Chapter Twelve Summary: Sam, Martouf and Lantash are finally free to have some alone time, well, as soon as Malek takes care of one last problem. They enjoy their time together.

Rating this Chapter – M

Mer Cor – My Heart

Ka'taseck lapt – Is a beverage similar to tea that tastes somewhat like hot chocolate. It helps both host and symbiote to relax and sleep.

Pro`n Ann'wyld – Our Beloved

Ann'wyld - Beloved

Mer Ma'tae'takh Kea – My Cherished One

"Italics" – Symbiote-Host Communication

Tok'Ra Dawn

Chapter Twelve

Having Time Together

In those first few moments of awakening, the first thing that registered in her newly roused awareness was that she was moving, but that there was also no doubt that it wasn't by any form of self-propulsion. The scent surrounding her was one she had encountered recently, but not one of which she commonly came into contact, and it teased her senses, but refused to give up the required information during those first few seconds. Still, instead of giving in and looking to see who was carrying her, she allowed herself to analyze how it made her feel. She associated it with comfort and trust, so it didn't alarm her, and after only a very few moments of thought she cracked her eyes just far enough to have a very close up view of what she now believed to be Malek's throat. The riddle of who was carrying her was now solved, but that left the questions of why…and to where?

Even as she readied herself to let them know that she was awake, aware, and perfectly capable of walking, she heard Lantash's obviously affronted, as well as, exasperated voice, telling him, "I do not believe that you, Daniel, and the healers all believe that I am incapable of carrying my mate to our chamber. Neither Martouf, nor I, have any remaining wounds, remnants of wounds, or even a lingering weakness. I find this continuing belief in my inability to take care of Martouf, and Samantha, incomprehensible and unpalatable. Why you all believe me to be less than able is very near to insulting."

Hearing the annoyance and near petulance in Lantash's voice it was all Sam could do not to grin and give herself away. The tone of voice Malek used when he answered showed none of the wealth of amusement Sam was sure he was feeling as he told him, "It is not that we do not believe you capable or able, nor do we believe that you are weak. Nor should it be incomprehensible, unpalatable, or insulting. He paused and his voice turned from frank and placid to softer and reassuring, as he added, "Lantash, we almost lost the two of you. That you survived the second zatting is in itself amazing. That you survived it, the determined efforts of Ren'al, Thoran, and an infiltrator, to dispose of you, and the extensive trauma done to Martouf by the Tau'ri weaponry—" his voice wavered slightly, and he paused, for a moment, before continuing, "all of that, when viewed as a whole, is beyond amazing."

"That being said, our only reason for insisting that I carry Samantha has nothing to do with your abilities, and everything to do with the remnants of our worry and distress over the two of you. Everyone has been very concerned and apprehensive to one degree or another. Those emotions ranged from simple deep worry and anxiety to the agonizing anguish, which Samantha withstood, and all variations in between the two extremes. They have left all of us with a residual sense of concern and worry. As for my carrying Samantha, it is true that, in one way, it is because of our distress over the two of you; however, a deeper truth is that should she awaken and find you carrying her, it would very probably disturb and upset her; something I cannot other than believe would in turn distress and upset you and Martouf. Therefore, smile about her being with you, instead of frowning because I happen to have her in my arms."

She barely heard the sigh Lantash emitted before remarking, quietly, "You are possibly correct, Malek, and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. I apologize for jumping to conclusions." There was a slight pause, and then a trace of amusement could be heard as he continued, "Actually, I am sure you have all come to the most likely result should she awaken and find us carrying her. I do not believe that she would find it acceptable, but then, I also doubt that she would find it acceptable that you are carrying her, when she is perfectly capable of walking."

She heard a smile in Malek's voice, and although there was also a rather rueful tone to it, it was joined with a certain implacability, as he gave his agreement, "I believe that you are correct, Lantash, and she would no doubt consider it unneeded and foolish of us. Nevertheless, while she would not see the need, we did see one, and so, she will be carried to the chamber that she will at last share with you."

Martouf's voice reached her next, and she heard the concern and underlying anxiety in his voice as he questioned his friend, quietly, "Do you not find it—a matter of concern—that she has not yet awakened, Malek?"

"No, Martouf, I do not believe that it is cause for either concern or alarm. She was awake for a very long time, before finally succumbing to a true sleep, and the Ka'taseck lapt is helping to keep her relaxed and in slumber."

"I was aware that she remained with us, but I suppose I assumed that she did get some sleep. I do recall, now, that one of you mentioned that she had not been asleep for other than very short naps. How long do you believe that she remained awake? It must have been an extended period for her to become so deeply asleep that carrying her has not awakened her."

She heard the gentle amusement and understanding in Malek's voice, underlining the seriousness of his answer. "You must understand, Martouf, that it is more than a simple lack of sleep. First, you must remember that she was awake for several very stressful hours prior to the most stress inducing of the events, which took place at the SGC. As you know, it was believed that both she and Colonel O'Neill were za'tarcs. Then, according to what information I have, she had to decide whether to allow Anise to attempt to remove it, something that had already failed in an extremely distressing way once, or be put into an extended unconscious state until a safer way to remove it could be found. I also believe that she was, even then, concerned about her feelings for you, your feelings for her, and Colonel O'Neill's reaction and response to your feelings for one another."

After a slight pause, he continued, "Daniel explained to me why and how it was discovered that she and the Colonel were not za'tarcs, Martouf. Are you aware of what occurred?"

The pause before he replied was short, but there, and then she heard a very quietly spoken, response, "No, Malek, I do not believe that we are. As you know, it happened just prior to the actual za'tarc event, so we have heard nothing about it."

She felt Malek nod in response, before telling him, "I did not believe that you were aware of the circumstances surrounding the incident. I am fairly certain that Samantha will wish to tell you about it, so I will not go into any of the details, other than to say that it underscored her feelings for you and Lantash, since it pointed out some rather important things to her. It was during the time directly after both she and Colonel O'Neill were retested that it occurred to all of them that you and Lantash had not been tested to determine if you were a za'tarc. She immediately ran toward the gate room and arrived there at the point just before you ended your lives. You managed to say her name, obviously asking her to stop you, and she used her zat on you. She…caught you…just before you collapsed onto the floor and cradled you in her arms, as you and Lantash, or so everyone believed, died."

There was another pause, and when he resumed speaking, he told him, "She heard them say that you were breathing, but they felt that she should remain at the SGC and rest, after the amount of emotional trauma she had been through. Anise promised her that she would do everything possible to save the two of you, and she kept her word. She refused, during the council meeting, to remove Lantash and thus allow the two of you to leave us."

"In the meantime, Samantha did not rest, but instead lived through flashbacks of Jolinar and the Council fighting over what would be done, when it was feared that Lantash could not save you once before and some of the Council members wished to remove him, rather than allow him to attempt to save you."

She felt them turn sharply, and realized that they were in Lantash and Martouf's chamber, just as he added, "I believe that you have heard the remainder of the timeline of events, what occurred, and who did what from that point forward. To answer your question, however, is to tell you that we do not know exactly, but she allowed us to place her on the sleeping platform with you about forty hours into your dormancy. We know that she was awake for over twelve hours prior to that point which puts her time awake at about fifty-two hours and during that time, as far as we know for sure, she had two or three periods when she managed to take naps of about twenty minutes duration each. During the forty hours when she sat with you, we know that she napped a few times, sleeping anywhere from ten to thirty minutes each time. We believe, though we cannot be sure, that all total, she slept for perhaps five hours. With or without the amount of stress she was under, that is not very long within the aforementioned frame of time."

There was another short pause, as he laid her on the sleeping platform, before he concluded, "However, I suspect that she will not remain asleep very much longer."

She heard Martouf walk into the storage room, and his voice was muffled, as he told him, "I must agree with you, Malek. I had not considered the situation in its entirety, nor had I realized how long she was awake or how little sleep she managed to acquire, while she sat with us."

As Martouf rummaged around in the storage room, looking for Sam knew not what, Malek leaned down and whispered, softly, "You can safely 'wake up' now, Samantha. To successfully pretend sleep, you must learn to regulate your breathing and heart rate. Had I carried you farther, when we first placed you with them on the sleeping platform, I would have become aware of your subterfuge at that time, as well."

Her eyes snapped open, and she gave him a reproving look, even as she whispered back, "I just didn't want to interrupt your conversation or have to give you a hard time for carrying me." She sat up, and then grinned at him, adding, "I just figured that, since you made the decision not to wake me and allow me to walk, that I shouldn't spoil your fun." Hearing a rather loud crash and some Tok'Ra swearing coming from the 'storage room', or in Earth parlance, the closet, she raised her eyebrows sending Malek an inquiring look.

He shrugged, before telling her, "According to some of his, ah, statements, I believe that someone placed some of your, er, clothing carriers in a rather precarious position on a shelf. It would appear that it fell on him; however, I am sure that he is fine, only slightly annoyed." A second thud and string of expletives found him adding, "From the hopping sound, I tend to believe that his toes have found another one of your bags, no doubt where it was left on the floor. He is evidently still all right, only slightly more annoyed. How many, ah, pieces of…"

"Luggage."

"Thank you…luggage, then, did you bring with you Samantha?"

"Well, 'I'," She emphasized, "brought a backpack. As for what Daniel and Janet brought for me," she shrugged, "your guess is as good as mine."

His lips twitched, as he murmured, "I see."

Sam grinned at him again, before standing and making her way into the storage area. Once there, she spoke quietly, saying, "Martouf…"

He jerked upright, or attempted to do so. Unfortunately, he was under one of the shelves and the loud cracking sound made Sam gasp, as well as wince…as Martouf sank to the floor. She swiftly covered the remaining few feet between them, calling for Malek, as she did so. Martouf's eyes glowed, and Lantash came fore, to ask, "Should I expect sneak attacks and peril to life and limb often, Beloved?"

Glad that he was at least attempting to retain a sense of humor, she knelt by him and murmured a soft, "I'm sorry, Lantash. I didn't mean to startle you. I guess I just assumed that you either heard us talking, or heard me, when I walked in." Hearing Malek, as he walked up behind her, she stood, thereby allowing him to gain access to Lantash and Martouf.

The rather glazed look in their eyes, alerted her to the fact that he really had hit his head quite hard. She frowned as she gazed at him. Shouldn't the lump be on the back of his head instead of his forehead? Looking swiftly around the area her gaze lit upon a smallish trunk lying on its side, the contents spilling onto the floor. She grimaced, as she realized that the original knot, the rather large one now gracing his forehead, was from coming into contact with it. It truly was on the smallish side, for a trunk, but it was quite heavy and she usually only used it when she traveled somewhere and wanted it for the extra protection it gave to its contents. Why her friends had packed it, she had no idea, as she could see no reason why they would have believed that her…lingerie from the looks of it…needed the extra protection. However, that was what the colorful mass of froth and lace scattered across the floor, where the trunk had burst open upon hitting it, was.

Malek was still kneeling in front of Lantash and frowning as he examined and talked to him. Sam was staring wide-eyed around the fair-sized, well, closet. What had they all been thinking? She knew that Daniel, Teal'c, and the Colonel had brought some of her belongings with them when they came, but from what Daniel said, she had assumed it wasn't a lot since they didn't believe they had much time. Janet had supposedly brought the remainder, but…no, she couldn't have brought all of this. She had to assume that they were all hers, since it was all obviously Tau'ri luggage. After looking closer at the different pieces of baggage, she realized that some of the other members of the SGC had also brought her some things, although she couldn't begin to imagine what they thought she might need that Daniel and Janet would not have packed for her. Looking at the nametags she read; Captain Kathryn Donovan, Colonel Ferretti, Major Tara O'Hara, Lieutenant Ann Lawrence…and she stopped there, because Malek was examining the back of Lantash's head and clucking a lot like a frustrated mother hen.

"Lantash, is your healing device in its usual place? Mine is in my room, so if yours is here, it will be quicker to get it. This must be taken care of at once, for I believe that, contrary to what I told Samantha, your injury is slightly more than an annoyance." He hesitated, before adding, "I can get Arwanna or one of the other healers, if you would prefer that one of them take care of it."

"No! No, Do not call any of the healers. I have no intention of spending even one more night in the sick bay area, and every intention of spending it with my mate. Therefore, I would prefer that you use mine. You know where it is, but if you do not mind, I believe that I shall remain here."

"Very well, Lantash; I cannot blame you for choosing to remain with Samantha in your own chamber and on your own sleeping platform." Malek stood and made his way back into the other room, while Lantash moved to a nearby wall, 'carefully' leaned his head back against it, and closed his eyes.

Sam sighed, and began to repack her trunk. Malek came back and began healing Lantash and Martouf. Once finished with the trunk, she proceeded to move the luggage that apparently belonged to her into a much neater, as well as a safer, arrangement. Now, she would wait for Malek and Lantash to finish healing Martouf's body, and for Daniel to arrive with the items she'd requested. It shouldn't be long for either event to occur.

She was proven to be very correct on her earlier supposition, and Daniel had arrived, along with two airmen, all loaded down with her requested items, shortly more than an hour later. The airmen had left as soon as they delivered their packages, but it was two and a half hours later, before Sam escorted Daniel from the room, while a once more healed and healthy Martouf inflated the air mattress. Returning from saying her goodbye's to Daniel, she was glad to see that he had remembered to bring sheets, something she had forgotten. She showed Martouf and Lantash how they fit the bed and after adding the Tok'Ra bedding, it was ready to welcome them.

However, Sam wasn't finished, yet, and Martouf watched, puzzled, as she proceeded to lay the mats she had requested onto the floor and then cover them with sheets, as well. As she took more bedding out of the storage room and made a second bed, it dawned on him that she had no intention of actually sleeping with them, hence the second sleeping area. It was still somewhat confusing, though, as he could have slept on the sleeping platform as it was without adding the air mattress, and she would only have had to make up one 'bed'. Since Lantash, too, had been under the impression that she intended to sleep with them, and was as confused and baffled as he was, he told her, softly, "You did not need to make the second bed, Samantha. We could have slept on the sleeping platform without the extra covering of the air mattress, and thus the sleeping platform of mats would not have needed to be made."

For a moment, Sam looked as confused and bewildered as they did, but the answer soon came to her, and she smiled at them, saying, "The bed on the floor isn't for me to sleep on."

Looking even more mystified, Martouf frowned at it, asking, "It is not?"

She walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist, as she placed a soft kiss upon his throat. "No, it is not." She pulled back slightly, then, adding, "Well, that is, it isn't for me to sleep on, unless you and Lantash don't want me sharing your bed, er, sleeping platform."

Although distracted by the softness of her, and the feel of her body, as he slid his arms around her, he managed, at least for a time, to adhere to the subject, first frowning, and then saying, "Then I do not understand why you have made it. Neither..." he lost his train of thought and gasped, as she moved forward, and once more pressed her body to theirs, while her lips moved up and down their throat and her teeth nibbled very gently on their ear, before forcing himself to finish his statement, "does Lantash." They were some of the hardest words he had ever had to say, as his mind and body were in no mood to ignore her attentions.

She decided that she should not tease them, so she gave a soft sigh, as she moved slightly back from their body leaving her explorations, at least for a time. Taking their hand in hers, she led them to the sleeping platform made from the mats, saying, "I guess I didn't explain very well, did I? You see, air mattresses are pretty comfortable to sleep on, but there are other activities that take place in a bed that don't really work very well on an air mattress. They can be done, of course, but they aren't exactly stable during some forms of…exercise…unlike a sleeping platform or a bed. I'm sure that, once we become more…involved…in doing some of the exercises, you'll begin to understand what I mean."

Remembering how he had almost fallen over, while he was sitting on the air mattress, when Samantha had suddenly moved, he reached out and pulled her to him. He then placed a swift, yet very soft, kiss on her lips, before murmuring, "I believe that further explanations are unnecessary, Mer Cor, although Lantash wishes to know if you will demonstrate these…exercises…which do not work well, when performed on an air mattress. He tells me that I should assure you that we are very willing to take part and assist you in illustrating how they are accomplished. We will recline on these mats, as we begin."

Joining him on the mats, she wasn't surprised to find herself on her back, as his lips moved ever closer to hers. It really was going to be a long and lovely night, and this was just the beginning. She moaned within her mind as Lantash came fore and smiled a smile that she had, until this moment, seen only in her dreams. Even in them, she had named it his 'hunting predator' smile. It was the one that he wore, when he knew that his prey would soon be held firmly in check, as he proceeded to feast upon their body, until he was full, sated, and in torpor—and so was his prey.

It was her turn to gasp as his lips found the sweet spot on her throat that always seemed to turn her switch to on. It did not take him long to realize exactly what he had found and to put it to good use. His lips roamed gently across it, kissing, caressing, and then nibbling lightly, before moving downward to where her lovely throat joined her equally lovely shoulder. He slowly explored the area and occasionally murmured something beautiful, or returned to her lips, to drink deeply of the sweetness that he found there.

On his third foray from her lips, along her jaw, down her throat, stopping at those places that caused her to give the deepest and most intense responses, he moved onto her shoulder, once more. This time, though, he gave a groan of frustration, before telling her, "Samantha, Mer Ma'tae'takh Kea, this very fetching 'piece of material', as you called it, is very lovely and while it is meant to enhance your beauty and allure, I find that the opposite proves to be true. It is you and your beauty that cause it to appear bewitchingly lovely."

He gazed at her for a long moment before adding softly, "You truly are a lovely woman, Samantha, and I do not speak only of your outward appearance. Your heart, your mind, everything about you is truly beautiful."

He stopped speaking, for just a moment, and a sparkle came into his eyes, as he added, "However, that was not what my original comment was about, and I believe that I should return to that one, at once. I believe I was about to tell you, that as alluring as I find your gown, it is beginning to become a barrier to my further exploration, and I am very sure that unless we remove it gently and carefully now, that in a very few more minutes, it will leave your body in a much more tattered condition. Martouf has been urging its removal for some time now, and, since he will be coming fore soon, as we begin to switch places quickly and often, I am quite sure that very shortly you will find it in pieces, should it remain in its present position upon your exquisite and delectable body. Therefore, if you do not mind, I believe that it is time to remove it."

She appeared to give his comments some thought, briefly, before agreeing, in general, but adding, "I suppose it might be a very good idea, and I'll be happy to help you, but I think that you should consider removing the barriers that you have in my way, as well." She ran her hand down his back and across the silky feeling lounging pants that were covering the bottom half of his body. She lightly caressed his buns through the material, before giving them a few soft pats of encouragement, as she sent him a questioning look.

He responded with alacrity moving swiftly to his knees, and then his feet. They were removed, thrown somewhere across the room, and he had returned to kneel beside her, before she had managed to sit up. She was sure that if she had blinked, she would have missed their removal completely. Reaching out, he managed to remove her gown just as swiftly as he had his own garment, and Sam found herself on her back again, but this time the kisses that traveled her body were more urgent and intent, and her response matched his.

Then, it was Lantash's turn to gasp, which he followed with a low growl, as Sam used the many dreams and memories left to her by Jolinar to follow the maps of Symbiote pleasure points. She caressed Lantash through Martouf, knowing exactly where to press, where to stroke, whether to caress him swiftly, gently, lightly, or slowly. Those dreams and memories taught her how to use a deepening pressure, or to alternate between two different areas, to give him and Martouf 'exquisite' pleasure. Or she could keep them there in an extremely heightened state of arousal, until a final specific type of caressing stroke would send the two of them headlong into the abyss, with her following them over the edge…or leaping in with them.

His long slender fingers found her, as his mouth found its own playground, and she knew that she would be just as close to the edge as they were, and it would take neither of them long to reach the level required to give all of them 'exquisite' pleasure. Her mind briefly remarked how clearly she could tell, even thought they were now swiftly and frequently switching places, which of them had control by the way they held her and touched her. Just a kiss could tell her which of them it was, and she reveled in this knowledge, but fleetingly, knowing she would return to consider it later, when those touches were no longer inflaming her beyond coherent thought.

Her hands caressed his chest and his shoulders among other places, and her fingers twined through his hair, using it to anchor him in place, when he found a particularly sensitive spot, or his suckling was sending the flames within her reaching ever higher. But she always returned to caress Lantash and their most sensitive spot, pulling the deepest moans of pleasure from them, even as his talented hands and tongue did the same for her.

Martouf's hands slowly caressed Sam's body delighting in the satiny softness of her skin. His fingertips sent messages filled with the pleasure he derived from the simple act of stroking along her ribs, and the intense joy it gave him to allow them to sweep from there to the inward curve of her waist, before stopping to relish the firm outward swell of her hip. A smile tilted his lips, as he allowed one of his hands to reverse their direction long enough to indulge in a quick exploration of the indentation in her belly. The curve of his lips turned sensual as he moved lower, and his touch savored the feel of her, before dipping lower and luxuriating in her welcoming warmth. The look he sent her was enough on its own to pull a gasp of pleasure from her.

It was enough, and an answering moan tore from him, as her hands joined his, reveling in the sensations they sent to her, as she took pleasure from touching him in return. As she caressed Lantash, arousing and intensifying his, and thus Martouf's, impassioned responses, she encouraged the fire within them to burn out of control. As her moan had drawn an answer from him, her physical caresses drew an answer, as well. With a deep low growl of need and desire, he brought himself to his knees, and moved over her. Sam encouraged him to work swiftly. His movements were urgent with restrained desire, but he was gentle in his actions as he took her.

He glanced up at her, and the need in her face, and her whispered words took the last vestiges of his control. "Don't hold back. Bring us together in that place that is only ours. Show me your passion, Martouf, yours and Lantash's. Give me all of it; all of both of you."

The thread holding them in check snapped, and her strong legs wrapped tightly around him. They stayed motionless for a timeless moment, Martouf gasping for breath and control, even as Sam worked to strip the last shred of it from his grasp. She was once more successful and they both reached the point where there was no stopping. They didn't even attempt to, though, and instead took the leap over the edge together.

They had waited so long for this moment that it was as if they had set a match to tinder; the fire they started burst into a prolonged flame, which they spent a good portion of the night attempting to put out. It was a very long time before it calmed, and they found themselves succumbing to sleep.

Sam snuggled back against the warmth that was radiating from behind her, as she slowly woke up. And the smile that curved her lips was brought there by absolute contentment. The heat source behind her smiled, as they watched that curve settle on their Samantha's lips.

Martouf placed his lips, which were still wearing a curve of their own, against her throat and allowed them to move along it, kissing here and there, exploring its satin softness. He wasn't surprised when it arched and invited even more caresses. Nor was he surprised when it moved from beneath his lips, as she moved onto her back and allowed her arms to reach up and twine around his shoulders. His smile widened at she found and caressed Lantash, telling him good morning in a way that was totally hers. "We love you, Samantha. Lantash wishes me to tell you, so that you do not forget. It is something we wish for you always to remember."

"I'll try to remember, but just in case I forget, you'll have to remind me. I'll be sure to remind you how much I love the two of you, too." She lie still looking up into his face studying it, memorizing it. The past week had seemed to fly by. From the afternoon that they had moved to their own chambers, until this moment she couldn't remember ever feeling happier or more content. For the first five days, they never left their chamber. On the evening of the second day, it was her dad that delivered their evening meal. He'd tried to frown and look unhappy to find her in their bed with nothing but a T-shirt on, but he didn't quite pull it off, and she'd grinned at him. He'd shaken his head, told her they could have three more days of complete privacy, and then there were some things to take care of, before they could continue with their honeymoon.

She grinned now, and Martouf cocked his head, as he saw the laughter come into her eyes and her lips turn up in an even bigger smile. "She has remembered something that has amused her, Martouf. I doubt it has anything to do with telling us that she loves us, although, that, too, could make her quite happy. That she might be laughing over us telling her we love her is highly unlikely," Lantash disabused Martouf of his somewhat insecure thought, something that still occurred occasionally. Even after seven days of waking with their arms around her and loving her through half the night, Martouf could still barely believe that it was true; she was with them, had claimed them, and that soon they would be joined by General Hammond. Twice. Once in the tunnels, since many of the Tok'Ra wished to see a Tau'ri 'wedding', and once at the SGC, since many of the SGC personnel wanted to see their Major Carter join with them.

Those thoughts banishing that little sliver of doubt, Martouf turned his thoughts back to her, asking, "What has lightened your eyes with laughter and curved your lips with amusement, my love?"

"Honeymoon."

He looked at her quizzically, before repeating, "Honeymoon. And why is the thought of our 'honeymoon', causing you so much enjoyment? Of course, I suppose that just the thought of the activities that take place during that famous time could cause you to be filled with joy, but I see amusement, which is similar, but different, from joy."

"That's true they are different, even though they belong to the same family of emotions." She pretended to give this some thought, as she ignored his question. Glancing up at him from her supposed deep thoughts of the difference between joy and amusement, she saw his own amusement begin to bloom in the form of amused exasperation. Giving in, she told him, "Actually, I was remembering your confusion over our 'honeymoon', ah, as well as the rather glazed look that came over your eyes, after about ten minutes of Daniel's explanation of how it came to be called that. You probably know more about the mating and marriage habits of the different Earth cultures than most of the Tau'ri do. I especially enjoyed your reactions to the Scandinavian tradition of abduction, concealment, and impregnation. I know it gave me an entirely new view of elopement."

She gave him another smile, as she reminded him, "You didn't seem all that in love with the idea of dad giving you 'honeyed mead' for a month either, until he mentioned that it was believed to be an aphrodisiac. Although," she added thoughtfully, "I have no earthly idea why you would even begin to think that the two of you would need one." Becoming more serious, she noted, "I have to agree, after listening to you and Daniel discussing it that the idea of a 'honeymoon' does seem to have been part of a lot of different cultures, regardless of what they called it, since 'honeymoon' is not exactly an ancient term for it. Old yes, but it's the concept that seems to have been around for a very long time. I wonder if he and Anise ever came to a consensus of thought on it."

Martouf leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, before telling her, "It is not true that my eyes glazed over, Samantha. While I was not quite as fascinated by Daniel's dissertation on the terms, origins, and meanings of the concept and name, as Anise was, I did find it quite interesting. You must admit that many of your cultures do have both historical records and legends that speak of this period of time allotted to the 'wedded' couple. We have often come across this ritual, but I do not believe that I have ever heard it referred to as a honeymoon, which is what originally confused me. Lantash reminds me that in at least one culture, of which we are aware, it is called hjunottsmanathr, which Daniel pointed out as the Scandinavian time of 'hiding', of which you spoke."

"Mm," she murmured quietly, while still caressing Lantash gently, which was keeping one hand occupied; she brought the other around and began to trace the outline of their lips with her fingertip. She parted her own lips, and then nibbled on her bottom one before wetting them both. She waited until his gaze was riveted to them, wet them slightly, one more time, and then waited not a moment longer, to suggest, "I don't suppose you and Lantash are in the mood to—practice—so that we'll be very sure that we know what to do during our honeymoon, are you? After all, we don't have anything else to do for a couple of hours. It wouldn't hurt to do some studying, would it? But, you know, only if you truly want to and are, um, up to it. I wouldn't want to put you and Lantash under too much stress and strain or anything."

Since Lantash was already humming softly, and interspersing it with an occasional soft moan, as her fingers found all of his most sensitive areas, Martouf did not even bother to answer her. His lips found hers and proceeded to plunder them, as if they had not tasted of them for weeks or months instead of only hours. She drew softly on his tongue, setting off a duel between them, before breaking off and trailing soft kisses along his jaw, up to his ear, and then down the side of his throat, where she stopped long enough to leave a small love bite. Hearing his gasp, and then a moan of quickly escalating hunger, she became the aggressor. Catching him unprepared, she pushed him over and onto his back, before continuing on her chosen path, using his moans, gasps, and murmurings as a map, stopping in and playing when finding a particularly sensitive playground. It was already well mapped, but she enjoyed finding new routes to take her to the places she most enjoyed visiting.

Sam found her way to his most sensitive spots leaving signposts of the places she visited, but when she finally reached her destination all side trips stopped. She was in no hurry to finish her visit, but Martouf's moans were becoming more intense, and his hands were fisted in her hair, encouraging her to finish what she started. She waited to see what his reaction, or Lantash's, would be.

She wasn't surprised when his eyes flared. It seemed that Lantash was not in the mood to wait for her to decide to give him what he and Martouf needed. She only had time to wonder what she'd brought forth this time before she heard Lantash tell her, "You will find that your suggestion of practice was a very good idea, and we will both enjoy it completely." His lips found the side of her throat, and left a marker of his own on her soft skin. Sam's low cry joined Lantash's deep moan, as they both peaked, and then collapsed onto the sleeping platform. Lantash roused enough to roll to the side, taking her with him. His lips played softly with the back of her neck, and as soon as she had recovered, she would find that he was more than 'up to' practicing. A lot more.

He did not expect her to turn to face him, as he was sure she would be very mellow, for a time, just as he would be had they not just awoken. He looked at her quizzically, as she studied his face, watching him, especially his eyes. Finally, she leaned in and kissed him softly, before telling him, "I love the two of you so much, Lantash. There are times when it feels as if there's so much love inside me that I feel as if it's radiating out from me, and that you should be able to feel waves of it pouring over you. I know it doesn't work that way, but sometimes it feels as if it does. I wish that I could take it, wrap the two of you in it, and never allow it to come undone. I want it to surround you, so that the two of you will never ever doubt it. I think there are times that you do doubt it. You wonder if I only claimed the bond to stop them from what they intended to do to you."

She gave him a small wry smile, and then looked away from his eyes, as if she couldn't look at them so deeply and continue to tell him what she wanted them to know. After a short pause, she drew in a somewhat deeper breath and told him, "I don't really know if you feel that way or not because—I know that I could just be transferring my own insecurity onto you and Martouf. You see, I still sometimes wonder if I've forced you into a position you don't really want to be in, but don't feel that you can say differently. I want both of you to be very sure that you want to remain mated to me before we actually go through with the wedding. I would rather know now, than wait until after the ceremony."

Lantash smiled at her and leaning in gave her a swift soft kiss, before telling her, "Samantha, Martouf and I could not be happier than we are at this time. The only thing that will make us happier is when we have placed our bonding necklet on you, and we are wearing yours, and our ring is placed upon your finger, as your ring claiming us is placed upon ours. We look forward to that day with joy. Never, ever, doubt our love for you or the fact that we want you for our mate. I assure you that there is no doubt in either of our minds about formally joining as mates."

"All right. I promise I won't question your feelings about it again. I just…I guess I just wanted to hear you say it."

"We will be sure to say it often, then. Often enough that those feelings never have time to rise within you again, and therefore, you will never again need to question our feelings for you."

She snuggled closer to him, with a sigh of complete contentment, and then shivered slightly, as his fingers began a slow, gentle caressing and exploring of her body. She began a search of her own, gliding her hand down his side and across his hips. He was as hard now, as he was before they began, and she sent him another smile as she took him in hand.

He grinned at her, as he told her, "I would not wish for you to doubt our ability to be up for more practice, Pro`n Ann'wyld, for I assure you that we are quite capable to continue should you choose to do so." The smile slowly left his face, as an intense look entered his eyes. "We will love you, always, Samantha. Please do not allow yourself to become insecure about our feelings for you. Our desire, the intenseness of the love we feel for you, never should you doubt or question those. We are both aware that you often wonder if it is you, or the remnants of Jolinar, and thus also Rosha, which you hold within you, that pulls us to you."

He paused and a thoughtful look entered his eyes, before he told her, "We will always love Rosha and Jolinar, this you know. It is true that, when we first met, we were drawn to the remnants of them that you hold. The love that we feel for them, and the love that we feel for you, are not the same, nor is our love for you simply an extension of our love for them. The love we feel for you is as intense and as deep, as that which we felt for them, but it is a love that is solely for you, born of our knowledge of you. Not because of Jolinar, but because of you and you alone. It is born from the many things about you that drew us to you. You, my love. Never doubt that. Martouf and I came to love you for who are. You are everything that we could ever want in a mate, and we look forward to our joining with much eagerness and anticipation. Allow no doubt to enter your heart or your mind, when it comes to that question."

Leaning up, she kissed him gently. "Thank you. You and Martouf need to know the same. Yes, I carry their love for the two of you, but my own feelings have joined that love. For a long time, it worried me that what I was feeling for you was just the emotions that Jolinar left behind. When…" she drew a shuddering breath, as just thinking about the event still bothered her greatly, before continuing, "When I had to shoot you, I felt her emotions, but I also felt my own. For the first time, I felt both of them so strongly that there was no longer any room for doubt. I've never felt anything that intensely before and both hers and mine were so stark and deep that it took my breath. I knew then that I'd made the biggest mistake of my life by not admitting what I realized was the deepest love I've ever felt."

She paused for a moment, but continued to caress the two of them gently, before continuing, saying, "Suddenly, it no longer mattered that I felt her emotions. I took them as my own, and now there is no difference between hers and mine. They all belong to me. When I knew that the two of you were still alive, all of those emotions bonded together and now, the love I hold in my heart for you sometimes overwhelms me. The two of you never have to worry that I don't love you. I love you both and I always will."

"Samantha, we understand. We know that you were very confused over your feelings for us because of the remnants that Jolinar left within you. We have never blamed you for not knowing if you cared for us, or if it was Jolinar's emotions that you were feeling. If we could have done anything to help you, we would have done so, but we knew that you needed to come to terms with it, and understand the difference, if that is, there was a love that was solely yours. To awake and find that you had come for us, to help us, and to claim us," he paused, and then added, "Once we believed it to be true, it was the most wondrous thing that has ever happened to us."

"We fell in love with you swiftly and deeply, once we came to know you. Yes, we know that Jolinar's emotions reside within you, but we wished and hoped for you to develop feelings for us that were solely yours. That you have done so is worth more to us than anything else. The love we feel for you is often so overwhelming that it takes our breath, and as you said of yours, it is as if it cannot be contained within us, and it must be radiating outward from us to you. There is too much of it to remain within us. Every touch, every kiss…every word of our love to you, carries it from our heart to yours. Always. Each breath we take, each touch we give, each word of love that we speak, each beat of our hearts, all of them are alive with the depth of the love we hold and feel for you. It is constant and abiding, a living entity dwelling within us. It will remain there, never-ending, that we promise you."

His eyes smiled down into hers, and they shone with the love they felt for her. It was the last thing she saw before his lips met hers, and his hands began another soft and wonderful exploration of her body, even as his words wrapped tightly around her heart. He didn't have to say anything aloud. She could hear the words echoing in her heart, and then settling firmly into place, not to be questioned again.

TBC