Author's Note: Hello again everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter and please, please review! Thanks!
Jack groaned in pain, but deepened the kiss, pulling Sam closer to him. It was only then, when the horn blew again that Sam returned to reality.
"Sir," Sam said, gasping for breath. "Are — are you sure we should be doing…this."
"I told you that you don't need to call me 'sir,'" Jack reminded her.
"I think I do," she insisted. "Um, sir, Colonel, d-do you realize what we're doing here."
"Carter," he said in a harsh voice, but stopped. "Sam," he said more gently, "you are the one that started this." Sam looked a bit embarassed.
"I know," she said shyly, "but I'm having second thoughts."
"You know, you think way too much," Jack replied. Sam considered this.
"Yeah, I probably do," she agreed.
"Okay, let me do some thinking," Jack said. "The Tok'ra will send in the bomb, the planet will blow and we'll be particles floating in space. You'd probably know exactly what those particles would be, but I really don't care."
"And if we don't die?" Sam asked nervously. "You know we can't continue this if we survive."
"Why not?" he asked. "No one has to know."
"It's dishonest," she said. "Besides, our…feelings aren't exactly a secret. Remember we were forced to admit them to prove we weren't za'tarcs."
"Yeah, thanks to Anise's magical lie-detector," Jack quipped.
"Freya," Sam corrected.
"What, but I was sure it was Anise," Jack said.
"Freya's the host half of Anise," Sam explained.
"How do you remember this stuff?" he asked. "For that matter, why do you remember this stuff?"
"Colonel…" she began. "Jack, this is serious. You know, we could end up in that same situation all over again. We can't go on hiding this — we have to do something."
"Look, we're probably about to die," he said. "Why don't we just enjoy the last few hours of our lives the way we've always wanted."
"Always wanted?" Sam asked. She was trying to sound indignant, but her face turned bright red and gave her away.
"Sam…please…" he said gently.
"I'm — I'm not denying that…certain feelings exist between us," Sam said anxiously, "but don't you think we should think this through before we do something we might regret?" Jack seemed to consider this for a moment.
"Nah," he said eventually. He leaned forward and kissed her again. Despite her better judgement, Sam didn't resist it.
"How would you be able to know whether the IDC I tell you is the right one?" Daniel asked Herak. He was trying to buy himself more time.
"IDC?" asked Herak, confused.
"Iris indentification code," Daniel explained. "It's the code we send back through the gate that opens the iris. Well, actually, it doesn't open the iris — it gets recognized by a computer on the other end and a technican called Sargeant Walter Harri—"
"Enough!" Herak shouted. "Tell me the code or your friend will die!"
"How will you know whether the code I tell you is accurate?" Daniel asked. "I mean, I think there's a little flaw in your plans considering there isn't an active Stargate on the planet."
"There is a gate aboard this ship," Herak explained.
"Really?" Daniel asked.
"Not that it would be of any help to you now," Herak said snidely.
"Yeah, I — I can see that," Daniel said. "I mean, you're holding a zat over my dead friend, Jack and Sam are stranded down on the planet, undoubtably struggling to survive, and Jacob's who-knows-where." Herak seemed rather confused that Daniel was agreeing with him, but he eventually went on.
"Yes," he said eventually. "After you give us the code, you will be shot once with a zat'nik'tel and brought through the gate along with an armada of Jaffa. If the code is incorecct, you will all hit the iris and die."
"But you would be able to take over the SGC?" Daniel asked. "Uh, sorry, but I think I'd die before giving you that code — and so would Teal'c. I won't tell you anything."
Herak looked harshly at him for a moment. For one moment, Daniel thought he might actually disintigrate Teal'c, but then he put the weapon down and turned to glare angrily at Daniel.
"Jaffa," he said to two guards, "revive the shol've in the sarcophagus and bring the Tok'ra Selmack. Kree!" The two Jaffa carried Teal'c out of the room.
Two others pushed Daniel against the wall, where they chained him up with the chains that they had used on Teal'c. Herak walked in front of him.
"You should hope that the Tok'ra cares more for you than you do for the shol'va," Herak said and, with that, he raised his zat and shot Daniel once.
