A/N: I am running solely on adrenaline. I was up at 5.30 this morning for work, it's now almost 1am and I've got to be up at 5.30 again tomorrow (or is it this morning?) for work!
Thank you all for the AWESOME reviews! I can't believe how positive everyone is being! I was touched by the indignant protestations that followed my announcement that there may be a delay for this part! I've done my best to write it as fast as possible!
The crazy thing about writing a fic like this is that I've got everything figured out in my head, including motivations and action that is going on "behind the scenes". I forget that what's obvious for me maybe isn't for the reader… thanks to FanFicForever and Janissima for reminding me of that… I've addressed one of your questions in this chap and I'll get to the other soon! And thanks to AthenaIceGoddess for making me blush with her compliment!
I just hope that as I wrap the story up, you're not all disappointed by the way I do it – having built the tension and all! Here goes nothing anyway…
General Hammond stood in the control room, looking at the shimmering event horizon of the stargate as they tried again to contact SG1 or even any inhabitant of Urgo's planet. This was the third time in the last 8 hours they had tried to contact the SGC's flagship team without success. They had now been gone almost 24 hours, much longer than the previous times they had visited the strange world.
"Any change in the MALP reading sergeant?" his deep, calm voice betrayed the concern he felt.
"No sir." The sergeant replied. "We're still receiving the false image of a tropical beach."
General Hammond sighed before again gripping the microphone in an attempt to contact anyone on the other side of the wormhole.
"I repeat." His voice was stern and forceful. "This is General Hammond of the SGC. I am trying to reach Colonel O'Neill and his team. If anyone can hear me I implore you to respond and return my people, or we will be forced to take action."
His heart skipped a few beats as he waited for a response – any response. Just as he was about to order that the gate be shut down – again – an arrogant, menacing voice sounded over the loudspeaker.
"This is Togar. Your people are my test subjects. I will return them if and when I see fit." There was no emotion in the voice, it was merely a cold statement.
"I require assurances that my team is in fact alive. Otherwise I will not hesitate to attack your world." General Hammond had grabbed the microphone with such force he was inwardly surprised it hadn't broken and been wrenched from the desk. Switching to the loudspeaker intercom, he boomed his orders to the base. "This is General Hammond, prepare the weapon for deployment through the stargate."
As he saw various Air Force officers scurrying around the gate room in preparation for the launch of the naquada bomb. General Hammond took the microphone again to speak to Togar. "I am warning you for the last time. Unless I am given some assurance of the safety of my people, we will not hesitate to attack promptly."
He barely had to wait before the response came booming through the stargate. "Any weapon you send will be destroyed before it rematerialises." Togar's voice was calm, in sharp contrast to the activity at the SGC. "I will advise you as to my decision regarding your people when my study is complete. No significant harm has come to them thus far."
With those words, the stargate deactivated, leaving General Hammond surprised, to say the least. "Sergeant, why has the gate disengaged?"
The sergeant was manically typing into the console in front of him, trying to find the anomaly in the computer programme. "I don't know sir," he stuttered. "We initiated the wormhole, it should have held until we decided to disengage."
"Is it possible this Togar could deactivate it from the other end?" The General was increasingly worried about the fate of SG1.
"If he has a means to cut all power to the gate, sir, then yes." The sergeant looked up to the head of the SGC. "It's just unexpected. Most other worlds have DHDs which would prevent such a thing from happening."
General Hammond stared through the now empty ring, contemplating the fate of his favourite team, regretting his decision to send them through the gate more than ever.
"Umm.. sir?" With a start, Hammond realised he hadn't been listening to a word the sergeant had said. Redirecting his gaze to the man seated at his left, he nodded apologetically for him to continue.
"Sir, do we redial to sent the naquada bomb?" the sergeant's hands were shaking slightly, unwilling to be one of those responsible if SG1 was in fact killed by such a deployment.
"No sergeant." General Hammond sighed. "Let's give them some more time. Hopefully they can get out of this one themselves."
The sergeant sighed with relief before chancing a look at the General to express his gratitude. He discovered the man already on his way up the stairs, shoulders sagging with the weight of four priceless lives whose fate was unknown.
Teal'c became conscious in the pod and swiftly looked around, assessing the situation. Seeing that not much had changed, and that Daniel was again unconscious in the pod next to him, he returned his gaze to the middle-distance straight ahead, his neck and face muscles remaining tense. He tried not to think about the fact that he hadn't actually seen Sam and Jack since their first conversation with Togar. But then, in truth, he had no way of knowing how long that was ago, as he had been in stasis twice already. It occurred to him that there must be a reason for his awakening from his enforced slumber, but Teal'c wasn't going to give anything to the man holding him prisoner. He remained stoically silent.
A ripple in the otherwise still air alerted him that there was in fact some activity within the chamber. Craning his neck to the right, he saw part of the wall had slid away to reveal Togar entering from an adjacent room he had not as yet seen. It appeared to be a control room, with almost every panel covered with various images. Before the wall again slid into a smooth surface, he glimpsed an image of what looked like the SGC guest quarters, Sam and Jack apparently unconscious on the large bed.
"Ah. You are conscious." Togar stated, stopping in front of Teal'c an eying him warily.
Teal'c remained motionless, determined not to cede in front of his captor.
Togar kept his eyes trained on the Jaffa, looking, for the first time, slightly concerned. The unequivocal mental and physical strength of the man before him contrasted sharply with the somewhat mediocre nature of his companions. Although not afraid, Togar remained cautious.
"Your friends have been most… obliging… with my study." He began, testing the water somewhat, searching Teal'c face for any sign of reaction – there was none.
Seeing the Jaffa was unlikely to willingly participate in any course of action, Togar merely shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention to the control panel that had risen from the ground between him and Teal'c. With determination, he pressed a series of four buttons and returned his gaze to Teal'c.
Teal'c felt all of a sudden as if he was being torn in four directions at once. His symbiote squirmed at the disturbance as his brain was bombarded with a kaleidoscope of images that seemed to be racing in front of his eyes. The images continued interchanging on the backs of his eyelids but flashed constantly to Tanith, and his lost love's motionless body on he gate ramp… murdered by the would-be Tok'ra traitor. The painful experiences of his past melded together until the image before him was no longer important. All he felt was anguish, sorrow, and murderous rage. Crying out with a roar that would rival the most fearsome lion Teal'c threw his head back with such force that he strained numerous muscles in his neck. The pain brought him abruptly back to reality, still suspended in the pod, with Togar watching him intently. Recovering his senses quickly. Teal'c slowed his breathing and resumed his rigid stare straight ahead, determined that whatever Togar's objective, it would not be reached through him.
Togar glanced down at the control panel as he saw Teal'c recover from his episode with satisfaction. The intensity of the probe he had just subjected the Jaffa to was greater than that he had inflicted on Sam and Jack in either of their seizures. And yet, the Jaffa showed none of the signs of neuronal stresses the others exhibited, and his psychological state seemed intact.
"You are indeed stronger than your companions." He stated crisply. "But I will find a way to break you." With that he slid his hand over a portion of the control panel in front of him. Teal'c's head dropped as once again he was put into stasis.
Sam lay on her side, exhausted, on the bed, slipping in and out of consciousness in the wake of the ordeal she had just suffered. Every now and then her mind became lost again in her nightmare, but these moments were becoming rarer as time went on. She didn't know how long she had been like this, only that every time she opened her eyes, he was there. He was right there with her, in every way just as traumatised as she. Occasionally she heard him take a sharp intake of breath as he relived a moment of his personal hell. Squeezing his hand in hers, she would bring him back to reality and look into his eyes, still moist from the tears of relief they had both shared following Togar's torture. Slowly but surely, it was easier to remain conscious. She daren't move, for fear of exacerbating the biting pain in her head, but she kept her eyes open and fixed straight ahead, looking straight into his warm, brown gaze.
Finally summoning the strength to try and move her muscles in the absence of adrenaline, Sam disengaged her hand from his and moved to stroke his cheek, still not quite sure if he was really there with her.
"You were going to die for me." She whispered, her voice still shaky. "You would have died for me."
Jack had been gazing at Sam for so long his eyes were starting to burn. He daren't blink, lest she disappear – lest he be flung back into the nightmare. Her touch on his cheek surprised him, but he found himself moving his neck slightly to nuzzle into her warm palm, finding comfort in the closeness between them. He fought back tears at her words, remembering his actions during the relived memory, and brought his hand level with hers, covering it with his own.
"I would always die for you, if it gave you a fighting chance." He whispered back, speaking sincerely.
Sam felt a lone tear falling down her cheek, following the streaks left by the torrents that had fallen only a short time before. "But then you'd leave me alone." Her voice was barely more than a muffled gulp, as she struggled to contemplate a life without Jack. "What would I do without you?" She turned her palm up and grasped his hand before resting her forehead against his knuckles.
Jack remained completely still, looking at the woman in front of him, his heart aching, wishing he could make it all go away for her. His own nightmare was nothing compared with seeing the trauma Togar had inflicted on her. Nevertheless, her last comment resonated with him and caused him to regress into the memory one more time. Sam, braindead and on life-support, on the gurney in the infirmary. He forced himself to concentrate on the real and tangible, and let out a wavering breath.
"I did lose you." His voice was barely audible. "I killed you." He moved his and Sam's hands over her mouth to stop her from interrupting. "You were as good as dead, that thing had taken over your body and I shot you – twice. I killed you." He took his eyes off her momentarily to glance at the ceiling, looking for the right words. "I sat there looking at your lifeless body, just wishing I could take it all back…" he paused, and looked back into her eyes. "… wishing I could do it all again – differently." Inching forward so his forehead was resting on hers, he allowed his eyes to close, comforted by the feel of her warm skin against his.
"I'm still here." Sam spoke quietly, but Jack could have sworn he was reading her thoughts.
"So am I." Jack opened his eyes to look at her again, unwilling to ever look away. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Promise?" she sounded like a scared child, her eyes wide as she pleaded with him.
"God yes!" Jack closed his eyes and placed chaste kiss on the bridge of her nose before resting his forehead against hers again.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"Did I kiss you back?" Sam held her breath, her tongue almost lodged in her throat with tension as she awaited his response.
"Wha… wh… uhhh… I think so." Jack cringed even has he heard his answer, suddenly petrified in both senses of the word.
Sam shifted her head slightly to get a better look at him. "You couldn't tell?" Her eyes widened in confusion.
Jack closed his eyes briefly before opening them to look her straight in the eye. "I… was too scared to even deal with short term consequences in the loop…" he felt his face going red. "I kissed you just as the loop was ending… we were cut-off, so to speak." He looked down for a moment before slowly returning his gaze to her face. "Would you have kissed me back?"
Sam looked at the man before her in disbelief. Didn't he know? Couldn't he tell? Her actions over the past four years… All the hints she'd dropped since they arrived in Togar's 'little shop of horrors'… And he was still uncertain? Sam felt her chest shake with a silent, somewhat delirious, laugh. She felt tears come to her eyes again, but this time they had nothing to do with anguish or relief. Sam didn't even know what these tears were for, but seeing the look of shocked concern on Jack's face, she forced herself to regain her composure.
Opening her mouth to speak, however, Sam found she was at a loss for words. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, becoming inwardly frustrated at this inability to express her feelings. Seeing the look of increased anxiety on Jack's face she returned her hand to his cheek and gave him a meaningful look in the hope that he would understand. She felt the tense muscles around his jaw soften at her touch and stroked his cheekbone with her thumb, never averting her eyes from his.
"Would you?" He was so close to her she could feel the breath against her chin as he whispered the words. She hadn't noticed the sensation until now. Shifting her head slightly, her nose brushed against his. The contact was so comforting, she froze in that position.
"Yes." The word had barely left Sam's mouth before Jack closed the mere millimetres between them to press his lips against hers.
The kiss was nothing like the urgent embrace he remembered from the time-loop. There was no uncertainty this time. No time-loop about to cut him off. Just Sam; her body lying so close to his he could almost feel her up against him despite the few inches that did separate them. Suddenly the horrific memories that had haunted them both over the years – before and after their first encounter with Urgo – came rearing to the forefront of his consciousness. All the times she had been captured. All the times she had been presumed dead. All the times he'd thought he'd lost her. He kissed her more fiercely than ever, his tongue venturing into her mouth. He wanted her… he needed her.
A small gulp escaped from Sam's throat as she realised that Jack was crying. He had moved his hand to her cheek and was now kissing her with such urgency she thought she would faint. Returning the powerful emotions spilling from him with just as much force, Sam held onto Jack as if for dear life.
Eventually breaking off from his lips, Sam buried her head in Jack's shoulder, breathing deeply. She felt him plant feather light kisses on her neck and earlobe while whispering comforting words she couldn't hear. In one swift movement, she slid one arm under his muscular frame and draped the other over his chest. Clinging onto him, she felt the events of the past hours suddenly come crashing down on her. Feeling safe at last, she let out a long, wavering sigh before passing out from exhaustion.
TBC
A/N: Ok, there was going to be more, but I REALLY need sleep, and I've reached by average length for a chapter anyway. I'll write more when I can!
How's the cheese factor?