Thanks to those of you who reviewed, and a special thanks to neenee1, I'm new to this site and didn't realize that I had it set to only accept signed reviews.
If you didn't realize it last chapter:
Sarah = Sarah O'Neill
Sara = Sara Gardner
It was the best I could come up to tell the difference. Let me know if it's still too confusing, and I'm open to suggestions.
Finally, I know a lot of you were intrigued by the Sam/Sarah possibilities. Don't worry, I will continue to write about that, but I also want this to be an Action-Romance story, not a Sappy Romance story, so there will be other things involved. Hope you like.
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Chapter 2- Rescue
Given SG-1's, and especially Teal'c's, reputation, it was not hard to find a rebel Jaffa on Chulak willing to lend a scout ship temporarily. Within 24 hours of their departure from Earth, they were on their way back. The trip would take considerably longer this time, however. That being the case, Teal'c took the controls to allow the humans to get some rest. They hadn't slept since leaving Earth.
Sam and Sarah got the two couches/sleeping pads, so Daniel and Jack were relegated to the floor. They were used to sleeping on hard ground, so it wasn't a big deal, but Jack found that he couldn't sleep, anyway. Rising, he joint Teal'c.
"Are you unable to sleep O'Neill?"
"Nope."
"It will still be four hours before we reach Earth. Sleeping would be wise."
"Yeah, T, it would." At that moment, a scream came from the room behind them. Teal'c began to move, but Jack raised his hand to stop him. "I got it. It's Sarah."
Hurrying into the room, Jack quickly determined that there was no immediate danger. Sara had obviously just woken up from an unpleasant dream. He moved over to his ex-wife and wrapped her in his arms. "Hey, shhh, it's okay, it's okay."
It was a long few moments before she spoke. "I keep seeing the men at the house. The one that almost shot you, I..." She shuddered.
He hugged her tighter. "It's okay, it's over now. It was just a bad dream."
"I know." There was a pause, and then she let out a soft laugh.
"What?"
She smiled as if at a private joke, "Normally, it's me holding *you* after one of *your* nightmares."
He laughed. He did see the irony in their situation. It wasn't long before she fell asleep again.
From across the room, Sam watched the Colonel as he watched Sarah. She had been on the verge of falling asleep when Sarah's cries had woken her. Now she feared she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. After the Prometheus incident, she hadn't been sure if the Colonel was really the one she wanted, or if her attraction to him was a result of working with him for close to seven years. Now, after Pete, she knew. Pete was nice, but he wasn't the one she wanted. No sirree, that particular person was currently falling asleep with his arms around his ex-wife. *After me going out with Pete, I wonder if he even sees me that way anymore.* If it came down to choosing between herself and Sarah, who had been his wife for over ten years, she was sure the Colonel would choose his ex-wife. *What if I've lost him?* It took a while, but she did eventually fall back asleep. She had been more tired than she realized.
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Jack woke about an hour before they arrived on Earth. He took the controls so Teal'c would have time to Kelnoreem. The others soon joined him.
"What's the plan, Jack?"
"Well, first we have to locate Cassie and Sara."
"Cassie has been staying at my house since Janet died, but she still goes to the same school."
"Sara went back to catch up with her family in England. Actually, she's probably landing in the next few minutes."
"Okay. We get Cassie first. She's still in the States, so the NID can probably get to her faster." Adjusting his descent, he headed for Colorado. Sarah was obviously awed by the view of Earth from miles above.
"There it is, that's Cassie's school." Sam pointed at the grey dot below.
"Okay, the ship is cloaked, but the rings won't be. We'll ring down in those woods by the baseball field. Carter, Danny and I will go. Sidearms only, let's not get in a shootout. Shootouts in a school are not fun. Teal'c, you be ready to pick us up when we call. Keep the ship cloaked."
"Agreed, O'Neill."
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The three humans walked out of the line of trees and crossed the baseball field, walking around the students having gym class. The gym teacher recognized Sam, and smiled. She nodded and smiled back.
"Cassies school had metal detectors, sir."
"Not a problem, Carter. All schools have students who smoke. They leave backdoors open. Those never have detectors."
"You sound like you've done this before, Jack."
Jack glanced over. "Mostly in training, Danny. Only once for real."
"Training!?"
"Yeah, Special Forces like to train for worst-case scenarios. A hostage situation in a school is pretty close to worst case."
"If that *close*, what's the *absolute* worst case?" Daniel was clearly agitated, but why, nobody knew.
Jacks eyes darkened. "Absolute worst case is a large airplane full of kids and terrorists with bombs."
Something in his eyes told Sam he was speaking from experience.
They located an open backdoor, and just walked in.
Daniel felt distinctively uncomfortable carrying a gun in school, even if it was concealed. For her part, Sam felt the same way, especially when the schools police officer walked by.
Neither understood how the Colonel could remain calm. He even said hello to the officer! Sam shook her head. It was these small, almost unnoticeable skills of his that occasionally showed themselves that made Sam love him the way she did.
They arrived at Cassie's classroom. The Colonel motioned for Sam. She took a deep breath and knocked, opening the door slightly to poke her head in.
Cassie was obviously surprised to see her. "Excuse me, could I please see Cassie for a moment?" The teacher was aware that Cassie had just lost her mother, and also knew Sam, so she allowed Cassie out of the room.
Cassie was surprised again to see the two men with her. "Hey guys! What's going on?"
O'Neill spoke. "We're leaving. Let's go." It was his command voice, and she didn't dare refuse. They left the same way they came. Once they were out of earshot of the gym class, Sam explained what was going on. Cassie didn't have any problems with leaving. As long as she was with SG-1, she had everyone she needed.
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Back on the ship, Cassie met Sarah. She looked from Sarah, to Jack, to Sam, then back to Sarah.
"Nice to meet you, Cassie."
"Hi, um, Aunt Sarah."
"*Aunt* Sarah?"
Jack chuckled. "Yeah, well, you see, I'm her 'Uncle Jack', so..."
Sarah smiled. "Oh, I see." Cassie didn't miss the glance between them. She looked at Sam, who hadn't missed it either, and was now trying to look away without being conspicuous.
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Five minutes later they were soaring above the airport in England where Sara Gardner had landed only minutes earlier. What they didn't know was that both Cassie and Sara Gardner were under surveillance by the NID. When they heard that Cassie had disappeared, Sara's shadowers had moved in. They were arriving at almost the same time.
Again, Jack, Daniel and Sam ringed down in a concealed location. They met Sara as she exited the secure area. Daniel walked up to her.
"Daniel?" She had not been expecting him.
"Hey Sara."
"What are you doing here? What's wrong?" She was instantly worried. She knew about what Daniel did, knew about the Goa'uld, had *been* a Goa'uld for a while herself, and knew that if he was here, something was amiss.
"Sara, I don't have time to explain here, plus," gesturing to the crowd, "this really isn't the place for it, but we need you to come with us."
"We?"
"Yeah, I'm here with Jack and Sam. But we really do have to hurry." They moved over and met up with the others.
"Okay kids, let's go." They moved off. Jack was the first to notice three men following them. Outwardly, he remained calm. Inwardly, his senses went on high alert. Somehow, though she never knew how, Sam felt him tense. They all quickened their pace.
*Damn.* Jack was not happy with the situation. Normally, if you are being followed, you stay in a public place. Stalkers are less likely to do anything there. However, because they were going to use the rings to get back aboard the ship, they needed to be in a *private* place. Doh!
As they passed behind a warehouse wall Jack drew his gun. Sam followed suit. Daniel grabbed Sara's arm. The three NID men drew their guns as well. Out in the open, it became a contest of who was a better shot.
With a split second head start, Jack dropped to a crouch, taking out the first man with a shot to the head before he could fire. The first shot from Goon 2 passed harmlessly over his head.
Sam didn't get off so easily. She and Goon number three fired at exactly the same time. Like the Colonel, she had aimed for the head. She hit what she aimed for. Unfortunately, so did the goon. Or he would have, if her gun wasn't in the way. The bullet, aimed for her head, struck the right side of her pistol, knocking it cleanly out of her hand and glancing off to the right. It made a slice up her forearm before embedding itself in her shoulder.
Jack shot the last NID man in the neck as he tried to get back behind the warehouse. Sam didn't even fall over from her wound. She was still too high on adrenaline to recognize the pain. Just then the rings arrived. They vanished without a trace. It happened so fast, Sams blood hadn't even hit the ground.
The base security arrived to find three freshly dead men sprawled on the ground. There had obviously been a gunfight, but where were the Other Guys? The answer would never be found.
If you didn't realize it last chapter:
Sarah = Sarah O'Neill
Sara = Sara Gardner
It was the best I could come up to tell the difference. Let me know if it's still too confusing, and I'm open to suggestions.
Finally, I know a lot of you were intrigued by the Sam/Sarah possibilities. Don't worry, I will continue to write about that, but I also want this to be an Action-Romance story, not a Sappy Romance story, so there will be other things involved. Hope you like.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 2- Rescue
Given SG-1's, and especially Teal'c's, reputation, it was not hard to find a rebel Jaffa on Chulak willing to lend a scout ship temporarily. Within 24 hours of their departure from Earth, they were on their way back. The trip would take considerably longer this time, however. That being the case, Teal'c took the controls to allow the humans to get some rest. They hadn't slept since leaving Earth.
Sam and Sarah got the two couches/sleeping pads, so Daniel and Jack were relegated to the floor. They were used to sleeping on hard ground, so it wasn't a big deal, but Jack found that he couldn't sleep, anyway. Rising, he joint Teal'c.
"Are you unable to sleep O'Neill?"
"Nope."
"It will still be four hours before we reach Earth. Sleeping would be wise."
"Yeah, T, it would." At that moment, a scream came from the room behind them. Teal'c began to move, but Jack raised his hand to stop him. "I got it. It's Sarah."
Hurrying into the room, Jack quickly determined that there was no immediate danger. Sara had obviously just woken up from an unpleasant dream. He moved over to his ex-wife and wrapped her in his arms. "Hey, shhh, it's okay, it's okay."
It was a long few moments before she spoke. "I keep seeing the men at the house. The one that almost shot you, I..." She shuddered.
He hugged her tighter. "It's okay, it's over now. It was just a bad dream."
"I know." There was a pause, and then she let out a soft laugh.
"What?"
She smiled as if at a private joke, "Normally, it's me holding *you* after one of *your* nightmares."
He laughed. He did see the irony in their situation. It wasn't long before she fell asleep again.
From across the room, Sam watched the Colonel as he watched Sarah. She had been on the verge of falling asleep when Sarah's cries had woken her. Now she feared she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. After the Prometheus incident, she hadn't been sure if the Colonel was really the one she wanted, or if her attraction to him was a result of working with him for close to seven years. Now, after Pete, she knew. Pete was nice, but he wasn't the one she wanted. No sirree, that particular person was currently falling asleep with his arms around his ex-wife. *After me going out with Pete, I wonder if he even sees me that way anymore.* If it came down to choosing between herself and Sarah, who had been his wife for over ten years, she was sure the Colonel would choose his ex-wife. *What if I've lost him?* It took a while, but she did eventually fall back asleep. She had been more tired than she realized.
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Jack woke about an hour before they arrived on Earth. He took the controls so Teal'c would have time to Kelnoreem. The others soon joined him.
"What's the plan, Jack?"
"Well, first we have to locate Cassie and Sara."
"Cassie has been staying at my house since Janet died, but she still goes to the same school."
"Sara went back to catch up with her family in England. Actually, she's probably landing in the next few minutes."
"Okay. We get Cassie first. She's still in the States, so the NID can probably get to her faster." Adjusting his descent, he headed for Colorado. Sarah was obviously awed by the view of Earth from miles above.
"There it is, that's Cassie's school." Sam pointed at the grey dot below.
"Okay, the ship is cloaked, but the rings won't be. We'll ring down in those woods by the baseball field. Carter, Danny and I will go. Sidearms only, let's not get in a shootout. Shootouts in a school are not fun. Teal'c, you be ready to pick us up when we call. Keep the ship cloaked."
"Agreed, O'Neill."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The three humans walked out of the line of trees and crossed the baseball field, walking around the students having gym class. The gym teacher recognized Sam, and smiled. She nodded and smiled back.
"Cassies school had metal detectors, sir."
"Not a problem, Carter. All schools have students who smoke. They leave backdoors open. Those never have detectors."
"You sound like you've done this before, Jack."
Jack glanced over. "Mostly in training, Danny. Only once for real."
"Training!?"
"Yeah, Special Forces like to train for worst-case scenarios. A hostage situation in a school is pretty close to worst case."
"If that *close*, what's the *absolute* worst case?" Daniel was clearly agitated, but why, nobody knew.
Jacks eyes darkened. "Absolute worst case is a large airplane full of kids and terrorists with bombs."
Something in his eyes told Sam he was speaking from experience.
They located an open backdoor, and just walked in.
Daniel felt distinctively uncomfortable carrying a gun in school, even if it was concealed. For her part, Sam felt the same way, especially when the schools police officer walked by.
Neither understood how the Colonel could remain calm. He even said hello to the officer! Sam shook her head. It was these small, almost unnoticeable skills of his that occasionally showed themselves that made Sam love him the way she did.
They arrived at Cassie's classroom. The Colonel motioned for Sam. She took a deep breath and knocked, opening the door slightly to poke her head in.
Cassie was obviously surprised to see her. "Excuse me, could I please see Cassie for a moment?" The teacher was aware that Cassie had just lost her mother, and also knew Sam, so she allowed Cassie out of the room.
Cassie was surprised again to see the two men with her. "Hey guys! What's going on?"
O'Neill spoke. "We're leaving. Let's go." It was his command voice, and she didn't dare refuse. They left the same way they came. Once they were out of earshot of the gym class, Sam explained what was going on. Cassie didn't have any problems with leaving. As long as she was with SG-1, she had everyone she needed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back on the ship, Cassie met Sarah. She looked from Sarah, to Jack, to Sam, then back to Sarah.
"Nice to meet you, Cassie."
"Hi, um, Aunt Sarah."
"*Aunt* Sarah?"
Jack chuckled. "Yeah, well, you see, I'm her 'Uncle Jack', so..."
Sarah smiled. "Oh, I see." Cassie didn't miss the glance between them. She looked at Sam, who hadn't missed it either, and was now trying to look away without being conspicuous.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Five minutes later they were soaring above the airport in England where Sara Gardner had landed only minutes earlier. What they didn't know was that both Cassie and Sara Gardner were under surveillance by the NID. When they heard that Cassie had disappeared, Sara's shadowers had moved in. They were arriving at almost the same time.
Again, Jack, Daniel and Sam ringed down in a concealed location. They met Sara as she exited the secure area. Daniel walked up to her.
"Daniel?" She had not been expecting him.
"Hey Sara."
"What are you doing here? What's wrong?" She was instantly worried. She knew about what Daniel did, knew about the Goa'uld, had *been* a Goa'uld for a while herself, and knew that if he was here, something was amiss.
"Sara, I don't have time to explain here, plus," gesturing to the crowd, "this really isn't the place for it, but we need you to come with us."
"We?"
"Yeah, I'm here with Jack and Sam. But we really do have to hurry." They moved over and met up with the others.
"Okay kids, let's go." They moved off. Jack was the first to notice three men following them. Outwardly, he remained calm. Inwardly, his senses went on high alert. Somehow, though she never knew how, Sam felt him tense. They all quickened their pace.
*Damn.* Jack was not happy with the situation. Normally, if you are being followed, you stay in a public place. Stalkers are less likely to do anything there. However, because they were going to use the rings to get back aboard the ship, they needed to be in a *private* place. Doh!
As they passed behind a warehouse wall Jack drew his gun. Sam followed suit. Daniel grabbed Sara's arm. The three NID men drew their guns as well. Out in the open, it became a contest of who was a better shot.
With a split second head start, Jack dropped to a crouch, taking out the first man with a shot to the head before he could fire. The first shot from Goon 2 passed harmlessly over his head.
Sam didn't get off so easily. She and Goon number three fired at exactly the same time. Like the Colonel, she had aimed for the head. She hit what she aimed for. Unfortunately, so did the goon. Or he would have, if her gun wasn't in the way. The bullet, aimed for her head, struck the right side of her pistol, knocking it cleanly out of her hand and glancing off to the right. It made a slice up her forearm before embedding itself in her shoulder.
Jack shot the last NID man in the neck as he tried to get back behind the warehouse. Sam didn't even fall over from her wound. She was still too high on adrenaline to recognize the pain. Just then the rings arrived. They vanished without a trace. It happened so fast, Sams blood hadn't even hit the ground.
The base security arrived to find three freshly dead men sprawled on the ground. There had obviously been a gunfight, but where were the Other Guys? The answer would never be found.