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Chapter 5
Daniel grabbed another beer, setting down his first one as he did so.
"Daniel…" Jack began, gesturing to the beer. "Don't."
"It's my second," Daniel said, puzzled. He twisted off the cap and drank half the bottle in several large gulps.
"Exactly," was all Jack said, watching his friend closely. He didn't want him puking on the carpet…
Daniel rolled his eyes. "I can handle two beers, Jack," he muttered, slightly defensively.
Jack raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He checked his watch. Danny will go crazy in ten… nine… eight… seven…
"How long has Sam been gone now?" Daniel asked suddenly
"'Bout eight and a half days, why?" Six… five… four… three…
"You've been counting," Daniel started to laugh hysterically.
Jack stared at him then reached over and plucked the beer bottle away from him. "No more beer for you." Two seconds off…
"Seriously, Jack, how do you feel about Sam?" Daniel asked, trying to sit up but slipping onto the carpet.
Jack shook his head and pulled Daniel onto the sofa. "Not now, Space-monkey."
Daniel giggled, "That's such a stupid name."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Remind me why I let you drink?" half seriously.
"Come on, Jack, spill the beans," Daniel urged.
Jack fought the urge to shake him. "Daniel, it's bedtime," he tossed a pillow to the archeologist. Daniel suddenly smiled as he caught it and sobered.
"What?" Jack inquired, somewhat suspiciously. The archeologist was stroking the pillowvor cryin' out loud!
"Remember that pillow fight we had last year?" Daniel smiled again, "Poor Teal'c thought we went crazy."
Jack nodded. "Maybe we did," he said quietly.
Daniel smiled. "You kept hitting her and she'd hit you back. Finally Teal'c and I finally just stopped and watched you guys fight."
Jack groaned. "Can we please not get into this right now?"
"Into what, Jack?" He watched bemused as his friend glanced around, looking for a distraction. "Jack, you're going to have to say it."
Jack clenched his fists. "Daniel-"
"Say it, Jack."
"Say what?"
Daniel rolled his eyes, "Jack, don't act stupid."
Jack buried his face into hands. "Daniel," he moaned.
"Say it, Jack."
Jack looked at him. "Why?" He snorted. "Not that she'll ever know…"
"Know what?" asked the sly archeologist.
"I love her, okay?"
Daniel was silent for a long while. Finally he asked, "Jack, do you have any pickles?"
Jack looked at him "You want… a pickle…"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah," he said pathetically.
Jack sighed, "I don't have any."
"Get some."
"I am not going to the store at four o'clock in the morning to get you pickles," he said firmly.
"You want me to throw up all over your brand new sofa?"
"That's blackmail," Jack protested.
Daniel shrugged, "So sue me."
"Ay yi yi," Jack muttered, "Well…"
Daniel's head flopped to his side; he began snoring a few moments later. Jack gave a small smile and set his keys back on the table. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep on his own bed.
Å
On Nyiana…
Sari smiled at Sam after her brother left. "He likes you."
"Does not," Sam countered, giving her a smile.
"Do too…"
"He's like what, forty-five?"
Sari thought for a moment. "My brother is twenty cycles more then I am. This makes him thirty-nine."
"Whatever."
Sari grinned. "Do you like him?"
"Sari, stop," Sam ordered, half seriously.
The girl giggled and then sobered. "Do you miss your planet?" she asked suddenly.
"I do," Sam said quietly, "But more then that- I miss my friends."
Sari suddenly stiffened. "You are not attached, are you?"
"Attached?" Sam began uncertainly. "Oh," she said, comprehension dawning on her, "No, no, I'm not engaged- or married."
Sari visibly relaxed. "Good."
"Sari, don't take this the wrong way," Carter began, "but there is nothing going on between your brother and I."
"You don't like him?"
Sam sighed and pushed her hair away from her face, "It's not that, it's just-"
"You love someone else," Sari finished. Inwardly, she flinched. Ten'ak wasn't going to like that.
Sam nodded.
Sari puffed her cheeks. "Who?"
Sam held up her hands and shook her head no, "Okay, this conversation is-"
"No, no, no," Sari protested, "Who?"
Sam buried her face in her pillow. "Saaaarrrriiiii!"
"Sam," Sari mimicked. "C'mon…"
"His name is Jack."
Sari looked thoughtful. "Jack's a good name," she said teasingly.
Sam looked at her. "Well, it's actually Jonathan- Jonathan O'Neill."
Sari smiled. "Does he love you?" she asked suddenly.
A coughing fit prevented Sam from answering for a while; Sari passed her a cup of water.
"Thank you," she rasped, "and I don't know."
Several hours later…
Footsteps came outside the small huts door and someone knocked on the door rapidly .
"Sari?" someone called. "Sari!"
Sari looked at the sleeping Sam and then stole away; she opened the door a crack. "What?" she whispered
"We found it," her brother whispered, his voice excited.
Sari gaped at him. "You… you did?"
He nodded. "Wake her up, we'll take her there."
Sari nodded and stepped over to Sam. "Samantha," she said, shaking her gently, "Sam."
Sam rolled over, wincing as she did so. "What?" she mumbled.
Sari grinned, "We found the Maga Trion."
Seven hours after that…
"It's still another hour's walk," Ten'ak whispered to Sari. "I fear we may have to stop- once it grows dark, we won't be able to find out way."
Sari nodded and looked behind her. Sam was lying on a stretcher, carried by two of the men. The Nyians could easily walk that far before sundown, but carrying Sam slowed them down and during her coughing episodes, they had to stop and wait until they were over.
"Sari?" a weak voice called. The girl was instantly at her side.
"I am here."
"Just let me go," she whispered.
"What?" the astonished girl asked. "What do you mean?"
"I won't be able to-" she broke off coughing; something that was happening with reoccurring frequency, "-do the tasks."
"I can not," Sari said softly, "I'm sorry."
"Sari, please," Sam begged, "It hurts so much."
"What about Jack?" Sari whispered to her. "What of him?"
"He'll be okay," she rasped.
"No, only a fool would be," a tear rolling down Sari's cheek, "fight for him… please, Samantha."
Sam managed a small nod. "Okay."
For Jack…
Å
Earth…
"You okay?" Jack called, standing next to his bathroom door.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
There was a brief silence. "You don't keep towels in your bathroom?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Look under the sink."
"Jack, do you have any black coffee?" came the question a minute later.
"Yes, Daniel."
"Do we have to go to work today?"
"Yes, Daniel."
"I don't want to."
"I know."
"I miss Sam."
Jack was quiet. "I do too," he whispered.
Å
"We're here," Sari said, rousing the sleeping Sam.
Carter opened her eyes. "Wow," she said looking at the massive Temple. "How do you get inside?" was her next question. There didn't appear to be any door that lead into the stone building.
Ten'ak darted a quick glance at Sari. "We have not been able to."
"What?"
Ten'ak looked away. "We haven't been able to find a doorway."
"Oh for cryin' out loud," she muttered, looking around. Brother and sister both gave her a queer glance.
"It's an expression," she explained quickly.
They both nodded understandingly- then quickly shot a questioning glance at each other.
She sighed. "An expression is-"
"A facial look," Sari finished.
"Well, that too, but, it also can mean-"
"TEN'AK!" someone yelled, "TEN'AK!"
"Over here," he called. A lad, around seventeen, dashed up.
"We found something."
"What?" Sam asked eagerly
"It-it's too hard to explain, ma'am."
'"Lead us there," Ten'ak ordered.
"Wow," Carter commented. A small, square shaped, multi colored wormhole was on the side of the Temple.
"It's so pretty," Sari breathed, looking at the sight with awe. "It... it looks like colored liquid."
"Yeah," Carter answered; she touched it. "So, I just go through?" she asked herself.
They shrugged. She sighed and got off the stretcher. She promptly fell down. Ten'ak picked her up. "Are you ready?" he asked.
She looked at him surprised. "You're not going with me, are you?"
"Of course. Sari and I will accompany you."
"Why?" Sam was genuinely surprised.
"You are in no condition to go by yourself," Sari said firmly.
"You have no idea what's in there!"
"Neither do you," Ten'ak put in.
Sam sighed, "If you two get hurt, so help me, I'll shake the life out of you!"
Sari inclined her head. "Is that an expression?" she asked curiously.
Sam groaned. "Let's go. And Ten'ak, you can put me down."
He shook his head. "I will not, come on Sari," and the three of them stepped through the wormhole.
"I feel sick," Sari mumbled, collapsing on the floor.
"Put me down," Carter ordered. "Help her."
Ten'ak placed her on the floor carefully, before helping his sister up. "Are you all right?" he asked.
She nodded; she leaned against the wall. "Now what do we do?" she asked, looking around.
"It's empty," Ten'ak murmured.
"Not exactly," Sam said, looking over at the wall to her right. "Turn that stone over there, Sari," she requested.
Sari did it and a hologram appeared, startling the two aliens.
"It's okay," Sam assured them. "It's just a picture."
They listened to it with great interest; Sari even wonderingly placed a hand through it as it spoke.
"My name is Jeran, and I am of the Tau'ri. We were brought here a millennium ago by the Goa'uld as slaves. We gained our freedom several centuries ago and built our city here. A plague has broken out among us and we can not stay. We have ships that take us to other galaxies and we leave our technology to the race that comes after us. In order to use it you must first prove your worth. I warn you now. If you desire this technology for power or evil, you will fail. And you will die. So leave now or risk it." After several minutes, the wall behind them turned blue. "If you wish to continue, walk through the screen. I warn you once again, you seek this for the wrong reason and you shall never emerge." Jeran's hologram disappeared.
"You guys ready?" Sam asked looking at them. They looked absolutely terrified.
"Listen, I can do this by myself," Sam said, giving them a reassuring smile.
They shook their heads no. "We will stay," Ten'ak said firmly.
She nodded, secretly relieved. She took their hands and counted. "One, two, three…" they all jumped through.
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