"It's normal."

Sam glanced over at the petite doctor. "What's normal?"

"Bonnie's blood. It's normal, she's completely human. She has a cold, simple as that."

Sam almost winced. "What are we supposed to say to her now after we came barging into her house at some ungodly hour and demanded a sample of her blood? She's bound to be suspicious now if she wasn't already."

Janet ran a hand through her dark hair. "I suppose we could make up some story about there being a deadly virus on the loose. She's going to know that Stan's missing, we'll tell her that he, unfortunately, died."

"You want to tell her? You're the one who jabbed her with a needle."

"Uh sure, I'll tell her. I can say that I'm with the Centre for Disease Control and we just wanted to be on the safe side."

"The CDC?"

"Sure, why not? I'll just put away some of this equipment and then I'll head over there and 'explain' everything to her."

Sam nodded, pleased that she wasn't the one who had to explain this to Bonnie. "It's too bad that Stan died." Sam said, with a touch of sorrow in her voice. "He could have been very helpful."

"That's probably why he's dead." Jack said as he came down the steps and into the basement. "I just got off the phone with Hammond, he wants all of us to report back to base after the situation with Bonnie is dealt with."

"Janet just got the results of her tests back, Bonnie isn't a Goa'uld."

"Good to know. What are we going to tell her though?" Jack asked, curious to know what the woman had come up with.

"I'm going to talk with her now." Janet replied. "I'll tell her that I work for the CDC and that there was a potentially deadly virus on the loose."

"Well that should freak her out." Jack said. "I can just imagine what I'd do if someone knocked on my door and told me that there was a virus loose in my neighbourhood. I'd probably want to move."

"But there isn't actually a virus." Sam said.

"She doesn't know that."

"Do you have a better idea?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"Well...no."

Janet pulled a cover over a microscope and headed for the steps. "I should be back soon." she said and headed up the steps.

"So." Jack said, looking at Sam.

"So? What?"

"Time to leave. Our work here is done."

"Did the General say anything about transportation arrangements?"

"Take the first flight that we can catch, charge the tickets to the government."

"What are we going to do about this whole alien thing? We can't just forget that it ever happened. We now have another enemy, and this one has gotten too close to home."

"There's nothing we can do here." Jack replied rationally. "Who knows how long these aliens have been involved with our government."

Sam sighed. "I guess. It's a shame that we couldn't have stayed here longer."

"You like it here?"

Sam smiled. "I had a good time, even if we never did get the house painted or air conditioning installed. I'm going to miss this."

Jack returned Sam's smile. "It's been nice not being alone again."

Sam laughed softly. "I had someone other than my plants to talk to!" Jack laughed, thinking of his scientific-minded Major talking to a philodendron.

Sam got off the stool that she had been sitting on and looked around the basement. "Is someone going to come and pack up all this stuff?"

"I'm sure someone will make that happen. The house will be put back on the market and some other unfortunate soul can experience the joy that is a pink house."

Sam looked at Jack, his smile creasing the corners of his eyes. He so rarely smiled that Sam often forgot how much she enjoyed it. She scuffed her foot on the cement floor, pushing around a sliver of cardboard. Jack stepped closer to her and touched her arm.

"It'll be okay." he said.

"What will?"

"What you were thinking about."

Sam looked into his eyes. "Oh, and what was I thinking about?"

"You were thinking about how much you were going to miss having me around to bother. About how much you wish that we could keep up this co-habitation."

"A little presumptuous are we?" Sam said, not willing to admit that those thoughts had crossed her mind.

"Am I?"

Sam put a hand on Jack's shoulder and took a step forward. She could feel his breath in her hair. "Maybe you're not."

Jack bent his head down and kissed her gently on the lips. He half expected Sam to pull away but she didn't. They broke the kiss and Sam put her head on Jack's shoulder. Jack wrapped his arms around her and revelled in the feeling of her in his arms.

"Maybe there's a way." he murmured into her ear.

____________

Jack threw some clothes into a duffel bag and zipped it up. They couldn't take all their belongings onto the plane with them, and were counting on the government to return their clothes to them and soon. Janet talked to Bonnie who had, understandably, been a little scared about the possibility of a deadly virus in her neighbourhood. Janet had tried to reassure her, but Bonnie had already decided that she would get out of town for several weeks.

Sam chose not to say goodbye to Bonnie before they left. She didn't want to have to explain why she was leaving. Sam had packed her duffel bag and had it by the front door.

"You alright?" Janet asked her friend. "You seem a little down."

"Jack kissed me." Sam said, in reply. She surprised herself with the revelation. She hadn't intended on telling anyone about what happened between them in the basement.

"He kissed you? When?"

"While you were talking with Bonnie. We got talking about how much we were going to miss living together and he kissed me."

"That's why you're sad?"

Sam nodded. "I know what I can't have."

Janet smiled sympathetically at Sam. "I know it's hard. I know that what I saw and heard during the za'tarc incident wasn't something to be taken lightly."

Sam sighed and pulled on her sandals. "Jack!!" she called. "We're ready to go!"

"I'm coming!" came his reply from down the hall.

Bags were tossed into the trunk and Sam, Jack and Janet got into the car. As Jack manoeuvred the car out into the street, Sam gave the pink house one last look as they drove down the street.

__________

The figure behind the bushes watched as the humans left. After the car had disappeared around the corner, he stepped out from his hiding place and crossed the street. They had locked the door to the house, but that never stopped him.

He put his hand over the doorknob and twisted it slightly. The locked clicked and the knob turned. He entered the house and went straight for the bedrooms. He didn't know what he was looking for, he was just looking for something. They had taken most of the evidence with them. The dark haired woman had knowledge of the protectant and the blonde one knew more about them that she should. The man appeared to be lacking intelligence, but the blonde one had told him of their existence. He was not as stupid as he appeared to be.

The man counted himself lucky that they had not thought to take blood samples when they 'buried' him. If he had been able to do his job properly, they would not be in this situation now. Damn that man with the rock, damn him.

___________

Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His knees hit the seat in front of him and Janet turned around and glared at him. "Sorry." he mouthed to her.

Sam was asleep beside him, snoring softly. Jack sat up straight in his seat and looked over the seat back at Janet. She was reading a magazine that was telling her how to lose those unwanted inches in just five days! Her seat mate was an elderly gentleman who, like Sam, had fallen asleep.

Janet flipped a page and Jack read on about how to lose those unwanted inches. He personally didn't think that Janet needed to lose weight, but women were strange that way.

"Do you want a magazine of your own Colonel?" Janet said, turned her head around again. "I hate it when people read over my shoulder."

Jack shook his head emphatically. "No, no. I'm fine."

"Why don't you take a nap?" Janet suggested helpfully.

"Not tired I guess."

Janet shrugged. "Just stop kneeing my seat please."

Jack leaned back into his seat and kneed Janet's seat one more time. Janet flinched but didn't turn around. To his right, Sam gurgled a bit and began to cough. She sat up fully, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, you're awake!" Jack said brightly.

"How long was I asleep?"

Jack looked at his watch. "Almost two hours."

"Mmmm. Did you sleep?"

"No." Janet supplied helpfully from her seat. "He sat there and kneed my seat for two hours."

"There's never enough room on these planes." Jack said apologetically.

Jack looked down the aisle. "Oh, look. I think they're going to serve dinner now."

"Great." Sam muttered. "Just when I have to use the washroom."

"You can hop over their cart." Jack said, trying to picture Sam doing that.

"I think I'll just wait, thank you."

The flight attendant slowly made her way down the aisle and served dinner. After she was through, Sam practically pushed Jack out of his seat and ran down the aisle towards to the washroom. When she returned, they set up their trays and ate the rather unappetising dinner.

After dinner, Sam borrowed a magazine from Janet and began to read about how to lose those unwanted inches. Jack told her that he didn't think she needed to lose weight, but Sam had just looked at him and told him that 'it was good to know these things'.

A couple hours later the plane landed and they disembarked. They called a taxi to take them to the base, though they all really wanted to go home and freshen up. General Hammond had ordered them to report to the base.

__________

"Welcome back Colonel, Major." Hammond said, when he met them in his office. "Close the door and have a seat.

"It's good to be back sir." Jack said, closing the door. Sam had already sat down, and Jack sat next to her. General Hammond sat behind his desk with his hands clasped on the blotter.

"From what I hear, we have quite the situation happening, is that correct?"

"Yes sir, that's correct. We believe that an alien race, in alignment with the Goa'ulds, has infiltrated the United States government. Whether the President is aware of these aliens and is working in co-operation with them in unknown at this time." Sam said.

"You understand that I am in a very difficult position." Hammond said.

"Yes sir." both Sam and Jack replied.

"I cannot, in good faith, accuse the President of co-operating with the enemy. I have tried to keep this knowledge contained within this facility."

"Those men that came to collect Stan, they were from here?" Jack asked.

"I had to call in a few favours, but yes, they were from here. Stan's body has been taken to a secure facility where Doctor Fraiser and her medical team will be given the opportunity to study it. If either of you two have any ideas regarding how this situation should be handled, I'm open to suggestions."

"The aliens know that we know." Sam said. "My guess is that they won't remain relatively docile any longer."

"Agreed." Hammond said. "But how do we deal with something that we know so little about?"

Sam and Jack looked at each. "I don't think we can sir." Sam said and Jack nodded in agreement. "We saw what those aliens are capable of. Their level of technology is obviously further advanced than that of the Goa'uld."

"I'm putting the base on alert." Hammond said. "Nobody goes in or out."

"With all due respect sir." Jack said. "They might already be here."