Summary: Sometimes Sam Carter and Jack O'Neill just need a little push
Author's Notes: A cliche fic written for Day of Indulgence 2009 at LiveJournal. I figured a forced marriage and chained to a bed would possibly be considered a cliche... :D Thanks go out to Diane for her excellent beta skills and finding all the flaws.
The Ties That Bind
Chapter 1
"They want me to do what?"
General Jack O'Neill sat at his desk in Stargate Command, feeling as if his whole world was about to fall out from under him. Surely he hadn't heard right. Daniel Jackson stood on the other side of the desk with an expression that said he'd rather be anywhere but in that spot, while Teal'c stood patiently next to his teammate, stoically refusing to be brought into the whole thing.
"I'm not sure how it happened," Daniel said. "We met with the leaders of that village on P4C-929, and were making progress toward a possible treaty, but we had to do it without Sam. She had been pulled away from us the minute we got there, and taken to a home nearby."
"They believe it is a crime for a single woman to travel alone with two men who are not related to her," Teal'c butt in calmly, obviously deciding to get involved after all. "Daniel Jackson tried to reason with them, but to no avail."
"Which is par for the course," Daniel muttered, still mad about his failure to convince those other natives on his last mission. Jack would have grinned at his friend's discomfort if he weren't so upset about the news they had just given him. He was having a hard time wrapping his thoughts around what they wanted him to do.
Daniel, on the other hand, decided to finish the story. "Several of the women dragged Sam off to a house in the village," he said. "And after awhile one of them came out and told us that the only way she could save Sam from certain death was if we bring you to her."
"Me," Jack said, his mind frantically working on a way out of this. "You're sure they want me?" Daniel shrugged as he nodded, but Jack was still at a loss. There was no way he would be coerced into this. "They don't even know me. Why would they ask for me?"
"Apparently, Sam told them about you," Daniel said, his expression now worried. "Look, I'm not entirely sure what went down, but they said they would stone Sam to death if you don't come back and marry her. It's the only way."
"And you guys agreed?" Anger at the indignity of it all made Jack want to smash something. As much as he cared about Colonel Samantha Carter, he would not be forced into it by anybody. He changed his tone to a sarcastic one, hoping to make them understand the stupidity of this whole mess. "And you just said, okay. We'll bring him right to you."
"We did not, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "I attempted to reason with them, as did Daniel Jackson. Nothing we said made a difference. They were determined to do the right thing for Colonel Carter."
"Well, I have a solution for you," Jack said, seriously considering grabbing Carter and nuking the place, just for the hell of it. "You go back to that planet without me, and when they start throwing stones, shoot every last person holding a rock. Take SG-3 with you." He glared at his friends, knowing he wouldn't let them risk Carter's life, no matter how much he wanted to destroy that place. He just wanted to stall until he could think of something better.
"Come on Jack," Daniel said, his tone now wheedling. "How bad can it be? You might even be able to convince them that marriage is out of the question. And besides, it wouldn't be legal here on Earth anyway. You say the right words and we go home." He smiled encouragingly, then said, "Come on. This is Sam we're talking about."
Jack nodded, well aware of the situation at hand. He just didn't want to consider the consequences if he went through the Stargate to marry one of his subordinates. A federal penitentiary was not on his list of places to live in before he died. But all sarcastic exaggeration aside, he couldn't risk Carter's death. His thoughts went back to all the times he had thought he lost her, a peculiar feeling settling in his gut as he remembered the pain he experienced whenever that happened. He cared for her deeply, a feeling he rarely admitted to, if at all.
"Jack?"
He nodded at Daniel, his thoughts still swirling in his mind. An idea came to him, and he couldn't hide the anguish he felt, as he asked, "What if we can't convince them that they're wrong?"
"Then we blast our way out of there," Daniel said with conviction. Jack looked at Daniel with surprise, not quite sure if he believed that he had heard right. Avoiding the deaths of others just happened to be a high point on Daniel's list. But apparently Daniel hadn't moved over to the dark side yet. His next words eased Jack's mind a little. "Let's try the non-violent way this time, shall we?"
"Yeah," Jack said. He wasn't so sure that this was the right way, but it would be better to try to talk to the natives than to start shooting. "Let me make some phone calls, and then we'll leave." Daniel smiled in relief, while Jack figured he could at least try. "You guys have any idea on what I should say to get the go-ahead from the President? I don't think using the excuse that I'm being forced to marry Carter will go over very well."
"Just tell him they will only talk to our leader," Daniel suggested with a grin.
That guy was enjoying this way too much, Jack decided, as he turned to pick up the phone. Although, now that he thought about it, Daniel's suggestion did sound like a good one…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Samantha Carter was in deep trouble. She sat on a bed in a sparsely furnished room wishing she had never heard of P4C-929, or the native version of her downfall. She glared sullenly at Tairen, the old woman who occupied the only chair in the room, debating whether or not she should just take a chance and knock that witch out, then make her escape. The woman looked up at Sam at that moment and shook her head with an expression that told her she would be crazy to even try it.
"Your man will come soon," Tairen said. "Only then will you be allowed to leave."
"I told you before, he is not my man." Why even bother, Sam wondered. That woman was too stubborn to listen to reason, and God knows Sam tried. Still, she knew the consequences she would face if that old witch got her way, not to mention having to face an angry General O'Neill. That thought had Sam retreating into defense mode, desperately trying to block out the feelings she had for the man. The embarrassment alone will probably kill her.
Tairen had gone back to her sewing, which was fine with Sam. She didn't want to talk to her anyway. She took another look around the room to see if she maybe had missed a possible escape route, all the while ruminating on how she landed in this mess in the first place.
SG-1 had come to this planet with a firm mission in mind. Negotiate with the native inhabitants to secure a steady stream of trinium for Earth's defenses. It was a cut and dried mission, spoiled only by the natives' outdated belief that women were thought of as chattel. Sam grimaced as she stared at the empty wall opposite her bed. The men in the village had immediately taken offense that she was roaming about freely. The fact that she was single and traveling with two single men nearly resulted in them lynching her right then and there. The women in the village came to her rescue, dragging her off to encase her in their protection, or at least that's what it seemed like. Once she was safely settled in, Tairen came and questioned Sam to find a way to save her. She was asked if there was a man in her life, one that she loved above all else. Despite her best efforts to hide the truth from herself, as well as Tairen, an image of Jack O'Neill sprang up in her mind. She immediately quelled that thought, and told Tairen that she was engaged to Pete Shanahan. He was the man she loved, she had said, and she planned to marry him when she got home. But apparently the damage was done. Tairen wouldn't listen to her declarations of love for Pete, and insisted that the only way her people would work with the SGC was if Sam proved her worth and married her true love.
She didn't know how Tairen found out about Jack, as Sam hadn't spoken her initial thoughts out loud, but at this point it didn't matter. That old witch had gone to the elders, telling them about Jack O'Neill, and now Daniel and Teal'c were back at the SGC talking the General into coming to marry Sam. She groaned then, hoping with all her might that the General was in Washington, or off fishing, anything to keep him from finding out her secret.
Embarrassment flowed through her as she thought about his reaction. God, he was going to be pissed. And worse, her career was about to be ended on the whims of a tyrannical society from the dark ages. She glared again at the woman who sat quietly on the other side of the room. Being forced to marry her boss just didn't fit in Sam's schedule of things to do to stay alive.
The old woman in question glanced up at her again, smiling slightly to let Sam know that everything would be all right. Yeah right, Sam thought darkly. She turned to look around again, hoping that this time she'll find a viable escape route. Nothing had changed, nor miraculously appeared to help her out. The room she was in was large, with a fireplace situated in the middle of the wall at the other end of the room, right across from the bed she was sitting on. The bed itself was huge. More than enough room for two people, she thought, as a shiver of fear ran down her spine. She resolutely changed her train of thought and went back to assessing her surroundings, looking for anything she may have missed the first, second or third time around. There were no windows, just four walls and a door. The old woman sat at the table in front of the fireplace, which put a damper on Sam's ideas of grabbing a poker or a knife, anything that she could use as a weapon. She even thought of overpowering the woman, but knew that even if she did get her hands on a weapon, she would still have to fight her way past the guards outside. She was stuck and she knew it.
A commotion outside brought Sam's attention back to her problem. Shouts and greetings rang out through the air as people welcomed newcomers to the village. Sam recognized the words, remembering that she and her team were greeted the same way just the day before. An awful feeling built up in her stomach as she worried that Daniel and Teal'c had been successful in convincing the General to come along with them after all. She clasped her fingers together, desperately trying to calm her fears, as she nibbled on her lower lip.
Maybe the General didn't come. Maybe he had drawn the line and told them where to shove it. Somehow Sam didn't really believe that, but for one brief moment, she allowed herself the luxury of thinking her secret was still safe in her heart. Hidden away from everyone, including a meddlesome old biddy who was packing up to head out the door. Sam fervently hoped she was leaving for good.
The noise outside her hut had quieted down. Tairen walked to the door, but turned to Sam as she reached for the handle. "Your man has come," she said, as she smiled smugly. "You will live to see another day." Sam seriously doubted it as she thought about what a very irate Jack O'Neill would do to her when he got the chance, but Tairen's smile grew broader as she turned the knob and opened the door. "You will be wed by nightfall."
Sam didn't acknowledge the statement. She was terrified now. If for nothing else, than the knowledge that she was about to face the General's anger. Tairen walked out and closed the door, locking it after her. It was like the locking of a cell door and only one thing passed through Sam's mind.
She was in so much trouble.