Sorry for the whump guys - although there really was a reason besides a desire to hurt my favorite couple - as you'll begin to see in this chapter! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated and thank you to my amazing readers and reviewers.
"I must go. I cannot stay any longer and do nothing. My friends are in trouble and I must help them."
"But Teal'c, you don't know for sure that these people are your friends – or even if they were the ones captured. Maybe you just recognize them from somewhere else. You say you still do not remember. What if it turns out these people aren't your friends at all. For all you know you escaped from them, or were being chased by them."
Teal'c looked over at the young man whom he had grown to love like a brother. He had lived with Arman and the forest people for 8 months and they were the only family he knew.
As time had progressed, however, he became certain that the people in his vision were important to him. He wasn't positive, as Arman had pointed out, that they were indeed his friends, although something told him they were.
He had begun to grow restless, living in the forest. In many ways it was a peaceful life. Even though they were in some danger, and could not return to their villages as long as Frotush went free, if they stayed deep in the forest they were relatively happy. With the addition of Teal'c, and a few other strong men who had since arrived amongst them, they rarely worried about having enough food.
But, as time went by, Teal'c had felt more and more as if he had to do something to help those people in his visions. He was certain Frotush had captured them and he knew it was time to help.
They had been searching the forest for months for something to use against Frotush but had found nothing. They no longer actively searched and secretly both Arman and Adia felt there was nothing – that Frotush simply feared the forest for some other reason.
"My brother, I understand your concern. Although it is true I do not remember everything, I know, in my heart, that these are indeed my friends. I must do something. It is my duty to help them if I can. We do not leave anyone behind!"
Arman looked quizzically at his friend – not quite sure what he meant by that but understanding that Teal'c felt compelled to go.
"What will you do? Where will you go?"
"I will head to Holleria for that is where you tell me they take the slaves. I will endeavor to find these people. Maybe in so doing I can help your cause, Arman. It is time people started to take a stand against Frotush."
"I will go with you Teal'c. I have been to Holleria and know the way."
"No my friend, you must remain here. Together you and Adia are the heart of these people. They need you. I will ask if one of the young men will accompany me but it is better to travel light."
"I understand Teal'c. Come let us tell Adia. She will not be happy and will try to convince you to stay!"
"Yes", grinned Teal'c. "She is a strong woman and I will have my first battle when I tell her I am leaving. I admire you my friend. It takes a strong man to mate with such a one."
Arman actually blushed at Teal'c's words. "We are not mated, Teal'c. We are but friends."
At this the large man laughed and slapped the younger man on his back.
"Oh, not for long my friend, not for long. Adia grows impatient with you and she has decided you are hers. When I return I hope to celebrate your joining with you!"
As the woman in question entered at that moment, Arman was saved from having to reply. Adia looked at him curiously, clearly wondering what had caused him to appear so flustered.
"Are you men plotting something?" she asked.
"Teal'c is telling me he wishes to leave."
"What? Teal'c, what is wrong? Why do you wish to leave? Has something happened? Has someone done something?"
"No Adia. There is nothing wrong. It is simply time."
"He goes to search for his friends", Arman answered her.
Adia looked up at the large man who meant so much to all of them. A more loyal friend, and strong comrade they could never hope to find. But, she had known for a long time that he was bothered by the visions of these people who he was sure were important to him. She knew he suffered over their fate.
"You will have to take enough supplies and I think one of the men should accompany you. You will find it safer not going alone."
Surprised that Adia had agreed so quickly, Teal'c looked at her and raised his one eyebrow. She laughed. That was so Teal'c!
Two days later Teal'c was ready to set out on his journey. Two of the young men from the forest village were going to go with him. Bartolo and Janrah both had family who has recently been enslaved.
"Go carefully my friend, and return to us safely." Arman drew the big man into a fierce hug, slapping him on the back.
"Indeed! I will return and I will bring back those who have been enslaved."
"Be careful Teal'c. It is dangerous out there and I don't want to hear of you getting hurt. I have packed medicines in your supplies. They are powerful so use them carefully."
"I will Adia. You also take care. I thank you, my friends, for all you have done for me. I will repay your kindness." Turning to Arman he had one last word for his friend.
"Life is uncertain, Arman. Grasp hold of what you have in front of you for you do not know what tomorrow might bring. You are lucky to have a strong and brave woman at your side who loves you. Do not throw that away but accept it and take joy in it. It will only make you stronger."
He turned away then and strode purposely out of the village. Having said his goodbyes he didn't look back – going forward to do battle for the friends he could barely remember. Behind him he left a village saddened at his departure – and two friends who continued to gaze after him – not in mourning for his departure, although they felt that too, but because they were too unsure of each other to know what to do now.
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"I think I've found something! I think this might be it." In his excitement, Daniel's words rushed over themselves so quickly the others could barely understand him.
"What Daniel? What did you find?" Pere Frotush sat behind his desk, watching the younger man who was seated on the floor with a pile of books beside him.
Over the last few months it had become a pattern with the two men. They would spend hours in the library, pouring over books. Pere would sit in his usual place, behind his desk, and Daniel had a favorite corner of the room where he would sit. Maya had finally placed a number of cushions there for him as each night he would come hobbling out of the room clutching his backside, numb from sitting on the hard floor.
So far, the two scholars had found little. There were one or two more passages that spoke of Doroban but they gave few new details although one had spoken of his sudden ability to 'heal'. Unfortunately, it hadn't said anything more than that and that fact didn't seem to be important in their search for a weapon.
Brotius had quietly tried to find out anything he could about the curtain or Azra's Field but had had no luck. Even people from Lyconia had never heard of either of them. Pere himself had lived his whole life, until recently, in that town and the words meant nothing to him.
"Here, listen to this", said Daniel, standing up in his excitement. "This book is about inheritance laws and land disputes."
"The field was a good one – with healthy land for raising crops or for use as pasture land for animals. It had not been used in many years as it was a two-day wagon ride from the village and most families preferred land closer to trade routes. The dispute happened when Willem, son of Dobare claimed the land as his. He said that it had lain fallow for many years, therefore was free land to be taken."
"Okay – but what does this mean?" asked Brotius who arrived with Maya, bringing the two men their lunch.
"Just listen! On the Day of Justice, Willem stood and requested that the land be declared his. Immediately arose Azera to claim that the land in question belonged to him and had been in his family for generations! Don't you see – Azera must by Azra! Language and names change over time – especially in literature. This must be Azra's field! It would make sense if it was two days away from the village– most people were probably not aware of it."
Maya and Brotius still looked skeptical and turned towards Pere to see what he thought. Pere was sitting with a far-away expression on his face. Suddenly, he sat up straight and looked at Daniel.
"This could be it! I remember, the visitors, they had been gone for over a week and when they returned – that was when they said they had found what they were looking for. Most of the time they stayed close to the village. This was the longest time they were away."
"Do you know what direction they went?"
"Yes – they traveled in the direction of the setting of the sun. Where exactly they went I do not know. Is there anyway to find out more?"
Daniel looked down at his book again reading some more. "Yes", he practically shouted. "It's right here at the bottom of the page. It says "the men of justice went with Willem and Azera to the field in question. They traveled two days to the setting of the sun, following the river until it forked. They then continued towards the mountains until they arrived at the field."
"The river? That must mean the river Lateera – if flows from the mountains to Lyconia."
"Does it say anything else that would help us?"
"Only about what happened to Willem and Azera. It looks like the court ruled in Azera's favor but a fight broke out later and Willem killed him. He then fled the country and wasn't seen again. It seems he really wanted that field. I wonder why? It's not like there's a lack of land in the area."
"No, it is puzzling. I think you may have found it Daniel. So now, what do we do?"
"Now? Now we go forward. Now we go to Azera's field!"
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His world was nothing but pain. It spiked through every part of his body, his mind and his soul. He could no longer differentiate one from the other. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop – he wanted it to go away.
In a small, tiny portion of his mind, he knew things were bad. He knew he was dying but that someone or something was holding him back. He wished they would stop – he wanted to die.
He had finally reached the end of his endurance. Somewhere, in the twisted, pain filled recesses of his mind; he was sure that Sam was dead. He had seen her collapse – and knew there was no medicine, nothing to help her. He was positive that his actions had killed the woman he loved and therefore there was no longer a reason to live.
He thought briefly of his children – but now felt they were better off without him. If he lived, he would be useless – unable to talk, barely able to walk and now – his hands were destroyed. No – it was better someone else took them.
All of these thoughts passed fleetingly through his mind as he lay hovering near death in the days following his punishment. He was unaware of the many people who cared for him – or the strong spirits that would not let him die.
"How is he?" Sam asked weakly. Still not recovered from her ordeal she lay, on her stomach, over to one side of the cave.
"He is the same. He is very ill but his body has not given up – not yet. I am afraid he does not wish to live."
"No! Fulanna, you must not let him die! Please, please do not let him die. I need him. The children need him – we all need him."
"I know child. I am doing what I can but the stubborn man will not cooperate! When you are well, you can help me. I think he will respond better to you."
"Why not now? I can do something."
"No – you are still too weak and the infection still rages in your back as well, although it is improving. You must lie quietly and heal – then you can help me with Jak!"
"Fulanna – just let me come closer. I need to be closer to him."
The old woman looked at Sam – so thin herself now after her terrible ordeal. It was true, the wounds on her back were healing – but many of them were deep and a fever and infection had set in quickly. She still worried that they could lose this amazingly courageous woman.
Sighing she nodded. "I will have one of the men move you closer. You are not to try and do it yourself – you will open your wounds."
Nodding in agreement Sam continued to look over to where Jack lay, so still as to appear dead.
She really didn't know how he had survived. His wounds, so horrific, and the blood loss came on top of all the other things he had suffered over the months. Starved and unwell to begin with, this was almost more than his body could handle. Sam knew that he needed the will to live – something to bring him back. She was afraid there was no longer anything that would do that.
She still doubted that he truly loved her. Oh, she knew he was attracted to her – but that could simply be the natural desire felt when two people worked so closely together. She did not know that she did indeed have the power to bring him back and was therefore afraid to try.
Her thoughts were that the children would be the ones to make him want to live. The problem there was that they were still too little, too traumatized by their loss to do anything. The women were afraid to have them in the cave to see Jack. It would be too frightening for them. Prya kept them with her and was staying with another family for now.
Eranna had helped with Jack – and sometimes with her – although when she was awake and conscious she refused to have the young woman near her. Rarely in her life had she hated anyone, other than the various Goa'ulds they had come across – but with Eranna she came close. She continued to blame the young woman for what had happened with Jack. She knew that if he died, she truly would hate her.
Eranna knew, and understood, the feelings Sam had. She also felt they were justified. Filled with guilt and self-hatred she now dedicated her life to ensuring the man she cared for survived his ordeal. She said little, except occasionally to Fulanna, but quietly worked long hours nursing Jack.
Out of all this anguish and terror had come one positive thing. For the first time the Nogratia, those sentenced to this horrible life, had come together. Seeing Jack stand up for his woman and suffer the terrible consequences had somehow snapped people into realizing that they needed to work together.
Soon, a village council had been formed – with people caring for the weak and working on strengthening and helping all. Although everyone continued to go and get their food individually from the guards, they now pooled it and divided it equally among the people. Those who were able to work gathered materials such as medicine and blankets and they kept them for common use. They shared supplies, joys, fears and encouraged each other.
A small school was formed to educate the few children among them. A large cave was designated a communal space where people would come and talk and share – and sometimes even laugh.
From a sorry group of lost people they were now becoming a community. They also began to have hope that one day, together, they could get out of this place.
Fulanna thought back to the day they had found Jak and Eranna's words. Yes, this man had brought salvation to these people.
She looked down at this man – this poor, tortured, good man and hoped and prayed he would survive. So caught up in her own thoughts it took her a moment to realize that he was awake and was looking at her.
Oh goodness, she thought. This is the first time he has been conscious since he was returned to the cave. Smiling down at him she gently stroked his hair.
"It is okay Jak. You are safe and are getting well. Do not worry about anything. The children are safe. They miss their Dada." At these words she could see tears forming in his eyes although his expression didn't change.
Looking at him Fulanna grew frightened. Expecting to see pain, or anger – or even despair, all she saw was nothing. It was as if he had given up all hope, all thought of survival.
"Jak – you must not die. We are all here for you and we need you. Sam needs you!"
Fulanna let out a deep sigh of relief when she saw his expression change at these words. At the mention of Sam's name a small bit of life had reappeared in his eyes. She recognized, at that point, that he hadn't known Sam lived.
"Sam is okay. She is still healing but she will live and will make a full recovery. She only worries about you."
At these words he began to shake his head from side to side, obviously disturbed by this thought. A couple of men from the community poked their heads in right at that moment, having been summoned by Eranna.
"You wanted us Mater?"
"Yes – can you please move Sam over here, closer to Jak. Be careful! You will have to go gently."
Jack looked over at the woman at these words, wondering what was happening. Again she smiled down at him.
"Sam is going to come beside you. I thought it would do you good to see each other as you heal."
Still dazed and in horrendous pain, Jack didn't quite know what to make of all that Fulanna was saying. The only thing he grasped on to was the fact that Sam was alive.
He began to drift off to sleep, his body terribly weak, when he heard movement. He then felt a soft touch on the side of his face. Opening his eyes he again looked into pools of blue. Sam was here. She was beside him and was really okay.
"It's all right Jack. Go to sleep. I'm beside you and I won't leave."
At those words he allowed himself to return to the blessed peace of sleep. His last thought was maybe he didn't want to die after all.
Looking at the two horribly wounded people Fulanna hoped that the corner had been turned. Knowing the deep love these two had for one another she prayed that that love would strengthen and heal them both. She had done all she could. It was now up to them.
Glancing to the side she saw Eranna standing, also looking down at Jack and Sam. Her expression was startling to the older woman. Not angry or jealous, instead she looked pleased, as if happy for the two she had so greatly harmed. Fulanna again sighed – hoping that this young woman would one day have a great love of her own.
Sam's recovery from that day on was quick. It was only a few more days before she could sit up and begin to move around. She continued to remain close to Jack even though he hadn't regained consciousness since that one time. He didn't appear to be getting worse – but the healing was happening very slowly.
Their main concern was getting enough fluids into him. Fulanna didn't say anything but his throat had been again terribly burned - much worse than before. They had to continually give him small amounts of water throughout the day – otherwise he would die of dehydration and starvation even as his wounds healed.
Fulanna did not say anything to the others but she was afraid that this time the damage to his throat was permanent. Even during his delirium – when before he would have made some noise – now there was no sound at all, even though he appeared to be trying to speak as nightmares and hallucinations wracked his body.
A further worry was, of course, his hands. She had been able to help his left hand somewhat although she knew there would be some permanent damage. She had no way of repairing the small bones that had been broken. She hoped he would regain at least partial use of that hand.
It was the right one that was distressing. The damage was terrible with most of the bones in the hand – and many in the wrist – smashed. The flesh was also horribly torn and it had become infected. She had to continuously drain the fluid and infection from his hand - she did not want him to lose it even though he would never be able to use it again.
Fulanna knew Jak was a strong man and one who had born much with dignity and courage. She didn't know if he could deal with what he now had to face.
Although the older woman had not shared any of these thoughts Sam already knew the truth. She had seen the damage and knew what Jack was facing. Better than Fulanna, however, she knew how difficult a time Jack had ahead of him. Essentially, his career was ended, although truthfully that had already been true with the damage done to his feet. Now, however, he would be unable to communicate – a terrible fate for someone like him.
Sam's only hope was that they could get back home and maybe – just maybe – Janet could fix things! If not, there was always the healing device, which she'd beg, borrow – or steal if necessary!
It was close to 10 days since the punishment meted out to them before Jack finally began to come back to them. At first, it was only for small moments of time. He would open his eyes and immediately search out Sam. Once he saw her he would close his eyes and drift back to sleep. She had become his lifeline.
He tried not to think of the children, as that brought too much pain. He knew, as well as Sam, that his career in the Air Force was finished – even if they could escape and get home. If he thought that he could have the children with him it wouldn't be so bad, at least he'd have that to look forward to. In reality, however, he knew that was pretty much an impossibility. If they did get out of here there were bound to be grandparents or aunts and uncles who would claim the children. Even if there weren't, he couldn't see his government allowing him to adopt two children in his physical state.
So- he tried to divorce himself from them, just praying they were being well loved. He didn't know that Sam was spending as much time as she could with the two children. While he lay sleeping she would go to the other cave and cuddle and play with them.
Although they had eventually settled down for Prya they still called out for their father. They also seemed to love Sam, latching on to her whenever she was near. To her dismay – but also to her joy – they had started to refer to her as 'Mama'. Where they had got that she didn't know. She tried to correct them – telling them that she was 'Sam' but they ignored her. She had quickly grown to love and adore these two little imps. Even though not Jack's by blood – they were truly his children.
As Jack grew stronger, Sam would sit by his bed and talk to him hour after hour. She told him all about the new community – that people were working together and helping each other. She told him of the new name they had chosen - they called their community Gratia and themselves Gratians – a direct thumbing of their noses at what society had labeled them. They were no longer 'nothing' – they now took pride in who and what they were.
One day, Sam decided it was time to speak to Jack of the children. She started telling him how Hannah was growing – that she was beginning to say a few more words (she didn't mention the fact that she was now 'Mama' to the children). Anytime she began speaking, Jack would turn his head away. Sam quickly realized what he was doing and why.
"Colonel – those children love and need you. You can't ignore them – they're not going to forget you. They still ask for you everyday. I think it's time they came to see you."
Wildly shaking his head, Jack looked panicked at the thought. Siting down next to him Sam tried to comfort him by stroking his arms and head. She avoided his back as it was still painful for him.
"Jack please – why are you doing this? You are hurting them and you. You need each other. This does no good. Please!"
She could see that this was tearing him up inside and she felt terrible for pushing him. But, she knew Jack O'Neill and that he couldn't resist a child if he tried. Both she and Fulanna agreed that the best thing for him would be small doses of the children. Too much would be too tiring for him at this point.
Finally, she wore him down and he agreed to see the babies, although you would have thought, from his expression, that he was facing more torture, she snorted to herself.
So, that afternoon Sam led the two little ones by the hand in to see their father. Sam had tried to warn them that Dada was sick and couldn't play with them – that they would have to be quiet and gentle. She knew it was going to be difficult for them as they were both so excited they were practically jumping out of their skins.
As she walked into the cave she didn't know who was the most nervous, the children, Jack or herself. This could go horribly wrong – which would have lasting consequences on Jack's recovery – or it could go gloriously right, and be a turning point in his convalescence.
It took all of 5 seconds to see that this had been the best thing she could have done. When they say their father both Hannah and Jon had let out a loud squeel and had run toward him. Just as Sam ran to reach and grab them, afraid they would hurt Jack, both stopped and knelt down beside him. Hannah, squatting down on her two little feet, leaned over and gave Jack a big, open mouthed kiss – the joy on her face making tears gather in Sam's eyes.
Jon scooted down right beside his father and grinned and then reached over and gave him a big, loud kiss as well.
"Hi Daddy! I lub yus!" he whispered in a loud, stage whisper. He had obviously been warned to be as quiet as possible.
Looking down at Jack caused Sam to just about lose it completely. The man had the biggest, wickedest smile on his face. He looked – overjoyed – to see his children.
Yup – Jack and children go together like …. hell, like something great, she thought
Both children were now laying down beside Jack, trying to get as close to him as they could without hurting him. They didn't care about his wounds or his hands – only that they might hurt him – but to them this was Daddy, the man who loved them.
"Dada owee!" cried Hannah, reaching out and gently patting Jack's back. He reached over, with the back of his bandaged hand, and stroked her cheek. Nodding, he smiled at the little girl and blew her a kiss. She giggled and patted her cheek, then blew a big, slobbery kiss right back.
Jon began to talk a mile a minute – telling his father of the new people he'd met – even some other children. A lot of his conversation was about Sam – although at first Jack had been confused as Jon spoke of 'Mama'. Finally realizing who the little boy meant, Jack looked up at Sam and saw that her face had turned crimson. She looked back at him, worried that he would resent her being called Mama by the children. Instead, he looked pleased and actually winked at her.
The visit was a raging success – for all concerned – although Jack was tired after they left. The children had been great and were both gentle and quiet. The only trouble had been when it was time to leave. They had both begun to cry and Hannah had gotten quite hysterical which had upset Jack. The little girl eventually went to Sam who rocked her until she fell asleep. Jon soon followed.
As Sam tucked them in she decided to ask Fulanna about having them move back into the cave. Even though Jack was tired, the improvement in his mood was obvious.
From that day on Jack improved steadily. Between the children and Sam they worked to keep his spirits up. They even enlisted Hannah in the fight to get him to eat. Because of the pain he resisted eating solid food, though it was carefully mashed. They brought the little girl over and she began to take her spoon and share her supper – one spoon for her, one for Jack. She giggled at the game, and ended up getting almost as much on them as in them – but he couldn't refuse to eat for her.
He knew exactly what they were doing; throwing accusing looks at the women as they conspired against him. But still, he went along with it and secretly enjoyed it as much as Hannah.
Jon would spend time playing quietly beside his father with his favorite 'twuk' that Jack had made. Sam had also made him a few toys and he happily would drive them up and down Jack's legs – always stopping when he came to his bandaged back.
Fulanna hadn't looked at his back for a while – knowing it was better to leave it to heal. She decided it was time to see how it was doing and put clean bandages on him. With Sam's help (Prya was watching the children) they carefully cut the bandages off.
Jack couldn't see, of course, but he tensed when he heard a shocked 'hiss' come from Sam. Worried that something was seriously wrong he tried to get Sam's attention – this reminded him of when he had first arrived and Fulanna and Eranna discovered the brand on his back.
"Fulanna! Look at this. What's happened?"
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it. It must be the brand but I've not known it to do anything like this before. Mind you, I've not seen anyone be whipped like this."
The two women were so intent on 'something' that they didn't notice how agitated Jack was becoming. He had worked so hard to keep positive, to keep his spirits up and to try and get better. Now he was frightened that there was something else he had to worry about.
He finally decided he'd had enough and started to turn over. To hell with this. He was sick of lying on his stomach! As he began to roll, two pairs of hands stopped him.
"Colonel! What are you doing. Don't move, you'll hurt yourself."
Still trying to turn he ignored Sam's words.
"Jak! Stop! What are you doing?"
He looked over at Sam and saw she was finally looking at him. He glared at her and raised his eyebrows. Tell him what was going on, for God sakes, he thought.
"Colonel, you must lie still. We'll be done in a minute."
Letting out a huff of breath in his frustration he kept looking at Sam, entreating her to tell him what was wrong. Finally, she realized what they had done.
"Oh Jack – ur Colonel. I'm sorry. You don't know what's going on do you?"
He shook his head, relieved that she was finally getting it!
"It's your back. The area with the brand is all healed. The whip marks are practically gone. There are not even any scars, just a few faint lines. Outside of the brand the wounds are still there."
He nodded – he could still feel the tightness and pull of the stitches and still had twinges of pain if he moved too quickly. He looked at Sam with a question in his eyes.
"I don't know sir. I'd like to examine your back some more and try and figure it out. I've never seen anything like this and according to Fulanna neither has she. Do you mind?"
He shook his head, as curious as were the women.
For a long time Sam looked at his back. After a few minutes she had begun to touch the area with the brand, careful not to touch any of the healing wounds. He was startled when she touched the brand, as he could feel a warm, buzzing feeling throughout his body. It wasn't painful – nothing like he felt when they touched him with the rod. This was quite pleasant, in fact, and began to make him feel relaxed and sleepy. When she finished he was actually quite disappointed.
The two women re-bandaged him and then sat beside him. He looked at them wondering what they were thinking.
"I think we may have been wrong sir." Sam started. He looked at her and again raised his brows, asking a question.
"I don't think these marks are a brand per se. I remember thinking when I first saw them that they didn't look like a regular burn – but I haven't really looked closely until today.
"They aren't burned into your skin, at least not like a normal brand. It's almost like they've become part of you – I don't know quite how to explain it. It's some kind of other material, I can't identify it, but it's now attached totally to your skin. I can't tell how deeply but it doesn't seem to be just on the surface. The fact that it went all the way through should have made me suspicious but I guess there was just too much else we were dealing with."
At this comment Jack looked puzzled, not sure what she meant by 'all the way through'. He motioned to her, trying to get her to explain but it was Fulanna who took her up on her words.
"What do you mean by 'all the way through'? Was he not branded twice?"
"No!" Sam looked at both the woman and Jack and realized they didn't know. "Frotush held the brand only against Jack's chest. When he was released we could see that the brand had gone through to his back. We had never seen this before and couldn't figure out how that happened."
"You are right. This is not a usual brand. Take a look at mine." The older woman pulled down her dress and allowed Sam to study the mark on her chest. It was smaller than Jack's and looked more like what she thought of as a normal brand – if there was such a thing.
"This looks like it was burnt into the skin. It looks different than the one on Jack. I wonder why Frotush used a different kind on Jack."
"If he did."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Maybe it's not the brand that's different. Maybe it's Jack."
Here both Sam and Jack looked at each other. What if that was true? Could it be that it was simply that Jack was not from this planet, that he had a different physiology? Or did it have to do with something else? Sam's curiosity was peaked and Jack knew that look – his major was on the trail of a puzzle – and she wouldn't rest until she figured it out. He grinned, feeling like things were getting back on track. If Sam was in 'scientist' mode – things were definitely looking up!
As Jack continued to heal he spent more and more time with the children. Sam continued to play with them and cuddle them as well, but she also spent a lot of time on her quest to figure out the brand. She looked at Jack's back on a daily basis, often running her hands over it. He didn't let on, of course, but this was the highlight of his day! It felt amazing, like nothing he'd ever experienced. It was kind of a cross between an amazing massage and the orgasm from heaven (although fortunately his body didn't give that one away). He also began to feel a strange, but wonderful connection to Sam. He didn't know if she felt it too but he certainly enjoyed it.
Yes, she felt it as well – although she also was unaware that Jack was feeling the same thing. She had started to feel his back simply from an analytical, scientific point of view but that had changed. In reality, she didn't need to check him out everyday – but it was just so damned amazing. It made her feel so close to Jack, so good, that she didn't want to stop – so she didn't, using the excuse that she needed more information. What she actually needed was more Jack!
What neither of them realized was the daily touching was doing more than bringing them both comfort and pleasure. It was actually working to heal Jack. He knew his back was much better – and even his throat didn't hurt so much. As far as his hands were concerned – well, he simply ignored them, not wanting to deal with the reality of no longer being able to use his hands. For now, he simply allowed the women and his children to look after him.
About a month after his ordeal had begun, Fulanna again came to him telling him it was time to check on his hands. He resisted, quite adamantly, refusing to let her unwind the bandages. She finally had to get Sam to come and entreat him to let them look at how he was doing. It was only when Sam used the threat of not checking his back until they'd looked at his hands that he gave in. He really wanted that back-rub!
Fulanna checked on his left hand first, knowing it was the less damaged one. As the bandages came off she looked down in shock. Just like his back, where the brand was, the hand appeared almost healed. Not only was the wound closed, with pink, healthy looking skin covering it, the bones looked straight. There was little swelling and no bruising.
Looking up at Jack she saw his shock as well. He had been expecting the worst and couldn't believe what he saw.
"My God Sir! It looks healed. Can you move it?"
Taking a deep breath Jack slowly began bending his fingers. Although they were stiff there was no pain and he was able to move his fingers and then bend his wrist. Looking up at Sam he grinned, happier than he had been in a long time. Even if only the left hand was better it was much more than he had hoped. He now felt semi-whole and his future looked much brighter.
"I can't believe this. What is happening? Fulanna?"
"I don't know Sam. I think it must have something to do with the brand. Something is working in Jack that I've never seen. Jack – be careful!" as she saw him trying to pick something up. He grinned irrepressibly at her and continued what he was doing.
Uh oh, thought Sam. Where's Janet when you need her? This was typical 'Jack O'Neill pushing himself before he was ready' behavior. She'd have to warn Fulanna!
Swatting his arm Fulanna eventually forced Jack to stop – threatening him with dire consequences if he continued. It was only when she warned him that he could permanently damage his hand by pushing it too much too soon that he stopped. He still continued to grin!
She then decided she had better look at his other hand. Jack quickly calmed at that and looked nervous. He remembered clearly what had been done to him and could remember the agony of bones being splintered and crushed. As Fulanna unwound the bandages he closed his eyes, worried that he would see a mangled, useless hand.
"Jak – look! It is okay."
With those words he carefully opened his eyes and looked at his hand. He breathed a huge sigh of relief – and happiness. While the hand was not in as good a shape as the other one, it was far from mangled. It was swollen and bruised – and the wound was still healing – but the bones all looked straight. You never would have known what had been done to him. He figured there was still a possibility of damage – but it was not nearly the mess he had imagined. He felt his life slipping back into place.
"This one you will not use until I tell you you can. Do you understand?"
He nodded. Yes Mom, he thought to himself! But he knew that what Fulanna had said was important, and he would pay attention. Incredibly grateful to have his hands back, he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize them now.
Smiling up at the two women who had cared for him so well he relaxed and soon fell asleep, exhausted at the discoveries of the day, but finally looking forward to the future.
As Sam looked down at him, she realized that she had grown to love this man even more as they had spent time in this place. She too, now looked forward. It was time to get them out of this place.