NOTE from the Phoenix: This is not the last chapter even though it could be an 'ending of sorts.
Chapter Twelve
"Oh great...I'm dead."
"Again? How many times is that?"
"I've lost count." Daniel smiled.
"Now what?"
"I don't know, I'll ask." Daniel turned back to Ezra. 'Ezra, I'm not sure I can let you take a risk like this for me. Jhan is going to be furious.'
'No, he was going to kill you anyway. There is no doubt in my mind about that."
'Why kill me now?'
'You are causing more trouble than you are solving.'
'Sounds like something Jack would say to me.' Daniel muttered. 'What about Janet? Is Jhan going to take her as his now that he thinks I'm dead.'
'Yes.' Ezra answered simply.
'Ezra, I can't let that happen.'
'Why not? She will be allowed to live here. No one will ever even suspect that I am allowing a male to live among us. You can both live your lives out in safety.'
'Safety? What's to keep him from raping her?'
''Raping'? I don't understand.'
'It means to force someone to have sex.'
'Oh, well, that's the price all women pay.'
'Ezra, that's not acceptable.'
'Why not? Jhan has four females, and he is a very busy man. I doubt that Janet will have to submit to him more than once or twice a month.'
Daniel reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh.
"Daniel?" Janet asked concerned. "What are you doing?"
"Trying my hardest to respect another person's culture."
"I 'belong' to Jhan now, don't I?"
"No...well, yes, but there is no way I'm letting that happen."
"What are our options?" Janet asked seriously. "We can't refuse Ezra's help on this, if she doesn't tell Jhan you're dead I get the feeling that Jhan is close to killing you himself anyway. Tao certainly is doing everything he can to get us both executed. If this is the only way..."
"Janet I know you're trying to be brave, but even if you think you could handle it...I can't. We have to get back to the Gate."
"Does Ezra know where it is?"
'Ezra?' Daniel asked. 'Do you know where the Great Ring is?'
'No woman is allowed to know that.'
"She doesn't know." Daniel sighed.
'Daniel, if you do not accept my offer to tell Jhan that you are dead he will kill you and Janet will still be his,' Ezra said coldly 'only she will also be alone in a world that does not understand her strange words. You need to put your pride aside.'
'Ezra, this has nothing to do with my pride.' Daniel assured her. 'Where Janet and I come from being forced into sex is a traumatic event, it is so abhorred that it is a crime.'
'Really?' Ezra asked in true surprise.
'I can't stand by and condemn her to a life of repetitive abuse. It will drive us both insane.'
'You are strange creatures.' Ezra smiled. 'There is one other solution.'
'What is it?'
'Come with me to Jhan, tell him that you are gifting Janet to me.'
'That's perfect, she can stay here with you then?'
'Yes, but there is one catch.'
'What is it?'
'Such an act will infuriate Jhan.' Ezra informed. 'Janet will be safe, but Jhan will kill you.'
'Can you promise me that no one will ever touch her against her will?'
'I can.'
'Then take me to Jhan now.' Daniel said without hesitation.
'You would actually give your life for her?'
'Yes.'
'And you've never forced her into sex?'
'We've never even had sex.'
Ezra stared at Daniel for a moment, looking as though she was trying to read his mind. She looked skeptical and was waiting for him to change his mind about being lead to his death. However, Daniel stayed his ground, having meant everything he said. He knew that Janet would protest, but in the long run she'd be able to build a new life for herself here. It would also provide the women with medical aid that they were probably in desperate need of.
'Council,' Ezra called 'please enter.'
Daniel turned as he heard several people entering the tent. Clearly they had been right outside and listening in to every word. They walked up to Ezra, and then the group of six women moved over to the far corner of the tent to talk quietly among themselves. Janet took Daniel's hand protectively.
"Daniel, I hate to keep asking this...but what is going on?"
"I'm not really sure." Daniel admitted.
The women did not discuss matters for long before they each nodded in turn. Ezra smiled brightly and walked back over to Daniel and Janet. She looked at them each in turn and gave them a shallow bow.
'It is decided, Daniel, you may stay.'
'Stay? I don't understand.'
'Bringing a wolf into our fold was not a decision I could make on my own. You needed to convince the others that they and their daughters would be safe.'
'What about Janet and Jhan?'
'I lied to you. Whoever kills a man for righteous reasons automatically earns their females. Janet already belongs to me...but I may allow you to borrow her.' Ezra chuckled. 'You must understand, Daniel, we've never seen anyone like you, it is not something that is easy for us to believe. However, we have all witnessed your willingness to sacrifice, and we have unanimously agreed to grant you both sanctuary.'
'You seem to have a wonderful democracy here.' Daniel smiled.
'I do not know that word.'
'It means that no one person makes the decisions.'
'We do not live our lives the way the men do. We have fought hard to gain the freedom that we have. The men are never allowed here, most of the women only leave to perform for their owners. Even then if a man overly mistreats his female he will lose his rights to her, and he must prove himself to begin with.'
'It's a very unusual system.'
'It has worked for hundreds of years.' Ezra shrugged. 'We provide them what they need and they provide us with food and protection, however, we do not mix socially.'
'Then I am honored to be here.'
"Daniel," Janet interrupted "you do realize I have no idea what you two are talking about, right?"
"Sorry," Daniel turned and kissed Janet's cheek "everything about Jhan was a test of me, apparently Ezra owns you now that I'm 'dead'. She had to make sure that she wanted me to stay."
"I could have told them that they're safe with you." Janet smiled.
"We need to work on your language skills. It's starting to look like we may be here for a while."
"Then we'd better not let you die from an infection. Can you ask Ezra if we can go to the spring?"
'Ezra, Janet thinks I need a bath.'
'I agree with her.' Ezra teased. 'You will find that there are trees marked with red ribbons, never go past these they are the boundary of our world. You must also never travel the path towards the male camp, you may be spotted. Beyond those two limitations you are free to go anywhere. Our medical tent is currently unoccupied, you two may sleep there until something more permeant can be arranged.'
'Do you have anyone skilled in medicine here?'
'We do now.'
A look of pure defiance and pride slipped across Ezra's features. It was clear that she enjoyed beating Jhan at his own game. Although Daniel still wasn't completely secure in the idea that her idea was going to work, at least for now it was a worth while risk.
Ezra dismissed them and Janet lead Daniel down to the crystal water pool. She knelt down next to the collection of glass bottles and started picking through them. Daniel stepped up behind her. Reaching down he lifted her up like he was going to carry her over a threshold.
"Daniel!" Janet yelped in surprise.
"You didn't expect me to take a bath alone did you?" Daniel teased.
Janet chuckled and peacefully allowed Daniel to carry her into the water. It had been months since either one of them had had a chance to truly get clean. Blood stained Janet's dress and Daniel's pants, it was a reek they had simply gotten used to. Janet purred in delight at the feel of the cold clean water.
"I'd practically forgotten what it was like to be clean." Janet muttered.
"It's the small things, like indoor plumbing that you end up missing the most."
"I take it they didn't have anything like that on Abydos?"
"Every drop of water there went to drinking." Daniel chuckled.
"Luckily we've landed somewhere a little more lush."
Daniel smiled and nodded. He reached over his shoulder to gingerly touch the deep gashes that were stinging in the fresh water. Janet turned him around and carefully washed off the remaining honey that she had used as an antibiotic. The water around him turned a slight pink with blood, but there were no signs of infection.
"Thank you." Daniel said gratefully. "It feels much better."
"Another week and it will just be another scar."
"I'll wear them proudly, something tells me they got us this far."
"You don't think we're ever going to get back to the SGC, do you?"
"No. What about you?"
"I still have some hope, but I'm starting to lose it."
Daniel sighed sadly, and Janet instantly regretted her words. However, she still wasn't sure how well she could adjust to the idea of living the rest of their lives here. Pushing it out of her mind for now she reached back and unlaced the blue dress she'd been wearing for months.
Once out of the constrictive dress she guided Daniel to turn around. Sitting in the waist deep water she smiled shyly. Daniel reached out and gently brushed her cheek before leaning in to give her a deep kiss. Putting her hands on his chest to keep herself from accidently reaching around and injuring his back further Janet returned the affection.
After pulling off his own clothing Daniel took one of the glass bottles of soap and poured some into his hand. Janet held her hands out and he poured more of the slick purple soap into them. Using the heavily floral soap they lathered each other, silently enjoying the feeling of being of clean and one another's skin.
Once they were clean the bath became more playful. Swimming out into deeper water they splashed and laughed together. It had been so long since either of them hadn't been fearing for each other's life that now that they had a moment to let their guard down it was almost too good to be true. Daniel wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close for another kiss.
"I misspoke earlier." Janet said gently.
"Oh?"
"I said I was losing hope, what I really meant to say is that I'm letting go of it."
"You think you could be happy living here?" Daniel asked seriously.
"I don't know why not."
"A simple life has many advantages."
"I can think of several right now..."
