Chapter 7

Sorry this chapter took so long to write. RL was a factor, but I just had a bit of a problem getting this one to come together. Hope you enjoy it, and that the wait was worth it. Please read and review.

Jack easily made his way around to the side of the house facing the hill, where he found the first evidence that luck was on his side. A basement door had been left partially open in the staff's hurry to reach the fire. He checked again for cameras before coming out from behind the bushes, but he saw none.

He stealthily entered the basement, and gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the change in lighting. As he waited in the darkness, he listened for any clues to Sam's whereabouts or any movements nearby. But there was only silence. After checking again for cameras, he assessed the layout and determined that the hallway wrapped around a center room or rooms. He decided to walk to the right.

Jack had just turned the first corner when he came to a door. Trying it, he discovered a small, musty-smelling storage room. He was about to close the door again when he heard another sound that he recognized as an elevator. He stepped into the storage room to wait for the arrival of that car, and left the door cracked slightly so he could see the doors as they opened. The first thing he saw was Carter—Carter! Her hands were bound, she was blindfolded and she was being led by a large man Jack figured was one of Ba'al's henchmen. The sight of her caused Jack's adrenalin to kick in, and his heart began beating faster. They were apparently the only three people on this floor. The odds of freeing her probably wouldn't get any better than they were at this moment.

As Sam and the man disappeared around the next corner, Jack eased the closet door open and slipped into the hallway. Pulling his gun from his pocket, he put the silencer on and carefully tiptoed down the corridor. When he peered around the wall, he saw the man unlocking a door as Carter stood by. Jack had a clear shot at the back of the man's head, and he took it. The man's keys rattled as they dropped to the floor, along with his body. It was a quick, clean kill.

"Sam," Jack called out softly as he approached, "it's me." Grabbing a small knife from his pocket, he quickly snipped the plastic cord holding her hands, then pulled the blindfold from her eyes. She seemed to be all right, but he had to know now. "Did he hurt you?"

"No."

He breathed a sigh of relief, and was trying to resist the impulse to pull her into an embrace when she spoke again. "Jack—how did you escape? Thank goodness you're ok! Where did you get those clothes?"

Jack was baffled. "Carter, I don't understand what you're babbling about, and I doubt that my wardrobe choice is very important right now, but we can certainly discuss it later."

"But, when I saw you last, you were unconscious and…"

"Sam, I don't know what you're talking about, but frankly, I think we should just get the hell out of here and sort it out later." He didn't understand the source of her confusion, but at the moment, he didn't care. He grabbed her hand to lead her toward the door, but met with unexpected resistance. "Come on, Carter!"

"Wait! The device!" she said, diving into the room where the guard had been taking her. Jack nervously watched the hallway for any other company as she rushed in, turned the waste can upside down and grabbed the liner. Moving to a table, she pushed the items on it into the bag, and then, she joined him in the hallway. "Which way?"

Jack could hardly believe they still hadn't encountered any resistance. That little garage fire had turned out to be a one of the best distractions ever. And he'd take a break like this any time he could get it. As they reached the door where he had entered the house, he took a careful look around before grabbing Sam's hand and pulling her up the short flight of steps. Taking the flare from his pocket, he quickly ignited it and watched as it shot up into the air. Yeah, people would notice them now for sure…but it wouldn't matter. Turning, he threw his arms around her before they both vanished in a shimmering pool of light.

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Jack was still holding on to Sam as they materialized on the bridge of the Prometheus. Colonel Ronson eyed them questioningly. "What?" Jack asked, letting go of Sam as he assessed the stares of the bridge crew. "Her locator beacon was disabled. I wanted to make sure you got a lock on both of us."

Ronson chuckled. "I didn't say a word, General." Turning to Sam, he smiled. "Good to see you again, Colonel Carter."

"Thank you, Colonel. Good to be here."

Ronson turned to one of his officers. "General O'Neill and I are going to have a word with Colonel Carter. You have the bridge." With a smile, he led Jack and Sam off the bridge to his ready room.

With the door shut behind them, Sam turned immediately to Jack. "How did you escape from Ba'al?"

"For cryin' out loud, Carter, what are you talking about?"

"Yesterday…Ba'al took me to a room where he had you tied to a bed."

Jack stared at her before raking a hand across his face in frustration. "Carter, what kind of funny pills has that snake been feeding you? You're the one who has been spending quality time with him…not me. I've been trying to get you out of there."

Sam shook her head, and Jack could practically see the wheels turning in her magnificent brain as she processed the information. "But I saw you…and if it wasn't you, what was it? A hologram?"

"Hey," Jack joked, "maybe it was a clone." He chuckled to himself before noticing that Sam appeared to be considering the idea seriously. "Carter, that was a joke."

"I'm not sure it should be, sir," she replied, shaking her head. "With Ba'al, anything is possible. We shouldn't discount the possibility. I was convinced it was you, knocked out cold and tied to that bed."

"Let's worry about that later," Colonel Ronson injected. "Colonel Carter, we're all relieved to see you alive and well. But I have to ask—what's in the trash bag?"

Sam had been concentrating so hard on the conundrum of the captive Jack that she had completely forgotten she was still clutching the plastic bag. "Oh, this," she said excitedly, laying the contents on Ronson's desk. "This is a project I was working on at Area 51…the one Ba'al kidnapped me to get me to complete for him."

"Is this the cloaking doohickey?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sir."

"That's what Daniel thought," he smiled. "At least you got away with it."

"Possibly," she replied.

"Huh?"

"He said he had more, but I hope that was a bluff."

Jack plopped down in a chair. "Well, this just keeps getting better and better."

"He can't use it, Sir, which, I guess, is why he took me in the first place. It has to be keyed to the user's DNA, and he was apparently unable to get it to accept his. Frankly, I don't think it will," she said, looking at the two men's questioning faces. "You know, goa'ulds can't always use ancient technology. Like the puddle jumpers," she continued. "You have to have the gene to use them. I think this device may be the same way."

"Hmmm," Ronson mused, "so Ba'al gave you an impossible task."

"He had probably acquired the device some time ago and had already given up on making it work himself. That's why I was trying so hard to stall. I knew I wouldn't fix it for him even if I could, but I certainly didn't want him to know I thought the task was impossible. That might have ended my 'visit' abruptly…and I don't mean in an escape or rescue."

They were interrupted by the beep of the intercom on Ronson's desk. "Colonel Ronson, a call for you from General Landry."

"I'll take it on the bridge," Ronson replied. Rising from his desk, he looked at the other two officers. "I'm sure you can continue this discussion while I let General Landry know you've arrived, safe and sound."

"No problem," Jack replied. "Take all the time you need."

Ronson left the room, closing the door behind him. When he heard it firmly shut, Jack got up and turned to Sam, holding his arms out to her. "C'mere," he said softly. She walked into his embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I thought this wasn't supposed to happen anymore," he said, "and then you were gone."

"I'm ok."

Jack lifted her face to his and studied her carefully for any signs of trauma. Seeing none, he leaned in to kiss her, and she melted into his embrace. They clung to each other, neither wanting the other to know just how relieved they were to be able to share this moment.

Sam was the first to break the embrace. "Colonel Ronson could walk back in any time," she grinned.

"Can't have that, can we?" Jack chuckled, pulling back to shake his head and wink at her.

As if on cue, Ronson returned. "I can drop you off at the SGC, if you'd like."

"Sweet!" Jack replied. "Great little shuttle service ya got going here, Ronson. With a few more customers, you might make a dent in the national debt."

Ronson just shook his head and chuckled as he signaled the bridge. "Transport two to the SGC…now."

Jack waved as Ronson's image faded from his view.

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They rematerialized in the conference room, where they were immediately assaulted by Daniel and Teal'c. Amid the hugs and back slaps, the four former team members were lost momentarily in their own world.

Sam was the first to speak. "I half expected to see all three of you when Jack found me."

"We were otherwise occupied, Colonel Carter," Teal'c replied, bowing his head.

"Yeah," Daniel continued, "Jack didn't want Ba'al to suspect we knew he had taken you to the East Coast, so we very visibly headed up a search effort here, while General O'Neill was called back to Washington."

"Ahhhh….you created a diversion," she nodded.

"A very effective diversion," Jack smiled.

General Landry cleared his throat. "Well, now that the hellos have been said, why don't we sit down and discuss the last few days?" The four former teammates joined him at the conference table, and Sam recounted the last several days, as well as the nuances of Ba'al's operation she had been able to assess.

"So," she said as they wrapped up their discussions, "the only two concerns I still have are whether Ba'al has additional devices…and the General O'Neill I saw tied to that bed in Ba'al's basement."

"Well," Landry injected, "if he has additional devices, he hasn't figured out a way to use them."

"And I don't think he can, Sir," she replied. "We've always known there is ancient technology the Goa'uld can't operate, like the puddle jumpers, that are geared to genetics. I think this device is powered similarly."

"So, the only concern left is the guy tied to the bed," Daniel said.

Jack spoke up. "Carter, we know that wasn't me. It was probably just a projection or something."

"But it was wearing your clothes," she protested. "And I don't mean a uniform or BDUs. It was wearing a t-shirt I've seen you wear, jeans and a pair of sneakers that I recognized as yours."

"All of which Ba'al could have purchased anywhere, using the information he gathered from his surveillance of SG-1," Landry pointed out.

"Yes, Sir," Sam replied. "But what bothers me is, how did he project that figure lying down in those clothes?"

"He probably manipulated an image from his surveillance," Jack said. "I don't think this is anything to worry about, Carter."

"But what if he has a clone of you, Sir?"

The room was silent, as the five people there considered the possibility. Finally, Landry spoke up. "Do you really think that's the case, Colonel?"

She sighed. "We are talking about Ba'al, Sir."

Jack, sitting beside Sam, had been studying her carefully during this exchange. Swiveling his chair to face her fully, he leaned forward as the realization struck him. "For cryin' out loud, you want to go back in there, don't you?"

The others stared as Sam turned to face Jack. "I think we have to," she said quietly.

Jack ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. He turned to Landry. "Hank? It's your command."

"And I think we need to give our next step careful thought. Look, people, the last few days have been difficult for everyone. Let's go home, get a good night's sleep and meet here in the morning. If Ba'al does have a clone of Jack, I'm betting it isn't going anywhere tonight. I'll see you all back here at 0900 hours. Jack, you're welcome to join us, if you wish."

"I'll be here, Hank."

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Sam stepped out of the shower, drying her body before taking the towel to her hair. Standing in front of the mirror in her own house, she felt more relaxed than she had in days. As she blew her hair dry, she cracked the door to let some of the heat out of the room, and the most delicious aroma reached her. Jack was cooking, and whatever it was, it was going to be good.

Completing her task, she put the hairdryer and brush away, removed her robe from the bathroom door and, pulling it on, padded barefoot into the hallway. She had turned toward the kitchen when she heard Jack's voice coming from the bedroom. "Sam?"

Smiling, she stopped and chuckled to herself as she turned toward the bedroom instead. As she joined him, she was greeted with a glass of wine from his outstretched hand. She took a sip as he watched her; the cool, fruity flavor of the wine dancing across her tongue and into her throat.

Jack stepped closer, putting an arm around her and pulling her close to him. "I thought you might like a backrub before dinner…you know…to relieve the tension."

She set her glass down on the bedside table, and returned to his arms. Winding both of her arms around his neck, she grinned. "I think I'm feeling pretty relaxed right now."

"Oh?" he cocked his head in mock surprise. "Well, we have about a half-hour before dinner is ready," he said softly, leaning in to nuzzle her neck, as his hands slid down her back to rest at her waist.

"Uh, huh," she whispered, leaning into his embrace. "Just enough time…."

Chuckling, he untied the robe and pushed it off her shoulders. It fell in a puddle on the floor. He gently caressed her shoulders, then ran his hands down her arms. His touch sent a pleasant chill through her, and she responded by reaching out to lift the hem of his t-shirt and pulling it off over his head, placing kisses on his chest as she went. When the shirt hit the floor, he gave a low growl and scooped her up, turning and laying her gently on the bed. Joining her there, he drew her into his arms and held her as close as he could.

They remained still for some time, each simply enjoying the sensation of being held by the other. Finally, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "I thought I had lost you…"

Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I know," she said softly, lifting a hand to tenderly stroke his cheek. "But it's all right now."

Brown eyes stared deeply into blue, wordlessly conveying all they meant to each other. Then a smile crossed his face, and he gently lowered his lips to hers. And for some time afterwards, they were the only two people in the world.

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Ba'al stared out the window over the lush grounds at the now burned garage, angry at having been deceived. What a simple trick they had pulled on him! And he hadn't thought to block transmissions of an Asgard transport beam. That was his fault. Now that he knew the humans had the technology, it wouldn't happen again.

He had suffered a setback today at the loss of Colonel Carter. But it was all right. He would still get his chance. They would be back. That knowledge made today's events a little easier to take.

Chuckling to himself, he turned as he heard his study door opening. His cook entered, carrying his dinner tray. She set it on his desk, and then stood back, awaiting further instructions. He waved her out of the room and sat down at his desk, unfolding the fine linen napkin and placing it in his lap. As he picked up his utensils, he thought to himself that his plan would still work. Actually, the joke was on them, and whether they knew it or not, they would return to his estate very, very soon.

Author's Note: I thought about ending the story after Jack recovered Sam…but what would be the fun in that? I want to play with them a little longer. Hope you agree!