Title: Fish, Swords, and Love

Spoilers: This takes place around Feb. 2009 in the Stargate SG-1 Universe. Sam is the Commander of the Hammond. And it takes place before the episodes titled "Friend In Need – Part 1" and "Friend In Need – Part 2" in the Xena Universe. Let's call it a Heroes and FIN fix all in one (I hope).

Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters, am just taking them out for a spin.

Colonel Carter hunched over the work table in her basement. She worked slowly, deliberately, barely ever blinking and never looking away. The only sound that of her chair squeaking now and then. She could fix a Stargate with twine and a pig's bladder, but could not get her work chair to stop squeaking. There was a knock on the door that separated her workshop part of the basement from the rest of it. "It's open."

A tall brunette woman poked her head in a second later her body followed. "Sam?"

"Just... one sec Cass."

Cassandra Fraiser put her overnight bag down on a pile of boxes. "Are you okay?"

Sam put down her tools and straightened up. Her back crackled like popcorn. "I'm 39. No one really loves me, except for you, I missed out on my own kids, haven't even had a date for years and years it seems like. Not that I could if I wanted to. I sold my soul to the Air Force for some... some reason I just can't dredge up anymore."

Cassie draped her arms over Sam's shoulders and rested her head on top of the blonde's. "You've saved the world more times than anyone can keep track of. You could probably sell all your medals for scrap and retire. You created a Naquadah generator that..."

"...that's been used as a bomb more often than an energy source.

Cassie wasn't really listening, "You've trained some of the best SGC team members, and... so much more."

"But, is it worth it?"

Cassie took a step back and held her hands to her sides, "Was I worth it?"

Sam turned in her chair and met Cassie's eyes, "Definitely."

"You saved the world from a big ole asteroid too."

"Cass, stop. That was just lucky."

Cassie grabbed Sam by the arm and yanked her up, "C'mon. I'm taking you to dinner. A couple of steaks, a rare still beating one for you, a... better cooked one for me. Some mashed red potatoes and maybe some alcohol."

Sam was silent, "I get what you're trying to do. I just can't."

Cassie put an arm around Sam's shoulders, "Please Sam. You're my only real connection to Janet. Please."

Sam took another moment before she nodded, "Let me just finish this and I'll be right up."

"You'd better be."

"Hey Jane. How're you doing?"

A short brunette gave the tall black haired woman behind the chest high circulation desk a smile. The short woman shed her coat and joined the tall woman at the desk. "I'm fine Mel. Has the great and mighty Chance Public Library been busy this morning?"

Mel crossed her arms over her chest and regarded the shorter woman. Mel and the woman she'd always known as Jane were as different as could be. Mel was tall with a solidly muscular runner's build, she had short dark black hair cut in a way that made it look as though she'd just stuck her hand in a live electrical socket. While Jane was short with more of an hourglass figure, with light brown hair that fell to her shoulders.

One thing that they did have in common were their green eye color. Mel's seemed to dance with fire and mischief, while Jane's seemed to have a buried pain in them.

Mel's were twinkling as she spoke, "Not busy, not yet, but you know what's about to get out."

Jane closed her eyes with a wince, "Story time. Two and three year olds."

Mel smirked, "Yep. So... any new memories popping up?"

Jane shook her head, "Nope, so, you can report that back to your nosy neurologist neighbor."

Mel laughed, "I think I'll tell 'er that exactly. Have you found out anything? Missing person reports? Anything?"

Jane sighed and typed her library card number into the computer. "No, nothing." She had four books out and a DVD. The books were all about the psychology of memory. She was going through every one that the library's Network owned. The DVD was something that had caught her eye one day when she'd been re-shelving stuff. It was called "Chariots of the Gods", based on a book of the same name. The author, Erich von Daniken had the theory that perhaps the gods of many cultures had actually been aliens. For some reason, the theory made perfect sense to her, and she'd spent many fruitless hours trying to figure out why.

Jane cleared the screen. The name Jane Smith disappeared. Mel waited for Jane to elaborate on her what she was doing to find out who the hell she was. Finally Jane looked up and spoke, "I've started looking at major newspapers. See if there's a story somewhere about... me? Or something."

She shook her head as the first two year old came stomping down the stairs, followed by his mother. She called behind her into the Circulation office, "Georgina...," for the Circulation Head, she and Mel's boss. Jane found that funny too, but couldn't figure out why. Something else she didn't understand about herself.

The boy climbed the stool and gave Jane a smile while he slapped his books on the counter. Jane swallowed a wince at the loud noise and smile back. "Hello Chuckie. Do you have your card kiddo?"

"Dr. Zoor, we need to go."

Doctor Peter Zoor waved his hand, "This is the earliest Goa'uld settlement we've found. I think."

Lieutenant Maria Sandoval laughed, "Doctor, the Goa'uld are toast. We don't need info on them anymore. Hell, there's really no one left out there. We're safe."

Peter groaned, "I'm talking about learning about our own past." He pointed at a symbol, "This is Ra. Ra... the central figure in the Ancient Egyptians religion. Possibly in other religions too."

Captain Jennifer Hailey spoke up, "Not to mention, every time we solve on problem race, a new and more powerful Goa'uld, more of the Replicators, or new Ori like people, Ancients, someone totally new pops up. That said Doctor..." She glanced over at her commanding officer, Major Reggie Carlson. "Major Carlson's correct, something's coming."

Peter rolled his eyes, "And you claim to be a scient..." He didn't get to finish his sentence as he was thrown forward into Maria. She scrambled out from under him and for half a second just stood there. Peter no longer had a back of his skull, or an occipital lobe. "Shit."

The three Air Force Officers moved as one, sprinting towards the Stargate. They were twenty feet from the gate when Jen heard two staff blasts hit Maria and heart the Lieutenant fall. Jen and Major Carlson were barely steps away from the DHD when she saw his head explode from his shoulders.

She whirled, her P90 in one hand, her Zat in the other. With a primal scream she barely was conscious of making she sprayed the area with bullets and Zat blasts.

Somehow she bought herself seconds and turned her back on her impending death. Dialing the gate, she started for it before it even had a chance to whoosh. She rolled and punched in her GDO code. She imagined that the whoosh took some hair for its trouble. She sprung to her left, dashed up the few stairs to the puddle and dove.

Captain Jennifer Hailey almost made it home in one piece. She was mere centimeters from the event horizon when she felt the horrible heat of a staff blast on her back.