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The Middle

She felt like a glorified lab rat.

Maybe she was. But if that were the case, what exactly were they studying? How to annoy her? How long until she broke down and begged to be released? What could they possibly hope to gain from this?

As an officer at the SCC, she was trained to handle various forms of torture and interrogation, and even had to use her training on occasion, but this time it was almost too much for her.

She had no idea where her teammates were being held or if they were even in custody. They could be in the cell next door, or back on Earth for all she knew.

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The Circumstance

Before anyone could add to the conversation, the musicians began to play and several couples from around the room stood and made their way to the empty area of the room. They began to dance and sing to the music, laughing and speaking happily to one another.

"Major, Colonel, please join in the celebrations. You are our honored guests. Come, dance with us."

Annara stood and led her husband away from the table.

They waited for Sam, who shrugged her shoulders and whispered to Jack, "when in Rome, sir."

"Yeah, sure. Just be glad they're not making you change clothes, especially after that little incident this morning." Jack grumbled, wincing when his knees popped loudly as he rose from his seat.

Friador held his wife's hand and walked to a clear space for them to stand.

"We will show you how it is done."

He placed his hands gently on Annara's waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They seemed to meld together and then began to move with the rhythm of the music.

Jack cleared his throat nervously and with more confidence than he felt, said, "so, Carter…shall we?"

He held out his hand to her and she nodded.

She rested her forearms gently on his shoulders and loosely twined her fingers behind his neck, just tickling his hairline. She felt a sudden awareness of the closeness of their position go through her as his hands settled lightly on her waist, a warm weight against her body and his grip tensed in a concession to the music. She shivered, trying not to let herself be affected by it. By Him.

Sam resolutely kept her gaze on the couples beside them, pretending to study the dance movements. She was determined not to let the situation get out of control. Not to dwell on how it felt to be held by him, to hold him in return. No, she wasn't going to think about that. At all. After several long minutes, the music stopped and the people stepped apart clapping their hands in appreciation, much to her relief tinged though it was with a vague sense of sadness.

Annara sided up to Sam and said softly so no one else would hear, "this dance is for lovers only. It is symbolic of the bond they have formed between each other. You and your husband must be very happy. You seem to have become one during the dance."

Sam blushed furiously and stammered a response. "Um, thanks. We are happy."

She then turned slightly and slipped her hand into Jack's and gave it a gentle tug. She led him away from the dance floor and back to the table, whispering urgently, "sir, this is starting to get out of hand!"

"What do you mean? I think you're doing a great job. I couldn't ask for a better wife!" He teased quietly so only she heard him.

"Sir, this dance thing is for married couples only. I think it might lead to some 'other' ceremony."

"Carter, relax. Daniel said this is just a welcoming party. Besides, neither of us ate or drank anything hinky. It's not like I'm not going to jump you, if that's what you're worried about. And I highly doubt they'd make us 'prove' we're married, so just go with it."

Sam shook her head, frustrated by his blasé attitude. "Sir, we are lying to these people."

She noticed his grimace and added flatly, "I'm sure General Hammond would agree to another team finishing the negotiations. Diplomacy isn't exactly our strong suit."

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?" Jack snapped aloud, and then lowering his voice, argued, "I think we're doing just fine. They seem to like us. Whose to say the other SG team would be received so well? The Elder might take offence to us just bailing out in the middle."

With a sigh, Sam relented. "Fine, sir. I'll play along, but I still don't think it's a good idea."

Jack huffed slightly and retorted, "yeah, well, my ideas may not be as brilliant as most of yours, but it's the one we've got for now. I'll let Hammond know the situation, ask his opinion and then we'll see what happens."

"Yes, sir." She bowed her head and then muttered, "we are due to check in within the hour."

"I'm aware of that, Major," the Colonel growled quietly, only then noticing the glares sent from Friador and Annara. He inhaled a calming breath, grinned and said nonchalantly, "I'll send Daniel. He's good at convincing the General. Maybe he'll buy us some time to set the record straight with these people."

Sam nodded but didn't say a word. She had also seen the looks that the Elder and his wife had directed at them and didn't want to arouse any suspicion. It was bad enough to be pretending to be Jack's wife. It was even worse to be caught in a 'lovers spat', one that she had essentially lost due to the chain of command. It just helped to drive home the reason for fraternisation regulations.

Annara just stared at her, trying to get her attention. Finally the woman stood up and walked over to Sam and placed her hand gently on her shoulder.

"Come with me."

Fortunately, Jack was down at the end of the table talking to Daniel. He noticed the Healer approach Sam and nodded his consent when she glanced at him. Unease settled in the pit of his stomach as he watched the two women leave the room.

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