PART THREE:
"What's going on between Anise and Jack?" Lara asked.
"Anise likes him." Sam said with a mischievous smile.
"Likes...oh." Lara said, breaking into a grin herself. "Well, she can't have him."
Janet grinned from where she sat curled on the sofa. "Alright, spill." She said. "What exactly did you get up to on your vacation?"
The three of them were sitting in Janet's office, waiting for Anise to come and help them with their disguises. To try and take their minds off what they were about to attempt and why, Lara had promised to tell them about her vacation. "We went fishing, mostly." Lara said.
"Fishing?" Janet echoed. "In Jack's fishless lake?"
"Yep."
"I don't believe you." Sam said.
Lara gave them both a wicked grin. "It's the peaceful wait for the fish that makes it so...pleasurable."
Sam gaped at her, before bursting into laughter. Janet grinned. "And here I was thinking that I was the only one to have seen him naked." She said.
"I'm not sure I even want to hear this." Sam said. "He's my CO!"
"I guess you don't want to hear about what we were doing when we weren't fishing, then?" Lara asked innocently.
Sam made a face that caused Janet and Lara to burst into laughter. "I don't think so."
The laughter died away as Anise entered the room. "It is time." She said.
General Hammond waited anxiously in the gateroom for the team, although he didn't show it. Anise was waiting calmly by his side, as was the other Tok'ra. Marines stood in their usual positions around the gateroom.
When the door opened, he looked up curiously and raised an eyebrow in surprise. A bruised and battered Jack was being dragged into the room between two sneering Jaffa. The Jaffa wore white flowing robes, Egyptian- style makeup and each had a Goa'uld symbol tattooed on their foreheads. They also carried staff weapons.
But that was nothing compared to the surprise he felt when he saw the three women enter the room. Lara, Sam and Janet didn't look anything like they usually did. Gone were the efficient doctor, intelligent scientist and poised adventurer – and in their place was a beautiful and arrogant Goa'uld and her two handmaidens.
Lara looked every inch the Goddess – which made Jack gasp softly when he saw her. Her waist length auburn hair was unbound, softening her features and falling in a shimmering wave down her back. Her eyes were outlined heavily in black in the Egyptian style and her lids were dusted in gold. Her hair was gently held back from her face by a golden band with a cat's head and gold earrings hung at her ears. She, too, wore a flowing robe like the 'Jaffa', but hers was far more flattering. It was held together at the waist be a gold cord and she wore bracelets at her wrists and on her upper arms. A Goa'uld hand device was on her right hand.
Sam and Janet also wore Egyptian style makeup, but not as dramatic as Lara's. Their hair had been hidden beneath black beaded wigs, and their robes were only slightly simpler versions of Lara's. They all looked dramatic and amazing – and just like Goa'uld and her servants.
Lara walked over to Jack as Anise looked on. "What do you think?" she asked, doing a small spin for him.
Jack eyed her outfit, a half smile on his face. "I think Svarog ain't gonna know what's hit him."
Lara grinned. "Of course not." She said. "The two of us are going to kick his ass."
"Kick his ass?" Jack teased. "That doesn't sound like the language of a lady."
Lara just stuck her tongue out at him. Daniel and Teal'c were just out of earshot, talking to Sam, Janet and the General. Lara was about to suggest joining them, when Anise walked over. "Colonel, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Jack replied, a little confused. Why wouldn't he be?
"I admire your courage." Anise continued. "This plan is dangerous."
"No more than anything else we've attempted before." Jack said.
By now Anise had turned her back on Lara slightly. Amused, Lara shot Sam a glance. Sam smiled back and nudged Janet. Lara winked once before turning back to Jack and Anise. Lara raised an eyebrow at Jack as she saw Anise lean in. "I wish you good luck, Colonel." She said, before walking away.
Jack looked at Lara with a bemused expression. "What was that all about?"
"A female thing." Lara replied., grinning wickedly at him.
But before Jack could ask anymore questions, Lara shot a glance out of the corner of her eye and pulled Jack in for a long and passionate kiss. A few Marines whistled and cheered at the sight, while Janet chuckled at the surprised look on Daniel's face and the annoyed one on Anise's.
"Not that I'm complaining," Jack said a little breathlessly when Lara pulled away, "but what was that for?"
"I was establishing territory." Lara said. "You're mine."
"But who else..." he trailed off. "Anise?"
Lara nodded. Then General Hammond interrupted everyone. "Are we ready, people?" he called.
In front of him the stargate began to turn. Jack turned back to Lara, gently cupping her cheek. "Be careful." He said.
Lara's flippant reply died on her lips when she saw the serious and tender expression in his eyes. "I will." She said. "You be careful too."
Jack nodded and kissed her gently on the lips. "Chevron 7 encoded." Davis said over the intercom as the stargate engaged behind them.
General Hammond looked on in amusement as Lady Croft thoroughly kissed his 2IC. It was about time Jack let himself have some happiness – and be something other than a soldier. They finally broke apart as the Marines whistled and cheered. He looked around the gateroom. "Are we ready, people?" he called, before nodding at Davis to start dialling the gate.
Hammond turned back to the gate and caught the tender moment between Jack and Lara. Jack was gently cupping Lara's cheek and they spoke softly – almost as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist for a moment. He rarely saw the soft side of Jack that he saw now, except when he saw Jack with his team. It was a side that he only showed those he cared about – and trusted. Hammond smiled softly. It seemed as if Lara had managed to get closer to the Colonel than many people ever managed.
The gate engaged behind them in a rush. Lara looked like some sort of barbarian goddess at that moment, and Jack her battered warrior. In a way, that's exactly what they were. Warriors of the Tau'ri.
The General watched them slip more firmly into their disguises. Daniel and Teal'c became the sneering Jaffa once more, with a wilted and injured looking Jack held between them. Lara became the arrogant Goa'uld Bastet as she walked up ramp and disappeared, her handmaidens following her. "Good luck." He whispered as they all disappeared through the gate.
"What's going on between Anise and Jack?" Lara asked.
"Anise likes him." Sam said with a mischievous smile.
"Likes...oh." Lara said, breaking into a grin herself. "Well, she can't have him."
Janet grinned from where she sat curled on the sofa. "Alright, spill." She said. "What exactly did you get up to on your vacation?"
The three of them were sitting in Janet's office, waiting for Anise to come and help them with their disguises. To try and take their minds off what they were about to attempt and why, Lara had promised to tell them about her vacation. "We went fishing, mostly." Lara said.
"Fishing?" Janet echoed. "In Jack's fishless lake?"
"Yep."
"I don't believe you." Sam said.
Lara gave them both a wicked grin. "It's the peaceful wait for the fish that makes it so...pleasurable."
Sam gaped at her, before bursting into laughter. Janet grinned. "And here I was thinking that I was the only one to have seen him naked." She said.
"I'm not sure I even want to hear this." Sam said. "He's my CO!"
"I guess you don't want to hear about what we were doing when we weren't fishing, then?" Lara asked innocently.
Sam made a face that caused Janet and Lara to burst into laughter. "I don't think so."
The laughter died away as Anise entered the room. "It is time." She said.
General Hammond waited anxiously in the gateroom for the team, although he didn't show it. Anise was waiting calmly by his side, as was the other Tok'ra. Marines stood in their usual positions around the gateroom.
When the door opened, he looked up curiously and raised an eyebrow in surprise. A bruised and battered Jack was being dragged into the room between two sneering Jaffa. The Jaffa wore white flowing robes, Egyptian- style makeup and each had a Goa'uld symbol tattooed on their foreheads. They also carried staff weapons.
But that was nothing compared to the surprise he felt when he saw the three women enter the room. Lara, Sam and Janet didn't look anything like they usually did. Gone were the efficient doctor, intelligent scientist and poised adventurer – and in their place was a beautiful and arrogant Goa'uld and her two handmaidens.
Lara looked every inch the Goddess – which made Jack gasp softly when he saw her. Her waist length auburn hair was unbound, softening her features and falling in a shimmering wave down her back. Her eyes were outlined heavily in black in the Egyptian style and her lids were dusted in gold. Her hair was gently held back from her face by a golden band with a cat's head and gold earrings hung at her ears. She, too, wore a flowing robe like the 'Jaffa', but hers was far more flattering. It was held together at the waist be a gold cord and she wore bracelets at her wrists and on her upper arms. A Goa'uld hand device was on her right hand.
Sam and Janet also wore Egyptian style makeup, but not as dramatic as Lara's. Their hair had been hidden beneath black beaded wigs, and their robes were only slightly simpler versions of Lara's. They all looked dramatic and amazing – and just like Goa'uld and her servants.
Lara walked over to Jack as Anise looked on. "What do you think?" she asked, doing a small spin for him.
Jack eyed her outfit, a half smile on his face. "I think Svarog ain't gonna know what's hit him."
Lara grinned. "Of course not." She said. "The two of us are going to kick his ass."
"Kick his ass?" Jack teased. "That doesn't sound like the language of a lady."
Lara just stuck her tongue out at him. Daniel and Teal'c were just out of earshot, talking to Sam, Janet and the General. Lara was about to suggest joining them, when Anise walked over. "Colonel, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Jack replied, a little confused. Why wouldn't he be?
"I admire your courage." Anise continued. "This plan is dangerous."
"No more than anything else we've attempted before." Jack said.
By now Anise had turned her back on Lara slightly. Amused, Lara shot Sam a glance. Sam smiled back and nudged Janet. Lara winked once before turning back to Jack and Anise. Lara raised an eyebrow at Jack as she saw Anise lean in. "I wish you good luck, Colonel." She said, before walking away.
Jack looked at Lara with a bemused expression. "What was that all about?"
"A female thing." Lara replied., grinning wickedly at him.
But before Jack could ask anymore questions, Lara shot a glance out of the corner of her eye and pulled Jack in for a long and passionate kiss. A few Marines whistled and cheered at the sight, while Janet chuckled at the surprised look on Daniel's face and the annoyed one on Anise's.
"Not that I'm complaining," Jack said a little breathlessly when Lara pulled away, "but what was that for?"
"I was establishing territory." Lara said. "You're mine."
"But who else..." he trailed off. "Anise?"
Lara nodded. Then General Hammond interrupted everyone. "Are we ready, people?" he called.
In front of him the stargate began to turn. Jack turned back to Lara, gently cupping her cheek. "Be careful." He said.
Lara's flippant reply died on her lips when she saw the serious and tender expression in his eyes. "I will." She said. "You be careful too."
Jack nodded and kissed her gently on the lips. "Chevron 7 encoded." Davis said over the intercom as the stargate engaged behind them.
General Hammond looked on in amusement as Lady Croft thoroughly kissed his 2IC. It was about time Jack let himself have some happiness – and be something other than a soldier. They finally broke apart as the Marines whistled and cheered. He looked around the gateroom. "Are we ready, people?" he called, before nodding at Davis to start dialling the gate.
Hammond turned back to the gate and caught the tender moment between Jack and Lara. Jack was gently cupping Lara's cheek and they spoke softly – almost as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist for a moment. He rarely saw the soft side of Jack that he saw now, except when he saw Jack with his team. It was a side that he only showed those he cared about – and trusted. Hammond smiled softly. It seemed as if Lara had managed to get closer to the Colonel than many people ever managed.
The gate engaged behind them in a rush. Lara looked like some sort of barbarian goddess at that moment, and Jack her battered warrior. In a way, that's exactly what they were. Warriors of the Tau'ri.
The General watched them slip more firmly into their disguises. Daniel and Teal'c became the sneering Jaffa once more, with a wilted and injured looking Jack held between them. Lara became the arrogant Goa'uld Bastet as she walked up ramp and disappeared, her handmaidens following her. "Good luck." He whispered as they all disappeared through the gate.