The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend
The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend
by Revvie
Summary: When SG1 gets in trouble on an unknown planet, it sets into motion a chain of events that puts several worlds in great danger. S/J.
Category: Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Season: any Season
Pairing: Team, Jack/Sam, none
Rating: GEN
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2005-03-17
The day had started like a hundred others, with the team geared up in the Gateroom ready for a first contact mission to a new planet, each member carefully double-checking their gear and weapons. Colonel Jack O'Neill ran into the Gateroom out of breath, exactly on time to the minute, cheerfully hollering greetings and ready to charge through the Gate. From above in the control room, Sergeant Walter Harriman was confirming that they had a lock.
General Hammond's voice rang clearly over the intercom, "You have a go, SG1."
With a couple of sloppy salutes to the General and a few last minute adjustments to their gear, the foursome stepped through the Gate, exactly as they had done so many times before.
The planet they emerged on was not what they were expecting at all, however, based on the M.A.L.P. recons they had studied for the last several weeks before putting this planet on the mission list.
Jack, first through the Gate and already halfway down the weather beaten stone stairs, turned in a panic towards Sam as she emerged from the event horizon. The howling wind made it almost impossible for Major Samantha Carter to hear his urgent cry to her.
"Something's wrong with the atmosphere! Dial us out of here NOW! Can't..."
O'Neill slowly collapsed, his hands clutching his throat, and rolled to the foot of the stone steps.
Carter also immediately felt the horrible sensation of suffocating in an atmosphere not fit to breathe. With a sense of immediate panic flooding her, she had almost made it to the DHD, her hand clapped over her mouth, when she, too, was overcome. Sam tumbled in a heap behind the DHD. Daniel and Teal'C were in the action of rushing to the sides of their fallen teammates before they realized they were also in trouble.
Teal'C was not as quickly affected by the hostile atmosphere as the Earthlings were and managed to get to the DHD and dial out before he too crumpled, unconscious, at the base of the dialing device.
Back in the control room, the klaxons sounded an incoming wormhole. Concerned and mystified, General Hammond came out to the control room, but no iris code was received. He had no choice but to leave the iris closed.
"Sergeant, can you determine where that wormhole originated?"
"Yes sir. It's from PX-980, the planet SG1 just gated to."
Walter and George exchanged a look of alarm.
Jack slowly emerged from the blackness of unconsciousness, his head pounding relentlessly. The last things he could remember were the sound of the screaming wind and the suffocating crush of an alien atmosphere burning his lungs. But thankfully those were just memories now, and in their place he found himself in a tempreate and breathable atmosphere.
Sitting up gingerly, he discovered he was on the floor of a metallic walled room with no visible windows or doors. Teal'C was already stirring next to him. Daniel and Carter were still unconscious.
"T, are you okay? Do you know where we are?"
"I do not, O'Neill. I have also been unconscious. This appears to be the inside of a spaceship."
"Or something. Daniel? Carter?"
O'Neill dragged himself over to Sam and felt her pulse. Reassured, he repeated the inspection on Daniel, discovering they were both alive with strong pulses.
"How could the M.A.L.P. be so totally wrong?" O'Neill questioned, rubbing his aching forehead. His eyesight was blurry, but slowly returning.
A groan from Daniel alerted them that he too was now returning to the land of the conscious.
"What happened?" Daniel muttered.
"Not sure, but at least we're all still alive," Jack answered. "How do you feel, Danny?"
"Like I've been run over by a truck," he answered, in accordance with how Jack also felt.
Jack crawled back over to Sam. He spoke to her and gently brushed the hair away from her eyes as he insistently urged her to wake up, but got no response.
Still sitting next to Sam, Jack looked around at their surroundings, already trying to think his way out of this one. Teal'C, feeling better than any of them thanks to his alien physiology, was already pacing around the room's perimeter, checking patiently and methodically for anything that could be a latch or a hidden door. He found a recessed panel in the far wall that had a lever that looked moveable. He glanced over at Jack, who was watching him, and indicated his find.
"I don't think we should try to unlatch anything. We might expose ourselves to that poisonous atmosphere again," Jack advised.
Teal'C removed his hand from the lever as if it was red hot.
"I guess we just wait until whoever put us in here shows up," Daniel observed groggily.
The three sat there in silence, at a loss for what to do. It would seem there was nothing they could do, no action they could take, and that ate away at Jack as the minutes crept past.
General Hammond watched in alarm as the wormhole from PX-980 shut off without producing SG1 or any signals from them. He grabbed the com.
"This is General Hammond. Get a M.A.L.P. up here to the Gateroom A.S.A.P.," he barked into the receiver. Sergeant Walter Harriman analyzed the data from the recent wormhole over and over, but could find no clue as to who might have opened the Gate from the other side. He stood and began to pace in front of the window overlooking the Gate room, as restless as the General while they waited for the M.A.L.P. to be delivered.
The probe arrived in record time, a feat for which Hammond would have given high praises were he not so focused on the problem at hand, that of determining what had happened to his flagship team. The M.A.L.P. crawled at a maddeningly slow pace up the ramp and serenely disappeared through the event horizon. As soon as the back wheels had completely dematerialized, Walter and George hung over the monitor screen, their two bald heads almost touching in their zeal to learn what was happening on the planet.
"This can't be right, sir," Walter said disbelievingly.
"What, Sergeant?" Hammond asked sharply.
"The M.A.L.P. is reporting an atmosphere made of hostile components. This is nothing like the readings we had before. This planet's atmosphere is poisonous to human life."
Hammond's heart felt like ice. "That can't be accurate. I saw the last readings myself. Is it a malfunction?"
Harriman fiddled with the screen in front of him, ordering the M.A.L.P. to re-run it's diagnostics. "No sir, I'm getting the same readings."
"Have the remote cameras look all around the Gate and DHD, Sergeant. If they died in the atmosphere, their..." Hammond stopped, unwilling to voice his belief that they were all dead.
Walter swung the cameras by remote control in all directions. After several minutes of carefully surveying the area around the Gate, he straightened and looked up at the General.
"There are no bodies there, sir. We've run into civilizations before that have purposely misled our instruments to discourage us from visiting their planet."
"Contact the Tok'Ra, Sergeant. See if they are familiar with the coordinates of this planet and can give us any helpful information. Meanwhile, get some hazmat suits that will filter out that atmosphere and make it possible for us to send a rescue team."
"Yes sir," Walter sang out as General Hammond left the control room and returned to his office. They weren't going to give up on SG1 just yet.
Sam still remained unconscious and the three were beginning to be seriously concerned for her. It seemed strange to Jack that the three of them were awake and almost completely recovered while she remained out cold.
One wall suddenly began to shimmer and undulate, and seconds later, a figure stepped through wearing a self-contained atmospheric suit. The wall returned to its solid state as the alien removed his head gear. Jack was startled to realize he knew the man..
"Narim! You're alive!" exclaimed Jack.
"Colonel O'Neill, it is good to see you awake," the polite Tollan replied. "I was very worried about you. I brought you all here as quickly as possible. You are lucky I noticed the gate had been activated and that I observed you come through. I was on patrol of this sector today. You should not suffer any ill effects from your brief exposure. "
His eyes strayed to Sam and an expression of worry clouded his features.
"I regret Major Carter was exposed slightly longer than the rest of you. I could only transport you through the wall of the ship one at a time, and I didn't see her at first."
Narim sounded very upset. Jack recalled Narim's affection for Sam at their last meeting and felt a twinge of inappropriate possessiveness.
"Well, is she going to be okay?"
"I think so." O'Neill's eyes narrowed at this non-answer from Narim.
"Narim, it's wonderful to see you again. How did you escape the destruction of Tollana?" Daniel asked.
"A group of us were able to escape in ships. The Goa'uld ships are not as fast as ours, and we outran them. We wandered in space for a long time. We landed on this planet when our supplies began running low, and set up force fields to protect ourselves from the atmosphere."
"How do you manufacture the oxygen you need to breathe?" Daniel was intrigued.
"All the essential gases are present in this atmosphere. We filter out the poisonous elements and use the rest in our protected city. This planet is more agreeable than it appears. There is plentiful ground water, and we are able to grow our food within the protected areas. And this is a world the Goa'uld will never explore. We believe that the gases in the atmosphere that are poisonous to humans are even more deadly for the Goa'uld."
Jack glanced sharply at Sam upon hearing this last bit of information.
"Could the naquadah in Carter's blood be making her more vulnerable to the poisons?"
"It is quite possible," Narim admitted regretfully. "I will take you now to the Tollan colony in this ship. I can take Samantha to our medical facility there and try to help her. I am at a loss as to why she has been affected to such an extent when the Jaffa Teal'C has shown no ill effects. The symbiote within him should have been poisoned and killed."
"Teal'C no longer carries a symbiote, thanks to a drug we have recently discovered."
"That is good news, Teal'C, that the Jaffa can finally be free of the Gou'ald." Narim looked at Teal'C, astonished. Teal'C bowed his head respectfully.
"Narim, I need to contact General Hammond and tell him what's going on."
"I am sorry, Colonel O'Neill, but we must first report to the Council of Tollana."
O'Neill became silent, disturbed by Narim's pronouncement, but he offered no outward resistance. His prior experience with the Tollan told him he needed to do things their way for now. Narim disappeared the same way he had materialized, presumably returning to navigate the ship.
As the ship made a shaky landing a few minutes later at the Tollan setlement, the jerky movements of the ship tossed Carter's head forcefully against Jack's knee.
"Ouch," Sam clearly declared. Her hands went up to hold her head between her hands like a vice.
"Carter?" Jack questioned her.
"Yes, sir," Sam returned faintly.
"We were getting worried about you. Do you know where we are? Do you remember what happened?"
Jack was trying to see if she was fully conscious yet.
"We're on PX-980, and the atmosphere is unbreathable," Sam returned accurately, still holding her head with both hands. The men exchanged an amused look, knowing that only Sam would remember the planet's alphanumerical designation when she was barely conscious.
Jack reached down and gently put his arms around her back and shoulders. "Wanna sit up?"
He began to slowly lift her when she agreed, being careful to not jostle her head. His head was still aching; he could only imagine what she was going through.
"This sucks," she complained softly. "Sir." She added.
"Where are we now? How did we survive?"
"Well," Jack began, you won't believe it-"
The wall of their holding room shimmered and waved again and Narim stepped through, cutting off Jack's explanation.
"Samantha!" Narim called joyfully upon seeing her sitting up. Sam sat up straight and looked in his direction.
"Who's that?" She gasped, her face a mask of shock and hope.
Only then did Jack realize that Sam couldn't see them. He waved his fingers in front of her face. She didn't react at all.
"It is I, Narim. It is wonderful to see you again, Samantha."
"Narim!" She responded happily, looking past him with unfocused eyes.
Jack rolled his eyes impatiently. Narim's blatant adoration for Carter never failed to irritate him.
"This planet holds the remnant of Tollana," Narim explained to Sam, using the opportunity to move close to her side.
"Uh, Narim?" Jack said worriedly. "Why can't she see anything?"
Jack's question made Sam aware that her inability to see was limited to her alone. Up until this point, she had assumed the room was simply dark. Sam began to look around wildly and clung to Jack's arm.
"She should receive medical attention immediately," was Narim's typically evasive reply.
"What happened to me?"
"It's a residual effect from the poison in the atmosphere, Sam. It'll probably clear up soon." Jack's voice was meant to be reassuring, but the fact that he'd called her by her first name told her that he was deeply concerned.
"C'mon, we're going into the Tollan city." Jack helped her up and kept an arm around her waist to guide her.
The new settlement was a study in contrasts. Food producing crops grew in every available strip of soil. There were no fancy buildings or soaring fountains like there had been on Tollana, but evidence of the Tollan's advanced technology was displayed in the oddest places. The clear forcefield was holding the malevolent looking poisonous gases at bay and the swirling outer air could be seen all around the force field. Some of the ships they had used to come to this planet had been converted into living structures. Rough shack-like homes were scattered incongruously here and there among the gleaming metallic ships.
Narim directed them to one of the metallic buildings. The medical facilities were within, he explained. As they reached their destination, Jack found himself almost totally supporting Sam's weight. She was blacking out again. Teal'C came up on Sam's other side and helped steady her while they walked her inside to a room not unlike an Earth emergency room. Another Tollan came up to them, a look of astonishment on his face, and Narim introduced them all.
"Put the woman here," the doctor instructed them, indicating a bed with a glowing headboard. Jack could feel a steady heat emanating from the glow as they got Sam situated.
"I will contact Narim when I am finished healing this woman," the doctor pronounced with a confidence that bordered on haughtiness. Daniel gave Jack a look that conveyed his distaste for the man's demeanor and Jack nodded almost imperceptibly. Jack glanced back over his shoulder as the man crowded them out of the facility and firmly shut the door behind them. Even though he knew the Tollan would do no harm to her, he was reluctant to leave her with strangers in her present state. But it would appear he had no choice.
With a sigh of discontent, Jack followed Narim out into the street. What had they gotten themselves into this time? His heart was heavy with misgiving.
* * *
"Would you like to speak with our council while we wait for Sam to be treated?" Narim invited the three men who walked behind him, taking in the haphazard collection of buildings that comprised New Tollana. "It is a completely new council. None of the old council with whom you were familiar survived the invasion."
As they walked, an unpleasant thought occurred to Daniel.
"Uhhh, what part do your people think the T'auri played in the destruction of Tollana?"
"The official version is the true one, that our old council was corrupt and compromised by the Goa'uld. However, I will not deceive you. There are many who believe the T'auri are ultimately responsible for Tollana's fall."
"The old council members were the ones who invited us into that bad deal, as I remember," Jack burst out.
"What is the new council's policy on contact and exchange with other worlds?" Jack then asked, remembering the isolationist attitude of the Tollan Council he had known before the invasion.
"You will find that the view of the former Council has only been strengthened by the recent catastrophes which the remnant has had to endure. We certainly have no wish to make our presence known to any other worlds."
Jack's inner alarm bells began loudly ringing at this revelation. Getting off this world could prove to be difficult if the Tollan Council decided they couldn't take the risk of being found.
Narim stopped in front of another converted ship-building and ushered them in. They walked down a metal hallway that had clearly been a passageway on the ship and soon arrived in a room that appeared to have been the bridge, now converted to a meeting hall. Narim had obviously been busy alerting the leaders of the outpost to the presence of the visitors, for a group of stern Tollans already were seated around the center of the room on backless chairs, silently waiting for Jack and his team.
"You may be seated," a small grey-haired man directed them, indicating several stools opposite the Council. Daniel and Teal'C glanced at Jack for his nod of assent before taking the offered seats. The man then resumed his own seat before addressing the three newcomers.
"How did you learn of the Tollan's presence on this world?" he asked softly, addressing Jack, with a dignity that demanded respect.
"Your..honor," Jack stumbled, not sure what to call the man, "...we knew nothing of the Tollan presence on this world. We are explorers. This planet just happened to be next on a long list of possible worlds our people are curious to explore."
Daniel stood up in response to Jack's glance in his direction and continued. "We sent a probe to this planet four days ago, and received data from that probe indicating that the atmosphere, temperature and environment were similar to Earth's and therefore favorable for humans. We cannot explain how our probe sent back such erroneous information."
"We can explain," a female voice answered in melodious tones. A woman with flowing brown hair, salted with grey, wearing the traditional metallic robe of the Tollan, stood and elegantly made her way closer to the humans. "My name is Senil. We have the ability to erect forcefields to protect ourselves from the hostile atmosphere of the planet, as you are already aware. Four days ago, such a forcefield was in place around the Stargate. We are conducting our own planetary explorations through the Stargate in the hope of eventually finding a more suitable home for our people. Your probe came through and we believed we had been discovered by an enemy. We took down the forcefield and disconnected your probe's power source earlier today, after much debate."
"I was monitoring the Gate just after we removed the forcefield," Narim volunteered. "That's how I happened to observe your arrival. As soon as I recognized you I placed you inside my ship."
"That part I remember," Jack sighed.
"If we had seen the true nature of your planet's atmosphere, we would have bypassed this planet, you know," Daniel couldn't help observing rather sharply.
"Yes, that is very unfortunate, and we are sincerely sorry," Senil agreed regretfully. "However, it does not change the decision the Council is forced to come to under the circumstances. We cannot allow you to return to your world and risk knowledge of our whereabouts falling into the wrong hands. Your team must remain here."
"Wait a minute here," Jack retorted loudly. "Last I checked, your enemy is the same enemy we're fighting. We're not going to tell the Goa'uld where you are!" Jack had leapt to his feet in outrage. Jack bit his tongue to keep from blurting out the rest of his thought, concerning his memory of the Tollan being all too willing to betray the T'auri to the Goa'uld to save their own butts. Daniel gave him a warning glance, knowing what he was about to say.
"Our last encounter with your kind resulted in the disaster that led the Tollan remnant to take refuge on this planet," the small grey haired man said disdainfully.
"I would respectfully differ with that statement..." Daniel began, but was cut off.
"You cannot be trusted to leave this world with the knowledge of our new home," Senil concluded. "We will keep you here on New Tollana and the your people will eventually conclude that you are all dead. Narim has expressed his generosity in providing you with a place to live for now. This meeting is over."
The Council stood and left the dumbfounded men standing aimlessly in the chamber. After a few minutes, Narim cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Jack.
"If there was any other way, Colonel," he began hesitantly.
Ignoring him, Jack stood and stalked out of the chamber in a brooding silence, the others following behind him. The look of dark anger on Jack's face was enough to keep Narim from saying anything else.
Narim silently escorted them back down the main street to a simple structure, and into a room with four cots and a rough stone table, not large, but adequate. Jack was relieved to see Sam had returned from the healers and was already inside their new quarters.
The structure consisted of four walls loosely joined by a roof made of an open weave of metal slats. Inside, the area was divided into a living and sleeping area and a relatively private bathroom. The four beds were lined along one side of the room opposite the stone table with a bench on either side. Jack quickly noticed that Sam was seated cross-legged on one of the beds, staring at the empty wall just beyond him.
Narim bowed and, after a longing look in Carter's direction, made a quick exit to give the team time to absorb the disappointing decision of the Council. Jack studied Sam apprehensively, guessing the answer to the question on all of their minds.
"Carter, how's your eyes?"
Her look of intense concentration morphed into an uncomfortable grimace of self-consciousness. "There's no change, sir," she admitted apologetically.
Jack moved to her side and sat down next to her, his hand on her knee showing his sudden concern.
"I thought Narim said they could heal you," Jack protested. Waving his hand in front of her eyes and seeing no reaction, he shot a look of alarm at Teal'C and Daniel.
"I feel much better, actually," Sam explained. "The headache is gone and I no longer feel weak or dizzy."
"But, you can't see," Jack pointed out unnecessarily.
"The healer, doctor, whatever he is, said it may take several days for my optic nerves to recover. Or longer." Sam closed her eyes and turned her face away from them. Jack could hear a hitch in her breathing and knew she was trying not to cry in front of her teammates.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Jack answered quietly after a minute. "It's temporary, right? We'll wait it out, that's all. And another thing," Jack addressed them all, "It may take a while to figure out how to get home, but we're going to get home. Meanwhile, we're in no immediate danger."
"I've been thinking about that, sir. There's got to be a main control center for the forcefield surrounding the city and we have to find it and set up a forcefield around the Stargate-"
"You need to relax and let yourself recover," Teal'C's calm voice washed over Sam. "Colonel O'Neill is correct. We will soon find a way out of here and return to Earth."
Sam didn't answer, although she nodded her head in the direction of Teal'C's voice. It was unnerving not to be able to see them as they talked to her. She hadn't realized until now how much she relied on body language and nonverbal cues to communicate. Feeling acutely vulnerable, Sam curled her arms around her knees and hid her face. Jack's fingers slid around her neck and tightened comfortingly on her shoulder.
There was a soft knock at the entrance to their quarters and Daniel opened the door to reveal two young Tollan girls, apparently sent by Narim, carrying large trays of food and drink. Smiling shyly, the two deposited the trays on the table and left without a word, bowing and smiling. Daniel immediately moved to the trays and began inspecting the wares. He was pleased to find a very generous supply of fresh fruits and something a lot like peanut butter, along with a bread-like accompaniment.
"Nice," approved O'Neill, leaving Sam's cot and eagerly moving to a seat on one of the benches with Teal'C. The three men had already taken several mouthfuls before Jack looked over at Sam, suddenly struck by the fact that she had not moved off the bed, and just as suddenly stricken by guilt when he realized why. He jumped up and was at her side in a few seconds.
"C'mon, Carter, aren't you hungry?" Jack asked confidently, placing a hand around her upper arm and smoothly leading her to the table. With seamless efficiency, he helped her to sit down and placed a piece of fruit in one of her hands. More at ease, Sam bit greedily into the fruit. Every few minutes, Jack made sure to offer her something to eat or drink until she let him know she was full.
As he finished his own meal, he couldn't help but notice and wonder at how close to his side she chose to stay. Even now that she was finished with her meal, she was leaning very lightly against him, not moving or speaking. It was gratifying, yet unsettling to Jack, that she needed him so, both physically and emotionally. This Sam Carter was a stranger to him, and she was drawing emotions to the surface that were definitely not ones he normally felt around Carter.
When the contents of the trays had been reduced to the odd crumb here and there, he poured each of them a cup of rosy liquid from an ornate flask in the center of one of the trays and gamely tasted it first, while both Daniel and Teal'C watched him carefully.
"Mmm," he announced approvingly, "it tastes like fruit juice. The fermented kind."
Jack smiled as he handed out the glasses, already planning to drink the glass he knew Teal'C would not touch. When he got to Sam's, he took her hand and gently placed the full goblet into her hand.
"Taste it, it's good," he encouraged.
Sam raised the glass to her lips, but overestimated the weight of the cup and spilled it down the front of her shirt. Jack winced at the look of embarrassment and intense frustration that crossed Sam's face. He looked over at Daniel and Teal'C and nodded silently at the door.
"Uhh, I think we'll return these leftovers to the kitchen...wherever that is," Daniel announced clearly. "Teal'C, want to help me find where this stuff came from?"
"Indeed, Daniel Jackson," Teal'C hurried to agree.
When they had made their exit, Jack carefully took the glass from Sam's hands.
"Hey," he said softly. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," Sam whispered brokenly. "I can't do this."
In his heart, Jack doubted that he could do it either, were he in Sam's shoes, but he also knew that's not what she needed to hear right now.
"You said yourself that the healer thinks it will just be a few days, but until you get your sight back you're going to have to rely on us. Trust me. Can you do that?"
Sam tossed her head angrily. "Could you?" She retorted unexpectedly, surprising Jack.
"I...I honestly don't know, Carter. I don't really trust anybody," he answered with brutal honesty. "All I can tell you is I'm willing to be your eyes, for as long as you need me to be. One thing I do trust is that you would do the same for me, if our situations were reversed. Now how about I find you a clean shirt and you can wash up and change out of that wet one?"
Sam blew out a breath noisily and nodded meekly. "Sounds good. This is getting cold."
"Be right back."
Sam was disgusted to discover that she immediately felt anxious in his absence. Looking around experimentally, she was frightened even more to find that there were no lights or darks anywhere, just a uniform blackness all around. Of all the situations she had imagined herself getting into, total blindness was not one of them. She was a very visual thinker, and took her ability to see for granted. Up until the moment she had awoken on Narim's ship, shrouded by darkness, she had never even once contemplated what it would be like to lose her sight.
The few minutes alone felt like hours. Panic began to seep in around the edges of her consciousness. Where was he?
"Jack?" She blurted out when she could no longer handle the claustrophobic sensation of isolation.
"I'm right here," he answered gently, his voice much closer than she had expected. She turned towards his voice with a start.
"I've been looking everywhere in your pack for a change. Didn't you bring any clean clothes?"
"Yes, sir. If you bring me the backpack I can dig something out."
Jack sat down next to her again and placed the backpack in her hands. Reaching behind and below the main compartment, Sam deftly unzippered a pouch lashed onto the pack and pulled out a couple of shirts along with a pair of desert khaki BDU pants. Clean socks threatened to tumble out onto the dirty floor but Jack halted them in mid-fall.
"One of them is grey and one's black," Sam said, referring to the shirts. "I want the long-sleeved black one."
Jack smiled at the authority returning to Sam's tone and handed her the requested article of clothing, carefully replacing her other clothes in the zippered pouch. He then helped her up and led her by the arm into the wash room.
"Okay, Sam, here's a towel, some soap, and a basin of water. Sorry, the water's cold. The Tollan haven't quite recovered their former level of technology yet, it would seem. And there is a shelf here where I'm putting your clean shirt..." he held her hands and moved them from item to item as he outlined the location of each. "I'll leave you to it, okay? If you need me, I'll be waiting at the table, just call me."
"Thanks." Sam sounded defeated. She stood still as a statue until she heard the door click shut behind him. Biting her lip, she determinedly stripped off her wet tee and began methodically going through the process of washing and changing, determined not to risk further humiliation. For humiliated she was. If nothing else, she was above all a woman who prided herself on her self-sufficiency and ability to work her way through whatever life threw at her.
She soon finished thoroughly soaping her arms and torso, but froze when she realized she'd already forgotten where the basin of water was. Tentatively reaching around her in ever-increasing circles, the bar of soap clenched in one hand, she came into firm contact with the basin from the worst angle possible, upsetting it onto the floor with a crash.
Jack was standing at the door of their domicile, waiting for her call and watching the street beyond, when he heard the crash from behind him in the washroom, followed by a scream of fury and the sound of something smashing into the wall with a dull thud.
In two long strides, he threw open the door, fearing Sam had fallen, to find her standing in the middle of the tiny cubicle, surrounded by the spilled water, fallen basin and a dirty, broken bar of soap on the floor. Her face was livid and tears were already leaking down her cheeks.
"Sam?" Jack said incredulously.
She turned towards the sound of his voice, stripped to the waist and covered with soap suds save for a now damp white running bra. She had never looked so frail and vulnerable, or beautiful, as she did now, standing before him in a rage born of desperation. She must have realized her state of undress even as he drank in her appearance, for she wrapped her arms protectively around her chest and turned away from him again, still sobbing angrily.
"All right, all right, it's not a disaster, Sam, come on, I'll..." he stuttered, mentally reining himself in as he reached for the wet cloth and grabbed the basin. There was still an inch of water in the bottom, and without further hesitation he began washing the soap off her arms and back. Half-expecting her to deck him, he relaxed by degrees as she remained still and unresisting to his touch. She was shivering now, so he quickly finished the improvised sponge bath and wrapped a towel around her.
"Dry off, and I'll give you your shirt." Jack stepped back. He knew Sam. She needed to claim as much independence as possible in this situation and he was trying to figure out where the line was between being helpful and being patronizing.
"Okay," she whispered after a minute, the first word she had uttered since her explosion.
"Here." He put the black tee she had requested earlier into her hands. Once she was dressed again, he carefully reached out and took her hand, intending to lead her back to the common room. Instead, Sam's hands crept along his arm to his shoulder and she snuggled irresistably against him, still sniffling a little. Jack melted at her need for him, returning the embrace wholeheartedly. After a minute or two of simply breathing in Jack's steady, familiar presence, Sam seemed much more composed.
"Tired?" His hand unconsciously feathered through her hair.
"Yes."
"You need some rest." Jack directed her to her bed and pulled a blanket over her still shivering body once she had settled down. He sat down next to her, watching her eyes close from exhaustion.
"Major?" he ventured just before she drifted off completely. "We're going to get through this, got it?"
"Yes sir," Sam answered after a minute.
"Sir?"
"Yup?"
"Are you, umm, where are you..." she stumbled to a halt.
"Right here, next to you. Reach out your left hand." She did, and felt the mattress of the next bed yield under her palm.
"That's my bed, right there. If you need me for whatever, just reach out and pound on the mattress and I'll wake up. Eventually. Be persistent, Carter. I want to be here for you, believe that. But I sleep pretty heavy," he said, and she could hear the playful teasing in his voice. It lifted her spirits more than anything had that whole long, difficult day.
"Now I feel better," Sam mumbled, sinking bonelessly into the mattress.
"Good," Jack smiled. "Now get some sleep. And I'm gonna go tell the guys it's safe to come back in, okay?" He patted her arm and pulled the blanket up more securely around her shoulders.
"Okay."
Feeling warm, cared for and a lot less afraid, Sam slipped into a much needed slumber.
* * * *
"Unscheduled off-world activation, General," Sergeant Harriman announced over the com.
Hammond hurried into the control room and stood behind Walter, hope lighting his eyes. "Is it SG1?"
"No, sir. It's the Tok'Ra's IDC, " Walter responded.
"Open the iris." Hammond turned and made his way to the Gateroom to greet their allies. Jacob stepped out of the wormhole, flanked by several Tok'Ra Hammond didn't recognize. The General walked up eagerly to his old friend and grasped Jacob's hand with feeling.
"It's good to see you again, Jacob. I regret that it is not under more pleasant circumstances."
"Yeah, about that," Jacob cut to the point with characteristic bluntness. "What's going on?"
"I think we'd better sit down while I explain," George replied, indicating that the visitors were to follow him. As they walked together to the conference room, Jacob glanced at George and finally burst out with the question that always haunted him whenever the SGC called on the Tok'Ra for help.
"It's SG1, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so. We're hoping you can help us find them."
* * * * *
Sam woke up slowly, trying to figure out where she was and why it was still dark. She felt like she'd had enough sleep, but yet it appeared to still be the middle of the night. Then the memory of what had happened the day before came rushing back into her awareness, and she felt as if an iceberg had suddenly materialized in her gut. She had no way of knowing whether it was the middle of the night or the next day.
Sam reached tentatively out towards Jack's bed, remembering what he had told her the night before. When her palm came into solid contact with the edge of his mattress, she gave it a few sharp slaps. Almost immediately, she felt his presence right in front of her face. It amazed her how she could see where he was with her other senses. The echo of the room around her stopped in the area just in front of her, indicating his position, and she could feel heat radiating from his body. Reaching out, she laid a hand on his shoulder before he had a chance to tell her he was awake.
"Hey," Jack whispered groggily. "What's up?"
"I need to use the..."
"No problem," Jack said a little too quickly, betraying his uncomfortable lack of experience in such a situation. He grabbed her upper arm securely and they stood up together. Step by step, he led her to the small wash room and once again patiently helped familiarize her with where everything was.
"You okay now?"
"Yes, I've got it this time," she answered, ready to close the door behind him.
"Don't let your tantrum get too loud this time, because the guys are still asleep," Jack teased. She smiled sheepishly at herself.
"I'll do my best, but I'm not making any promises."
"Good enough. Tap on the door when you're through."
Sam was tapping on the door just a few minutes later, quite proud that she had managed this little mission without mishap. When Jack helped her sit down on her bed, she was happy to feel the mattress dip next to her as he sat down too, obviously wanting to talk some. She turned automatically to look at his face when she realized that she'd again momentarily forgotten about her blindness. She looked back down at her lap self-consciously, not wanting him to see her sightless eyes.
"It's the middle of the night, isn't it?" She whispered.
"Actually, I can see a glow on the horizon. Must be almost dawn. Are you still sleepy?"
"No, I feel very rested."
"Me too. Wanna go for a walk?"
"Sure." Yes. If only he knew how badly she wanted to go for a walk with him. Smiling on the inside, she held a hand out, reaching through the darkness, knowing with wonderful surety his hand would be there waiting for hers.
The length and breadth of the forcefield surrounding the colony was surprisingly spacious, and the two found themselves working their way along the outer perimeter through the Tollan fields as the glow in the sky grew brighter and brighter.
"Tell me what this planet looks like," Sam requested, walking just behind Jack with her hand on his shoulder.
"Not too different from Earth. Well, except for the poisonous atmosphere. The Tollan have planted all kinds of crops out here. Looks like we're in the middle of Iowa or something."
"What about outside the forcefield?"
"The atmosphere is a kind of pinkish orangey color, and it's very visible. The gases swirl around in very nice patterns, but you can still see through to the surrounding country."
"I don't remember appreciating the beauty of the gas colors as we arrived," Sam noted drily.
"I guess not. Me either. Anyway, I can see a lot of rock formations. The area just outside the colony looks like a desert. Not much plant life, if any. The Tollan must have gone through a lot to colonize this place, I'll give them that."
They walked a while in silence.
"No animal life?"
"None that I've seen, but I have to confess I haven't really been looking."
"I'll have to ask Narim," Sam mused out loud.
She felt Jack stiffen under her touch. Grasping his shoulder more firmly, she stopped so he would have to stop, too.
"You don't like him. Why not?"
"Oh, I like him just fine. He's been great to us. Saved our lives and all."
"But I felt you flinch when I said his name. So I bet you were thinking something less than complimentary. Hey, I think I just found a positive aspect to being blind."
She had been amazed to learn how well she could read his thoughts and feelings just through her touch on his hand or shoulder. She was secretly enjoying the constant contact with Jack way more than she should be allowing herself to enjoy it.
"Yeah, you could feel that, huh." Jack paused, weighing his next words. "Isn't it ironic that the reason I can't hide from you is because you can't see?"
He shifted from one foot to the other. "I don't like him because he likes you. Make that, adores you. He worships the ground you walk on. Makes me want to deck him."
She again felt the muscles of his arm tense powerfully and bunch up under her hand, and it made her smile.
"What?" Jack asked, seeing her enjoyment of his confession.
"You're jealous."
"Carter, jealous? Come on, this isn't high school. Besides I'm not even the jealous type."
"You just said you want to punch him because he adores me," Sam pointed out mischievously, saying the word 'adores' in a singsong tone. Jack didn't answer, but he was suddenly not there under her touch anymore.
"Jack!" Sam cried in a panic. She was not prepared for how suddenly her easy mood disintegrated into terror. She swung her arms around wildly, reaching for him.
He was back in a second, wrapping her tightly in his strong arms, swaying soothingly back and forth as he held her close.
"Crap. I forgot," Jack muttered into her ear. "I'm sorry. This is really hard, and I'm not making it much easier."
"It's okay, it's okay," Sam assured him, although her voice was shaking. She stepped back, leaving her hands on his chest while he held her by the shoulders. "I'm actually glad you slipped like that. It means you felt natural around me. You've all been treating me like I'm made of glass. This is hard for me, and I know I'm not adjusting very gracefully, but it's not your fault every time I do something awkward."
"You call throwing a full blown temper tantrum in the washroom 'awkward', huh?"
"Just shut up," Sam retorted with a laugh. He hugged her again, a long lingering hug that neither wanted to end any time soon.
"I guess I am jealous. Jealous that he can show you how he feels. And I can't."
Knowing he had no right or reason to feel so possessive of Sam, he still couldn't stop the gnawing, caveman sensation that Narim was trespassing on his turf. Having her hand in his, being connected by some degree of physical touch everywhere they'd been these last few days, was something he'd never imagined would be possible. But now circumstances had thrown them into a situation where he was allowed to touch her, in fact needed to touch her, in order to be her eyes.
With the physical contact came the feelings, unasked for and yet unstoppable.
It was as simple as that.
He knew she enjoyed his company. He was even pretty sure she loved him in some way. But he'd seen the same smile she flashed at him also aimed at Narim, and sometimes even Daniel and Teal'C. He suddenly needed to know he was more to her than her buddy, her teammate, as valuable as that aspect of their relationship was to him. He loved her, he really loved her, and he wanted her to love him back.
Stepping back just a little as they broke apart, Jack looked down at her and stared, now that he could get away with it, his eyes taking in every curve, every dimple. He realized he was confusing Sam when she shifted uncomfortably.
"Jack?" He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Sam had apparently decided at some point during this ordeal that calling him 'Colonel' and 'Sir' was a mite ridiculous, given the extraordinary circumstances. Another thing to add to the list of unexpected bright spots on this otherwise crappy mission. He loved hearing her say his name.
"Sorry, Sam. I was just thinking."
"About?"
"I don't know, nothing important. Hey, we still have a lot of walking to do to get all the way around this perimeter."
He linked his arm more securely through hers and they resumed their slow march across the neatly tended Tollan fields. He shook his head and ordered himself to concentrate on finding a way to get home again. And he tried, he really tried hard. But the steady pressure of her arm in his was clouding his mind with a hazy euphoria and in the end he decided to wait until he was elsewhere to attempt to occupy his mind with anything other than just the heady pleasure of being close to her.
* * * *
Using the coordinates of PX-980 and the Tok'Ra navigational system, Jacob had easily located the planet and the Tok'Ra ship was well underway on its journey to the planet SG1 had disappeared on. With no idea what he would find, Jacob could only hope that the four had found a way to survive the harsh conditions on the planet's surface. The ship would be in orbit around the planet within the hour. Jacob was already putting on his hazmat suit for the rescue effort. He turned to Captain Adams of SG4, who was also suiting up. The rescue team consisted of an equal number of Tok'Ra and T'auri.
"We'll do a preliminary sweep of the area around the Gate. I'm assuming they couldn't have gone far. Then, depending on what we find, be ready to ring down to the planet's surface."
"Yes, sir," Adams answered the former General. He turned to give his team their instructions. Jacob turned to the navigator, a Tok'Ra he didn't know well, and watched the console over his shoulder. Just in case something goes wrong down there, be ready to transport us back on board at a moment's notice," Jacob cautioned him.
"Of course."
"Sir," the navigation officer said a moment later. "Look at these structures on the planet just north of the Stargate. They appear to be in a protective bubble. I am detecting life signs. It is an inhabited settlement."
"That's where we go, then. Can you beam us inside the forcefield?"
After fiddling with his controls for long minutes, the officer shook his head. "The best I can do is to ring you down near the protected area."
"Do it."
The rescue team was ready, fully outfitted in environmental suits. The team assembled on the ring platform and the characteristic beam of light enveloped them.
* * * *
"Jack?" Sam broke the silence that had hung lazily between them for many minutes now.
"Hmm?"
"Walk me over to the edge of the perimeter. I need to try something."
"Okay. What are you thinking?" Jack headed them through some rocky terrain with great care as he made his way to the edge of the forcefield.
"Well, I've been wondering what kind of forcefield this is. Does it hold just the gases out? Would it stop us from going through, too?"
"Need I remind you that whether it does or not, there is a very good reason for staying on this side of it?"
"It may make a difference in how we plan our escape," Sam pointed out.
"Alright, I see where you're going with it. Here we are. Now what?"
"Well, let me touch it and see if my hand goes through."
"And if it shocks you and injures you, then what? I don't think my knees can take carrying you all the way back to the healers."
""I don't know, try throwing a rock through."
"Hey, good idea." Jack found a rock that fit nicely in the palm of his hand and tossed it at the barrier. It bounced off with a shower of bright energy pulses.
"Whoa," Jack observed.
"What happened?" Sam queried.
"It bounced back, and it looks like the forcefield reacted with a blast of energy. That's not good, is it?"
"Well, the Tollan had the ability, back on Tollana, to produce a forcefield that could hold out both animate and inamnimate objects, and could also be modified to only hold back inanimate objects. I was hoping the Tollan have set this one to stop only inanimate objects."
"And why would they do that?"
"Narim said that they fly their ships on patrol every day. I just wondered how they got in and out of the forcefield."
"Well, the ship is inanimate, isn't it?"
Sam sighed. "You're right. But maybe they land the ships outside the forcefield and walk in through the barrier. I just want to touch it."
"Sam, no. I'll touch it." Before she could protest, Jack strode to the edge and plunged his hand into the field of energy. His fist went right through without resistance.
"Jack?" Sam called out apprehensively, wanting him to come back where she could put a hand on him again.
"I think you're right, Sam. Although I'm not sure what good it does us. My hand went through, no problem." He heard Sam's sigh of relief. He didn't have time to ask her why this was so important to her, for just then they heard a familiar voice calling them.
"Samantha!" Narim was approaching them from the direction of the settlement. Sam had to pull Jack to a reluctant stop to make him stay and greet Narim. She resisted the urge to chuckle at him. He could be so predictable sometimes.
"Narim! Good morning," Sam said cheerfully in his direction. She heard him stride right up to them and stop before her.
"Is all well, O'Neill?" Narim was curiously eyeing their proximity to the forcefield.
"Hunky dory, Narim." Jack received a confused glance. The alien had no idea what he had said.
"I mean, fine, great, peachy."
"Aah." Narim was now smiling with understanding.
"Is there any improvement with your eyesight, Samantha?" Narim asked so cloyingly that Jack was instantly annoyed with him.
"Not yet," she answered softly. Something about her voice played on Jack's sympathy for her and he pulled her in closer against his side. If he'd been totally honest with himself, he'd have realized he was also trying to send an unspoken warning to Narim. She responded to his touch and nestled in a bit further under his arm.
Jack was gratified to see Narim's reaction as he noticed and pondered the change in relationship between the two soldiers. Was that hurt or disappointment in his eyes? Jack didn't care, as long as the lovesick Tollan got the message loud and clear.
"Perhaps soon," Narim said kindly. "I have had food sent to your room already."
"Well, then, we'd better get back before Daniel and Teal'C eat it all," Jack joked.
"Oh, Colonel O'Neill, I'm sure they will save your portions for you."
Jack nodded wrily. This guy had no sense of humor whatsoever.
"I was wondering if I could borrow you, Samantha, and show you around our science facility."
"Uhh, now?" Jack felt her grip on his arm tighten.
"I will come for you after you have eaten, if you like."
"Great! Sounds good, Narim. I'd love to." She smiled in his direction, her grip on Jack easing off somewhat.
"Let's go get our breakfast, Major," Jack suggested lightly and steered her away from Narim. If he was going to walk off with Sam later, Jack was going to make sure he kept her by his side as long as possible. When he again realized how possessive he was feeling, Jack laughed at himself. As if Sam's choice of companionship was up to either him or Narim.
Narim was at their quarters within the hour. Sam was just finishing up their meal when he knocked at the door.
"Your date's here, Carter," Jack mumbled ungraciously. Nevertheless he opened the door and greeted Narim politely. Bowing, the Tollan entered their common room and predictably had eyes only for Sam.
"Are you ready for a tour of our science lab, Samantha?" Narim asked eagerly.
"Yes, of course. I'm looking forward to it," she responded sincerely. She stood up next to the table and took a tentative step in his direction. When Narim showed no sign of moving to her side, Jack immediately moved to Sam's aid and guided her over to the door. He gave Narim a stern look as he made an exaggerated point of handing her arm to his safekeeping.
"Have fun, Carter," was all he said, in spite of the lecture on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to give the man. He felt her absence almost as soon as the two scientists walked off together. He'd been linked to her almost constantly every waking hour since the poison had rendered her sightless. Only now that she was gone did he realize how quickly he had adjusted to the situation.
"O'Neill," Teal'C said to Jack in his perpetually serene tone. "Should we not begin looking for the controls to the forcefield?"
Daniel stood up at that and walked over to the table, standing next to Teal'C and Jack. "I think I have a pretty good idea where to start."
"Let's go." Jack got up and the three walked casually outside, Daniel slightly ahead so they could follow him. He headed straight for the converted ship where they had met with the Council the day before. Walking around behind it, they began looking for a way to get inside without being discovered. They were disappointed to find that the only visible way in was through the main door, which almost certainly would be monitored. Jack led them away from the building so as not to arouse suspicion and found a quiet corner of the settlement to regroup.
"I have another thought," Daniel said quietly to his teammates. Narim had on one of those spacesuits when he came through the wall of the ship that first day when we were rescued. They have to keep them in the settlement somewhere. Maybe we could find some of those and then figure out how to get through the forcefield?"
"Carter and I just discovered that the forcefield doesn't repel lifeforms, just the stuff that's not alive, like the gases in the air, and rocks. So if we find a few of those suits..."
"We just walk out of here and hike straight to the Stargate." Daniel exclaimed.
"After we have determined in which direction the Stargate is," Teal'C pointed out.
"You're right, we need to find a map or something. Maybe Carter can help us there. She's pretty chummy with Narim."
"Uhh, jealous, Jack?"
Jack snorted with irritation. "Jealous? This isn't high school."
Daniel smirked knowingly. "Sure, whatever. So, do we wait for Sam?"
"I guess we'll have to." They turned and headed back towards their quarters, each mentally working out the details of their respective escape plans.
* * * * *
Jacob approached the clear bubble of atmosphere cautiously, signaling the team to stay back for now. They had done recon on the entire settlement and had picked this position as the most protected place to enter the protected zone. Working in these spacesuits was tiring work and his personnel were already getting a bit cranky from the strain. Jacob gingerly picked up a rock and chucked it at the forcefield, ducking in dismay at the ripple of brilliant energy waves the rock inspired. Jacob eased his way back to the rocks that the rest of his people were hiding behind. Adams and he exchanged a dark look.
"Well, that didn't look too promising," Adams observed.
"No," Jacob grunted. "any ideas, people?" he asked, looking around at the four SGC soldiers and the three other Tok'Ra.
"I could take some energy readings," volunteered Gail Collins, Adams' second-in-command. She gazed steadily at Jacob and he recognized the sparking enthusiasm of a young scientist behind her gaze.
Sam. His heart once again twisted with a desperate desire to discover her fate.
"See what you can learn, stay low, Lieutenant," Adams directed her. She crept out from the shelter of the rocks and worked her way to the barrier, where she sat down , blending almost immediately with her surroundings in the desert cammies she was wearing. The rescuers watched and waited as Collins began testing the perimeter. After a few minutes, Jacob glanced impatiently at Adams.
"What's she doing?"
Adams didn't respond directly to Jacob, but depressed his radio within his suit and called the Lieutenant.
"Collins, what can you tell us?"
"Stand by, sir," she answered coolly, continuing to wave her data-collecting tool right up to the edge of the forcefield. They watched as she seemed to freeze in place for a minute, then packed away her instruments.
"Permission to try breaching the forcefield, sir," Collins called over the com.
"You'll be shocked or worse, Lieutenant," Jacob interjected over Adams' shoulder.
"I don't think so," she returned confidently. Adams and Jacob just shrugged at each other.
"Permission granted."
Upon hearing her CO's go-ahead, Collins stood and slowly placed her hand against the energy field. To everyone's surprise and delight, her hand slid smoothly inside the bubble. She removed her hand and turned to the rest of her team.
"Let's go," she announced smugly to the group by radio.
* * * *
Narim and Sam sat comfortably in his lab, close together so she could lean her hand on his shoulder. They had quickly found that Sam's ability to appreciate all that he was working on was severely limited by her inability to see. So, after tediously describing several experiments to her, they were now discussing how the Tollan had escaped the Goa'uld and all that had happened since then. Sam was struck again by how grateful she was to find Narim alive after her last glimpse of him on Tollana as it was being bombed by their enemy.
"Narim, I was so worried about you. More than worried. I grieved for you. I was sure you had been killed."
He moved closer and put his hand on her knee.
"It seems the fates have brought us together again in spite of the odds. Samantha, I too had despaired of ever seeing you again. I cannot tell you how it warmed my heart to find you. I only wish I could have rescued you more quickly, perhaps your injury would not have been so serious."
"The fact is, you saved my life, Narim, and the lives of my team for whom I care deeply. You have nothing to regret."
Narim did not answer her. She could sense through the air around them that he had drawn much closer to her while she was talking. She guessed he was planning to kiss her. They had kissed once before, but it had been only affection on Sam's part, and the embrace had revealed her lack of romantic feelings for Narim. But she was at a distinct disadvantage here. She couldn't leave without his help, but she didn't want to encourage his advances.
She turned her face away abruptly. She sensed him back off, and the atmosphere between grew awkward.
"I'm sorry, Narim. I care for you very much, but not in that way."
"You would like to go back to the Colonel, I think?" She was disturbed to hear an undercurrent of anger and rejection in his voice. The sooner they parted, she decided, the better.
"Yes, I would like you to take me back to my team," she clarified, resenting his implication that she wished to be returned Jack in particular. Narim said nothing further, but he held her arm gently and led her carefully back outside.
There was a crowd of Tollans in the middle of the settlement and Sam and Narim knew instantly something big was going on. Narim quickened his step and Sam had no choice but to do the same. He could see people in strange garb in the center of the throng as they drew closer.
"What is it, Narim?" Sam asked breathlessly. She was confused when she received no answer. Narim's hands were holding her upper arms in an iron grasp. She could hear voices raised in anger. She heard Jack's voice, which didn't surprise her, as his voice could be very commanding when he got upset about something. She also heard a very familiar voice chiming in from time to time...was that?
"Dad!" She called out as loudly as she could muster. Narim responded by pulling her back with him away from the crowd and hurrying her to the council building. She yelled to her father once more before Narim clamped a strong hand over her mouth, silencing her. She was so confused. She couldn't figure out what was happening.
"Samantha, I am sorry it has come to this, but your rescuers have complicated this matter greatly. I must keep you here for now." Narim sat her at the table. "Stay here, I'll be back." With that terse command, she was left alone in the room, stunned, trying to figure out what was going on.
* * * *
The Tok'Ra navigator looked around him before leaving the console for a more private location. Inside a small anteroom, the navigator pulled out a Goa'uld long-range communication device. It glowed in his hand.
"Report," commanded the Goa'uld, Anubis.
"My Lord, you will be most pleased with my discovery. I have found the location of the Tollan, your sworn enemies. I am transmitting the coordinates of this planet to you now."
"That is indeed good news. I will soon have my revenge. Is the planet a prize to be taken as well?"
"It is not. The atmosphere is very poisonous. The Tollan are living under a forcefield to keep out the toxins. It appears to be nothing but a wasteland."
"It is of no consequence. The sweetness of my revenge will not be lessened. I commend you, servant."
"Thank you, my Lord," the spy gushed proudly before terminating the link.
* * * *
The situation in the center of New Tollana was boiling out of control. With the arrival of eight more outsiders, the Tollan realized that just holding the intruders indefinitely was not a solution. The Council had gathered in the middle of the angry group and were calling for silence.
Senil stood adamantly in the middle between the strangers and the settlers calling for order amidst the chaos. Jacob was similarly quieting his team, who, being military, were much quicker to comply than the frightened, angry Tollan. When a measure of order had been restored, Senil addressed the newcomers. Daniel and Teal'C had joined their SGC peers as well.
"The Council of New Tollana will meet now to decide how to proceed given the altered circumstances. When we have resolved this issue, we will summon the T'auri to our council chamber. You will wait while we discuss this difficult issue." Senil turned away. Jacob stepped forward as she walked gracefully away and stopped her.
"The Council of New Tollana may do whatever they wish. You can't stop us from taking our personnel, whom you have detained against their will. A ship is in orbit around this planet waiting for our return. Any action you take to further detain our people will be interpreted as an act of hostility."
"You will wait for the decision of the Council," Senil told him fiercely, "because if you don't, your actions will be seen as hostile by the Tollan people. You should know that we are holding a member of the group called SG1 as insurance that you will comply with our request."
Jacob instantly knew that the hostage was Sam.
Sam willed herself to ignore the familiar panic that began to wash over her where she sat, alone and unable to see, in the room Narim had told her to wait in. Although she was still not sure what Narim's intentions were, her deepest instincts told her she was somehow in trouble and should get out of this place any way she could.
Instead of standing and walking, she dropped to all fours and crawled to the side wall, along which she carefully worked her way until she found the door. She tried the handle and was relieved to find it unlocked. Narim had probably not thought her capable of escaping in her present condition. She knew they had turned right from the main corridor to enter this chamber, so she turned left and headed along the wall towards the door, hoping against hope that by some miracle, she would be able to escape unseen.
Inch by inch, she took tentative steps, listening for anything that might indicate another being. So far it was quiet except for her own breath and heartbeat. So that was good.
She remembered the door to the outside had opened with a sliding panel latch. She figured the control would be in easy reach near the door. But, where would she go once she was outside? Sam racked her brain trying to form a mental picture from the sounds and feelings she had experienced while being brought here. It just wasn't enough information to make any kind of meaningful decision as to where she should go next. She didn't even know what direction their team hut was located.
The door just in front of her slid open with a soft swish. Sam froze and flattened herself against the wall. Her heart sank, for she knew there was no chance, none at all, that she would not be seen. She heard and sensed a human presence moving swiftly in her direction and the bitter disappointment of failure shot through her.
"Couldn't wait for the calvary?"
A wonderfully welcome voice whispered breathily in her ear while a much longed-for pair of arms encased her.
"Jack!" She hissed. With a huge sigh she turned and gratefully wrapped herself around him.
"Are you okay?"
Pushing back a little, Jack leaned his forehead against hers and Sam shivered, knowing he was looking at her. She wished more than anything that she could once again see those incredible eyes of his.
"Yes, I am now."
"C'mon."
Keeping an arm wrapped firmly around her waist, he steered her out the door, ducking into the shadows of a nearby structure with lightening quickness. It was all Sam could do to keep her balance through the unexpected maneuver. They continued their pattern of weaving back and forth while Sam concentrated on keeping her footing through it all. Finally, he pulled her down against the side of a building to rest.
"I was sure I'd been found by the Tollan again when I heard the door open. I've never been so happy to... hear... you."
"Well, I saw Narim show up in the middle of town without you. If I hadn't been in such a hurry to find you, I would have stuck around to pound on him for a while. But I'm glad I didn't. Wait to go look for you, I mean. And I 've found you. And you're okay."
Jack sounded as if he was talking to himself as much as to Sam. Sam snuggled deeper into his arms and he responded in kind.
"I don't think Narim would hurt me."
"I don't trust him."
"Well, that makes two of us now," Sam commented sadly. Jack leaned in and kissed the top of her head.
"C'mon. Let's go find the others."
The rescue team paced impatiently outside the Council Hall. To the surprise and delight of all, especially Jacob, Jack and Sam walked out of the shadows into their midst.
"Sam!" He called eagerly, running to her side. "Thanks, Jack," he added gratefully, grabbing the younger man's hand and arm to shake it, then thinking better of it and pulling Jack in for a joyful hug.
"My pleasure." Jack smiled, but his eyes never strayed from Sam, a fact not missed by Jacob.
"Are you okay, Sammie?" Jacob grabbed her up in his arms.
"Dad!" She buried her face against his shoulder. "Fine. Other than being temporarily blind."
Jacob looked at Jack with alarm. "Blind! Temporary?"
"That's what the Tollan healer said." Jacob's look of mistrust conveyed his lack of faith in the Tollan.
Jack nodded. "Me too," he agreed cryptically, sharing Jacob's misgivings.
Jacob's head bowed, and his eyes came up glowing. "Well, there is no reason for any of our group to stay here any longer. Tok'Ra, kree!" Selmac commanded. The three Tok'Ra who were with Jacob came forward with several packs to unveil four additional environmental suits.
"Thanks Selmac, Jacob, both of you. Put these on, SG1," Jack ordered quickly, "and let's get out of here."
There was no argument from the weary captives, and in record time the entire party was ready to go. They ignored the protests and weak efforts of the remaining Tollan to detain them, and with very little resistance from the unwarlike people, they pushed their way through the crowds and left the safety of the forcefield. Jacob depressed the button on his long range radio and called for the ship to ring them up. There was no response.
"What's wrong, Jacob?" Jack asked over his com.
"The ship isn't returning my hail. I know we're in range because we talked to them just after entering the settlement. I told the navigator what we had found and he was ordered to stand by."
"Uuhh, Jacob?" Jack asked uneasily, watching the malevolent gases swirling all around them. After a few minutes, Jacob quit trying to reach the vessel and turned to the group.
"I don't think we can wait for the ship any longer. The Stargate is not far. These suits have enough reserve oxygen to get us there if we go right now. We'll have to Gate out of here," Jacob declared.
"Let's go then," Jack agreed, eager to put this planet behind them. He renewed his hold on Sam's arm and the band of travelers set out in haste towards the Gate.
"I don't know how I'm going to explain to Ganan that I've lost another ship," Jacob muttered wearily as they trekked along.
"Another, Dad?" Sam questioned him.
"Let's just say I have had bad luck lately."
"How many ships have you lost?" Jack asked curiously.
"Um. Well. This one makes...three, actually."
"Wow. I'd say Ganan's gonna be pissed."
"Shut up, Jack."
* * * *
The infirmary was finally quiet, Sam realized with relief. The last few hours since they had returned from PX-980 had been chaos, with Janet trying to quickly and yet thoroughly check over the large rescue team that had walked through the Stargate earlier that day. Janet and Sam now sat in chairs in the empty examining room, enjoying the stillness.
"So, when does Jacob have to leave Earth?" Janet asked conversationally.
"He's staying for a few days. The others are leaving today. Dad's down with them in the Gateroom now."
"Good. That's good. I'm glad he's staying around for a while. Under the circumstances."
"Janet? You haven't said much about my eyes."
"That's because I can't find anything wrong with them. The best guess I can give you is that there's been nerve damage of some kind."
"The healer on New Tollana said that too. So how long before my sight comes back?"
Janet was silent for too long.
"Janet?"
"Look, Sam, I don't want to discourage you, but I'm not going to lie to you either. It could be tomorrow, or next week, but the longer you go without regaining any sight, the less likely it is that your sight will be recovered."
"Oh."
"Don't dwell on it, Sam. I think you should sleep as much as you can. That is one of the best things you can do to aid in your recovery."
"Yeah." Sam sounded defeated in spite of Janet's pep talk.
"Hey, Sam." Daniel had slipped into the infirmary and had heard the last part of their conversation. He walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The simple gesture almost undid her and she fought back tears.
"Daniel," she whispered, which was all the encouragement he needed to sweep her up into a comforting hug.
"I came by to see if you wanted to get something to eat with us. Jack and Teal'C are waiting for us in the mess. But if Janet thinks you should sleep, then..."
"I'm starving, Daniel, and I really, really want something sweet."
"Sounds like our Sam to me," he joked. "Let's go."
Janet smiled as she watched Daniel take Sam's arm in his and gently lead her out of the room. Even in her present circumstances, Sam was one lucky lady, Janet mused fondly.
* * * *
Senil was beside herself with anger, an anger born of fear for the precariously balanced future of their colony.
"You let them leave! How did the woman escape, Narim? You told me she was secure."
"I assumed, because she was blind, that she.."
"You assumed! The future of New Tollana is now at risk because of your assumption!"
Narim bristled. "I believe the T'auri can be trusted. They are good people, though backwards and rough. It was not their fault that Tollana fell to the Goa'uld."
Senil considered his answer and sighed. "You are right, Narim. I have been unfair to you. I'm just worried. We cannot survive another attack from the enemy. But we have not found a suitable planet on which to relocate the remnant. I confess, I am tired. I am feeling my age. Someone of my years does not adjust easily to change, and we have seen so much change."
"Perhaps this next move will be the last, then, Senil. I will go to the lab and continue the search for a suitable new home." Narim gave her hand a tender squeeze and left her standing, sad and alone, in the middle of their small colony.
Not longer after, Narim was in his lab observing his long range scanning instruments. The screen before him showed something new, something that had not been there before. It was a blip, probably a large spaceship, moving steadily closer to New Tollana's coordinates through hyperspace. He did some quick calculations. At the rate the ship was traveling, it would be in orbit around their planet in about four hours.
Narim jumped to his feet in alarm. He decided that he must first tell the Council, and then contact the SGC and see if they or the Tok'Ra had sent a ship.
"Incoming signal, sir!" Walter called over the com. General Hammond was soon in the control room at Walter's console.
"Who is it?" Hammond asked.
"It's audio only, originating from PX-980, sir," Walter responded.
"Put it on speaker." Jack wandered in at that moment, having heard the klaxons heralding the incoming wormhole.
"What we got?" Jack questioned Hammond, who held up his hand, signaling silence. Narim's voice resounded over the speaker.
"This is New Tollana calling the SGC. We have an immediate situation we must discuss with you."
"Narim, this is General Hammond. Go ahead. What's the problem?"
"Our long range scanners have detected a ship bearing down on us. We need to know, is it yours?"
"No, Narim. It's definitely not us." Hammond had to smile, knowing the T'auri had only one spaceship at their disposal anyway. And the Prometheus was currently under repair.
"Could the Tok'Ra have dispatched a ship to our location?"
"I know of no reason they would do such a thing. But you need to know, Narim, that the reason the joint mission to your planet returned through the Stargate is because the ship that the Tok'Ra came in stranded them there. One man was left aboard, the navigational officer, so Jacob Carter has drawn the conclusion that he must have been a Goa'uld spy. My guess is that's an enemy ship on its way and you and your people should get out of there, now."
"Narim?" Hammond had waited for over a minute for his reply.
"Narim, you and your people are welcome to seek refuge on Earth for as long as you need it. I urge you to evacuate through the Gate to Earth as soon as possible."
"Thank you, General. You are right. I will relay this news to New Tollana. We will make contact again for the purposes of evacuating to Earth in three hours."
"We'll be ready for you. Narim, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. This is the worst possible result of our accidental contact with your people."
"Not the worst result, General. Thanks to you, we may all yet survive."
* * * * Sam laughed at her teammates' antics at the table they occupied together in the cafeteria. The guys had devised a game to entertain her that was an audible variation of Charades. Sam was very good at guessing the movies, books, and TV shows they had come up with, so Jack was now doing random hints about planets they had visited. Sam of course, was identifying them by their astronomical designation.
"Okay, okay," Daniel interrupted. "The hint is, a big alien. Big. Really big." He spread his white napkin out wide and fluttered it around, reminiscent of the aliens of the planet his grandfather had remained on several years ago. Sam's face suddenly lit up with excitement.
"Do that again, Daniel," she requested.
"What? This?" He waved the white napkin in front of her face, hoping fervently she meant she could see something.
"Yes! I can see it! I see light and dark now, all around me, and when you waved whatever you're holding in front of me, I saw a big white flash!"
"Sam! I'm waving a white napkin!" Daniel waved it again with an exaggerated flair.
"Let's go have Janet check you again, Carter," Jack suggested to her, practically dragging her to a standing position in his excitement.
"Wait," she stopped him. "What are you wearing?"
"The usual. What do you see?"
"A blue blob with a lighter blob above." She reached for the lighter blob and found her hands on his face.
"It's you! I see you!"
"That's great. My BDU jacket is blue. That's really, really great, Sam." Jack said softly. Her hands were still holding his face. He reached up and covered her hands with his own.
"Take me to Janet!"
Jack grinned widely at that, grabbed her by the arm and steered her down the hall to the infirmary with Daniel and Teal'C close behind. The entourage that entered the infirmary moments later got Janet's immediate attention.
"What's wrong?" She cried. Their hasty entrance had alarmed her.
"It's what's right, Janet. I'm starting to see things!" Sam announced joyfully. Janet grabbed her penlight and flashed it into Sam's eyes so closely that Jack winced in sympathy. But Sam loved it.
"Yep! I see it! I can see it!"
Janet put her light down. "Well, that's wonderful, Sam!"
"Nothing's clear at all, so I can't get around on my own yet, but this is still incredible! I'd forgotten how beautiful colors are."
"I think it won't be long now before you regain your sight. It looks like your nerves are recovering from their trauma. But don't overdo it, Sam." Janet couldn't stop smiling.
For Sam, and Jack too, who stood there soaking in the joy, the moment was close to perfect bliss.
* * *
Hammond closed the door to the briefing room and looked around the room at the officers who had hastily responded to his emergency call.
"We have received a request for asylum from the Tollan on PX-980," he announced without preamble, "and the government has agreed to grant them sanctuary. I want every available hand getting this base ready to receive and temporarily house approximately 150 alien refugees. Until we have further instructions from the President and the military, these people will remain at Cheyenne Mountain. All personal quarters will have be vacated. You all know as well as I that temporarily housing this large number of refugees will require every available bit of living space this facility has. If there are no questions, you are dismissed to prepare for the Tollan's arrival. Eminent arrival."
"Wow, General," Jack commented after the room had emptied. "The Goa'uld?"
"Yes. Just as we feared, Jacob had a spy aboard his ship. A Goa'uld fleet will arrive at the planet in less than three hours. Jack, you know this effort will entail more than just housing for the Tollan."
"Yeah, they'll have to bring all their doohickeys with them, too. And risk us checking out their advanced technology. I can't believe they are doing this."
"Well, it's either escape to Earth or be annihilated by the enemy."
"At one point in the past, the Tollan were willing to die rather than give up their secrets to a less advanced race." Jack pointed out. "But, I guess they are willing to take the risk now."
"Maybe they trust us, Jack," Hammond countered. "And we're going to do everything in our power to ensure that trust is not violated."
"Yes sir. I'll just...go clear out my quarters," Jack said quietly.
"Be back in the Gateroom in two hours, Colonel."
It didn't take Jack long to remove the handful of personal items he had sprinkled about his base living quarters. After quickly packing his things into a duffel and slinging it over his shoulder, he thought about Daniel's quarters and inwardly chuckled. Daniel was going to need a lot of help. His personal quarters resembled a mini museum.
Sam's quarters, too. She didn't have nearly as much as Daniel, but she would definitely need help, with her eyesight still too blurry to be of any practical use to her. His decision made, he turned and headed to the infirmary to get Sam and then go help her gather her things.
Janet and Sam were sitting together in the Doctor's office when Jack ran into the infirmary.
"In here, Colonel," Janet directed.
He quickly told them what was going on and grabbed Sam's arm to take her with him. Janet was suddenly all business, her mind running in all directions as she organized her own to-do list in her mind.
"Colonel," Janet called after him as the two were heading out the door, "Sam can't be on her own yet. Bring her things back here to the infirmary. She can stay on base with me. I don't think I'll be leaving the mountain any time soon, under the circumstances."
Jack heard Sam's sigh of frustration. A plan popped into his mind.
"Don't worry about it, Janet."
"What?" Sam questioned him curiously as he walked her towards her quarters.
"You and Teal'C can stay with me while this Tollan matter is going on. He'll need a place too, and between T and me, we can keep you out of trouble. So you won't have to stay in the infirmary."
"Thank you," Sam said earnestly.
"I could tell that living in the infirmary wasn't high on your list," Jack teased. "This way you'll be able to watch, or hear, all the Simpsons you want."
"Maybe the infirmary wouldn't be so bad," Sam chuckled.
"Joke!" she cried as he turned around and started back in the direction they had come. "I love the Simpsons."
"That's better, Carter," he advised, resuming their original direction. "Make sure you watch the attitude."
"Sorry, sir."
It seemed impossible, but the entire base was cleared out and ready for the arrival of the Tollan refugees when the Stargate burst into life a few hours later. Jack, Daniel and Teal'C were waiting in the Gateroom to greet the arriving aliens, but Sam had opted to remain behind in the infirmary. She was still upset by Narim's recent behavior and didn't want to see him right now. Jack was secretly, childishly happy she felt that way, even though he didn't outwardly encourage her newly formed mistrust for the Tollan scientist. He'd given her a leisurely hug in the privacy of Janet's office and promised to come back and take her out of the mountain as soon as possible. That would be a while, however, for it would be quite an effort getting the distraught newcomers settled.
The entire evacuation took only about twenty minutes, and the wormhole shut down with its characteristic swoosh amid the now chaotic crowd milling around the Gateroom. Hammond turned to Jack, looking confused.
"Just people, nothing else," he commented. "Let's go talk to Senil."
The elegantly attired older woman stood a little apart from her companions. Hammond and O'Neill cornered her.
"Pardon my bluntness, Senil, but we thought you would have more...stuff," Jack remarked, knowing it would be easier for him to blunder into such a delicate topic than for the General.
"Please do not be offended," Senil addressed them both. We felt it best to destroy our laboratories and machines on New Tollana rather than risk the knowledge falling into the wrong hands. We trust you, General, and Colonel, but we have had dealings with your government before. Not all of your leaders are as noble in their intentions as you are."
Jack smiled grimly. "You have probably made a very wise choice, Councilwoman," he conceded.
"Does this mean you and your people have decided to accept our offer and stay on Earth? I assume you would have needed the technology you left behind in order to relocate somewhere else." Hammond had stepped in to address Senil.
Senil nodded. "We are open to discussing the possibility with your leaders, yes."
Jack felt a sudden stab of sympathy for her and the rest of the Tollan. Their way of life was about to change even more than it already had. This had to be unimaginably humbling for these proud people.
"Senil," Jack stated kindly. "I'm sorry it has come to this."
"Please, don't be sorry for us. You are providing us a way to continue our existence. We will be able to join with you now in our fight against our common enemy. I hope that one day, we will defeat the Goa'uld, together, and then the Tollan can begin again."
"We hope that, too," Hammond agreed.
It was late at night before a very tired Colonel O'Neill, along with Teal'C, turned up in the infirmary to get Sam. Janet was still working on the newly arrived aliens, doing routine physicals and checking for possible contagions.
Jack found Sam asleep on the couch in Janet's tiny quarters adjacent to her office. Smiling, he crept up next to her and crouched down.
"Sam?" She didn't stir. Her breathing was deep and even; she was fast asleep.
"Major Carter appears to be too tired to be moved," Teal'C observed.
"Well, we'll just stay here I guess. I'm too tired to move too, T," Jack yawned.
Teal'C gestured towards the main room. "I will sleep on that one." He pointed at the only unoccupied cot in the infirmary's main room.
He studied her for a few minutes before settling onto the floor next to her and nesting his head on one of the sofa pillows. An instant wave of fatigue washed over him as the events of the long day caught up with him. He closed his eyes, planning to rest just until Sam woke up.
Janet found them that way much later. She pulled a few infirmary blankets out of her supply closet and covered them both up before retiring to her tiny closet-sized bedroom.
Jack's first awareness of returning consciousness was the nagging pain of a crick in his neck. He sat up, rubbing the sore spot and groaning.
"Jack?" Sam's voice asked anxiously.
"Yup," he answered, laying a hand on her arm.
"What time is it?"
"Uh, 0700. Wow. I guess we slept here all night. Ouch."
Sam smiled sleepily. "Come here." She reached out for his shoulders and began massaging his neck. His groans of approval encouraged her to continue.
The team often woke up with sore muscles off-world and had gotten into the habit of giving each other massages. But the new intimacy and ease she felt around Jack now both frightened and excited her. It had happened so gradually over the course of this latest mission that it hadn't occurred to her until this moment how different their relationship had become.
"Did the evacuation go okay?" She asked as she continued to rub his taut neck muscles.
"Yeah. They're all safely quartered in the mountain now. Holy Hannah, that feels so good." He rolled his neck to a slightly different angle to encourage her to massage more deeply.
"So, what now? They can't stay here in the mountain forever."
"Hammond is negotiating their options with the President. They'll be quartered in the mountain for a while, though."
"Oh." Sam stopped her ministrations, thinking about something but not voicing it.
"Don't stop," Jack protested greedily.
"Oh, sorry." She dug her fingers back into his neck muscles.
"Whatcha thinking in there?" Jack probed.
"I wish they weren't staying here on the base. I don't want to run into Narim," she confessed honestly.
"Yeah, about that. What happened back on the planet with him and you? Why did he leave you in the council chamber, alone?"
"Our visit together got uncomfortable. He, aah, well, he has feelings for me. Feelings I couldn't return. My response hurt him. He had become upset with me and was bringing me back to you and the guys when we ran into Dad's team in the middle of town. I guess he decided I would be of use to the Tollan as a bargaining chip, so he took me back to the council room and left me."
"Did he hurt you?" Jack's voice was low and angry.
"No."
"But he left you alone, knowing you couldn't see."
"That was why he did it, because he thought I wouldn't attempt an escape."
"But of course you did. He doesn't know you very well." Jack reached up to his shoulders and took hold of Sam's hands, stilling them. "C'mon, then. Let's get T and get out of here."
"I'd love to."
* * * * *
"My Lord, there are no life signs on the planet," the navigator reported haltingly.
"They have escaped?" The irate Goa'uld roared at the hapless man at the console.
"It is the only conclusion, my Lord."
"Where could they have gone?" he thundered.
"Possibly the Tok'Ra have given them refuge," the slave answered, trembling.
Where is the Tok'Ra base you have been hiding on?" He demanded of the former Tok'Ra spy. Having been cheated out of the thrill of annihilating the hated Tollan, the Goa'uld was ready to wreck havoc on another likely target.
"I will plot a course to the rebel planet immediately." The attack fleet turned accordingly and re-entered hyperspace, bent on destruction and revenge.
* * * *
Hammond greeted Colobel O'Neill as he strode into the General's office later that day. He motioned for Jack to sit down.
"The President and the Joint Chiefs have met with Senil by conference phone this morning. The Alpha site is prepared to offer the Tollan a permanent home, in return for their cooperation and technical expertise in the fight against the Goa'uld. Senil has agreed to the terms."
"So the Tollan are now our reluctant allies?" Jack mused.
"Quite a change from their isolationist attitude of a few years ago," Hammond agreed. "But their circumstances have changed in unimaginable ways. They have agreed with Earth that the Tollan will have to make some big adjustments in order to survive."
A soft knock at the door revealed Narim, politely clearing his throat and looking very uncomfortable.
"Come in, Narim," the General offered.
"Thank you, General Hammond. Actually, I was hoping to have a word with Colonel O'Neill. When you have a moment, Colonel."
Jack looked at Hammond.
"Go on. We're done here for the time being. Dismissed." Jack nodded grimly and joined Narim out in the hall.
The two began silently walking together down the SGC passageway, Jack trying to convince himself to remain civil, Narim trying to find the right words with which to apologize.
"Colonel, I am ashamed of my behavior back on the planet. I don't expect you to excuse me, and I have no justification for my actions. I am sorry."
"I appreciate that, Narim. But I'm having a hard time understanding why you would leave Carter alone in her condition, under any circumstances. I believed you to be a better man than that." Jack was amazed at how civilly his chastisement had exited his mouth when his hands were itching to pop Narim in the jaw.
"You right, Colonel. It was inexcusable. I ask for your forgiveness. I wish to ask Major Carter's forgiveness also."
The two walked in tense silence for several minutes.
"Narim, even if I forgive you, I don't think you'll have a chance to give Carter this same speech. She doesn't want to see you."
"Perhaps in time..."
"Don't bet on it."
They had arrived at the VIP room where the Tollan Council was resting. Narim looked miserable, but he said no more. With a courteous nod, he left Jack in the hall and disappeared into the VIP room. After a moment of staring at the closed door, Jack turned and headed for the surface. The muscles in his jaw were tight with anger. He suddenly wanted to see Sam, for no reason other than just to be near her. A primitive possessiveness had once again taken control of him.
Walter Harriman was dozing off at his post after the nonstop activity of the past few days when he heard the chevrons on the Stargate below him begin to lock one by one. Hitting the alarm, he sent out the familiar call over the loudspeaker heralding an unscheduled off-world activation.
"Who is it?" Hammond questioned over Walter's shoulder moments later.
"It's the Tok'Ra, sir," Walter replied.
"Open the iris."
Within a few seconds, Jacob and several other Tok'Ra had stepped through the open wormhole. Hammond knew right away that something big was going on from the alarmed expressions they wore. He hurried to the Gateroom to greet them.
Their news was sobering. They reported the rapid approach of Goa'uld attack vessels, not entirely unexpected after the loss of Jacob's ship to the Tok'Ra spy. Hammond was now reeling from the realisation that Earth would soon be providing refuge for yet another more advanced race less than twenty-four hours after the arrival of the besieged Tollan. He and Jacob headed to his office to once again call the President.
* * *
It hadn't taken long to get Sam and Teal'C situated in Jack's house. Teal'C, it was decided, would sleep on the couch in the living room, a plan which the Jaffa anticipated would allow him to watch movies until the early morning hours. Although he no longer required the meditational discipline of Kel'Nor'Reem, Teal'C found that sleeping more than four or five hours at a time was almost impossible for him. Hence, he had become addicted to late-night television and was a faithful customer at the local DVD rental store.
Jack gave Sam his room so she would have the convenience of the adjoining master bath, and he so was now sharing the hall bath with Teal'C and planning to sleep in his own guestroom. If the truth be told, Jack often slept in the spare bedroom anyway, because it was on the back of the house, which was darker, and the noise from the street was almost impossible to discern.
Sam sat quietly on his bed, waiting while Jack blustered about in his walk-in closet, making sure he had everything he and Teal'C needed so they would not have to disturb her once she retired for the night.
"So, are you sure you know where everything is?" Jack asked her again as he came out of the closet, his arms full of blankets for him and T.
"I'll be fine, Jack. I can see well enough now to find my way around."
Jack laid down the pile of blankets and sat down next to Sam. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He flashed three fingers about a foot in front of her eyes.
"One? Two?" Sam was squinting furiously at the hand that was point-blank in front of her.
"Three." Jack corrected, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets.
"So, are you sure you know where everything is?" He repeated pointedly.
"I'll figure it out, Jack." Sam was definitely recovered enough to reassert her independence. To prove it, she made her way to the bathroom, clutching her towel and PJ's.
"Good night," she dismissed him.
Jack walked as far as the doorway, but as soon as Sam had entered the bathroom and shut the door, he stopped, unsure, feeling like he should be helping her, unwilling to leave her alone. Finally he shook his head and reluctantly made a conscious choice to back off. He went back to sit with Teal'C in the living room.
The phone next to the bed in Jack's room woke Sam from her slumber with its persistent peals. Startled at first, she caught herself just before she answered it, as awareness dawned of whose house, and whose bed, she was in. The door from the hall opened as the phone rang for a fourth time. Jack stumbled across the bed and its occupant to grab the phone.
"O'Neill," he muttered. Sam sat up, rubbing her shin where he had fallen on her, curiously listening in on the one-sided conversation. She quickly surmised that it was the SGC.
"Can I talk to Jacob?" Jack asked after a long silence, during which he had obviously been listening to a long explanation. Sam couldn't help herself; she inched closer to Jack's side trying to hear her father's voice through the receiver. Jack glanced over and pulled her closer.
"You're right, Jacob, this isn't a huge surprise. Do the Tok'Ra have a safe site picked out? How long before the fleet arrives at the Tok'Ra base? Yeah, I'll bring them both in with me. Sure, Jacob, she's right here."
Jack drew Sam closer to his side, more for his own comfort than out of necessity, and placed the phone in her hands.
"Dad? Are you okay? Yes, I think he's bringing me in with him. I'm looking forward to seeing you, too. Love you too, Dad." She handed the phone back to Jack, who placed it in its cradle. He sighed wearily.
"Here we go again. How soon can you be ready to go?" Jack stood up, rubbing his eyes and hair. Sam pulled her blanket up over her head.
"I'm staying here."
"No, you're not. Come on, I'll make coffee." Jack pulled the blanket away and nudged her shoulder.
"I'm up," she protested.
Forty minutes later Sam, Jack and Teal'C were on their way back to the SGC through the still dark streets of Colorado Springs. Jack filled them in as they drove.
"Looks like the Alpha site is going to be very busy for the next few weeks. Hammond is sending several SG teams through with the Tollan and the Tok'Ra to assist with the evacuees. SG1 has been specifically requested to monitor all access to the Stargate. Nobody wants to take a chance that there might be another spy somewhere who could betray the position of the Alpha site."
"Carter," Jack added after a brief pause, "You'll stay at the SGC for now."
Jack didn't elaborate as to why. Sam knew it was because she was not yet sufficiently recovered. But it still hurt and she turned to face the window as she struggled to accept the fact that her team was going without her.
A brief flash of pain behind her eyes only served to remind her of her lingering infirmity and she bit her lip in frustration. With unerring timing, Jack's hand slipped onto her knee and remained firmly in place as they drove.
He knew, and she loved him for it.
* * * *
The SGC was in chaos when Jack, Teal'C and Sam arrived minutes later. They met Hammond and Daniel in the conference room, where Jacob, Senil, and Reynolds were waiting as well, among others.
There wasn't room for everyone to be seated as Hammond called the emergency meeting to order. After outlining the new threat from the Goa'uld, Hammond outlined the evacuation plans for both the Tok'Ra and the Tollan. The Tollan would remain at the SGC until the Tok'Ra had evacuated all their people and equipment from their old base. SG1 would go to assist with the relocation of the Tok'Ra to the Alpha site and supervise all activity involving their Stargate. The coordinates for the Alpha site would remain unknown to the Tok'Ra until all sides were satisfied that there were no more Goa'uld spies in their ranks.
"There's not much time to get the Tok'Ra out of harm's way," Hammond concluded. "Dismissed."
The room emptied quickly, including Sam, who carefully made her way down the hall in the direction of the infirmary to see Janet. The interrupted night's sleep had caused her a monster headache. But the headache was minor compared to the heartache she was experiencing over staying behind. Janet was always a good source of comfort in times like these.
Jack, Daniel and Teal'C were ready to embark in the Gateroom within fifteen minutes of the end of the briefing. Jacob and the Tok'Ra that had accompanied him were standing at the foot of the Gate with them, anxious to get back to their world and begin the process of moving their people to safety.
Walter Harriman's voice boomed over the intercom, "Chevron 7, locked!"
As the wormhole roared into existence, Hammond stepped into the throng of soldiers and began shaking hands and patting shoulders.
"Godspeed."
Jacob was standing a few steps apart, looking towards the door. Jack moved over to him.
"You ready, Jacob?" Jack was adjusting his cap and gear.
"I thought Sam would be here to see me off," Jacob answered plaintively. The relationship between father and daughter was tighter than ever, a far cry from when Jack had first seen the two together in Washington, D.C., several years ago.
"So did I," Jack agreed. He looked back towards the entry where Jacob's eyes were focused.
"I wish she was coming with," Jack added unguardedly. Jacob tried to hide his sudden amusement and turned back towards the wormhole.
"Maybe she'll hook up with us at the Alpha site later this week. Let's go, there's not much time."
The soldiers disappeared with a resounding plop one by one until the Gateroom was empty again. Walter shut down the wormhole and leaned back to wait out the already very eventful night.
Janet smiled at Sam as the blonde Major found her way into the infirmary and sat down on the nearest cot with an exaggerated gesture of relief.
"I was afraid I'd end up in the men's locker room or something," she explained with a chuckle. "I'm seeing just well enough to get myself into trouble."
"Then it's time to rest your eyes. Lay back and close 'em. I'll keep you entertained."
"Just don't sing to me, Janet."
"I'm hurt! If you want to hear my juicy gossip, you'll have to take back that comment," Janet teased mysteriously.
"I take it back! I take it back! What's the latest?" Sam smiled as she lay back and relaxed. Janet heard everything, being the base doctor, and her information was well worth sucking up for.
"Cassie first. Guess who came by to pick her up for a trip to the ice cream shop last night?"
"Just tell me, Janet, I'm too tired to guess."
"Jonathan," Janet giggled.
"You mean, 'clone of Jack' Jonathan?"
"Yes!"
Sam was silent for a few seconds, digesting this strange information. "That's just too weird," she finally concluded. "Tell me something else."
Janet laughed wickedly. "Don't tell me you're jealous of his clone!"
"No! Eww! Just change the subject, Janet!" Sam threw a pillow in her general direction, missing wildly.
When Sam fell asleep a few minutes later after listening to Janet spill all the latest on who was seeing who, her friend smiled and tucked a blanket around her. Janet had known this subject would not hold Sam's interest for long and would consequently bore her to sleep.
Mission accomplished, she thought smugly.
* * * * *
The Tok'Ra base was one of the most complicated series of tunnels that they had seen yet. Daniel and Teal'C followed Jack around curves and bends until none of them would have ever seen the light of day again had Jacob not been bringing up their six, giving course adjustments as they loped along. Finally, when it seemed they must be hopelessly lost, they arrived at an underground laboratory far from the other inhabited portions of the tunnels.
"The research in this lab is vital to our war effort," Jacob said quietly. Only the most trusted of the Tok'Ra Council even know this lab is down here. We need to try to pack as much of this stuff as we can, and then we'll destroy the rest. Let's get started."
Jacob pulled a large, wheeled cart out from the shadows along the wall and the four got to work filling it with carefully wrapped equipment from the tables. When it was full, which was not too much later, Jacob pushed it towards the door.
"I guess I'll have to walk it up to the Stargate room since you guys don't know the way," Jacob decided.
"I know the way," Teal'C offered. Jacob looked at him quizzically.
"He's good with directions," Jack explained.
"I really should stay and finish picking out what needs to go with us," Jacob agreed.
"Okay then, Daniel, go with Teal'C and we'll be right behind you with the last of this stuff. See you back at the Alpha site." Jack pointed up the long tunnel.
"Indeed."
"Got it."
Jacob lost no time finding another cart and the two continued carefully wrapping and stowing the Tok'Ra instruments.
"So," Jacob said, breaking the silence. "What's up with you and my Sammie?"
"Very subtle, Jake," Jack observed. "Look, I know what it looks like, but she needs a lot of, well, hands-on help right now. I'm just doing my part to help out a good friend and colleague."
"Right," Jacob replied with a cynical grimace. "So why isn't Daniel helping her around?"
"Well, he has," Jack started. "Well, okay, maybe he hasn't, but she's gotten used to me doing it. No reason to switch seeing eye dogs on her now."
"You're a dog, alright, Jack," Jacob agreed heatedly in that 'keep your hands off my only daughter' tone.
"Look, whatever you think is going on,..."
A huge explosion somewhere above them shook the room and loosened clouds of dust. The two men froze and forgot their battle of words for now.
"We'd better get out of here, now," Jack suggested urgently. Before either could move, another, stronger explosion caused several items to fall from their ledges and break on the stone floor.
"Come on!" Jacob shouted, and they each grabbed an end of the cart and started back towards the main tunnels at a jog, jarred by more explosions as they ran. Jacob, who was out in front of the cart, was thrown to the ground when a particularly close bomb impacted the tunnels around them again.
"Jacob! You okay?" Jack cried. The older man was already back on his feet, answering Jack's question without words. They made it a ways further when they came to a caved-in section of tunnel, barring the exit.
"What now?" Jack asked, panting for air.
"We try and find another way out."
Daniel and Teal'C pulled their load out of the Stargate at the Alpha site into the hands of waiting Tok'Ra and T'auri scientists. They turned back to wait for Jack and Jacob to come through, but were surprised by a large flood of people suddenly coming through the Stargate from the base, wild-eyed and gasping for breath.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked worriedly. Their account of the unexpectedly early attack caused Daniel and Teal'C to jump to their feet.
"We've got to go back! Jack and Jacob were down in those tunnels!" Daniel cried out. The Alpha site equivalent to the SGC chevron guy began to immediately dial up the besieged base, but to no avail.
The seventh chevron would not lock.
"Watch out!" Jacob yelled frantically to Jack as yet another series of tremors shook the ground under their feet and the walls around them. Jack tried to jump out of the way of the crystals that crashed from the ceiling above him, but he had nowhere to go. With his back against the wall behind him, Jack was thrown to the ground, his left leg painfully pinned under a boulder of Tok'Ra crystal. Jacob was at his side in a moment, shoving at the rock mightily, managing to move it a little but causing Jack more pain in the process.
"Don't, just leave it!" Jack gasped. He let out a string of lively curses before lapsing into silence so as to catch his breath.
After a minute of shocked paralysis, Jacob began to assess the situation. He pried a long metal bar off the side of the now ruined cart.
"This rock's gotta come off you, Jack, or you could lose that leg." Jacob jammed the bar under the rock and levered at it. Finally, with a groan that mixed with Jack's sharp cry of pain, Jacob rolled the boulder away, revealing an obviously fractured leg.
"This is not good, Jack," he commented grimly.
"Doesn't...feel... so hot....either," Jack added hoarsely. Jacob went down on his knees to examine the bleeding, mangled limb.
"I'm going to have to stop this bleeding," Jacob said hesitantly, knowing it would cause the injured man more pain.
"Let me guess, and put a splint on it." The grim humor was lost on Jacob, however. He nodded affirmatively and pulled Jack's own pack off his back to get out his med kit. Jacob only hoped he could stop the bleeding enough to save Jack's life.
* * * * *
Sam awoke to the familiar noises of the infirmary. After stretching luxuriously, she opened her eyes. Shock and delight coursed through her when she realized her vision was almost completely normal.
"Janet?" She called. There was no answer, so she hopped off the bed and went out into the hall, wondering where everybody was. Her feet automatically took her to the control room, where she found Walter, Hammond and several other officers in deep discussion. The discussion stopped too quickly when she entered, replaced by an uneasy silence.
"Major Carter, are you alright?" Hammond wanted to know.
"I'm doing much better, sir. How's the evacuation proceeding?"
"It's...over," Hammond said cryptically. "Can we talk in my office, Sam?"
"Sure, sir," she agreed, swallowing uncomfortably. She could tell when Hammond was worried or upset, and this was definitely one of those times.
"Sir?" Sam questioned anxiously as he drew her inside and shut the door to his office.
"Sam, we've lost contact with the abandoned base, and there's still two of our personnel on the planet."
Sam sat down weakly, dreading the punch line.
"Who are they?" She whispered, looking at him with wide, teary eyes.
"Your father. And Colonel O'Neill. We haven't been able to make contact with them in over four hours, now. Daniel and Teal'C got out of the tunnels just before they collapsed. Jacob and Jack were behind them." Hammond didn't elaborate further. There was no need to spell out the probabilities to the stricken woman sitting before him.
"We have to go back," Sam replied urgently, jumping to her feet.
"The wormhole to the planet won't engage, Major. We can't go back."
"There's got to be a way!" Sam protested loudly and angrily, pacing the floor. "The Goa'uld will sometimes keep a Gate open so it can't be dialed, but they can't keep it up for very long. We should keep dialing until we get a lock. Or we could map out another planet with a Stargate close by, or call the Asgard, or the Nox?" Sam ranted.
"We're doing everything we can right now, Major. But it doesn't look good. I thought you should know what's going on. I'm very sorry."
Sam stood frozen to her spot in the middle of the room, thinking obsessively, her mind racing in a thousand different directions. And then it hit her.
She had to find Narim.
* * * * *
"Jack, stay with me, fella," Jacob pleaded, watching the younger man's eyes fading in and out of focus.
"'m tired," he murmured indistinctly. Jacob had managed to slow down the bleeding considerably, but Jack was in and out of consciousness now from pain and shock.
"Come on Jack, we'll be rescued soon, you gotta hang in there. Hey, you know what you should do as soon as we get home and your leg's all fixed up? You should ask Sam out on a date, you know, a real date. Dinner and dancing. Flowers. She likes that kinda stuff."
Jack's eyes fluttered open and he rallied a little, just as Jacob had suspected he would.
"Carter 'n me, we're just..."
"Don't give me that crap, Jack. You think I can't see how much Sam likes you?"
Jacob watched Jack closely, hoping he could keep the injured man alert with this line of conversation.
"She does? You...can?" He said with skepticism.
"Sure, I'd even say it goes deeper than like," he continued with a gleam in his eye, baiting him. "Whenever we get together, it's sir this, and Colonel that, until I feel like I'm gonna be sick."
"Why, don't you like me?" Jack coughed out, his eyes closing again.
"Sure, Jack, but Sam, now she adores you. It gets kinda syrupy sweet sometimes."
"Adores me..." Jack whispered with the faint shadow of a grin on his lips.
"I'm beginning to be sorry I brought this up," Jacob groaned.
"Tell me more. Wha's Carter say 'bout me..."
Jacob swallowed his pride and kept going, remembering the goal was to keep Jack in the land of the conscious.
"How about you tell me what you think about her? But you better not break her heart, soldier, or you'll have to answer to me."
"I don' think you could hurt me any worse...than this does," Jack slurred slowly, weakly. He was fading again.
Jacob had come close to giving up the effort to keep Jack talking when the injured man's eyes flew open again, dark and intense and focused sharply on Jacob's face.
"I think she's.... the most... incredible person...amazing...best soldier I ever ....worked with..." Jack paused, then went on.
"I... need... love Sam..."
With that, Jack's eyes really did close and Jacob could tell he had finally slipped into unconsciousness. But not before his unexpected confession had turned Jacob's heart inside out.
* * * * *
Sam paused outside the door of Narim's temporary quarters at the SGC, composing herself before she saw him again. For years, his friendship had been a pleasant memory and she had trusted and thought highly of him. But his behavior towards her in New Tollana had changed all that, and now she didn't know if she could even trust him enough to do what she had come here to ask.
But she knew of no better alternative than what she had planned.
She knocked.
For a few long seconds there no noise at all, so when the door opened Sam was startled by the suddenness of being in Narim's presence. His eyes widened at the sight of her, and a poorly concealed sadness crept across his features, but he smiled hesitantly and opened the door wider.
"Samantha!" It was all he could say in his surprise. He hadn't expected her to seek him out.
"May I come in, Narim?" Sam asked boldly.
"Of course. Samantha, your eyes- you can see again!" "Yes, my eyesight is almost as good as ever. I get tired easily but I am recovering quickly. I came to ask you a favor, a big favor."
"Anything," he responded quickly, hoping she had forgiven him.
"Two men were left on the Tok'Ra planet, and they are trapped below the surface in the abandoned tunnels. The Goa'uld arrived before they could be rescued. They are my father and Colonel O'Neill. I want you to help me get them out."
"I am sorry. But how can I help?" Narim sounded confused.
"Back on New Tollana, you had the technology to pass through solid matter."
"Yes."
"Please tell me you still have some of those devices, Narim." Sam's control was beginning to crack in her desperation to get to her loved ones.
"Yes, I still have the technology. The wrist devices are small and were easy to bring with me. But I do not know how deep one could go with the devices. You want to use them to go into the tunnels and mount a rescue, do you not?"
"That's exactly what I want to do."
"The planet is now occupied by the Goa'uld?"
"I'm betting they will have left by now, when they realize that the Tok'Ra have escaped them. We can send a probe through first to see if there is a guard at the Gate."
"Does your General Hammond approve?"
"Narim, the truth is, he doesn't know yet. I wanted to talk to you first. But I know he will agree. There are no other options right now."
"Then we must go as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Narim." Sam's voice broke in her profound relief that Jack and Jacob would now at least have a chance. "Thank you so much," she repeated as a tear slid unchecked across her face.
Hammond gave his wholehearted approval to the plan, and Sam and Narim immediately gated to the Alpha site to enlist the help of Teal'C. Meanwhile, the SGC sent a probe to the abandoned planet and relayed the 'all clear' to the rescue party at the Alpha site. Less than an hour after Sam had approached Narim with her plan, Teal'C, Daniel and Narim were on the Tok'Ra base, working their way down the tunnels as far as they could before using the wrist devices. When they reached the collapsed part of the tunnels, Daniel hailed Jack and Jacob over the radio.
"Jack, do you read?"
"Come in, Jack O'Neill," Daniel called several times.
The radio sputtered with static and to their joy, they got an answering hail.
"Daniel, that you?"
"Yes, is this Jack?"
"No, it's Jacob. Jack's here with me. He's alive, but he's injured and unconscious. How are you going to get us out of here?"
"Jacob, it is Narim." The alien's deep voice was received with a brief moment of silence on the other end of the com.
"Narim, uh, hi."
"I have Tollan wrist devices with me. We will attempt to use them to pass through the rock layers and then exit the tunnels. Please stand by." Narim handed a device to Daniel and to Teal'C.
"Do not let go of the control lever until you are sure you have passed completely into an air pocket, or you may re-materialize inside solid rock."
"Right," Daniel muttered. Teal'C gave Narim an uncomfortable glance.
"Follow me." The three took deep breaths and depressed the wrist controls. The rock face before them appeared to be nothing more than water. They essentially swam through it, emerging on the other side of the cave-in. Jack and Jacob were within sight at the end of the cavity they now stood in.
Jacob stood up painfully and limped over to them.
"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," he said fervently. "Jack needs medical attention, fast. He's been unconscious for over an hour now."
Alarmed, Daniel hurried to the side of his friend and took in his injuries. He was glad Jack was unaware, for moving him would have been painful otherwise. Teal'C carefully secured his legs and Daniel grabbed Jack around the chest, making sure that the unconscious man's head flopped back onto his shoulder.
"Now you must do the same to leave this place. Hold down the lever until we have passed completely through the rocks. Do not worry about O'Neill. As long as you are in physical contact with him the effect will transfer."
Daniel and Teal'C found it much more difficult to hold onto Jack while depressing their control levers, but they managed to reverse their steps and were soon on the other side, heading for the Stargate.
Sam paced the length of the Gateroom for the hundredth time. When the wormhole finally burst into life, she froze in midstride, wildly hopeful and yet half dreading what she would see. She only dimly heard Walter call for a medical team, or felt Hammond's hand on her arm. She only had eyes for the two dusty, bloody figures on the ramp, one walking and one being carried by her teammates.
Jack. He was so pale, so still. No. It couldn't be.
"Sam!" Her Dad was hugging her now, a strong, comforting, needy embrace. His mouth grazed her ear. She melted into tears when she heard the whispered words, "He's alive."
----Two weeks later---
The lab at the Alpha site had been Sam and Jacob's home round the clock ever since they had accompanied the Tollan through the Gate to the secret outpost. They'd gated through to help with the rebuilding effort only two days after Jacob and Jack had been found and brought home.
Sam had kept a round-the-clock vigil at Jack's bedside in the infirmary when he and Jacob had first been rescued, refusing to leave even when her own eyes wouldn't stay open, so eventually Janet had quit harping at her and simply handed her a pillow and a blanket. Janet had operated to set the compound fracture in his leg as soon as he'd come through the infirmary doors, along with giving him a unit of blood to replace what he'd lost. But once he'd come out from under the anesthesia, Jack had been safely on the road to a full recovery.
In fact, now he was fine, other than being confined to bed with a broken leg.
Too fine. With the rest of his team offworld, he was already annoying Janet so much she had resorted to sending other nurses in to check on him in order to get herself some peace and quiet.
The Tollan and the Tok'Ra had turned out to be a good match, at least at this early stage. Tollan, T'auri and Tok'Ra scientists alike were all now involved in the unprecedented task of combining all three race's knowledge to come up with weapons to defeat the Goa'uld. The work proceeded with a sense of urgency, for all knew it was just a matter of time before another of their worlds would be threatened again. A prototype weapon, using combined elements of all of their knowledge, was almost ready to be field-tested, and the scientists were rightfully proud of what they had accomplished in so short a time together.
Jacob had been making vague comments to Sam here and there while they had worked in the Alpha site labs. Sam had been confused at first, but she'd soon figured out that Jack and her Dad had 'talked.' Once she'd realized that, Sam had confronted her Dad and demanded that he just tell her what he was thinking once and for all. His response to that had pleasantly surprised her. She'd always assumed her Dad disapproved of her feelings for Jack, but he had actually encouraged her to pursue a relationship.
"Why now, Dad?" she'd asked. "Hand me that reverse wave amplifier, would you."
"Because you deserve to be loved the way I know he loves you."
Well. That had shut her up for the better part of an hour while they'd labored side by side. She'd finally felt ready to probe some more.
"I think we're just about ready to shoot an energy beam through these circuits. Dad, how do you know Jack loves me like that?"
Her Dad had stopped what he was doing and gazed at his daughter with adoration.
"I just know. I can see it when you're together. I could tell from how he talked about you, down there in the tunnels. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but don't let this slip through your fingers, Sammy."
Sam had also worked with Narim almost every day since coming to the Alpha site with the other scientists, but their relationship was irretrievably altered in spite of Sam's assurances to him that all was forgiven. Narim was guarded, polite but nothing more. Sam was distant and formal, not wanting to encourage what could never be. They both knew the truth now, and the truth was that Sam's heart belonged to another.
And that had been true for a long, long time.
And as soon as her job of overseeing the planetary defense project at the Alpha site was over, Sam planned to act on that truth.
"Doc!"
Janet bit back a sigh of annoyance.
"Yes, Colonel?" She responded as sweetly as she could muster, yet again calling to him from her desk.
"Can you change the tape in the VCR? I've got this one memorized. Backwards."
"Believe it or not, Colonel, I am actually trying to get some work done," Janet pointed out patiently.
"Isn't part of your work taking care of your patients?"
Janet couldn't argue with that, so she dutifully changed the tape and then came over to sit next to Jack.
"So, wanna hear the latest gossip?" She asked resignedly.
"Sure."
"Geez, I was just joking. You really are bored."
"Heard anything from the Alpha site today?" Jack whined plaintively.
"You mean, have I heard anything from Sam? Yes, actually. She told Hammond last night, and then Hammond told me, that she and Narim have almost finished their modifications to the Alpha site's defense shields, or defense systems, or something. I didn't actually understand it completely."
"Yeah, well, join the club. Did she say when she's..."
"Coming home? Now," a familiar voice answered from the doorway. Jack's head jerked around, knowing what he'd find.
"Carter! Get over here! I've got a whole list of things I need you to do for me..."
"He's all yours," Janet breathed gratefully as she gave Sam a welcoming hug and changed places with her.
"So, what do you need from me?"
Jack turned to her with a completely self-indulgent smile on his lips.
"For starters, you can go get me some of my favorite VCR tapes from my house. My truck keys are in the warden's office. I'll give you a list of titles once you get me a pen and some paper. And there's a remote control car in my office that I'm in need of. Then, the warden-" he gestured with his thumb in the direction of Janet's office, "hasn't brought me any dessert today, and that's just not acceptable. I was thinking, cake, pie, chocolate fudge, maybe some...hey, Carter? What's up?"
His slightly ridiculous string of banter drew to a halt and he leaned closer to Sam's face, all traces of playfulness now vanished. Seated very closely to the head of his bed, she was staring at him so intently it made his heart twist in an odd way.
"Sam?" He started again, quietly waiting.
She shook her head, breaking the spell, and chuckled gently.
"It's just... I promised myself that if I ever saw your eyes again, I'd make sure I memorized everything about them. And when you were talking, I realized that this is the first time I've seen you, really seen you, since...since we gated to the poisonous Tollan planet."
She looked up again to find that he had inched closer to her while she'd been explaining herself. How had he gotten this close when he was flat on his back in bed with a broken leg? Maybe because she was moving inexorably closer to him at the same time that his face, his eyes, his lips, were advancing towards hers. It only took another second or two before his eyes were so close they blurred out of focus.
Now this was a known entity. Closing her eyes, Sam reached her hands out to his face and ran her fingertips over the familiar contours, 'seeing' him the way she had so many times during the short but terrifying weeks she'd been blind. Her touch on his face broke through the last of his mostly crumbled barriers and he deliberately closed the short distance between them until his mouth had completely captured hers.
"Jack," she whispered as soon as she could bring herself to end it. "We're in the infirmary." They both reluctantly pulled back.
"I don't care," he responded, yet unable to pull his hands away from her face and hair.
"I missed you," Sam murmured, her hands still delicately tracing his features.
"Me too," he agreed.
"When can you get out of here?" Sam pleaded.
"When hell freezes over," he replied glumly, looking in the direction of Janet's office.
Sam laughed helplessly, then fastened her gaze on him again.
"How long are you going to keep staring at me?" He asked her.
"Oh, until hell freezes over."
"Sweet."
The End.
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