Rating: FR-M (violence)
Spoilers: Abyss, Reckoning pt2, Ex Deus Machina
Summary: PART 10: She loved the stars, had dreamed of them since she was young, and he ruled them, held them in the palm of his hand. (Sam/Baal)
Author Notes: Sam/Baal pairing. I took the premise of Ba'al being on Earth from Ex Deus Machina and my muse is responsible for the rest. You have been forewarned about the pairing, too, so do not shout at me! (Hides under bed.)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Dedication: For Sarah and Gavin, dear friends departed, who will never be forgotten
Dichotomy pt10
Copyright (c) January 2007, Ruth
Author Note: This is intended to be read alongside Breaking Benjamin, "Until the End," however these have been removed due to new guidelines regarding song lyrics. Sorry if the story seems a little jumpy without them. Ruthie, 01-19-08.
O
When Sam opened her eyes, she was certain that she was dead.
Her memory of the torture was patchy, at best, but she was confident that she wouldn't have survived. In all of the times she had suffered at the hands of a Goa'uld, alongside her friends, she couldn't remember such agony, so deep and fire-hot that it seemed to burn her to her very soul. She knew why he had done it - she could appreciate his motivation. She even appreciated the act, in a remote way - if indeed she was dead, as she currently thought.
But was she? Something burned at the back of her mind, a bright light that seemed to explode in her eyes as she forced them open. She was indeed surrounded by light, but not of the heavenly variety. A groan escaped her lips.
A sarcophagus.
O
He should have felt exalted.
Power, brute strength had radiated from the very core of him as he held the broken body of his rival in his arms, waiting for the moment of revenge that his symbiote had so relentlessly demanded. But he didn't. Instead, he felt.. He slammed his fist on the control panel impatiently; he didn't know what he felt, and he hated it.
He cast a furtive glance back at the sarcophagus, his mind returning inevitably to its occupant. She would be the end of him, of that, he was now certain. Surely, they could no longer continue to inhabit the same universe and remain whole within it - they were, though a part of him was loath to use the term, in love, but they were bound by a far deeper animosity between their two races, a relationship doomed to failure.
If his ancestors could see him now, he smiled ruefully; they would have him put to death on the spot. The price of betraying the Goa'uld - that was, he supposed, more or less what he was doing, in consorting with the enemy - could be nothing but death. It was a question of betrayal, either way: betrayal of his ancestry, his race, or his heart. It was proving to be a far harder decision than he had ever imagined.
O
A blast of warm air rushed across her face as the doors to the sarcophagus slid open. Warily, Sam pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing at the charred hole in her jacket, simultaneously relieved that her jacket was now the only thing to show the mark of her torture. She looked around her, and bit back a cry of surprise as she saw Ba'al sitting, with his back to her, just a few feet away.
She was about to call out to him when his voice cut across the silence between them.
"You force me to harm you."
Rather than the smirk, the arrogance she was expecting, his voice almost seemed tinged with regret. This wasn't something she was entirely prepared for, a concerned system lord? Particularly this concerned system lord.
"I guess I did," she agreed, lifting herself fully out of the sarcophagus, wobbling a little on unsteady legs as her feet touched the hard floor.
He turned to face her, with an impassive expression that did not quite reach his eyes. There, she saw something else entirely, a depth of feeling far greater than words could express. She sat back down again, roughly, on the edge of the sarcophagus.
"This will never work, Samantha," he said softly, certainly with regret this time. "We are..."
"From two different worlds," she finished, "Enemies," hating the word as it grated in her mouth.
"Adversaries," he smirked, "I feel the term 'enemy' might be a little strong in this context."
He rose from where he had been seated, with a regal air, on his throne and moved gracefully towards her, extending his hand to her. She looked at it warily, a sudden flashback to the pain stick, searing her flesh as it was pressed, mercilessly, on her, occupying her thoughts. He saw the discomfort flash across her face and dropped his hand, instead beckoning to her to follow him. It was only natural that the fragile trust existing between them would have been broken by this latest encounter.
He led her over to the window and for a while, the two looked out at the stars together, without a word passed between them. She loved the stars, had dreamed of them since she was young, and he ruled them, held them in the palm of his hand.
It was surely fate that had brought them together, and reason that would tear them apart.
O
"The enormity of it," he smiled sadly, "You would not think that two lives could be so significant within it as to tear its foundations apart. To destroy it, even."
"I don't understand," she replied, looking from the stars to his face, before returning to the vast universe before her once more.
"No," he smiled, "You are still so young, Tau'ri. You have much to learn."
Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms, glaring at him.
"I see."
He laughed softly, bringing his hand to her face to cup her cheek, gently brushing his thumb across the smooth skin.
"I meant no offence, Samantha. Your race has always been... passionate in self-defence."
Sadly, then, he drew her to his breast and held her there, smoothing a hand through her hair, knowing that this could not be. They remained there, together, for a long time, watching the universe go on around them, totally indifferent to their being there, and yet at the same time, totally hostile towards them.
His hand found hers, and their fingers linked as they looked at one another, choked. Their last night, gazing out at the stars. It could not be. He opened his mouth to speak, but before a word could be uttered the two were knocked from their reverie by a loud crash. The ship rocked beneath their feet, and the control panels sparked. A warning alarm began to ring as the ship's defences were compromised. Then, another blast, seemingly greater than the first, which threw them both to the floor.
"We're under attack."
O
To Be Continued...