DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
'I wish this weird feeling would just go away...'
Sam knew that she had to be imagining the eerie sensation of being observed, but she just couldn't shake it. There hadn't been a single sign of current life on this planet and yet...
In a way Sam wished that the colonel had ordered a double guard. It was bad enough to have these feelings when the team was awake and together in the daylight...
Sam berated herself for acting like a little girl on her first overnight camping trip. Sam knew Teal'c was just a whisper away, the colonel wouldn't take much more than that and Daniel...well...it might take a shout, but not so long ago it would have taken a brass band...with extra cymbals.
Of course, Daniel getting a decent night's rest was such a rare occurence that none of them begrudged it to him. Daniel's young life had been full of things that disturbed his sleep...so much so that often he avoided it like a plague. Sam knew from grim experience that Daniel had developed that particular defense mechanism to stave off the nightmares that his all too active mind conjured up on a regular basis. They had all learned to recognize the signs and tried to help when Daniel would allow it...and occasionally when he wouldn't.
The protectiveness that SG-1 felt towards one another was just one of the many things that made them such a great team. The colonel could be an absolute martinet when it came to the safety and well-being of his friends and team mates. It was his caring leadership...far above and beyond the call of duty...that had bonded them into the unbeatable entity that they were.
Sam tensed a little at a small sound she couldn't identify and was extremely grateful to see Teal'c's eyes snap open. They looked around cautiously, but found nothing. Teal'c was about to return to his rest when they were both startled by a sudden noise coming from Daniel's tent...
"Ahh..." It was Daniel's voice...sharp and pained.
Stooping down beside Daniel's tent, Sam clicked on her flashlight to peer inside. Daniel was sitting up, his eyes looking around wildly in confusion...his hands covering his face. Fearing another bad dream, Sam groped for something appropriately reassuring to say....but then she saw the blood. There was blood pouring out from between Daniel's fingers.
Yelling for the colonel, Sam helped Daniel out of the tent and over to the fire. By the time they got there, the colonel was beside them...gently coaxing Daniel's hands away from his face.
Bright crimson oozed from parallel gashes along both of Daniel's cheekbones...
"What the..?" The colonel seemed at a loss for words, shooting a questioning glance at Sam.
"We heard a noise, Colonel...but nothing got into this camp, much less into Daniel's tent."
The colonel nodded, accepting that Sam knew her business. Teal'c brought the medkit and Sam set about cleaning Daniel's inexplicable wounds.
Daniel still looked a bit dazed. "Jack...?"
So well did they know each other...especially the colonel and Daniel...that the one word was enough to convey Daniel's confusion and question.
The colonel shook his head briefly. "Did you see anything, Daniel?"
Daniel tried to shake his head and winced as it caused Sam's hand to touch one of the gashes too roughly.
"Ow...No...I was asleep, then I felt..." Daniel's mobile hands vaguely indicated his face. "Then Sam came..."
The colonel frowned, glancing at the dark forest that seemed so close around them; the feeling was back...even stronger than before...