A/N - Wow, real life has been crazy these last few days, so I haven't been able to update as quickly as I usually do. I also haven't had time to reply to your reviews, but I appreciate every last one of them, and I love to hear your thoughts and theories about the story. I promise to get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks so much for reading!

Jack grunted. "Okay, so the only problem I see with our plan is how we're going to get aboard the Morrigan's mother ship."

Jack, Sam, Thane, and about fifteen other villagers had begun meeting regularly at Thane's house to devise a plan for defeating Dagda and the Morrigan. They had been strategizing for several hours and were quickly reaching the end of their collective rope.

"We could always try to steal a Death Glider or Al'kesh, but that seems to leave a lot to chance," continued Jack. Low level grumbling amongst the group demonstrated a general dissatisfaction with that plan. "Well, anyone else got anything better?" Jack asked, exasperated.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, pondering their options, then Sam spoke. "How does the Morrigan get the tribute back to her ship?"

Beldon's cousin Ogden responded. "The demons load it onto the larger of the ships they pilot...the, uh, Al'kesh."

"That's the naquada," Sam replied. "What about the children she takes?" she asked in a softer voice.

The group was silent until one of the women, Eda, answered, her voice hollow. "The Morrigan takes them into the Fainnecloch, and they disappear with her."

"That's why it's cursed. It's death to go there," added Ogden. There were sounds of agreement all around.

"Have you seen this?" Jack asked. Eda and a few others nodded.

"Tell us exactly what happens," instructed Sam.

Eda looked around the room, then took a breath. "There's a flash of light - no! First there's an odd sound, then the light, then they're...gone."

Jack turned to Sam. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"It's the right size and shape," she said.

"I'll bet there's a control on one of the stones," Jack added.

Ogden was watching the earthlings, his head moving back and forth between them as if he were at a tennis match. "What is it?"

Sam faced him. "The Fainnecloch...it's a ring platform." She was, of course, met with a host of blank stares. "A transporter. You see, it uses wormhole technology to convert matter to energy…"

Jack interrupted. "You turn it on, and anyone standing inside the ring is moved to another place, in this case, the Morrigan's ship..."

oOoOoOo

Mar'tek rang the bell outside of Dagda's chambers.

"Come!" he heard the Goa'uld yell from inside.

Mar'tek closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled deeply, and opened the door. He was immediately thankful he had taken a moment to compose himself. There, on the huge bed, on top of twisted sheets, lay Dagda. His robe was open, rolls upon rolls of fat not quite covering his exposed genitals. Mar'tek averted his eyes and did his best to mask his disgust. Only then did he notice the young woman who was standing in the corner, attempting to shield her naked body from view.

Dagda stood, pulling his robe closed around his impressive girth. "Leave us," he said to the woman. "And next time, bring the red head."

The woman ran out of the room as fast as she could, not even bothering to clothe herself before she left. Dagda turned his attention to the Jaffa.

"I've been thinking, Mar'tek, about the extent of your incompetence." He crossed the room to a small table, picked up an apple from the bowl of fruit in the center, and took a bite as he poured himself a glass of mead.

"My Lord?" It was apparent that Dagda was in a dangerous mood. Mar'tek wondered how much the Goa'uld had had to drink. There was only so much alcohol even a symbiote could effectively process.

"Your ostensible inability to remove the strangers as a threat. All I asked was that you kill the man and bring the woman to me. It's been over a week, and yet neither of these things has happened." He took another bite of the apple.

"My Lord, you wanted the man's death to seem an accident. We thought we had killed him at the mine..."

"Yet he did not die!" Dagda yelled, as pieces of apple flew from his mouth. He sighed, and his next words belied a false calm. "And I now understand that he has been actively plotting against me, that he is leading some sort of rebellion."

Mar'tek bowed his head. "Yes, my Lord, we believe this to be true."

"And still he is allowed to live!" Dagda screamed. "I want him killed immediately, Mar'tek! And since you are apparently incapable of managing this most trivial of tasks, I will now have to see to it myself."

"My Lord, we must be careful..." warned the Jaffa.

"The time for caution is over! I will make an example of these newcomers for all of the villagers to see, so that they understand they cannot defy me! Prepare your men. We will travel to the village tonight and dispose of this problem at once."

oOoOoOo

The moment Jack and Sam realized that the Fainnecloch might be a ring platform, they immediately wanted to go there to verify their suspicions. Unfortunately, however, it was rapidly getting darker, and no one in their group wished to travel to the supposedly cursed location at night. In addition, it was the evening of the village's annual Harvest Celebration, and the earthlings had been promised that the party was something they did not want to miss.

So, under protest, Jack and Sam had agreed to wait until the following morning to visit the Fainnecloch and had returned to their cabin to prepare for the Celebration. For Jack, said preparation took approximately two minutes, as he simply changed into a fresh set of clothes and ran his fingers through his graying hair. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to have been in cabin getting ready with Brigid for hours, much to Jack's consternation.

Garrick walked up to the cabin and joined Jack on the porch. "Women, eh?" the large man chuckled.

Jack grunted. "Yes, some things are, indeed, universal." But before either man could indulge in more grousing, the door to the cabin opened, and Sam walked out, followed closely by Brigid.

Jack sucked in a breath when he saw Sam. She was a vision in a deep blue dress that brought out the color of her eyes and accentuated her curves with a tightly fitted bodice and a swooping neckline. Several small, white flowers had been woven into her hair, and her pink lips shimmered with some sort of gloss.

Sam gave him a quizzical look, and Jack realized he was gaping at her like a fish. "Wow, Sam, I…uh, it's just that I…uh, sometimes I forget that you're a girl." He winced. Damn, that wasn't even true. There hadn't been a single second in the past six years that he'd forgotten she was a member of the opposite sex.

She cocked her head at him. "Gee, thanks, Jack. That's just what every girl wants to hear."

He closed his eyes, shook his head, and decided to try again. He looked up at her and said softly, "You're beautiful, Sam."

She smiled and ducked her head. He offered her his elbow, and when she took it, he led them down the trail to the village, just behind Garrick, Brigid, and the twins.

It was a beautiful fall night on Cian. The air was crisp and slightly cool, and as they walked toward the town, they heard only the sounds of the wind in the trees and the planet's nocturnal insects, layered with the faint laughter of the twins, who had run well ahead of them toward the party.

Jack reached down and gasped Sam's hand. When she turned to look at him, he kept staring straight ahead, a faint smile on his face.

As they neared the village, they began to hear music and smell the aromas of roasting nuts and freshly baked bread. Finally, they crested a small hill and looked down on the Celebration spread out before them.

"Holy Renaissance Festival, Batman," muttered Jack. "Daniel's gonna be so jealous." As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Sam looked up at him, and he knew what she was thinking. They were both missing their team, wondering what had happened to them – and to Earth.

Jack gave Sam's hand a squeeze and returned his gaze to activity down below. Interspersed among the trees, people were selling crafts from booths, children were playing games, and everyone was eating or drinking something. Jugglers, musicians, puppeteers, and other entertainers moved in between them all, drawing small groups of people that would spontaneously begin laughing or clapping.

As they moved into the midst of the Celebration, Jack and Sam gravitated toward a band playing a lively tune under a huge oak strung with several small lanterns. The music had drawn quite a crowd, many of whom had begun to dance, with even more watching the revelers. No sooner had the couple approached the gathering than Thane danced up and grabbed Sam around her waist, literally sweeping her off her feet. She let out a carefree laugh as he whisked her around the makeshift dance floor.

Jack smiled as he watched his Second, his Sam, happier than he'd ever seen her here. He didn't know what Thane was saying to her, but he kept her laughing. The soft light made her skin seem almost luminescent, her cheeks flushed with the effort of constant movement. The dress she was wearing cinched her narrow waist, while pushing her breasts up and together, giving her a deep cleavage that Jack honestly hadn't fully appreciated before now. He watched, fascinated, as she pushed the unruly strands of her now longer hair behind her ears, ducking her chin and looking up through her dark lashes as she did so. So entranced with her was he, that he didn't notice Garrick approach until the man placed his large hand on Jack's shoulder. "You're a lucky man, Jack," he said.

"I know," he replied quietly. But was he? He was in a fake marriage with the woman he truly loved but wasn't supposed to have. The complexity of the situation boggled his mind.

Garrick chuckled as the song ended and they watched Thane dip Sam. "I think if you don't act soon, you may have some competition for your wife's affections." And with that he gave Jack a shove toward the dance floor.

Jack stumbled toward Thane and Sam, glaring at Garrick over his shoulder, just as the band started playing a new song, this one slower than the last. As the dancers began pairing up, he tapped Thane on the shoulder. "May I?" he asked.

Thane bowed and swept his arm toward Sam with a smile. "Show off," muttered Jack, as he took Sam's hand in his and placed his other around her waist. He began moving her expertly around the dance floor.

"Colonel, I had no idea you were such an accomplished dancer," she said, her eyes twinkling.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "There's a lot more to me than the sarcastic flyboy you've come to know and love." He winced inwardly at his choice of words.

Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "What else don't I know about you, Jack O'Neill?"

"Well, you might not know I can do this," and with those words he spun her around several times, then caught her and dipped her low, much lower than Thane. Immediately, he was reminded of another time he'd dipped her like that, a time she couldn't remember. A time that was one of his fondest memories.

He brought her up slowly, and she was still laughing as he pulled her closer. "No giggling, Major," he said in her ear, and that brought even more memories to the surface, but these they shared. She quieted and put her head on his shoulder, and he continued to guide her across the floor, slowly pulling her closer.

Suddenly, the song stopped and Jack and Sam looked around, surprised. All of the couples kissed, most quickly, though a few lingered. Jack glanced back at Sam, and she shrugged her shoulders. Apparently, this was part of the dance.

"Kiss her, Jack!" someone yelled. Then someone else took up the cry, and pretty soon several people were encouraging them to kiss, citing longstanding tradition and the threat of many years bad luck if they didn't follow through.

For his part, Jack just stared at Sam, who stared back, bemused. Finally, he spoke in a tone only she could hear. "We are supposed to be married." He gave her a small half-smile.

"Probably should make it convincing, then," she whispered in reply.

Jack cupped her cheek, his expression serious now, and Sam's heart began to race as he lifted her face to his. Sam heard the cheers and cat-calls as their lips met, but she was soon so overwhelmed by the kiss itself that all other distractions faded and were forgotten.

His touch was soft and tentative at first, and the thought that such a strong man could be so gentle sent a thrill right to her core. Her body responded of its own accord, her hand wandering up his bicep to the nape of his neck, her mouth opening ever so slightly. He reacted to her in kind, pressing her against him with a hand at the small of her back. He let his tongue slip past her lips, and she opened to him a little more. He immediately deepened the kiss, and suddenly his touch moved from gentle, past seductive, to downright passionate.

She was kissing Jack O'Neill! The man she had desperately wanted but who had been strictly off-limits for six long years. The thought thrilled her and terrified her all at the same time. She had often wondered if he felt the same way. But the way his lips and tongue were moving against hers left no doubt. He wanted her, too.

Things were just starting to spiral out of control when Jack suddenly broke the kiss. He pulled back but kept his arms around her. They were both breathing hard, and Sam's body was buzzing pleasantly. She looked up at him, and he leaned his forehead against hers. Somewhere in the background people were applauding.

"Convincing enough for you?" he murmured.

She smiled. "Oh yeah," she replied, still breathless.

Suddenly, Jack and Sam heard the sounds of screaming, then a staff blast. Everyone turned in the direction of the noise and a few gasped as several Jaffa approached. An obese man, dressed in ornate green robes, emerged from the center of the group. "Where are the strangers?" he yelled.

"Dagda," Thane whispered to Jack.

No one moved. Dagda gave a nod to the largest of the Jaffa, who grabbed a young boy standing nearby. Jack groaned when he realized it was Dax, one of Garrick's twins.

"You will come forward now, or I will kill the boy," Dagda exclaimed. As he raised his palm toward Dax, Jack saw a ribbon device fitted to his hand.

Jack stepped forward. "Wait! It's me you want."

Dagda approached the military man and laughed. "You? What would I want with you?" His eyes moved from Jack to the woman standing next to him. "Now this one," he said as he reached out and stroked Sam's cheek with his stubby fingers, "this one I want very much."

Jack growled. "Don't touch her, you fat fu...," but before he could finish his sentence, one of the other Jaffa stepped up and touched a pain stick to Jack's side. He dropped to his knees immediately.

"Stop it!" yelled Sam. Dagda gave a nod to the Jaffa with the pain stick, and he hit Jack again.

The Goa'uld grabbed Sam's arm. "You should save your strength, my dear." He placed his mouth right next to her ear, so close Sam could smell his putrid breath. "You're going to need it later," he whispered.

Dagda turned to face the crowd. "Do you see? I am a merciful god, but those who defy me will be punished!" He gave Sam's arm a tug. "Come, my dear. It's time to return to the castle, where you will service me gladly, lest I punish these others."

"My Lord, what of him?" asked Mar'tek, indicating Jack, who was still writhing in pain.

"Kill him," Dagda replied. At that, he touched his wrist, and with a flash of light, he and Sam were gone.