FOR TOMORROW
CHAPTER 8
For disclaimer and other information, please see chapter one.
A/N: The first thing I want to say is a BIG, HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who have sent me your best wishes for my baby. You guys are wonderful, thank you for your support!
Now, here is the next chapter, I am very sorry it is taking so long to update, but I am doing all my best to finish this story for all of us! Have fun!
-----------------------
Jack paced through his cabin's living room, while Sam on the couch and drank from a bottle of water. Their gazes met and he approached her, sitting beside her.
"What if this is not the real reason they took you?" he told her in an intimate tone.
"What do you mean?"
"Yeah, what if they had to take you in order to contact us? Y'know, an excuse."
Sam shook her head and leaned back to rest fully on the couch. "That doesn't sound strange at all."
He nodded and raised his eyebrows.
She thought quietly for a moment, looking away from him, until finally she turned her blue eyes to his brown ones. "Jack, did Thor say or give you anything when he went to the SGC?"
Jack frowned and then remembered the contents of his pocket. He searched for it and handed it to her.
"A communication device," she said, as she looked at the object in her hand.
"Why would he give me that and not say anything about it?"
"Maybe he wants us to contact him privately?" she guessed.
"Maybe, and that verifies my suspicions. They didn't take us for that Alliance, they took us for something much bigger. I'm telling you, Sam, this smells bad. Ori bad."
They looked at each other in silence for a long time.
------------------------------
"DanielJackson, GeneralLandry is searching for you. He appears desperate," Teal'c said, as he found his friend in Sam's lab.
Daniel frowned. "Desperate?"
"Indeed," he paused, assuring he had the other's full attention, "It appears that the Stargate is gone."
"GONE?" the archeologist echoed, as he jumped from the stool and started out of the lab with Teal'c by his side.
The Jaffa nodded and bowed his head. "ColonelMitchell and GeneralLandry are in the briefing room awaiting our arrival."
The two men's eyes met in terror as past experiences played in their minds. They walked in silence the rest of the way.
As they walked up the stairs, they heard the unmistakable voice of the general talking on the phone… Actually, yelling on the phone.
Daniel found Mitchell and Vala staring blankly at the window of the Commander's office.
The dark-haired woman turned as she noticed the entrance of the two men, and she smiled faintly at both of them.
"Rough week, huh?" she asked Daniel in a soft voice.
He looked at her dryly and raised his eyebrows. "When did you get back?"
"This morning," she responded. "I, um… I tried with all my old contacts and had no luck finding them, Daniel. I'm sorry."
"Not your fault. Thanks for trying." He walked to the window that faced the Gate Room and took off his glasses as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "So, no Stargate now, huh? What else could happen to us, I wonder?"
"Jackson, this has happened before. I'm sure it's just…"
"Just what, Mitchell?" Daniel asked, abruptly interrupting him. "Baal? The Trust? The Russians? Whom?"
"Look, I know how this seems. It gets worse and worse, but I'm sure it's been this bad before," Mitchell argued as he approached the archeologist.
"No, Mitchell! It's never been this bad! Usually, we know where our people are, or have a slight idea. Now we can't even search for them anymore! How many teams are stranded off world?"
"Five," General Landry responded as he made his way into the room and stood behind his chair at the table. The older man took a deep breath and looked sharply at the group. "Get ready for the latest… the Asgard took our Stargate."
-----------------------------
Sam stared at the white rock in her hand, not willing to make it work.
"What are you waiting for?" Jack asked her.
"I don't know, Jack. Maybe we shouldn't… What if it's a trap?"
"Thor? C'mon Sam! I mean, the gray creature is weird and all, but he wouldn't set us up."
"How can you be so sure? I thought you didn't trust them."
Jack walked to the door that lead to the back porch of the cabin and sighed. "I don't know anything anymore, Sam!" He turned around and searched her eyes. "What do you suggest we do? We can't contact the SGC, or anyone for that matter… there's no phone here and I don't have my cell with me. Do you?"
She raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
"Ah, shit!" He walked towards her and stood inches from her body, looking at her in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, o.k.? I'm sorry. I'm just… I can't believe any of this! When did our lives get so goddamn complicated?"
A small laugh escaped her mouth as their gazes met. "When we started going through the Stargate ten years ago?"
"Yeah." His fingers found her hair and he caressed it tenderly. "I told ya, this'll never end."
"No, Jack. You won't start with that now. Contacting Thor is the only way we'll find out what is really going on. What else can we do? Run out of here and escape?" She looked at him again and smiled. "We both know we love all this too much. We can't stay away."
Exchanging another glance, he nodded and kissed her forehead. "Fine, go for it. Gotta save the universe again, right?"
She rubbed the rock, and soon enough, they were both transported by a white beam of light.
-------------------------
"The Asgard?" Daniel asked the general in complete shock.
"Yes, Dr. Jackson. I just received a message from Thor," Landry replied without looking at him.
"But… why? That doesn't make ANY sense!" Daniel continued.
General Landry raised his head and met the archeologist questioning eyes, his own reflecting confusion as well. "Because of the Alliance. We are not allowed to go on any missions or visit any planets until the Alliance is formed."
"So, they took our stargate? What gives them that right?" Mitchell interjected.
"The fact that they have the technology to do so, Colonel," Landry responded with a weary gaze.
"This is ridiculous! I can't believe how this gets worse and worse by the minute," Daniel said angrily. "Did Thor happen to mention Jack and Sam by any chance, sir?"
The SGC leader shook his head regretfully. "No, I'm afraid he had nothing to say after he explained why they took the Stargate. I'm sorry, but we're going to have to trust them on this."
Daniel let out a sarcastic laugh and looked at Teal'c, who remained stoic but pensive. "Yeah, right." And with that, he turned around and walked down the stairs and out of the room.
-----------------------
"Thor? Thor!" Jack yelled as he and Sam landed on what appeared to be Thor's ship. "I know you're here, and you know WE are here."
Minutes passed, but there was no answer and no little gray alien in site. "Jack, I don't like this," Sam said as she searched the ship with him. "What if…"
Just as she started speaking, Thor stood in front of them. "Greetings."
"Ah… Thor, buddy, we were looking for you," Jack said, sighing in relief.
"I am aware, O'Neill. I see you found the transportation device," Thor said to his human friend.
"Yeah, we did," Sam answered, as she handed him the white rock she held in her right hand. "What's going on, Thor? Why did you give it to Jack?"
"Because I needed to bring you here without the Furlings or the Ancients knowing," the small creature replied calmly.
Jack and Sam looked at each other and then at their friend. "How? I mean, don't they kinda know it all and stuff?" Jack asked.
"No. The sensors they use to track you two are currently indicating you are still at the cabin."
"Why then do you not want them to know you're talking to us?" Sam questioned.
"Because you need to know the truth, Colonel Carter. I am sorry about all you have been through, especially knowing you will soon be a mother. I, in behalf of all the Asgard, apologize sincerely," Thor looked at Jack then. "To both of you."
Sam raised her eyebrows and so did Jack. "Alright, apology accepted," Jack replied with a smile. Then, he kneeled down in front of Thor to be closer to his height. "What the hell is going on, Thor?"
"Your baby is still in danger. But not because of the Alliance, but because of your enemies."
Sam gazed at Jack, and kneeled with him in front of Thor. "The Ori?"
"Yes. And the Goa'uld, as well. We had to create a diversion in order to bring you here and stop this tragedy from happening," Thor confessed.
"So… there is no Alliance or great weapon to destroy the bad guys, huh?" Jack said, disappointed.
"No, O'Neill, there is. You will become the Fifth race and your child will be the symbol of the Alliance, that was all true. The lie was the sacrifice, we needed to know what your people were willing to do, but most importantly, what you and Colonel Carter would choose as well."
"What did you think we were gonna do, Thor? Honestly! Do you know us, at all?" Jack yelled in disbelief.
Sam looked at Jack for a moment and then she turned her attention to Thor. "So, are they trying to kill me?"
"Yes, Colonel Carter. They know the baby is important and that he will be protected by the four races."
"How did they know about the baby?" Jack continued.
Thor looked down to his feet and then walked towards one of the monitors across the room. "Because they were monitoring me and the others. Somehow, they have been for a while."
"And how did you know there were on to you?" Jack asked.
"Because they could have invaded Earth a long time ago. They were waiting for Colonel Carter to try the weapons so she could be captured." Thor activated the machine and played for them what had happened the day Sam was taken.
"So it was all a trap?" Sam asked fearful after watching the images on the screen. "A trap to kill me?"
"They were not going to kill you then, Colonel Carter. They were counting on O'Neill to rescue you and then, they would have killed you both, ruling out all chances of any more children from the two of you."
Sam was astonished. She stood up and walked around the room, as Jack watched her with the same uneasy feeling. "Why did you wait until that moment to take me, Thor? And why the lie?" she finally asked as she turned to the Asgard being.
"Because we had to wait until you knew about your pregnancy. We cannot interfere or tell you about the future, I am aware you understand why."
"You could've taken her from her house! What if the Ori got to her first?" Jack said as he approached Sam and took her hand in his.
Thor shook his head again. "I am afraid that was not possible either, O'Neill. Events had to unfold that way, so that the Ori would actually be stopped by the weapons. We had to take the risk, and I was sure based on Colonel Carter's intelligence and audacity, she would make them work," Thor said, with a proud tone in his voice. "Even though they were not killed, it gave us the advantage we needed to proceed with our plan."
"Which was, kidnapping her, almost killing me of a heart attack…or two, and then stranding us in my cabin. Great plan, Thor!" Jack said with thumbs up and a wink.
"Again, I am sorry, O'Neill, but it was the only way to bring you here without raising any suspicions from the Goa'uld or the Ori."
"So they don't know you have us?" Sam asked.
"They suspect, but they are unable to locate our position," Thor responded.
"You said you had to talk to us without the others knowing. Why can't the Furlings and the all the other buddies know you're telling us all this?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Because I believe you and Colonel Carter can do much more from here than at your cabin, while the rest of your planet is destroyed."
"WHAT?" Sam and Jack screamed in unison.
TBC….