Summary: As the story progresses through the years, Lantash and Martouf narrowly escape death at the Tok'Ra-Tau'ri SGC Summit, and face massive changes in their lives. While Lantash heals, Martouf struggles in his new life, learning more about the Tau'ri as time passes and striving to develop relationships where he would not have thought to look. A mission gone wrong means that Sam is no longer only "Sam", and as she learns to adapt, she opens her life, her heart, - and her body - to new bonds with Malek and Daniel. As they travel a path not usually taken by the Tok'Ra or the Tau'ri, they find love and joy at the path's end. What was once before will be once more, but in a different way, as Sam and Martouf/Lantash realize that their hearts and destinies are entwined. -

Tentative pairings: Sam/Malek - Martouf/Other - Sam/Daniel - Malek/Other... minor pairings: Daniel/Anise or Other possible. Jacob/other, -

Ultimate story pairings: - Sam/Martouf/Lantash. Malek/Other. Daniel/Other. Some of the minor pairings will not be followed closely.

Story Rating: The original story will be NC-17; However, will be edited for content to allow posting here...if enough people want it continued.

"Italics" – Symbiote – Host communication and /or thoughts


A Path Not Taken

Chapter Three

Friends


Martouf waited patiently, still slowly caressing her back in a soothing motion, while occasionally running his hand over the silky softness of her hair.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, she froze in his arms for a moment. Martouf knew the exact moment she understood the meaning of his words. She pulled back from him wiping her cheeks with her hands. Seeing a box of tissues on the table next to the bed she leaned over and grabbed one, quickly wiping her eyes, face, and nose.

Looking at him closely, and then glancing down at the rather large duffle bag on the bed, her eyes widened. "What do you mean, these coming months? Why have you brought such a large overnight bag for a day or so? Martouf? What's going on? How long am I going to be "responsible", for seeing that you are "taken care of" and what exactly does that mean?"

"I mean that I am not returning to the Tok'Ra with Jacob, when he returns in the morning, Samantha. I will be remaining here, and becoming a member of SG-1, for an indefinite period of time."

"Lantash is still not well and, until he is, I obviously cannot take a mission where I must play the part of a System Lord, nor can I take a chance on being seen by someone that would give me away, if I am trying to pass as a slave. So, it is impossible for me to work with the Tok'Ra, for the time being, except in a lab, or in some other administrative area."

He stopped and frowned, looking down, before looking up and smiling slightly, "I prefer to be in the field. So, it was decided that it would be a perfect time for a Tok'Ra to become more familiar with the Tau'ri and, if there was a Tau'ri that wished to go to the Tok'Ra, then they could return with Jacob." He shrugged, looked at her, and smiled his sweetest smile, saying, "Whether they do, or not, I am here for an indefinite time."

"I must assume that General Hammond's words were meant to be until I am settled in and have learned my way around the base."

"He also mentioned munitions and training, so I believe you are to take me and allow me to learn every thing I do not already know about Tau'ri weaponry. I have no idea what that would be, as we have had instruction and practice of those things so that we can use them if we are ever in a situation where we might need to do so."

"Which has actually happened on a few occasions. Jacob and I both keep a side arm and there have been times we used them. In fact, it is in my trunk, which should appear as soon as Jacob goes to retrieve it."

""Therefore, I believe he wants you to make sure I am competent with the use of everything, in case I have forgotten how any of them work. I would like to go over the launcher again, as I have never had to use one, and that is one that could be useful."

"I also believe he said something about a pass, and uniforms. I have no earth clothing at all, but then I also have nothing with which to purchase any. I will have to remind Jacob. He said it would be taken care of, but I do not know how."

"However, returning to the initial discussion, I believe General Hammond's simply meant for you to show me around, where to find things, help me get clothing and my pass, the weapons, and generally just learn where places like the labs or the weapons lockers are, so that I will know in case of emergency."

"I am already familiar with the eating facilities and the infirmary. I suppose I also need to become acquainted with your datapad type of memory devices, ah, computers? Is that correct? General Hammond also said I should not leave the base without a member of SG-1, Jacob, himself, or Dr. Fraiser."

"I am quite sure that he only meant until I learn my way around, am comfortable, and am no longer in danger of getting lost. I am also sure he did not mean that you are responsible when we are off world. There, I will need no one to care for me, Samantha. I do have well over a hundred years of experience in alien environments, so please do not worry about me in those situations. All right?"

"I think you are probably right, Martouf, but I'll check with the General just to be sure. And yes, I agree that when we are off-world, you certainly do not need me taking care of you."

"Samantha, I hope having me here will not make you uncomfortable. I did not think of that at the time, or I might not have decided to come."

"Uncomfortable? Oh, no. No, it won't make me uncomfortable at all. I'm just, um, just surprised that's all."

"Are you sure, Samantha? You sound anything except comfortable with this arrangement. I am serious. If it will make you that uneasy, I will return to the Tok'Ra, or ask to be put on a different team."

Sam looked at him in alarm, "No. No, not at all. I'm not uncomfortable with the idea. In fact, I'm delighted, it's just that it's a surprise. And, I don't mean that in a bad way, Martouf. It's a good surprise, not a bad one. I believe that I'm going to enjoy having you here and getting to know you."

She smiled as much as the daze she was in would allow her too before finding another question forming, "Has the Colonel agreed to you being on SG-1? I didn't know he'd been asked about another team member being added."

"Actually, I do not believe that Colonel O'Neill has been informed. General Hammond is calling a briefing in the morning to announce my, er, addition to SG-1, is I believe, how he phrased it."

"I'll bet," Sam muttered.

"I am sorry, Samantha, I did not hear what you said. I was not aware of how much Lantash increased my hearing. I feel very handicapped without it." Martouf frowned as he contemplated his lessened abilities. He was definitely not enjoying his enforced time as a normal human being again. He liked being Tok'Ra and he missed Lantash. Even, he knew, if he gave him nothing, he would want him back, for the company alone. For the caring and the love that he gave to him.

"Oh, it was nothing, really, I was just talking to myself, kind of thinking about all the things we should get done. We have a mission coming up tomorrow." Suddenly, Sam felt herself becoming tense again, but she was not sure why. There was no logical reason for it, but it was building.

"Come to think of it, I do have another question. What did my dad have to go back to the Tok'Ra base for?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she shook her head and, before he could answer, she answered herself, "Never mind, he had to go for your things, the rest of your things. I mean, it makes sense because you wouldn't bring all of your belongings, until you knew if our government would agree to the exchange or not."

"But, General Hammond did, so of course, now dad can go back and get your stuff, so that you'll have your things here and won't feel as if you've left everything behind."

"Speaking of which, is there anything we can get for you to make you feel more at home here? This is one of the nicer rooms. I mean it does have the kitchenette, so you have a refrigerator, sink, and microwave. It isn't much, but hey, the fridge keeps drinks and leftovers cold and the microwave and sink are really handy to have. So are the few dishes, but we can get you more if you need them."

"Teal'c's room is a lot like this one, too. He started out in a regular room but then they finally moved him into a room that was more like a studio apartment…like, well, like this one is. After a while, we realized that some off world dignitaries brought their wives or husbands, er, mates, with them so the VIP rooms were upgraded to be more pleasant. With the added kitchen facilities, they can even fix special foods if there is something like that they need."

"Like I said, not all of the VIP rooms have all of this stuff. Not very many of us get to use these. Daniel and Dad both have one, and Teal'c, as I said. Me, too, since I sometimes have to stay because of my work. Daniel has one for the same reason, well, and he lived on base on and off for a while. There are more on the next floor and they are used more often for visitors. Some of them aren't quite this nice, so they get used whenever the extra facilities aren't needed."

"So, if you have anything that you want to fix the place up with you can. I mean, we can drill some holes in the walls for you to hang things if you need for us to, to make it more like home."

"Thank you for being concerned, Samantha, but I will be fine with these accommodations, I assure you, without needing anything more. We keep only a few possessions. Moving as quickly as we sometimes must do, it is not practical to have many items to collect."

"As for the other possessions I am bringing, I packed all of our belongings before Jacob and I left. We expected to be coming by cargo ship, so we would not have had the luxury of returning through the Chaappa'ai for our things. As it turned out, we did not have to come by ship, so they can be retrieved by using the Chaappa'ai."

He watched her as she began to pace in a small area of the room, before finally picking up his duffle bag and moving it to the other side of the platform. "Why do you not come and sit on the edge of the sleeping platform, Samantha? It would be much more comfortable than pacing the room."

"I'm afraid the walls are grey not blue crystal, but maybe you can get used to that. Our beds, er, sleeping platforms, are different. But, you are still underground, so that should be the same. You aren't used to having windows open at night, so that won't bother you either."

"Oh, and the bathroom, ah, I believe you call it the facilities, is through this door. It has a shower and tub as well, so you'll have everything you'll need. If you need more of anything, all you have to do is pick up the phone, and dial the number right here under this, and tell them what you need. There's no pool, I'm afraid, but there is a hot tub in an area attached to the gym. Oh, and the other door over there by the dresser is a closet, which is handy."

"I'm sure that you'll go home with one of us soon so that you can spend time off base and start becoming used to being on Earth and learning our customs. I'll, um," Sam stopped and dragged in a deep breath. "I'll just shut up now. Really. I'm just so surprised. But, I'm glad, too. I'm really, really glad."

Sam looked surprised for a minute, before she smiled a much brighter smile than she had been giving him, and then said, softly, "I really am glad, and I look forward to working with you. I'm sorry that Lantash isn't here as well." She felt her tension begin to ease. She needed to talk to him. She needed this chance to tell him how very glad she was that they were both alive.

Martouf nodded, and then decided that honesty with Samantha was the only way he wished to deal with her. He considered what he should and should not tell her but he deiced that there was nothing in his reasons that he could not relate to her. He wanted her to know more about why he had come.

"Samantha, there is more to my being here than we told your General Hammond. I wish to tell you the reasons, if you would like to hear them."

"Martouf, I don't know. If you're here to spy for the Tok'Ra, or something underhanded, and you tell me, I'll have to go to the General with it."

Martouf looked at her blankly, for a long moment, before her comment registered completely. Then his face lit up in a bright smile, and he chuckled, saying, "No, it is nothing nefarious at all. It is simply more personal than I, and I believe your father, thought was appropriate, to discuss with your General Hammond, at least with me in the room."

"If there is some personal problem that you would prefer not to discuss, you don't have to tell me, Martouf, really. I mean, I can take the official reason and live with it. I do understand about privacy and classified, both."

He shook his head. "That is unnecessary. I have no reason to keep the information from you, but I will confess that I would rather your Colonel O'Neill did not know of it."

"I can promise that if it is something I can keep from the General with a free conscience, then Colonel O'Neill will fall into that same group."

He smiled wryly and nodded, before saying quietly, "In that case, I will tell you the first of the two other reasons I wished to come here and join SG-1."

"The truth is that Lantash is not recovering as quickly as the healers would like. We believe that one of the reasons he is not, is me." Martouf stood and walked a few paces toward the door before turning and coming back to sit down on the bed beside her again. It was obvious that he was feeling guilty about whatever he had done to cause Lantash's slow progress.

He looked at her and started to explain again, "You see, even though we cannot talk to one another, he does understand what is said to him, and we can communicate in a way. He is quite capable of indicating approval and disapproval."

"In addition, he can sense my emotions. No matter how hard I try to hide them, he always knows how I really feel. It is very discouraging for the healers and for me. I do not want to be causing his healing to slow, but unfortunately, I am. He is very much aware of how unhappy I am, stuck in the lab, and unable to participate in missions. He also knows how worried I am about him, and the slowness of his recovery."

"The two months I was in stasis took a great deal of his strength. They told me that he would become very agitated, sometimes even panic stricken, and the only way they could calm him was to take his tank in next to my stasis chamber. I believe that his reaction is one of the reasons they fought so hard to save me. He spent many days and nights beside me. Lantash and I have a very strong bond. We—care—for one another very much."

"Jacob told me that he escaped from his tank and attempted to make his way to me at one point. Selmak lectured him quite severely pointing out how unhappy I would be to survive only to find out that he had died. I am told that he curled up on the bottom of the tank and pouted for three days."

"At that point, they set up a monitoring system that he could see, so that he would know and could be sure that I was still alive. He became more comfortable after that and from what I understand had no more attacks of panic." Martouf smiled and Sam smiled back, enjoying this glimpse into the bond between the two of them.

"After I recovered, I began to spend time with him. At first, he seemed to get a little better, but then, we noticed that his health appeared to vary with my mental state."

"When I was depressed, or frustrated and angry, he had a bad day and lost ground physically. Conversely, if I had a good day and was cheerful and upbeat, then he did better that day and some days he would make astonishing leaps in his healing, only to lose a portion of the ground he gained depending, again, on my feelings."

"At least, most of the time it seemed to be that way, although there were also times that it did not seem to affect him. Therefore, we believe that he was responding not only to my words, but also to my emotions. Moreover, the longer it went without him showing any great strides of improvement, the more depressed I became. Why it seemed to affect him in a negative way only part of the time, we still do not know."

He sighed deeply. "I knew what I was doing to him, but even when I pretended to be cheerful, we are so attuned to one another that there were many times that he was able to discern my true feelings regardless. I gave the matter much thought. I was making his recovery take longer than it should. It was becoming a vicious circle."

Sensing his distress at recalling the last couple of months and his helplessness, Sam relaxed more on the edge of the bed next to him, offering the comfort of another human being. She touched his hand gently. He grasped it gratefully for a moment, and then returned to his narrative.

Crossing his arms over his chest and looking down he continued, "It occurred to me that if I was away on a mission, I would be so busy that I would not have time to worry so much about him, and he would know that I was not worrying about him. I also knew that there was one other thing that he would like to do, if we could. He was not in a position to do it, but I was."

"So, I talked to Jacob, and put forth the idea of spending time here on SG-1. Per'sus heard of it, thought it was a wonderful way for our cultures to begin to mingle, and he requested the plan be executed at once. Jacob, too, thought it was a good idea."

"Per'sus was already upset about the reports, and when he found out about your Chaappa'ai, he was quite, er, irate. He wanted to know why Garshaw did not send a ship to find out why your Chaappa'ai was not functioning when it had been so long."

"Needless to say, it was decided that Jacob and I would leave this evening. It was evening there anyway, although we have almost an entire day here."

He smiled a little sadly and then continued, "So, now you know. I am here for the reasons stated to General Hammond, but the more personal side of that, is so that Lantash will perhaps gain strength more quickly, and we can be blended once again. I miss him more than I can possibly tell you."

"I understand and that is the same reason you gave the General, just the personal side as you say. I see no reason why anyone other than the two of us needs to know about it. But, you said there were two reasons. What was the other one, Martouf?"

He looked at her from blue-grey eyes framed by long lush lashes. "Yes, well, as I said, Lantash wanted me to come because it would allow me to do something that we have both wanted to do for quite some time."

"It is something that we have never before had the opportunity to do, and now that it has been given to us, he wished me to take it for both of us. Because you must understand that it is for the two of us, Samantha. Lantash will know, feel, and relive everything I know, feel, and live when we blend."

"I understand, I think. It's something you both wanted to do, but since he can't come and be part of SG-1 and you can, he wanted you to go ahead and do it, so that he will experience it, when you blend again. That makes sense. Does that mean that when you blend again, you will be returning to the Tok'Ra?"

"You are partly correct, Samantha. He will get to experience being a part of SG-1, and that is certainly something that we have often talked of doing."

"However, that is something that he may well experience for himself after we blend again, if we decide to remain at the SGC instead of returning to the Tok'Ra. That is in the future and remains to be seen. There is no time limit set on our stay here. We may decide to stay for an indefinite period; it is certainly something that both of us are open to doing."

Sam's eyes grew wide as she took in the implications of his statement. This was not something she was ready to face yet, if ever. Certainly not now.

She was brought out of her own thoughts to hear Martouf talking to her saying, "Samantha, Lantash and I wish to get to know you better. We are not asking you for anything you are not ready to give, nor are we offering anything we do not know if we are ready to give. But, we both feel that we have feelings for you that have nothing to do with Jolinar, and we both agreed that we should follow through on those feelings and see where they would take us."

"Therefore, when I told him where I was going and why, I received strict instructions to get to know you for both of us. And—I wish to do so. First, as a friend. I think we could become very good friends, Samantha."

"Furthermore, if that works for us, then perhaps we will see if there is more than that. Neither of us wishes to rush into anything, for we do not yet know our own minds and hearts. We know that you do not know yours when it comes to us, Jolinar, and all that she left with you. We believe that friendship would be the place to start if that is acceptable to you. Do you believe that this is something that you might want to do and could do—and accept?"

Sam sat still next to Martouf, barely daring to breath, afraid that if she did, she would wake up, and then this wonderful dream would leave her bereft, cold, and crying in her bed one more time. Just because it felt more real this time didn't mean it was. But this dream was so different than the others. So very different. Maybe, maybe it was not a dream. She had to know.

Tentatively, slowly, she reached out and touched her finger tips to his face. First his brow, then his cheek, the bridge of his nose, his lips. His lips. They felt warm. Real. She'd just lean in and kiss them. She always woke up when she kissed them. He was always cold, too, because he was dead. Her lips touched his, still tentatively, slowly. They were warm and they kissed her back just as slowly and sweetly.

His hands took hers in his and they were warm and solid. She pulled back and stared into the same blue-grey eyes surrounded by the same lush lashes, and then she touched her fingertips to her lips. His look was questioning, asking with his eyes what this meant.

His heart was sure that he knew. This was about the horror of her dreams since she had "killed" them. It was imperative that she realize he was alive, warm, and real.

Sam answered the unspoken words, saying, "You're real this time. This isn't a dream. You aren't going to fade away. I'm not going to wake up and be alone because you aren't here. You don't hate me for what I did to you and Lantash. Neither of you do."

Martouf breathed easier knowing that he had been correct and this was the healing she needed. He knew that she was finally truly ready to believe it. He answered her softly and calmly, "Yes, I—we, are real. Even though Lantash is not here at the moment in body, still he is here in heart and mind. This is real, Samantha. We both care about you."

She shuddered. And then, her heart broke and mended in one huge surge of emotion, and somehow, Martouf was on the inside when the crashing stopped. But, that was okay. He wanted to be friends, for now, and then see if there might be something more. She could do that.

"Friends. I can do that."

"Friends, Samantha. We can do that, too."


Jack O'Neill walked down the corridor toward the briefing room, Daniel and Teal'c behind him. They had been greeted by messages requesting their presence for a short meeting with the General this morning before their mission. None of them knew why. Maybe the MALP had seen something new that the General thought they should know ahead of time.

He opened the door; they all walked in and took seats. He wondered where Carter was. He supposed they'd have to wait for her, but it was unusual for her to be late. General Hammond came in a few minutes later and dispelled that notion.

"Good Morning, Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, Dr. Jackson. I've called you in here for this briefing this morning to get a little bit of business out of the way, before today's mission."

"Didn't we already have a briefing for this mission, General?"

"The briefing isn't about today's mission, Colonel O'Neill. It's about your new team member. He'll be joining the team as of today's mission. I've already briefed him on it, and he and Major Carter will be meeting you in the gate room in thirty minutes, unless they finish before then in which case they'll join us here."

"Major Carter is in charge of seeing to it that he is brought up to speed as quickly as possible. So far, he's aced everything, but then I didn't really think there would be a problem with the claymores or launchers anymore than there would be anything else. I knew regular weapons wouldn't be a problem either, since he's already familiar with them."

"However, since he will be a member of SG-1 indefinitely, it's better that we know exactly what he does and does not know. So far, he's good to go, and I anticipate no problems whatsoever."

"Ah, General, you've told us what a great guy we're getting, but you haven't given this great guy a name. Do you suppose we could know what to call him before he arrives to leave with us?"

"Of course, Colonel. Your new teammate is Martouf of the Tok'Ra, and he is a permanent member of your team, Jack, that is final and non-negotiable."

Jack O'Neill stared at the General as if he had suddenly sprouted two heads. Teal'c and Daniel stared at Jack O'Neill. Finally, Jack found his voice.

"Dead people can't be on SG teams, sir. Are you sure you are all right? Last time I saw him, Martouf was dead."

The door opened and Major Carter and Martouf entered. Jack stared at him. "You're dead."

Martouf coughed delicately into his hand, covering his laugh, admirably. "I am sorry to disillusion you, Colonel, but the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

"The Tok'Ra don't know Mark Twain."

"Again, I am sorry to disillusion you, but if this saying is from this "Mark Twain" then evidently Jacob does know him. He insisted that I learn that response, since I did not die as expected. He seemed to think that there would be an appropriate time to use it. As usual, I see that he was correct."

Daniel chortled which he managed to turn into a really spectacular coughing fit. Major Carter looked at both Colonel O'Neill and Martouf as if they had suddenly morphed into creatures she couldn't identify. General Hammond's lips twitched, and Jacob, who had been coming into the room as Martouf parroted his Mark Twain quote, spun on his heel so that he would be outside when he lost it.

"Jacob Carter? So he's behind this? General, surely you don't expect me to take a sn-er Tok'Ra as one of my team members do you?"

General Hammond raised his eyebrows. "What part of "he will be a member of SG-1 indefinitely, and he is a permanent member of your team, Jack, that is final and non-negotiable", did you not understand?" He is part of an exchange program we are beginning with the Tok'Ra, and he is, as of today, a part of SG-1."

Jack O'Neill could get away with bucking a lot of stuff, but he recognized that tone of voice. It said that not only would he follow the orders to the letter, but he would not do anything to antagonize his new team member, or the General, either.

"Of course, General. I was just unprepared, since I thought he was..." He waved his hand and let his sentence trail off.

"I understand, Colonel O'Neill. We would have contacted you months ago, if your gate had been working. Unfortunately, it was not. The fact that we survived and found the way to counter the memory implanting is important information for your soldiers and operatives as well as ours, though, so I am glad that we were able to get the information to you at last."

"So they were able to get the information out of your head, huh? Must not have hurt you too much; you seem fine now."

"Actually, Jack, it took them two months to save him. They had to work in very small increments to manage it. Lantash is still not well. What they had to do to him, as well as the zatarc programming itself, has left him in a state where he is gaining his strength very slowly."

"So, we figured it would be as good a time as any for Martouf to come," Jacob said from the doorway. "Now that we are formal allies, we are in the beginning phases of working out an exchange program so that our two peoples can become more and better acquainted with one another."

"Now? What do we know about taking care of a sick sn, err, symbiote?"

"You misunderstood, Colonel," Martouf said mildly, ignoring the obvious slight that was intended. "Lantash is not with me at all. He is with the Tok'Ra. I do not have my symbiote. I am afraid you will gain nothing but his memories. Those I still possess, but, I have no other attributes. I am just another human at the moment." He looked amused at the flummoxed look on the Colonel's face.

Major Carter looked at the group and said quickly, "Sir, it's time to embark on our mission. We should be getting into the gate room."

"Go ahead, Major, I have some information I need to give to the Colonel. He'll join you in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll catch up in a few, Major."

"I'll just wait out here, George. We can discuss your candidate for transfer to the Tok'Ra after you finish your discussion with Jack."

General Hammond agreed and turned back to the room.

Sam nodded and followed her other three team members out the door and shut it behind her.

"Hey, Sam, I'll be around on and off for a while to see how things are going, so I'll see you then. Love you, kid."

Sam gave him a hug, and said, "Okay, Dad, see you around then. Love you, too," before she followed her team members to the gate room.

Behind them, General Hammond was looking at Jack O'Neill in a straightforward way, "This is how it is going to be, Jack. He's here indefinitely. Furthermore, he's on SG1."

"Martouf has a hundred plus years of knowledge of the universe and its people that we don't have. Because of being blended with Lantash, he has close to another couple of thousand beyond that. Washington is thrilled that we now have access to his knowledge. Don't screw this up for us; they would not be happy."

"Furthermore, if he knows something...listen to him. I've told him the same thing. If push comes to shove in a non-military matter, he has my approval to use his knowledge to get you all out unharmed."

"You're the military leader; however, I expect you to put your prejudices away. Don't discount what he has to tell you about the people, and the things he knows, when you are in a military situation. Jacob says he's a good tactician. Evidently, he comes up with the ideas; Lantash perfects them. Which is exactly what SG1 is good at."

"He has no desire to take your leadership from you. He doesn't desire it, and he doesn't want it. He's here to learn about us as a people, as soldiers, and as individuals. He's here to learn about our culture; who, and what we are. And, he's here to help. He does have a purpose and a job here, Jack. Let him do his job; you do yours."

""As I said, Washington likes the idea of exchanges taking place, so that we can get to know each other better. They also like the idea of gleaning as much information about what's "out there" as possible from beings who have been around and seen it happen for the last two thousand years. Dr. Jackson will find a treasure trove of information available to him, I'm sure, and Washington expects us to absorb it, and put it to good use."

"In a very short space of time, there may very well be other Tok'Ra operatives here. Washington wants this to go on as if it was any other country with which we have exchanges of soldiers. Every person on this base will be offered the chance to go and live with them, fight with them, and get to know them and their culture."

"In this endeavor, your attitude and actions will carry a lot of weight. I don't want to hear you refer to them as snakes, ever again, so I suggest that you begin to change what you call them to yourself. I don't expect you to become best friends with them, but I do expect common courtesy and respect to be shown to them. This is important."

"You know what has to be done, Colonel. I expect you to do it."

"Yes, sir."

Jack walked out of the briefing room his mind whirling, but his steps firm. He had a new teammate, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with him. Damn. Martouf. The entire universe was out to get Jack O'Neill. There was absolutely no two ways about it. It was out. To. Get. Him. Martouf. Damn. Well, it could be worse. Lantash could be here, too. Still. Martouf.

Joining the group, he looked up and let the technician know to start the dial up. He watched the gate spin. Here is comes. Chevron seven—locked. "Okay, we ready to hit it, group? Let's move out, then."

The five members of SG-1 walked up the ramp and entered the event horizon.

TBC