PG-13: For no reason whatsoever
A/N: Research for Egyptian Gods and Goddesses comes off the Internet, of course. The stuff quoted in here comes from this site: http://members.aol.com/egyptart/amun.html but I added/removed/changed bits to make it 'Daniel worthy'.
In this chapter, the plot goes nowhere. I mean, the characters go nowhere. Aw, you'll see.
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Sam brushed her teeth and propped the Mut file up against the back of the sink so she could digest all the information available as she washed.
Mut was the divine mother, the queen of all gods. She was the female counterpart of Amun (see attached notes). Mut usurped many of the other Egyptian goddess that exhibited the attributes of motherhood. During the New Kingdom, The marriage of Mut and Amun was one of the great annual celebrations. Amun would be brought from his temple at Karnak, a great following would escort him to visit Mut at her temple at Luxor. In spite of her marriage to Amun, Mut was bisexual, perhaps to reinforce her position as the mother of all things. Her hieroglyphic symbol was a vulture, it was worn on the crowns of Egypt's queens to typify their motherhood - see diagram, as possible Jaffa would wear a variation of this symbol.
Well, that was all very interesting, but it didn't really tell Sam much about the modern day Goa'uld who will have taken on a rather different persona to the one she may have had in ye olde times. On the other hand, this 'queen of all gods' thing was just a tad worrying. Having come across the ones that were supposedly simply gods of the dead, or sex, drugs and rock n' roll, and experiencing first hand their particular powers, it was a little unnerving to be potentially meeting the one so called 'the divine mother'.
A knock on the adjoining door had Sam spitting out the toothpaste in the sink and calling out, '' I'm coming!'' before filling her mouth with water and gargling. When she was done, she flicked a small towel from the handrail and hurried to the door.
Maybourne, already dressed in yet another ubiquitous outfit, greeted her by holding out a duo of green apples and a carton of orange juice. '' Breakfast.''
She took the food and put it aside on a table. '' Are we leaving? Already?''
'' I'm up. You're up. I see no reason to stall. The quicker we get there, the faster we can set this up. I have a new file for you.'' From behind his back he pulled out a black file with a white stripe down its side. When she reached for it, he swiftly pulled it out of the way. '' This is your new persona.''
'' What's wrong with my old persona?'' She shook her head. '' I mean, me?''
'' We're back in Colorado, Sam, in case you haven't noticed. You need to take on a low profile. Don't want you getting caught before you have a chance to do your good deed. You'll keep your first name, if it's any help.''
He dropped the file on the floor, and then closed the door. '' Five minutes!'' he called.
God, he was worse than Colonel O'Neill when it came to timekeeping, she thought grumpily, bending down and picking up the file. Deciding she would save that delight for the journey, she tossed it on the bed and went back into the bathroom to give her skin a good going over. All this deception was making her feel dirty.
It took her little time to pack, but Maybourne was at the truck before she was, impatiently sitting in the front seat. He didn't say anything, however, just started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot.
Sam sipped her orange juice, munched her apple, and started on her 'new persona' file.
Name: Samantha Maria Clorel
'' Clorel!'' she exclaimed.
'' I thought it would be nicely ironic. I imagine she'll associate the name with Klorel as well.''
'' Are you sure that's a good idea?''
'' You mean, am I being an idiot?
Sam knew she'd regret that quip, even if it had sounded pretty good at the time, almost worthy of Colonel O'Neill. Even if he had been a... giant bug at the time. '' No, I mean... you don't know what her relationship with Apophis was like.''
'' That'll be for you to find out, then, won't it? Just think, you can get the Goa'uld gossip firsthand.''
'' Oh Jesus.''
Age: 30.
Hey, cool, she was thirty again.
Date of Birth: 28/12/70.
Fine. She could manage that.
Parents deceased.
'' How did they die?''
'' Mysteriously.''
Naturally, Sam thought. '' Of course. Any relation to my mysterious blackouts?''
He smiled. '' Yes. Notice the date.'' Reaching across, he tapped with surprising accuracy the date of 'her parents' deaths. Six months ago. You were visiting them, fell asleep upstairs in your room. When you came downstairs they were dead. Necks broken. A complete mystery. Their deaths are part of the reason you're having this personal crisis.''
She stared at him blankly. '' Personal crisis.''
'' Yes. I thought you could put a little of your own emotion behind the character.''
Again, blank expression. '' Character.''
'' You've never gone undercover before, have you?''
'' Maybourne, my whole life is undercover. I barely know who I am.''
Huh. Never before had she realised how true that statement was. Classified work had long since stopped being the all-round big special secret it had been when she'd been in her twenties. It had long since stopped being fun. You went into that mountain and that was your life - when you came out, that entire part of your life was locked away. And it was a big part.
They were quiet for a while, the nonsense on the radio filling the void where talk should have been. Therefore, it was a surprise when Maybourne finally spoke, and it was in no way related to the job at hand, '' Why exactly did you go AWOL? I mean, it's a little out of character for you, don't you think?''
Sam stared out of the window. '' How would you know, Maybourne?''
'' I know a lot more than you think. Kerrigan brought you to the attention of the higher powers almost the moment you stepped through the Academy doors.''
She glanced at him sharply. This was the first she'd heard of it - General Kerrigan and she hadn't exactly got on in the first couple of terms. Her tendency to fall asleep in lectures and argue with her superiors having something to do with it. At least she made up for it in her later years - funny what a few years of maturity could do previously troubled relationships.
'' I suppose you've had a tough couple of years,'' he mused. '' But it just doesn't run true to me. Everyone in SG-1 has had a bad couple of years. It's not like you're being picked on.''
She faked an interest in her file, unwilling to comment.
'' Getting snaked must have been a real blast, though.''
*
Sam was crushed in an SG-1 sandwich. She didn't quite recall how it had happened. One moment Janet was saying Sam could have a couple of visitors now that there appeared to be no apparent effects from... from...
.... the next thing she knew, Daniel was perching on her right, the Colonel was perching on her left and Teal'c was hovering, actually hovering, in concern for her.
Daniel brought chocolates. He'd snuck them in under his shirt, crab-walking past Janet so she didn't see and then stuffing them under Sam's pillow as soon as Janet's back was turned. Teal'c had brought her some tabloid magazines, the kind that detailed all sorts of alien conspiracies, and he'd highlighted the ones that he thought should be brought to the attention of the SGC.
The Colonel had bashfully told her that he hadn't got her a present and Sam had to stop herself from telling him that he was quite enough of a present as himself.
So while Daniel had picked up one of the tabloid magazines and was laughingly debating its merits with Teal'c, the Colonel nudged her shoulder with his and taken her hand in one of his large ones. '' How you feeling?'' he'd asked, softly.
Sitting so close to her, his warm body thawing her chilled one, Sam couldn't help but feel the distinct prickle of intimacy that was probably a little too friendly for CO and 2IC. '' Well.... honestly?''
He nodded, squeezed her hand. '' Of course.''
'' It was probably the worst thing that's ever happened to me.''
The Colonel winced. '' Yeah. I guessed as much. Um, do you... remember anything?''
'' I remember... everything. But it was kinda like a dream, like I was watching from a distance.'' MacKenzie hadn't gotten as much out of her as the Colonel was. Funny that. '' He, the symbiote, didn't let me... I mean, he was crushing me.'' She swallowed hard, and with her free hand reached around him to grab her glass of water. Her sore throat had yet to let up; it remained a constant reminder of what had just happened to her.
'' Did it... tell you anything?''
'' No... and yes. Sometimes I would get these flashes, almost like he forgot I was there. And then.. now... '' Now, sitting at the back of her neck, the body of the symbiote was dying, being absorbed into her body. Right then. Right there.
She gulped from the glass and felt a fine tremble run through her body.
Don'tthinkaboutthesnakedon'tthinkaboutthesnake.
'' Sam?'' He leaned forward, briefly pressed his forehead against her temple, then drew back. '' You'll get through this. We'll be here for you. It will never get any worse than this.''
Strangely, that was comforting.
*
What could she tell him? It wasn't the job that was getting her down - okay, it sure didn't help much. Getting snaked, zapped, brainwashed, occasionally killed, copied, downloaded.... she tried to get over each event one by one but things like that never really went away.
Then there was Him.
'' What's wrong with losing it?'' she asked softly. '' What's so bad about that? Why do I have to be strong all the time? Where does it say that?''
Maybourne looked at her, taking his eyes off the road for too long a span of time. '' It doesn't say that anywhere, Major. Do you know what the therapy bills amount to in the SGC? Do you know how many specialist staff had to be shipped in just so we could have on-hand doctors with the clearance suitable to deal with the issues the SG teams brought back with them? Seeing aliens on a regular basis isn't a healthy life. I'm not condemning you.''
He wasn't? '' You're not?''
'' No.'' He laughed. '' I'm just surprised you didn't go about it in a more intelligent manner. A person with your skills and aptitude could have at least faked her death or something if you were serious about giving it all up. Then you could have worked in that bar until you were one-hundred-and-two and no one would be any the wiser.''
Sam swallowed.
'' The fact that you didn't... I should imagine, subconsciously, you always intended to go back.'' He smiled. '' We're going to Denver, though I suppose you've already worked it out. I was thinking of having MacDonalds for lunch. Sometimes, a Big Mac can go down really well.''
Maybourne liked MacDonalds. Who would have thought.
Surreal didn't really cover it.
*
'' Oooh, burgers....'' Colonel O'Neill looked longingly out of the window at the fast food restaurant bar, still in 'Homer' mode. He did quite a good impression, actually, but Sam knew Daniel was pissed off at him and she didn't want to be tarred with the same brush.
Teal'c came out from behind his paper. '' Approximately how long will it take to reach our destination, Daniel Jackson?''
'' In other words, are we there yet?'' the Colonel demanded, leaning forward to look at Daniel, then Sam.
Daniel glanced at Sam and rolled his eyes. '' Children.''
Sam grinned and looked down at the radio. '' Can I put this on?''
'' Sure, Sam.''
Happily toying with the radio dial, she found a station that she liked, and she knew Daniel liked. The groan from the back seats could only come from one person.
'' This is an oldies station. How can you guys listen to this crap?''
Daniel's eyes moved to Sam again. '' I'm not kidding. I'm feeling like a parent. I'm not old enough to have a child that annoying.''
She giggled this time. '' He must get it from you. I was a perfect teenager.''
He looked at her shrewdly. '' Fear of failure?''
Casually, Sam nodded. '' Still going strong. You?''
'' Fear of rejection.''
'' Healthy.''
Colonel O'Neill leaned forward again. '' Will you two stop having a conversation amongst yourselves?''
'' Sorry, Jack. Feeling left out?'' Daniel reached forward to the dash board and plucked a boiled sweet from the bag he'd brought. '' Here you go.''
Grumbling, the Colonel took the sweet anyway and sat back. '' I want to drive on the way home.''
'' Fine. Teal'c can sit in the front as well.''
'' I prefer to sit in the back, Daniel Jackson. There is more room for my legs.''
'' Fine. Jack and Sam can be the parents on the way home.'' Daniel shook his head. '' Man, I am never, ever doing this again.''