Sam and Cassie met each other's gaze, and Sam spoke. "Sir, we believe one of the students at Cassie's school might be a Goa'uld."
"Is that even possible?" Hammond asked.
"Another NID operation?" Jack suggested.
Sam shook her head. "They'd be stupid to try something like that this close to the Stargate."
"Or maybe they know this is the last place we'd look," Daniel put in.
"Anyway," said Sam, "all we know for sure is that he has naquadah in his blood. We need a cover story to get blood samples from all students and faculty. Maybe we can find some explanation."
"I can tell you already have something in mind," said Hammond.
Sam nodded. "It's no secret that Cassie got sick two years ago. We could say that she's having a relapse, and we don't know what's causing it. We'd have to get blood samples to make sure the effect hadn't spread."
"That sounds good to me," said Hammond. "I'll make some calls, and then we can contact the school." He turned to Cassandra. "Cassie, I'd like you to stay with Sam for a few days."
"All right," said Cassie. Sam, who had been bracing herself for an argument, breathed a premature sigh of relief. Cassie continued: "But only if I can help."
"No offense, Cass," said Jack, "but I don't think there's much you can do here."
"You wouldn't even have known about this if it wasn't for me," said Cassie with growing impatience. "Anyway, I know Dominic. I can help you figure out what's going on."
She had a point, Sam realized. And letting her in on this would prove to Cassie that she still had Sam's vote of confidence.
"I think it's a good idea," said Sam.
Hammond thought briefly, and then nodded. "All right," he said. "SG-1, get what you need while I make those phone calls. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir," said Sam, and they got to work.
It was nearly twelve o'clock when Sam, Daniel, and several medics arrived at the high school. An impromptu blood bank was set up in the gym, and a few minutes later a handful of students shuffled in, apparently being sent down a few at a time. Jack and Teal'c entered moments later, carrying boxes upon boxes of Krispy Kremes. When Sam questioned the Colonel about it, he merely shrugged.
"It was Teal'c's idea," he said. "And I figured a little bribery wouldn't hurt."
"We're sorry about the inconvenience," Daniel told the principal. "You understand how important it is to keep this contained."
"Of course," replied the principal through a bite of his third donut. "No problem at all."
It wasn't long before Dominic made his grand entrance, running in the door and pouncing on Sam, who did her best not to flinch at the unwelcome sensation of naquadah. "Cassie," Dominic gasped. "Is Cassie all right? I heard about this" – he waved a hand to indicate the blood tests – "and I've been worried sick since this morning."
"Don't worry. She'll be fine," Sam assured him. "We think she's having a relapse of what she had two years ago, but we can take care of it. We're just making sure the effects haven't spread." She narrowed her eyes. "Are you two still...together?"
He hesitated. "Not really."
"What do you mean, 'not really'?" She hated to pry into Cassie's private life, but Cassie wasn't being very communicative lately, and this seemed like the best alternative.
"I had some – some problems to work out. Cassie thought we should take a break for a while."
It didn't seem like the whole truth, but Sam let it slide. "But you're still friends?"
He shook his head. "I've barely talked to her these past few months. I wanna get back together. I keep trying to talk to her, but she keeps putting it off."
Well, that would explain why the supposed ex-boyfriend was still following her around like a lovesick puppy. This was a part of Cassie's life that Sam had barely caught a glimpse of, and now she knew why Cassie hadn't been too keen on sharing. "You know her mother just died," she said, feeling oddly protective.
"Yeah, I heard. Not from her. Like I said, we haven't exactly been speaking lately."
"What I'm guessing you don't know is that Janet was Cassie's foster mother. Her birth mother died when she was eleven."
"Oh, wow. Man, that's gotta suck."
Such an eloquent way of putting it.
She went on. "What I'm saying is, she's been through a lot. Maybe you should give her some space."
Dominic's face fell. "I guess so."
"I'll call you," Sam said gently. "Don't worry. And we still need to get your blood, make sure you're okay."
"Yeah, I know." He moved to get in line, then paused. "You're Cassie's friend, right?"
I think so, she thought, but answered, "Yes."
"Then when you get a chance, could you tell her that I still care about her?"
"I will."
As he turned away, Sam wondered why it was so much easier to give advice than take it.
"Who's she talking to?" Jack wondered out loud. He felt so useless just handing out donuts; but then, he knew more about donuts than he did about blood tests. And maybe getting into the conversation would get Teal'c and Daniel to speak English instead of Goa'uld.
"That's Dominic," said Daniel. "Cassie's boyfriend," he elaborated when Jack responded with a blank look. "The one who..."
"Aha. Gotcha."
Dominic left, and Sam joined the rest of the team. "How's it going, Carter?" Jack asked conversationally.
She shrugged. "Fine, sir."
Teal'c held out a box. "Have a donut, Major Carter. I recommend the chocolate crème."
Sam grinned. "Thanks, Teal'c." She reached into the box to grab a donut, but dropped it suddenly as they heard a commotion from the other side of the gym.
"She's hyperventilating!" one of the medics said, and Sam's attention turned to the girl in the chair, who was taking rapid, panicked breaths. "Paper bag!" they shouted at SG-1, and Sam rushed over with one of the smaller Krispy Kreme bags.
"Breathe into this," she instructed the girl, who somehow managed to hold the bag over her face. In a minute, she was breathing normally, her body still shaking.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm not so good with needles."
"It's okay," Sam reassured. She turned to one of the medics and mouthed, "Tomorrow?" They nodded. "Just sit and relax. If you'd rather do it tomorrow..."
The girl nodded, relieved. "Tomorrow should be okay."
"Did anyone else think there was something weird about that?" asked Jack when Sam returned.
Sam frowned. "Sir?"
Jack shook his head. "Never mind. Back again tomorrow, I see."
"The good news is," said Daniel, "that's pretty much all of them."
"Pretty much?" asked Jack.
"All except fifteen absences and the girl who's afraid of needles." He checked the list. "Johanna Bauer, in case it matters. And the entire faculty is supposed to come down at the end of the day."
Sam sighed. "After all this trouble, I still hope we don't find anything."