Chapter three

Daniel and Sam spent all of the next day working to try and figure out how to control the time travel device, but by the end of the day the cube had not given up its mysteries. It was clear to Jack that he and SG-1 were stuck in Earth's past with no way to get home. And the only good thing, to his way of thinking, was that at least he was not back at the SGC wondering what had happened to Sam. Oh he would have worried about Daniel and Teal'c too, but Sam was his most important concern.

Since leaving SG-1 to become base commander, he found that he worried about her way more than was appropriate or good for either of them. But he just couldn't help himself. Each time she led SG-1 on a mission he was a basket case until she got back home. Jack finally came to the conclusion that he loved Samantha Carter more than he'd ever loved anyone, and he never wanted to be without her in his life. His first choice had been to remain on SG-1 or command any off-world team, but the boys upstairs wouldn't hear of it. So just to remain near her, he had accepted the desk job rather than retire. But right now none of that mattered, because as ranking officer on this mission he was still faced with telling the woman he loved something that he dreaded; somehow they had to fit into the society that existed outside of the ruins, or they would die.

It had grown dark outside by the time Jack called the little group together. Three of them sat on the floor, Daniel and Sam leaning on the hard stone wall to ease their sore backs. Hours of standing inside the cube trying to decipher the writing had taken its toll on their brains as well, and both had a head ache. Teal'c stood to one side, his posture indicating that he was not really at rest, but actually standing guard over his friends.

"Once we get out there, Daniel will have to do most of the talking, since he's the only one of us who speaks the language. The rest of us will have to learn enough to get along. We can claim to be from someplace far away, which really isn't such a stretch," he said, chuckling a bit.

But Jack's eyes and mouth were not smiling, and Sam could sense how much it hurt him to admit that he couldn't lead them back to the SGC. She felt responsible, even though she knew this whole mess was not entirely her fault. Daniel had been the first to step inside the cube, but she had followed and now here they were, stuck in ancient Rome with no way home.

"I've decided that two of us will go out and find clothing for everyone. We need to blend in and try not to draw attention to ourselves." While he spoke, Jack removed his jacket with his name and the SGC insignia on it, leaving him in his black t-shirt and green trousers. He also removed his sidearm and placed it with his P-90 on top of his pack.

"Yeah, I'll go," Daniel agreed. "I got us into this mess."

"I should go with Daniel," Sam offered.

"No, you'll stay here with Teal'c," Jack said, glancing at Sam. Grateful that she didn't argue with him, he stood up. "Leave your weapons and your pack here, Daniel. We don't want anything else to arouse suspicion. We already look different enough as it is," he explained. "Oh, and bring your water bottle." Daniel did as Jack ordered and then stood ready at Jack's side.

"You two stay inside. Give us till the sun sets tomorrow. If we're not back by then, get the hell out of here and try to blend in." Jack stepped up to Sam and looked down at her. "Take care of yourself," he said quietly as he took hold of Sam's hand. Then he lifted it and turned it over, placing a chaste kiss on her palm. He saw the tears in her eyes, but he couldn't let them sway him from doing what he knew he had to do.

"I will. But you have to come back, Sir," she pleaded softly. And then she said the words he never thought he'd hear her say. "I love you."

"I love you too. I always have," he admitted. Then he let go of her hand and turned to Daniel, who was staring at the floor.

"Come on, space monkey, let's go see if we can find some clothes and food." Sam and Teal'c stood down below, watching as the two men crawled up the pile of rocks and rubble and out through the opening into the black night.

After they were gone, she found Teal'c staring at her in the firelight. "Do not worry; they will return, Colonel Carter," Teal'c assured her.

"I really hope so, Teal'c. In the meantime I think you should get used to calling me Samantha," she suggested.

Teal'c simply bowed his head.

So as not to draw suspicion they had left their back packs with Sam and Teal'c, and the only weapon Jack had was a knife strapped to his leg. Daniel had a mental map of the city and where their hideaway was located, so they could find their way back. Quietly they made their way along the crest of the hill, Jack following behind Daniel to where they hoped they would find residences from which they could steal some food and clothing.

When they heard dogs barking they changed directions slightly, but Daniel continued to watch the stars so that they would not get lost. Finally, after about thirty minutes, they came to a walled villa. There was no sound coming from inside, so they scaled the wall and dropped down into the garden. Moonlight shone upon the paved paths and patios, benches placed here and there. This was obviously the home of some rich nobleman, and Jack hoped that he didn't have any servants who were light sleepers.

Gesturing for Daniel to move to the left, they made their way to the side of the big house where the smell of garbage was almost overwhelming. They could also smell animals and hear them rooting around. A large pen stood to one side of the back doorway, its occupants snorting in their asleep. Chickens that Jack hadn't noticed before came out from under nearby bushes, almost tripping the two men. Treading very carefully, they entered the house, pleased to find that they were inside the kitchen. Jack thought it was ingenious to have the pigs right outside the back door, like a built-in garbage disposal. But he decided that if this were his house, he'd consider buying his pork from someone else, rather than have these stinky animals in his yard.

They quickly gathered up two big loaves of bread, a slab of smoked meat, a crock of olives and a hunk of cheese wrapped in cloth and put them into a straw carry-all. In the back corner of the room Daniel found a pile of clothing. And although he knew it might be the laundry that hadn't been washed yet, he grabbed the clothing and stuffed it down into another straw bag.

Then they went back outside and spent several minutes picking peaches from one of the fruit trees in the yard. A bottle of wine was the last thing Jack took, while Daniel filled his bottle with water from the well. Almost over-burdened with all they had found, they took a lot longer climbing back over the eight-foot-high wall, but soon they were on their way back to their hideaway in the ruins.

TBC