Chapter Seven Summary: After being 'in custody' for four days, Martouf finally unbends enough to talk to Lantash in a more normal manner. He decides that it is time to get to the bottom of what is bothering Lantash. He decides to try to get him to admit his feelings, and the true reason he refused to be Jolinar and Samantha's consort. Finally, he gets Lantash to the point where he can see what caused it all and something else that Martouf knows about Lantash's past brings him healing.

Rating this Chapter – PG-13

*****1. The section marked in this way is referring to events that are explained and/or take place in the Story: Blood of My Heart, Beloved of My Soul, Book I of the Tok'Ra Legacy Series. It is not necessary to have read the series to understand this story, as they are in no way linked, other than this mention. I included this information only in case someone became as to what it was referencing and where to find it."

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host Communication


To Make a Queen

Chapter Seven

In Custody


Martouf sighed as he listened in on his Lifemate's thoughts. He would forgive him, of course. He always did, when Lantash allowed his temper to overcome his common sense. He had to admit, too, that Lantash allowing that to happen to the extent that it had four days ago, could be counted on one hand with a few fingers missing. In other words, Lantash losing his temper this badly had only happened one other time in the past—well, over one hundred years now, and if he was honest, even then it had not been like this. He believed that it had actually been centuries since Lantash had actually lost control of his anger to this extent. So, really, twice in that space of time could hardly be called a 'chronic occurrence'. And furthermore, he was wrong, when he thought that anger caused his outburst. He had simply not wished to be hurt and channeled his fear into rage. "Lantash, my mate. Listen to me. Listen to what I am going to say to you." He awaited his response.

"I hear you, Martouf. What other opprobrious and vituperative invective would you like to fling at me? Not," he muttered, "That I do not deserve them."

"None. It is time that I let loose of my anger. It has no place between us…especially, when I am very aware of where it came from and understand why it happened. I have just been too angry to admit it. None of that is what we must talk about; however, for it is time that you start to come to terms with what has occurred. To what you have caused to occur. Your fear drove you to do things that were beyond your normal responses."

Lantash scowled at Martouf, before telling him bitingly, "I do not know what you are talking about, Martouf. I felt no fear, only anger." Lantash sighed, "I apologize for snapping, Martouf, and it is past time that I asked for your forgiveness—for so very many things. I am sorry that I allowed my anger to control me."

Martouf sighed, too. He had known that this would be difficult. Getting Lantash to admit to fear, especially emotional fear, and—his feelings of inadequacy—thanks to that…well, that woman, was something he had never been able to manage. Lantash always changed the subject. If that woman had still been alive, which she was not, he would strangle her himself.

Turning away from his own thoughts on the subject, he continued to talk to Lantash, reminding him, "I accept most of your words; however, in one instance I know better, Lantash, and this time we 'will' talk about it. Ever since you became involved with that aristocratic piece of—of—vermin—you have considered yourself as less. Because of her, you believe yourself to be less, less as a lover, less as a potential mate, less deserving, less worthwhile, less any other trait that you want to pick out. Do not try to tell me any different because I have seen her in your dreams. I have heard what she said to you. What I have never understood was why you would have believed her over any other woman who has told you differently. And do not bother to protest that there have not truly been that many others. I am privy to your memories, much of your heartache, your heart-loves, your sorrows, and your joys. Yes, I am sure that there is much, which I cannot see, and that only proves my point, since that means that there were more women than even I know."

Martouf smiled at him, and chuckled softly. "In fact, you and your first host were considered to be something of ladies' men, and you both spent much time seducing women, whenever your free time permitted you to do so. That is, up until you met your first mates. Then it all stopped, for you are very loyal to your mates, are you not?"

"That aside, though, you have charmed and loved many women, Lantash. I can see this. Some were serious, some were strictly for fun, on both sides, for you do not lead a woman on and promise her things, you do not intend to give. However, we are not here to discuss your past loves and love life, except for that one specific woman, as well as, the damage she did to you. Much of which is still with you today; although, I must admit I do not see, in the face of the other women in your life, how you can believe what she said over all of the others."

Lantash sighed. He knew his Lifemate well. This time, Martouf would be neither put off nor distracted. He wanted to 'talk' about that time in Lantash's life that he wished he could completely bury and never remember again. "Fine, Martouf, we will 'talk' about that time in my life. Which part do you wish to dredge up? The part where she told me that I was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen, or the part where she laughed because I believed that she loved me for myself, not because of my host? Well, which one? Or do you wish to bring it all up? Why not talk about…"

"That is quite enough, Lantash. I said discuss, not for you to dredge up every memory and word she said to you." Martouf cut into Lantash's very pain filled statements, stopping the bitterness before it overcame him to the point that he could not think in any way except that driven by pain. As he allowed his questions to die off, Martouf told him, "I believe that you just proved my point, Lantash. If you no longer believed that, you would simply have made some remark about it and moved on to something that interested you, instead of dwelling on the bitterness and disillusion that she caused within you."

"Would you forget the woman or what she said to you? Well, would you?" Lantash demanded furiously.

"I would never forget, no," Martouf, answered him gently, "But, over time, I would put it, and her, into perspective, as I once did myself, when I was rejected in a rather cutting and insulting manner. Do you think that you are the only one who has ever been rejected in that way? Do you think that she said those things because you are a symbiote, and that men never hear similar things? Let me assure you, that is not true. Men are rejected in cruel and hurtful ways, all the time, just as women are. We simply do not talk about it, and, if we are very lucky, we then fall in love with a woman that appreciates us, as we are, thereby proving the other woman wrong."

"Your problem, of course, is a little more complicated, since you are a symbiote, and you are aware that your physical appearance can be intimidating, and sometimes even frightening, to those who do not know you and are not prepared for your physical body. That you cannot help, and there is no point in allowing her words about that disturb you. What difference does it make in the end? You become one with your chosen Lifemate, and take on his physical appearance. If someone cannot overcome and get past your true form, once they begin to know you, as a 'being' rather than as a body, then they are the ones with the problem, not you. Physically, you are what you are, and it will not change. Personally, I do not want it to change. If you were other than you are, then we would not be Lifemates. That, however, is not up for discussion now. She is what is up for discussion."

Lantash sighed again. "What about it do you wish to know, Martouf? I will tell you what you want to know, if for no other reason than to finally stop your questions about her, what she said, and what she did to my host and me."

"There is no need to tell me what she said. I have heard her many times in your dreams. Anytime that you become anxious and feel that what is being asked of you may be beyond your abilities, you begin to dream about her." Martouf paused, before telling him, "Lantash, I have also seen another woman in your dreams, one who, from what I can tell in the dreams, you loved…deeply and eternally. I do not know her name; however, I do know some things about her from your dreams. I know that she is beautiful, in a way that is…very hard to forget. You were formally bonded to this woman and fully accepted by her, her father, and her, er, friend, lover, mate, I am not sure what he is or was, I just know that he is often there with you."*****1

"She came after the other one, and she loved you as deeply as you loved her. Yet…you do not accept her word, as easily as you did the other's words. Why? And those people, they appeared to me to be highly placed within their society. Was she not as high a rank as the vile one was? Is that the problem that leads you to believe you are not worthy?"

Lantash caught his breath. Martouf had seen dreams of her? He was unaware that he ever dreamed of her anymore. In fact, he thought that he had buried her memory so deep that it would never be found. Evidently, those memories were not buried as well or as deeply, as he believed they were. "I was unaware that you were…that you knew about…her. He laughed softly, but sadly, as he told him, "You could say that her people are highly placed. Her father is the King, and someday she will ascend to the throne and rule in his place. I am considered…well, as her mate, I am considered their son, so I am a…that is, if we were together still, I would be considered as a…"

His voice trailed off, but Martouf finished his sentence for him, saying, "You would be considered a prince of their house, would you not, Lantash? And you would believe that vile piece of…how can you believe her over this woman who loved you so very much? How can you believe her over this beautiful woman whose family accepted you into their family and considered you their son? For they did accept you, as well as your host, did they not, Lantash?"

Whispering, Lantash, told him, "Yes, Martouf. Yes, they accepted me, exactly as I was. My physical form meant nothing to her, to them. She…" He stopped, unable to finish what he was trying to tell his Lifemate. But Martouf saw it. And it made him gasp, as the amount of love that had to have been between them, engulfed him, too. And, as it passed, he felt the difference in Lantash, as well. He was not concerned anymore with what that other woman had said. He knew it was not true. Because someone had loved him in his true form; loved him so much that she almost died to keep him alive. Suddenly, Lantash was speaking to him urgently, saying, "I must rebury these memories, at once, Martouf. Please, please, do not ask me about her. I promise that I will remember that I am considered worthy by a man who is considered by most to be the most powerful and respected man in the Universe. I could not have a better spokesperson."

And then, Lantash was gone into his private place, and Martouf was left with nothing but questions that he could not ask. It did not stop him from speculating, though. He realized, too, that when Lantash buried those painful memories the first time, the good things had been covered over, as well. He allowed himself to remember none of it, so the memories from that other woman had slowly taken root and grown, until all of the goodness from the one he loved so much was erased. Until now. All he could hope was that it would be a good thing in the end. And maybe, if it allowed him to put away his fears of not being good enough, it would outweigh any bad that came from it. He would guess that, although Lantash did not realize it now, someday, those heartaches that he was planting so deep, would be some of the most beautiful flowers in his Garden of Grief and Sorrow. *****1

He felt him return from his private place. He was still melancholy, and Martouf supposed he had reasons to be. They would have to talk about it, though. It had been four days now and harsh words had passed between them several times. As he had told him earlier, it was time to put it behind them and go forward. "Lantash, Jolinar will understand; I am sure of it. After all, this is not the first stupid thing that she has seen you do. True, it is the first time you have basically told her that you no longer wanted her, but it is not the first truly stupid thing you, or I, for that matter, have done."

Lantash snorted before saying, rather defensively, "I did not tell her that I no longer wanted her. I told her that we would not accept the position of consort of the Queen."

"So you did. That is true, and 'then', you told her that you repudiated her as our mate…"

"Nonetheless, I never said I did not want her." Feeling Martouf stiffen, Lantash decided that perhaps, he should backtrack. "All right. All right, Martouf, what do you want me to do? How can I do anything, while I am confined in this room? She has not been to see us, and they will not allow us to go to her. The only place they have allowed us to go was to the medical bay, so that I, and therefore you, since you are part of me, could be given a 'thorough medical examination and mental evaluation', something which I hope never to have to go through again. I have never had a complete and thorough medical examination like that before, nor have I been used for 'demonstrations'. I did not realize that they could do so many things to me personally. It was 'quite' unnecessary."

Lantash was still grumbling about the 'exam' they had undergone very early that day. Martouf had to admit that it had not been pleasant, for it consisted of some physical examinations that he was not expecting. They had even brought in some of the Tau'ri equipment and medical personnel, and used it on them, so that they could demonstrate how it worked. Since medical technology was one of the things the Tok'Ra agreed to help them with, in the Alliance, they had to know what the Tau'ri had, what it was for, and how it worked, before they would know where to start. He had felt like a pincushion, before they finished, and so had Lantash, for they had not spared him either and, for every tube of blood they had drawn from him, they had taken one from Lantash, as well. Of course, that meant that he had been stabbed twice, until the Tau'ri Healer had realized what was going on and inserted something, so that they did not have to make a separate entry each time. Still, it had been very uncomfortable, when he moved and even more so, if Lantash moved.

He grimaced. And then, there was the Tau'ri version of a 'complete physical'. It seemed that the Tau'ri had some methods of working on the human body that the Tok'Ra believed would work well in conjunction with the healing device, and the symbiote, because it would free up the symbiote to work on the more serious injuries, instead of having to try to do so many things at once. If they could stop the human host from going into shock, or help to slow, stop, or replenish the host's blood, that would free the symbiote to concentrate on the other severe and life-threatening injuries more quickly.

So, they had become living examples of how to do everything from stopping bleeding to examining the body physically. And 'that' had been the part that he disliked intensely. They tended to put things in places that made no sense to him. And they put…tubes and things…in places he would never have thought that they should go. He was still disgruntled about that, and he could have sworn that, at one point, he heard Malek yell…well, actually, it was more of a 'yelp', or perhaps an 'eep' sound, which then turned into swearing, something that Malek rarely did. The Tau'ri Healer, Dr. Fraiser, had confirmed that there was another Tok'Ra that had 'volunteered' for this and that it was a Tok'Ra named Malek and a host named Devlin. He almost snorted aloud, when she said that they had 'volunteered'. Humph, 'volunteered' indeed. More as if they had been 'volunteered'…someday, Per'sus would pay for that. However, it was not the healer's fault, so he had simply given her a rather sick smile and accepted her thanks for 'volunteering'. Lantash had been out, for a short time during that conversation, so did not know that Malek had shared in their misery. For that medical examination alone, he should refuse to talk to Lantash, for at least two more days.

"You can bet that Malek has not been put into 'custody', until they can evaluate him mentally, as well as physically."

Lantash's 'voice' was very obviously sulky, and Martouf had to hide a smile, before he informed him, "Malek is in the next room, Lantash, and has been all along. I am sure that he and Dev are having similar conversations. He was also a 'volunteer' for the Tau'ri, so that they could demonstrate how they did things. He has as much, or more, to lose than we do. He could lose his base, as a result of his actions. At least, all we will lose will be a few years of our lives, living in reduced and not exactly homelike, circumstances with, evidently, no one to talk to other than each other."

"Unless they decide to put me into a tank for a few centuries," Lantash reminded him bitterly. "And, yes, I am very much aware that we, that is, I, have caused it myself."

"They will not put you into a tank. Not only would I not fit, but if they did manage to get me into one, I would drown. And since I will not allow you to be removed from me, something they cannot do without a voluntary host's consent, you can stop worrying about that." He stretched out on the sleeping platform, murmuring to Lantash, "I must admit that I am very glad that Arwanna came down to help you heal us of our injuries. I was even more relieved, when she whispered to us, while she was the only one here, and told us what has been happening. I believe that they were told that we were to remain alone, for these last few days, and that no one was to talk to us. I have a feeling they were told specifically not to tell us what was occurring. Knowing us as they do, they knew that if we had no one else to talk to, and we were not told anything that it would draw us together. I believe that they know us very well, as that is exactly what occurred."

He sighed sadly before changing the subject, saying, "They managed to catch the traitor. As much as I disliked Cordesh, I still find it hard to believe that he was turning us over to the System Lords. If it was not for Jolinar, we would not have known. I was…I was also glad that Arwanna told us that our mates were well again. I was—worried. However, now that I have thought about it, I realize that, had there been a problem, or they were hurt badly, Arwanna would have insisted that we be brought to them. I do not know why I did not think of that earlier."

"Yes, Martouf, as was I. I have been very fearful of what Malek and I might have done to them. However, you are correct and we would have been told and taken to them if there was a problem." He paused, obviously ruminating on their mates, and his part in their injuries.

Turning his mind to Martouf's other statements, he agreed with him, saying, "I am glad that it has turned out so well for the Tok'Ra. We now have an alliance with the Tau'ri, as well, which I am not sure is such a good idea, regardless what Jolinar said. But then, since we were not included in the Council sessions, where it was discussed, it is rather hard to make an informed observation. They have even set up an exchange program. Soon there will be Tau'ri soldiers here. What are we to do with them? And, our mates will be there…at their facility." Lantash sounded very melancholy at the thoughts of their mates being so far away. Not that he was not to blame for that, too, for he was, and he knew he was. At least, Martouf was not constantly berating him, now. He had enough of that to last the remainder of his supposedly very long life. First Garshaw, then Per'sus had come to talk to him. Two separate times—each.

He cringed, as he remembered the scathing and unflattering things that Per'sus had said both to and about him. He had been trenchant and unsparing in his remonstrance and censure. And he was supposed to have been a friend of his. Ha! Friends did not call friends…well, they just did not call them things like that. Garshaw had been at her acerbic and mordacious best. Her description of his personality left much to be desired, as well. According to her, he was…well, he was things that should not be said by those who called you friend, which he and Garshaw had always been. Or so he had believed. Of course, they were also Jolinar's friends and had been for even longer than they had been his. It was only to be expected that they would side with her…which, he was well aware, they should.

They both heard the force field go down, but they did not bother to move. Both of them were finally giving in to depression, and since it was not time for a meal, it was probably one of them just coming to lecture him again about his less than stellar performance under pressure.

They were surprised when whichever one it was sat down on the sleeping platform, but they still did not move. They just were not ready for another lecture on their conduct, or rather, Lantash's conduct.

They were even more surprised when a feminine voice spoke to them, saying, "You know, you two really need to work on your greetings. They really leave something to be desired."

Lantash bolted upright on the sleeping platform. "Samantha?"

"Yes?" She looked over her shoulder at him from where she sat on the edge of the platform.

"What are you doing here?"

Sam sighed. "Lantash, what does it look like I am doing here? Besides, since what I am doing is obvious, shouldn't the question be 'why are you here'?"

Even though Lantash was in control, he could not completely stop all of it, and a faint flush rose in his cheeks. He looked away from her, saying, his voice low, "I apologize, if I appeared ungracious or not…happy…to see you. I was simply surprised. And you are, of course, quite correct, and the question should have been why, not what."

Sam smiled at him, rather softly, he thought, before she told him, "I shouldn't be teasing you, at the moment. It's not very fair of me. So, let's start again. Hello, Lantash, Jolinar, and I have come to get you, Martouf, Malek, and Dev, so let's go."

Lantash looked confused. "But…where are we going? Not that I do not wish to go with you, of course."

"Oh, of course."

"I do wish to go with you, Samantha. Surely, you have realized by now that I was not—thinking—very clearly the day that…"

Sam stared at him. "Not thinking clearly. Not thinking clearly? No. No, Lantash, I am sorry, but it was slightly more than not thinking 'clearly'. You, Lantash, were not thinking, at all. Now, Jolinar is getting impatient, so you'd better just come with us. Don't," she emphasized, "Make it any worse, and don't give control to Martouf because you don't want to face this. You didn't give it to him that day, so don't think you can get away with pushing him forward now." She sent him censorious look that was almost as bad as the lectures he had received from Per'sus and Garshaw. One look from her was enough to cause him remorse. Dear Goddess, what was he going to do?

"Well, if it was me, I would be very careful about what I have to say to her."

"Thank you, Martouf. I believe that I have figured that out."

"Humph. You could not tell it the other day. In fact, you did not appear to be thinking at all. Now that Samantha has said it, I fully agree."

Lantash moaned. "I thought you said that you have forgiven me. Why are you attacking me again?"

Martouf sounded a little sheepish, as he told his Lifemate, "You are correct, Lantash. I am sorry. I suppose that even though I have forgiven you, I still feel some resentment. I will attempt to do better."

"No. Do not. If you are feeling that way, I would rather you castigate me some more now, than to suppress it and allow it to fester. So, reproach away. I understand." He sighed deeply, and then realized that Samantha was still standing nearby awaiting him.

"I am sorry. Martouf asked me something, and I was answering. I apologize for not splitting my attention between you."

"No problem. I can imagine that living together hasn't been too pleasant the last few days. If he is being civil to you, then you should give him your attention."

Lantash looked surprised at her insight, but was even more surprised at himself, when he blurted out, "How did you know that we have only now begun to…"

As his words trailed off, Sam smiled, saying, "Jolinar figured that this is about the right amount of time for the two of you to start to makeup and talk decently to each other."

"I see." His reply was somewhat stiff and definitely had an edge of arrogance in it.

Sam grinned. Yup, he was moving more toward normal, now, just as Jolinar had predicted. No doubt, in a day or two, he wouldn't sit and passively listen to a lecture on his conduct and responsibilities. He'd be at least answering their accusations. Well, now, she was the one wasting time. "Good. Let's go, Jolinar is getting even more impatient."

Suddenly, Jolinar came fore, emphasizing her loss of patience by stating, "You will follow me. Come." Her tone was less welcoming and forgiving than Samantha's voice had been, but then, she was the one who was the most insulted. It was no more than he had expected. He had a feeling that, even though she would eventually forgive him, never would she forget what he did, and said, no matter that he wished them unsaid, as soon as he said them. He would pay for that lack of control, for a very long time, and he deserved to do so. Oh, she would not continue to berate him for it. It was even very unlikely that she would ever so much as allude to it, once she forgave him. No, his payment would be personal. It would be the knowledge that, in her heart, she would never forget his words. He would see sadness in her eyes on occasion, even though she would not be thinking of it, and it would remind him; it would wound him. Oh, yes, it would cause him to bleed emotionally, and there was nothing that he could do about it.

He stood as she walked across the floor and headed toward Malek's cell. Shrugging, he did the only thing he could do other than remain in his cell. He followed her.

As he stood back, she shut off the force field and entered Malek's cell. They did not follow. Facing Malek was something that Lantash did not know how to do just yet. In fact, he was not sure he could face him again right away. He was still angry with him for instigating a fight over something that was none of his business. He could hear Martouf groan, as he listened to his thoughts.

He turned his attention back toward Malek's cell. They could hear what was being said from here.

"Okay, come on, Malek. Time for you and Devlin to get off your butts and get back to work. Your vacation is over."

"Samantha?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I wonder if being a dipstick is contagious. Perhaps, we should have housed you farther away from dipstick number one."

"But, what are you doing here?" Malek was obviously confused to see her.

"Come on, Malek, let's go. You're sounding like an echo. We have things to do, people to see, food to eat…yadda, yadda."

As he followed the beautiful blonde-haired woman out of the cell that had been his home for the last four days, he could not quite understand what was happening. Per'sus had been harsh, biting, caustic, and sarcastic when he had confronted him with his failings. And, if he understood him correctly, and he was quite sure that he did, then he would be fortunate, if he kept his command. Now, he felt confused, and that was something that he very much disliked feeling. His lips tightened. He would not wait to know his fate. She could call him a dipstick, whatever that was, if she wanted to, but he had to know what was going to happen to him…as well as, to Lantash. After all, both of them had been at fault; however, that did not mean that he was in the mood to forgive Lantash just yet. If he had only answered the questions, then it would have become nothing more than a screaming match, which he did not like, but which would have been preferable to what did happen.

So the two of them walked side by side, but neither one spoke a word to the other, nor did they so much as exchange a glance with one another.

Sam turned around, when she heard nothing else from behind her and sighed. All right. This was not going to happen; they were not going to refuse to work this out between them. They were best friends regardless how many black eyes, cracked and broken ribs, bruised kidneys, and concussions they had given to one another. But—what in the world did she do to get the two of them talking and apologizing to one another? They couldn't leave this estrangement to fester between them. Eventually, the problem would become so large that they would be unable to work through it. That couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Put them into Lantash's cell, turn it back on and tell them they have two to three hours to work out their problems and make their apologies to one another. If they still are not speaking—nicely—to one another, when we return, then we will leave them together for another five hours. Each time we return, only to find them still refusing to talk to one another, will lead to another several hours with one another, and it will continue, until they are back on firm friendly footing. But you should tell them, Samantha. I tried, but I do not believe that I can be very civil as of yet. I am…I am still too hurt by Lantash. I am sorry." Jolinar gave her opinion of what should be done with them, along with her lack of control, as far as dealing with Lantash just yet.

"Sure, but I doubt they are just going to follow me back into a cell they just came out of, which poses a bit of a problem for the plan."

"Very well, I will lead them into it, and you will then take control."

Sam sighed. She really wished Jolinar would get over it, but she did have a very legitimate reason for being upset with them, although mostly with Lantash. And she would be pretty pissed off if it had been her mates that did that. Well, actually, it was her mates that did that. How had her life become so complicated? "All right, Jolinar, go ahead."

Jolinar came fore, making sure that they both realized who was facing them. Then, turning her back on them, she told them, "You will follow me." And she proceeded to walk back into Lantash's cell. They followed but Sam was pretty sure they were puzzled. Once they were inside, she turned to them, and told them, "You will remain here until Samantha and I return." And before they could say anything she was out of the cell and had the force shield activated.

When she turned back to them, it was Sam again. Seeing their shocked looks, she shook her head. "Okay, guys, listen up. Jolinar isn't real happy with either of you, although she's fine with Martouf and Devlin, and is sorry that they have to go through this just because their symbiotes are idiots."

"Rest assured that I am simply relaying her instructions to you because she can't bring herself to talk to either of you, yet. Not that I can blame her. If I'd been a long lost mate and been treated the way she was, I'd be a little leery of having anything to do with you, too."

"But none of that has anything to do with this…keep in mind that these are her edicts. The two of you are best friends. You have cared about and for each other for centuries. You will not throw that friendship away just because you both had some type of temporary insanity. So, you will both stay here for two to three hours. We will return then. If you still haven't made it up, then you'll stay together for five more hours. This will go on, for as long as it takes you two to finally give in and admit to each other that you were wrong. Both of you."

She looked at her watch, saying, "Well, I've got to go. My dad is coming for a visit, and he doesn't believe what General Hammond has told him, so he's in for a culture shock. Oh, Martouf, Devlin, she wants me to assure you that you are not in any way responsible for their irresponsible actions, and she cares for you just as she always has. She is looking forward to spending time with you both. We'll see you in a couple of hours or so. Bye."

The hosts took control from their stunned symbiotes and made their way to the sleeping platform. Once they were as comfortable as they could be in the circumstances, they looked at one another and then grinned. Of course, this behavior and attitude did not do much for their Lifemates tempers, but at this point, they really did not care.

"So, Martouf, how long do you estimate it will be before they are both ready to admit to one another that it was both of their faults and finally decide that their friendship is too important to throw away over one little fist fight. It is not like they never did it before," Devlin winked at Martouf, who was having difficulty keeping his face straight.

He looked away for a moment, before turning back to Devlin, and telling him, "I do not know, Dev. I can hope for a short time period, but I have my doubts. Is Malek pretending to ignore you?"

"Yes, he is sulking, too. They are a lot alike, but then we have noticed that before."

"Why do you think Jolinar and Samantha came down here? Just to put them in a cell together?" Martouf did not look convinced that was the reason.

"I would doubt it. Had they acted like normal people, and at least clasped hands, even if they had not said anything yet, Jolinar and Samantha probably would have let it go. I think they actually came down to release us. I also think that Malek will keep his command, even if it is because it is not fair to me that they take it. He will not like that reasoning; however, if he keeps his command, he will recover and get over it. Eventually."

Martouf laughed, much to both Lantash and Malek's displeasure. "I think you are probably correct. I heard two of the Tau'ri nurses this morning whispering together over something. Lantash was asleep at the time. I believe he was put to sleep temporarily at least twice during the testing. That is beside the point, though, it was what they were whispering about that caught my attention. I am fairly sure that there is to be a party tonight here in the tunnels to celebrate our alliance with the Tau'ri. From what they said, I gather it will be a rather large affair. I heard that they even grew a very large room for dancing."

Devlin frowned. "Well, that is wonderful. There is a massive party, and we are stuck here with our sulking Lifemates." He paused for a moment. "I wonder if they would consider removing them just for tonight? What do you think?"

Martouf pretended to take him seriously, saying, "I doubt it, Devlin, but we can ask Jolinar. Or, maybe Jolinar would let us go, if we promised not to let the two of them out at all. Of course, they would probably want to put them to sleep, otherwise they would experience it through us, and that would not be acceptable. I am pretty sure that Jolinar would consider it, though. I know she feels bad that we have to go through this when we are not to blame in any way."

Devlin leaned back contemplating what Martouf said, and then asked him, "You really think they might do that? Really?"

Martouf nodded. "Yes, I am serious. I think they just might and, since it would really be up to Jolinar, I believe that she would do it.

Devlin smiled. "Good. We will talk to her when she gets back. They can put them back in here when they wake up. We will be up late and want to sleep so they can just sit and scowl at each other all by themselves."

The two men grinned at one another. They would let that work on their Lifemates, for a while, before they started round two. They did wish she had given them a little more time, but they would work with what they had.

TBC