Jack held Sam dry-eyed. He thought she might have fallen asleep again until she reached for his hand. He gave her a squeeze, "You okay?"
"I will be." Sam looked up at him. "Thank you."
"Anytime." He gave her a genuine O'Neill smile.
"Jack..." Sam looked as thought she had wanted to say something very important, but was not sure if she could.
Jack was slightly startled when she used his first name. "Yes?"
She lowered her eyes almost embarrassed. "Never mind." It was hardly more than a whisper.
"Sam, if..."
"No."
"Alright."
"Thanks."
Silence engulfed them. Sam snuggled deeper into Jack's arms. He didn't say anything, wanting to help, but not knowing how.
"You want to play eye-spy?"
She laughed into his shirt. "I'll guess first..." She made a great show of looking around. "...darkness?"
"I was going to say the most beautiful woman I've seen all day."
Sam was suddenly very grateful it was so dark. She could feel her cheeks turning red. She became slightly uncomfortable, he was showing her a side of himself she hardly ever say, even if it was through joking.
"Ok, maybe not. Twenty Questions?"
Swoosh-swoosh. Swoosh-swoosh.
"Swoosh." She stood up.
"How'd you know?"
He came swooshing around the corner and to their cell. "You will die." His voice showed no emotion.
"Excuse me."
"You speak English." Sam noted what Jack had taken for granted.
"Your language is not complex. It was easy to learn."
"Anywho, back to the dying part. Are you saying we're going to die like every human eventually, or you're going to kill us?"
"You will die. I will kill you."
"I hate it when I'm right."
Sam gave Jack a look that seemed to say that wasn't often. She turned back to Swoosh. "Why, exactly, do you want to kill us?"
"You committed a crime."
"And for that we're going to be killed?"
"You committed a crime. One punishable by death."
"What crime?" Jack certainly wasn't happy with the way this conversation was heading.
"A crime against my people. You committed a crime.. One punishable by death."
"What did we do?"
"You broke the law. A crime against my people. You committed a crime.. One punishable...."
"By death. So you said." Jack finished for him. He turned to Sam, "Is it me or are we getting no where?"
Sam took over the questioning for him. "Um, what's your name?"
"I am called Swush."
Sam and Jack exchanged looks. "Ok, Swush. We want to know exactly what we have done. To break the law and when we did it."
"You came to our planet, one year ago exactly. You broke the law. A crime against my people. You committed..."
"Yes Swush we committed a crime. One punishable by death." Sam felt as though she were talking to a child. She realized that this alien was not the same one who had apprehended them earlier. He had had more anger in his voice, Swush seemed almost innocent.
"Swush, can we speak to your superiors?"
"You will speak to me."
Jack went along with Sam not sure what her plan was, or if she had one, but assumed it was better than running in circles. "We will talk to your superiors!" Jack emphasized his point by reaching through the bars in the door and grabbed the aliens cloaked throat.
Spluttering, Swush bobbed his head up and down. "I-i-i will get him."
Jack loosened his hold and Swush ran down the corridor coughing.
Not too long after the alien who untied them earlier showed up. "You will die."
"I'm really getting sick of that greeting." Jack took a step toward the alien. "So will you, eventually."
"We want to know what we did wrong." Holding up a hand, Sam anticipated what was coming and said, "We know we have broken the law and committed a crime against your people."
Jack added, "One punishable by death. We know."