Sam walked slowly towards the Goa'uld. "We do this in the Tok'ra fashion," she demanded.
"With pleasure," the Goa'uld leered making Sam's skin crawl. As she stepped closer the Goa'uld loosened its grip on the President. "Don't go too far, Mr. President," the Goa'uld warned before adding to Rivers, "Watch him."
Sam let the knife drop down into her hand as she stopped directly in front of the Goa'uld allowing her body to block it from Rivers' view as well as that of the Goa'uld. She stood so close that their chests nearly touched. Sam couldn't stop herself from tensing as the Goa'uld grabbed the hair at the nape of her neck to pull her head towards its own.
"Open your mouth," it demanded then enforced that demand by grabbing hold of her lower jaw. It pried her mouth open with enough force to bring tears to her eyes.
Sam gripped the handle of the knife more firmly. For this to work she would need every bit of her strength to bury the knife deeply enough into Rivera's skull to kill the Goa'uld, and not just strength would be required. She knew she'd need a great deal of luck and skill as well to make this work. Sam wasn't worried about the skill, but the luck was another matter. Just how many miracles could one woman expect to receive in one lifetime? And had she finally used up hers? Sam couldn't decide if it was terror or anger or just the rush of adrenaline that was causing the need to scream she felt building in her throat, but knowing Jack was waiting for some sort of signal, she decided it was as good as any. Just before Rivera's lips touched hers, Sam let the scream break free. At the same time she plunged the knife with all her strength into the soft flesh beneath his chin angling it upward putting the entire weight of her body into her attack. It was an awkward thrust, but through the research of Janet Frasier and her staff, Sam knew if the blade on the knife was long enough that the angle of her thrust would take out the Goa'uld as well as the host. The hand forcing her mouth open and the other pressed to the back of her neck suddenly went slack as the blade of her knife penetrated the host's brain.
As soon as she'd pressed the knife as deeply as it would go, Sam let go of its handle then jerked back desperately trying to put distance between herself and the dying Goa'uld host. Even as she did so, Sam knew she wasn't quick enough. She could feel the head of the snake forcing its way into her mouth and reacted instinctively. She grabbed the snake's body before it could fully enter her pitting herself against it in a tug of war for her own body. The Goa'uld's skin was slick with Alexandro Rivera's blood making it difficult for her to hold on to it. From the corner of her eye Sam saw zat fire hit Rivers. As he crumpled to the ground, Andrea Price grabbed the President and along with her two fellow agents began dragging him away to safety. Sam didn't have the luxury of time to feel relief for the President's safety though as she continued to fight the Goa'uld trying to enter her. She could see Jack running towards her.
From behind, Sam heard the sound of running feet just as her father shouted, "Take care of the Goa'uld, Teal'c." A moment later his arms came around her from behind and Teal'c's large hands wrapped around the body of the Goa'uld beside her own. "I've got you, Sammy" Jacob said quietly. Sam let go of the snake trusting to Teal'c's greater strength to free her. "Brace yourself," her father warned just before pain exploded through her as Teal'c attempted to pull the struggling Goa'uld from her mouth. As the pain continued to build at the back of her throat, Sam realized that the Goa'uld knew it would not survive this encounter and was intent on taking her with it or at least do as much damage as it could.
The pain suddenly subsided though as Teal'c finally managed to pull the struggling snake away from her just as Jack reached them. Teal'c continued to fight with the doomed Goa'uld as Jack grabbed her knife from Rivera's body and ordered, "Pin it to the ground, Teal'c." As soon as the jaffa warrior had done so, Jack drove the knife through its body. Both men immediately backed away. As he did so, Jack drew the handgun olstered at his waist, took aim then very deliberately and with a great deal of satisfaction emptied the entire clip into the Goa'uld staked to the ground. He automatically returned the weapon to its holster before turning away from the Goa'uld and dropping to his knees beside his wife and father-in-law.
Sam didn't know how it happened, but she now realized that she was on the ground lying in her father's arms. Her father transferred her to Jack's embrace then slipped the healing device onto his hand. Sam felt the warmth on her face and throat as the healing device did its work. "Hold on, Sam" Jack told her. "That's an order. Do you hear me?" She opened her mouth to tell him just where he could stick his order, but all that came out was a choked gurgle. Sam's confusion mounted when Jack turned her so that she knelt doubled over facing the ground. It was only then that Sam realized the blood flowing from the wound in her mouth was keeping her from breathing and the panic set in. Needing an anchor to help her stay calm, she grabbed Jack's hand. "Can't you hurry it up, Jacob?" Jack demanded as he held Sam more tightly just in case she couldn't control her panic.
"This isn't exactly easy, Jack!" Jacob retorted without taking his concentration from the healing device on his hand. "The damn bastard did a lot of damage."
The braver and more curious of the agents and Marines were already coming forward to take a closer look at the thing pinned to the ground and the woman it had tried to invade. "Jesus," one of the younger Marines whispered. "She's choking to death on her own blood."
Jack growled menacingly as his head swiveled around in the direction from which the comment had come, but before he could rip into the young man, Admiral Chegwidden did it for him. "Belay that, Marine!" he barked in his most intimidating voice. The young man in question wasn't the only one to jump at the admiral's sharp words. He flushed red at momentarily being the center of attention then even brighter with shame when his gaze returned to the woman on the ground.
Sam squeezed Jack's hand again, but this time to reassure him and not herself. She could already feel the flow of blood in her mouth stopping and degree by degree the pain slowly easing away. There was silence as the crowd watched Sam's struggle to breath ease. Finally the glowing jewel at the center of the healing device on Jacob's palm dimmed. "That's it," Jacob said. "Try not to talk too much, Sam. You're still going to be sore until we can get you back to Thor to do the more delicate healing."
Sam immediately sat up when Jack loosened his hold on her now that the crisis was over. As she did so, she turned to glare at her husband. "Order?" she demanded in a hoarse whisper. Jack's eyebrows shot towards his hairline and color washed over his cheeks as he recognized the anger in her voice. Sam saw the realization on his face as well, but continued anyway. "I'm not your second in command anymore, Jack" she told him. "I'm your wife, and 'obey' was not part of the vows I took yesterday."
"Got it!" he assured her quickly.
"Geez, Jack" Daniel said as he approached them carrying one of the infant carriers. "Married less than 24 hours, and you're already fighting." Janet walked beside him carrying the other carrier, and beside her walked President Ryan while Harry and Bray'tac trailed along with the rest of the now released hostages. A few yards behind them, two agents escorted Senator Kinsey between them.
"As I remember it, Danny boy, you and Sha're were fighting before you even knew you were married," Jack retorted.
"Point taken," Daniel conceded.
"Mr. President, that's close enough, please" Andrea commanded quietly from her place slightly behind and to the left of Ryan.
Ryan swiveled to look at his lead agent and saw her looking at the bloody mass on the ground. "I think it's dead, Andrea," Ryan assured her with a hint of dry amusement in his voice
"Can we be sure?" she argued doggedly.
"Teal'c, relieve Agent Price's mind," Jack ordered as he helped Sam to her feet. Teal'c tipped his head in acknowledgement then opened the zat he held in his hand. Immediately weapons all around were trained on him, but Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow then fired three times at the mutilated gua'uld body on the ground.
"Well, damn!" Tony Brentano sighed. "I suppose these are on loan too?" he asked Jacob.
"The Air Force has some of their own," Jacob told the newly appointed Secretary of Defense.
"A few," Daniel added.
"You just won't help us reverse engineer them," Sam accused her father as she lifted her daughter into her arms.
"If you can't figure it out on your own, you're not ready to have them," he argued.
"Ah ah ah," Jack objected as he bounced a crying J.D. in his arms. "J.D. doesn't like it when Mommy and Grandpa fight."
"So what happens now?" President Ryan asked.
"Now, we leave," Jack answered.
"You could stay," Ryan urged. "Kinsey and the NID won't try this again."
"Yes they will," Sam disagreed.
Ryan wanted to argue that no one would dare try again, but then his eye fell on Jacob Carter cooing to his granddaughter and realized that barring catastrophic injury, Carter was likely to outlive not only his daughter, but his grandchildren as well. For a chance at the fountain of youth, there would always be someone willing to try no matter what the risk. The President nodded to O'Neill and his wife reluctantly agreeing with their assessment.
"The rest of you don't have to go. Your careers," Chegwidden suggested. He too realized that Jack and Sam would have to disappear for the safety of their children, but the others didn't have to abandon their lives as well.
"I handed in my resignation the day we left for D.C." Janet admitted.
"Why?" A.J. gasped.
"Cassandra," Janet answered. "With Sam and the twins out of their reach, they'll go for her next."
"They never have before," A.J. pointed out.
"They never realized she could use Goa'uld technology before," Daniel told the older man. "When she helped the Abydonians, she changed that." As he spoke he moved to stand behind Janet settling his hands on her hips in an intimate fashion that left no doubt that where the petite doctor went so did he.
"I'll see you arrested for this, O'Neill!" Kinsey shouted struggling in the hold of the two agents. "You won't get away with this! Let me go!" he demanded.
"We already have, Senator," Sam told him. "Dad, Teal'c, Bray'tac, and Daniel have diplomatic immunity as the representatives of their respective people."
"Who does Dr. Jackson represent? Disgraced archeologists everywhere?" Kinsey sneered.
"I represent the people of Abydos," Daniel informed him in all seriousness, "in trade negotiations for naquadah, and as my wife, that immunity extends to Janet as well."
"Wife?" Jack asked. A hint of amusement warred with hurt in his voice as he asked.
Daniel blushed a bit as he admitted, "We had Thor take us to Vegas last night. We didn't want to wait."
"We are going to do it again properly though," Janet promised firmly.
Daniel nuzzled Janet neck as he murmured with a grin, "Yes, dear."
"You don't have immunity, O'Neill" Kinsey pointed out smugly. "Neither does Samantha. You may have gotten your brats back for now, but who'll protect them once you're in prison?" the senator asked.
Chegwidden snorted. "Please," he said. "A first year law student could get them off on temporary insanity."
It was obvious Kinsey was hoping to get a rise out of him. So obvious in fact, that Jack just smirked as he said, "Good luck serving the warrant, Senator."
"What does that mean?" Kinsey nearly growled.
"It means the universe is a very big place, and we've made a lot of friends out there," Sam explained with a smirk of her own.
"See ya, Senator," Daniel added. In his hand he held what looked like an elongated stone egg. "Time to go, Thor."
No one had time to try to interfere as the entire group that had invaded Camp David dissolved before their eyes leaving as they had come.