Note: Leanansidhe is pronounced (Lan-awn-shee)

Teal'c was nearly flying down the hallway in his desperate bid to get to O'Neill. He nearly bowled the two other members of his team over in his haste, but did not stop to explain.

Stunned, Sam called after him. "Teal'c wait! Where are you going?"

"O'Neill is in trouble. There is no time to explain." He didn't stop or even slow down when he answered.

Needing no other explanation, the pair readied their weapons as they sped off after him.

Upon rounding the last corner and racing down the hallway leading to the exit, it was Sam and Daniel who nearly ran Teal'c down. To their surprise, they found him standing with arms spread and preventing them from going through the doorway. When a particularly bright flash of lightning struck nearby, the pair realized why their friend had blocked their path.

Mentally counting off the figures standing in a wide arc just outside the door, Sam numbered them at over two dozen. The colonel, however, was no where to be seen. The group stared silently at the trio, few attempting to hide their eager, hungry looks. She gripped her weapon tighter and dared to break the silence. "Who are you and what have you done with the colonel?"

A dark-haired female stepped forward, but stayed well back from the doorway. "We are what remains of the Sruthangiolla." A fleeting look of sad regret passed over the creature's very human looking face. "We have done nothing with your leader."

Teal'c pressed the issue before either of the others could speak. "You know what has happened to our friend."

The creature's eyes left Sam and moved to the big Jaffa, her gaze frank, but piercing. "The Mistress has summoned him and your leader has answered. He now belongs to Her."

Daniel gasped. "He's with Leanansidhe." The female nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on Teal'c. His heart fell and Daniel closed his eyes for an instant. "Guys, we have to find him and get him away from her. Fast."

"Who or what is Leanansidhe?" Once again finding herself in command, Sam needed the facts.

The creature was still locked in a silent war of wills with Teal'c, so when she didn't answer, Daniel spoke up. "According Irish-Earth legend, Leanansidhe is a beautiful vampire faery. She gives inspiration to poets, but the reward for her service is death, or at the very least, captivity in her kingdom. Like all vampires, she sucks the blood of her victims. But instead of drinking it, she collects it in a huge red cauldron. This cauldron is reputed to be the source of her beauty and the power of her poetic inspiration. It is believed that she lives somewhere under the Irish sea, off the eastern coast of Ireland." He looked from Sam to the native female for confirmation as he put forth his theory. "But from what I've been able find in the library, I'm guessing that here Leanansidhe is a goa'uld. A vampire goa'uld."

Jack had no idea where he was and with each step he took, the will to care lessened just a slight bit more. He no longer noticed the thunder crashing or lightning shaking the ground beneath his feet as it struck nearby. All that mattered was the redhead leading him to certain blissful nirvana. He was light-headed and dizzy from his still-bleeding wounds, but the beautiful siren had a firm grip on his hand and kept him stumbling along at a brisk pace. His inner voice persisted in railing at his physical body as they entered the cave and began a long trek downward, but he continued to ignore it. His steps faltered on several occasions and sent him crashing to his knees, but she merely pulled him back up and resumed her brisk stride. He remained oblivious to everything but her when they came to a doorway and entered a large, lavishly decorated room.

He was completely lost in her beautiful, glowing, green eyes as she guided him to the luxurious bed and pushed him down onto its plush satin coverings. The sounds of the raging storm could not be heard so far underground, but his heart was pounding nearly as loudly when she climbed over and snuggled up next to him. Neither spoke as she slowly, sensuously trailed a finger across the firm muscles of his chest. A rush of exquisite pleasure surged through him when the rest of her dainty hand joined in to caress the rapidly warming flesh of his upper torso, a delicious contrast to the cool, silky material against his back. Her head bent to again taste of the fluid seeping from her sentry's claw marks and he shivered from the heavenly feelings washing over him. She laughed, a low, throaty sound, which intensified the thrill pulsing through every cell in his body. Her tongue trailed across the front of his throat and glided around to the other side, her hair flowing along like a silky veil to caress his chest.

Just when he thought he could stand no more, O'Neill felt her teeth sink into his flesh. Her bite unleashed a flush of such intense ecstasy that he thought he might die from it alone. He knew on some level that this should bother him, but the orgasmic rapture he was experiencing prevented any semblance of cohesive or coherent thought. His inner voice was screaming at him to push her away, but he paid it no heed, instead reveling in the intense euphoria she was causing as she drank the life from his veins.

Slowly, she pulled herself away from her feast at his neck. She hovered over his face, smiling down at him with lips still dripping his red essence. "Now my pet, we must both sleep. You are strong and have consumed much of my strength." Her voice was nearly purring with satisfaction. "I have not had one as potent as you in many, many Ages. Possibly not ever. I so look forward to the full sharing of our essences." She continued to smile, but positioned the edge of her tongue between her fangs and then bit down. "But I must first sleep and replenish my energy. So for now, my lovely, a taste of that which is to come." Still smiling, she slowly lowered her lips to his.

His mind had cleared enough to recognize the need to flee, but Jack found himself still unable to move or speak. Gone were the feelings of pleasure and ecstasy, leaving him nearly sick with disgust and revulsion. He felt her smile turn into a frown when he refused to yield to her tongue's demand for entrance, his only means of fighting her. She pulled back sharply and glared down at him. "While I do admire your strength and spirit, you will do well not to defy me." Her eyes flashed brighter and her hold on him intensified once again. "You will now yield to me!"

She crushed her mouth to his, again demanding entrance. This time, despite his desperate attempts to deny her, his lips parted. Darkness swam at the edges of his vision as he tried to find the strength to push her away. Jack could taste the sickening sweetness of her blood as she plundered the depths of his mouth, his stomach turning. After what seemed an eternity, she finally pulled away. He desperately gasped for air as the darkness closed in. Her heard her voice growing ever fainter and fought hard for awareness. "Sleep now, my pet. There will again be time for play after we have rested." Her gleeful cackle was the last sound he heard as he gave in to the pull of oblivion.

Lightning continued to flash as thunder shook the ground around them, though neither the Sruthangiolla nor the members of SG-1 seemed to notice it as the standoff continued. The spokeswoman had nodded to confirm Daniel's theory, but said nothing.

Moments later, Teal'c was the one to break the tense silence. "You will take us to our friend and allow us to pass unhindered."

She shook her head regretfully. "Nay, that I cannot do. Not only would it anger the Mistress, but my kin here will never agree. It has been over an Age since we last feasted on pure human essence." Murmuring and the nodding of heads among the others confirmed her latter claim.

"You're all vampires, too!" Daniel stated the obvious, then let his curiosity have its say. "Did Leanansidhe do this to all of you, turn you into vampires?"

The woman was completely taken aback at his question and finally turned her gaze away from Teal'c to look at the archaeologist. She stared at him in disbelief, saying nothing, so Daniel pushed on, yelling to be heard over top of the raging storm. "You're the original inhabitants of this planet, aren't you?" He waited for her nod of affirmation and then continued. "Look, we have allies, very advanced beings who might be able to help restore you to your original forms. But we need something in return. We need Jack. You help us get him back and we'll do everything we can to help undo the damage she has done to you and your planet."

The vampire shook her head. "It was not the Mistress who changed us." She nodded toward the building they were in. "Those did."

Daniel stared open-mouthed in disbelief. "The Ancients? You're telling us that the Ancients are the ones who changed you into vampires?"

The woman turned to the crowd behind her and gestured to someone in the rear of the group. Almost immediately, a large, winged, bat-like creature flew off in the direction of the gate, seemingly unconcerned about the storm it was flying into. The spokeswoman then turned back to the trio in the doorway. "You do not believe."

Daniel looked briefly at Sam and then answered. "I'm sorry, it's just that we have never heard of the Ancients doing anything so. . .so. . . deleterious before."

The sudden rustling of wings startled the three teammates as the departed vampire returned with a thick text in its claws. After dropping the volume into the hands of the spokeswoman, it returned to the rear of the group once more.

The vampire ran her hands lovingly over the book's cover, a melancholy look in her eyes. She raised her gaze to stare at Teal'c once again, then suddenly tossed the tome toward him. "Our story is within. If you choose not to believe our words, there is a matching volume in the words of the Old Ones in their library. I read it once, in the time before I, too, was changed."

Teal'c stared back at the woman, his eyes never leaving hers even as he handed the book off to Daniel. Raising his voice to be heard above the raging storm, he challenged her. "You will not take us without a fight. Many of you will die."

The woman laughed. "Your puny weapons will have no effect on our kind."

Teal'c smiled, a cold, feral look in his eyes. "Indeed, theirs will not." In one rapid, fluid motion, he hefted his staff weapon and primed it to fire. "But this one most certainly will."

The woman stared hard at him, but did not back down. "We have faced your kind before, First One. You will provide a feast for many of us, something for which each of is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. We have nothing to lose." She dared to take one tentative step forward, their gazes still locked. Suddenly, her brow furrowed and her eyes moved to his stomach. "You wear the mark of a Right Hand, yet there is no being within to sustain you. In spite of this, you are not ill or weakened. Your leader is not one of the gods, yet you follow him. You are a servant of the gods, are you not?"

Teal'c did not let his surprise show, instead allowing his anger to the fore. "I am Jaffa, however I serve no false god and will never do so again. I have joined O'Neill and fight willingly by his side. With the help of his kind, I will one day see my people free from the slavery and evil of the goa'uld. It is they who have made it possible for me to live without a symbiote."

There was a loud, angry, collective gasp from the crowd of vampires. The spokeswoman furiously looked up to meet his eyes once again. "Do not think we will fall for such trickery! It has been nearly an Age since the last of clan O'Neill was lost to us. Nay, passing yourselves off as followers of the old chieftains will aid you not!"

Teal'c calmly gazed back, his staff weapon still primed and aimed at the crowd. "I make no such claim, as I know nothing of your former rulers. I merely speak of the O'Neill who is my friend and brother." His look became intense, burning his message into her eyes as he continued. "Heed my words, woman. We shall not stop until our friend and brother warrior has been freed. We will then leave this place. Attempt to impede us and you will die; allow us to pass unhindered and you will live; assist us and we will attempt to assist you in return."

The spokeswoman remained unconvinced. "Lies! Surely you do not expect us to believe such a tale! I observed you when you came through the Great Circle. I know for a fact, from that one, that your leader is called "Jack."" She pointed at Daniel, but did not take her eyes from Teal'c for even an instant.

Teal'c nodded slightly in response. "That is correct. However, his name is also O'Neill. Colonel Jack O'Neill, to be precise."

She shook her head. "It is now we who do not believe you."

Before Teal'c could respond, Sam jumped in. "What if we could prove it? You said you were watching us when came through the gate. If you're the one who attacked the colonel, then you had to have seen a chain like this around his neck." She pulled out her dog tags for the woman to see. After the vampire nodded, Carter continued. "These are our military's means of identifying us. Our full names are stamped into them. Please, find Colonel O'Neill and check his. You'll see that his name really is O'Neill."

The vampire shook her head, her sorrow plain to see. "Even were it true, it changes nothing. We are a dying race. Once the last human was transformed, we were forced to look to large game for food. After a time, they then also ceased to be and we were driven to seek the smaller creatures of the forests to quench our need. Now even those are no longer plentiful. We need the sustenance your life fluid will provide."

"What if we can get you all the. . .food you need?" Daniel closed the text he'd been leafing through while still listening to the conversation.

The woman seemed doubtful. "You would send for more of your kind for us to feed from?"

Daniel hedged a bit. "Not exactly. We couldn't send for people, but we can send for a supply of fresh blood, enough to satisfy all of you. Just tell us how much you need and let us contact our superiors. In return, all we ask is your assistance in freeing Jack."

The vampire stared deeply into his eyes for a long time. Finally satisfied with what she saw, she then turned to her companions. "Take them to the Great Circle and allow them to contact their kin unhindered. Do not allow them to go through, but wait for me there."

There was a cry of protest among the loud murmuring of the group. "But what of the Mistress!"

The woman shook her head. "The skies are again calm, meaning the Mistress sleeps. You must go now, but do not allow your needs and desires free rein." She carefully looked each member of the group in the eye before continuing. "No one is to touch these while I am gone. I will see you all at the Great Circle shortly."

She turned back to SG-1 with regret in her eyes. "I will find your friend and bring him to the Great Circle." Another chorus of gasps sounded behind her. "However, I fear it may be too late for him. The Mistress sleeps, which means She has fed from your friend. If he has partaken of her in return, he will soon cease to be human."

Trembling, the sentry quietly entered the Mistress's lair. She allowed a deep breath of relief to escape when she saw Her eyes were open and staring blankly. It was not the glassy-eyed stare of death, which therefore meant She was merely deeply asleep. She cautiously approached the luxurious satin-covered bed to gaze upon the man lying next to Her.

As she took her first close look at his features, it was all she could do to stifle a gasp. She did not need to look at his tags for verification, for he was the very picture of her beloved Toryn. Though his hair was grey to her Toryn's fiery red, there was no mistaking the facial features. Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed down at the familiar nose and mouth. Her hand reached out, fingers longing to once again trace the well-known jaw line, but she forced herself to stop just shy of making contact. A lone tear trailed down her cheek when his eyes opened briefly, revealing the same beloved, deep sable as those of the man who still haunted her dreams after all this time.

She indulged herself in a few more moments of study, despite the danger. This O'Neill was a good foot taller than her Toryn, but had the same lean and lanky build. She did not know how she could possibly have missed it when she first encountered him. Perhaps she simply hadn't wanted to see it. Reluctantly, she concluded her study of him and looked over to examine the Mistress. She was relieved to find there was no cut on either of Her wrists, her preferred method of exchange, which indicated She had not yet given him Her essence. Finally, her decision made, she gathered him carefully in her arms and prayed the Mistress would not waken. As silently as possible, she whisked him out the door and headed for the surface.

Back in her lair, the Mistress slept on.

tbc

Author's Note: A very heart-felt "Thank you!" to my two reviewers! I very much appreciate your kind words and do so hope you will enjoy the rest of the tale. :)