CHAPTER 13

A/N: Please keep the reviews coming! You guys are great!

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Over the next several days the work on the cave wall progressed very slowly.

On SG1's 32nd day in the mines Brenita and her entire family came to their compartment immediately after working hours.

Khatana announced "It has been a full lunar cycle since you arrived in the mines. Daniel Jackson will you be my amator now?"

The rest of Khatana's family looked anxiously at Daniel as he fidgeted under their scrutiny.

"There is a celebration every third lunar cycle after the Goa'uld have picked up their shipment of naquada. The clotheslines are taken down and there is a big party in the outdoor laundry area." Brenita began. "We were hoping you would use that happy time when there is music, food and drink, to claim Khatana." Brenita said to Daniel.

Jack walked over to Daniel, put his arm around his shoulder and said "How 'bout it, Space Monkey? It sounds like a good plan to me."

Daniel looked reluctant, but he understood, as Jack did, that a big party that coincided with the Goa'uld's arrival could be used as diversionary tactic to help SG1 make their escape.

Daniel swallowed hard, looked up at Khatana and said "Uhm, sure, I will claim you at the outdoor party when the Goa'uld come to collect the naquada."

"Wonderful!" Said Brenita. "Get out your mugs and we will celebrate with some of my wine!"

Jack and Sam exchanged glances remembering how uninhibited the wine made them feel when they drank it a few weeks before.

When everyone's cup was full, one of Khatana's brother's held up his mug and said "To Khatana and Daniel." and everyone drank.

"With only 43 days until the collection and, more importantly, Khatana and Daniel's claiming party, I will have to get to work making a new dress for Khatana." Brenita said happily.

Sam looked down at her boots. The woman was so happy and had no idea that SG1 would use the diversion of the party to make their escape. Khatana would be shamed because her amator left her and she would be sent to live with the prostitutes. Sam felt responsible for the girl's fate.

Jack noticed Sam's sudden change of mood and knew what she was thinking. He thought to himself 'Major, we have to get ourselves out of here. That's our number one priority and you know it.'. He said nothing.

Brenita and her family finally went home, but not before the group had consumed 3 bottles of her wine.

Jack announced that since they were all feeling a little tipsy from the wine that they would take the night off from working on their escape.

Sam took first watch by the fire, as usual, and the rest of SG1 and Lo'jess gratefully went to bed and fell asleep quickly. As soon as everyone was asleep Jack slipped out of his bed and went to sit with Sam by the fire. Since beginning work on their escape, Sam and Jack hadn't had any time together except for the few minutes it took them to walk to the laundry each day so they could take turns showering during the midday break.

They sat together by the fire in companionable silence, still feeling the effects of the wine Brenita had given them.

Jack looked at his beautiful 2IC, the firelight dancing on her face. They were making progress on the hole in the side of the cave, Dra'coe was gone, and here in the mines, Sam belonged to him. He wanted to hold her, touch, make love to her without the threat of death. He realized the wine had gone to his head again and quickly looked back at the fire.

Sam leaned her head on his shoulder. It was the first real physical contact they had had since they began working on their escape. Because of the work schedules, they were no longer sleeping at the same times so they didn't even have the minimal contact that came from sleeping,
fully clothed, in the same bed.

Jack put his arm around her and lightly kissed the top of her head.

Finally Sam spoke "Let's wait 10 more days and then tell Claudio that I think I'm pregnant."

"With Dra'coe gone..." Jack began

"I know, but Claudio will still send me to live with the prostitutes if you haven't gotten me pregnant in 32 more days."

Jack nodded his head and Sam put hers back on his shoulder. They sat that way through both of their watches. After their watches were over, Jack woke Daniel to take his turn and then gratefully spooned up against Sam in the bed.

The daily routine returned for SG1. Progress was slowly being made on their escape route. A hole big enough for Teal'c to stick his head through now existed in the side of the cave. They could reach out through the hole and touch the soil on the other side. It gave them hope.

It had been 10 days since Sam and Jack had their quite moment in front of the fire. As they walked to the laundry for their midday showers Sam said to Jack "Tell your boss today that you think your amator is pregnant and that we both want to see Claudio."

Jack nodded "I hope this works." he said.

Later that afternoon a guard came to get Sam from the laundry and escorted her to the great hall where Claudio was waiting. Again Jack was there ahead of her. She hoped that he had mentioned the protein marker to Claudio.

Sam and Jack stood together in front of the Supreme Ruler of the mining complex. Claudio looked down at them and said to Sam "You believe you are pregnant?"

"Yes." she began "The physiology of women on the planet I come from is slightly different from the women on your world. When a women from my planet has been pregnant for just a few days a protein marker appears in her blood. I believe that your medical device should be able to find the protein marker if I am pregnant."

Claudio stared at her. "I have never heard of such a thing!"

Sam and Jack could clearly tell that he did not believe her.

"How many women from Earth have you known?" Jack asked.

"None!" Claudio responded.

"Well, then all you have to do is scan her looking for the protein marker to know if we are telling the truth, for cryin' out loud!" Jack said, sounding exasperated.

Claudio stepped down off the platform and walked over to stand in front of Sam. The medical device whirred as he moved it up and down and side to side in front of Major Carter.

He stopped the machine and looked up wide eyed at Sam. "You have a protein marker in your blood! The Protectorate will be most pleased when I inform him that you are pregnant!"

"Yes!" Jack said. He was rejoicing that Claudio had bought their ruse, but Claudio believed he was truly happy that his amator was pregnant.

Sam smiled at Jack, as relief flooded through her at the realization that Claudio believed she was pregnant.

"I will be handsomely rewarded by the Protectorate!" Claudio said. Then he turned to one of his guards and said "Give them the rest of the day off and take them to their quarters!" He spun on his heel and disappeared.

The guard took Sam and Jack back to their quarters and said "You may put your privacy curtain down until the work shift is over." Then he walked away.

Jack did not hesitate, but went right to work rolling down the privacy curtain.

"Uh, Sir, what did you have in mind?" Sam asked.

"Sleeping, Carter. Working on our escape route from 0130 to 0430 every morning is getting to be very tiring."

Four hours later Sam and Jack were still sound asleep when Lo'jess and the rest of SG1 returned from their day's labor.

Lo'jess quickly rolled up the privacy curtain while Daniel shook Jack's shoulder. "Jack! What's going on here? Jack, wake up!"

"Huh? Oh, Danny Boy."

"Um Jack?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll explain in a minute." He turned toward Sam and gently shook her shoulder "Carter! Wake up!"

"What is it, Sir?"

"Everyone's home and we got some 'splaining to do!"

"Oh."

During their evening meal Jack explained to the team how they were able to fool Claudio into believing that the Major was pregnant.

"You all have to treat Sam like she's pregnant." Jack began.

Sam snorted and rolled her eyes.

"And you have to act like you're pregnant!" he said to her.

"Everyone has to believe she is expecting or...well, we all know what the "or" is."

"Well, Sam, you should probably go over and visit Brenita and tell her that you just found out you're pregnant." Daniel said. "You know how women are, they get all excited and have to tell their best friend..."

Daniel would have said more but the look Sam was giving him, well, he was just thankful she didn't have a Goa'uld ribbon device or he would have been flying across the room like Seth.

"Daniel Jackson is correct. Major Carter you must inform Brenita that you are with child." Teal'c stated.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate this place!" Sam said.

"Well, you know," Daniel began "if any of us get caught outside the compartment in the early morning hours we can now blame it on Sam! She needed water, she couldn't sleep, she was uncomfortable, she was throwing up..."

"Thanks Daniel." Sam's voice dripped sarcasm.

Suddenly Brenita appeared at the door to the compartment. "I just heard the wonderful news" she said.

"What?"

"About Sam being pregnant!"

"How did you find out so fast?"

"Good news travels quickly here!"

Jack recovered quickly and realized he needed to take his own advice. He walked over to Sam, put his arm around her, kissed her on the cheek and said "We are very happy, aren't we honey?"

Sam grimaced but smiled at Brenita and said "Yes."

"Well, I am working on Khatana's dress for the claiming party so I must go. Congratulations again!" Brenita left the compartment as quickly as she had arrived.

Sam silently prayed to any gods that were listening to get her out of there soon.