A/N: Okay, up until now I've been screwing up O'Neill's name. I know its two L's, but I was being stubborn. So, hopefully no one gets thrown off by the sudden change in consistency. And I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews, but it would be nice if I could get reviews that are more than one or two words long. Thanks. :)

Also, I edited Chapter 6 ever so slightly, just to clarify the scene breaks and to clear up some small errors.

Chapter 6: Temporary Misunderstanding

The sound of gunfire echoed against the open plains. Major Carter's ears perked and her hope of returning hope fluttered for a moment. It meant that help was on the way, but it could also mean that her help was about to be short lived.

Knowing the colonel like she did, he would have hijacked the stargate to rescue one of his own. But if her friends came all this way just to get themselves killed she could never forgive herself.

"I need to get out there!" She said, urgently.

She ran ahead of Cyan, listening to the gunfire and following the sound. As she got further along she thought she could hear the sound of Teal'c's staff blasts as well.

"Samantha, wait!" Cyan pleaded.

Carter ignored Cyan's protests and ran further and further away from the river. But even as she got closer to the sound of the fighting she discovered she still had a long way to run. Even if she could get to them, she might not be there in time.

Suddenly, the bright flash of a grenade and the sound of the explosion shattered the otherwise serene landscape. The explosion originated only a mile or so away from Carter's position, and in her haste she didn't notice the rock in her path. The ground seemed to fall from under her as she tripped and fell. The zat, which she was held in her hand ready for use, flew from her hand as the wind was sucked from her lungs. The pain of her ankle twisting seemed to travel slowly to her brain only to torture her more. And the increase in temperature as the sun rose didn't help matters either.

Carter looked up and noticed a few of the vampires approaching her. Apparently they couldn't sense the naquada in her blood, or they might not have bothered with her.

"Trust me," She said, wincing in pain as she righted herself. "I may be wounded and easy but I'm not what you're looking for."

It wasn't getting through to them. One of the vampires got down on all fours and crawled towards her, sniffing the air. This one was dark skinned and stick thin. She could see his ribs sticking out beneath his long torn clothes. He smelled of rotted flesh and bodily fluids, and as the others gathered near it didn't help much. Carter had to exhale to keep from breathing in God knew what.

The creature drew nearer, as if it was expecting Carter to be able to defend herself. Then she remembered what Cyan said. This must have been one of the vampires that had been following them all this time, waiting for Carter to stray from her only protection.

Carter reached for the knife, which still hung from her belt and drew it. The vampire reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her neck closer to him. The pain was unimaginable as his fangs dug into her neck. She suppressed a scream as he began to feed off of her, and instead drove the knife into his side.

"Aaaaargh!" The vampire screamed, pulling away from her. Carter grabbed her neck and pressed down, trying to staunch the blood flow.

The other vampires hesitated, watching as their leader backed away from its prey, clutching his side. Greenish-yellow puss spilled from the wound as the fresh blood spilled from his mouth. Suddenly the vampire began writhing and twitching. He let out a powerful bellow that seemed to travel even further than the gunfire.

The vampire fell to his side, convulsing and clutching its throat. Two more vampires drew closer; sniffing at the untouched blood, but not sure if it was all right to attack. Carter remained wary of the others but kept her eye on the leader. The naquada was taking its effect.

"Did you hear that?" O'Neill asked.

Someone or something was screaming. It was hard to tell who or what it was, but as there were only two creatures on this planet currently capable of making the noise, it wasn't hard to narrow down.

The men picked up the pace, following the sound as best they could. Teal'c was adept at tracking people down, and his talent came in handy especially now. O'Neill spent the course of his career listening for the faint screams of his fallen comrades, so using that as a gage to find someone wasn't anything new. And Jackson kept an eye out for signs of vampires advancing.

After the little skirmish a short while ago they didn't seem to intent on attacking, but they followed anyway. This much blood was too good to pass up. Occasionally one would make a move.

"Got him!" Dr. Jackson yelled, shooting twice.

Blast! Teal'c dropped one.

Atatatatatata! Col. O'Nel brought down three more.

But the scent of their dead was only enough to keep them away for a short while.

The sight of their now dead leader was agitating the remaining vampires. They began to fight amongst each other, clawing and biting at one another.

Carter's zat was closest to the melee, and it kept getting kicked and jostled further away. She wished she could at least climb to her feet, but the blood was still gushing from her open wound, and her ankle still hurt. She was relieved to at least discover a first aid kit in her belt, and moved as fast as she could to at least wrap some gauze around her neck.

One of the vampires made a move for her. Acting on a sudden source of inspiration, she threw out her blood soaked hand and placed it on the vampire's face, before he managed to get too close. The reaction was almost instant. The vampire's hands flew to his face, spreading the blood all over as he tried to get it off.

"Blood ala Carter," She quipped, ironically satisfied. "Courtesy of Jolinar."

She removed the gun from her pouch and fired into the melee. She struck a female vampire in the shoulder, and two more males in the chest and throat. Before the others could run, Cyan leapt over Carter and grabbed one of the remaining vampires by the throat as she landed. With a single twist the vampire's neck snapped like a twig. The last of the vampires ran finally, clearly not willing to challenge Cyan over poisoned meal.

"Thanks," Carter said, trying to get to her feet.

Cyan offered her hand. Carter was able to hop on her right, but the pain in the left ankle was unbearable. And the heat was getting even more intolerable.

"Do you still have the healing device?" Cyan asked, helping Sam back towards the river.

"Yeah, it's in one of my pouches."

"We should rest. The heat will slow you down if you do not conserve your strength."

Carter wanted to protest, but Cyan was strong and insistent. Besides, if she could hear the boys' gunfire then they must have heard the screams of the vampires. And if she knew the protocol, they would have brought night vision goggles for picking up her heat signals.

Cyan lead her to a soft patch of moss just beside the river and laid her down gently. Carter didn't want to admit it, but it did feel good to get off her feet for a little while. She removed the healing device from the pouch and slipped it over her hand, while Cyan refilled her canteen.
Half an hour went by after the last vampire attack.

"We must have made a good impression," O'Neill said, wishing there was a tree or a desk nearby to knock on.

"Or they could just be organizing a larger attack force," Teal'c offered.

"It's possible," Jackson said. "We're not picking up any more motion on the sensor. But then they could just be hiding right outside the detector's range."

"Just keep your eyes and ears open." O'Neill ordered. "I don't care of Dracula and his brides show up, we're not leaving here without Carter."

"Jack!"

"Daniel, for god's sake. I don't care if the historical Dracula was ever a real vampire I just-"

"No, no, no, look. This motion detector was also modified to pick up naquada output. In case the Goa'uld decided to show up while we were here."

Col. O'Neill stopped to look at the screen. The screen showed a yellowish blur just ahead of them. It was just bright enough to indicate a naquada powered device...or weapon. And it was only a few feet in front of them. They moved forward quietly, O'Neill signaling Teal'c to take point and Jackson to bring up the rear. As they grew nearer they started picking up motion on the detector and further from the river they were getting a heat signal.

When they got close enough they could see one of the vampires from behind, crouched down, leaning over whom they could a only assume was Carter. O'Neill quickly signaled to the others, and once all sides were covered, they leapt from the clearing. The woman jumped up startled as the men held their weapons ready to fire.