A/N: I know, I know. Bad, BAD author! I've neglected you horribly. All I can say in my defense is that there has not been ONE DAY of health in my household for six freaking weeks. Two stomach bugs for the twins and my husband, a sinus and throat infection for me, and a UTI for my daughter. Ah, joy. There is truly nothing less pleasurable than a household full of barfing, feverish, cranky people. Except, maybe, a universe where all TVs showed only Chimera and Affinity non-stop. (Shudder!)

Anyway, I'm on Easter break, so I'm hoping to spend all of my spare time (which should amount to AT LEAST four minutes) writing. I was inspired by the end of SG-1's season eight. I know lots of shippers were disappointed, but I, for one, was simply delighted! My inner-shipper is all warm and fuzzy, so be prepared for some major shippy moments!

Chapter13

"Carter? You awake?"

Jack's voice drifted into her sleep-fogged brain, causing a rush of warm contentment to crash over her. Without opening her eyes, she allowed herself to relish the heat radiating from his large, solid body, which was nestled snugly beside hers. However, as his words slowly registered, Sam stifled a smile and did her best to feign annoyance. "I'm awake," she said softly, "but I'm not going to talk to you yet."

She felt him grow still at that pronouncement, clearly startled by her less-than-warm reception. Sam bit the inside of her lip to keep from grinning, waiting for him to process the situation. When he suddenly issued a soft "Oh!" of realization, she knew he'd figured it out. "Sorry, Sam." He said, clearly emphasizing the use of her first name. "Old habits die hard," he apologized dryly.

Instantly, her blue eyes flew open and a giant smile spread over her face. She quickly rolled onto her back and met his gaze boldly. "You're forgiven," she said with a delighted smile. Reaching up to run a finger along his cheek, she radiated sheer contentment. "So, what's on your mind?"

If Jack was taken aback by the swift turnaround in her mood, he didn't show it. Instead, he just smiled back at her. "Aside from the obvious…?" he murmured suggestively, causing her eyes to grow warm and liquid. Then, much to her disappointment, he seemed to shake himself from his sensual reverie and regain his focus. "I was actually thinking about our current 'stranded' status."

Sam couldn't stop a small, sad sigh from rushing past her lips. "Which probably means you were thinking of ways to get home," she said quietly.

Jack regretfully watched her jovial mood drain away with that statement. "Sam," he said affectionately, "I'm not trying to get away from this – from us," he insisted softly. "I just think I'd feel a whole lot better about our situation if I knew what our options were." Leaning close to her, he placed a soft kiss on her lips, trying to coax another smile out of her. "Hell, even if we do find the gate in one piece, I'm not planning to use it right away." As the words left his mouth, he paused for a moment, considering the implications of his statement. HE discovered he really meant what he'd said. No matter what the SGC or the Air Force might expect from him, at that moment, he knew he'd bend a few rules to hold on to this feeling.

Sam watched him carefully. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"

Startled, he seemed to remember he'd been in the middle of a conversation with her. "What's that?" he asked, trying to recall what they'd been discussing.

"The idea that you might disregard official policy for purely personal gain." Her voice clearly conveyed how unsure she, herself, was at that prospect.

Jack smiled, amazed at her perception. Naturally, she was a step ahead of him. "Yeah," he replied slowly, "it is pretty weird."

She nodded. "Jack," she said uncertainly, "when we get back, you don't think you're going to… you know…" she trailed off, looking away.

"What?" he prompted gently, brushing a lock of hair out of her face in a gesture of quiet support.

"Resent me?" Her voice was nearly a whisper.

Jack's eyebrows shot up instantly. "Resent you? Why would I resent you?" He sounded truly puzzled.

She shrugged helplessly. "It's just that you've spent your whole life building an important military career. And now, with a few rash moments of passion, you've risked destroying it all." She refused to meet his gaze as she spoke.

He shook his head. "Sam," he replied, "don't be ridiculous. First of all, may I remind you that I spent a good chunk of time running away from my military career. I've never been exactly a shining example of military protocol," he said dryly. "And, even if you forget all that, you have to know that I think of our time here as more than just a few rash moments of passion." His voice was gentle but insistent.

Slowly, Sam's enormous blue eyes found their way back to his rugged face. "Really?" As the word left her lips, she winced at how needy and insecure she sounded.

Jack's patient attitude didn't change. "Really," he whispered. "Sam, I respect you inside and out. You are one of the finest officers I've had the privilege of serving with. And we both know that these feelings between us have been building for a long time." He gazed piercingly at her. "Let's face it; we don't exactly work under normal conditions. We're not just combat soldiers. We're pioneers. What we're doing, no one else has ever done. Combine that with the fact that we can't share these experiences with other people, and you'll see that we were bound to develop unique bonds with each other." As he continued, his voice softened to a gentle rumble. "Sam, you and I both know that the next time duty calls, we're going to return to it without hesitation. It's who we are. So I won't regret this time with you. It's going to make both of our lives a living hell when it ends, but it's worth it."

By the time he was finished, there were tears rolling down her face. She'd never heard him speak so openly before. Even during the Zatarc testing, his confessions had been strained and uncomfortable. Now, however, he seemed to be showing her a side of himself that she'd only imagined experiencing firsthand. Pulling herself together, Sam reached up and cradled his face in her hands. "I know you're right," she said thickly. "I just hate that it has to be this way."

He sighed deeply, closing his eyes against the powerful feelings raging within him. When he finally looked back down at her, his gaze seemed to express a weary emotional truth. "It only has to be this way for a while, Sam. Someday, I know we'll find a way to work this out."

She smiled sadly. "But, for now…" she trailed off.

Jack took a deep breath. "For now, we'd better try figuring out how to get home."

Standing at the end of the embarkation platform, General Hammond shook his head grimly. "You'd better be right about this, Dr. Jackson." The muted glow from the event horizon gave an uncertain cast to his features.

Trying to smile pleasantly at the tall figures striding toward them, Daniel just nodded. Without looking at the general, he spoke quietly. "Trust me. It'll work. If I had any doubts before, I don't anymore. They sent Anise."

Hammond's attention was also directed at the three forms walking down the ramp as he continued to speak quietly to the man beside him. "That makes a difference?"

Daniel uttered his next statement quickly, pushing the words out before the three people on the platform drew near enough to overhear him. "Freya, the host, has a soft spot for Jack."

If Hammond was surprised by that bit of information, he hid it well. Instead, he drew himself up and prepared to meet the party of Tok'ra walking purposefully toward him. Just as they reached his position, the gleaming event horizon disappeared, leaving an almost unnatural quiet in the gateroom. Stepping forward, the general extended his hand in greeting. "Anise, it's good to see you again."

The remarkably attractive woman smiled blandly. In her alien baritone voice, she responded in turn. "Likewise, General Hammond. However, I must admit I was surprised by your request for a meeting with us. The High Council has made it very clear that they cannot help you bring Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter back at this time. I understand your frustration, but I'm sure there's nothing I could do to change their minds."

Daniel sensed tension creep into Hammond's features. "Why don't we sit down and talk a little before you reach any judgments?"

She shrugged delicately. "As you wish."

Moments later, the party of Tok'ra was seated in the conference room next to Daniel, Teal'c, and General Hammond. When they all appeared comfortably settled in, Hammond nodded pointedly at Daniel.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel stood and faced the three Tok'ra. "Contrary to what you might think, we didn't bring you here to ask for a favor. We'd actually like to continue negotiations on an earlier Tok'ra proposal."

At this statement, Anise appeared vaguely surprised. "Indeed?"

Daniel nodded and plunged ahead. "Yes. As I'm sure you recall, you came to us several months ago and asked if we were interested in helping the Tok'ra commandeer one of Anubis's smaller ships that contained new weapons technology. Taking the ship yourselves would have revealed the presence of your agent, which was an unacceptable trade-off for the technology."

Anise exchanged a brief glance with one of her companions, a tall, distinguished man who was seemingly middle-aged. Apparently, she was satisfied with her companion's response. "We felt that we would gain more from our intelligence than from any weaponry we might acquire. We had hoped that the Tauri might be interested in providing a means for the ship's capture, but apparently we were mistaken."

General Hammond leaned over the conference table. "Well, since you were unwilling to guarantee access to the ship or technology by Earth personnel after it was captured, we were reluctant to put our people into harm's way."

At that, Anise's companion spoke. "We obviously underestimated the Tauri's desire to rid Anubis of one of the many dangerous weapons in his arsenal."

Anise held up a hand. "General, allow me to present Telston. He is on the Tok'ra High Council. My other companion," she said, gesturing to a younger man on her other side, "is Krilnash. All of us are very interested in furthering the Tok'ra-Tauri relationship, though I fear Telston is feeling rather frustrated with the current situation."

Hammond nodded curtly. "Gentlemen, I apologize for neglecting the introductions. Things are a little tense around here these days." He gestured to the members of SG-1. "This is Dr. Daniel Jackson, our archaeological expert. And this is Teal'c."

"The Jaffa," Telston murmured, disdain dripping from his words.

The general sighed. "Yes, Teal'c is a Jaffa. He's also one of the finest soldiers in the SGC. Now, with the pleasantries out of the way, I'd like to return to our earlier topic of conversation." His tone was dry, clearly conveying how unpleasant the 'pleasantries' were in his opinion. "We were unwilling to go forward with your plan to commandeer Anubis's ship because we felt the risks outweighed the potential benefits. However, since having that conversation, things have changed a bit around here."

Anise arched a perfectly-shaped eyebrow. "You are referring to the disappearance of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?"

Daniel shook his head. "They haven't disappeared. We know exactly where they are. We're simply unable to reach them."

Telston waved a hand dismissively. "This is not new information, Dr. Jackson. I fail to see how the loss of your teammates affects our current negotiations."

Though Daniel felt himself bristle at Telston's casual reference to the 'loss' of his friends, he pushed aside his annoyance and continued. "It's quite simple, really. You want Anubis's ship for the technology aboard. We want a ship to rescue our teammates. In light of this, we'd be willing to assist you in capturing the vessel, provided we could immediately use it to get Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter off P5X-918. Once they were back at the SGC, we'd happily turn the craft back over to you without any other stipulations."

The three Tok'ra turned toward each other silently. Anise and Krilnash appeared to be waiting on Telston's opinion. After a brief moment, the older man nodded. "I find this arrangement acceptable. I must, of course, present it to the High Council, but I suspect they will also be in agreement. We will return to our headquarters, but will be back in short order with the intelligence we've gathered on the ship. I'm certain we will also be able to provide some limited support to your operation, though it must, of course, be kept secret during the actual raid. Anubis cannot know the Tok'ra had a hand in this arrangement."

Daniel heard General Hammond agree to the terms of the deal, but he was only half-listening. The overwhelming feeling of triumph and relief that coursed through him was currently commanding most of his attention. Glancing over at Teal'c, he could see that his friend shared the sentiment.

As they all stood to usher the Tok'ra back to the gateroom, Daniel and Hammond exchanged quick, subtle grins. The first step in Daniel's plan had gone off flawlessly. The archeologist couldn't possibly be more pleased. Now all they had to do was commandeer a heavily-guarded Goa'uld weapon ship, fly it to a distant planet with the less-than-reliable support of the Tok'ra, and hunt down his friends, being certain to give them enough notice to avoid being found in a compromising position.

Oh, yeah. Just another day at the office.