Chapter 30 by Abbot & Natters
An extra long chapter, especially for you all, because I didn't have the heart to cut it in half. We tried to up the UST a 'little' bit in this chapter… evil grin
Sam's POV – two hours later
Who knew I had this in here? My very own Jack O'Neill t-shirt. Rooting through the packs was so worth it. Now, I can see the value of those beautiful invisible pheromones as I take a deep breath. My hands have finally stopped shaking like someone in need of a fix. For a moment I can relax.
It's his. He is mine. I lay back down on my sleeping bag and rest my head on the t-shirt. I can hear Teal'c outside the tent talking quietly to Hugh. Olmas has taken Daniel and…
Olmas and Jack. She's with him. She is receiving his smile. His eyes. His scent. His presence.
Concentrate Samantha. He's your CO. And she is happily married to Hugh…
Screw the regs! I reach for the zip to the tent and yank it open forcefully, only to be caught in a pair of strong arms. The wrong arms.
"Let me go Teal'c," I order desperately. Doesn't he understand? I feel like I'm going to go nuts if I can't see My Jack. I wriggle, trying to escape his iron grip.
"Please?" To my shame I feel the tears prick at the back of my eyes, but I blink them back.
"I cannot. I have given you my word MajorCarter," he replies solemnly.
"I'm going out of my mind Teal'c. You've got to let me go. I didn't know it was gonna be this bad. I can't take this."
I make a grab for the radio and succeed, even if I can't escape, he can't hold me and fight me for the radio. He'll have to break my fingers before I give up my prize. I depress the button.
"Jack!" I call into it.
"Sam?" replies Daniel. Dammit. Where is Jack? If that-
"Carter? What are ya doin' with a radio?"
At last. I relax for a moment as his voice comes through loud and clear. But Teal'c takes advantage of my distraction and I am unceremoniously dumped back in the tent before I can think. I hear him securing the doorway with a padlock. But he didn't take my radio.
"Jaaaacccckkk," I hear myself purr his name.
"Carter. Where's Teal'c?"
"Outside. He's locked me in here. Whatcha doing?" I drawl softly.
"You okay Sam?" interrupts Daniel.
"Jack?" I prompt, "Whatcha doin'?"
There is a long silence. They're probably arguing about something. They usually do. Jack is so cute when h-
"Carter? How are you feeling?"
"Horny. Do you want to come and play Jack?"
There is a longer silence, and then Daniel answers me.
"Sam. How did you get the radio?"
"I stole it off Teal'c. Daniel, put Jack back on the radio and go for a walk."
"Not gonna happen Sam. You told Teal'c you didn't want it to be this way."
"I don't. But I've decided to seize the moment. And Jack. Now get off the line Daniel."
"What about the regs? What about your careers?" asks Daniel.
"I'll be happy to discuss the issue with General Hammond when we get home. Right now, I'm… gonna have my cake and eat it too."
"Haven't you figured it out yet Sam? What does N'Tinevale stand for? Look at the word Sam," prompts Daniel again.
"The only thing I want to look at is Jack, so get your ass back here right now, O'Neill."
"Think about it Sam."
"No Daniel."
I've thought about things for four years. Ever since I walked in to the briefing room and met Jack.
"It's valentine, Sam. N'Tinevale is valentine. It's an aphrodisiac. Look at how it made all those women act last night."
I don't care. This is about feelings. It's not about what I drank.
"Jaaacccck. Think about it Jack. Alien influence. Instant forgiveness. No court martial."
"I can't do that Carter."
"Sure you can. I know you want me. Thera's here too. And she remembers everything. Everything thought. Every feeling. How close she and Jonah came to almost-"
"Carter!"
"Call me Sam, Jack."
"Are you trying to kill me Sam?" asks Jack. He's breaking. I can hear it in his voice. Every time he speaks.
"Come back Jack," I whisper.
Daniel's POV
Lunch went well, lots of discussion. Jack seemed distant, and both the Rassophor and the Canoness very willing to speak on matters of their faith. It was incredible. The perfect meshing of two smaller societies, transplanted from Earth, with two different faiths and ways of life. Olmas - the Canoness- smiled and nodded, gave answers to my questions without hesitation. I wondered if the previous night had anything to do with her mood. Hell, I wished I had spent last night with Janet.
So, we're out, right? Heading back to the ruins, me, Rassophor Hughs, Jack and Olmas heading towards the ruins. I stashed Sam's gear in my tent before we left, so we know she has no weapons, no radio, nothing but a chocolate bar or two. In hindsight, perhaps leaving her that was not the greatest idea. A frantic, female voice erupts from my radio.
"Jack!"
"Sam?" I sputter, surprised. She DEFINITILY shouldn't have had a radio. I exchange glances with Jack. He reached up, replied.
"Carter? What are ya doin' with a radio?"
"Jaaaacccckkk..."
Sam's voice was nothing short of a seductive purr. Jack's eyes went wide, remained locked with mine. Hugh and Olmas stop, looking at us quizzically, but we have to ignore them. Jack responds again.
"Carter. Where's Teal'c?"
"Outside. He's locked me in here. Whatcha doing?"
"You okay Sam?" I manage to interject. Hopefully, I can get her attention. It doesn't work.
"Jack? Whatcha doin'?" she repeats, quieter. There's something animalistic in the tone now, clear through the static. He turns to me.
"Daniel, what's with her? This ain't right."
"Yeah, I know. It must...must...oh crap."
"Oh crap? I don't like 'oh crap'. Where's this 'oh crap' crap coming from?"
The epiphany was hard, a long time coming. I should have thought about it beforehand. Hell, I should have asked the med team to test this sort of crap out first.
"Jack, the naquadah. In her blood. "
"You mean..."
"It messed with the N'Tinevale."
His eyes went wide, and he turned around, stalking back towards the village. I had to jog to keep up. His reply went through, coming off a little panicky.
"Carter? How are you feeling?"
"Horny. Do you want to come and play Jack?"
Her response makes him pause. I'm guessing he didn't see that coming.
"The N'Tinevale is an aphrodisiac, Jack. The naquadah is messing with it. "
"Oh, shit. Now you tell me, Space Monkey. Smooth."
Yeah, thanks Jack. I'm just trying to help. I start talking into the radio, watching our hosts try to catch up with us, seeming genuinely concerned.
"Sam. How did you get the radio?"
Jack's taking off a run now, I'm hanging back and waiting for Hugh and Olmas. I can still listen in on the band, so I'm trying to calm her down a bit. Jack isn't saying anything, and that's pretty damn smart of him. I try to keep her talking to me.
"I stole it off Teal'c. Daniel, put Jack back on the radio and go for a walk."
"Not gonna happen Sam. You told Teal'c you didn't want it to be this way."
"I don't. But I've decided to seize the moment. And Jack. Now get off the line Daniel."
"What about the regs? What about your careers?" I'm asking, in between trying to explain the situation to Olmas and Hugh. I can't even see Jack at this point, I'm trying to explain the nature of Jack's relationship to the natives while negotiating with a desperate, feral Sam.
"I'll be happy to discuss the issue with General Hammond when we get home. Right now, I'm… gonna have my cake and eat it too."
"Haven't you figured it out yet Sam? What does N'Tinevale stand for? Look at the word Sam."
I'm losing her attention. So, I figure that telling her she's under the influence will help. Well, it doesn't. I guess dealing with drunks hasn't taught me anything, has it?
"The only thing I want to look at is Jack, so get your ass back here right now, O'Neill."
"Think about it Sam," I beg. C'mon, the one time she isn't rational...
"No Daniel."
"It's valentine, Sam. N'Tinevale is valentine. It's an aphrodisiac. Look at how it made all those women act last night," I all but yell, trying to make her understand. Hugh is looking confused, Olmas sort of disappointed. This is certainly going well, she's not even listening to me anymore.
"Jaaacccck. Think about it Jack. Alien influence. Instant forgiveness. No court martial."
"I can't do that Carter."
We're running as fast as we can, trying to get there and intervene. I don't think we'll make it.
"Sure you can. I know you want me. Thera's here too. And she remembers everything. Everything thought. Every feeling. How close she and Jonah came to almost-"
That's a surprise.
"Carter!"
"Call me Sam, Jack."
"Are you trying to kill me Sam?" asks Jack. He sounds like he's on the verge of tears. I heard that tone once, only once- when he talked about Charlie.
"Come back Jack," Carter whispers, urging him on. I'm hoping we're not too late. We catch up to him, and he's just sitting there, looking like a dead man.
"Jack?"
"Daniel?"
"Jack, you need to get through the gate, get help. Get Janet. Me and Olmas will keep things calm here, okay? Meet Teal'c there."
He snaps out of it, sort of. He gets moving without a word, and so do I. I need to get that radio away from her. I wish I had a Tazer or a Zat or something. I don't want to hurt her, but I don't think she'd give it up without a fight.