Sam's eyes snapped open at Jack's order as Zabar pressed the tip of the dagger to the hollow of her throat. He scraped it downward, between her breasts to her naval; not enough pressure to fully pierce her skin, but it left an angry burn in its wake.

Sam felt the restraints digging into her wrists, but only one wrist was throbbing. Daring a quick glance upward, she found that the slave cuff was between her skin and the restraint. Rotating her wrist, she could just move the cuff back and forth. The latch she'd fashioned was just on the edge, if she could use the restraint to catch it—the cuff sprang open, giving her enough room to slip her wrist free.

She drove the heel of her freed hand into Zabar's nose, knocking him backward. Blood poured from down his face as he screamed in agony.

Not wasting a second, Sam worked to loosen the restraint holding her other hand. She felt the cord dig further into her wrist, slicing the skin. Ironically, her blood provided just enough lubrication for her to wrench it free. Sitting up she turned to her ankles.

Before she could get the first restraint undone, Zabar grabbed her hair and wrenched her backward. Pain exploded in her head as she was slammed down.

Zabar stood over her and threw the dagger aside. "You'll pay for that," he snarled as he climbed on top of her. She clawed at his face, but he captured her wrists and pinned them above her head. Unable to stop the tears streaming down her face, Sam screamed.

———POV———

Jack rammed his shoulder into the locked door breaking the hinges, as Sam screamed his name. Roaring into the room, he saw Zabar on top of Sam, pinning her down, blood covering her body. He tackled Zabar, wrenching him off of her and throwing the man to the ground. Zabar stood no chance against Jack's unleashed fury, as he pounded his fists into the bastard's face. Even after Zabar lost consciousness, Jack refused to stop.

"O'Neil!" Teal'c yelled, trying to pry him off of Zabar. Jack turned, shoving the Jaffa back and returned to beating the man who dared to hurt his soulmate.

"Jack!" Sam called, but he ignored her. He'd seen the blood, couldn't stand the thought that he might have been too late.

Jack! Sam broke through his fury, forcing herself into his mind.

He raped you! All the blood, oh god, Sam, his soul screamed.

He didn't rape me, Jack, you got to me in time! You saved me!

Jack paused briefly as her thoughts started to seep past his fear and rage. This time when Teal'c grabbed him, he didn't fight. Turning to Sam, he walked over to where she sat on the bed. Daniel had released her and wrapped his jacket around her, but Jack could see several large welts across her thighs. Grasping the lapels of the jacket, he jerked it open. His mind registered Daniel quickly turning around.

Kneeling in front of her, he ran his hands over her body, searching for the source of the blood.

"It's not mine," she told him softly, grabbing the sides of his face. "It's Zabar's. I broke his nose."

"That's my girl," Jack growled as he pulled her roughly into his arms. "I thought I was too late," his voice trembled.

"You weren't," her fingers massaged the back of his neck.

"He didn't—" Jack's voice was muffled against her skin.

"He didn't," she confirmed, but he still shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to her.

"I'm supposed to be comforting you," he grumbled pulling back. After checking for any significant damage one more time, he zipped the jacket up.

"You can comfort me later," she told him. "Right now, we're finishing the mission." Jack watched as she retrieved the slave cuff from where it hung in the restraint. Understanding her intent as she stood up, he stepped back and let her lead the way.

Having no choice except to follow, Daniel and Teal'c fell in step behind them. The halls were still mostly clear since the auction hadn't ended; the sounds of bidding echoing around them. The only two men they ran into took one look as them and scurried the other way.

Making their way to the center of the palace, Sam held the slave cuff up to the crystal assembly and pushed the button. A wave of energy exploded from the crystals as they cracked and disintegrated.

As if on cue, Jack heard a sudden silence followed by what could only be described as female battle cries. He couldn't help the smile on his face. It was time for the women of this planet to get some retribution.

"Mission accomplished," Sam said, sagging against him.

Jack wrapped his arm around her waist. He knew his adrenaline was wearing off, but could also feel the telltale exhaustion creeping into Sam. They needed to get to the ship before the inevitable crash happened.

He turned them around and looked at Daniel and Teal'c. Both of them looked pleased, but also concerned. Nodding to let them know he and Sam would be alright he said, "Let's go home."