Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay. School's getting quite busy at the moment. Thank you so much for your reviews! Hope you enjoy this next chapter...
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The fire crackled and snapped as Daniel poked it with a stick. Sparks drifted upwards and disappeared. He rested his chin in his hand as he stared at the flames. He had slipped out of their tent as soon as he'd woken. Jack and Sam had been sitting closely together talking quietly. Sam looked like she'd been crying. Jack was talking too softly for him to make out the words, but he could tell by the tightness of his voice and the concern on his face that it was important.
Dawn was starting to arrive. He stood up and stretched, covering a yawn with the back of his hand.
"Hey, Teal'c, you want some coffee? I've been keeping a stash for just such an occasion."
"Thank you, Daniel Jackson, but I am afraid your coffee is no longer where it once was."
"But wha...? Jack."
"Somebody say my name?" Jack and Sam exited the tent and walked towards them.
"Sam, are you okay?" Daniel hugged her close.
Sam rubbed at her eyes and gave him a small smile.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks. Sorry for waking you up."
"Don't worry about it."
They all took seats around the fire. No one said anything for a while.
"I would offer you coffee, but..."
"Oh, would you look at the time!" Jack stood quickly. "I'm just going to check on our Keran friends." He offered them a hasty salute as he went on his way. Sam returned it before turning back to the fire with a smile.
Jack took a detour into the wooded area. He needed to be alone for a minute. Stopping by a tree, he sat down and leaned his head against the bark. Trees. He poked fun at them often, but the truth was that he always found them a comfort. They were always there. Green and lush and life. Maybe that's why he liked his cabin so much.
She'd been in such pain. She still was. He was amazed she'd held it in so long. Going through the same torture every year. He'd had enough tough missions of his own, but they were just that, missions. He'd known his objectives, known what was expected of him. She hadn't had that. She'd been alone, left to fend for herself and another.
He rubbed a hand over his forehead and started to get up.
"Jack! There you are."
He turned around to see Daniel running up to him.
"The Telars are attacking!"
Sam looked over from her position behind some sacks to see Jack and Daniel returning. Focusing her gaze back on the Telars, she began to worry. There were so many. They had come out of nowhere and were advancing at an alarming rate.
Behind her she heard a scream and struggling. She turned to see one of the Telars trying to drag a Keran child away. The boy was struggling too much for her to chance taking a shot.
"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" she yelled as she landed a punch square on the Telar's jaw. She felt a moment of victory until multiple hands from behind grabbed her. She continued to struggle until a cloth was placed over her mouth and darkness overwhelmed.
She covered the bodies as best she could. She refused to cry. She would cry later. Now she had to focus on survival. They couldn't stay here a moment longer. Three missing soldiers would certainly draw attention. She walked over to Amy and knelt down so she was eye-level with her.
"Amy, you have to listen to me. Please. We need to get out of here, and we need to get out right now. More people will be coming, and they'll be looking for us. We have to stay together. We have to make sure we're not seen. And most important, we have to make sure we're not captured. Got it? Amy?"
Amy slowly nodded her head. Sam prayed she truly did understand. Getting up from the ground, she dusted her knees off. Not that it made any difference. Her clothes were filthy anyway.
"Let's go."
After walking for hours, Sam finally decided they could stop and rest. She rummaged in their bag for some MREs. Finally finding two, she looked up to see Amy eating a couple berries from a nearby bush.
"Amy, I don't know if you should be eating those. We don't know what they are."
They did look good though.
She put one in her mouth. It tasted good. And it's not like they had a lot of choices. They had to eat something. Taking a couple handfuls and a few sips of water, they started out again.
Ten minutes passed. Then the dizziness began.
Taking deep breaths, she tried to fight back the nausea. Her legs felt weak beneath her and her hands began to shake. She looked over at Amy. She didn't seem affected. She just watched as Sam fell hard to the ground losing consciousness, her wrist giving a sickening snap as it twisted between her and the root of a tree.
"Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are..."
Pain ran in waves through her body as she slowly made her way to consciousness. How long had she been out, she didn't know. Opening her eyes halfway, she reached a hand up to her forehead only to have the pain increase sharply. She looked at Amy sitting beside her thankful she was still there. The soft singing eased her as unconsciousness took over once more.
"Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky..."
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Well that's it for tonight folks! I need some sleep. A new chapter will be up tomorrow though! And lots longer I hope. Thanks for reading. Hope you liked!