After a few minutes, Sam left the prone form of her lover and crawled into the passenger seat up front. She stripped off her fatigue jacket, leaving only the black tee underneath. Leaning back in her chair, her hands came up and covered her face as she sighed deeply.
"You okay?" Jack asked, really itching to inquire where they were headed, but knew he had to give her time.
She nodded and let her arms drop. "Yeah, this is just harder than I thought it would be." She sighed deeply. "You know I opted not to see her body before it was buried?"
He shook his head. "No, I didn't. But that makes sense. We all saw the tape. No point in seeing her like that again."
Sam nodded mutely, her gaze elsewhere, and her mind probably a million miles away – or just in the back of their craft, Jack mused to himself. Finally she turned and her vision focused on the man controlling their ship. "Where are we?"
He shrugged. "Orbiting the planet until you start giving directions," he responded casually.
"Okay," she replied, "Then let's go back to the Stargate."
He nodded, and they began their descent.
She dialed, grateful they were still cloaked as they flew over the raging battle in the forested plains below. They emerged on the other side of the Stargate to miles and miles of desert. Jack sighed, his dislike for desert-like planets not a mystery to the rest of his team.
Sam smiled a little at his reaction. "Sorry, sir. It was the easiest place to get access to a sarcophagus."
He shook his head. "Just tell me what you want me to do, Carter," he replied, knowing time was an important factor in this plan.
"We need to go to August 17, 2001."
"That's pretty exact," Jack noticed, a ghost of a smile shadowing his face. But despite his teasing, he closed his eyes and did what he was told, the ship shimmering and reappearing on the day she requested.
"It has to be exact," she replied, shooting him an exasperated look. "I planned this down to the last minute."
He raised an eyebrow and smile a little to himself. "All right then, Colonel," he began with a hint of sarcasm lacing his tone, "If you've planned this so thoroughly, would you like it to be morning, afternoon or night?"
Surprising him, she nodded and responded quickly, "Night." He had only been joking, so he turned to look at her in surprise. "What?" she asked, her gaze meeting his. "It's important that SG1 be in the ziggurat at the time, but not out in front still. The past "us" cannot see us on this mission or we'll change the past more than we mean to."
He shook his head back and forth and held up a hand. "Only the necessary details, please. You're making my head spin."
This was rewarded with a full wattage grin, one he didn't see that often anymore. Maybe that's why they were on this mission – so that she would smile like that more often. Then he thought of something. "We've been here before?" he asked. "Where are we?"
"P2X-238."
Jack noticed something in the darkness. "Is that the ziggurat you're talking about?"
She nodded, and they set down nearby. Reaching into the pack she had brought, she pulled out two desert camouflage uniform and tossed one to her superior. "Just in case someone spots us," she explained as she went into the back of the craft to change clothing.
"Why does this planet's name sound so familiar to me?" Jack called into the back once he was finished changing his clothes.
She came into view, pulling on the tan jacket and shaking her head back and forth as she did. "We were here?" she suggested with a shrug once the jacket was situated correctly.
"Was this a Russian thing we did?"
"Yes," she replied, her face clouding with confusion. "Why should that matter?"
"I hate the damn Russians," he replied with a dark expression. "Come on, let's do this quickly."
She nodded and handed him the P90 she had used in the forest to shoot her lover's killer. Then she turned and picked up the still form of the woman they still intended to save. Sam nodded at Jack, and he opened the door, leading them out.
They managed to make it to the sarcophagus without being seen, Daniel and the Russian he was partnered with too distracted by the ancient writing and the disturbing circumstances to notice them. Sam figured it would only be a matter of time, though, before they were spotted, so she quickly placed Janet's body into the device and hit the button to close it. Then she immediately ducked behind the object to so as not to be seen. Jack had stayed by the entrance to the room to keep a lookout.
At the sound of the sarcophagus closing, both Daniel and the Russian whirled toward the loud noise. Anticipating this, Jack shot his P90 down an adjacent hallway before ducking behind a pillar and watching the two inhabitants of the room running toward the gunshots, Daniel on his radio immediately.
After they left, the General O'Neill stepped out from behind the pillar and the Colonel Carter reemerged from her hiding spot; both looked rather relieved at the effectiveness of their plan. There had been a little doubt in their minds as to whether the archeologist would have really taken the bait, but he had seemed just as worried as the Russian at the sound of the gun going off.
The next part of their plan wouldn't be as easy, Sam had told her superior. It would involve removing a disoriented Janet from the sarcophagus and getting her back to the puddle jumper without being seen or heard. When they heard the sound of the device opening again, they both jumped toward it quickly.
The woman inside blinked a few times before her vision settled on a certain face gazing intently down at her. "Sam?" Janet croaked, sitting up slowly, one hand holding her head as if she were nursing a headache. "What happened? Where are we?"
Sam helped the woman she loved step out of the sarcophagus and pulled her into a tight hug. Jack looked on, nervously bouncing from one foot to the next, glancing around anxiously. "Ah, Carter . . ." he interrupted, pointing at his watch when she opened her eyes and looked at him in response.
She nodded and pulled away from Janet, her hand grabbing the shorter woman's and pulling toward the exit. "I'll explain on the way. Right now we need to get out of here."
Without any further questions, Janet followed her love and their friend, quite used to the abnormal after seven years of working at the SGC. They made it safely back to the puddle jumper, Janet's eyes wide as she took in the unknown technology. Sam giggled when Janet jumped at the sound of the door closing without anyone pressing a button.
Jack grinned and settled into his seat, basking in the success of yet another mission, even if it was a highly covert one that could cost him his career. He cracked his knuckles and turned back to the women, who were currently in each other's arms, Sam's lips having found Janet's almost immediately after they boarded the small craft. He shook his head and turned back to the controls. "Ladies, you might want to sit down. It could be a very bumpy ride," he teased and shook the jumper slightly to prove his point.
Sam shot him a dirty look, but he knew nothing he did now could possibly upset her. This thought made him smile as he took off and headed in the direction of the Stargate. They would discuss their next move later, but until then, he was perfectly content to drive and let Sam have her happy reunion.