Title: Circles of the Mind
Rating: R (Violence)
Feedback: jm-webmistressfsmail.net
Spoilers: You need to have read 'Full Circle.'
Summary: Sequel to 'Full Circle'. When they are captured by a system lord, Debbie's inexperience puts Sam at risk, and Jack begins to question the decision he made.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Details: Jack/Other, Sam/Other UST, Sam/Jack UST, Angst, Drama, Future Season. MCKAY WARNING: He really is nice in this one, so if you don't like him, don't read it.
Author Notes: Many thanks to NG, who's been great for a very long time, and FinallyAssimilated, who's also a great writer and deserves more credit! Now, on with the story…
Archive: Heliopolis, Gateworld, Fanfiction.net
Circles of the Mind
Copyright © Ruth, 2004
McKay had just laughed.
Being the bastard that he was, Sam hadn't expected any less. She certainly hadn't expected any more. Working with him for two years had led to the two of them getting to know an awful lot more about each other.
She still couldn't decide whether this was a good or bad thing.
When Hammond had told her, a familiar sinking feeling had filled her, a mixture of fear and pain twisting in her gut. Why he'd asked her to do it was beyond her - he knew full well what had gone on between Jack, Debbie and herself two years ago. Yet he still called her into his office on that fateful morning and told her that they needed a chief science officer for the mission.
Somehow, she doubted very much that she was needed on Jack's mission. Since she resigned from her post as acting 2IC of SG-1, all forms of communication between the two of them had broken down. She didn't even want to think about coming face to face with Colonel Welling again.
She looked back at the smirk on McKay's face, which was currently the size of Las Vegas and still growing.
"That promises to be a fun trip!" he grinned, swivelling around on his chair.
"Fun? That's not the word I'd use," Sam glowered, fiddling with a pen.
"How about you take a video camera with you," McKay suggested, "I could watch your abject misery and give you helpful tips on how to survive."
"And watch me when I'm asleep? I don't think so, Mr Pervert," Sam smiled.
"Mr Pervert, eh?" McKay asked, thoughtfully. "I haven't been called that before!"
"Here's a 'helpful tip'," Sam said sweetly, "Unless you want me to kill you between now and tomorrow, I'd keep your mouth zipped. Got it?"
"Do I only have to keep my mouth zipped?" He smirked, waggling his eyebrows.
Sam couldn't help but smile, in spite of herself.
"You really are incurable, aren't you?"
"How about that lover's suicide I suggested before?" he continued, "I know you were initially opposed, but…"
"In your dreams, lover boy," Sam grinned, standing up and walking out of the lab. She didn't need to turn around to imagine the look on McKay's face after what she'd just called him.
"SG-1, you have a go," said Hammond, looking nervously down at the five people on the ramp. Jack and Colonel Welling looked grim, Teal'c looked…like Teal'c, and Daniel and Sam looked nervous too.
"Yes, sir, we'll report back 0900 hours Thursday," Jack said, and stalked through the gate as quickly as possible, Ms Welling on his tail.
Teal'c went next, casting Sam a reassuring smile as he went through. Finally, only Sam and Daniel remained on the ramp.
"Don't worry," he smiled, "Teal'c and I are here this time. I think that they might have grown up a bit now."
They stepped through the gate.
The planet they gated to was full of Jack's favourite…trees. He didn't respond when Daniel tried to make a joke about this, and Sam squeezed his arm reassuringly.
"This isn't about you," she said softly, "It's because I'm here."
Daniel shook his head.
"He's been like this ever since Colonel Welling arrived," Daniel replied, "It's nothing to do with you or me. It's her."
Sam nodded, and the pair trudged on, the hot sun beating down on their backs like a hot shower, but much less comfortable.
An hour later, they stopped and set up their camp. Colonel Welling had flatly refused to share a tent with Sam again, not that Sam had any objection, which had put Jack in an even worse mood than before.
"Carter, you've only been back on this team for two hours and you're already pissing off my 2IC!" He complained.
Sam gritted her teeth and bit back a sarcastic reply that had been forming in her mouth. Let him whinge - it was his problem, not hers. Instead she just turned around and went over to help Teal'c with the dinner.
Later, when they were all asleep, Sam turned over in her empty tent and sighed thoughtfully. It was quite lonely, she had to admit, as she had been so used to sharing it with Jack. The thought made her angry and she turned over, beating her jacket into a better pillow shape. She didn't need him…or her.
When Daniel woke her for her watch a few hours later, she sat by the fire with a mug of coffee, enjoying the peace that the night brought. She noticed that Jack had given her the third watch - the most difficult, because you were disturbed halfway through sleep and it wasn't worth trying to get any more afterwards - probably out of spite. God, he was such a child.
She cast an eye over in the direction of the tent that they shared. He and Colonel Welling. Hammond would flip if he ever found out. She smirked a little as she toyed with the idea of grassing them up, but then looked back at the fire, slightly ashamed. The two of them were the ones that played games, not her. No, that would be lowering herself to their level.
She wanted some of her pride intact by the end of the mission.
When the sun rose a couple of hours later, Sam was still sitting by the fire. Colonel Welling had never turned up for the last watch. Whilst Sam knew that the senior officer could get in trouble for doing this, she decided that it simply wasn't worth the effort to run against the two of them again and took the watch herself. It wasn't as if she would have gotten any more sleep.
"Morning," Daniel smiled sleepily, as he stumbled towards the coffee pot. Sam grinned at him and handed him a mug.
"Nice to see you're still as dependent on caffeine as I am," she smiled. Daniel nodded and grunted, taking a sip of the steaming liquid and smiling happily.
"I still cannot comprehend how you can consume such a distasteful liquid beverage," Teal'c said, eyeing the coffee pot suspiciously.
"I didn't like it when I was a girl," Sam admitted, "But I was pretty much hooked by the time I was fifteen."
"Bet that's not all you were hooked on," came a snide voice from behind Sam.
Colonel Welling stood with a hand on her hip, casually twirling an empty cup between her fingers and smiling at Sam.
Sam sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Do we have to go through this ordeal every time, Colonel, or shall we just leave each other alone?" She snapped.
"God knows what you were getting high on," Debbie continued, "Losing a parent creates such instability for a child."
Daniel stood up and glared at Debbie.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" He shouted, "You can't go saying things like that!"
Sam put a reassuring hand on Daniel's shoulder and lowered him to a seating position again.
"Leave it, Daniel," she pleaded.
Before Debbie could continue, Jack also emerged from their tent with a scowl on his face.
"What the hell is going on now? Carter, I suppose you're behind this…"
"Actually, Jack," Daniel snapped, "Your 2IC and lovebird was making highly unprofessional comments about…"
"I'll warn you, doctor," Debbie said acidly, "I could have you court-martialled for saying that."
This time it was Daniel's turn to smirk.
"Go ahead! I'm a civilian! I'd like to see you try!"
"Why are you so keen on defending her?" Debbie said, her eyes trained on Daniel's, "A shared experience, perhaps? Did your parents die when you were young?"
Daniel's mouth set in a grim line, and he turned away from her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, how insensitive of me," Debbie sneered.
"I do not believe that you are at all sorry," Teal'c replied.
"You know what, big man? I don't care!" Debbie laughed. "Jeez, Jack - how did you ever work with these people for seven years?"
Daniel stalked off into the surrounding forest. Sam went after him, feeling guilty. This was her mess, not Daniel's. Debbie had no right to bring him into this. Damn her. Damn HIM.
You could have cut the tension between the group with a knife. They trudged back towards the Stargate in complete silence that was only broken when there was a loud rumbling noise behind them.
"Crap!" Jack cursed, as the familiar shape of a Goa'uld mother ship descended onto the planet's surface.
"There is no time to reach the Stargate, O'Neill!" Teal'c informed him.
"What are we going to do, Colonel?" Debbie asked, her hand moving instinctively towards her gun.
"We need to split up," he said. "Danny Boy, Teal'c - you try and reach the gate. Carter, Debbie - you're with me."
"But Jack," Daniel protested, "Splitting up?"
"Dammit, Daniel, do you want to survive this or not?" Jack snapped.
"Let us make haste, Daniel Jackson. If we reach Earth, we will be able to send reinforcements for the others."
So they went. As Sam watched the backs of her two team mates disappearing over the horizon, a feeling of dread washed over her. She really was on her own now.
"What are we going to do?" Sam asked, reaching for her own weapon.
"Be quiet!" Debbie snapped, "Let the poor man think! No wonder he got tired of you!"
Sam bit her lip and clenched her hand into a fist at her side. She was determined not to let Debbie get to her.
"We need to defend our position. If we can take out the jaffa, we might be able to get inside…"
"Why the hell would we want to do that?" Sam asked, throwing caution to the wind.
"Look, Carter, if you want to hurry back to your cosy little lab with Dr McKay, it's a bit late. You're in the field again now, and you're going to do what I say. Got it?" Jack yelled.
Sam was silent. Sure, let him get the three of them killed. At least the Goa'uld had a sarcophagus. She wondered if they'd let her borrow it. Even in the seriousness of the moment, Sam found the image of asking a System Lord for rent of a sarcophagus quite amusing, and had to bite her lip so she didn't laugh.
"With me," Jack said, skirting around the perimeter and watching as the giant ship came to a halt, sand and earth blowing up around it in huge clouds.
The ship opened, and they heard the familiar noise of jaffa footsteps. The sand did little to muffle their danger, and Sam felt adrenaline begin coursing through her veins.
"How many?" Debbie asked, peering through the cover of a large shrub.
"At least 12," Sam replied, "I think there could be more."
"Did I ask you?" Debbie said, hotly.
Sam frowned at the woman next to her.
"Do you not think you could lay aside your intense hatred of me for just a second? There are slightly more important things going on here, Colonel."
"Would the pair of you just shut up?" Jack snapped.
The three watched as a Goa'uld emerged from the ship, flanked on all sides by jaffa. He was disturbingly familiar to two of them.
"They have been here," he smiled, "And I believe that some of them remain. Search this place - but don't kill them. I want them alive!"
"Yes, my lord," the voices echoed.
"You plan on getting aboard the ship now?" Sam asked, speaking directly to the Colonel.
He looked back at her, a mixed expression on his face that she had hardly seen before.
"You don't have to go through it again," Sam said evenly, "You could probably reach the gate…"
"And do what?" He asked, "Leave you here?"
"We could follow later," Sam suggested. Debbie looked indignantly between the two of them.
"Just what the hell are you talking about?" She asked.
"I'll explain later, keep your damned voice down!" Jack said, in a harsh whisper. He looked at Sam. "If we go, we all go together."
Sam felt something. A familiar presence, a twinge she knew only too well.
"Damn," she cursed.
"Indeed," an amused voice replied, "Such a pleasure to meet you again, Colonel O'Neill. And you must be Major Carter - such a shame you did not feel my presence until it was too late. And who is this? Another female. I do not believe we have been acquainted. I am Lord Ba'al. Surrender your weapons immediately."
Sam looked at the Colonel, who stubbornly refused to let go of his gun. Sam lowered hers to the ground, refusing to make eye contact with the Goa'uld. Dammit, she should have felt his presence a thousand miles away!
"Colonel, I strongly advise you to relinquish your weapon. You know how miserable I am capable of making your pathetic existence." He smirked at Jack.
Jack laid his weapon on the ground, and motioned for Debbie to do the same. Then, they stood up.
"Chain them," Ba'al commanded, "Do not allow them to escape - use any methods necessary to prevent this, but do not kill them. I want them alive."
Sam shuddered, and bit back a cry as she was shoved in the back by a jaffa and her wrists were chained. She hoped Jack wouldn't try anything heroic again - but at least Danny and Teal'c had got back to the gate.
"Is that a Goa'uld mother ship?" Hammond asked, looking at the remnants of shaky film from the UAV.
"Yes," Daniel said quietly. "It's…um…it's Ba'al."
"Son, you know I cannot authorise a rescue mission to a planet occupied by such a powerful Goa'uld. It risks unnecessary loss of life…"
"What about their lives?" Daniel asked, "Sir, the Colonel has had a run-in with Ba'al before, Deb- Colonel Welling is quite frankly inexperienced with System Lords and Sam…well, you know about Sam!"
"I do, son, but can't you understand my situation?"
Teal'c bowed his head sadly.
"I will inform Dr Fraiser," he said, and began to leave the room with Daniel in tow.
"And Teal'c? Dr Jackson? I'll leave it up to you, but someone really ought to inform Dr McKay. He needs to know that Sam won't be returning for a while."
The cell was small. As Jack had so flippantly put it, the Goa'uld hadn't yet discovered air conditioning so it was hot and sticky. Jack and Debbie were sat close together in one corner, and she in the other. She didn't like to point out that this would make their division more obvious to Ba'al. Frankly, it wasn't worth the earache.
"Why the hell didn't you sense his presence?" Jack asked, casting a look of disdain over at her.
"It's not like a light switch," Sam replied, "You can't just flip it on and off!"
"You usually feel it!" Jack continued, "The one thing I could rely on was for you to feel it!"
"Well, I'm sorry I've been such a disappointment," She said sarcastically.
"Not half as sorry as we are," Debbie said.
"Oh, go to hell!" Sam retorted, pulling her knees up to her chest.
Debbie gasped in shock and proceeded to rant about her lack of respect for a superior officer, but Sam blocked it out. She didn't care what Debbie thought, or Jack for that matter. It looked like they were pretty much screwed. She wished that McKay was there - one of his biting comments would have gone down a treat.
Damn, she had to stop thinking about him, wishing he was with her. It was getting scary.
A few moments later, they heard the jaffa approaching again.
"We will take her," one said, pointing at Debbie.
"No, you won't!" Jack defended, "You'll take me."
The jaffa's eyes moved from Jack to Debbie, and then over to Sam.
"Our Lord wishes to see a female," he continued.
Sam rolled her eyes during the silence that followed. I wonder who that female could be! She thought quietly. Jack certainly wasn't leaping to her defence.
"If you cannot decide," the jaffa said, "We will take both. Now!"
Sam stood up with gritted teeth and went over to the waiting jaffa, who slapped her across the cheek, knocking her to the floor. She winced as she tasted blood in her mouth, and wiped it away with her hand. The jaffa smiled, and took the two of them away, leaving Jack in the cell on his own.
"She what?" McKay asked, jumping out of his seat.
"Sam, Colonel Welling and Colonel O'Neill have been taken prisoner by Ba'al." Daniel explained.
"Oh, God. What about a r-"
"Hammond can't approve it." Daniel finished.
McKay sat back down in his chair, shoulders slumped.
"What are we supposed to do?" He asked eventually, his eyes meeting Daniel's.
"We wait," Daniel replied, touched to see the amount of concern in the doctor's eyes.
"Your name?"
She said nothing.
"My dear, what harm can I possibly do you by knowing your name?"
She remained silent.
"I have not seen you before. Your Colonel, yes, but not you. How long have you been on SG-1?"
"Go to hell!"
"You have inherited his insolence, I see. Very well, you leave me no choice."
He reached into an ornately carved box and slipped the ribbon device onto his hand. She closed her eyes, knowing exactly how much this was going to hurt. It didn't take long for her screams to die out, her body to crumple to the floor.
"Take her away," Ba'al ordered, "Now I will see the other one."
"Debbie!" Jack exclaimed, as her body was dumped on the floor beside him, "Debbie, can you hear me?"
Slowly, her eyes opened and she looked up into his face.
"Oh my God," she said, her voice trembling, "What the hell just happened to me?"
Jack looked at her forehead, and gently ran a hand through her hair. Relief surged through him like a tide.
"It's okay. He just used the ribbon device. You're alright."
He looked over Debbie's shoulder to see the rest of the empty room.
"Where's Carter?" he asked.
"Major Carter," Ba'al said smoothly, "I have so been looking forwards to meeting you. I have heard much about you."
She said nothing, but kept eye contact with him.
"Perhaps you will tell me who the new woman is? Is she venturing on your patch, my love? Are you jealous of her? Do not tell me that the two of them are not entwined - I feel it. I felt it before, but it was different then."
She bit her lip. Mind games, she reminded herself, don't let him win. Not yet.
"He loved you. I saw it in his mind. But now there is another - tell me, my love, how does this make you feel?"
She stared defiantly at him, holding back a flinch as he moved a step closer to her.
"What must I do to make you speak?" he asked, stroking a hand down her cheek. "I see my jaffa have already marked you - I do apologise."
"Of course you do," She replied.
"She speaks," he smiled, "And oh, so like the other two. But you are not with them, are you? They would sooner leave you to die here than be separated. Slowly and painfully."
"Well, why don't you just do it?"
"Do what, my love?" Ba'al asked.
"Kill me. If you know that the other two don't care, why don't you just kill me now? You can't use me to get information out of them. It won't work any more."
"Perhaps not," Ba'al said, turning his back on her and pacing up and down the small length of the chamber, "But maybe I will be able to use them to get information out of you."
Damn, Sam thought. Way to go for putting that idea into his head! You're literally digging your own grave…except for the fact that he won't actually let you be dead…
He laughed suddenly, as if he had been reading her thoughts. He reached into another box and pulled out a gleaming dagger. Sam's heart began to beat faster.
"Tell me, my love - did he ever tell you of the things I did to him? Did he tell you how I kept him alive? No? Well, now you will get the pleasure of knowing for yourself."
He held the dagger up by the hilt, and gravity pulled the blade towards her. The knife was hanging in mid air. Sam closed her eyes as he let go of the dagger, waiting for the sickening crack as metal met bone and flesh.
She was unprepared for it when it came, and cried out. She heard him laughing as a warmth spread over her upper body, but became aware of nothing as the darkness enveloped her.
McKay paced around his lab, clasping his hands together to stop them from shaking. He didn't get upset! He never got scared, and he certainly never got lonely!
The clock read 0201. He sat down at the desk and looked at the computer screen. Everything around him reminded him of her, which made the pain worse.
Dammit, he did miss her. Two years of working with her had changed his outlook on a lot of things. It had changed his outlook on her.
She was everything he wasn't. He was everything she wasn't. Together they made a great team - but apart they were incomplete.
What the hell was he thinking? He didn't need her - he didn't need anybody! He had got himself where he was today, with nobody else's help.
God, how he missed her.
Jack woke up when he heard the cell door being slammed shut, and the jaffa were walking away. He looked down at Debbie who was asleep against his shoulder, but then his eye fell on the other figure in the corner of the cell.
Carter.
He looked down at Debbie again, anxious not to wake her. He looked back over at Carter, who wasn't moving.
"Carter?" He called.
No response.
"Carter?" He tried again.
Reluctantly, he removed his shoulder from underneath Debbie and laid her down the floor, crawling over to where Sam was slumped.
"Carter," he whispered, gently taking hold of her shoulder and rolling her onto her back, "Carter, dammit! Wake up!"
He looked down at her, and saw a familiar shaped hole in the front of her shirt. A chill ran up his spine.
Knives.
He's using knives again.
All the pain he had felt came rushing back to him in a moment, and he looked down at the woman by his side. He knew how much pain she would have been in. He knew how scared she would have been.
But he was supposed to be angry with her. Hate her - hell, he even let his 2IC bully her.
All he wanted to do at that moment was hold her. Feeling suddenly helpless, he sat back on his legs and stared at her.
What the hell had he done?
When Sam woke up, she found herself in someone's arms. She jumped and tried to wriggle free, unsure who it was.
"Ssh, Carter - relax. It's me," Jack's voice said.
Sam was filled with anger and confusion. Jack? What the hell was he doing holding her?
"Let go of me!" She protested.
"Carter, it's me - what's wrong? What did he do to you?"
"I know who you are," Sam snapped, "You and your lady friend over there have made my life a misery these past few years!"
Jack abruptly let go of her, and turned her to face him.
"Carter, please just let me explain myself," he began.
"Why should I believe that you've changed?" She said, her voice trembling and her hand moving to the spot on her chest that ached terribly, "You've just flipped a switch and now you like me again?"
"It's not like that," Jack began, looking back over his shoulder at Debbie, who was still unconscious.
"It IS like that. What are you going to do when she wakes up, hmm? Go back to hating me again?" Sam demanded, wincing as the pain in her chest intensified.
At that moment, Debbie began to stir. Jack cast a look back at Debbie, and then to Sam, desperation in his eyes.
"Carter.."
"Please, Jack," Sam said softly, curling up in the corner again, "Just leave me alone. I've gotten used to it."
Jack looked at her sadly, before reluctantly turning around and going back to his corner of the cell. Sam noticed, however, that he didn't fuss over Debbie as she came around again. What the hell was he doing to her? She wished he'd make up his mind.
McKay sat in the commissary, idly pushing his fork around in the mashed potato. They usually avoided this place, too public and full of the gossips like Kelly and Nina. However, it was almost comforting for him to be around people again, as it stopped him from feeling so desperate. He shouldn't have had reason to in the first place, as he constantly reminded himself. He and Sam were just friends.
"Doctor!" A voice said shrilly.
McKay groaned inwardly and looked up from his mashed potato to see Kelly, the aforementioned SGC gossip queen and resident super bitch. At least, that was how he saw her.
"Why, what a terrific surprise," McKay said dryly.
"So, doctor, how much do you know about Major Carter's disappearance? You must be pretty worried."
McKay shrugged. God, how he hated this woman.
"Does it not bother you," Kelly laughed, "That she's probably being tortured by a system lord at this very moment?"
McKay closed his eyes in pain as a vivid image ran through his head, but said nothing.
"And not just any system lord," Kelly continued thoughtfully, "But Ba'al. He's the meanest of the lot."
"Well, maybe the two of you should meet. Get on like a house on fire, I'm sure," McKay smiled.
"Are you suggesting that it would be a good thing for me to be captured by a system lord?" Kelly squeaked.
"And not just any system lord," McKay smirked, mimicking her perfectly, "But Ba'al. He's the meanest of the lot."
"God, you're such an asshole," Kelly spat, and got up and left the commissary.
"Yep, that's me down to the ground," McKay agreed, raising his glass to Kelly as she disappeared out of the door, before he carried on staring at his mashed potato.
"Now, you still haven't told me your name," Ba'al smiled.
"No, and I'm not going to," Debbie replied, looking at the floor.
"No? Maybe, maybe not. We will see," Ba'al said, pacing backwards and forwards. "Tell me, how do you feel about the other female in your party?"
Debbie thought for a moment. What harm could it do? He'd only use the ribbon device on her again. She'd recovered from that pretty well, and it wasn't as if she was telling him anything important. Maybe he would leave her alone.
"I don't like her," Debbie said, still looking at the floor.
"Oh," Ba'al smiled, pleased that she had so easily fallen into his trap. "Tell me why, my dear."
"Where should I begin?" Debbie asked, still nervous. "Uh…well, it's Jack she annoys more than anyone."
"Really?" Ba'al twisted a dagger in his hand thoughtfully, before putting it back in its box. He wasn't going to waste it on her.
"Yeah, she sort of liked him more than he liked her. He got tired of it in the end. They had an argument, she ran off crying what a surprise."
Debbie looked steadfastly at the floor. Phew, she'd gotten away with it! It didn't look as if he was going to hurt her, and she hadn't given him any important information.
"Thank you, my dear, you have been…most forthcoming," Ba'al smiled.
"But…but I didn't tell you anything," Debbie replied nervously.
"No," Ba'al said, "No. You didn't. Jaffa, return her to the cell. Bring me the other one."
Debbie collapsed down on the floor in a heap next to Jack, blowing out a relieved breath.
"Don't worry," she told Jack, "I didn't tell him anything important."
Sam looked over at Jack, her eyebrows raised. Jack looked back at Debbie.
"What do you mean, anything important?" He asked, panicking slightly.
"Nothing about the SGC, I didn't tell him my name…"
"No, but what did you tell him?" Jack asked, desperate.
At that moment, the jaffa entered again and took Sam away. When the iron door of their cell was once again shut and locked securely, Jack asked Debbie his question again.
"What did you tell him, Debbie?" Jack asked.
"Just stuff that he can't do us any harm with," Debbie said, "You know - just about how you and her fell out, we don't get on, etc. I mean, what can he possibly do with that?"
Jack stood up and began pacing backwards and forwards. He rubbed a hand over his face and back through his hair.
"Jack? Jack, would you calm down! It'd just be like listening to the plot of a soap opera!" Debbie protested. "Sit down!"
"Do you have any idea what he can do with that kind of information?" Jack shouted, "Jesus Christ, Debbie, you don't tell him anything! Especially not anything that makes us look divided - if you single one of us out, make out that there's a break in our chain…"
"But it's her," Debbie said, puzzled, "And I still don't understand what he can…"
"He's a master manipulator," Jack explained. "Gravity, knives, acid…minds! He gets inside your head, and you'll never get him out!"
For once, Debbie was silent. Jack was cursing Ba'al with every expletive under the sun. Damn him for realising that Debbie wouldn't understand his power, for knowing that she was so naïve when it came to the Goa'uld! She'd left Sam in a vulnerable position…and when it came down to it, it was all his fault.
"So nice to see you again, my love," Ba'al purred, as Sam faced him across the room again.
She didn't reply, but forced herself to look into his eyes. She wasn't going to let herself be afraid of him - she had too much at stake. Keep thinking of McKay, she thought. Wait - no! Don't think about McKay! That's the last thing you should be doing!
"Your friend has, I'm afraid, been very informative," he said, pouring some wine into a cup and twirling it between his fingers.
He looked over at her. Still she was refusing to say anything, but she was so different to the other one. She looked him in the eyes - told herself that she wasn't afraid of him. He could sense the remnants of the Tok'ra symbiote within her, and he imagined that she'd been tortured before. He liked this one, better than the others. Hell, better than Jack. Mind you, he had also been very interesting. He looked down at the cup and back into her eyes, taking another step closer.
"She does not like you, does she, my love?" He asked, taking her chin in his hand.
"Not particularly," Sam said, through gritted teeth.
Suddenly, he grabbed her chin and wrenched her mouth open, pouring the wine into her mouth. She gagged and tried to spit it out, but he held his hand over her mouth.
"Swallow it," he growled.
Reluctantly, and only because she was in danger of choking, Sam swallowed the liquid and grimaced. That familiar coppery taste, like treacle sliding down your throat but far less pleasurable.
"Blood of Sokar?" She croaked, "Isn't that a bit pre-historic?"
"It works the same as it has always done," Ba'al told her, "And I am saving the best for last, my love."
"Great," Sam groaned, watching as he stepped back and put his hand into the same ornate box that she had seen before.
He fondled the dagger as if it were a lover, and turned to face Sam with a bright smile.
"You have met before?"
And, as they had before, they met again.
"Carter?" Jack asked, tenderly brushing a lock of hair away from her face, "Carter, are you okay? Carter?"
She woke up, warily looking around her.
"Carter, it's great to have you back," Jack smiled, "I was worried!"
Sam narrowed her eyes at him, and backed off into her corner.
"Carter, it's me!" Jack protested innocently, "Can't you see?"
"I drank the Blood of Sokar," Sam smiled sadly, "As far as I'm concerned, you could be anything. You're certainly a figment of my imagination."
"No, I'm not!" Jack said, "You were brought back here, dumped in the cell and left. You were unconscious for hours, but you just woke up a minute ago!"
"Then where's Debbie?" She asked, searching the room with her eyes, but giving up when it made her head hurt.
"Ba'al has her now," Jack said, "For crying out loud, Sam, it's me!"
"No, it's not," Sam said, turning her face to the wall and savouring its coolness against her cheek.
"Why would I lie to you? Sam, I was wrong. Everything I said was cruel, and I take back everything I did. It was a betrayal, and I hurt you. I never want to hurt you again, Sam."
She looked over at him. Damn, he looked sincere. He sure as hell sounded it too. But something just wasn't adding up.
"Even if I did believe you, which I don't, this could still be Ba'al talking. I can't trust either of you as far as I could throw you."
"Sure," Jack said, "But would Ba'al do this?"
He crouched beside her, took her head in his hands and kissed her. She moaned softly at the contact of his lips on hers, his hand sliding down her waist to rest at her hip. Reluctantly, after a few more seconds, they broke apart.
"I…" Sam stammered.
"Ssh," Jack smiled, drinking in the image of her before him. She was so beautiful, and he'd hurt her so badly. She hadn't deserved any of it.
"When are we going to get out of here?" She asked, fighting back tears.
"As soon as we get back to the gate," Jack said reassuringly, raising a hand to stroke her hair, "And when you tell me the iris code."
Sam frowned, and sat upright against the wall.
"What?" She asked, still stunned by their kiss.
"The iris code," Jack smiled, "I can't remember it. I know it starts with a…"
Sam backed away from him, eyes wide.
"No. No way - this isn't you, Jack. Damn you, Ba'al! I know what you're doing!" She shouted.
"Whoa, calm down!" Jack protested, pinning her arms back at her sides, "It's me, Sam, not Ba'al!"
"Let go of me!" She yelled, "You're not Jack! I know you're not!"
"Sam, what the hell is wrong with you?" Jack shouted, pinning her to the floor, "Will you just calm down?"
"Get…off!" She shouted. She used her weight to throw herself to one side and knock him off of her, but had no idea how she was supposed to escape him. The four walls of their cell seemed to move in closer around her, leaving her nowhere to hide. She turned back around and saw him standing opposite her.
"Have it your way, my love," he growled, and his eyes flashed. He advanced towards her, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a ribbon device.
When the end finally came, it was blissfully quick, and she sank once more into the cover of darkness.
Ba'al shouted angrily and slammed his fist into the wall, watching entranced as thin ribbons of blood flowed down his hand and pooled at his wrist. He looked again at the female on the floor, and smiled. She was strong. She would take longer to break, he knew it - but it would be even more enjoyable when she did.
"Jaffa, return her to the cell. I will see them again tomorrow."
He swept out of the room and left the jaffa to drag Sam back to the cell.
"Sam!" Jack shouted, going over to her as the jaffa left the cell. Debbie sniffed, annoyed at the attention he was giving her. They were supposed to be arch enemies, after all.
"Sam! Sam, wake up!" Jack said urgently, shaking her gently.
"Wha-" Sam woke up and laid eyes on him again. She moaned softly and pulled away from him.
"Carter, what did he do?" Jack asked.
She eyed him suspiciously from the corner of the room, and picked at a cut on her knee.
"Carter?" Jack persisted, moving closer to her.
"Get away from me!" she protested, "You're not doing this again, Ba'al!"
Jack stopped still in front of her.
"Ba'al? You think I'm… Carter, this is me! Jack!"
"You said that last time!" She said angrily, "And then you killed me!"
Jack's shoulders sagged. He turned around to face Debbie, who shrugged.
"This is what he can do with personal information," Jack ground out through his teeth.
"If you ask me, she was well on that way before this mission," Debbie said dryly.
"Since this is your first encounter with a system lord," Jack said, his patience rapidly disappearing, "I suggest you shut up and listen to me for a moment! Sure, you've had many hours of experience in the field, but you know very little about the Goa'uld! Next time you're in there, you do not tell him anything! Got it?"
"Sure," Debbie commented, "But if he's so powerful, clever, whatever - why hasn't he taken you yet, hmm? Just me and her, but not you? What's he playing at?"
Jack looked over at the figure huddled in the corner, and put his head in his hands.
"He's playing a game - and he's changing the rules as he does it."
To Be Continued…
Author Notes: Many of you asked for a sequel, so here it is! Please send your feedback to jm-webmistressfsmail.net Sorry about the wait!!
Rating: R (Violence)
Feedback: jm-webmistressfsmail.net
Spoilers: You need to have read 'Full Circle.'
Summary: Sequel to 'Full Circle'. When they are captured by a system lord, Debbie's inexperience puts Sam at risk, and Jack begins to question the decision he made.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Details: Jack/Other, Sam/Other UST, Sam/Jack UST, Angst, Drama, Future Season. MCKAY WARNING: He really is nice in this one, so if you don't like him, don't read it.
Author Notes: Many thanks to NG, who's been great for a very long time, and FinallyAssimilated, who's also a great writer and deserves more credit! Now, on with the story…
Archive: Heliopolis, Gateworld, Fanfiction.net
Circles of the Mind
Copyright © Ruth, 2004
McKay had just laughed.
Being the bastard that he was, Sam hadn't expected any less. She certainly hadn't expected any more. Working with him for two years had led to the two of them getting to know an awful lot more about each other.
She still couldn't decide whether this was a good or bad thing.
When Hammond had told her, a familiar sinking feeling had filled her, a mixture of fear and pain twisting in her gut. Why he'd asked her to do it was beyond her - he knew full well what had gone on between Jack, Debbie and herself two years ago. Yet he still called her into his office on that fateful morning and told her that they needed a chief science officer for the mission.
Somehow, she doubted very much that she was needed on Jack's mission. Since she resigned from her post as acting 2IC of SG-1, all forms of communication between the two of them had broken down. She didn't even want to think about coming face to face with Colonel Welling again.
She looked back at the smirk on McKay's face, which was currently the size of Las Vegas and still growing.
"That promises to be a fun trip!" he grinned, swivelling around on his chair.
"Fun? That's not the word I'd use," Sam glowered, fiddling with a pen.
"How about you take a video camera with you," McKay suggested, "I could watch your abject misery and give you helpful tips on how to survive."
"And watch me when I'm asleep? I don't think so, Mr Pervert," Sam smiled.
"Mr Pervert, eh?" McKay asked, thoughtfully. "I haven't been called that before!"
"Here's a 'helpful tip'," Sam said sweetly, "Unless you want me to kill you between now and tomorrow, I'd keep your mouth zipped. Got it?"
"Do I only have to keep my mouth zipped?" He smirked, waggling his eyebrows.
Sam couldn't help but smile, in spite of herself.
"You really are incurable, aren't you?"
"How about that lover's suicide I suggested before?" he continued, "I know you were initially opposed, but…"
"In your dreams, lover boy," Sam grinned, standing up and walking out of the lab. She didn't need to turn around to imagine the look on McKay's face after what she'd just called him.
"SG-1, you have a go," said Hammond, looking nervously down at the five people on the ramp. Jack and Colonel Welling looked grim, Teal'c looked…like Teal'c, and Daniel and Sam looked nervous too.
"Yes, sir, we'll report back 0900 hours Thursday," Jack said, and stalked through the gate as quickly as possible, Ms Welling on his tail.
Teal'c went next, casting Sam a reassuring smile as he went through. Finally, only Sam and Daniel remained on the ramp.
"Don't worry," he smiled, "Teal'c and I are here this time. I think that they might have grown up a bit now."
They stepped through the gate.
The planet they gated to was full of Jack's favourite…trees. He didn't respond when Daniel tried to make a joke about this, and Sam squeezed his arm reassuringly.
"This isn't about you," she said softly, "It's because I'm here."
Daniel shook his head.
"He's been like this ever since Colonel Welling arrived," Daniel replied, "It's nothing to do with you or me. It's her."
Sam nodded, and the pair trudged on, the hot sun beating down on their backs like a hot shower, but much less comfortable.
An hour later, they stopped and set up their camp. Colonel Welling had flatly refused to share a tent with Sam again, not that Sam had any objection, which had put Jack in an even worse mood than before.
"Carter, you've only been back on this team for two hours and you're already pissing off my 2IC!" He complained.
Sam gritted her teeth and bit back a sarcastic reply that had been forming in her mouth. Let him whinge - it was his problem, not hers. Instead she just turned around and went over to help Teal'c with the dinner.
Later, when they were all asleep, Sam turned over in her empty tent and sighed thoughtfully. It was quite lonely, she had to admit, as she had been so used to sharing it with Jack. The thought made her angry and she turned over, beating her jacket into a better pillow shape. She didn't need him…or her.
When Daniel woke her for her watch a few hours later, she sat by the fire with a mug of coffee, enjoying the peace that the night brought. She noticed that Jack had given her the third watch - the most difficult, because you were disturbed halfway through sleep and it wasn't worth trying to get any more afterwards - probably out of spite. God, he was such a child.
She cast an eye over in the direction of the tent that they shared. He and Colonel Welling. Hammond would flip if he ever found out. She smirked a little as she toyed with the idea of grassing them up, but then looked back at the fire, slightly ashamed. The two of them were the ones that played games, not her. No, that would be lowering herself to their level.
She wanted some of her pride intact by the end of the mission.
When the sun rose a couple of hours later, Sam was still sitting by the fire. Colonel Welling had never turned up for the last watch. Whilst Sam knew that the senior officer could get in trouble for doing this, she decided that it simply wasn't worth the effort to run against the two of them again and took the watch herself. It wasn't as if she would have gotten any more sleep.
"Morning," Daniel smiled sleepily, as he stumbled towards the coffee pot. Sam grinned at him and handed him a mug.
"Nice to see you're still as dependent on caffeine as I am," she smiled. Daniel nodded and grunted, taking a sip of the steaming liquid and smiling happily.
"I still cannot comprehend how you can consume such a distasteful liquid beverage," Teal'c said, eyeing the coffee pot suspiciously.
"I didn't like it when I was a girl," Sam admitted, "But I was pretty much hooked by the time I was fifteen."
"Bet that's not all you were hooked on," came a snide voice from behind Sam.
Colonel Welling stood with a hand on her hip, casually twirling an empty cup between her fingers and smiling at Sam.
Sam sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Do we have to go through this ordeal every time, Colonel, or shall we just leave each other alone?" She snapped.
"God knows what you were getting high on," Debbie continued, "Losing a parent creates such instability for a child."
Daniel stood up and glared at Debbie.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" He shouted, "You can't go saying things like that!"
Sam put a reassuring hand on Daniel's shoulder and lowered him to a seating position again.
"Leave it, Daniel," she pleaded.
Before Debbie could continue, Jack also emerged from their tent with a scowl on his face.
"What the hell is going on now? Carter, I suppose you're behind this…"
"Actually, Jack," Daniel snapped, "Your 2IC and lovebird was making highly unprofessional comments about…"
"I'll warn you, doctor," Debbie said acidly, "I could have you court-martialled for saying that."
This time it was Daniel's turn to smirk.
"Go ahead! I'm a civilian! I'd like to see you try!"
"Why are you so keen on defending her?" Debbie said, her eyes trained on Daniel's, "A shared experience, perhaps? Did your parents die when you were young?"
Daniel's mouth set in a grim line, and he turned away from her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, how insensitive of me," Debbie sneered.
"I do not believe that you are at all sorry," Teal'c replied.
"You know what, big man? I don't care!" Debbie laughed. "Jeez, Jack - how did you ever work with these people for seven years?"
Daniel stalked off into the surrounding forest. Sam went after him, feeling guilty. This was her mess, not Daniel's. Debbie had no right to bring him into this. Damn her. Damn HIM.
You could have cut the tension between the group with a knife. They trudged back towards the Stargate in complete silence that was only broken when there was a loud rumbling noise behind them.
"Crap!" Jack cursed, as the familiar shape of a Goa'uld mother ship descended onto the planet's surface.
"There is no time to reach the Stargate, O'Neill!" Teal'c informed him.
"What are we going to do, Colonel?" Debbie asked, her hand moving instinctively towards her gun.
"We need to split up," he said. "Danny Boy, Teal'c - you try and reach the gate. Carter, Debbie - you're with me."
"But Jack," Daniel protested, "Splitting up?"
"Dammit, Daniel, do you want to survive this or not?" Jack snapped.
"Let us make haste, Daniel Jackson. If we reach Earth, we will be able to send reinforcements for the others."
So they went. As Sam watched the backs of her two team mates disappearing over the horizon, a feeling of dread washed over her. She really was on her own now.
"What are we going to do?" Sam asked, reaching for her own weapon.
"Be quiet!" Debbie snapped, "Let the poor man think! No wonder he got tired of you!"
Sam bit her lip and clenched her hand into a fist at her side. She was determined not to let Debbie get to her.
"We need to defend our position. If we can take out the jaffa, we might be able to get inside…"
"Why the hell would we want to do that?" Sam asked, throwing caution to the wind.
"Look, Carter, if you want to hurry back to your cosy little lab with Dr McKay, it's a bit late. You're in the field again now, and you're going to do what I say. Got it?" Jack yelled.
Sam was silent. Sure, let him get the three of them killed. At least the Goa'uld had a sarcophagus. She wondered if they'd let her borrow it. Even in the seriousness of the moment, Sam found the image of asking a System Lord for rent of a sarcophagus quite amusing, and had to bite her lip so she didn't laugh.
"With me," Jack said, skirting around the perimeter and watching as the giant ship came to a halt, sand and earth blowing up around it in huge clouds.
The ship opened, and they heard the familiar noise of jaffa footsteps. The sand did little to muffle their danger, and Sam felt adrenaline begin coursing through her veins.
"How many?" Debbie asked, peering through the cover of a large shrub.
"At least 12," Sam replied, "I think there could be more."
"Did I ask you?" Debbie said, hotly.
Sam frowned at the woman next to her.
"Do you not think you could lay aside your intense hatred of me for just a second? There are slightly more important things going on here, Colonel."
"Would the pair of you just shut up?" Jack snapped.
The three watched as a Goa'uld emerged from the ship, flanked on all sides by jaffa. He was disturbingly familiar to two of them.
"They have been here," he smiled, "And I believe that some of them remain. Search this place - but don't kill them. I want them alive!"
"Yes, my lord," the voices echoed.
"You plan on getting aboard the ship now?" Sam asked, speaking directly to the Colonel.
He looked back at her, a mixed expression on his face that she had hardly seen before.
"You don't have to go through it again," Sam said evenly, "You could probably reach the gate…"
"And do what?" He asked, "Leave you here?"
"We could follow later," Sam suggested. Debbie looked indignantly between the two of them.
"Just what the hell are you talking about?" She asked.
"I'll explain later, keep your damned voice down!" Jack said, in a harsh whisper. He looked at Sam. "If we go, we all go together."
Sam felt something. A familiar presence, a twinge she knew only too well.
"Damn," she cursed.
"Indeed," an amused voice replied, "Such a pleasure to meet you again, Colonel O'Neill. And you must be Major Carter - such a shame you did not feel my presence until it was too late. And who is this? Another female. I do not believe we have been acquainted. I am Lord Ba'al. Surrender your weapons immediately."
Sam looked at the Colonel, who stubbornly refused to let go of his gun. Sam lowered hers to the ground, refusing to make eye contact with the Goa'uld. Dammit, she should have felt his presence a thousand miles away!
"Colonel, I strongly advise you to relinquish your weapon. You know how miserable I am capable of making your pathetic existence." He smirked at Jack.
Jack laid his weapon on the ground, and motioned for Debbie to do the same. Then, they stood up.
"Chain them," Ba'al commanded, "Do not allow them to escape - use any methods necessary to prevent this, but do not kill them. I want them alive."
Sam shuddered, and bit back a cry as she was shoved in the back by a jaffa and her wrists were chained. She hoped Jack wouldn't try anything heroic again - but at least Danny and Teal'c had got back to the gate.
"Is that a Goa'uld mother ship?" Hammond asked, looking at the remnants of shaky film from the UAV.
"Yes," Daniel said quietly. "It's…um…it's Ba'al."
"Son, you know I cannot authorise a rescue mission to a planet occupied by such a powerful Goa'uld. It risks unnecessary loss of life…"
"What about their lives?" Daniel asked, "Sir, the Colonel has had a run-in with Ba'al before, Deb- Colonel Welling is quite frankly inexperienced with System Lords and Sam…well, you know about Sam!"
"I do, son, but can't you understand my situation?"
Teal'c bowed his head sadly.
"I will inform Dr Fraiser," he said, and began to leave the room with Daniel in tow.
"And Teal'c? Dr Jackson? I'll leave it up to you, but someone really ought to inform Dr McKay. He needs to know that Sam won't be returning for a while."
The cell was small. As Jack had so flippantly put it, the Goa'uld hadn't yet discovered air conditioning so it was hot and sticky. Jack and Debbie were sat close together in one corner, and she in the other. She didn't like to point out that this would make their division more obvious to Ba'al. Frankly, it wasn't worth the earache.
"Why the hell didn't you sense his presence?" Jack asked, casting a look of disdain over at her.
"It's not like a light switch," Sam replied, "You can't just flip it on and off!"
"You usually feel it!" Jack continued, "The one thing I could rely on was for you to feel it!"
"Well, I'm sorry I've been such a disappointment," She said sarcastically.
"Not half as sorry as we are," Debbie said.
"Oh, go to hell!" Sam retorted, pulling her knees up to her chest.
Debbie gasped in shock and proceeded to rant about her lack of respect for a superior officer, but Sam blocked it out. She didn't care what Debbie thought, or Jack for that matter. It looked like they were pretty much screwed. She wished that McKay was there - one of his biting comments would have gone down a treat.
Damn, she had to stop thinking about him, wishing he was with her. It was getting scary.
A few moments later, they heard the jaffa approaching again.
"We will take her," one said, pointing at Debbie.
"No, you won't!" Jack defended, "You'll take me."
The jaffa's eyes moved from Jack to Debbie, and then over to Sam.
"Our Lord wishes to see a female," he continued.
Sam rolled her eyes during the silence that followed. I wonder who that female could be! She thought quietly. Jack certainly wasn't leaping to her defence.
"If you cannot decide," the jaffa said, "We will take both. Now!"
Sam stood up with gritted teeth and went over to the waiting jaffa, who slapped her across the cheek, knocking her to the floor. She winced as she tasted blood in her mouth, and wiped it away with her hand. The jaffa smiled, and took the two of them away, leaving Jack in the cell on his own.
"She what?" McKay asked, jumping out of his seat.
"Sam, Colonel Welling and Colonel O'Neill have been taken prisoner by Ba'al." Daniel explained.
"Oh, God. What about a r-"
"Hammond can't approve it." Daniel finished.
McKay sat back down in his chair, shoulders slumped.
"What are we supposed to do?" He asked eventually, his eyes meeting Daniel's.
"We wait," Daniel replied, touched to see the amount of concern in the doctor's eyes.
"Your name?"
She said nothing.
"My dear, what harm can I possibly do you by knowing your name?"
She remained silent.
"I have not seen you before. Your Colonel, yes, but not you. How long have you been on SG-1?"
"Go to hell!"
"You have inherited his insolence, I see. Very well, you leave me no choice."
He reached into an ornately carved box and slipped the ribbon device onto his hand. She closed her eyes, knowing exactly how much this was going to hurt. It didn't take long for her screams to die out, her body to crumple to the floor.
"Take her away," Ba'al ordered, "Now I will see the other one."
"Debbie!" Jack exclaimed, as her body was dumped on the floor beside him, "Debbie, can you hear me?"
Slowly, her eyes opened and she looked up into his face.
"Oh my God," she said, her voice trembling, "What the hell just happened to me?"
Jack looked at her forehead, and gently ran a hand through her hair. Relief surged through him like a tide.
"It's okay. He just used the ribbon device. You're alright."
He looked over Debbie's shoulder to see the rest of the empty room.
"Where's Carter?" he asked.
"Major Carter," Ba'al said smoothly, "I have so been looking forwards to meeting you. I have heard much about you."
She said nothing, but kept eye contact with him.
"Perhaps you will tell me who the new woman is? Is she venturing on your patch, my love? Are you jealous of her? Do not tell me that the two of them are not entwined - I feel it. I felt it before, but it was different then."
She bit her lip. Mind games, she reminded herself, don't let him win. Not yet.
"He loved you. I saw it in his mind. But now there is another - tell me, my love, how does this make you feel?"
She stared defiantly at him, holding back a flinch as he moved a step closer to her.
"What must I do to make you speak?" he asked, stroking a hand down her cheek. "I see my jaffa have already marked you - I do apologise."
"Of course you do," She replied.
"She speaks," he smiled, "And oh, so like the other two. But you are not with them, are you? They would sooner leave you to die here than be separated. Slowly and painfully."
"Well, why don't you just do it?"
"Do what, my love?" Ba'al asked.
"Kill me. If you know that the other two don't care, why don't you just kill me now? You can't use me to get information out of them. It won't work any more."
"Perhaps not," Ba'al said, turning his back on her and pacing up and down the small length of the chamber, "But maybe I will be able to use them to get information out of you."
Damn, Sam thought. Way to go for putting that idea into his head! You're literally digging your own grave…except for the fact that he won't actually let you be dead…
He laughed suddenly, as if he had been reading her thoughts. He reached into another box and pulled out a gleaming dagger. Sam's heart began to beat faster.
"Tell me, my love - did he ever tell you of the things I did to him? Did he tell you how I kept him alive? No? Well, now you will get the pleasure of knowing for yourself."
He held the dagger up by the hilt, and gravity pulled the blade towards her. The knife was hanging in mid air. Sam closed her eyes as he let go of the dagger, waiting for the sickening crack as metal met bone and flesh.
She was unprepared for it when it came, and cried out. She heard him laughing as a warmth spread over her upper body, but became aware of nothing as the darkness enveloped her.
McKay paced around his lab, clasping his hands together to stop them from shaking. He didn't get upset! He never got scared, and he certainly never got lonely!
The clock read 0201. He sat down at the desk and looked at the computer screen. Everything around him reminded him of her, which made the pain worse.
Dammit, he did miss her. Two years of working with her had changed his outlook on a lot of things. It had changed his outlook on her.
She was everything he wasn't. He was everything she wasn't. Together they made a great team - but apart they were incomplete.
What the hell was he thinking? He didn't need her - he didn't need anybody! He had got himself where he was today, with nobody else's help.
God, how he missed her.
Jack woke up when he heard the cell door being slammed shut, and the jaffa were walking away. He looked down at Debbie who was asleep against his shoulder, but then his eye fell on the other figure in the corner of the cell.
Carter.
He looked down at Debbie again, anxious not to wake her. He looked back over at Carter, who wasn't moving.
"Carter?" He called.
No response.
"Carter?" He tried again.
Reluctantly, he removed his shoulder from underneath Debbie and laid her down the floor, crawling over to where Sam was slumped.
"Carter," he whispered, gently taking hold of her shoulder and rolling her onto her back, "Carter, dammit! Wake up!"
He looked down at her, and saw a familiar shaped hole in the front of her shirt. A chill ran up his spine.
Knives.
He's using knives again.
All the pain he had felt came rushing back to him in a moment, and he looked down at the woman by his side. He knew how much pain she would have been in. He knew how scared she would have been.
But he was supposed to be angry with her. Hate her - hell, he even let his 2IC bully her.
All he wanted to do at that moment was hold her. Feeling suddenly helpless, he sat back on his legs and stared at her.
What the hell had he done?
When Sam woke up, she found herself in someone's arms. She jumped and tried to wriggle free, unsure who it was.
"Ssh, Carter - relax. It's me," Jack's voice said.
Sam was filled with anger and confusion. Jack? What the hell was he doing holding her?
"Let go of me!" She protested.
"Carter, it's me - what's wrong? What did he do to you?"
"I know who you are," Sam snapped, "You and your lady friend over there have made my life a misery these past few years!"
Jack abruptly let go of her, and turned her to face him.
"Carter, please just let me explain myself," he began.
"Why should I believe that you've changed?" She said, her voice trembling and her hand moving to the spot on her chest that ached terribly, "You've just flipped a switch and now you like me again?"
"It's not like that," Jack began, looking back over his shoulder at Debbie, who was still unconscious.
"It IS like that. What are you going to do when she wakes up, hmm? Go back to hating me again?" Sam demanded, wincing as the pain in her chest intensified.
At that moment, Debbie began to stir. Jack cast a look back at Debbie, and then to Sam, desperation in his eyes.
"Carter.."
"Please, Jack," Sam said softly, curling up in the corner again, "Just leave me alone. I've gotten used to it."
Jack looked at her sadly, before reluctantly turning around and going back to his corner of the cell. Sam noticed, however, that he didn't fuss over Debbie as she came around again. What the hell was he doing to her? She wished he'd make up his mind.
McKay sat in the commissary, idly pushing his fork around in the mashed potato. They usually avoided this place, too public and full of the gossips like Kelly and Nina. However, it was almost comforting for him to be around people again, as it stopped him from feeling so desperate. He shouldn't have had reason to in the first place, as he constantly reminded himself. He and Sam were just friends.
"Doctor!" A voice said shrilly.
McKay groaned inwardly and looked up from his mashed potato to see Kelly, the aforementioned SGC gossip queen and resident super bitch. At least, that was how he saw her.
"Why, what a terrific surprise," McKay said dryly.
"So, doctor, how much do you know about Major Carter's disappearance? You must be pretty worried."
McKay shrugged. God, how he hated this woman.
"Does it not bother you," Kelly laughed, "That she's probably being tortured by a system lord at this very moment?"
McKay closed his eyes in pain as a vivid image ran through his head, but said nothing.
"And not just any system lord," Kelly continued thoughtfully, "But Ba'al. He's the meanest of the lot."
"Well, maybe the two of you should meet. Get on like a house on fire, I'm sure," McKay smiled.
"Are you suggesting that it would be a good thing for me to be captured by a system lord?" Kelly squeaked.
"And not just any system lord," McKay smirked, mimicking her perfectly, "But Ba'al. He's the meanest of the lot."
"God, you're such an asshole," Kelly spat, and got up and left the commissary.
"Yep, that's me down to the ground," McKay agreed, raising his glass to Kelly as she disappeared out of the door, before he carried on staring at his mashed potato.
"Now, you still haven't told me your name," Ba'al smiled.
"No, and I'm not going to," Debbie replied, looking at the floor.
"No? Maybe, maybe not. We will see," Ba'al said, pacing backwards and forwards. "Tell me, how do you feel about the other female in your party?"
Debbie thought for a moment. What harm could it do? He'd only use the ribbon device on her again. She'd recovered from that pretty well, and it wasn't as if she was telling him anything important. Maybe he would leave her alone.
"I don't like her," Debbie said, still looking at the floor.
"Oh," Ba'al smiled, pleased that she had so easily fallen into his trap. "Tell me why, my dear."
"Where should I begin?" Debbie asked, still nervous. "Uh…well, it's Jack she annoys more than anyone."
"Really?" Ba'al twisted a dagger in his hand thoughtfully, before putting it back in its box. He wasn't going to waste it on her.
"Yeah, she sort of liked him more than he liked her. He got tired of it in the end. They had an argument, she ran off crying what a surprise."
Debbie looked steadfastly at the floor. Phew, she'd gotten away with it! It didn't look as if he was going to hurt her, and she hadn't given him any important information.
"Thank you, my dear, you have been…most forthcoming," Ba'al smiled.
"But…but I didn't tell you anything," Debbie replied nervously.
"No," Ba'al said, "No. You didn't. Jaffa, return her to the cell. Bring me the other one."
Debbie collapsed down on the floor in a heap next to Jack, blowing out a relieved breath.
"Don't worry," she told Jack, "I didn't tell him anything important."
Sam looked over at Jack, her eyebrows raised. Jack looked back at Debbie.
"What do you mean, anything important?" He asked, panicking slightly.
"Nothing about the SGC, I didn't tell him my name…"
"No, but what did you tell him?" Jack asked, desperate.
At that moment, the jaffa entered again and took Sam away. When the iron door of their cell was once again shut and locked securely, Jack asked Debbie his question again.
"What did you tell him, Debbie?" Jack asked.
"Just stuff that he can't do us any harm with," Debbie said, "You know - just about how you and her fell out, we don't get on, etc. I mean, what can he possibly do with that?"
Jack stood up and began pacing backwards and forwards. He rubbed a hand over his face and back through his hair.
"Jack? Jack, would you calm down! It'd just be like listening to the plot of a soap opera!" Debbie protested. "Sit down!"
"Do you have any idea what he can do with that kind of information?" Jack shouted, "Jesus Christ, Debbie, you don't tell him anything! Especially not anything that makes us look divided - if you single one of us out, make out that there's a break in our chain…"
"But it's her," Debbie said, puzzled, "And I still don't understand what he can…"
"He's a master manipulator," Jack explained. "Gravity, knives, acid…minds! He gets inside your head, and you'll never get him out!"
For once, Debbie was silent. Jack was cursing Ba'al with every expletive under the sun. Damn him for realising that Debbie wouldn't understand his power, for knowing that she was so naïve when it came to the Goa'uld! She'd left Sam in a vulnerable position…and when it came down to it, it was all his fault.
"So nice to see you again, my love," Ba'al purred, as Sam faced him across the room again.
She didn't reply, but forced herself to look into his eyes. She wasn't going to let herself be afraid of him - she had too much at stake. Keep thinking of McKay, she thought. Wait - no! Don't think about McKay! That's the last thing you should be doing!
"Your friend has, I'm afraid, been very informative," he said, pouring some wine into a cup and twirling it between his fingers.
He looked over at her. Still she was refusing to say anything, but she was so different to the other one. She looked him in the eyes - told herself that she wasn't afraid of him. He could sense the remnants of the Tok'ra symbiote within her, and he imagined that she'd been tortured before. He liked this one, better than the others. Hell, better than Jack. Mind you, he had also been very interesting. He looked down at the cup and back into her eyes, taking another step closer.
"She does not like you, does she, my love?" He asked, taking her chin in his hand.
"Not particularly," Sam said, through gritted teeth.
Suddenly, he grabbed her chin and wrenched her mouth open, pouring the wine into her mouth. She gagged and tried to spit it out, but he held his hand over her mouth.
"Swallow it," he growled.
Reluctantly, and only because she was in danger of choking, Sam swallowed the liquid and grimaced. That familiar coppery taste, like treacle sliding down your throat but far less pleasurable.
"Blood of Sokar?" She croaked, "Isn't that a bit pre-historic?"
"It works the same as it has always done," Ba'al told her, "And I am saving the best for last, my love."
"Great," Sam groaned, watching as he stepped back and put his hand into the same ornate box that she had seen before.
He fondled the dagger as if it were a lover, and turned to face Sam with a bright smile.
"You have met before?"
And, as they had before, they met again.
"Carter?" Jack asked, tenderly brushing a lock of hair away from her face, "Carter, are you okay? Carter?"
She woke up, warily looking around her.
"Carter, it's great to have you back," Jack smiled, "I was worried!"
Sam narrowed her eyes at him, and backed off into her corner.
"Carter, it's me!" Jack protested innocently, "Can't you see?"
"I drank the Blood of Sokar," Sam smiled sadly, "As far as I'm concerned, you could be anything. You're certainly a figment of my imagination."
"No, I'm not!" Jack said, "You were brought back here, dumped in the cell and left. You were unconscious for hours, but you just woke up a minute ago!"
"Then where's Debbie?" She asked, searching the room with her eyes, but giving up when it made her head hurt.
"Ba'al has her now," Jack said, "For crying out loud, Sam, it's me!"
"No, it's not," Sam said, turning her face to the wall and savouring its coolness against her cheek.
"Why would I lie to you? Sam, I was wrong. Everything I said was cruel, and I take back everything I did. It was a betrayal, and I hurt you. I never want to hurt you again, Sam."
She looked over at him. Damn, he looked sincere. He sure as hell sounded it too. But something just wasn't adding up.
"Even if I did believe you, which I don't, this could still be Ba'al talking. I can't trust either of you as far as I could throw you."
"Sure," Jack said, "But would Ba'al do this?"
He crouched beside her, took her head in his hands and kissed her. She moaned softly at the contact of his lips on hers, his hand sliding down her waist to rest at her hip. Reluctantly, after a few more seconds, they broke apart.
"I…" Sam stammered.
"Ssh," Jack smiled, drinking in the image of her before him. She was so beautiful, and he'd hurt her so badly. She hadn't deserved any of it.
"When are we going to get out of here?" She asked, fighting back tears.
"As soon as we get back to the gate," Jack said reassuringly, raising a hand to stroke her hair, "And when you tell me the iris code."
Sam frowned, and sat upright against the wall.
"What?" She asked, still stunned by their kiss.
"The iris code," Jack smiled, "I can't remember it. I know it starts with a…"
Sam backed away from him, eyes wide.
"No. No way - this isn't you, Jack. Damn you, Ba'al! I know what you're doing!" She shouted.
"Whoa, calm down!" Jack protested, pinning her arms back at her sides, "It's me, Sam, not Ba'al!"
"Let go of me!" She yelled, "You're not Jack! I know you're not!"
"Sam, what the hell is wrong with you?" Jack shouted, pinning her to the floor, "Will you just calm down?"
"Get…off!" She shouted. She used her weight to throw herself to one side and knock him off of her, but had no idea how she was supposed to escape him. The four walls of their cell seemed to move in closer around her, leaving her nowhere to hide. She turned back around and saw him standing opposite her.
"Have it your way, my love," he growled, and his eyes flashed. He advanced towards her, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a ribbon device.
When the end finally came, it was blissfully quick, and she sank once more into the cover of darkness.
Ba'al shouted angrily and slammed his fist into the wall, watching entranced as thin ribbons of blood flowed down his hand and pooled at his wrist. He looked again at the female on the floor, and smiled. She was strong. She would take longer to break, he knew it - but it would be even more enjoyable when she did.
"Jaffa, return her to the cell. I will see them again tomorrow."
He swept out of the room and left the jaffa to drag Sam back to the cell.
"Sam!" Jack shouted, going over to her as the jaffa left the cell. Debbie sniffed, annoyed at the attention he was giving her. They were supposed to be arch enemies, after all.
"Sam! Sam, wake up!" Jack said urgently, shaking her gently.
"Wha-" Sam woke up and laid eyes on him again. She moaned softly and pulled away from him.
"Carter, what did he do?" Jack asked.
She eyed him suspiciously from the corner of the room, and picked at a cut on her knee.
"Carter?" Jack persisted, moving closer to her.
"Get away from me!" she protested, "You're not doing this again, Ba'al!"
Jack stopped still in front of her.
"Ba'al? You think I'm… Carter, this is me! Jack!"
"You said that last time!" She said angrily, "And then you killed me!"
Jack's shoulders sagged. He turned around to face Debbie, who shrugged.
"This is what he can do with personal information," Jack ground out through his teeth.
"If you ask me, she was well on that way before this mission," Debbie said dryly.
"Since this is your first encounter with a system lord," Jack said, his patience rapidly disappearing, "I suggest you shut up and listen to me for a moment! Sure, you've had many hours of experience in the field, but you know very little about the Goa'uld! Next time you're in there, you do not tell him anything! Got it?"
"Sure," Debbie commented, "But if he's so powerful, clever, whatever - why hasn't he taken you yet, hmm? Just me and her, but not you? What's he playing at?"
Jack looked over at the figure huddled in the corner, and put his head in his hands.
"He's playing a game - and he's changing the rules as he does it."
To Be Continued…
Author Notes: Many of you asked for a sequel, so here it is! Please send your feedback to jm-webmistressfsmail.net Sorry about the wait!!