A/N: After the longest hiatus on record, I've come back to this! If you've made it this far, thank you SO much for reading the first 4 LOOOONG chapters that I wrote when I was still VERY new to this whole fanfic thing. I've got a few stories under my belt now so hopefully there's some improvement that's obvious. On the same note, I hope I've managed to keep the feel contiguous with what I was writing five months ago!

Thanks to Shiny silver grl for prompting me to come back to this. And MASSIVE thank you to Bookworm who has just been instrumental in my writing (bet even she didn't know that…). She pointed out that a lot of the S/J in this was more lust than love. I just want to underscore for people that in my mind, although WE all know that they looooooooove each other, THEY don't actually know yet… or they haven't admitted it to themselves, let alone each other. So before I can talk about the 'love' thing between them, they need to have a kinda realization or some such thing… Happily enough for Bookworm (and you guys I hope), there's some realisation afoot…

Please review, as I'm used to getting reviews for my other fics and will be crushed if none of you care! (worse still, if no-one's even reading…)

Part 5 – Love and Betrayal (but not necessarily in that order)

Banlieue/outskirts of Toulouse

Daniel looked uncertainly from the man standing outside the truck, to Élodie, who was sitting beside him. It seemed as if her ex was none too happy to see her, and this made him feel uneasy. He caught Teal'c's eye, who merely raised his eyebrow, presumably to indicate that he too felt it prudent to proceed cautiously.

Their plan for going to Toulouse was filled with holes, and he knew it. The man standing in front of him was an ex-colleague of Élodie's who had left the French stargate project in extremely unfavourable circumstances: apparently he had been in love with her and heartbroken when she refused to marry him. Now a professor at the university in Toulouse, he was well placed to help them. Elodie had explained that as a staunch member of the Radical party, a centre-right party supportive of the fight against fascism, he should be receptive to their mission. It was also fortuitous that the Minister of the Air, Pierre Cot, was a representative of the same party. Hopefully this would allow them to procure an aeroplane capable of transporting the gate. Looking to Élodie again for his approval, he cleared his throat and addressed the startled looking man standing in the driveway.

"Bonjour Monsieur," he began in French, "I realize that we have never met, however Mademoiselle Chabrol here informs me that you are the person in the best position to be able to help us. My name is Daniel Jackson, and my friends and I are on a very important mission concerning the defense of your country against the fascist threat." He paused to gauge the man's reaction, who seemed incapable of speech in face of the situation. "We have in the back of this truck the great ring that you and Mademoiselle Chabrol were studying at the university at Brest – it was stolen a week ago by fascist forces who had transported it to northern Spain. We are attempting to transport it to the north of France where it can be used to defend your country against attack."

He stopped talking, seeing that too much information would only serve to push the man in front of him to do something rash. Instead he turned to Élodie and motioned for her to speak.

"C'est vrai Philippe. Daniel Jackson is sincere in his words." She spoke uncertainly, imploring the man to open himself to the possibility of helping them. "We have to hide from those dissidents who may try to steal the device again. May we stay here tonight while we determine how to proceed?"

Philippe considered the sight before him in disbelief. A woman he had not seen in many months appearing on his doorstep with what appeared to be an American soldier. This had definitely not been what he expected when the truck turned into his driveway. He looked to Élodie and then to her companions in the truck, unable to coherently form a plan of action. A pat on his back brought him back to earth.

"Ça va Philippe? Friend or foe?" One of his colleagues looked suspiciously at the truck which had just appeared, apparently without adequate explanation.

"Ouais, yeah it's just a delivery from my old lab I forgot about." The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying. "These are colleagues of mine from Brest. They are all welcome, understood?"

Philippe could see the suspicion in the eyes of his colleague. Trying to push his own suspicions to the back of his mind – he could question Élodie later – he gave a decisive nod to the man standing next to him.

"This is a very sensitive consignment. I need you to instruct the others to stay away from it – understood?" No matter the true nature of the ring, it would not do to have its presence in Toulouse leaked to the wrong people.

Élodie had been watching this exchange anxiously. Although she had assured Daniel that Philippe would help them, it had been some time since she had seen him and the situation in Toulouse was volatile. There was no real way to tell if he was on her side still.

"Oh merci Philippe, on t'expliquera tout. Thank you, we'll explain everything." She spoke quietly so as not to attract the attention of the other man now moving away from the truck.

"You'd better," he whispered harshly, "Your arrival puts me in a very difficult situation and I don't know that I'll be able to keep your presence concealed for very long." Glancing at the large dark-skinned man in the truck, who appeared to be dissecting him with only his eyes, Philippe was becoming increasingly nervous.

Toulouse, residence of Philippe Coulomb

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Carter, Teal'c and Daniel Jackson, I would like you to meet Philippe Coulomb." Élodie was standing between SG1 and Philippe, trying to bridge the obvious tension in the living room of Philippe's opulent apartment. "Philippe doesn't speak any English but I have already explained who you are to him. He is an old… acquaintance… of mine so I wish you to treat him with as much respect as you would me."

Jack stepped forward uncertainly, looking to Sam for encouragement. "Bon.. jour" he said shakily with a very strong accent, offering his hand to the Frenchman. He stopped when the man had no reaction, but rather continued staring at him with cold eyes.

"Uh, Carter?" he looked to her uncertainly, "Wanna give it a whirl?"

Sam took in a deep breath before attempting to gain the trust of the man standing in front of her. "Bonjour Monsieur," she began tentatively, "I know all this must seem extremely suspect to you, but we truly mean no harm and will be gone before we can cause you any problems with the authorities." She stopped, looking to Élodie for encouragement, before continuing. "I imagine that you are somewhat familiar with the great ring we have with us, although Élodie tells me that its true function had thus far escaped your team during your time in Brest?"

"C'est correct. That's right" Phillippe spoke hesitantly, his eyes darting from face to face before lingering on Élodie, becoming impatient.

Sam looked to Daniel and spoke quickly in English. "Does Élodie think we can trust him with the real story, or should we go for the 'weapon' charade?"

Daniel looked quickly from Sam to Jack. "I think it's better we tell him the truth, he's studied it enough to know that it's not a weapon."

"Mais enfin, on va me dire ce qui se passe ou quoi! Is someone going to tell me what's going on here or what!" Philippe's arms were firmly crossed over his chest as he tried to contain what was rapidly becoming anger.

"C'est un engin de transportation, Philippe. It's a transportation device." Élodie blurted out before anyone else could open their mouths. "The great circle. You remember the myths of Dana, god of light? You were right. They are based on reality and this really is the gateway to… elsewhere."

Philippe looked at his unrequited love, amazed. "Il me faut un whisky. I need a drink," he managed to mutter before collapsing onto the ground.

The next day

"Carter! Wake up!" Jack was crouching down next to where Sam was sleeping on a pile of blankets in Philippe's apartment.

"Hmmm… whaddayawan?" Came the sleepy reply. Sam's eye's fluttered open and she lifted her head slightly. Jack stifled a grin as he noticed the state of her hair – it was as if she'd been touching one of those weird static electricity thingos.

"We need to talk." He sat back on his heels, waiting for her brain to wake up sufficiently to comprehend what he was saying.

"At five in the morning? Are you insane!" she groaned, lifting her torso from the uncomfortable makeshift bed with considerable effort to consult her watch. "I don't think I can think straight let alone talk about how we're going to be court-martialed when we get back to the SGC."

"Not about that-" Jack rubbed his eyes wearily, his thoughts suddenly becoming clouded with the reminder of his precarious relationship with his 2IC. "This Philippe guy, whaddaya think of him?"

Somewhat relieved, Sam let her body slump back onto the pile of blankets, but opened her eyes fully to look at the man next to her. She could see from the look on his face that he was decidedly in "soldier-mode", his eyes were alert, he was poised to jump up in action if need be and he appeared to have been thinking – the lines in his brow were more pronounced than usual.

"Hmmm… well," he voice was still sleepy as she stifled a yawn. "I think to say he was shocked would be an understatement. It took a while for him to come to and only a strong whisky kept him from passing out again."

"That's what worries me," Jack spread out and lay on his side looking at Sam, speaking softly so as not to wake anyone up. "He seemed pretty irrational when you, Élodie and Daniel were talking to him. How much did you tell him anyway?"

Sam let out a long sigh. Repeating everything she said in two languages was starting to become a trial. "Not as much as we told Élodie, and not that we're from the future. I think he thinks we're aliens, and we didn't discourage that."

"You told him what!" Jack shot up to sit, momentarily forgetting that he was trying to be discreet.

"We didn't tell him anything!" Sam protested. "We told him the story that we were American forces helping to recapture the stargate from the Spanish insurgents, and that we had to transport it to northern France so that it could be reunited with the DHD."

"Then how-"

"Let me finish," she reached out to push the Colonel back to the ground, willing him to calm down with her eyes. She felt her hand linger longer than necessary on his chest but pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Closing her eyes briefly and taking a deep breath to refocus, she continued. "He saw Teal'c's brand on his forehead and started jumping to all sorts of conclusions. He studied the gate for a long time so I guess it wasn't such a stretch for him to believe, as Élodie came to believe, that it was a transportation device that led to other worlds."

"Well forgive me for being pessimistic," Jack looked over to the door, thinking he'd heard some movement. "But having some Frog thinking we're aliens is possibly not a best case scenario – wouldn't you say?"

Before Sam could come up with a response, there was a loud crashing sound and some far-off shouts coming from the courtyard outside the building. The door Jack had been looking at burst open. Teal'c head appeared in the frame.

"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter – they are removing the Stargate!" He shouted before disappearing from view, presumably to try and do something.

Jack and Sam both leapt to their feet simultaneously and rushed into the main room to figure out what was going on. The sight they found was one of sheer confusion. Teal'c had Philippe pinned against a wall as Élodie was pleading with him to let the man go, saying it wasn't his fault. Daniel, for his part, was trying to restrain Élodie from getting in Teal'c's way.

"Qu'avez-vous fait, espèce de crétin! What have you done you idiot!" Sam shouted, moving swiftly next to Teal'c, causing the man to shrink further backwards with her piercing glare. "We come to you – your FRIEND comes to you – asking that you NOT contact anyone… what have you DONE!"

"Vous êtes tous menteurs. You're all liars," Philippe hissed back. "There's no way HE's American," he jerked his head towards Teal'c, "and no-one in the Radical or Socialist party leadership knows who you are… what's more, my men found CAGOULE orders among your effects in the truck." He was roaring now, struggling against Teal'c's firm grip. With a supreme effort he wrenched against the jaffa's hold, shouting in heavily-accented English: "You are traitors! Fascists!"

At this last word, Teal'c quickly headbutted the man and let him go. Philippe sank to the ground, unconscious. "He was not wise to call me a traitor," he said quietly, before turning to face the others, and stepping back so that Élodie could approach Philippe's still form.

Sam looked wildly from person to person as she tried to remain calm in the face of the veritable storm that had broken out over their heads. She looked to Jack, who seemed to have gathered the seriousness of the situation and was furiously ransacking the apartment in search of anything that could be of use to them.

"Sir, we've got to get out of here – NOW." Sam said quickly, pulling Élodie away from the ground and motioning for Teal'c and Daniel to follow her towards the door.

"I know Carter… I heard the word 'fascist'!" Jack, grunted back as he reached behind a cupboard, pulling out a gun that had been hidden there. "Ask her the best way to get out." He nodded towards Élodie.

The Frenchwoman merely scowled at Sam and seemed ready to murder Teal'c, so Daniel took over in a bid to regain her trust. "You heard what Philippe said," he whispered urgently into her ear in French. "We're going to be arrested unless we get out of here, and NOW." He grabbed both her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "He's not badly injured – Teal'c wouldn't do that – but we really need to leave. We'll have to figure out how to get the stargate back later."

Élodie had been struggling against Daniel's hold on her but she relaxed somewhat at his words, recognizing their wisdom. This was shortlived however, as she realized the futility of their situation.

"Mais nous sommes foutus, but we're screwed," she said breathlessly, her eyes wide open with fear. "There's only one exit to this building, and it will by now be blocked off."

Sam had been on the point of opening the main door of the apartment to the corridor but stopped in her tracks as she heard this. She knew that the windows from the main living room looked onto the courtyard below, and were therefore of no good to them. Her eyes flitted to the bedroom door, which was on the edge of a small alley. It would be some jump, but they would probably be able to make it.

"Sir," she said, turning full circle and heading towards the room, "We've got to go out the window – they'd just cut us off if we tried to leave any other way." As the five of them moved urgently towards their only escape, however, the door burst open and a dozen police wearing curious armour entered the room, rifles at the ready.

"Les mains en l'air! Hands in the air!" One of the officers shouted.

Despite the language barrier, there was no doubt as to what the heavily armed men wanted. Jack considered making a run for it anyway for an instant but a noise coming from the bedroom put a stop to any such thoughts. The police had surrounded the building and two men had just climbed in the window they were counting on escaping through. Reluctantly, he raised his hands slowly into the air, dropping the gun he had found, and motioned helplessly for the others to do so.

"You're all under arrest for conspiracy to a Fascist plot against the French Republic!" The same man barked at them in French. He looked over to Philippe's still body on the floor and added: "And assault against another person."

Police holding cell, Toulouse

To anyone looking at her, it would have appeared that Sam was asleep, propped up against cold and damp wall of the cell she and Élodie had been roughly thrown into some hours before. In fact, her brain was working overtime, under the cover of her closed eyes. She was thinking of all the possibilities – what could happen to them, what they could do, how they might escape, where they might go, whether they would ever get home again and complete the mission – or, God forbid, whether they would fail spectacularly and doom the Earth to goa'uld invasion in the altered future.

She had no idea where the others had been taken to – it wasn't even assured that they were in the same prison as they had been put into a different truck. Sam tried to reassure herself – to remind herself that they'd gotten out of tougher scrapes; but then she didn't know if they had. Every mission they went on seemed to be sores than the last, the stakes higher, the demands placed on SG1 more and more profound. One day it would prove to be too much. She prayed that this day had not come.

While these thoughts careened around her tortured mind, she heard a muffled sobbing sound coming from the other side of the cell. Upon opening her eyes a sliver she saw Élodie, cowered in the corner, her knees hugged to her chest, repeating "It's all my fault" in French over and over again.

"C'est pas vrai. That's not true." Sam said quietly, but forcefully enough that the Frenchwoman stopped sobbing for a moment to listen. "I'm sorry I shouted before, you couldn't have known that he would betray you." She looked to Élodie with compassionate eyes.

"Mais si! But I knew he would treat you with suspicion – I knew he wouldn't be happy to see me!" Élodie protested, her voice again succumbing to loud sobs. "Because of my decision, your mission cannot succeed."

Sam slid across the rough earth beneath her until she was directly in front of Élodie, her face only inches away. "Our mission WILL succeed." She said doggedly, half-convincing herself. "Remember you've got three people from the future and an alien on your side – we'll think of something." As she said the words, her resolve grew and she realised that her statement wasn't entirely wishful thinking. The technology available in 1930s France was nothing compared to what they were used to – security was bound to lapse at some point. They would escape – they'd just have to bide their time until it was possible.

"I hope so." Élodie whispered shakily. "but it's not going to be easy."

"Maybe you can help us then?" Sam tried to look encouraging. "You must know a little bit of what's going to happen. For starters, are the others nearby? Or would they be in another prison?"

Élodie shook her head quickly. "Oh no they won't be in another prison, we're just in an isolated section of the Préfécture de Police." She answered with certainty. "I am actually surprised they let us inhabit one cell together – usually we would all be separated into solitary confinement."

"Ok, so that's somewhat good news." Sam nodded slowly, thinking out loud. "What about procedure? Are we going to be moved? Do we get food? Will there be an interrogation?"

"I really don't know." Élodie shrugged apologetically. "I have never been French prison myself… I think we would be best just to wait."

Sam spun around and slumped against the coarse wall next to Élodie, resting her exhausted head against the freezing stones. She'd forgotten how tiring it was to have to speak in another language all the time. On top of the general chaos of their thus-far thwarted mission, which would cause the strongest of people to succumb to exhaustion, she felt the heaviness of having to concentrate on too many things at once invade her now aching head.

Forcing herself to remain alert and focussed, her thoughts returned to the others, wondering where they were, whether they were alright. Teal'c would no doubt be stoic and strongly resist any attempts to compromise him, and Daniel would do his best to try and talk his way out of the situation. Jack, she felt a stab of painful concern upon thinking of him, well Jack would probably blurt out a series of sarcastic comments to the prison guards – who wouldn't even understand him. She winced in imagined pain at the reaction that would in all likelihood engender. The next time she saw him – if she saw him – he probably would not be at his best physically.

"Vous pensez à lui? You are thinking of him?" Élodie asked softly in French, bringing Sam back to the depressing atmosphere of the confined space. "Vous l'aimez." The Frenchwoman said simply, expressing the two words that Sam had never been able to admit, privately or not, in French or English, about her and Jack.

She turned her head slowly, still leaning fully against the wall, and looked at Élodie, who's eyes spoke of great empathy. Smiling weakly, Sam replied to her in French: "Yes, I think I do love him… it's just complicated." She felt tears coming to her eyes, expression of the sheer hopelessness she felt – at being captured (again) and at having to deal with harbouring entirely inappropriate (but increasingly strong) feelings towards her CO.

"C'est pas compliqué, l'amour. Love isn't complicated." Élodie smiled understandingly and reassuringly at Sam's distressed words. "C'est tout ce qu'il y a de beau dans ce monde maudit."

Sam smiled at the poetry of the sentence… the idea of love as representing 'everything that's beautiful in a doomed world' was so French – idealist and full of potential, without regard for the difficulties. She nodded in gratitude to Élodie before returning her gaze to the centre of the room and closing her eyes slowly. It was true, she loved him. She smiled slightly at the realisation, ignoring all the 'complications' for a moment, before she was overcome by an overwhelming ache. The way the mission was currently going, they'd be lucky to ever actually face those 'complications'. None of them would matter unless they managed to escape.

Little did she know it, a situation brewing in the centre of Toulouse was about to provide SG1 and their companion with an unexpected opportunity.

To be continued…

A/N: I feel at this point I should ask if the frequent insertions of French are annoying too many people. I could do them in English, and just say that the character is speaking French, but it's a bit repetitious (and I like having the French there – it's my preferred language and I first saw the show in France, so all the characters actually speak French in my head - Jack saying "pour l'amour du ciel", which means "for the love of the sky" instead of "for crying out loud"!).

I'm asking now because in a couple of instances in this chapter I didn't immediately translate back into English (although I did eventually, hope I didn't confuse people)… if you could just let me know how you're all dealing with it, I can adjust if adjustment is required.