

Blair nodded, seeing the logic in that. “Are you going to propose?”

“We haven’t talked about marriage, but we should,” Jim fretted. “I don’t know, Chief. I said we’d talk after we got Sheppard back, but…”

“He’s fragile,” Blair said quietly. “More fragile than you ever were.”

Jim pulled up in front of their house. “Do you think he’ll be able to get control?”

“I don’t know,” Blair replied. “It’s early days yet. Are we not talking about kids anymore?”

“What can I say, Chief?” Jim asked. “I’m somewhat ambivalent, but I want to make Sam happy. Besides you, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t hate the idea.”

Blair hesitated. “It’s possible…”

“Spit it out, Blair.”

“It’s possible that having a child will make you either more or less steady,” Blair pointed out. “But I think—I think it might make your senses more secure.”

“Because I have a focus,” Jim said. “And everything in me will be focused on my child, so when I’m inevitably forced to retire, it might not kill me.”

“The SGC might be able to make an exception for you,” Blair pointed out. “But yeah, that’s my very off-the-cuff, very unproven theory.”

Jim shrugged. “The problem is that we won’t know until presented with the reality, and I don’t want to lose Sam.”

Blair gave him a look. “Your instincts are under conscious control, more than they were in the past. Even if things got weird, you’d have me and Sam to pull you back from the brink. And frankly, Jim, the way you’ve responded to Sheppard makes me think you’d be an excellent father, just like you’re an excellent team leader. You like to take care of people.”

Jim smiled briefly. “I guess so.”

“So, we’ll take care of Sheppard, and you and Sam can work things out,” Blair said. “No big deal. And, while I know that he’s not entirely comfortable with me, I’m happy to look after him if you guys need some time together.”

Jim laughed. “Look at that, Chief. We’re splitting babysitting duties already.”

Blair snorted. “I don’t think it’s babysitting if it’s your own kid, but whatever you need, man.”

“Point taken,” Jim replied. “Thanks, Blair.”

“Hey, it’s nice seeing you this settled, and seeing you deal with Sheppard so well,” Blair said. “You’re doing really, really well with him.”

He thought Jim might be blushing. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from the Sentinel whisperer.”

Blair snorted. “There’s no way you heard that.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jim replied. “That’s what they call you behind your back, usually when I’m in sensory overload and have a headache.”

“You mean when you’re grumpy,” Blair said with a cheeky grin.

Jim shrugged. “Well, if the shoe fits.”

And Blair really didn’t have a response to that.

~~~~~

Sam and the rest of SG-1 arrived back at the SGC the day after Sheppard’s rescue, and went immediately on their next mission—attempting to get intelligence from a Tok’ra, Khonsu. The mission could have gone better, mostly because the scientists, led by Jay Felder, had failed to follow orders.

She didn’t have a chance to check in with Jim before they left, and she wondered how Jim and Blair were handling Sheppard’s new abilities.

They weren’t on the base when SG-1 returned from their nearly-disastrous mission, and Sam checked in with Janet. “Have you seen Jim and the others?”

Janet shrugged. “Jim has been checking in every day, but he’s keeping Major Sheppard at their house.”

“And how is Major Sheppard?” Sam asked.

Janet grimaced. “From what I hear, not well.”

“I’ll have to stop by the house, then,” Sam said. “But we should grab a drink before our next mission.”

“Cassie is going to a friend’s house tomorrow,” Janet replied. “How about then?”

“Sounds good,” Sam replied. She changed into street clothes, and called Jim from the car. 

“Hey, you,” Jim said warmly as soon as he picked up. “How did the mission go?”

“Oh, fine, although we had a few hiccups,” Sam admitted. “Can I swing by, or would I be intruding?”

Jim hesitated. “No, come on by. Just—”

“I won’t hold anything against Major Sheppard,” Sam assured him. “I just want to see you.”

“I want to see you, too,” Jim said. “Sheppard is just a little fragile right now.”

“Worse than you?” Sam asked.

Jim sighed. “Yeah, a lot worse.”

“I’ll brace myself, and will be careful,” Sam promised. “I know how to handle Sentinels.”

She pulled up in front of a house that she was beginning to think of as “home” on a certain level. Jim met her at the door with a kiss and a long hug.

Sam knew that meant he was feeling a little unsettled, and she could understand why, if he was looking after a struggling Sentinel. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. 

“He’s struggling,” Jim whispered. “Maybe more than I ever did.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re looking after him,” Sam replied. “If there’s anybody who’s going to understand what he’s going through, it’s you.”

Jim let out a harsh sigh. “Thanks for saying that.”

“It’s nothing but the truth,” Sam replied. “How are you doing, really?”

“I have some long sessions with Spence in my future to help me sort things out in my head,” Jim admitted. “And I feel the fact that I can admit that means I’ve learned and grown as a person.”

“By leaps and bounds,” Sam agreed. “You’re better about that than I am.”

Jim hesitated. “You could see Spence, too. We could go together.”

Sam blinked. She had never had a boyfriend suggest couples counseling, but she could see how it might be helpful, especially with some of their more fraught decision-making, like whether to have kids.

Jim liked Spence; he trusted him. “Do you think that’s smart?”

“He keeps things professional between Blair and me,” Jim pointed out. “No reason he wouldn’t do the same with us.”

“You don’t think it would be awkward?” Sam asked.

“We could see someone else,” Jim suggested, although he didn’t seem quite confident about that option.

“No, you’re comfortable with Spencer, and he’s seen both you and Blair,” Sam said. “He probably has a better idea of what your relationship with Blair is like.”

“He has a pretty good idea of what our relationship is like,” Jim admitted. “I talk about you a lot. You’re one of the best things in my life, so it comes up a lot.”

Sam was charmed. “I think it’s a good idea, and also, it’s kind of a novelty to have a boyfriend who thinks therapy is a good thing.”

Jim grimaced. “There’s at least a small chance that I sustained a head injury at some point.”

“And Spence has helped you,” Sam pointed out.

“And he’s been incredibly helpful,” Jim admitted. “I didn’t think therapy worked, and then I met Spence.”

“Maybe you just needed the right therapist,” Sam pointed out. “So, can I come in?”

“You can,” Jim said. “Are you hungry? We’ve already eaten, but I have leftovers.”

“Leftovers would be great,” Sam replied.

She didn’t even ask what the leftovers were, because Jim and Blair always had good food.

Jim had apparently been using his down time to cook, at least in part, because there was a rather large pan of lasagna in the fridge. Jim cut a generous piece and reheated it for her. She dug into both the lasagna and the salad he piled into a bowl.

“This is really good,” Sam said. “Really, really good.”

Jim grinned, clearly pleased. “Thanks. I’ve been testing out a few new recipes. Thankfully, taste is one of the senses Shep mostly has under control.”

That was when she knew Jim had accepted Sheppard into his tribe. Jim tended to bestow nicknames on those he’d taken under his wing, or had marked as his own. 

The person in question poked his head into the kitchen from the basement, and immediately froze. “Oh, uh, sorry. I didn’t realize I was interrupting.”

Sam glanced at Jim, and they’d been together long enough to be able to communicate silently, at least sometimes. “You’re not,” Sam said. “I’m just letting Jim feed me.”

“Oh, you’re letting me feed you,” Jim teased.

Sam just smiled sweetly. “That’s right.”

Sheppard smiled tentatively. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

“You’re not,” Jim said. “And if you were, I’d tell you. Come have a beer with us. This is my girlfriend, Major Samantha Carter, by the way.”

“Sam,” she insisted. 

He bobbed his head. “John is fine.”

“You doing okay, Shep?” Jim asked.

John shrugged. “I just—heard voices up here, and I…didn’t want to zone.”

“You did the right thing,” Jim encouraged. “Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.”

John flushed, and he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “Thanks.”

“Have a seat,” Jim invited. “Sam, how did the last mission go? John’s still in the process of getting read in.”

“Feels kind of weird not to be going to McMurdo,” John admitted. “I was expecting my next assignment to be as a glorified chauffeur.”

Jim shrugged. “Right now, the only place in the military for a Sentinel is the SGC. They understand us as well as anybody does. You go to another assignment, they’re going to need to know how to use a Sentinel, and more importantly, how not to use one.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” John said after a drink.

Sam grimaced. “Oh, we could tell you war stories. I think Jim has at least convinced people that the senses are real and they should pay attention.”

“The SGC has fewer politics than some posts, but that’s not to say they don’t exist,” Jim admitted. “There are still some assholes.”

“There always are,” John said philosophically.

“So, the mission?” Jim prompted.

Sam hesitated. “Stop me if you have any questions,” she said, and then launched into the story, which was probably more entertaining than some missions, given the presence of Felder and Coombs. 

“So, you guys were essentially undercover?” John asked, leaning forward, clearly hanging on her every word.

“Not that it did much good for Khonsu,” Sam said grimly. “They shot him as soon as they realized he was Tok’ra.”

John appeared troubled. “Is this a normal mission?”

“There are no normal missions,” Sam was quick to say. “There are a lot of factors that are outside of our control.”

“That sounds worse than being in a war zone,” John muttered.

“There are a lot of gray areas,” Jim admitted. “Some areas are grayer than others. There are a lot of factions, and a lot of competing interests. You learn the players, you learn how to react, and there’s always the option of shooting first and asking questions later. We have non-lethal means of incapacitating someone, so when in doubt, you shoot.”

John cracked a smile at that. “That’s a philosophy I can get behind.”

“Thought so,” Jim replied. “Look, Shep, you’ll get the hang of it, and we aren’t going to send you out in the field until we know you can handle it.”

“We have a pretty rigorous training process,” Sam added. “We’ve lost too many over the years.”

John’s expression indicated that he didn’t know how he felt about that, but he nodded. “Think I’ll head to bed, if that’s all right.”

“Do what you need to do,” Jim replied. “Holler if you need anything.”

John’s expression was skeptical. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Jim actually laughed at that. “If you need me, you’ll call. That’s an order, Major.”

John hitched a shoulder. “If I’m zoned—”

“Why don’t we watch a movie?” Jim suggested. “I’m not ready for bed yet. Sam?”

“I’d love to watch a movie,” she replied. “Preferably something that doesn’t make me think.”

“Doable,” Jim replied.

John’s expression was a little sour. “Well, since you insist.”

“I think it might be good for you,” Jim said cheerfully. “You’ll have to engage more than one sense, so the chances of you zoning are much smaller. Think of it as an opportunity to socialize.”

Jim put on The Princess Bride, which seemed a bit of an odd choice, until she saw John’s grin at the opening scene.

Blair wandered down about ten minutes into the movie, taking the seat across from Blair, while Sam and Jim occupied the couch.

“Sorry,” Blair said. “I got caught up in my reading.”

“No problem,” Jim said. “Do you want me to rewind it?”

“I’ve seen it before,” Blair replied.

It turned out to be a good evening. Sam was certainly far more relaxed by the time the movie was over. 

Sheppard smiled briefly. “Thanks, Jim.”

“Sleep well, and call if you need me,” Jim insisted.

Sheppard headed to the basement, and Sam opened her mouth to ask a question, but Jim stopped her with a shake of his head. He led her upstairs to his bedroom, where he turned on the white noise generator.

Jim hated the white noise generator, since it masked Blair’s heartbeat, so Sam had to assume it was for John’s benefit.

“You were going to ask why Blair wasn’t the one Shep was going to for help,” Jim said, showing an uncanny ability to read her mind.

“I was,” Sam admitted. “How did you know?”

“Because I’m pretty sure everybody thinks that Blair was the one that he was most likely to bond with,” Jim replied. “But he’s very uncomfortable around Blair for reasons that aren’t entirely clear yet. It’s not that he doesn’t like Blair, it’s just that he flinches every time Blair comes close.”

Sam frowned. “Is it because he’s your guide?”

“What do you mean?” Jim asked.

“Well, it doesn’t bother me so much,” Sam said. “But you and Blair are close. You guys have a relationship that I can’t touch. That’s something I had to get used to, but I don’t have Sheppard’s instincts. And you told me once that Sentinels operate on instinct more than most.”

Jim closed his eyes. “Oh, fuck.”

“What?” Sam asked.

“I think you just hit the nail on the head,” Jim muttered. “Blair is my guide. Alex, the other Sentinel, she wanted to steal him from me, and my instincts went into overdrive. Shep is operating on instinct, and he doesn’t want to steal my guide.”

Sam rolled her head to look at him. “This is complicated.”

“No more complicated than our lives usually are,” Jim joked.

“I’m used to it,” Sam admitted. “You’re still the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Jim pulled her close. “Yeah. Same here.”

~~~~~

Jack knew that Ellison’s team had been given five days off, but he half-expected to see them back on the base before that. 

Instead, Ellison and Sandburg didn’t appear until the sixth day, although they had Sheppard in tow. 

Jack was alerted when they arrived, since they had another rescue mission for SGSR. They arrived at the conference room in uniform and sans Sheppard.

“Where’s Sheppard?” Jack asked.

“We left him with Fraiser in the infirmary,” Ellison replied. “He can’t be on his own, and that seemed like the best place to leave him.”

“Or the only place to leave him,” Sandburg said. “All things considered.”

“Let’s get to work,” Ellison said. “I’d like to run the mission and get back as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

The rest of Ellison’s team was already present, although Jack knew that Ellison and most of his team were up for promotion soon. Ellison would be promoted to lieutenant colonel, Stranger to major and leader of his own team. McConnell would be promoted to Master Sergeant, although he was staying on Ellison’s team.

Under Ellison, McConnell would likely make it to the top rank for NCOs and retire with a chest full of medals, assuming he survived.

Jack knew the value of having an experienced NCO, particularly on a team like Ellison’s, where they rotated out officers. Those officers needed to understand what Ellison could do, and then disseminate that information out to the other SGC teams.

“We have a missing team,” Jack began without preamble. “They were going to P29-443, which we’ve surveyed in the past, and have found it to be uninhabited. That doesn’t mean it’s uninhabited now, though. We sent a MALP through, but there were no signs of life.”

“So, we have no idea what happened to them,” Ellison stated.

“None,” Jack replied. “They’re six hours overdue. We wouldn’t have waited, but we knew you’d be back on duty shortly, and we thought your team would be the best chance of them getting home.”

Ellison nodded. “We’ll go through the gate and assess the situation. If we need additional manpower, we’ll dial back and radio in, but I think a small team is the way to go for right now.”

“Agreed,” Jack said. “I’ll have three teams standing by, and I can scramble another two if necessary.”

Ellison nodded. “Good. We’ll head out. Saddle up, everybody.”

SGSR rose as one, and Jack knew they could count on them. Ellison and Sandburg had developed a good team, one they could send into the toughest situations, and if they didn’t emerge unscathed, they came out stronger.

After Jack saw them off, he went to visit Sam in her lab. “So, you got a bead on this situation?”

“Jim thinks Sheppard is his responsibility, and Sheppard looks at Blair like he belongs to Jim,” Sam replied. “It’s an interesting situation.”

“Your take?” Jack asked.

“I think I’m going to be seeing less of Jim for a while,” Sam said wryly, “but it’s important. It’s important to Jim, and it’s important for Sheppard to have someone like Jim looking after him.”

“And it’s not odd that he’s staying with Ellison?”

“I think it’s the only place Sheppard could stay and feel safe,” Sam replied. She shrugged. “We’ll make it work. We always have before.”

Jack tried not to worry about their relationship. It was none of his business, and it was completely out of bounds, but he just wanted Sam to be happy.

“Don’t worry, sir,” Sam said. “Jim and I are fine.”

“I’d prefer if you were good,” Jack countered.

“We’re getting there,” Sam replied. “This is just a bump in the road.”

Jack had to respect her privacy, and he nodded. “Well, good luck. Let me know if you need anything. We have a mission tomorrow.”

“I’m aware,” she replied dryly. “Don’t worry so much, sir.”

“That’s kind of my job, Carter,” he replied.

Teal’c was meditating, so that left him out, and it was times like these that Jack missed Daniel with an aching hurt that he didn’t think would ever go away. 

He swung by the infirmary next to check on Sheppard. He didn’t look that great, white-faced and hunched over. Jack caught Fraiser’s eye, and then jerked his chin in Sheppard’s direction.

Janet met him in the doorway. “Probably better not, Colonel. He’s really struggling today.”

“Maybe he just needs a distraction,” Jack suggested.

Janet knew him all too well, because she said, “You can’t use him to procrastinate.”

That meant Jack would actually have to do paperwork. He knew he should, if only because the mission tomorrow would likely create yet more paperwork.

“You sure he doesn’t need to see a friendly face?” Jack asked.

Janet hesitated, then relented. “Five minutes, but go easy on him. He’s really struggling.”

“What do you think I am?” Jack asked. “I’m not a monster.”

Jack approached slowly, and he could see Sheppard’s flinch. If Jack had to guess, it was a result of the rank insignia. He remembered how Ellison responded to Hammond at first, wary and uncertain. 

If Sheppard had pulled the stunt he had in Afghanistan within the confines of the SGC, he would have received a reproving remark from Hammond and a medal, not a black mark.

They’d had bad senior officers in the SGC, but they didn’t last long.

“We haven’t met yet, but I’m Colonel Jack O’Neill,” he said gently, keeping his voice low. “Two l’s. I’m Major Ellison’s boss, and the second-in-command on this base.”

Sheppard glanced up, and tried to struggle to his feet.

“Don’t bother,” Jack said. “You look like you’re having a bit of a rough time right now.”

“I can’t—I can’t get things under control, sir,” he admitted. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Jack ordered. “I know what kind of shape Ellison was in when we found him, because I was on that rescue team. It’s gonna take time, but you’ll get there.”

“He seems to have it together,” Sheppard said wistfully.

“Most days, he does,” Jack replied. “But not every day. You hang in there, and you’ll be fine.”

Sheppard cleared his throat. “No one will tell me—what am I going to do?”

“We’re working on getting you transferred to the SGC officially,” Jack replied. “No one is going to raise any fuss. Once you’re steadier, we’ll figure out where you’ll fit best.”

“Not on Major Ellison’s team?” Sheppard asked.

Jack shook his head. “I don’t know that yet. But we’re pretty good at finding the right seat for the right person. We’ll find a way to get you stable, and once that happens, we’ll find a way to get you in the pilot’s seat again.”

Sheppard’s head shot up. “Flying?”

“You’re a pilot, right?” Jack asked. “That’s what you’d rather be doing. If we can make sure you’re safe on the stick, that’s where you’ll be.”

Sheppard didn’t look like he completely believed him, but Jack knew the type. He’d been burned, and wouldn’t trust easily again.

“Hang in there,” Jack advised. “Let Ellison and Sandburg help you get control, and then we’ll talk.”

Sheppard didn’t appear convinced, but he did seem cautiously hopeful when Jack left.

Jack was working on paperwork in his office when the gate alarm sounded about six hours after Ellison left—he’d moved on from paperwork to reviewing recent mission briefs for the rest of the teams on the mountain.

He arrived at the gate room just as SGSR walked through with the missing team in tow. They were all absolutely covered in mud, and damp with sweat, but aside from one of the other team members limping a bit, no one appeared hurt.

Ellison looked irritated, while Sandburg’s expression was one of amused resignation. “How bad is it?” Jack asked.

“There was a mudslide,” Ellison replied succinctly. “Minor injuries only, mostly scrapes and bruises. Myers was trapped, and the others lost their GDC. It was a clusterfuck, and they had no idea what to do. We got them out.”

That was as succinct a mission report as Jack had heard, and he was grateful to see that everybody had returned in one piece.

“Get to the infirmary,” Jack ordered. “Get cleaned up and checked out. SGSR, you’re off for two days unless we need you.”

In three days, the promotions would take effect, and the team would change. Maybe that would include Sheppard, and maybe not, but he didn’t think so.

What else they’d do with a Sentinel, he didn’t know, but they’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

~~~~~

Jim washed the mud off with a sigh of relief, since he was really starting to itch. Janet had taken one look at him and ordered him to clean up before she would see him.

“Feeling okay, big guy?” Blair asked as they pulled on clean uniforms.

“Sure and steady,” Jim replied easily. And he was. The senses were as steady as they’d ever been, and there was something about being around Sheppard that helped, if only because it reminded Jim of how far he’d come.

Blair grinned at him. “Good. I wasn’t sure with Sheppard…”

“I have an idea for how to settle him,” Jim replied. “With you, I mean. It would be better if he could rely on both of us.”

Blair shrugged. “I’ll follow your lead, Jim. I have to admit I’m flying blind here.”

“I think we all are,” Jim admitted. “Sam was the one to figure out that Sheppard is probably reacting to the fact that you’re my guide, and he’s not trying to steal you.”

Blair blinked. “Unlike Alex. That would be why the instincts are so different.”

“I think so,” Jim replied. “And if Sheppard can acknowledge those instincts, he might be able to overcome them.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Blair said.

Sheppard was waiting for them in the infirmary, looking on edge and a little spooked. “You okay, Shep?” Jim asked.

Sheppard shook his head. “I keep spiking all over the place.”

“What sense?” Jim asked.

“Hearing,” Sheppard gritted out.

Jim nodded. Hearing seemed to be the hardest sense for him to control, and it was the hardest one for Jim to walk him through, because they hadn’t yet found anything that worked consistently.

“Listen for my heartbeat, and focus on that,” Jim said. “Then focus on smell. That should be safe enough.”

Jim didn’t blame Sheppard for being overwhelmed by the sights and sounds in the infirmary. In the future, he’d be sure to leave Sheppard somewhere with a little less sensory data, with someone he trusted to help ground him.

“Got it,” Sheppard ground out.

“Okay, good, just take deep breaths for me,” Jim ordered. “Once you’re stable, we’ll get you home, so you just have to breathe right now.”

Gradually, Jim sensed the tension leaving Sheppard, and then he pulled back. “Good job, Shep. Let’s go home, okay?”

“How’d the mission go?” Sheppard asked.

“Everybody came back alive and no worse than a twisted ankle,” Jim said. “We’re in good shape.”

Sheppard nodded. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Jim ordered. “Trust me, I was in worse shape at one point.”

Sheppard managed a smile. “I trust you.”

Those words settled something in Jim, and he gripped the back of Sheppard’s neck. “I’m going to get you squared away.”

Sheppard slumped against the window in the passenger seat of Jim’s truck, while Blair willingly took the jump seat because he was shorter. 

“Think I’ll head to bed,” Sheppard said as soon as Jim pulled up in the driveway.

Jim hesitated, but he didn’t want to let one more night go by where Sheppard was that uncomfortable with Blair. “Hang out for us a little bit.”

Sheppard shrugged. “Yeah, if you want.”

“I know you’re tired,” Jim said. “But let’s have a beer.”

Blair was giving him a weird look, but Jim was intent. He had a plan of action, and he had a good day, and he wanted to fix this one thing for Sheppard. He popped the caps off three bottles and passed them around, and then he sat down across from Sheppard at the kitchen table.

“I’m going to ask you a question, and I just want the first thing that pops into your head,” Jim said. “Do you like Blair?”

“Of course,” Sheppard replied, clearly nettled.

“Why won’t you let Blair help you?” Jim pressed.

“He’s yours,” Sheppard said, and then his eyes widened. “I don’t know why I said that.”

Jim sighed and looked at Blair. “This is all yours, Darwin. I’ll just fuck it up if I tried to explain it.”

Blair hesitated. “I’m happy to explain, but you might need to go a little further, Jim.”

Jim immediately knew what Blair meant. “John, if you need Blair’s help, for any reason, you reach out, and you don’t hesitate. I’m not threatened by you, and I’m not worried you’re going to steal Blair from me. You can’t. But I’m going to be really pissed if you don’t accept Blair’s help, because Blair and I are solid.”

Jim could feel the tension leaving Sheppard. “Oh, fuck. I don’t—”

“It’s instinct,” Blair said ruefully. “And I should have realized it sooner. Look, Sentinels operate by instinct, and it’s not always under conscious control. There was a point in time when another Sentinel sought me out. Jim’s instincts went into overdrive, and it got pretty ugly.”

“What does that mean for me?” Sheppard asked mournfully.

“That means you don’t want to fuck shit up,” Jim said bluntly. “And it means you’re not going to fuck shit up, okay? Me, Blair, Sam—we have our relationships, and they’re solid. There’s nothing you can do to change that, and if it changes, it’s not because of you.”

Sheppard ducked his head. “Got it.”

“Do you?” Blair asked. 

Sheppard’s expression turned rueful. “Not really.”

“Do you feel better at least?” Blair asked.

Sheppard laughed. “Yeah, weirdly, I do.”

“That’s what we wanted,” Jim said. “Let us know if you need anything, okay?”

“Yeah,” Sheppard said. “Thanks.”

After Sheppard finished his beer and retreated downstairs, Blair gave Jim a look.

“What?” he said defensively.

“You’re amazing,” Blair said frankly. “Seriously, man, you’re doing so great.”

Jim snorted. “I don’t know about that.”

“But you are,” Blair asserted. “You’re handling your own shit, and the team’s, and Sheppard’s. And you’re getting promoted in three days.”

Jim laughed. “Yeah, that’s a little weird.”

“We’ll have to break in a whole new team,” Blair pointed out.

Jim groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“We’ll still have Devon,” Blair reminded him.

“And thank God for that,” Jim replied. “Although, I’m not looking forward to breaking in a couple of new people.”

“They’ll probably have watched you spar with Teal’c,” Blair pointed out. “Which means they’ll think you’re a badass.”

Jim snorted. “I’ll bet you that I get at least one greenie from the Academy.”

“No bet,” Blair said quickly. “Because I don’t want to jinx us, and also, you’re probably right.”

 Jim nodded. “Well, I’m going to turn in. See you in the morning, Chief.”

And when he went to sleep, he did so lulled by the sound of his guide’s heartbeat.

~~~~~

Blair really wished he knew how to get rid of the psychic tension around their house, tension that he thought he could cut with a knife if he really tried. For the first time in years, Blair wasn’t comfortable under the same roof as Jim, but also, he couldn’t blame Jim as it wasn’t remotely his fault.

He escaped to the base with a sense of relief, but even then found that tensions were riding high in their office. Sheppard was in a corner, going over old mission reports in the hope that he would one day be field-ready—something that appeared to be less and less likely. Devon, Cory, and Tammy were all tense because the promotion ceremony was the next day, and they had yet to hear what their next assignments were going to be.

Jim was the only one in the small space who seemed like his usual self, but Blair knew he was frustrated with his own inability to help Sheppard, who seemed like a drowning man.

The gate alarm went off, and there was a muffled whimper from Sheppard, swiftly silenced, and Jim rose. “Shep, come on.”

Sheppard looked at Jim with a pained expression, his lips white with strain, and Blair knew that look all too well. It was the look of a man barely holding it together.

“Come with me,” Jim said, a quiet command in his voice. “McConnell, you’re welcome to join us if you like.”

Devon shot up, relief evidence in his expression. “Do you want me to go get Teal’c, sir?”

“I think I can probably handle it, but—“ Jim’s expression turned introspective, and he nodded. “On second thought, it might help to have a demonstration first.”

Jim led the way out of the office, the others following a little like ducklings, and Blair sighed. He really wanted to follow, to see if Jim’s method worked on Sheppard as well as it did on himself, but he also wanted to enjoy the relative peace of the empty office.

Peace won out, and Blair pulled out a couple of research articles. It wasn’t just Sentinels who had sensory issues, and Blair sometimes wondered if those who were severely autistic also had enhanced senses. Maybe not all five, but one or two?

Blair has no intention of ever bringing that up with Jim, especially considering that he and Sam had yet to talk about whether they were going to try for kids, and Blair didn’t want to be alarmist.

But some of the research into helping children on the spectrum with their sensory issues made him think the principles could be adapted for Sentinels as well.  Blair just needed to read it and present some options for Jim.

Without telling him where Blair came up with the ideas.

Sam knocked perfunctorily when she stuck her head in the door, looking a little disappointed to find the office empty except for Blair. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied. “Jim took Sheppard to the gym, I think.”

Sam’s eyebrows went up. “Did Janet clear him for that kind of activity?”

“I don’t know, but my guess is that Jim doesn’t care at the moment, and figures it’s better to beg pardon than to ask for permission at this point.”

Sam snorted. “I thought Jim was smarter than that.”

“You haven’t been around Sheppard 24/7 for two weeks straight,” Blair said—although snapped was probably the better descriptor. He sighed. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.”

“No, you’re right, I haven’t been around as much,” Sam admitted. “I wanted to give Jim some space. He’s pretty preoccupied right now.”

Blair didn’t think that was the only reason Sam wanted to give Jim space. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sam hesitated. “I don’t know. Would it be too weird?”

“Too weird because you’re talking to your boyfriend’s best friend/guide that he can’t live without about something that you guys haven’t completely worked out yet?” Blair summarized. “Nah, that’s not weird. Not in the general scheme of things.”

Sam laughed. “I meant, is it weird to talk to a mutual friend about this before Jim and I have that conversation.”

“I promise that I will hold what you say in confidence, just like I’d do for Jim.” Blair really didn’t know what came over him. It was absolutely none of his business, and yet he was still intimately involved. 

Sam dropped down in a chair across from him, and said, “Tell me I’m crazy.”

“You’re definitely not crazy,” Blair said firmly. “Jim would probably tell you that he’d make a terrible father, but neither one of us is buying that.”

Sam smiled briefly. “I kind of meant because of our jobs.”

“I think you could make it work,” Blair replied. “I think we would make it work. I think that Jim had an instinctual handle on his senses as a kid, and that’s one of the reasons he never struggled quite as much as Sheppard has. A kid who grows up knowing about the senses, and being able to use them easily, always being accepted—I think that kid would be fine.”

“They would also be a target,” Sam replied soberly.

Blair sighed. “Yes. That’s true. But isn’t everyone related to the SGC in some way a target?”

Sam was quiet for a long moment. “Jack is going to retire in a few years.”

“Did he tell you that?” Blair asked.

Sam shook her head. “No, just a sense I got. General Hammond has been talking about spending more time with his grandchildren, but he’s not going to leave the base to just anybody, and the word is that Jack will be offered a promotion and the position.”

“So, you would be leading SG-1,” Blair said carefully.

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted. “If there was a child, I might not. I might move into more of an administrative or a research role.”

“I think you’d be good at it,” Blair said slowly. “Is that what you want?”

Sam shook her head. “I used to think I’d want to command my own ship, or something similar. There are a couple in production. But if there were a child involved, I don’t think I could take the risk.”

“What is it that really worries you about all of this?” Blair asked.

Sam smiled ruefully. “Have you ever had a dream that you put on hold, or gave up on, only to realize that you might get it after all? And then you discover you’ll have to give up something just as valuable to get it?”

Blair remembers his press conference, the sinking feeling of knowing that he was doing the right thing, and also knowing that he was giving up on a lifetime’s work, with no guarantee that he’d have anything to show for it, or that Jim would ever forgive him.

“More than you know,” Blair replied.

Sam smiled ruefully. “I imagine you probably do.” She shook her head. “Maybe Jim is right. Maybe we should just—let nature take its course and cross that bridge when we come to it. There’s no guarantee that it’s even something that will happen.”

“Maybe that is for the best,” Blair agreed. “But Sam, whatever you guys decide to do, whatever happens, I’m in your corner.”

“Thanks, Blair,” Sam replied gratefully. “And on that note, I’m going to go see how the guys are faring in the gym.”

Blair goes back to the article he’d been reading, but he had to wonder how they’d all adjust to living in the same house. The property was big enough, and they had enough money—they could build an addition. Blair would probably end up known around the base as the sad-sack friend who wasn’t willing to find his own place, but Blair didn’t care about that.

He hadn’t cared about what people thought about it from the moment he stepped out on a ledge and denied his dissertation.

“Fuck appearances,” Blair muttered, and realized there was one way he could help Jim, at least int he short term. As long as Sheppard wasn’t visibly injured, they could probably escape notice, as long as Janet didn’t catch wind of the sparring while it was happening.

And hell, Blair could use a friendly face right about now, as well as a conversation that wasn’t about Sheppard, or Jim and Sam, and whatever decisions they decide to make.

He headed for the infirmary, and was grateful to see Janet there. “Hey.”

“Hey, how’s it going?” Blair asked, knowing that he sounded a little desperate.

“Do you need a reason to get a meal that’s not uncomfortable?” Janet asked sympathetically.

“I really do,” Blair said. “I need a break.”

“Yeah?” Janet asked.

Blair reined in his emotions. “Let’s just say that I would really appreciate a tension-free meal.”

“So would I,” Janet agreed. “I could use the break, too. Let’s get lunch off-base.”

Blair grinned. “That sounds perfect.”

~~~~~

By the time Sam reached the gym, there was already a crowd gathered. Based on Sheppard’s sweat-stained t-shirt, he had already been subjected to Jim’s preferred method of therapy. Jim was in the ring with McConnell, and Sam could tell that Jim was holding back slightly, but McConnell had improved by leaps and bounds over the last few months.

When McConnell took a strike to the ribs, knocking him to one knee, he signaled that he yielded.

“Well done, Devon,” Jim said. “You’re really coming along.”

“Do you still wish to spar, Major Jim Ellison?” Teal’c asked.

McConnell and Sheppard exchanged a look, and Sam wondered if they were surprised by his stamina, or his willingness to spar with Teal’c even after what was probably several rounds with both of them.

“I would like that very much, Teal’c,” Jim said respectfully.

Teal’c took the staff from McConnell, and they nodded to each other before beginning to move. Although Jim’s shirt was soaked through, he showed no other sign of fatigue as he met Teal’c blow for blow.

Sheppard was leaning forward, watching intently, and Sam wondered what he was seeing. Based on his yearning expression, Sheppard wished he had Jim’s control.

Sam could see when Jim started to falter out of fatigue, and Teal’c apparently sensed it as well. Instead of letting up, though, Teal’c pressed his advantage, beginning to move faster, harder. Jim grunted as a blow landed on his left arm, just above the elbow, but he parried the next two strikes and seemed to rally.

Teal’c kept going, and then made a move that Sam couldn’t quite follow, but it resulted in Jim’s staff flying out of his hands straight towards Sheppard’s head, but he caught it easily, looking a little surprised at his actions.

“Well done, Major Jim Ellison,” Teal’c intoned.

Jim bowed. “As always, it was a pleasure.”

He looked at Sheppard. “Are you ready to go again?”

Sheppard looked appalled. “Against you?”

Jim grinned ruefully. “No, I think I’m done for the day. Against Devon.”

Sheppard grimaced. “If you think it will help.”

“I do,” Jim replied. “If you get your adrenalin pumping, you’ll feel better, at least for a while.”

Sam knew that tactic worked for Jim, but she wondered if it would do the same for Sheppard. 

McConnell didn’t have quite the same skill level as Jim, so it made sense to pit them against each other, and it didn’t take long for Sheppard to fall into a rhythm. Sam could see the lack of skill, but he made up for it with the senses, and much like Jim, he appeared to be more comfortable in the midst of a battle.

Sam pushed through the crowd to stand next to Jim. “It looked like you needed to blow off some steam.”

Jim grimaced ruefully. “You could say that.”

“Did that have anything to do with me?” Sam asked quietly.

Jim’s expression was surprised. “No, not at all.”

Sam raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

“I can’t say that it’s not on my mind, but it isn’t a source of tension,” Jim admitted. He glanced over at her. “Are you okay?”

“I wouldn’t mind spending some time together,” Sam admitted. “I feel like I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

“Because you haven’t,” Jim replied wryly. “I think I can carve out some time tonight if you want to come over.”

“I’d like that,” Sam agreed.

Jim turned his attention back to McConnell and Sheppard. “Quit dropping your right shoulder, Devon! Shep, don’t dial up too far!”

Sam smiled and slipped out of the gym, heading for her own office. She had some work to do before she can leave for the day. 

And she really should talk to Janet.

She stopped by the infirmary once she finished the report she was working on in the hope of catching her friend. 

“Hi, Sam,” Janet said, sounding a bit harried. “Did you need something?”

“Nothing pressing,” Sam replied. “I was just on my way out, but if you’re busy—“

“Raincheck?” Janet suggested. “I’m already late to pick up Cassie.”

Sam nodded. “Sure. Maybe the day after tomorrow? Assuming we don’t have a mission come up.”

Janet smiled distractedly. “Sure. Just let me know.”

Sam got changed into civvies in the locker room, and then headed out to Jim’s place. It was nice enough that she rode her motorcycle, and Jim stepped outside just as she pulled up, his helmet already in hand.

“You read my mind,” Jim said. “Let’s get going.”

“Where is Sheppard?” Sam asked.

“I left him on the base with Blair and Teal’c,” Jim admitted. “Blair thought Sheppard might benefit from learning some meditation techniques.”

Sam raised her eyebrows. “And how did Sheppard respond?”

“I think he’s willing to try just about anything at this point,” Jim replied. “And I don’t blame him. I’ve been in his shoes.”

“Do you have a destination in mind?” Sam asked.

“Let’s just go for a drive,” Jim suggested. “See where the road takes us.”

It was a nice evening for a ride, and when Jim indicated his willingness to follow her, Sam led the way on a drive to Manitou Springs, and the Mexican restaurant where she and Jim had their first date.

In a way, it felt like coming full circle. She and Jim had both been through so much in the last year, and in spite of the odds against them, they were still together, and their relationship was stronger than ever, however unconventional it might be.

The restaurant was bustling when they arrived, but a quiet word with the hostess netted them a corner table. It wasn’t all that quiet, but the noise of the restaurant meant a certain amount of privacy.

Their waitress brought a basket of chips and bowls of salsa and warm bean dip, and they both ordered margaritas. Sam knew Jim well enough at this point that she was well aware that a hard sparring session with Teal’c meant his senses would be under his control.

Jim crunched chips and salsa, his expression quietly content.

Sam smiled, feeling a welling fondness for him. “I think you’re right,” she said.

“I always like hearing that, but could you be a little more specific,” Jim teased.

“I think I should just go off birth control, and we’ll let nature take its course,” Sam replied. “There’s no telling if or when anything will happen, so there’s no real point in making plans.”

Jim choked on a chip and reached for his glass of water. “Warn a guy!”

Sam giggled, but quickly sobered. “I’m sorry. I should have asked if you were still interested.”

“Yeah, I’m still interested,” Jim replied. “I just wasn’t expecting it. Are you sure?”

She knew why he was asking. Jim couldn’t give up his position on SGSR, but Sam would definitely have to take a leave of absence if she were to become pregnant. “I’m not, but I also want to try.”

Jim reached across the table and grasped her hand. “Okay.” He paused. “Blair had an interesting theory about what having a child would do for me.”

“What’s that?” Sam asked.

“He thinks a child might give me a focus other than my work,” Jim said lightly, but Sam could hear the underlying emotion.

She knew that Jim was afraid of what would happen to him after he reached mandatory retirement age, and any bit of hope was something to hold onto tightly.

“What do you think?” Sam asked curiously.

Jim’s expression was thoughtful. “I know how I feel about the people in my care, and Blair might be right. I suppose we’ll just have to see.”

They went back to Jim’s place that night for proximity to Blair, and they made love. It was one of the better nights Sam had had, with Jim going down on her until she’d come more than once, and then he fucked her slowly and carefully until she was nearly incoherent with the sensations.

When Jim was on his game, Sam didn’t think there was anybody better in bed, probably because he could use his senses to know exactly what she needed and how much she could take, almost before she knew.

They sprawled out next to each other, sweaty and sated, and Sam grinned at the ceiling. “Thank you.”

Jim rolled over to his side and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “I should be thanking you. That was great.”

Sam rested her head on his shoulder. “I think we both came out winners.” She took a breath. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Bluntly, no, but that has more to do with not wanting to break in new team members than anything else,” Jim replied. “Plus, I never thought I’d make light bird.”

“Assuming you stay in, you won’t have any trouble making full bird,” Sam replied. “But you knew that.”

“Rank does have its privileges, but I don’t care about that so much,” Jim admitted. “I’m happy to have meaningful work.”

Sam knew just what he meant. She’d found her place within the SGC as well. “I’m sure you and Blair will be just as successful with your new team as with your old one.”

“Here’s hoping,” Jim replied.