This is another adventure that seems to be writing itself and I have no idea how long it will eventually be. The time frame is just before the beginning of Season 9, with Jack and Sam in an established if still clandestine relationship.

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"You know," Sam said, trudging along on the narrow muddy trail, clipping his heels and avoiding the low hanging pine branches that dripped more water on them, "If you wanted to spend time alone with me all you had to do was ask."

Jack blinked in the slow endless downpour and growled, "Right, because if I wanted to set up private quality time with you this is exactly what I would pick."

"I was being sarcastic," Sam answered, staring at his back and feeling as if she had been doing that for most of her adult life, "You of all people should recognize that."

"I did."

"Doesn't sound like it."

Sam let the rain fill in the silence for a moment. The day had gone from misty to gray almost in an instant. There had been a roll of distant thunder and then the first small patter of raindrops. They'd had just enough time to get into their rain ponchos.

Then she said, "You said you were retiring."

She winced inwardly. God, she sounded like a petulant child. She might as well be stamping her feet.

Jack came to an abrupt halt, spun around and glared down at her.

"It turns out it's harder to do the second time when they pulled you out of the first one to begin with and they still want you in the program!" he snapped, "and are we really going to have this conversation now?"

He was angry and Sam knew it had less to do with their private issues than with the deadly disease currently ravaging the Gahattans – one of their oldest and most loyal allies.

But she was angry, too. She was soooo done with all this off world nonsense and putting her private life on permanent hold.

"At least we know for sure we're alone!"

Jack stared for a moment and then reached out to put a hand firmly on the back of her neck and drag her forward. His every movement was the embodiment of power and grace, relaxed in a way that Sam knew was actually very dangerous. He lowered his head and stopped with his mouth inches from hers with the rain drenching them both. Sam looked up and saw Jack's eyes half close, making them dark and unfathomable. His jaw tightened.

Damn it. He just would have to be the handsomest thing in the galaxy, wouldn't he?

"I'm just as frustrated by the delay as you are," he said.

Sam nodded, swallowed and said, "I know. But when this is over I'm taking the Area 51 job."

"I know," Jack answered. "We'll fix the plague on 311 and then we'll fix all of this. All right? I promise."

Jack leaned in closer then and kissed the raindrops clinging to her lashes. He kissed her forehead under her dripping bangs.

Then his mouth found hers and he kissed her in a way that should have set fire to the rain. It continued to fall with shocking indifference to their wild, tangled passion. It ran down the back of Jack's neck and under his collar and caressed Sam's face, tilted up to meet his.

The hot, wet, desperate kiss melted Sam and all her protests died, drowned in the rain and the honesty of his mouth on hers and his body seeking to crawl inside her through their rain gear and clothing.

When they stopped kissing, without moving so much as a centimeter apart, Sam said,

"We should find a place to set up the tent and get out of this rain."

He nuzzled his mouth against her neck and jaw, crouching slightly to reach.

"We should find a place to set up the tent and make love like rabbits," he murmured.

This time she knew he could feel her smiling when they kissed.

"Much. Better. Plan," she gasped out in between kisses.

"That's why I'm the General."

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Two days earlier on P9x-311:

The situation had quickly gone from bad to worse, Daniel decided. It was just plain bad timing that he and SG8 should be on P9X-311 for the first outbreak of BKF syndrome to hit the Gahattan population in over a century. The humans were in no danger. No human had been stricken with BKF syndrome in the history of the planet. Only the nonhumans – the Gahattans – were at risk. No one was sure exactly what species had evolved into the Gahattans. But Daniel had always thought they looked vaguely catlike.

This planet had been one of the first discovered by SG1, in their first year of exploring the galaxy. The two populations lived in extreme harmony, even intermarried though no child had ever been conceived through such a union. Their combined history made reference to a distant time when they had overthrown their slave masters and forged their current alliance. It hadn't taken Daniel long to determine that the slave masters were the Goa'uld. The human population was clearly descended from Egyptian culture and the god they referenced seemed to have been Tefnut, the lion headed goddess of Lower Egypt.

Daniel and Jillian found the entire thing fascinating of course. Everyone else indulged them. P9X-311 had advanced space flight capabilities that made them a valuable ally. They also had advanced hydroponic and hydroelectric capabilities that the Powers That Be found much less valuable but had exchanged medicines and various seeds for anyway.

They had contacted the SGC when a new series of temples had been uncovered by a violent sandstorm. Jack had sent SG8 to explore it and Daniel had made an utter pest of himself until Jack sent him along too.

Now they were all stuck there until the disease was cured or at least contained.

His last report to Colonel Mallory had been full of new information and hope, however. Mallory had dragged him straight to the MALP and made him tell Jack.

"You don't think what?" Jack had asked in the same breath that Sam had said, "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I don't think this planet is the place of origin for the Gahattan," Daniel repeated, "and Jillian agrees with me. We think they were originally colonists from another world."

Jack had paused and Daniel had suppressed a surge of irritation. He knew Jack was trying to figure out how to ask him a question without appearing to know too much. Daniel had been translating 'Jack O'Neill' for years. He saved him the trouble.

"There are too many anomalies," Daniel went on hurriedly, "There is no species on this planet that seems to resemble the Gahattans. It's as if there were no gorillas or chimpanzees on Earth. There is nothing that even resembles their DNA sequencing. Also, they have an extensive knowledge of paleontology but there is nothing in the fossil record that bears the slightest resemblance to them. There's nothing in their archaeology to suggest…."

"All right," Jack interrupted, "So if they're from somewhere else how does this help us exactly?"

"It makes sense of a translation Jillian's been working on," Daniel answered. "She's been working on some of the writing on the temple we just discovered and if there was another home world, they had a cure for this disease."

"What did she find in the writings?" Sam asked.

"In modern language Gahattan means 'first' but Jillian is finding evidence that at one time it meant 'cast out'. There's also the confusion about their names. Some of them translate like O'Neill – as in 'of' somewhere. Only no place with any such name exists on this planet. But these names are coming up in some of the old stories and poetry on this planet. Then there's one wall in particular that speaks of a man who falls suddenly ill. The verses describe in near perfect progression through the stages of BKF syndrome. The final verse speaks of how the woman who loved him cured him."

"What do the Gahattans say?" Jack said.

Daniel frowned and looked annoyed. He'd been hoping to avoid that question.

"They are vehemently denying it," he admitted, "You remember Mahalia? She's in charge of the Gahattan government since Senefra is now in a coma with BKF syndrome. She claims they were born here. Any attempt at a discussion is met with the same answer: this is their home world."

"We don't want to cause trouble, Daniel. These folks have enough trouble at the moment."

"I know," Daniel's eyes slid sideways, taking the more submissive position. "But that doesn't mean we can't check into ourselves and try to find this possible home world. It could mean a cure."

Jack hesitated for only a moment. "You know what we need then," he said, bluntly.

"A Gate address," Daniel answered.

"Get me one of those and we'll talk," Jack said and signed off the transmission and shut down the Gate.

He turned and found Sam watching him intently.

"We have to help," she said, "Senefra, Yondati, their families, they're our friends, sir. Not just our allies and they're dying."

It took every ounce of self-control not to pull her into his arms and hold on tight, run comforting hands over the curves of her back and nuzzle into her hair.

"We will," he said, "If Daniel finds us a Gate address, you and I will go personally to make contact and see if we can find a cure."

There was still worry in her eyes, but a hint of hope glinted there as well.

"You'll go off world?"

He shrugged. "Like Daniel said, I'm in charge. I can do what I want."

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