Hide & Seek

Author: Geonn

Email: neil_j_miser@yahoo.com

Rating: NC-17

Pairings: Sam and Janet, established relationship

Disclaimer: Not mine. None of it. I even borrowed the letters that make up the words.

Spoilers: The Devil You Know, Jolinar's Memories, 1969, The Nox, 100 Days, slight ones for Into the Fire and In the Line of Duty.

Series: Fourth in my "Ampersand Series."

What Came Before: "Life & Death," "Search & Rescue," "Forgive & Forget."

Notes: Innumerable thanks go out to John for catching my countless brain farts while writing this.

Summary: An accident off-world may separate Sam and Janet forever.

Thank you to San for the book covers.


"You never answered my question."

Janet shivered as Sam whispered, her breath blowing softly across the smaller woman's breast. Wrapping an arm around Sam's shoulders, she cradled the blonde closer. Sam nipped the soft skin just above Janet's nipple and threw a leg across the brunette's waist.

"What question?" Janet asked, already half-asleep.

"The one I asked you at the cabin."

Janet adjusted herself on the sheets, wishing Sam would move when she spoke. The warm caress of her breath, combined with the soft movement of her lips, was quickly arousing her. "You asked a lot of things at the cabin."

"About your husband. Why you were so scared of him..."

Janet stroked the warm skin of Sam's shoulder. "Do we have to talk about this right now?"

Sam closed her lips over the nipple she'd been talking over and flicked it with her tongue. When she released it, she whispered, "We don't have to *talk* about anything right now, Janet." She slid up the brunette's body, kissing her chin before finally closing on Janet's eager lips. The doctor moaned into Sam's mouth, wanting to both make love and to go to sleep. They had spent the last six hours 'rechristening' Janet's sheets and the poor brunette had to be up in two hours. Of course, she didn't want to turn down her lover. It had been three months since they slept together in this bed. She gently pushed Sam away and whispered, "Sam... Sammy, wait."

Sam gasped, leaning down to nibble Janet's earlobe.

"We, uh... ah... mmm... We need to be up in two hours..."

Swirling her tongue in Janet's ear, Sam whispered, "I'm already up."

Janet rolled, straddling Sam's stomach and sitting up. "I'm serious, hon. Sleep now. We'll have plenty of time to play after work."

Sam sat up, pulling Janet close. "No, babe... SG-1's got a mission. Head out at 1100."

Janet whimpered, kissing Sam's forehead. "Mmm... sorry to hear that..." Sliding back down and laying on top of Sam, their breasts mashed together and their mouths inches apart. It was a rare moment that the two women were face-to-face. Janet tenderly kissed Sam's lips and said, "We have to sleep... don't want to be exhausted off-world."

Sam sighed and said, "You're right... I know you are... but I hate going to sleep with you." She smiled, then added, "You know what I mean."

Janet slid off of Sam and curled against the blonde's side. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you, too, Janet."

They were asleep in seconds, the events of the past three months faded as they lay peacefully in each other's arms.

---

Janet sat up, terrified when she realized the bed was empty. In her early morning stupor, she was terrified that she had dreamed everything; Sam coming home, Sam being safe, their reconciliation. When she was able to focus, however, she heard the shower running. The blonde had simply gotten up early to take a shower before her mission briefing. Janet slipped out from beneath the blankets and pulled on one of Sam's t-shirts, pulling it down almost to her knees. She stumbled across the bedroom, pulling open the bathroom door and inhaling the liquid scent of Sam's shower. The scent of strawberries was carried on the steam from the shower; the too-long absent smell of Sam's favorite shampoo.

She was about to call out to Sam, warn her not to use all the hot water, but the words died in her throat.  The steamed glass of the shower door was slightly ajar and steam billowed through the opening. Janet backed up slightly, watching Sam as she danced under the stream of water. The blonde's back was too her, her hips swaying slightly to the music in Sam's head. Slowly, Sam moved her hands from her stomach, sliding them around to cup the cheeks of her ass and squeeze as she gyrated.

As Janet watched, Sam's voice lifted above the pounding of the water. With her hands planted firmly on her ass, she jerked her hips to the left twice, did a little shimmy, then jerked her hips to the right and repeated the shimmy. Slowly, she circled her hips and slid her hands up her sides to cup her own breasts.  Janet took a step closer, hypnotized by the gyrations of her blonde lover. She peeled off the t-shirt and slid the door open wide enough to step inside the stall. Sam turned, hearing the intrusion, and smiled at her lover. "Hiya."

"Hi," Janet breathed, draping her arms across Sam's shoulders and drawing the taller woman down for a kiss. When they broke, Janet kept the blonde's face close, watching a bead of water trail down her cheek. "You're the most beautiful woman on any planet," Janet whispered, using her tongue to trace the trail that led from Sam's forehead to her chin.

Sam moaned, reaching down and massaging the cheeks of Janet's ass before lifting the smaller woman into the air. Janet took the hint and wrapped her legs around Sam's torso. Sam supported Janet's weight with her hands, turning them both and pressing the brunette against the tile wall of the shower. She kissed her way down the ivory length of Janet's throat, pausing to suckle on the pulse she found there. Janet began to roll her hips, rubbing her wetness against Sam and leaving a wet circle on the blonde's stomach that wasn't entirely from the shower. Sam moved away from Janet's throat, capturing her lover's lips in a passionate kiss.

As their tongues tangled, Sam managed to release on side of Janet's rear and slide the hand between her lover's legs, her middle finger slowly dragging across the wet slit. Janet moaned into the blonde's mouth, tightening her grip on Sam's strong shoulders. Janet began to hump against Sam's body, her legs pulling the major closer. Sam worked her finger higher, circling the erect clit before finally dipping into her lover's center.

Janet pulled back from Sam's lips, moaning loudly. As Janet threw her head back, Sam locked onto the doctor's exposed neck, gently nipping at the soft flesh there. She felt a gush of warmth against her hand and knew that the shower had nothing to do with it. Sam backed up, pulling Janet with her. The doctor's head and back remained against the wall, but the rest of her body stretched out since her legs were still latched around Sam's thin waist.

Sam grabbed the adjustable showerhead and, making sure Janet's eyes were closed, aimed it at the juncture of the brunette's legs. The stream pounded into the small woman's center and her eyes shot open, her mouth immediately forming a shocked 'O' as she felt the pressure against her sensitive flesh. She immediately began cumming, her juices covering Sam's stomach and streaming down her legs. When the climax finally subsided, Sam gently lowered Janet to the floor and used the shower head to clean them both off.

They shared one final kiss before Sam stepped out of the stall. "See you in two or so days, honey."

Janet waved sadly, watching Sam's bare ass as the blonde left the bathroom. Janet picked up the soap and closed her eyes. 'Just let her come back again. Just let her come back.' She blinked, brushing the water away from her eyes and began soaping up.

---

Much to Janet's surprise, the two days of SG-1's mission went by in no time. The day they were scheduled to return, the doctor had worn merely a slip beneath her uniform, hoping for a brief rendezvous with Sam in the locker room, just to sate her before they went home. She slipped into her office, checking the night's reports. Sprained ankle from training exercises, refill of pain medication, ulcer pills, and the normal aches and pains that accompanied work in intergalactic travel.

She looked up as Dr. Warner passed her door. She said, "Hey, Dr. Warner!"

He stopped, looking in. "Hello, Dr. Fraiser."

"Listen, do you recognize this?" She hummed a few bars she had overhead from Sam in the shower the day the blonde had left.

Warner scratched his cheek and said, "Sounds like, ah... 'Golden Years' by David Bowie."

Janet frowned. "Bowie? You sure?" She hummed the tune again.

"Yeah, pretty sure. That it?"

"Yeah, thanks, Dr. Warner." He smiled and waved good-bye, continuing down the hall.

Janet dropped into her chair, checking her watch. Two hours before SG-1's scheduled return. Exhaling slowly, she turned on the computer and accessed the internet. After checking her email, she went on to another site and spent a few minutes clicking around before she found what she was looking for. She typed a short message, then clicked on okay. With a grin, she disconnected and imagined Sam's face when she saw this...

She stood, deciding it was time to make rounds, when an alarm klaxon began to sound. "Unauthorized off-world activation!"

Janet hurried to her med kit and hurried through the door of the infirmary. She knew that a medical team was right behind her. Usually, the reason for an early return was an injury. Janet pushed that thought away and realized she had already traveled the distance between the gate room and the infirmary. The Stargate was shimmering with life when she looked up at it, her heart racing at the thought of Sam coming back hurt.

The event horizon shimmered. Jack O'Neill was the first out, sliding his sunglasses off and letting them fall against his chest. No blood, no uniform tears... good sign. Next was Daniel. The fact that the archaeologist was unharmed was an extremely good sign.

Teal'c followed. 'Damn it,' Janet thought. Three uninjured only leaves...

Sam stepped onto the ramp, lazily holding her P90. She peered down at Janet, her eyes sending an apology across the room.

General Hammond pushed past Janet. "Colonel? What's wrong? Why're you back early?"

Jack smiled. "No cause for alarm, sir. Just wrapped things up a little quicker than we planned. And... we wanted to give the next team some time to prepare."

"Next team?" Hammond asked, looking at the faces of the team.

Sam stepped forward, pulling off her helmet. "Yes, sir. Almierta is hosting a medical conference in a few days. They plan to reveal latest advances in medical technologies. A group of Earth doctors have been allowed to visit the proceedings."

Hammond's eyes lit up. "Medical technologies? Like?"

Jack shrugged. "Who knows? But the guide... uh..." He snapped his fingers at Daniel.

"N'R'dea," Daniel supplied.

"Right. Nerdy said the Nox would be there. And they have done some pretty nifty things in the past."

Hammond nodded, then looked to Dr. Fraiser. "I suppose that you're the prime candidate to lead the team to the conference."

Janet smiled, then glanced at Sam. "I would be honored, Sir. When do we leave?"

Daniel answered. "N'R'dea said that the conference would begin in two cycles." Judging by the blank stares he received, he corrected, "Uh, six hours, our time."

Janet raised her eyebrows. "Guess I should start getting ready, then."

---

Janet gasped, gripping the arms of her chair. "Sa-am... I don't have time for this."

The petite doctor was sitting in her chair, her legs planted as far apart as the confining chair would allow. Sam was between the spread limbs, partially underneath Janet's desk, her mouth and tongue vigorously working on Janet's aroused slit. Janet rolled her head back, trying to catch her breath.

Pausing to work a finger into the brunette, Sam said, "Don't have time?" She curled her finger into a hook and stroked the interior of Janet's vagina. "Little Miss Come-to-work-with-no-panties has no time?" She lowered her head and circled the clit with her tongue.

Janet hooked a leg over Sam's shoulder. "Tha... was... before I knew... I had to leave..."

The sensations were incredible.

Janet began to thrust up into Sam's face, her heart knocking loudly in her chest. She'd never heard her heart pound so loudly... Knock... knock... knock... Her heart leapt. That wasn't her heart. Someone was at the door!

She scooted the chair up, slamming Sam underneath the desk. "Sorry, hon," she whispered. "Come in!"

Janet struggled to fix her hair as the door opened and Jack stepped in. He slapped the palm of one hand against the fist he had made with the other and popped his lips. "Hey, there, Doc. You ready for the post-mission exams?"

She began to rummage through the files on her blotter. "Uh... I, uh, have something I have to do first. The, uh... examinations of..." Sam's tongue darted out, gathering a stray bead of juice that had slipped out of the doctor. "AH!"

"Doc? You okay?"

Janet gripped the edge of the desk, hoping her face wasn't as flushed as it felt. "I'm... fine."

O'Neill didn't look like he believed her, but he nodded slowly. "All right. Look, uh... I'll just get examed by Dr. Roth, all rightey?"

Janet nodded. Once O'Neill was out of the room, she slid back and looked down at Sam. The blonde was smiling evilly, her tongue pressing slightly through her teeth. "Did I make you nervous, baby?"

Janet raised an eyebrow. "You, little missy, are going to pay for that! Just as soon as I get home." She raised her hips off of the chair and worked her slip down. She adjusted her skirt and said, with authority, "I have a mission to go on." She stood, heading for the door.

Sam rose and dropped into Janet's chair. "No fair."

Janet winked. "The shoe is on the other foot, eh?"

She blew a kiss at Sam and sashayed out of the room.

---

Janet stood in the gate room, waiting patiently for the technicians to dial up Almierta. To her left was Dr. Amy Roth, the woman with whom she had attempted a relationship with when she had been separated from Sam. Also on the team were Lieutenant Colonel Brubaker, Dr. Charlotte Parker and Teal'c, all of whom had been assigned for protective purposes. Almierta was a lovely planet, to be sure, but there was something that had been left off most reports; the world was dead center in Goa'uld space.

Almierta was literally the eye in a hurricane of Goa'uld activity. Janet felt as though she was walking into an oasis in the center of the Sahara desert. The seventh chevron locked and the wormhole exploded outward. Breathing evenly, Janet headed up the ramp, leading her team through the wormhole and into the great beyond.

Immediately upon exiting the Stargate, Janet felt someone take her hand. "Greetings, gershom." She blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the bright sunlight. The man had moved to Teal'c, taking the Jaffa's hand and repeating his salutation. The greeter was dressed in a long white robe and had tiny golden feathers tucked behind his ears. Janet smiled, remembering seeing the same outfit on the man playing Julius Caesar in Shakespeare in the Park. He greeted each team member, calling them all 'gershom.'

Finally, he motioned to the large grey capsule sitting next to the DHD. "Please. I shall accompany you to the... I apologize, I have but just learned your language. What is your word for this place?"

Teal'c responded, "I believe the appropriate term would be 'convention center.' A place where human beings gather to exchange ideas and beliefs."

The man bowed to Teal'c. "I see. Then I shall accompany you to the cunvunshen canteer." He spoke the words like an American who was trying to pronounce Spanish for the first time. He moved to open the capsule, then straightened. "Ah. I apologize. I neglected to introduce my person. I am being N'R'dea."

He bowed and then opened the capsule. "Have a seat. The ride shall be shorter than if we walked."

Janet peered into the small ship, shocked to see how much bigger it looked on the inside. One by one, the team climbed in and strapped themselves into the velvety seats. Charlotte, the only one with battle experience off-world, remained, having been ordered by Brubaker to maintain the perimeter around the gate. They weren't fond of taking chances in Goa'uld-occupied space. N'R'dea took a seat at the front and turned to face everyone.

"Brace yourselves. It is a short, yet rough, ride."

The ship surged forward, breaking through vines, trees, underbrush but (hopefully) no animals. Seconds later, it came to a sudden stop. N'R'dea opened the main hatch and stepped out, extending a hand to help Janet out. "Welcome to the... ah... convenshoon centray."

Janet smiled. He was a quick learner. As she climbed out of the transport, she scanned their surroundings. They had stopped in a large circular platform that was embedded in the ground. Huge pillars rose from the edges of the ring and reached high above their heads. Craning her neck, she saw the glass floor of a massive structure high above their heads. "That's the, uh... center?"

"Yes," N'R'dea said. "We call it the Shell."

Re-examining the center, she noticed it was indeed shaped like a conch shell. N'R'dea lightly brushed her arm, indicating that she should follow him. He stooped, touching the surface of the platform. A control panel slid from a hidden slot, rising to waist level. He hit a button and a beam of light enveloped the group. N'R'dea said, "Five."

In a brilliant flash, they were all suddenly several hundred yards in the air. Janet looked down, seeing the platform through the glass floor. She snapped her legs together, even though she was wearing pants. She turned to N'R'dea. "Are you sure those pillars can support this weight?"

He nodded. "Yes. Though they appear to be weak, they extend far below the surface of the planet. The platform which contains the control panel and transportation beam is deceptively thin. Below is the area that houses the mechanics to keep the Shell functioning."

Janet nodded slowly, looking around the room. Hundreds of unfamiliar races milled around, making chitchat. She found it a bit disconcerting to be in such a normal situation with such abnormal surroundings. She moved away from the transport ring and felt her knees tremble. 'Nerves,' she told herself. 'Just nerves.'

Brubaker sighed, adjusting his vest. "When does this little shindig begin?"

"Several earth hours. We are still awaiting the arrival of the Nox."

"Nox?" Janet said, raising an eyebrow. She remembered O'Neill mentioning they would be in attendance. If the Nox were willing to give medical secrets... they may have just hit the jackpot!

"Yes. They should arrive soon. Until then, feel free to mingle with the others." He stepped back, bowing slightly.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I do not wish to mingle."

Brubaker patted the Jaffa on the shoulder. "It's okay, Teal'c. You can establish a perimeter with me. Sound like a plan, m'man?"

Teal'c said nothing, but followed Brubaker anyway.

---

Sam was grinning like an idiot.

During the six hours between the office rendezvous and Janet's departure for Almierta, the blonde major had snuck off-base and headed to the mall for a quick drop into Victoria's Secret. When Janet came home in three days, she would have quite a surprise waiting for her in her quarters. Sam slammed the locker door, having stashed the skimpy lingerie beneath several carefully folded t-shirts, dresses and shorts from Old Navy. Now all that remained was getting through the next few days.

As she exited the locker room, a klaxon began to sound. "Unauthorized off-world activation!"

She broke into a run, heading for the control room. Something was wrong...

---

"Something's wrong."

Janet turned, glancing at Brubaker as the man approached through the crowd. "I don't like the sound of that," she grimaced. "Something we can fix?"

"I don't think so. You feel that?"

She paused, trying to absorb the entire room. "No. What?"

Brubaker tilted his head, then sighed. "It's not happening now. It's sorta like..."

The entire room trembled violently. A few people screamed, grabbing ahold of their companions for support. Janet glanced at Brubaker. "Kinda like that?"

"Kinda," he grunted.

---

Sam dropped into the seat normally occupied by Sergeant Walter Davis. The screen was lit up with an iris code. Sam punched in the code to open the iris and watched, her pulse racing as she watched the event horizon slowly become visible.

Suddenly, a rock hurled through the wormhole and collided with the glass of the control room. Sam ducked, but saw a few more rocks begin to tumble through. Amid the rockslide, she saw the green camos of an SGC member. The officer hit the ramp, which had been dented with the rockfalls, and screamed, "CLOSE IT! Close the iris!"

The voice wasn't Janet's. The voice was not Janet and ordering the iris closed. Sam reluctantly complied.

---

N'R'dea approached quickly. "I apologize for my haste, but I am afraid you must leave immediately."

"What is happening," Teal'c rumbled, approaching steadily on the unsteady glass floor.

N'R'dea looked around, panicked. "Tremors. Landquakes. They threaten every few years. I never expected... please, you must return to the transport rings."

Brubaker nodded. "Let's make tracks, people."

As they approached the 'elevator' they had used to access the convention center, they saw dozens of aliens crowding the bright ring. N'R'dea began to pull the people away. "Please! I assure you there will be time enough for everyone to safely return to the surface. Do not push or shove your way to the..."

Another tremor rocked the stilted building, knocking Janet to her knees. She had just made it back to her feet when she felt weightless for a moment. She thought she was collapsing again and then realized the awful truth; the Shell was falling. One or more of the supports had given out and they were hurtling towards the ground.

She turned, pressing herself against the glass floor as dozens of bodies collapsed around her. Screams filled the air as the conventioneers saw the ground spinning towards them.

On the platform below them, she saw a group of people who had used the transporter to flee. The Shell slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch and the glass shattered. Janet fell through the suddenly open floor and braced herself for the impact of the building on her small form. Instead of crushing her, the building rolled on it's side. The platform, which Janet remembered N'R'dea describing as 'deceptively thin' tilted under the weight of the falling building. As Janet scrambled to get to solid ground, more tremors caused the platform to give and she found herself sliding towards the hole between it and the ground. From what she could see, the shell-shaped convention center had wedged itself between the ground and the platform like a can opener ripping open a can of cat food. The platform was curved now, forming a slide towards the hole in the ground that housed the mechanics, according to N'R'dea. She clawed at the smooth surface of the platform, but found no handholds. She, along with everyone else that had been in the convention center, found themselves hurtling into the dark, murky tunnel, which ran deep into the alien surface.

As she fell, she caught a glimpse of the underground silo that she was sliding towards. At even intervals, small protrusions jutted out into the empty space. She assumed they were platforms leading to underground rooms. But, at this point, they were just obstacles that were in the way of their fall. She watched as several people slammed off of the protrusions, their bodies jerking violently at the impact. She didn't have time to brace herself as she slipped off of the curved platform and into the dark tunnel.

Janet's body slammed into protrusions in the wall and she felt her uniform tear in several places as she fell. She caught sight of Teal'c falling limply. He had either been knocked unconscious or was... no, she told herself. He was simply unconscious. Nothing more. Suddenly, her entire body was rocked violently as she hit the ground at long last. A sharp piercing pain tore from one side of her forehead to the other and she rolled onto her back, trying to catch her breath. She stared up at the hole they had fallen through. It was suddenly tinted red. She rubbed her eyes and realized the red wasn't the sky... it was blood flowing into her eyes. The pain she had felt when she landed had been a head injury. It felt like her eyes were throbbing against their sockets, threatening to explode out. A migraine pounded her skull as she tried to find the strength to sit up.

As she lay motionless on the hard rock, she felt a pair of bony hands cup her face. She looked up into the almond-shaped eyes of an alien that resembled the Asgard. His fingers were burning slightly where he touched her. Before Janet could ask what he was doing, he collapsed. He was dead before he hit the ground She didn't have time to ponder the alien's motives. She looked up in time to see her worse fears had been realized, the ground began to quake again. "No," she whispered hoarsely. "Please, no more..."

High above her, she saw the platform crumble under the weight of the center. The shell- shaped convention center fell deeper into the hole. Janet closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was the shattered glass floor as the building spun towards her.

'I love you so much, Sam. I love you, Cassandra.'

The impact of the convention center rocked Janet's entire body, knocking her from where she had intially landed and violently throwing her against a solid rock face. Her skull screamed in pain as her body crumpled to the ground once more. The last thing she remembered thinking was about how ironic it was for her to die off-world while Sam was safe at home... how ironic...

---

Charlotte Parker was bloody and torn from her trip through the gate, her skin marred by cuts and bruises.

Hammond and Sam entered the Gate room. "What happened," Hammond demanded. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"I was ordered to... maintain gate security, sir. They hadn't been gone long... they, ah... the ground started to shake. It was an earthquake, sir. I don't know where they are."

Sam turned to Hammond, "Permission to dial..."

"Granted," he interrupted.

She ran back to the control room, her vision hazy like she was in a dream. Nightmare would be more appropriate, she decided. She dropped back into the seat and dialed Almierta. The inner ring had never moved so slowly in her eyes. Daniel approached behind her and said, "What's going on? Where'd those rocks come from?"

She ignored her teammate and punched in the seventh chevron. The pyramid-shaped point of origin for Earth was at the apex of the ring. The Stargate attempted to lock... but nothing happened. The event horizon did not appear. The wormhole did not 'kawhoosh.' Nothing happened.

Hammond turned. "Major Carter? Explain."

She swallowed, trying to hold back her tears. "We, ah... the connection between Earth and Almierta has been lost, sir. We can't get back."

Charlotte suggested, "The gate was at the bottom of a hill, sir. It is possible it was buried in a rock slide."

But Sam didn't hear a word the woman said. She stared at the empty ring of the Stargate and felt her heart slowly begin to crumble.


Chapter Two

Sam couldn't get herself to sit still. Daniel, Jack and Charlotte sat around the briefing table as Sam paced nervously near the stairs. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest, the index finger and thumb of her right hand nervously clicking together. Jack glanced at his second in command, then looked at Hammond. "Can we get the particle accelerator and pound it open like we did on Edora?"

Daniel shook his head. "It wouldn't be very feasable, Jack. The only person strong enough to possibly work his way through the debris would be Teal'c. Plus there's the question of oxygen."

Hammond nodded and said, "And if you hadn't been able to find Teal'c and help him dig out, he wouldn't have been successful either. We don't know if anyone on Almierta is still alive."

Sam's body jerked with that comment. "Sir... maybe the Tok'ra have a ship. Or the Tollan. We should contact them and..."

"I already have, Major," Hammond said softly. "They're extremely reluctant to risk their ships traveling in Goa'uld space. They've denied our request for a rescue mission."

Sam shook her head. "Why is the goddamned conference in Goa'uld space anyway?"

"They can't help where they live," Daniel said.

Sam slapped the table. "We can't just sit on our asses! We have to get out there! Rescue our people!"

Hammond sighed. "Without a Stargate, there doesn't seem to be much we can do, Major. We'll hold off on locking out their iris codes in case someone is alive and can excavate the Stargate."

Sam stared at the man she had known since she was seven. "Sir... you can't be serious. We're not just going to... to wait and see if someone MIGHT have survived?"

"I don't see that we have any other choice, Major Carter. Unless anyone has anything else to add..."

"Damn right," Sam said, moving around the table to face Hammond. "We are not going to abandon Janet on that world."

Daniel stood. "Sam, we..."

"Shut up, Daniel. Sir, are we or are we not going to stage a rescue attempt?"

Hammond looked from Daniel to Jack, then said, "We've been over this, Major. The world is in Goa'uld occupied space. We cannot even approach the planet without being in mortal danger. The Tok'ra and Tollan agree. This matter has been closed." He dismissed the group, then disappeared into his office.

Sam picked up one of the large coffee carafes and hurled it at the SGC insignia on the wall. The airman posted next to it ducked out of the way as it crashed into the wall, sending a shower of burning coffee over the poor airman. Jack and Charlotte were half out of their chairs, tensed to restrain Sam if necessary.

General Hammond exploded out of his office and barked, "Major Carter!"

Jack held up a hand. "I'll deal with it, General."

"See that you do, Colonel." He turned and slammed the door behind him.

Jack stepped up. "Well, Carter? You okay?" He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She jerked away from him and said, "Get your hands off of me, SIR." She brushed past him and out of the briefing room.

Jack glanced at Daniel, shrugging. "I'll, uh... just let that go."

---

Sam finished changing into the red t-shirt and jeans she had stashed in her locker and slammed the door. Unfortunately, as distracted as she was, she slammed her thumb in the door. "Ouch! Shit!" She jerked her hand back and violently kicked the locker twice. "Stupid piece of... damn thumb..."

She began pounding the locker with her fists, her curses getting more and more colorful. A pair of soft hands came to rest on her shoulders and she spun around, swinging at the intruder. She almost hoped it was Hammond or Jack, just so she could get reprimanded. Instead, her fist landed on the cheek of Daniel Jackson.

The archaeologist's head jerked to the side and he massaged his jaw. "Oof. That's, ah... quite a jab you got there, Sam."

"What the hell do you want?" She turned back to the locker and picked up her bag.

"I just... wanted to see if you wanted to talk. It's not like you can tell the General the real reason you want to go to Almierta."

She pulled her jacket on. "Right. See you, Daniel." He grabbed her arm, stopping her. She kept her back to him as she snapped, "Let me go."

"Sam... your relationship with Janet has been through..."

She spun around. "Oh, this should be fun. Please, DR. JACKSON, inform me about my relationship. I'll be glad to hear your expert opinion."

"I just think..."

"Let me tell YOU what I think. I think that maybe I should just give up."

"What?!"

"Look at the facts, Daniel. Look at how many times she and I have been separated. The whole thing with Laszwell, the Rakazsha... Hathor kidnapping the team... all the times since she and I got together that my life has been on the line... maybe god, fate, time or whatever is trying to tell me to get out of the relationship. Maybe I should just kick her and Cassie out of my life and move on." Her hard facade crumbled as she choked back a sob, turning her head slightly to hide the tears that were brimming in her eyes. "'Course, that'll be hard considering she's on a world billions of light years away with no way for me to get to her."

Daniel sighed, stepping closer.

"No, Daniel. Stay away. I don't want any 'reassurance hugs' right now. I don't want to hear 'it'll be all right' because, unless you have a spaceship hidden in your garage, it WON'T be all right."

She wiped her face and spun on her heel, leaving the locker room. Daniel was left behind staring at the empty doorway. He had absolutely no idea what to do.

---

The airman on duty in the guard's station looked up in time to see Major Carter's infamous Harley barreling down on him. He began opening the fence, hoping he could move fast enough to avoid impact. Carter whipped past him, barely sliding through the small opening in the fence. She saluted him as she went by, her blonde hair whipping in the wind. He sighed, closing the fence once more.

Sam roared down the highway, grateful for the lack of traffic. She didn't want to bother with the lazy drivers or the careful mothers or the persnickety grandfathers that usually kept her from really opening up with the bike. She increased the pressure of her boot on the gas pedal and felt the power roar between her legs. The cycle hummed loudly in her ears as she took a corner, almost tilting onto her side. She corrected before she got road rash, but the exhiliration pumped through her veins anyway. Slowly, over the roar of the wheels on pavement came another sound. The sound of Janet's voice, from almost two years ago...

'Right here is where I'll be, Sam... you'll never lose me.'

Sam felt a tear threatening to break free. Instead of giving into the emotion, she savagely surged forward on the bike, pressing it as hard as it would go. She let the hum of the engine drown out her lover's phantom reassurances as she checked her speed. 90. Not fast enough. Up ahead, she saw the large sign that had just been lit in the setting Colorado sun. A round gray object (which Sam and Janet joked was a Stargate) hummed with neon energy as a neon coin was 'flipped' from one side of the sign to the center of the circle. Below this animation were the words "WISHING WELL."

The Wishing Well was found about two-and-a-half miles away from Cheyenne Mountain. Sam and Janet had frequented the club for two reasons; first and foremost were the killer buffalo wings. The other was that it hosted a steady clientele with alternative orientations, including military officers, safe there with their 'unacceptable' lifestyle.

Sam entered that night to the pulsing rhythm of classic Bowie. She smiled, remembering the dance Janet had intruded on a few mornings ago. Sam had first heard the song in this bar. She sat on a stool, looking for the bartender. She remembered the quick, interrupted tryst in Janet's office that morning. If she had known that would be their last contact... Her thoughts were interrupted by someone asking, "Sam? That you?"

She looked up, seeing the bartender smiling down at her. "Hiya, Drew. Just a beer, right now," she muttered, hoping he would just pour her a beer and go away. But with Drew, it was never that simple.

"Where's your lady? Janet?"

"I asked for a beer. Not conversation."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Beer it is. Who am I to argue with a beautiful lady?" He chuckled and slid a mug in front of her. He looked like he was about to say something else, then saw the warning in her eyes. He walked further down the bar and checked on a male couple that looked too involved in each other to drink. Sam lifted her mug and gulped down the icy concoction. She winced. Still as horrible as ever.

Thank God they had good buffalo wings. She remembered the first time she and Janet had come to this bar. And how she had thought that might be their last night together...

---

Janet led Sam into the bar, their hands tightly clasped. Sam chuckled, looking nervously around. "Janet, should we..."

As the doctor shook her head, her untied brown hair danced around her tanned face. Sam instinctively reached up and caressed the doctor's cheek, rubbing her thumb across the moist lips. Janet pulled Sam close and motioned to the bar. "It's, ah... not your every day club."

Sam looked where her lover had indicated. Two women were sitting at the bar, openly flirting with each other. On the dance floor, two men slow-danced to a country song. Janet lightly kissed Sam's lips and said, "We don't have to hide here. I can hold your hand."

Sam smiled. "I can stroke your face."

"We can kiss," Janet added, punctuating the statement with a quick peck to Sam's lips.

Sam pulled Janet's body against hers. "We can... oh. No, we probably can't do that here, can we?"

Janet winked. "It's not *that* open, Sammy. They *do* have health codes, ya know."

Reluctantly peeling herself away from the tall blonde, Janet led the way to a deserted booth and slid in. Sam dropped onto the faux leather seat and snuggled against Janet's side. "Mmm... This place had better have good food."

"Why's that?"

"I'd hate to frequent a place with horrible food."

"The lady's been here two minutes, she's already callin' my stuff horrible?" Sam turned at the new voice, seeing a tall redhead standing next to the table. She smiled at Janet and winked, then turned her gaze to Sam. "You must be the secret lady in Janet's life. We've heard things about you, missy." She winked.

Sam turned to Janet. "Oh?"

"Nothing but compliments," Janet promised.

The redhead turned her gaze back to Janet. "And here we thought she was just makin' you up so she wouldn't have to fend off unwelcome advances."

"Not all were unwelcome," Janet winked, playing coy.

The redhead chuckled. "What can I get ya?"

"How 'bout some of your killer wings? And a couple of beers." The waitress smiled once more at Janet and disappeared behind the bar. "That was Denise," Janet explained, once they were alone again.

Sam looked at the door where Denise had disappeared. "Really... That was some flirting going on between you two."

"Flirting," Janet frowned. "I was flirting?"

Sam scoffed, "Oh, sure. Play innocent, Dr. Fraiser." She broke into an exaggerated Southern accent and extended a hand. "Not all were unwelcome." She batted her eyelashes and ran her tongue over her lips.

Janet laughed. "Oh, when I lick my lips, you know it."

Sam turned to face her. "Oh yeah? Prove it."

Janet parted her lips slightly and began to run her tongue over the top lip. She didn't get very far. Sam closed the distance between them and sucked the tongue into her mouth. Janet gasped, but didn't pull back, instead she clutched Sam's shoulders and drew the blonde closer. When they finally broke apart, Janet sighed, "Ah. Better than buffalo wings any day."

Sam chuckled. "Good to know I'm rated higher than barbequed foul."

"You haven't tasted these wings yet."

Denise returned with two frosty mugs of beer and a plate full of wings. "You girls give a holler if you need anything else." Her gaze shifted to Janet. "Anything."

As Denise swayed her hips away from them, Sam huskily whispered. "If you need anything else... ANYTHING. Like a venereal disease."

Janet laughed, nearly spitting up some of her beer. Sam glanced at the brunette, who was wiping her mouth on her sleeve. "Try to keep it in your mouth, Janet." She took a sip, then winced. "Ugh! Does it always taste like this or is Denise trying to get me back for stealing you away?"

Janet shrugged. "Okay, so the beer isn't so good. Never said it was. But you have to try some of these wings." She plucked a wing off the plate, chosing one dripping with barbeque sauce and said, "Open up!"

Sam opened her mouth slowly as Janet placed the wing between her lips. She gently bit down and tasted the juicy meat on her tongue. Janet pulled the wing away and place the stripped bone on the plate. "So? How does it rate?"

Sam muttered around her morsel, "Excellent."

Janet grinned. "You have sauce on your face. Let me get that for you." She leaned forward, holding Sam's face still as she began to lick the trail of barbeque sauce that had dripped down Sam's chin. The blonde closed her eyes, lacing her hands behind Janet's neck as the brunette gently licked away all traces of the spicy red juice. When Sam's face was clean again, they separated.

Sam sighed. "Hmm. We have *got* to come to this place more often."

Janet smiled, motioning towards the dance floor. "Wanna dance a little?"

"Sure. Let me just, ah... freshen up a little okay?"

Janet nodded and the two slid out of the booth, each going their separate ways. Janet walked to the jukebox and began searching for a long, slow song. She had finally settled on a song that lasted over five minutes and was the slowest one on the list when she felt a pair of hands run down her spine and then slither around her waist.

"He-ey, Sam. You like thi..." She stopped when she saw the tacky press-on nails that were lightly scraping her stomach. She turned, finding herself face-to-face with Denise. "Uh... what're you up to?"

"I see you ditched the blonde. Good choice." Denise pressed herself against Janet. "Now, whaddaya say we quit pussy-footing around and get down to business?"

"Denise, Sam isn't just some fling. I love her..."

"Yeah," Denise chuckled. "I love them all, too." She pressed her lips violently against Janet's pressing the small doctor against the jukebox.

Sam came out of the bathroom, throwing her paper towel in the garbage. She straightened her skirt and headed for the dance floor... where she saw Janet and Denise locked in a passionate embrace, their lips practically welded together. Her heart stopped. She couldn't move.

After what seemed like an eternity, Janet pulled back and shoved Denise away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Denise chuckled. "Giving you what you want."

"I *want* Sam. I am in love with her."

A tear came to Sam's eye. It was the first time she had ever heard those words spoken with such passion, by anyone... and it was about *her*... Janet loved her!

Sam closed the distance between herself and Denise and spun the redhead around. "And I am in love with her. Unless you want a whole mess of trouble..."

Denise held up her hands in defeat. "You win, okay? You win. She's all yours." She cast a final longing glance at Janet before heading back behind the bar. Sam noticed she neglected to add the sway to her hips this time.

Sam and Janet embraced, holding each other for a moment. Sam sighed, "I thought you might... be tempted to..."

Janet looked up at the blonde, lightly pressing her lips to her chin. "I meant what I said Sam. I do love you."

"I just thought... maybe you'd want to examine other avenues." She wrapped a possessive arm around the smaller woman's waist. "It scared me."

Janet laid her head on Sam's shoulder as they began to lightly sway to the music. "Right here is where I'll be, Sam... you'll never lose me."

---

When Sam finished telling the story, she realized she was staring at seven empty mugs of beer, a half-drained pitcher and was sitting next to a total stranger. She turned, fixing her blurry gaze on the black woman sitting next to her. She wondered where this woman had come from and when she had started telling the story aloud.

"Poor thing," the woman said. "Where's Janet now?"

Sam sloppily covered her belch, almost revealing the secret. "Ah... gone. Don't matter where. She's gone."  She dropped a couple of bucks on the bar and said, "'m gunna get. Have fun to... tonight." She slapped the black woman's shoulder and stumbled towards the door.

Drew met her halfway. "Sam, I can't let you go out like this. You're three sheets to the wind. Get someone to drive you home... Maybe help you forget about Janet."

Sam sighed. "Okay. But, ah... kin I git an'ther plate 'a wings while I wait?"

"Sure," Drew said, making his way back to the bar. He pulled a plate off of the stack and slid it to the cook. "Another plate of wings. Make 'em juicy, huh?"

The cook nodded and Drew turned around. Sam had vanished. He slapped the counter. "Damn it, Carter. Try not to get yourself killed..."

---

If there was one thing Sam knew how to do it was drive. And she wasn't about to let some bartender tell her when she could and couldn't drive. She slid around a corner, watching the beam of her cycle's headlight stretch on the pavement ahead of her. Tears burned her eyes, the memories of that night with Janet causing her to remember her loss.

Janet was gone. Billions of light years away.

Stranded. Dead.

Sam held back the tears she knew were coming, willing herself not to cry. Focus on other things, she ordered herself. The steady grumble of the engine. The hum of the tires sliding effortlessly across the pavement. The whipping of the wind past her ears. The feel of the cold Colorado night against her face. She knew where she should go; home... to Cassandra. The poor girl was probably worried sick. But she couldn't. After the blow-up in the locker room, Daniel had said he would stay with her until Sam showed up; she decided the archaeologist would have to wait a little longer than he suspected.

The bike continued forward, carrying her farther away from where she should be.

She needed another human being, another soul to comfort her. She needed the comfort of another's arms. And she knew exactly where to find it. She turned a corner, heading closer to her destination. She brushed a hand across her eyes, hoping to erase any sign of the tears that had gone unshed. She only looked away for one split second. That's all it took.

When she looked up again, the twin headlights of an SUV were heading straight for her. She cursed loudly, all of her instincts vanishing as she yanked the grips to her right. The cycle slid to the side, the tires protesting against the asphault.

The bike began to spin, spiralling towards the side of the road. The rec vehicle shot past with the speed of a freight train, the force of the vehicle wrapping around her body and knocking her off of the bike. The driver laid on the horn as Sam lost all control of her bike. She flipped from the Harley and bounced along the grass, her shoulder painfully protesting against the impact. When she came to a stop, she was staring up at the brilliant stars high above her, one of which was orbiting the planet where Janet was stranded.  When calm was finally restored, she began to sob. She was crying for Janet, for Teal'c, for Cassandra, for herself, for the entire damned world. Tears coursed down her face as she let herself go. She sobbed loudly, not caring if anyone heard her. She was far past caring. Let the whole world know that Samantha Carter was bawling her eyes out on the side of the road.

When the tears ran dry, she sat up and straightened her shirt, still quietly sniffling. She heaved her battered Harley into an upright position and straddled the body once again. She revved the engine, making sure it still worked before pushing off.

She arrived at the house a few minutes later, climbing off the bike and heading for the porch. Apparently, the person she was planning to meet had heard her arrive and was standing in the doorway. She stopped just short of the porch, suddenly nervous. She toyed with the hem of her shirt and shifted from one foot to the other. They stared at each other for a moment before Sam finally said, "I... I was wondering if I could come in?"


Chapter Three

"It's uh.... a little col' out here. Could I come in? Or could you at least tell me to get lost?"

Mark Burdett blinked, recovering from the shock of seeing the blonde major standing on his lawn. "Sure, sure. It's a bit messy. If I'd known you were coming..."

'If you'd known I was coming you would have thrown out all your furniture, made a run to the mall and refurnished the entire house. Hell, you would've bought a new house.' She stepped onto the porch, stepping past the shocked major. He was right; the house was a mess. Old magazines were scattered across the coffee table, empty beer bottles and cans lining the floor around his easy chair. A movie was playing on the TV, something with Bruce Willis, but he shut it off before she could identify it.

"Could I, ah... get you something to drink? Eat? I got some watermelon if you'd like."

"No... thanks... jus' some beer." She was about to say 'if you have it,' but a cursory glance around the living room told her it was a pointless question. He disappeared into the dark kitchen and returned with a bottle of Heineken. He handed her the bottle and dropped onto the couch, leaving the comfortable recliner for her. She sat in it and looked nervously around the room. She noticed thick paperbacks lining his walls; Koontz, Patterson, Jeffery Deaver... Thrillers and mysteries, no sci-fi. She smiled. Must get enough of that in the line of duty.

She tipped her bottle upwards, taking a long swig of it. The edges of her vision were already tinged with fogginess, indicating that she would be regretting this bottle in the morning. She didn't care. After she had finished half of her bottle without saying a word, Mark chuckled. "So, what's the deal here, Sam? The bar stop your tab and you didn't want to stop drinking?"

She smiled, avoiding his gaze. "Nah... barten'er wan'ed t'take my keys." She took another swig.

"Judging by your clothes, it might not have been a bad idea."

She looked down. Her shirt was torn and dirty from her tumble, and she could see where the knees of her pants were ripped and bloody. "Yeah. Hah."

Mark tapped the edge of the table with his bottle, looking at the blank TV screen. He was obviously wanting to turn the movie back on, so Sam picked up the remote and flipped it back on. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson were hurtling through Central Park in a broken down cab, screaming obsenities at each other. "Which'n is this?"

"Third one," Mark said, his eyes riveted to the screen. "With a Vengeance."

Sam stood and walked over to the couch, dropping next to Mark and leaning on his shoulder. "Wha' time is it?"

He checked the wall clock. "Little after eleven."

She sighed and draped her arms around his neck. "Late."

"Yeah..." he nervously chuckled. "Sure."

"Don' wanna drive home this late, y'know? I a'ready got in one ac'dent tonight."

The bottle was trembling between his hands, obviously forgotten. "Oh. Well, ah... I guess you could stretch out on the couch here."

"Couch's're bumpy. Where's the bed?"

Mark suddenly didn't care what Bruce Willis or Samuel L. Jackson were up to.

---

Sam woke with three distinct and discomforting feelings; the first was that she had spent the last couple of hours drooling on someone else's pillow and curled under someone else's blanket. The second was that she was naked underneath said blanket. The third feeling was the most discomforting. The fact that she was completely and utterly hungover. The only pain that even came close to this was the installation of the Tok'ra memory recall devices. Whoever she had spent the night with was in the shower; she could hear the water running in the other room.

Slowly, she pulled herself into a sitting position and looked around the bedroom, hoping to find some clues as to who she had spent the night with. A green SGC jacket hung over the edge of a folding chair that stood in the corner. No insignia, though. On the night stand was a paperback copy of "The Empty Chair" by Jeffery Deaver. She picked it up and thumbed through it, hoping a library card or some kind of bookmark would appear. No such luck.

She slid out of bed, realizing she wasn't *completely* nude; she was still wearing her panties. 'Maybe I never took them off,' she hoped. She searched the floor for her clothes, hoping she could get dressed and get out before her one-night-stand reappeared. She vaguely remembered being in Mark Burdett's house. If she had slept with him, she'd never get rid of the guy. She was pulling the leg of her pants up when the bathroom door opened.

Her back was to the door, but she heard the quiet click. She froze, slowly pulling her pants the rest of the way up and fastening the buckle. She held her breath and turned, ready to face the consequences of sleeping with the obsessed major.

"Charlotte?" she gasped.

Dr. Charlotte Parker, civilian liasion to the now-defunct SG-5, stood in the doorway of the bathroom, her nude body glistening in the early morning sunlight. She self-consciously tried to cover herself but realized Sam was topless as well and gave up. "G'morning, Sam. I was, uh... just leaving."

Sam half-smiled. "Why would you leave? I mean, this *is* your house." She glanced around, suddenly uncertain. "Right?"

"Yes," Charlotte chuckled. "I was going to go to the SGC. That way there wouldn't be, ah... awkwardness."

"You mean this awkwardness here?"

"Right. Exactly."

"Yes." Sam nervously brushed her upper arm, feeling a chill in the bedroom. "Uh... can I ask you something?"

"Uh-huh." The shy response made Sam smile slightly. Charlotte was suddenly as shy as a teenager, trying to fold in on herself to avoid Sam's gaze.

"What, ah... exactly, um... happened last night?"

Charlotte walked to the bed and sat down, turning her back to Sam. "Mark came by around one and said you had gotten really blotto at his place. He didn't know your address and didn't want you sleeping at his place..."

"How polite."

"No, no... it's just... he didn't think he could take the temptation. You were kind of all over him when he came by. He asked if you could sleep the hangover off here. I gave you the couch but... you didn't stay there. You sort of showed up here a couple hours ago and we... didn't exactly... get a lot of sleep. Sam...."

Sam brushed Charlotte's hair out of her face. "I know what you're going to say."

"I... just want to say it. Okay?"

Sam gently nodded.

"I wish I could say that I love Amy, but the truth is we've only been going out for two weeks. I've... never been in a relationship like this. I'm still feeling it out. And I know you love Janet. They've barely been gone a day and we fall into bed together. I just feel like I'm betraying Amy."

Sam turned away from Charlotte, picking at the blankets. "I know."

Charlotte was silent.

Sam stood and picked up her t-shirt, not bothering with a bra before she pulled it over her head. "I'm gonna go now. I'll, ah... see you at the base." She headed for the door, then paused. "Can I use your phone, please? I need to check..."

"Cassandra?"

Sam nodded.

"Downstairs. In the den."

Sam headed out and found the den with relatively little difficulty. It was odd walking through a house you had entered while drunk. Vague memories and foggy resemblences haunted her as she flipped on the den light, finding the wireless phone and dialing the number of Janet's house. She expected to hear Jack or Daniel answer, so she was surprised to hear the clipped British tones of Ms. Davenport, Janet's regular babysitter.

"Cahter and Fraisah residence. Whom may I ah-sk am I speaking to?"

"Uh... this is Sam, Ms. Davenport. Where're Jack and Daniel?"

"Samantha! Well, this is a pleasant surprise. We were so worried!"

Sam felt a cold chill curling around the base of her skull. "Where are Jack and Daniel?" she asked, forcibly this time.

"They called around one this morning and ah-sked if I would be so kind as to watch Madam Cassandra until you returned. They attempted to ring you several times to no avail." Sam patted her pockets. Where was that damn phone? "As soon as I arrived, they ran out of here like a pair of scared rabbits. I do wish they had at least said good-bye, but I have overlooked it myself in the past. It's still a common decency..."

"Ms. Davenport, please! Where did they go?"

"They mentioned the Cheyenne Mountain complex. I believe that is where you work?"

Sam thanked the woman, asked her to watch Cassie for a few more hours, then hung up quickly. Jack and Daniel disappearing to the base in the middle of the night? Daniel, sure. But Jack? Something was wrong.  She left the house without bothering to say good-bye to Charlotte.

---

As a member of SG-1, the flagship team of the SGC, Sam had rarely seen the base while a major off-world mission was taking place. She assumed it felt something the way it did when base security was compromised; guards at every door, alarms flashing, lights dimmed.

She was shocked to find the place practically deserted. She walked the empty halls, searching for someone - anyone - who could tell her what happened.

Finally, she made it to the control room. Sergeant Siler was manning the computer, waiting for someone to send an iris code in case there was an off-world activation. Sam stepped up behind the man and said, "Siler?"

He jumped, spinning around. "Major Carter! Where the *hell* have you been?!"

"Uh... not here. What happened?" she dropped into the chair next to Siler.

The wiry man glanced at the empty Stargate, then said, "Um... not at liberty, Major."

"Not at liberty?"

"It's a, ah... sensitive operation. They don't want too many people to have too much information. In case of," he cleared his throat. "You know, leaks. All very hush, hush. Wish I could tell you, but..."

"They didn't tell you."

"Right," he admitted.

Sam sighed. "Where's General Hammond?"

"His office."

Sam stood, heading to the familiar office and knocking lightly. "Sir? Can I come in?"

He looked up, eyes widening slightly when he saw her.

"Major Carter. I must say, when you go AWOL, you really disappear."

"AWOL? Sir?"

Hammond smiled tightly, indicating that this was just a joke. He added, "Although we like to be able to find our officers in case of emergencies."

"Emergencies? What happened, sir?"

Hammond opened his mouth to speak, then looked down at his papers, snapping his jaw shut again. "I'm not at liberty to say."

"What?!"

"Major, I appreciate your connection to the accident that occured on Almierta. I understand your rage at not being able to do anything. If I tell you the particulars of this mission before it's complete, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep you away from that Stargate. I will fill you in on everything you need to know. Once Colonel O'Neill and the others have returned."

The mention of Almierta struck Sam. Why would he compare this sudden, apparently extremely secretive, mission to that? Had Jack or Daniel been hurt off-world? Another team? She froze as she realized a third possibility. "Did someone excavate Almierta's gate?"

Hammond sighed. "No. I can tell you that much. You look like hell, Major... Sam... Go home. See Cassandra. Listen to some music, for crying out... for God's sake." He caught himself before he used Colonel O'Neill's favorite catchphrase.

Sam finally gave up. "Will you call when they get back?"

"The second we get their IDC."

Sam smiled weakly. "Thank you, sir."

---

Sam's bike rumbled to a stop in the driveway of the small home she shared with Janet Fraiser and their surrogate daughter, Cassandra. As she smoothly kicked down the stand and pulled herself off, Ms. Davenport appeared on the porch, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Good day, Samantha!"

Sam looked up and saw the towel. "Ms. Davenport... did you do our dishes again?"

The elderly nanny looked at towel and tossed it back inside. She turned back to Sam and smiled sweetly. "No, dear. You and Madam Fraisah told me it was not necessary."

Sam smirked. "I'm giving you a little extra when I pay you for this. No arguing." She noted that she had said 'when *I* pay,' not *we* as in 'me and Janet.' This realization hit her as soon as the words were past her lips. 'Am I giving up already?' she asked herself. She shook her head slightly, then decided to let it go past and asked, "Has the mail come yet?"

"I believe so," Ms. Davenport said, stepping off of the porch. "If it's all right, could I depart? 'The Price is Right' is on soon."

Sam smiled. "Go ahead. I'll pay you next time I see you, okay?"

"No trouble, deary. The girl was asleep half the time and just waking up the rest. No money needed."

Sam sighed. "Ms. Davenport..."

"Got to run! Bob Bahkah awaits!" She shuffled across the street to her house.

Sam shook her head and went to the mail box. Five years of babysitting duties and they'd never successfully paid the woman.

The mailbox flag was up, indicating the mail was waiting, so she pulled open the door and reached in. She found a magazine for Cassie ("Top Ten Signs That Your Lipstick Is Last Weeks Color!"), a bill for DirecTV, a card from Mark (her brother, not the major), and a small, cardboard box with black arrows on the edges. Frowning, she took the box out and turned it over in her hands. The return address was AMAZON.COM and it was addressed to her. She hadn't ordered anything...

She placed the rest of the mail back in the box and began pulling open the package. Finally, a CD slipped out and she caught it before it hit the ground. "The Best of David Bowie, 1974-1979"? She read, confused. She couldn't recall a single Bowie song that she liked. She found the order slip and unfolded it, looking at the date. Yesterday? It was rush ordered...

Thinking it had to really be for Cassandra, she found the area where messages were written to the recipient. "SAMANTHA: Track 2. Dance for me again sometime? Love, Janet."

Sam's heart almost shattered in her chest. Her fingers trembled as she turned the CD over, reading the name of Track Two. "Golden Years." The song she had been dancing to in the shower just one short day ago. The song that Janet had seen her dancing to. Sam dropped to her knees, her eyes locked on the small piece of paper in her hands. "Love, Janet."

Janet had ordered the CD before she disappeared. The CD was Janet's final gift to her.

She clutched the CD to her chest, crying loudly. She didn't realize how loudly until both Ms. Davenport and Cassandra were huddled around her, checking her forehead and hugging her tightly.

Cassandra asked, "What's wrong with her?"

Ms. Davenport shook her head, the white curls of her hair bouncing slightly. "I haven't the faintest idea, child... why don't you give Madam Fraisah a call?"

Cass paused. "Mom's missing."

Ms. Davenport looked at the blonde woman cradled in her arm. The woman whose scars she had seen at a neighborhood pool party. The woman who seemed so unflappable. The woman who always had a cheerful smile for someone passing on the street. It struck the old woman quickly. 'Samantha and Janet aren't just taking care of this girl... they're taking care of each other.' She smoothed Sam's short blonde hair and quietly reassured her. "It will be okay, Samantha. It will be okay."

But neither she, nor Sam, really believed the reassurance.

---

Sam woke several hours later, not remembering coming inside or crawling into bed. She was, thankfully, fully clothed this time. Ms. Davenport was sitting in the corner, engrossed in a novel that Sam had seen her carrying from time to time. She slowly sat up. "What... time is it?"

The old woman looked up, smiling warmly. "Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?"

"Ah... yeah. I'm fine." She looked around, realizing she was in Janet's bedroom. It was where she normally slept, but why would Ms. Davenport put her here instead of the guest room? Everyone assumed that's where Sam stayed. "Why, ah... why'd you put me in here?"

A mischievous twinkle appeared behind the woman's reading glasses. "Oh, the bed was much more comfortable, you know. I thought you would sleep better here than in the guest room. Where you... usually sleep, right?" She winked at Sam.

"Yeah. I guess." She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. Almost 3pm. She groaned and slipped out from beneath the covers, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm exhausted," she sighed. "Any word from the Colonel or Daniel? Anything from the base?"

Ms. Davenport shook her head. "No. But I suppose you'll go running after them again?"

"Sorry... do you mind..."

"I love Cassandra, Samantha. Of course I don't mind." She bookmarked her place and stood, leaning close to Sam. "But you should try to avoid calling the babysitter every day. Understood?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'll keep a close eye on her."

Ms. Davenport straightened. "Good. Lecture over!" She grinned widely. "Now, go. Find your friends and see what was so bloody important they had to wake an old woman in the dead of night."

Sam pecked the nanny on the cheek and said, "Thank you, Ms. D."

"Don't mention it, deary. And don't you think about putting money in my mailbox again."

Sam winced. Janet had thought the plan was working. "If you don't want pay, you won't get paid."

"Good."

"But we *are* going to repay you for everything. No arguments." She left the bedroom and walked down the stairs. She loved Ms. Davenport like her own mother; talking to the delightful woman always made Sam forget the problems she was facing at the moment. But now, in the entryway to the house, it hit her again.

Janet was missing, Jack and Daniel had disappeared on a mysterious mission, and everyone seemed to be locking her out. She pulled her leather jacket off of the coat rack and slipped it on, despite the rising temperatures. She assumed since it was Colorado, she'd need it sooner or later.

---

Sam entered the control room as the Stargate was coming to life, the seventh chevron locked in place. Hammond turned to face her, the receiver to the outside phone line still in his hand. He spoke into it. "Cancel that order." He hung up and said, "We were just looking for you, Major Carter. We think Colonel O'Neill may be coming back."

Sam sat next to Sergeant Davis, her heart pounding. Had they found a way to bring Janet and Teal'c home?  The IDC was received, the iris opened. It was only a matter of seconds now...

The event horizon rippled and Jack O'Neill appeared on the ramp. He was dressed in the black sweater and pants that indicated a not-so-official mission. His face was marked with camoflague paint. He smiled at Sam through the glass, offering a wave. Daniel came through the gate next, his arm wrapped around a thin alien man dressed in a grey tunic. His head was lolling to the side indicating he was either dead or unconscious. Major Griff came through the gate next, walking backwards and brandishing his M9. "Close the iris!"

The metallic barrier moved slowly into formation, locking up the wormhole. There was one impact, then second, before the wormhole was disengaged. Carter was on the heels of General Hammond as he stormed into the gate room, looking at the man Daniel was carrying.

"We got him, Sir," Jack smiled.

Glancing at Griff, Hammond said, "Were there hostiles?"

"Not that we saw," Griff said. "Just making sure this guy didn't have any accomplices."

Sam looked between the three men, then at Hammond. "Now can you tell me what the hell is going on?"

Hammond sighed. "The Tok'ra approached us about a smuggler who managed to infiltrate their command. He managed to steal several secrets and was running them to the Goa'uld. They asked for our help in capturing him."

Sam pointed at the unconscious man at Daniel's feet. "And this is him?"

Jack nodded. "Not much of a smuggler, is he?" He grabbed the man by the collar and said, "C'mon, buddy. We got a nice little cell for you downstairs."

As Jack and Daniel left, Sam glanced at Hammond. "I don't get it."

"Don't get what, Major?"

"You mentioned Almierta. What does a smuggler have to do with Janet being missing?"

He didn't answer immediately, simply chewed his bottom lip as he watched her stare him down. Finally, he said, "Nothing. Nothing at all, Major." He patted her on the arm and slipped out of the gate room without another word.

Sam watched him go and it suddenly hit her. The reason he didn't want to tell her about the mission until it was over, the reason he was so nervous about the smuggler. She understood. And she was madder than hell.

---

The holding cells at the SGC, Sam was reminded, were kept unusually dark. Whether that was to keep funding down or whether it was to discourage the enemy, she didn't know. But as the airman let her in, she was struck by the eerie quality it gave the small, cement room. She motioned with her head at the door and the airman slipped out. She approached the cell that held the alien smuggler and looked down at him. The man had long, shaggy blonde hair that hung over his pale face, accented by a thick stubble. He was laying on the bed they had provided and was staring at his steepled fingers, which he held over his chest. He was completely human, which she still found a little odd after all of these years and all of the various alien races she had encountered. She expected aliens to look like Thor's race, or maybe the Unas, but she wasn't expecting the vast array of human races peppering the galaxy. Sam approached the bars, remembering being on the other side when she was blended with Jolinar. Finally, he spoke. "You weren't one of the people they sent after me."

"No."

"They don't trust you?"

She ignored his question and asked, "You have a name, right?"

"I do."

"Well?"

"You can call me Kol. What do you want from me?"

Sam picked at something even she couldn't see on the bar of the cell door. Finally, she said, "You have a ship? To travel around and steal people's ideas and secrets?"

"Kinda hard to do it by Stargate. People have a pesky habit of protecting them."

"Where is this ship?"

"In orbit around the planet where I was abducted. But don't try to get aboard; if you don't use a specialized code, it'll just blow up on ya."

"I need transport somewhere."

"That's a shame," Kol said. "Seeing as I'm locked up."

She glanced over her shoulder at the door, imagining the guard posted on the other side. "Say I could get you out. Would you take me?"

Kol sat up, intrigued. "You would break me out?"

"If you take me where I want."

"And where would that be?"

"I'll tell you when we're aboard your ship."

Kol guffawed. "It don't work that way, gul'ek. I don't leave unless I know where I'm heading."

"You're in no position to make demands," she said, running her fingers across the bars. "But I don't know how to get the Stargate open without drawing a sizeable crowd..."

Kol grinned. "You met the Nox yet?"

Her eyes widened. "Yes."

"I can open the gate like them." He waved his hands. "Mentally." He began to pace. "So you break me out, get me to the Stargate, I take you to my ship, and we go to God knows where in return?"

"That's right," Sam said. "I'll tell you where we're going and we go. No matter what."

Kol raised his eyebrows. "You're makin' me awful nervous. Will I be risking my life?"

She grit her teeth and spit, "I'm risking my job, my life, my entire world breaking you out. Will you help me or will you rot in a Tok'ra death camp?" Okay, that was a stretch, she admitted to herself. But she *had* to get to his ship.

"Death camp?" Kol asked, fear in his eyes. Finally, he extended a thin hand through the bars. "On my world, we shake when we make a deal."

Sam muttered, "Same on this world."

Reluctantly, she gripped the thin, bony hand and pumped twice. A shiver ran through her body. She had just made a deal with the devil.


Chapter Four

Every eye that met hers was accusing.

Every hand that happened to brush against a holstered weapon was threatening.

Sam tightened her grip on the black duffel bag she carried and continued through the halls, back to Kol's cell. She didn't have much time before the Tok'ra contacted them and asked for their prisoner. She had to move fast. As she approached the cell door, her fingers tensed around the butt of the zat. She hated to do this, but it was the only way to get the prisoner to the Stargate. She took a few deep breaths, then moved forward. She used the hand holding the zat to knock twice. The airman opened the door, admitting her with a vague smile.

She winced as he closed the door, glancing at the bag she was carrying. "I have to inspect anything brought to the prisoner."

"That won't be necessary." She turned and fired the zat once. The airman crumbled, his arms folding in towards his chest. She knew the pain of being on the receiving end of a zat and regretted inflicting it. She knelt next to him and felt his pulse. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Kol was growing impatient. "C'mon! They'll be coming for me soon."

Sam pulled the airman's keys off of his belt and unlocked the cell. She prayed she was doing the right thing. Kol reached for the bag, but she held it back. "No way. You're going unarmed."

"So I walk through these halls and rely on you to keep me alive?"

"I keep you alive, it might make you think twice about killing me once we're on the other side of the 'gate."

Kol scoffed, "Glad to know you have such a high opinion of me."

"Sorry. I tend to have some preconceived notions of smugglers."

"Whatever pays the bills," he smirked.

She checked her watch, then indicated the airman. "Change clothes with him," she said, indicating the unconscious guard.

"What? What's wrong with my clothes?"

"They're a red flag to anyone who's seen you. If we want to get past the door of this room, I suggest you make yourself a little less conspicuous."

Kol began to strip as Carter dragged the airman into the cell by his ankles. She knelt and managed to free him of his pants, shirt and jacket. When she looked up, Kol was wearing only a strip of cloth that Sam assumed was underwear. As he picked up the clothes and began to change, she tensed her grip on the zat. If she had killed a Rakazsha with her bare hands, this guy would be no problem.

He dressed quickly, pulling the airman's helmet down over his eyes. His long, shaggy hair stuck out in all directs from under the helmet. "Let's get outta here."

Sam pulled the helmet off and said, "The hair's too long. Pile it under the helmet."

Kol grimaced. "That'll be comfortable."

"Comfort doesn't matter. Do it."

He gathered the wild strands, then Carter dumped the helmet over his head and pressed down. Kol winced. "Ow! Hey! What if this falls off when we're running for the Stargate?"

She shook her head. "No running. We go slow. We don't want to look suspicious."

"How far is it to the Stargate?"

"Not far."

"Why don't you just tell me where it is?"

"You're out of your cell now. Location is the only thing I can offer you. Now close the cell and let's get out of here."

He stepped back, motioning toward the door. "Lead the way, pretty lady."

She opened the door slightly, peeking into the hall. "Okay, we're clear." She slipped from the holding cell and was quickly followed by the escaped smuggler. He kept the helmet low, shielding most of his face as he stayed a step or two behind the major. Sam's breathing was ragged, her grip on the zat becoming less firm as her hand began to sweat.

The Stargate was a few levels down and the quickest way was through the elevators. She prayed she didn't run into anyone she knew... the last thing she wanted was mindless chitchat while she and her prisoner made their escape. She hit the button, then began the unbelieveably long wait for the elevator to arrive.

Kol shifted from one foot to the other, nervously glancing over his shoulder. The elevator dinged and the doors slid aside to reveal Sergeant Siler. He nodded at Samas he proceeded down the hall and turned the corner. Kol let out the breath he had been holding and said, "I hate close calls."

"Me too," Sam said. "Let's try not to have many more." She pulled him into the waiting elevator and pressed the button for Level 24. As the elevator slowly crawled through the shaft, Kol glanced at the duffel bag slung over Sam's shoulder.

"What d'ya have in there?"

"Weapons."

"I know that," he sighed. "What weapons?"

Sam looked at the man, then decided if he decided to try anything, he should know that she could fight back. "Heckler and Koch MP-10, a couple of M9s, an FN P-90, some APD MK2 grenades, binoculars, flashlights, zats and some day field packs." When she finished her list, she glanced at him. "What?"

"You, uh... Where exactly are we going where we'd need all of that?"

"I'll tell you when we're aboard your ship."

Kol noticed a pack slung over her shoulders and hanging across her back. "What's in there?"

"Medical rescue equipment. I grabbed some from the infirmary."

Kol straightened his jacket and said, "Something tells me I would have liked it better with the Tok'ra."

Sam wished she had had a chance to change clothes; she was still dressed in the jeans and shirt she had thrown on at Charlotte's house that morning. Time being of the essence, she had made the choice between comfort and supplies. On the way to the weapons lock-up, she had snuck into the locker room and grabbed a flak jacket and some combat boots. She realized she probably looked like one of those people who hole themselves up in their cabins and fight against the government agents surrounding them.  The elevator stopped and Sam pulled Kol into the hallway. A few more yards, now... she could make it easy.

Ahead of them, she saw Jack O'Neill step into the hallway out of one of the men's rooms. She froze, feeling Kol run into her back. The colonel frowned at the paper in his hands, moving further down the hall and disappearing into an elevator with it.

She released the breath she was holding and motioned Kol to continue forward. He followed, glancing back every few steps. Finally, they were at the doors to the gate room. Sam stared at the closed doors willing herself to open them. A few more steps and she would be at the point of no return. She closed her eyes, hoping she was doing the right thing.

Kol proded her. "Go! What're you waiting for?"

Sam slid her access card through the scanner and the doors slid open. Lifting the zat, she led the way into the gate room.

---

Jack dropped the paper he had been reading on the control panel and glared at Daniel. "The next time I ask for something to read in the bathroom, don't give me one of these... scientific mumbo-jumbo sheets. I was lookin' more for something like... I dunno... Life. People. GQ, for crying out loud."

Daniel smiled slightly and went back to the computer screen. "I've been running different theories on how to get to the Almierta gate. The particle accelerator we used on Edore won't work since the gate probably isn't buried in solid rock. If we knock out a few stones, they'll just roll back and cover it again. I really need Sam to help me with some of this. Have you seen her?"

Jack was looking through the glass at the Stargate. "That's her. I think."

Daniel looked up in time to see a streak of electricity burst out of the zat in Sam's hand and hit a guard on duty, knocking him down onto the ramp. "What the..."

The prisoner they'd captured on P98-764 was standing behind her, but he seemed unarmed. Sam was clearing the way for him to get to the Stargate. He grabbed the mic. "Security to the gate room! Now!"

General Hammond was heading down the stairs as he heard this announcement and began to run. "What's going on?"

"Kol is escaping, General," Jack said. "And he has a little help."

Hammond grabbed the mic as he watched Kol stride purposefully up the ramp. "Major Carter what the hell are you doing?"

She turned, her eyes emoting the sadness that she felt in her heart.

Kol raised his arm and swung it in a semi-circle in front of the 'gate. Jack had only seen this motion once or twice in his service at the SGC... he knew what was happening next. The Stargate activated, locking on to an unknown location.

O'Neill grabbed the mic as Carter and the alien prisoner started up the ramp. "Carter! Stop right there! That is a direct order, Major!"

She turned, locking sad eyes on the men in the control room. For a moment, it looked to Jack like she might crumble... but she turned away and stepped through the event horizon. Kol glanced up at them as well and smiled, offering a small wave before following Sam through.

As the Stargate disengaged, Jack turned to Hammond. "Permission to go after her, sir?"

"To where," Hammond asked. "There were no coordinates entered."

Daniel stood. "Maybe she left us a clue somewhere. I don't think Sam would actually willingly free a prisoner."

"So she was under duress?" Hammond asked.

"Yes, sir, I believe so."

"By an unarmed prisoner who gave her a zat? Need I remind you, Dr. Jackson, that she was the one who shot that guard."

An airman approached quickly, out of breath from his jog. "Colonel! General, sir! The security guard assigned to the smuggler was just found in the cell. He's been zatted."

Hammond grit his teeth. "Colonel, Dr. Jackson, I want you to find out exactly where Major Carter took the prisoner. Then coordinate with SG-3 to bring her back." As the two remaining members of SG-1 headed off, the General added, "And Colonel? She's no longer under your command. Remember that."

Jack nodded slightly and followed Daniel out of the control room.

---

Three suns beat down on the world that Samantha Carter stepped onto. She adjusted the strap of the duffel bag over her shoulder; the weapons weren't for Kol, but in case she ran into trouble on Almierta. Because, as people kept reminding her, it *was* in the center of a large area of Goa'uld space. She turned in time to see Kol exit the Stargate, squinting into the sun. He tossed the helmet he'd stolen from the guard aside and ran his hands through his hair as he grumbled, "I despise this world... Come on, let's get to my ship."

He moved around the DHD and headed for the forest, pulling his long hair back in a ponytail to keep it out of his face. Sam sighed, casting a final glance at the Stargate. She would never again step onto Earth's soil as a free woman. She shook her head, moving after her new partner in crime.

---

Jack pushed his way into the locker room, having completed searching Sam's quarters. So far, he'd come up with nothing. He had sent Daniel to search her locker while he finished up. Now, he spotted the archaeologist standing amid a pile of t-shirts, jackets, socks and regulation underwear. Several papers that she was probably wanted to take home sat on the bench, along with a small handbag. The last item was a surprise to Jack; he had never seen Sam as a purse kind of woman. "Any luck, Danny?"

"Not really. There's just this bag left." He pulled out a large 'Old Navy' sack and looked into it. "T-shirts, some dresses..." He sat on the bench and began to pull out carefully folded clothes and lay them carefully on the bench next to him. "Nothing really incriminating. No clues as to where she might have-- Whoa." He closed the top of the bag, his eyes bugging out as he put the bag back in the locker. "Uh. Ahem. No, Jack. There's nothing in there that can help."

Jack looked at the bag, then at Daniel. "Danny... what's in the bag?"

"Nothing. Just, ah... more t-shirts."

Jack pulled the bag from the locker, but Daniel held the top closed. "Jack... you really shouldn't."

"I'm looking for a woman who broke a dangerous criminal out of holding and helped him escape through the Stargate. This guy could take down the Tok'ra and the Tollan and *maybe* The Asgard. If there's something in this bag that could tell me where she went, I'm going to look." He pulled the bag violently out of Daniel's hands and opened it, looking in. Lacy bras and panties, sexy lingerie and a few teddies stared back.

He closed the bag again and looked at Daniel, a lascivious twinkle appearing in his eye and a crimson blush rising in his cheeks. "I, uh, don't think these will help us very much."

"No," Daniel agreed. He placed the t-shirts and dresses over the 'nightwear' and put the bag back in Sam's locker. As he began replacing the other items, he froze. "Of course. I know where she went, Jack!"

"Oh? What gave it away? The teddies or the panties?"

Daniel ignored him. "Kol can't go anywhere without his ship. Even if they tried to go there by a roundabout route, they'd still end up on the world where we captured him. Because that's where his ship is!"

Jack slapped Daniel on the back and said, "Danny boy, you're a genius!"

---

Kol dropped next to a stream, washing his fingers in the murky water before bringing a cupped hand to his face and drinking deeply. He glanced at Sam, who was examining the trail ahead of them. Running wet fingers through his hair, he asked, "So? We're through the Stargate. Where am I taking you?"

"Not yet. We're not on the ship."

"So?"

"So you still have a chance to dump me once you find out where I want to go. I'm not taking any risks."

Kol sighed. "You are one pesky Tau'ri, Carter."

She turned the gun on him. "How'd you know my name?"

"The guy who caught me, he called you Carter before you went through the Stargate. And the bald guy, he called you Major. Should I just call you that?"

Sam lowered her gun, shaking her head. "I doubt it's still accurate to call me that. Carter will be fine."

Kol stood. "Well then, Carter. I suggest you take a drink. We got a couple hours yet."

She knelt, dipping her hands into the water after shifting her bag to the side that was away from Kol, preventing him from grabbing it. As she splashed the water over her face, she looked at her watch. "Hours? You didn't say anything about hours."

"How long d'ya think it'll take us to fly to wherever you have to go, Carter? Spaceships ain't like Stargates, you know. It takes time to move from point A to point B."

As they headed deeper into the forest, moving through the stream to mask their trail, Sam glanced at him. "You know a lot about Earth; you speak English relatively well, you know slang... did you ever live on Earth?"

"Once. For about six years in sixties. Coupla Goa'uld were looking for me and I wanted to lay low for a while. I figured since there wasn't a Stargate, they wouldn't look for me there. Unfortunately, someone on your world activated a Stargate in 1969 and they picked up on the wormhole activity. I had to high-tail it outta there. Too bad." Sam remained silent about her part in the '69 activations, watching him as he glanced at the sky.

Suddenly, he turned. "Hey, how did that whole Vietnam deal work out?"

"We bombed the entire country," she lied. "Ended it in one fell swoop."

Kol nodded and continued onward.

Sam watched his back as he walked through the trees, the way his spine swayed from one side to the other. She dug a HK10 out of her bag, hefting the large weapon and steadying the sight on the swaying spine. Just a squeeze of the trigger and the smuggler would be gone. Done with. No longer a problem. He had a ship and she knew she would be able to find it. Her finger tightened on the trigger. One more iota of pressure and a bullet would be sent into the arrogant smuggler's back. She would take the body back to the SGC with her after she had saved Janet and maybe save some of the wrath of Hammond.

She released the trigger and slipped the gun back into the duffel. Kol half-turned at the sound of the bag rustling.

"What're you doing?"

"Nothing. Keep walking."

Kol frowned at her for a moment, then moved on. "Can I ask you a question, Carter?" She remained silent, and he took this as an affirmative. "You break me out of custody which, not to sound conceited, but it is a big thing. Then, you help me get to the Stargate and take down two of your own people to do so. Again, a big thing. You won't tell me where we're going because you're afraid I'll bail once I find out."

"I thought you had a question."

He decided to get right to it. "What's so special about where we're going? What's waiting for you there?"

She bit her lip, watching a squirrel-like creature dart from one branch to another. Various insects strafed her as she pondered her answer. Finally, she asked, "You ever been in love, Kol?"

"Say no more," he said immediately, shaking his head. "Should've known. Only love can make someone act this crazy. Kinda like that Romeo play I saw when I was hiding out on your planet."

"Romeo play?"

"Yeah. Some guy named Romeo wrote this play about, ah... these two kids who couldn't seem to get their romance worked out. They ended up killing themselves. I think it was called 'Shakespeare and Juliet.' Pretty depressing arts you have on Tau'ri."

"We pride ourselves on depressing," Sam muttered. "Seems like everything we produce has got to be angst-filled crap."

Kol sighed. "I do miss the world, though. Baseball games, television... I wish I could spend some time there as a tourist... not a prisoner or hiding out."

Sam stayed quiet, checking her watch. 'Hang on, Janet,' she thought. 'I'm coming. It's just taking a hell of a lot longer than I thought...'

---

Jack O'Neill couldn't believe the situation he was in. Flak jacket, HK10s, orders to bring the prisoner back dead or alive and his accomplice back in shackles... The SG-3 Marines were standing directly behind him and Daniel, ready for an all-out firefight.

And they were going after Samantha Carter.  Daniel felt a stab of guilt as he watched the Stargate dial. He didn't want to be right, actually hoped that he was wrong. But it was the most logical assumption, right? Kol needed his ship, his ship was on P98-764. So that's where their final destination would be. But if they were and they brought Sam back for a court-martial, it would be all his fault. The seventh chevron locked and the wormhole was activated.

Jack and Daniel started up the ramp in unison, ready to bring back their teammate. Major Mark Burdett and Dr. Charlotte Parker, the two living members of SG-5, stood in the control room and watched as the team disappeared through the event horizon. They glanced at each other, but kept silent about what they knew. So far, no one had questioned them about Sam's behavior and until it was brought up, they wouldn't give anything away.
Mark sighed, then looked at the now-disengaged Stargate. "Come home, Sam..."

---

By the time the first sun had set and the second sun was beginning it's descent, Sam and Kol stepped onto a white sand beach next to an impossibly blue ocean. Kol looked out over the waters and said, "Have you ever been in the Earth's ocean, Carter?"

She nodded. "Several times."

"It's nothing compared to this... the water is so incredibly bouyant that you barely have to exert yourself to move through it. Almost like something in the water pushes you along."

"That's very nice. Can we please get going?"

"You're pushy, too." He reached into his pockets, then closed his eyes. "Ah, hell."

"What? What's wrong?"

"I forgot the signaller to activate my transporter. We'll have to go back to Earth to get it."

She grabbed him by the collar of his stolen SGC uniform, pressing the zat'nik'atel against his temple. "You had better be kidding, you son of a bitch."

He held up a small control device and said, "A joke! Geez, you *are* a barrel of fun, aren't you?" He hit a button and Sam was suddenly surrounded by metal walls and the steady hum of an active starship. Kol smiled and walked to the pilot's seat, checking the gauges and read-outs. "Okay. We're on the ship, we're ready to go, NOW will you tell me where the hell we're going."

She sighed. "Almierta."

Kol barked a laugh, shaking his head. "Okay, that gets me back for the control gag a second ago. Now, enough jokes. Where do you really want to go?"

"Almierta."

Kol turned to her, his face completely blanched of color. "You've got to be kidding me. Fly this ship through Goa'uld space? You know how many snakes want my ass?"

"About as many as want mine. You told me you'd go anywhere if I broke you out. I came through on my part of the bargain. Come through on yours."

Kol stood, holding his arms out. "Take me back. Tell them I was holding you hostage, uh... under mind control. I'm not going to Almi-fricking-erta. No way, no how."

She steadied the zat on him. "If you don't fly me, I'll knock you out, take control of this ship and fly myself."

Kol smiled slightly. "You can't fly this ship."

"I flew in the Air Force. Top Gun qualified. I'll either learn quick or fly us into a planet. Either way, I'm not going back."

He looked from her to the zat, then said, "How do I know you're not bluffing?"

"Why would I start bluffing now?"

"You have a point," he sighed, lowering his arms. "You sure you want to go to Almierta? I know a lovely little world where you can *buy* a lover for..."

"Almierta," she said. "Now."

Kol dropped into his chair. "This'll be fun," he groaned. "A smuggler escapes the Tau'ri, only to fly directly into Goa'uld space. I should've had kids years ago. Then at least someone would be able to carry on my legacy."

Sam dropped into the navigator's seat. "Enough of the commentary. Just fly."

Kol shut up, glancing at the bag of weapons. He now understood why she was armed to the teeth. "Next stop,
Almierta."

Sam's heart soared at those words. 'I'm coming, Janet. Just a little longer, honey. Don't give up on me yet.'


Chapter Five

Sam watched the stars whipping past the window, wishing for the split-second speed of the Stargate. She had never liked long trips; even as a girl she had despised the family vacations every year. Of course, those had ended when... she shook aside the thoughts of death and decided to focus on other things; the stars moving effortlessly past their small ship, the sound of the engines purring quietly around her, the sound of Kolnearly inaudible humming. She laid her head back on the seat, looking at the ceiling.

In times like this, she had always relied on her imagination to save her from boredom. She would always imagine what Janet was doing back on Earth, where she was at that particular moment, who she might be talking to. Sometimes, she would ask Janet to keep track on shorter missions. Sam would keep track of her own minutes and when she'd return, they would lay in bed and recount where they each were.

Sam chuckled slightly, remembering the time she had said, "Aris Boch knocked me unconscious with some kind of energy weapon while he sent Jack, Teal'c and Daniel to kill a Goa'uld who turned out to be a Tok'ra."

Janet had countered with, "I was making chicken pot pie."

It was conversations like that, the moments when they were alone together, laughing, that Sam was certain they were meant to be. It was moments like that that she was risking her life for. Risking her mission, her career...

She closed her eyes, thinking back over her relationship with Janet. She recalled one other time she had returned home by starship, not knowing what the reaction would be once they got home. She grimaced at the memory realizing how it had almost turned incredibly bad, but allowed it to unfold anyway...

***

Sam entered the infirmary, smiling despite the pain she was in. She hadn't seen Janet in what felt like ages. Now, the post-mission exams were done and they were both technically off-duty. She saw Jack O'Neill, complaining about the pain in his leg. The colonel was laying next to Daniel Jackson, who was suffering from an unfortunate reaction to the Blood of Sokar. She exchanged hellos with the men, and looked around for Janet. The diminutive doctor was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Dr. Fraiser?"

Jack motioned towards the door. "Her office."

Sam thanked him and moved through the doors, peeking down the long hallway to see if any unwanted people were hanging around. The hall was empty. Her smile spreading, she headed to Janet's office. The brunette had her back to the door, looking over a chart. Sam slipped in and closed the door. "Hey, Janet."

Janet didn't turn. "Major Carter."

The icy tone made Sam pause, watching the back of her lover's head. "Um... I was just wondering if you wanted to stop by the Wishing Well when you get off."

"Sorry, Sam. I have to work late."

Sam frowned. Something was definitely eating at the doctor. "Oh. Well, uh, maybe I could stop by later. We can discuss moving in together again."

Janet slapped the file she had been reading closed and crammed it back into the filing cabinet. "Maybe we shouldn't, Sam. I don't want to wake Cassie up with the doorbell. She does have school tomorrow, you know." She cocked her head to the side and said, "Or maybe you forgot what day it is."

"Janet, what's the matter with you?"

She turned, gritting her teeth. "What's wrong with me? God, Sam, you can be so dense sometimes!" She brushed past Sam and began thumbing through medical reports. "Where is the damned report on... here." She picked up a file and began looking over it.

Sam felt something creeping along the base of her skull. "Janet? What did I do?"

Janet spun around faster than Sam could anticipate, whipping her hand through the air. The palm of her hand caught Sam on the cheek, knocking the blonde's head sideways. The burn from the slap was nothing compared to the pain the act had caused in both women. They stared silently at each other for a moment, trying to absorb what had just happened. Janet's jaw was still set firmly, but her eyes had widened in horror at her actions.

Finally, Sam asked, "What..."

"I come in to work and find out that you're on a mission. No big deal. But then the Tok'ra tell us that you've been captured? That, that it's unlikely that you're going to return alive?! Do you realize what I went through? Cassie kept asking when you would be back and I had to lie to her, Sam... And then came news you had escaped, but with injuries. Nothing more, nothing less. I was horrified that you'd come back with a missing arm or leg or... or..." Tears streamed down Janet's face, trying desperately to hide them. 

Sam closed the distance, embracing Janet tightly. Though the brunette tried to pull away, Sam was stronger and held her tightly.

Finally, she gave in and returned the embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around the blonde's waist. "I... was so afraid, Sam." She was sobbing openly now, her hands possessively gripping the back of the major's t-shirt. "They wouldn't tell me what had happened."

Sam pulled away slightly, looking down into Janet's eyes. "I'm sorry, Janet. The fact is, I was barely thinking. My father was in danger."

"I know," Janet whispered. She nestled her head against Sam's breasts, closing her eyes and just holding her lover.

"If I was thinking, I would have..."

"I know," Janet whispered again. "I'd really like it if you would come over tonight. We don't have to talk about moving in together. Just be together."

Sam closed her eyes. "I'd really like that, honey."

They held each other in silence for several minutes. That night was the night they decided to move in together, regardless of what people might think.

***

Sam jerked out of her slumber, looking from the black duffel bag next to her chair to the concerned-looking smuggler in the seat next to her. She pulled the bag of weapons onto her lap and unzipped it.

Kol glanced over at her. "It's all there," he assured her.

Deciding she was better safe than sorry, she checked anyway. As she counted the various grenades and weapons, Kol asked, "What's that thing?" He was pointing at a small gray device with a small GPS screen.

"It's a Stargate locater. We can use it to find where the 'gate is buried and dig it out so we can go home."

Go home for a court-martial, she reminded herself. But it would all be worth it if she found Janet alive. Even if she didn't make it back to the Stargate, they'd at least have a chance to say good-bye. She closed the bag again, then sat the bag on the floor. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"I'm used to it," Kol assured her. Finally, he said, "Look, I may be out of line, but this guy is the luckiest bastard in the galaxy."

She glanced at him. "Who?"

"The guy you're going to Almierta to rescue. He gets himself trapped on a planet in Goa'uld territory and he has a beautiful woman like you willing to risk everything to save him... that's pretty lucky."

Sam decided not to correct his gaff, then sighed. "Anyone else would do the same."

Kol scoffed, then turned away, pretending to check a guage. "Yeah."

She glanced at him. "What?"

He shrugged, looking out at the stars that were shooting by. "Not everyone is as brave as you, Carter. Not, ah... not everyone would risk everything." He looked down at his controls, then smiled. "Maybe helping you is my chance at redemption, huh?"

"Redemption?"

Kol smiled, his lips curling into a faraway smile. "Her name was D'aun. I was hired by her family to smuggle her out of a Goa'uld prison. I succeeded and we had to elude her captors for several weeks. We hid out in an abandoned system and... got to know each other. It was the closest to love I had ever come."

"What happened?"

He sighed. "Nirrti caught wind of my relationship with D'aun and managed to steal her away in the night. He got message to me that said D'aun would become a host unless I gave myself up. I refused to turn myself in and he took over her."

Sam was confused for a moment by Kol referring to Nirrti as a 'he,' but then it all made sense. When they experienced Nirrti's handiwork on Hanka, Teal'c had also called her a male. But at the Asgard summit, and again when they briefly recaptured her, Nirrti was in a female host. Apparently, the abduction of Kol's love had taken place between these two events. Sam marveled at this discovery, but again said nothing to the smuggler.

"I always regretted giving her up like that." He chuckled slightly, then said, "You know, as wanted as I am and with so many people who want my hide on their wall, I've always kind of had this stupid little fantasy that I would... would find a small little cottage on some beach on a quiet planet somewhere and live out my days with D'aun." The smile faded. "But that's probably just a pipe dream, huh?"

"Maybe if you went straight."

"A guy like me," he scoffed. "You can't just go straight, Carter. That takes a decision I'm not ready to make." He adjusted the controls, then smiled at her. "Maybe this is my first step on the road to recovery, huh? Let's save your love, all right?"

Sam smiled. "Let's go." As much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to like this smuggler.

---

Hammond could tell the mission had been a bust the moment the team stepped through the event horizon.

Jack O'Neill sighed and dropped a helmet onto the cement floor. "They're gone, sir. We checked satelitte images taken from the MALP and there were no ships in orbit. Carter and the prisoner are gone."

The general nodded. "And I bet my command I know where they're headed."

O'Neill glanced at Daniel. "I'd like for SG-1 to be the team to bring her in, sir."

"How?" Hammond wished to know. "Almierta no longer has a functioning Stargate that we know of. If it's still there and working, it's buried beneath several layers of rock. I suppose we'll just have to wait for Jacob."

"Jacob?" Jack frowned. "Jacob Carter? What do the Tok'ra have to do with this?"

"I called them, Colonel. They sent Selmak to recapture the prisoner, along with Major Carter."

"Sending the father to arrest the daughter, sir?"

"I said Selmak, Colonel. Believe me, she's not getting off easy."

---

"Shit," Kol muttered.

Sam glanced at the sensors and saw that a teltak was approaching quickly. Once they were within range, communications began chirping. Kol frowned. "A chatty Goa'uld? There's something you don't see everyday." He hit the button to open a channel.

"This is Selmak of the Tok'ra. Cut power to your engines and prepare to be boarded."

Sam winced slightly, then said, "Hiya, Dad. Fancy running into you here."

Kol glanced at her, mouthing the word 'dad?'

When he spoke again, Selmak was gone. Instead, they heard the more human tones of Jacob Carter. "Sam, stop this foolishness. You can't believe you'll actually survive the trip to Almierta, do you? Think, Samantha."

"I am thinking, Dad. Thinking how you refused to take me yourself but came here to arrest me at the drop of a hat. Nice to know."

"Sam, it's not like that."

"Isn't it?" She snapped angrily, punching the controls to disconnect the channel. "Can we outrun them?"

Kol raised his eyebrows. "I think so... pretty sure. You're pissing off a *lot* of people!"

"There's only one person I care about making happy and she's on Almierta."

Kol raised an eyebrow. "She?"

Sam closed her eyes, realizing she had made a mistake. She dropped the subject, refusing to answer his questioning glances as they accelererated away from the Tok'ra ship.

---

The second the tiny ship entered Almierta's solar system, Kol punched a short code on his control panel. All of the screens around them went red and the lights in the cockpit faded slightly. He saw Sam's confused look and said, "Full alert. Just so we don't get surprised by a snakehead knocking on our backdoor."

"How far to Almierta?"

"About ten minutes."

Sam's heart leapt into her throat. Ten more minutes until she was with Janet again... She picked up the duffel bag and held it in her lap. Finally, she glanced at Kol. "I guess this would be the perfect time to say thank you."

"For what?"

"Doing all of this. When I risked everything to break you out, it wasn't the same. Sure, I would've been arrested and put on trial and probably had my life ruined. But you... You actually could get killed."

"Thanks for reminding me," Kol grimaced.

An alarm began to blare, alerting them to the fact that a ha'tak was closing in on their location. Kol wiped his hand across his mouth, and cut the engines. He said, "This may be as far as we go... hold on to your hat, sister." He watched as the large blip moved from one side of the screen, nearly grazing their smaller blip, then continued on. Kol sighed, then said, "Looks like he had more pressing business elsewhere..."

"Is that good new or bad news?" Sam wondered, mostly to herself.

"Right now? Good. In the long run? Probably bad." He started the engines once more and they continued their journey toward Almierta.

Ten minutes later, Sam was greeted with the image of the green-blue planet filling their screen. She smiled brightly, leaning forward.

Kol glanced at her, then said, "Where is your friend at down there?"

"I assume they were at the convention center... that's where N'R'dea said the conference would take place."

"Can you find the center in orbit?"

She shook her head slightly. "I don't know. But if we can find the Stargate... the people of this world had a track set up to take the conventioneers to the center. We find the 'gate, we can follow the track to the center."

"Sounds like a plan," Kol said, unstrapping himself. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to enjoy it."

"What? Where will you be?"

"The second I ring you down to the planet, I'm gone. The deal was I would take you here, and I did."

She stood, moving to the back of the ship where the rings were located. "Tell me when you find the Stargate. You can just ring me down then."

Kol nodded and entered the atmosphere of the planet, flying low so the locater device could lock onto the Stargate. Sam slumped against the wall, the duffel bag of weapons and medical supplies slung over her shoulder. Looking down, she realized how odd she must look. She'd never been off-world in her street clothes; it was a little disconcerting to see her favorite red sweater underneath a flak jacket and her blue jeans tucked securely into combat boots.

Kol called out, "I have a lock on the 'gate, but it's buried."

"I understand," she said. "I'm going to save my team, then dig it out."

"Quite a plan," Kol muttered. "Okay, get in position."

She stood within the ring on the floor and was suddenly enveloped in light. The rings rose out of the floor, surrounding her. Seconds later, she was standing on an expanse of debris, mostly boulders and stones. Somewhere underneath this mess was the Stargate. She would deal with that later. She moved along the boulders carefully, knowing it would do her no good to break her leg now. As she reached the grass at the bottom of the debris field, she looked up in time to see Kol's ship turn slightly, then begin to rise away from the surface. "Thank you, Kol," she whispered.

Once the ship was out of sight, she looked back at the grass and saw the track that N'R'dea's ship had taken to the center. Pulling a HK10 out of her pack, she began to run the track, knowing that Janet was in danger at the other end.

---

The site of the convention center was almost enough to cause Sam to lose hope. She froze at the end of the track, taking in the destruction. The convention center where she and SG-1 had met N'R'dea was gone, and the supports that had held it high above the ground lay shattered. She dropped the duffel bag and dug out the medical kits she had stolen from the infirmary before leaving. Suddenly they looked very small for such a job. Keeping the HK10 by her side, she ran to the destroyed platform and dropped to her knees, peering down into the darkness. She closed her eyes, then called out, "Janet! Teal'c! Is anyone alive down there!"

Dead silence. She cringed at the thought of the phrase and it's conotations. She called again, "Is anyone down there?! Can anyone hear me!"

She was about to give up hope when she heard a quiet, "Major Carter?"

"Teal'c?!"

"Major Carter! It is I!"

She began to laugh in triumph, then realized she only had validation that one had survived. "Who else survived, Teal'c?"

The Jaffa was silent, probably surveying the damage. "I believe it would be best for you to come down, Major Carter. There is a staircase along the western side of the pit. You may use it to reach the bottom."

Sam stood slowly, not wanting to go down. She didn't want to see the death, didn't want to see Janet's blood. Slowly, she moved to the west side and looked down. She could just barely make out a platform about twenty feet down. She took a deep breath and dropped down to the small outcropping, feeling her knees try to give out on impact. She steadied herself, then turned to see a small door marked with a pictograph of a staircase. She pulled the door, only to find it locked. Grimacing, she opened fire on the knob and it swung open.

"Major Carter?"

"It's okay, Teal'c. Just... taking out some frustration on a doorknob." She stepped into the dark corridor, feeling out the steps. They were wide enough that she didn't have to move slowly, but thin enough that she didn't have to adjust her stride. She flipped on the light on the barrel of the HK10 and began jogging down the stairs. She knew if she tripped, she would be in as much trouble as Teal'c and Janet, but she didn't care.

It dawned on her that Teal'c hadn't confirmed or denied that Janet had survived. She didn't care. She knew that Janet was alive. If she wasn't, what had she thrown her life away for? She put aside thoughts of Janet's death and finally reached the bottom landing. Shining the gun's light on the wall, she saw several words written in N'R'dea's language. She assumed it meant something like 'end of the line.' She turned and kicked in the door.

Stepping into the bottom of the pit, she dropped to her knees as the stench of death hit her in the face. "Oh, God."

Dead bodies littered the floor of the shaft, some of them mangled beyond recognition. She spotted the green of an SGC jacket and almost gagged at the amount of blood covering it. Turning slowly, she took in the destruction.

50 yards ahead, laying motionless on a jagged outcropping of rock, lay Dr. Janet Fraiser. Her pale face was turned slightly so that Sam could see the ugly gash that stretched from one side of the petite doctor's forehead to the other. She could see the dried blood caking the doctor's face. Janet was completely motionless.

Sam began to cry uncontrollably as she stared at the seemingly lifeless form of her lover. 'It was all for nothing,' she thought, crying loudly. 'Janet's dead and I never even had a chance to say good-bye.'

"Major Carter."

She wiped her cheeks slightly, then stood. "Teal'c. They're... they're all dead?"

He looked at the bodies, then began to recount their injuries. "Lieutenant Colonel Brubaker was impaled by a section of the support beam which held up the convention center." She looked at the bloody SGC jacket she had seen. It was Brubaker, the back of his jacket protruding with the object that had ended his life.

"Dr. Amy Roth..." She closed her eyes, hoping for Charlotte's sake that the woman was still alive, "...did not survive the fall. She was killed on impact."

Sam turned away. Finally, she found her words and asked, "Janet?"

"Dr. Fraiser sustained heavy injuries and has been unconscious since I awoke from kel'no'reem. She has been showing minor life signs, but I do not know if she will survive the trip to the Stargate." He peered up at the gash in the ground, high above their heads. "Perhaps O'Neill or DanielJackson will assist in finding more survivors."

"They're not here, Teal'c."

He cocked his head slightly. "General Hammond sent you alone?"

"Hammond didn't send me." She pushed past him and knelt next to Janet, breaking open the first emergency pack. Teal'c questioned this, but didn't push her for an answer. Sam pulled a roll of gauze out and looked at Janet's pale face, her brunette hair matted with dried blood. "Hold on, baby... just a little longer." She brushed the hair out of Janet's face and went about dressing her wounds. "I didn't come this far to find your corpse."

Sam checked for a pulse, crawling closer to Janet's prone form. It was there, but extremely weak. She glanced over her shoulder and Teal'c. "I need you to go to the surface, follow the track to the Stargate and dig it out. I'll be there soon with Janet."

"The Stargate was buried?" he asked. "How did you come to be here?"

"Never mind that," she said, forcing herself to be professional in this situation. "Just go there and dig it out," she demanded.

He nodded, turning to the stairs. At the door, he stopped and turned. "Major Carter, there were times when Dr. Fraiser appeared to be speaking in her sleep. She wanted you to know that she loved you."

Sam almost broke, but found her voice to say, "She... said that?"

"I assume this relationship is not known by many. I will strive to keep it that way." He bowed slightly, then disappeared into the dark stairwell. Sam pulled out her medical kit and began dressing her lover's wounds. After she and Colonel O'Neill had been stranded in Antarctica with no medical attention, she had sought out the doctor's help in learning various first aid procedures. She could probably pinpoint that moment as the start of her closeness with the doctor. It seems they had come full circle; the skills Sam learned as they started their relationship might be the last thing she did for her love. She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she glanced at Janet's torn uniform, the scrapes, bruises and contusions that marred her otherwise perfect skin.

Carefully, she put her arm under Janet's legs and back, lifting the small woman ever-so-gently. As she cradled the brunette against her chest, she marveled at how light she felt. Sam decided this was a blessing, for dead weight was supposed to be unbearable. She adjusted her hold on Janet, then looked at the corpses and badly injured diplomats littering the ground around her. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll try to send help back for you all."

She turned and disappeared into the staircase that Teal'c had recently used. She passed the door she had used to enter the stairs, continuing until she found a second door that led more directly to the surface.

As she stepped into the sun, she saw two forms rushing towards her from the direction of the Stargate. "Teal'c?" she asked, wincing after just exiting the pitch black stairwell. "Who's that?"

He stopped running, glancing at his companion. "He says his name is 'Kol' and that he is a friend of yours."

"Carter, tell him I'm telling the truth."

"He is, Teal'c. He's the one who brought me. What about the Stargate?"

"I located it with the sensors on my ship and... well, let's just say I got it out." Kol said, motioning with his head in the direction they had come. He began walking back to the 'gate. Sam and Teal'c followed.

"How?"

Teal'c answered, "As I approached the area where the Stargate was buried, I saw a blaze of fire streaking from the heavens. It impacted the rocks, opening a deep fissure. This freed the Stargate, but not the DHD."

Kol held up his hand. "But we don't exactly need that doo-hickey."

"What did you use to hit the rocks?"

Kol glanced at the sky, then said, "My ship."

"What?! You stranded yourself here?"

"No." He refused to make eye contact with Carter or Teal'c. "I stranded myself with you. You're going to go home with me in custody."

She couldn't believe her ears. "That... wasn't the deal," she said. "You... were free."

"I know. But you can't go straight on the run. I should know, I tried. Maybe if I make this my first step to reform, I'll get to have that house on the beach before I die. We can tell everyone that I forced you to pretend it was a break-out, or maybe I had you under mind control. Whatever keeps you out of trouble."

"Why are you doing this, Kol? You were free... free and clear."

"Damn it, Carter. You don't let anyone do anything nice for you. I decided that I could live with stealing secrets, I could live with losing D'aun, I could even live with a price on my head. But I never expected to be shown up by a Tau'ri! I think maybe you're rubbing off on me, Carter. Now hurry up... I hate getting all sentimental."

Sam stepped in front of Kol, stopping him. "I hold a lot of weight with the Tok'ra. I'll tell them how selfless you were. Maybe they'll go easy on you."

Kol smiled slightly. "Yeah. Maybe they will. C'mon. We have a long way to go and no time to get there." He glanced at Janet's ashen complexion and moved on down the path. Teal'c stepped forward, offering to take Janet from her, but Sam refused. Teal'c nodded slightly and continued down the path. After a moment, Sam followed.

---

"Unauthorized off-world activation!" Sergeant Davis checked the computer, then gasped, "Sir! It's... it's Teal'c's signal!"

Hammond bit his lip. "Leave the iris open, but stand guard. He may have unwittingly been compromised."

The event horizon shimmered as Sam stepped through the gate, holding Janet like a broken toy. "We need a medical team! NOW!" A gurney quickly appeared on the ramp and Sam gently laid Janet atop the covers, watching as the orderlies rolled her away. Strong arms pulled her hands behind her and secured the wrists with plastic cuffs. She reluctantly allowed it.

Teal'c appeared next, followed by Kol. Teal'c called to the control room, "General! There are more survivors on Almierta! We should assemble a team and begin rescue operations immediately!"

Hammond disappeared from the control room, reappearing in the gate room as the Stargate disengaged. "What about a rescue operation? And what is *he* doing here?" He pointed angrily at Kol.

"He offered to help rescue Teal'c and Janet, sir," Sam explained. "I knew if I brought it to you or Colonel O'Neill, it would have to be discussed and debated and we didn't have time for that, Sir. The escape was my idea. I'm to blame for shooting those two guards."

Hammond's jaw was tightly clenched, looking from one person to the next. Finally he said, "Major, you are in a load of trouble... but the fact that the prisoner has been returned will weigh heavily on my final decision. Briefing will commence in thirty minutes."

He looked again at Kol. Sarcastically, he asked the smuggler, "I don't suppose you'd willingly return to holding?"

Kol smiled. "Lead the way. You guys have the nicest jail cots I've ever been on. And I say that as an experienced prisoner. Although," the guards paused. "If you need another pair of hands pulling people out of that wreckage, I'd be happy to pull a little, ah... what's the Tau'ri term? Community service?"

As Hammond followed Kol out of the gate room, discussing the 'service' the smuggler was offering, Sam spotted Jack and Daniel in the control room, watching her. She offered a weak smile, but only Daniel returned it.

The airman grabbed her bound arms, leading her off the ramp and towards the doors. Standing in the corner was Dr. Charlotte Parker, nervously watching the people move about the ramp. She locked eyes with Sam and immediately saw the sad news written across the blonde's face. Charlotte held back a sob, her gaze suddenly striving to be anywhere but on Sam. Finally, she turned and slipped out of the gate room.

---

TWO DAYS LATER.

Janet had been suffering from three broken ribs, a fractured collarbone and needed 38 stitches in the gash across her forehead. She hadn't been awake at all since returning from Almierta. Sam sat next to the doctor's bed, watching her as she slept. 'God,' Sam thought. 'this is what she goes through every time... every time I come back hurt, or don't come back on time. How the hell does she do it?'

Hammond had decided to be lenient with Sam, suspending her from duty for a week for breaking the chain of command. Then she would have to deal with two months probation that she didn't plan to break. She had everything she wanted laying in front of her on the bed. The break gave her more time to be with Janet. Maybe even dance for her, she mused.

Sam was about to leave to get a drink of water when she heard a weak, "Z...mm...?"

She looked warily at the doctor's still form and quietly asked, "Janet?"

"Sam..." There were tears in the brunette's voice as she weakly reached out, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Sam grabbed the extended hand, holding it to her chest like it was a holy talisman.

"Janet, oh, god, Janet.... You're back. I love you so much," she whispered.

Janet smiled weakly. "I couldn't... stay away. There's... this movie I really want to see..." Her brown eyes slowly opened, looking at Sam for a moment and then scanning the room.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed, still holding Janet's delicate hand. "There's no one here, baby... just you and me." She bent down and pressed her moist lips against Janet's chapped ones, wanting to move further, needed to move further, but knew Janet's condition would forbid it.

When they broke apart, Janet frowned. "Sam? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, honey."

"Why can't I open my eyes?"

Sam chuckled. "Honey, you're eyes are..." She couldn't finish the sentence. Her voice left her when she realized the strength of the question. Head trauma, she chided herself. You should've realized this was a possibility... Oh, no... no, this can't be happening.

"Sam?"

Sam was crying now, her face wet with tears. "They are," she whispered. "Your eyes are wide open, Janet. You just... can't... see...."

Janet blinked sightless eyes. "I'm blind," she whispered.

the end


Light & Dark

Geonn

Stargate SG1

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