Chapter Ten Summary: Sam takes Char on her first real foray out into the Tau'ri world and Martouf, Daniel, and Teal'c go along with them.

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host communication

A Path Not Taken

Chapter Ten

Into the Larger World

"Well, what do you think, Char? Does this look alright?"

"I believe so, my Sam. I like the blue top with the blue jeans. The shoes are more comfortable than the boots, and they will be easier to take off, if we decide to try on some clothing."

"We are taking Martouf shopping, Char, not us."

"We need a new dress. If we are going to ask Malek out, then…"

"I haven't agreed to ask Malek out."

Char grinned at her. "Not yet, but you will. He is hot, and we are hor…"

"That's enough, Char. Not one more word. No. Close your thought transmission. Not one."

"Of course, Sam. But we are."

"Char, so help me." Sam smiled, as her symbiote pealed with laughter. Charesh was such an irrepressible being it was hard to stay angry with her. Most of the time she just ended up shaking her head at her antics and flights of fancy.

She sighed. The problem was, as she had told Janet a few days ago, she was afraid she would allow Char to talk her into doing unwise things. Like having an affaire with Malek. She closed her eyes remembering their conversation.

"Would that really be such a bad thing, Sam? He's good looking, he can be charming when he wants to be, he's dependable, and you wouldn't have to worry about either disease or pregnancy. You could use a good sexual affaire. You need a good sexual affaire."

"If the two of you could become friends and lovers, I think it would do you a world of good. I don't think you're looking for a great love right now. And, if he is, then he's not the one for you. However, if he is looking for someone that could be both friend and lover, someone that could part down the road and stay a close comfortable friend, then he might be just what your doctor ordered."

"I don't know, Janet. I've never gone in for one night stands. I've always had to care about the guy before I could hop into bed."

"I'm not suggesting you just hop into bed with him. I'm suggesting you get to know him and become friends. Sometimes friends can make really good lovers."

"Not the forever kind of lover, although that happens, too, but the, I need you tonight, kind of lover. The, I'll hold you tonight, kind of lover. The kind of lover that doesn't ask for more from you than you are willing to give because that's all he wants, too. Someone that will be there for you if they can, and someone that would need you to hold him once in a while, too. Someone to listen."

"I can guarantee you one thing, Sam. If I was in your position, and I had the chance, I'd jump on it and him. He really is pretty super looking, and he's nice and polite, too. I mean, how many times do you find a man that is both good looking and nice to be with? Not often that's how many." She had frowned adding, "He seems a little standoffish and cool, at first, but once he accepts you, he warms up. Or so it seemed to me."

"Yeah, he does at first. I mean, I've met him once or twice before, and he's always seemed that way to me, too. But, he seems to have decided he likes us. Maybe it's just because I have Char now, but to tell you the truth, the last time we were together, I had the impression that he was liking what he was hearing and, er, seeing." Sam had blushed at that and then scolded Char for not stopping it from happening. Char's response was her usual gurgle of laughter. She had ended up smiling back…yet again.

Seeing Janet eyeing her sternly she had given in saying, "Okay, okay, I'll give it some thought. I guess it couldn't hurt anything to ask him out. Just because I ask him doesn't mean I have to go to bed with him, right?"

Janet had grinned at her and answered much too swiftly, "Of course not. You're absolutely right."

Sam frowned in the mirror and reached for her shoulder bag. Pulling out her keys, she walked out and locked the door before heading for her car. "Charesh, do you remember the rules for today?"

"Yes, my Sam. The people of Earth do not know that we exist. Therefore, under no circumstances am I to come forward and make myself known. No glowing eyes or funny sounding voice. If I must speak I will do so only with your voice and without the glowing eyes."

"I will not ask any question that you tell me would be common knowledge on Earth. I will keep track, and you will answer all such questions later, or, if I prefer, I can sort through your memories until I find the answer. I believe that asking would be more informative as then I get viewpoint as well, but I will use whichever way seems most logical at the time."

"I will not pinch Martouf on the butt, or grab a handful of Daniel's buns no matter how tempting they are, and I will absolutely not make any mention of, or make contact with, any other male we happen to see regardless how hot I believe them to be. I can make my opinion known to you in the privacy of our minds only."

"Yes, thank you. I hope that will cover it. And that is assuming that Daniel is with us. He may not be there at all. They might just all meet us at O'Malley's later this evening."

"You know, Sam, if you would just allow me to experience sex once as something other than a tactile memory, I would probably be able to put it aside."

"Right, or go from a nymphomaniac to a raging nymphomaniac."

"You have no faith in me and my abilities."

"Let's survive the shopping trip, first, then I'll see if there is any faith left in me to be had."

Char smiled. "I am sure it will be boundless."

As she got into the drivers seat and started the car, Sam said, sadly, obviously jerking Char's chain this time, "I wish. I do so wish."

Martouf looked at his timekeeper, no, his clock, and frowned. It was much too early for Samantha to have arrived; however, someone was knocking on his door. Still drying his hair, and dressed only in a towel, he opened the door.

Daniel, hand raised to knock again, did a thorough sweep from his bare feet to his wet head, and grinned at him. "I take it you weren't expecting company?"

"Not at this exact time, Daniel. However, please, come in. If you will give me but a moment, I will dress and return to you." As Daniel and Teal'c entered the room, he turned back to the bathroom snagging his BDU pants and an undergarment on his way.

A few minutes later he emerged, hair combed, and his undergarment, pants, and a smile on. Walking to his dresser he rummaged around until he found a pair of socks, grabbed a shirt, and his boots. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he continued to dress as he spoke, "What may I do for you?"

Daniel shook his head. "Nothing at all, Martouf. We were wondering what you were doing today? Since you can't leave the base without one of us, we thought you might want to take a trip up top farther than the parking lot and the top of the mountain."

Martouf smiled. "That is indeed very kind of you, but Samantha is to come for me in a little less than an hour. She wishes to take me shopping, so that I may acquire more Tau- that is Earth, no, American clothing. She said something about calling you, O'Neill, and Teal'c and going to—it is a place to eat and drink."

"Yes, she mentioned it to me yesterday," Teal'c agreed. "I agreed to meet you there this evening. The name of the place we are going is O'Malley's. You will enjoy yourself." He paused and the other two looked at him expectantly. Teal'c did not often offer unsolicited comments.

"I am encouraged that she has made these arrangements with you, Martouf. None of us understood why Major Carter took this week off work. I believe we have been under a misapprehension about Major Carter's feelings about her blending. We all assumed that she was having trouble adjusting to her new circumstances. We were wrong."

As Teal'c seemed to have said all he was going to, Daniel took up where he had stopped, "Martouf, when Sam asked me to go with you guys tonight she asked me some pretty pointed questions about what people were saying about why she was on leave. She was really blunt with me when she talked to me on the phone."

"One of the reasons she's picking you up here at your room before we go to O'Malley's is because she wants to go to the commissary and other places around the base so that everyone can see that she isn't having a problem adjusting to the new me as she put it. I know you've been concerned about her having trouble adjusting, but I don't think she is. I think she's fine with it."

"She also told me, with permission to pass it on, that the reason she took the week off was so that Charesh could get used to being in an environment like earth slowly, with only Sam around that she had to interact with. It also gave them a week alone, with no one else around, to become better acquainted. They both wanted the time to become more accustomed to each other. Turns out that's all there was to it."

"I didn't realize she was coming to get you this morning and making an entire day of it, but I'm glad she's doing that. You need the clothes, and it proves she really isn't having a problem with the blending. So, did Sam tell you where you were going shopping?"

Martouf frowned. "A mall? Does that sound correct?"

"Yes, it does. What do you say, Teal'c? Should we go with?"

Teal'c gave it some serious thought. "I believe that would be an excellent idea. I am in need of a new hat."

Daniel grinned widely at his friend's comment and looked at the clock. Sam wouldn't mind he was sure. They always had fun if they went to the mall. They just goofed around and unwound. They could all use some together time after last week. Yup. Sounded like an excellent idea. He and Teal'c had dressed as if they would be taking Martouf out and then going to O'Malley's so it would work.

"Do you have a list, Martouf?"

Martouf turned to Daniel with a questioning look, "a list of what, Daniel?"

"A list of things you want to buy?" Daniel's eyes widened. "Did you get your finances taken care of? I know you talked to Jacob and the General about them."

Martouf frowned and his lips firmed. It was obvious that he was not happy about whatever had been decided. "Yes. I was informed," he stressed, "that as a member of SG-1, I would be drawing a stipend. We finally agreed on a lesser amount and an account was set up for me."

"I agreed to use it, only if they would exchange my gold for your money. It also was entered into the account, and I was given this," he handed a checkbook to Daniel, "and a plastic card with my name on it. I do not know what to do with them."

"It seems I have been given an identity. I was given this card, also with my name on it and was told to use it to identify myself if the need arose. My name is Martouf Lantash, and I am a consultant with the Air Force working in deep space radar telemetry. I am a classified person. That is all I know."

Daniel whistled silently. Whether at the amount in the checkbook, which had raised his eyebrows, or at the fact that Martouf was a classified person, they did not know. "Wow. Well, with this amount behind you, there won't be any problem buying clothes, so we should just get to writing up the list. You'll probably want to put this in your billfold."

A knock on the door interrupted them. Opening it, Martouf found a very casual, but sexy looking Samantha on the other side. "I hope I'm not too early?"

"Not at all. Please, come in."

"Thanks. Hey, Daniel, Teal'c. Are you guys coming shopping with us?"

"We thought we would if you don't mind, Sam. Teal'c," Daniel intoned seriously, "is in need of a new hat." Sam grinned at him.

"Nope, love to have you. It'll be that much more fun for Martouf if he has other guys with which to whine, complain, and commiserate. Besides, we'll need the extra hands to carry bags and stuff, so we don't have to make so many trips to the car. Hey, do you have your Jeep, Daniel? We'll take it. It can hold more than my car."

Seeing Daniel holding what looked to be a checkbook and credit card in his hand, she teased him, "Whatcha got in your hand, Daniel; you handing out credit cards?"

Knowing that Sam would probably take care of the finances until Martouf had learned how, he handed her the card. When she looked at it, her eyes widened, and she turned to look at Martouf just as he asked, "What is a billfold, Daniel?"

Sam answered, "It's something to carry your credit cards, ID cards, money, all of that kind of stuff in. It should be on your list of things to get today. I'll keep this for you for now. Do you have a checkbook, too? We might as well teach you how to use both."

"What is this list of which both you and Daniel speak? I do not know it."

"Sit down at the table, Martouf. Get pen and paper, Daniel," Sam took over. "Do you want to try to write it in English, Martouf? It would be good experience, and it would be simple."

"Yes, I will try it."

"Okay, well, I'll run through it really fast the first time before we write it down so that you'll have an idea of what will be coming. Let's see: billfold, tennis shoes, dress and casual socks, tee-shirts, dress and casual shirts, casual and dress pants, belts, suit with vest, sports jacket, fall jacket, sweaters, swimming trunks, shoes, boots, hats, gloves, scarves, windbreaker, shorts, colored and white briefs, boxers, silk and flannel pajamas, sweat suits, sweat shirts, gym shorts, denim and flannel shirts, jeans, and a winter coat. How's that for a small start?"

Sam smiled at the faces looking at her with identical appalled and dazed looks on them. Laughing, she took the pen and paper from Martouf's unresisting fingers.

"Okay, I can see that is too much for one day. Let's see if we can whittle it down and still get the basics and leave the extraneous stuff for next time. Billfold, belt, shoes, socks, shirts, pants, jackets/coat, briefs, shorts, suit, boxers, pj's, sweat suit, gym shorts, jeans, and denim shirts. There. What do you guys think? Is this a little better?"

"Well, yeah, Sam, it's only about a third as long; of course, it's better."

"Oh, I forgot hats and gloves, and with it getting colder he'll need them now that he doesn't have Lantash to warm him. You should definitely add it to the list, Martouf."

"All right." It took him little time to add the two items to the list and as he finished he remarked, "Daniel is correct, Samantha, that is a much more manageable list."

Sam smiled. "My Sam, how wicked of you. They do not even realize that all you have done is leave out a few key words and that other than that it is the same list."

"When faced with a list like the first one, men panic. If I'd given them the second one first, they still would have groaned. By giving them the first one and scaring them before "giving in" and shortening it, then giving them the second one, they now look on the second one as a pleasant reprieve. It's called understanding the male of the species."

"I see. You will teach me much, my Sam. I am looking forward to it."

"Me too, Char, me too."

"So, Martouf, do you have your other cards? Your new military ID card and your room card?"

Martouf walked to his dresser and picked them up handing them to Sam to add to his other possessions. He was not sure how to feel about her holding his belongings, but for the moment, he supposed it was the most sensible arrangement. Moreover, he realized that he needed help until he became more accustomed to Earth and Earth ways.

Sam finished putting the cards and checkbook in her shoulder bag and looked back at the three men. She smiled brightly at them saying, "I've already made the rounds of the cafeteria and other places and introduced Char around, so I'm ready to go whenever you guys are."

Martouf looked at the other two men, and they all looked back at her. "I do not believe we have any reason to remain here longer. We are ready to accompany you," Teal'c finally answered for all of them.

Opening the door, she stepped out. This would be Martouf's first real venture out into the world of the Tau'ri. She knew that he had spent the entire week of their down time studying almost constantly with Daniel, trying to understand Earth and North American culture.

Daniel had told her that he was doing extremely well, but that there were some things that he was simply going to have to see to understand. The sheer numbers of people on Earth was one of them. He could not comprehend that many people on one world.

And he had no idea of automobiles. Many things he simply had no way to understand. He had seen them on the TV. He would still, no doubt, be shocked to get into one. They had not mentioned to him that he would be riding in one today not wanting to make him nervous. Daniel was pretty sure that the mall was going to be a very interesting place for him, too.

After leaving the first bank of elevators they walked to the desk to sign out and Martouf looked at the page blankly. "What am I to do, Daniel?"

Daniel turned around from where he and Sam had been talking quietly and realized that they would all have to be aware of Martouf at all times. Every time they brought him topside, one of them had checked him out and in. This was his first time of signing for himself. They were basically back to the first times they were off the base with Teal'c. They needed to remember to be with and aware of him every minute.

"Sorry, Martouf, I forgot I've been doing that for you all week. Any time we come in or go out of here we have to sign. It's a record so that at any one time if there's an emergency they know exactly who is down in the mountain after this floor. Same thing up top. They keep a record too. That way, in an emergency they can tell, by comparing the two lists, who should be on the other floors as well."

"I see. So I am to write Martouf?"

"Ah, Martouf Lantash. Your entire name."

"Of course. I forgot. Thank you for reminding me." So, for the first time, Martouf officially wrote his new name for a purpose other than practice. He did well, but it still seemed a little awkward to him.

As they entered the elevator that would take them on to the top, Daniel assured him, "We'll practice a little more before we go into the store if you feel the need. You'll have to use it today every time you use your card. So that in itself will be good practice, don't you think so, Sam?"

"Yes, but I'm sure you have paper and pen in the Jeep, and we've got plenty of time. If he wants to, we'll sit in the Jeep and sign it enough he is comfortable with it before we go into the stores. It looks like you've already practiced it though. It looked fine to me. Actually, he already has a very elegant hand."

Daniel nodded and smiled at her, replying, "Yes, I thought he did have, too. You don't see that a lot anymore with computers so prevalent. However, I didn't expect to be doing anything like this, or I would have had him do it more. Still, he's a very fast study, so I don't think there will be a problem. He's also very good with the computer's as well, Sam. I think you should take over teaching him about them, because he's pretty much maxed out my limited abilities with them."

Sam turned to Martouf, asking him, "What do you think, Martouf? Are you interested in learning more about the computer systems and, if so, do you want to switch to me for that?"

Martouf smiled, almost shyly, "I would appreciate that very much, Samantha, if you would not mind doing so. It will lessen the amount of work on Daniel as well, which would make me feel better, also. I feel as if I am taking all of his free time as it is."

"I'm not doing anything I don't want to be doing, Martouf. To tell you the truth, I've enjoyed spending this past week with you, going over things and helping you to understand us better. If Sam wasn't so much better at it, I wouldn't give you up to her, but she really is much more knowledgeable when it comes to computers and such things. You've learned everything so fast that you've learned all you can from me when it comes to them, I'm afraid."

Martouf grinned at him, enjoying the feelings of friendship and nodded his agreement. "In that case, I would be delighted to begin lessons with her whenever she wishes, and I thank you for being such a good teacher. You have made everything very enjoyable to learn, Daniel, and that always makes accumulating knowledge more pleasant."

Daniel smiled back at him. He honestly had enjoyed the entire week with him and he would miss it when the time came for him to stop helping him. Sam sent him a smile and said, "We'll start Monday whenever you like. We don't have a mission for a few more days."

Martouf nodded his agreement. After signing out up top, an exercise he felt more comfortable with now that he knew what was expected of him, they stepped out into the Colorado sunshine and began to walk toward the parking lot.

A small animal scurried across in front of them and Martouf recited, "Squirrel, small rodent, edible. Eats nuts and berries. Is non aggressive, but will bite. Can carry rabies a disease that is fatal. Can entail a series of painful shots that can be necessary to prevent it, therefore, is it recommended that one does not attempt to feed them unless one does it by throwing the food onto the ground. Cute and fun to watch."

"Very good, Martouf. I didn't think you were getting much out of the recognizing dangerous and non-dangerous animals part. Evidently, I was wrong. Maybe you just looked bored." Daniel laughed at the sheepish look on Martouf's face.

"It was only the one day, Daniel. We started it right after I had eaten, and for some reason, I kept falling asleep."

"Yeah, I know. I did, too. I napped along with you actually and just happened to wake up a couple of minutes before you." Daniel grinned so widely at him that Martouf found himself grinning back and finding that he was enjoying the teasing.

He was fitting in better than he thought he would. The people that lived on base were helpful and had gone out of their way to explain things like DVD's and movies. One person, a very nice, charming, and comely young woman, he believed her name was Cynthia, but she was called Cindy, had even come to his room and hooked up a DVD player and showed him how to use it the night they returned from saving Samantha.

She had also taken him to the base video outlet and showed him how to check DVD's out as well as teaching him how the player worked. He had watched several and found them entertaining now that he had figured out the premise. Once Teal'c realized what he was doing, they began sharing their evening pastime. They had done so for the last three nights.

Teal'c reached out and laid his hand on his arm, stopping him. He looked at him in puzzlement for a moment and then realized that Daniel and Sam had moved to the other side of something that looked very much like the things in the movies he watched that were constantly being crushed and smashed.

Teal'c opened the door and motioned him in. Martouf looked at the open door and then at Teal'c. He looked back and realized that Daniel and Sam were entering and buckling belts across themselves. He again looked at Teal'c as he stood patiently waiting. Taking a breath he stepped into the, according to the information on the side of the transport vessel, Jeep.

"This is your seat belt. You must wear it in case we are in an accident. You will be less likely to be hurt. It snaps into that piece over there and you adjust it to fit you like this." After showing him and snapping it into place this first time, Teal'c climbed into the back with Sam.

Martouf heard his belt click. He was in the front of this transport vessel. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Daniel?"

Daniel looked up and frowned. "What's that, Martouf?"

"Being in one of these vessels, is it a wise idea? They are often run over by larger vessels, are they not?"

"Well, it happens, but not terribly often. I think these tend to roll over more than they get run over. Everybody ready? Okay."

Martouf kept his eyes glued to the scene out the front of the vehicle. When it began to go backwards, he grabbed the edge of the seat but refused to give in and close his eyes. What were they doing?

He looked at Daniel and saw that he was watching behind them as he continued to go backwards. Evidently, he backed as far as he wanted to because he moved a stick that was in the console, and they began to go forward. Martouf relaxed marginally. Since Daniel sat relaxed and obviously unconcerned, Martouf relaxed a little more.

He began to listen to what was going on around him. There was music playing, and he followed the sound and found it coming out of a place in the transport.

Seeing what he was doing, Daniel explained, "It's coming out of a speaker, Martouf. This is the radio. It has a CD/DVD player as well."

"I see."

That mystery solved, he continued to listen and heard Teal'c and Samantha talking behind him in their seats. Turning, he could see that unlike his and Daniel's seats, which were separate, theirs spread across the entire center of the transport. However, the seat looked as if it was cut near Samantha. He was not sure why. He also noticed that there were handles up above both her door and Teal'c's. He glanced up above his. There was one there also. Daniel did not have one.

He was not sure what they were for, but as he stared at the one above Samantha, Daniel went around a curve. Without stopping what she was saying to Teal'c, Samantha reached up and grabbed a hold of the handle. She continued to hold it for a while but her clasp was loose and it was obviously an unconscious, automatic reaction.

Evidentially, they used this form of transport a great deal. None of them seemed the least bit worried that a larger vehicle would run over them. In which case, perhaps he should not be concerned about it, either.

Relaxing even more, he reached up and grabbed the handle as Daniel rounded a corner that would throw him toward the other side of the transport vessel. It worked quite well.

He continued to investigate the interior and after anther complete perusal, he glanced up and out the front window. His eyes widened. They were coming up behind a very large transport. Much larger than theirs.

He kept his lips firmly sealed as they sped toward it, nor did he allow himself to gasp, as Daniel swung out at what appeared to be the last moment and went around it. Now it was behind them. This was where it simply ran over them. He turned to look behind them. It continued to fall farther behind. He frowned, trying to puzzle this out.

Teal'c leaned forward and said quietly, under the noise of the radio as well as Daniel talking to Sam. "It is called fiction because it is not real, Martouf, if you will remember."

"Certainly, there are times when there really are vehicles that get into accidents, and the police chase criminals, but the majority of the time these things do not happen. Do not expect them to happen at any moment. Daniel Jackson is a very good driver. He will drive defensively."

"I did not realize until just now, as we passed the semi-truck, that you were thinking of the movie we watched last evening. Put that out of your mind. It was purely fantasy. This," he nodded toward the busy streets they had entered now that they were down off the mountain, "is the reality."

Martouf clasped the hand that was on his shoulder. "Thank you, Teal'c. I must admit, I wondered how you could all be so calm, if we could be run down by some larger transport at any moment, and had decided that it would not happen until I saw that larger one. That, I am afraid, gave me qualms."

Teal'c smiled. "I understand. I, too, had some very odd ideas in my head the first several times we ventured forth onto the Tau'ri world. The first time, I was watching some riots on the news right before we left. I could not understand why they believed we would not need our weapons. I felt very insecure without my staff weapon with me. You will adjust, but it will take time."

Martouf smiled back at him. "Thank you, Teal'c. I am sure you are correct." Leaning back in his seat, he began to once again watch out the front of the vehicle. There were other vehicles everywhere on the roads. Daniel drove as if it was nothing out of the ordinary, competently and flawlessly.

Martouf watched as the lights turned from red to green and back again. He remembered Daniel explaining about them and how they worked to regulate traffic flow. The Tau'ri world was different from any the Tok'Ra or, he was sure, the Goa'uld, had ever encountered. That there were so many people existing here was a shock. Not that there were not other highly populated worlds. There were. Nevertheless, few could boast the amount of people that this world could, of that he was sure. Daniel had told him that their town was not really large at all compared to their cities where literally millions of people resided.

He did not think that the Tok'Ra truly understood. There was no doubt that they could not comprehend the sheer numbers of people populating this world.

When the Tau'ri had closed the Chaappa'ai to Ra, they had truly thrived and advanced. Perhaps they did not have the technology that the Tok'Ra or the Goa'uld had, but the advances they had made on their own without outside help were astonishing. He did not really believe that the Tok'Ra truly understood that concept yet.

The Tau'ri could not simply tell this many people that there were alien beings in the stars and some of them were hostile. There would be world-wide chaos and panic. Certainly some would be enthralled and enthusiastic, ready to head out to explore that universe, but so many others would be horrified and terrified.

What a burden this country, and any others that were in on the secret, and their militaries, their governments, had taken on in attempting to protect this world.

He looked around him fascinated by everything. Lantash would enjoy this immensely when he came here. He would be asking questions, absorbing all that he saw, learning and cataloguing customs and impressions, sights and sounds, until he had a good cross section of the area, the people, and the culture.

Martouf was surprised when the Jeep stopped and Daniel turned it off. His look questioned him as to why they were stopping at this place. "We're here, Martouf. That," Daniel said, as he nodded toward a huge two story building, "is the mall. Come on. We may as well get started. Oh, did you want to practice your name first?"

"I do not believe it will be necessary to do so, but thank you, Daniel, for remembering that I might wish to do so."

Daniel nodded before reaching over and showing him where to push to get the belt off. It had been un-needed this time. Martouf was not foolish enough to think that was always the case. He now realized that there were probably accidents all the time. Some bad, and some minor. The number of transports on the roads almost made that a given. But, it was not as he had seen in the movie he and Teal'c had watched. It would take him a while to be completely relaxed in one of them, but he could now get into one without his heartbeat accelerating.

Climbing out, he looked down as Sam took his arm in hers and guided him toward a door in the side of the building. He was going 'shopping SG-1 style'.

"I suggest a billfold, and the jeans, shirts and some type of shoes first so that he can get comfortable. What do you guys say?"

"Yup, I agree, Sam. This way for that stuff."

"I've forgotten what size uniform pants you wear, Martouf. Do you remember?" Sam asked, as they headed toward what looked like a sea of blue in the back of one shop."

"Do you mean the number? It is thirty-four, thirty-four. My shirts are sixteen to sixteen and a half. My boots are nine and a half D." He frowned. "I do not remember any other number; although, I believe there was one for my hat. I cannot remember it, however."

"That's alright; a hat is easy enough to figure out." Sam answered Martouf's comment and then went into soldier mode. "Daniel, check out the casual pants, you know the size. Main colors. Teal'c, you check out some of the shirts. You're pretty good with color, too, so you'll know which colors will look good on him, but coordinate with Daniel on the pants colors. I'll start with the jeans."

Both men nodded and headed off in different directions. Martouf followed obediently behind Samantha and simply held everything she handed to him.

After no more than twenty to thirty minutes, she led him toward a door in the side of the wall. He was not sure, since his ability to read English lagged his ability to speak it, but he thought it said fitting room. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he followed her anyway, trusting her to know what she was doing.

Sam stopped a woman and held a low voiced conversation with her. They both kept looking at him until he began to feel uncomfortable. "Is there a large fitting room? He's going to need a lot of things. There will be two more gentlemen coming with things for him. One will have shirts and one will have casual pants."

Seeing commission dollar signs she led Sam to a larger room off to one side and ushered them in. Sam hung up the pants and turned to Martouf. "Okay. Strip down to your underwear and start trying these on."

"I'll wait outside. If you try them on and they aren't comfortable just lay them and their hangar aside. When you come to a pair that are comfortable and you like the way they look, then come show me and bring the ones you don't like and their hangars to me at the same time."

Martouf looked at the pants and nodded. He could do this. It was simple. Sam smiled at the slightly lost look on his face and, while he was watching, she took the first pair off the hangar it was on, handed it to him, shook her head, and turned her back with a sigh. "Okay, never mind. I'll be right here if you have a problem."

She heard his zipper and said, "You should take your boots off first. It works much better that way."

"Oh. Oh, of course. Thank you." It was not much later that she heard the first pair being pulled up and zipped, but nothing was said.

"Do you like them, Martouf?"

"I am not sure what they should look and feel like, Samantha. If they are supposed to look like yours, then no they do not fit right."

"No, they should not look and fit like mine," Sam answered as she turned and looked at him. "Turn around." She reached out and ran her fingers around the waistband and then grabbed the material at the back of his thigh checking for tightness, before running her hand down his leg and checking the length.

Turning him again, she brushed down the front. "They look super. These are just your regular basic boot cut jeans. Very tough, they'll wear for a good long time. If they are comfortable and you like them, you should get, at the least, a couple of pair, maybe more than that. They'll probably end up being some of your favorites.

Nodding toward the chair, he asked, "Should I sit?"

Sam nodded, "Wouldn't hurt. Go ahead."

"You know, my Sam, we should, perhaps, forget Malek and Daniel and take Martouf to our bed. He is quite well formed and the way he fills the front of his jeans should be made illegal, or he should come with a warning label. Caution, may be hazardous to your libido."

Sam groaned, before she sighed, saying, "Char, go back to sleep."

"I just woke up. About the time you were feeling his loins. I was quite thrilled even though you did not linger long enough to get any real reaction."

"Char, please. Don't do this; not now. We have to get through this shopping trip."

"If I become dormant and allow you the rest of the shopping trip without commenting on his luscious body, will you let me have something that I want?" Char bargained slyly and unashamedly.

"It depends on what it is."

"I wish to ask Daniel to kiss me."

"You want to ask him to kiss you? Daniel?"

"Yes. Furthermore, if he agrees you must allow him to. What is more, if it goes beyond that, you must allow that as well. I know you would not really object as you find Daniel quite handsome and sexy."

"He's my teammate, Char; it won't go beyond that; I'm pretty sure I know what his response will be."

"Then you will not mind if I ask him to have sex with me so that I can see what it is really like? You believe he will refuse because it is your body?"

"Char, there is no way that Daniel would agree to go to bed with you so that you could experience sex."

"Then I shall ask him, and, therefore, I shall bother you no more today. I promise you. No more talk of sex, body parts, or anything else like that."

Sam smiled at her, confident in what she believed Daniel's response would be. "Oh, all right."

"Samantha? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong. I was, ah, talking to myself."

Martouf chuckled at her words. "I know how that can be. I used to do it all the time. I will be glad when I begin to talk to myself again."

Sam grinned. "Yes, I am sure you will. Enough of that, though. We are on a mission here. How do those feel now that you've had them on for a bit?"

"I like them. They seem quite comfortable, except that they are a little stiff. Are they all like that? Is there anything one can do to soften them up? Yours look much softer than these do. I am used to the softness of the Tok'Ra leggings, I am afraid and the BDU pants, although not exactly soft, are not exactly stiff either."

Sam nodded. "That stiffness will go away after they're washed a few times. You see the ones I have on? There're about three years old now, but when I bought them they were the color of those. Jeans do soften and fade over time."

"I believe that we could help him with any stiffness he might have, my Sam," Char whispered insinuatingly in her Sam's mind.

"Char! Not now. You gave your word," Sam moaned as the mental pictures filled her mind.

"Your mind is in the gutter. I simply meant we would wash his jeans for him," Char replied primly.

"The mental image you sent to me had no washing machine in it, Char."

"All right, how about this then?"

Sam almost gasped aloud at the picture of how they could use said washing machine that Char sent her way, along with a gurgle of laughter and a quick, "I believe I will sleep now. Bye."

"Char!"

Catching her breath, Sam was almost afraid to look Martouf in the face. She steeled herself to do so, only to see him looking at her somewhat quizzically, before stating, "Three years and you are still wearing them? You do not do a lot of heavy work in them, then."

"Well, actually I do use them quite a bit, yeah. I wear these sometimes on my bike, if I don't want to wear my leather, and I wear them hiking a lot, so they get a workout on the rocks and trails. They're getting thin in places, though, so I'll probably make cut-offs out of them before long."

He looked at them with more respect. "I see." Then his brow creased, and he asked, "What are cut-offs?"

"Oh, well, when the knee area gives out, you can cut the leg parts off and wear them as shorts, er, very short pants. That's why we call them cut-offs." She motioned with her hands, as she explained where the legs would be cut off. "Cut-offs and shorts are worn in the summer, when it's hot outside. They're cooler than long pants. Men wear them, too, but since your jeans will all be new, we'll buy you a couple of pairs to get you started."

Now that Char was quiet, Sam relaxed and grinned at him. "We have a long way to go yet. Let's go on to the next pair. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be finished."

Martouf nodded and as Sam turned her back once more, he began the process all over again. There was much more to be done, if they were to make their way through his 'list'. This was just the beginning.

Sam leaned against another wall, in another cubicle, in yet another store, and closed her eyes. "You need to pick out a shirt, Martouf, and then we'll be ready for the final part of this great adventure." She smiled but kept her eyes closed. She had discovered several hours earlier that it was better for her heart and her libido if she did not peek. Peeking caused her heart to pound and her mouth to dry out.

It also caused a very feisty symbiote, who had managed to acquire an extensive vocabulary, to come forward and describe in detail what she would like to do with the luscious body in front of her. Therefore, she kept her eyes firmly shut no matter how badly she wanted to open them.

"I believe I am dressed, Samantha, you may open your eyes; I will not shock you."

Sam opened them but she was still shocked. He had chosen a pair of black jeans to wear during their evening out, earlier in the day. Later, while Sam and Daniel were engrossed in a book in a bookstore, Teal'c had spirited him away.

Thirty minutes later, they had returned. Martouf had changed his shoes for the fifth time. It seemed that, where Teal'c's earth fetish, (born from necessity, but continued through desire,) was hats, Martouf's was turning out to be footwear. He had already worn; a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of hiking boots, a pair of black dress shoes, and a pair of brown loafers. He now had on cowboy boots. Black to go with the jeans he planned to wear tonight at O'Malley's. Now, they were deciding on a shirt to go with them.

Sam was gone for a while from the dressing room, when she had finally given into her 'dormant' symbiote's images of new dresses, and taken her shopping.

She had to admit that Char had excellent taste in clothes and colors. The dress screamed understated sexuality and made promises that Sam was not sure she would be able to carry out. The shirts Char had talked her into looked exceptionally good on them, as well.

While she was gone, Daniel had taken her place in the cubicle with Martouf. Evidently, during her absence, there were one or two decisions made of which she was unaware, and she was being given a preview of their choices, now. Martouf wanted her opinion before he made a final decision. She couldn't fault their judgment.

Martouf now wore black boots, black jeans, and a dress shirt of a softly gleaming material. It was not shiny or slick, but it had a pearl-like luster to it. It was a tailored western-cut shirt, very form fitted, narrowing toward his waist and hips. It was black and gray with pearl snaps.

It brought out the silvery lights in his blue-gray eyes. He was, in a word, gorgeous. "Wow, Martouf, now that is one great outfit. You have a good eye. Maybe I'll take you shopping with me the next time I go and let you coordinate for me. Very hot. You'll have women all over you at O'Malley's tonight."

Martouf blushed. "You think this will be suitable for our outing this evening, then? Daniel assured me that it would be, but I am glad that you concur."

Sam stared at him. Didn't the man have any idea of how appealing he was? She smiled at him again. "Trust me on this, Martouf. Like I said, you look very, very hot in that. It's perfect."

Except for your libido, her mind screamed at her. It's playing havoc with that. She caught her breath. Friends. They were friends. Friends complimented friends. Yes, that was all it was. She was reassuring him, one friend to another. She started to breathe again, even as his smile made her toes curl. It was going to be a long night.

TBC