Chapter Fourteen

Perched on a large rock Jack passed the time by destroying a multi petaled flower. He wasn't bothering with any games of 'she loves, she loves me not', he already knew the answer to that. As he plucked the last petal off the pink and orange flower he picked up a bright blue one and started to ruin its beauty as well.

Jack had originally gathered the flowers as a present for Sam, but now he was using them to pass the time while his wait for her return stretched on far longer than usual. Every other week or so, time was getting harder to keep track of, they'd be taken away one at a time for a general physical. There had been nothing out of the ordinary about his own medical check today, however Sam had been gone long enough for there to be a significant change in the position of the sun.

Having ripped the blue flower into little pieces Jack dragged his hands through his short silver hair. Getting up off the rock he paced back and forth to take his mind off the continued solitude. He glanced up at the glass and for the first time one of the aliens caught his eye.

The dull orange alien looked to be a young powerful male. Unlike any of the others he wore a necklace. Jack had never seen the aliens wear any kind of jewelry before. It was made of what looked like leather with a few handmade beads strung on it. He was standing a few feet from the glass with his arms crossed over his chest and a familiar expression on his reptilian features.

Jack studied the orange alien, trying to figure out what or rather who his expression reminded him of. It was his eyes, although they were green they held the exact same irate glitter that Daniel got when Jack told him that a random culture wasn't worth studying. Much to the delight of the other visitors Jack stepped up to the glass, however he only had eyes for the orange alien.

"Hey, what's your name?" Jack asked.

The alien couldn't hear him, but Jack's motions did cause him to raise his scaly eyebrows. Jack tapped on the glass and pointed at him. The alien tilted his head to the side and then pointed at his own chest.

"Yes, I'm talking to you. Come over here."

Jack encouraged the alien to step forward by beckoning him over. The orange alien looked around and then stepped up to the glass. Jack reached up and put his hand against the barrier. It was the first time he'd actually touched the prison wall. He was surprised to find that it was not glass, but rather some sort of shiny energy field.

Jack's new friend was just lifting his hand to press against the barrier when Jack heard the door to the enclosure opening. Forgetting the orange dragon Jack turned and rushed through the jungle to greet Sam. When he got to where the nearly invisible door was it had already closed and Sam wasn't there. He looked around and caught a glimpse of motion through the thick foliage.

"Carter?"

Getting no response Jack jogged towards where he thought he'd caught sight of her. He came around the artificial mountain top and came to a stop. Sam was curled up in the oversized nest, hiding under the sheer blankets. Jack walked up and sat down on the edge of the natural bed.

"Samantha?"

"I'm okay."

Sam's voice was barely a whisper. Moving slowly Jack joined her in the mass of pillows and blankets. Sitting down by her side he reached out laid his hand on her shoulder. He was not surprised to find that she was trembling, but it did cause his already sour stomach to churn. Jack rubbed her arm in an attempt to be supportive.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

Jack sighed sadly, but didn't push her for answers. Remaining sitting next to her he stroked her hair even though it was hidden under the semi-transparent sheet. She was staring at nothing with unfocused tear reddened eyes. Sam opened her mouth a few times to speak, but remained silent. Jack was just about to lay down with her when something caught his eye.

"Carter...you're bleeding."

Sam gasped sharply. Her first instinct was to curl up tighter and try and hide the crimson stain. However, she knew it was too late to ignore the blood.

"Do you need me to get Ser'in?"

"No." Sam said firmly. "It's not serious...I...just help me down to the stream."

"Alright."

It took Sam a moment to come out from under the slight protection of the blanket. Sitting up she purposely kept her eyes averted from Jack's. Getting to his own feet Jack held his hands out to help her stand. Once standing the red stain on the front of Sam's loose pants expanded in a thin line that cause the fabric to stick to inset of her leg.

Jack didn't say anything he just helped her walk over the uneven terrain towards the stream. Above the waterfall the stream formed a pool that was about two feet deep. Knowing it would be hard to drown in the shallow water Sam had no fear here, it was only the deeper waters that she never entered. Sam sat down in the water, which came up to her waist. The water quickly washed away any evidence of the blood.

Entering the small pool himself Jack sat down in front of Sam and just waited. For a while she just stared at her own distorted reflexion on the surface of the slow moving water. Eventually she gave a heavy sigh and brought her face up to look at him. Jack flashed her a cheesy smile and she managed to giggle.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes." Sam nodded.

"Want to talk about it?"

"You're right, those words are terrifying."

"I told you so."

"That you did." Sam forced a smile. "It really isn't a big deal, I'll be fine. The medical exam just got a little...uh...personal this time and I fought back. I really pissed Va'lo off and by the time they had me under control he was in no mood to be gentle."

"Va'lo?" Jack asked in shock. "Where was Ser'in?"

"I don't know. Not there."

"She's never there when we need her." Jack said bitterly.

When Sam seemed to drift off in to her thoughts again Jack reached out under the water to touch her knee. Sam jerked back in startled fright. He pulled back quickly, not having meant to scare her. A flash of anger crossed over Sam's face. However, Jack knew it was at herself and not directed at him.

"I'm sorry." Sam muttered.

"I'm the one you startled you."

"I just don't want you thinking I don't trust you."

Jack shook his head sadly. Once again Sam was staring at the water's surface, lost in thought. Jack took a deep breath and tried to pick his next words carefully.

"Carter, I've never mentioned this, but as your Commanding Officer I had unrestricted access to your records...I know what happened back at the Academy."

"It was a long time ago, it doesn't bother me anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"It's not like I'm alone, it's not easy being a female in the Armed Forces and sexual assault is regrettably common."

"I know, it's...it's nothing short of an epidemic." Jack admitted. "It's the real reason I never risked telling you how deeply I had fallen in love with you. I couldn't put you through it again if you didn't feel the same...or even if you did for that matter."

"That's ironic...it was my reason too." Sam chuckled hollowly. "Not that I thought you'd ever hurt me, but part of me was always terrified that I'd be dragged through the mud all over again. That I'd have to prove it was rape again if I was seen willingly in arms of my CO...even if you had retired, everyone would know when the relationship had started. I feared I'd be back in court, only this time when I got tarred and feathered you'd have suffer through it as well."

"I would have stayed by you, but I would have rather never have told you than to open that wound again."

"At least here there's no one to judge us."

"There was no one at home who had the right to either."

Sam managed a more genuine smile. Moving though the shallow water she sat down on Jack's lap and put her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her loosely and they enjoyed a few minutes in silence. A flashing light caught the corner of Jack's eye. He looked in the direction of the 'glass' and found that several aliens were apparently taking pictures of the tender moment. Jack decided to just ignore them.

"They want me pregnant." Sam said casually.

"Wha...what?"

"That's what this was about, I'm sure of it. They were seeing if I was medically sound, or possibly already pregnant. I'm sure of it."

"If they think for one second that we can be 'bred'..."

"That's the problem, they still see us as animals, they still see it as just breeding cattle. Ser..."

"Ser'in is no help at all." Jack snarled. "You have filled four books with diagrams, addresses, pictures, wittings, if hundreds of pages aren't enough to convince them then nothing ever will be."

"I know Ser'in knows, I know she's trying. However, she must be walking a fine line. I'm sure just like at home it's easy to be discredited and possibly thrown out of a career you love."

"Not when you're right."

"Tell that to Daniel."

Jack took a breath to protest, but realized that there was nothing he could say. Daniel had found more than enough evidence to prove his theories and yet he'd been thrown out of the academic world violently. Sam smiled, knowing she'd won the discussion. Kissing Jack cheek she hugged him tighter.

"Well, no matter what it isn't going to happen." Jack said firmly. "There is no way we can bring a child into this life."

"If we make it home, would you be willing to start a family?"

"When we get home I'd love nothing more."

Sam smiled at Jack's continued optimism. Feeling tired Sam got out of the water and Jack followed. They stayed around the water's edge to make sure the bleeding had stopped and for their clothing to dry. She was grateful for the fast drying clothing and even more grateful that no more blood stained them. Jack took her back to the bed and they curled up together. Within seconds they were fast asleep.

Two months later little to nothing had changed. Sam had suffered through two more exams, but she was getting used to them. Despite the time that had passed they seemed no closer to freedom, the crowds still came to gawked, and Ser'in continued to supply Sam with fresh books. Sam continued to write and draw in them, but these days she just did so without the purpose of proving herself. The moon was nearly full and the pair was in their usual spot for stargazing.

"It's a duck."

"Really?" Sam mused. "I was thinking more of a swan."

"I'll meet you halfway with 'goose'."

"Sounds good."

Sam sketched out the newly named Goose Constellation. She was sitting with her back up against a rock while Jack just laid on his back staring up at the bright stars. They were close to having the entire portion of the sky that they could see mapped out and labeled. It kept them busy.

"Carter?"

"Yes?"

"What are the chances that any of those stars are Earth?"

"None." Sam replied instantly. "Earth isn't a star."

"Smart ass." Jack chuckled. "Does Earth's star have a name other than the sun?"

"Sol. Hence Solar System."

"It all makes sense now."

"As to the chances, they are small, but they certainly aren't zero."

"Still a long way from here, even if we could see it."

Jack's tone held an edge of hopelessness that wasn't usually there. Sam put down her book and laid down with her head on Jack's stomach. Together they stared up at the stars, each of them secretly trying to determine which one might be home. They never ran out of things to talk about, but at times they ran out of the need for words. This was one of those times. When a familiar chirping broke the silence Jack sighed heavily.

"I think you're about to lose another book." Jack noted.

"That's okay. Although I wonder if I can find a way to talk her into bringing us a picture book about her world, maybe something that I can use to learn to read."

"So you think learning to read could get us out of here?"

"No...but it would be something to do."

"The boredom is getting painful."

"Jaa'ck... Sa'man'ta..."

Sam took a breath to reply to Ser'in's call but Jack gently placed his hand over her mouth to stop her. They waited in silence to see if Ser'in would find them. She did, but they instantly noticed that she was not in her usual light mood. It was hard to tell with her reptilian eyes, but it looked to Jack as though she had been crying. Sam sat up and looked at her with concern.

"Ser'in? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that we're still here." Jack replied as he sat up.

Ser'in looked at each of them in turn and sat down heavily. She hadn't brought anything with her to illustrate any points, she hadn't even come with another book. For an uncomfortable period of time she stared at Jack and Sam with her unblinking eyes. Eventually Sam reached out and touched Ser'in's arm.

"Talk to us, Ser'in, you're the only one who seems to care."

"Seems is an excellent choice of words, Carter."

"Jack?"

"I'm sick of this game. She comes here every few weeks and acts as though this is just as hard for her as it is for us, but every other night she goes home, she spends time with her family, goes about her daily life. She claims that we're nothing but money to the zoo. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain she's earning a portion of the money we bring in."

"There might be only so much she can do."

"Then I don't want to see any more crocodile tears."

Ser'in didn't understand Jack's words, but it was easy to guess their meaning from his harsh tone. She reached out to touch his face, but he leaned back to prevent the unwanted contact. Ser'in sighed and looked to Sam. Seeing that she was being asked to choose a side Sam moved closer to Jack.

"Nepa je'sta ec vue." Ser'in whimpered. "Va'lo, humin re'cin oft onster."

"Va'lo...that can't be good." Jack said. "What do you suppose she's talking about?"

"No idea."

Ser'in shifted so that she was kneeling rather than sitting. In this position it wasn't as easy for Jack to back away from her touch. Ser'in reached out and put her delicate hand on Jack's chest over his heart and held it there for a moment. Taking her hand off him she put her palm against Sam's stomach. Although trusting Sam did tense at her touch. Ser'in sat back and laced her fingers together and stared at them desperately.

"No." Jack growled angrily. "Never."

"Jack, what is she doing?"

"She's begging."

"Begging?"

"It's something I taught her. She wants you pregnant, she's no better than any of the other slimy dragons."

"Jaa'c..." Ser'in started.

"No! Get out of here. Leave!"

Ser'in stared at Jack in shock. She started to try and apologize, but Jack made it clear that he was not interested in such things. Looking defeated Ser'in got to her clawed feet and walked away. Sam wanted to stop her, but she knew it wouldn't help. Jack wait till Ser'in was out of sight before getting to his feet.

"Come on."

"What?"

"We're getting out of here."

"Jack..."

"Now."

Jack reached down and took Sam's hand to haul her to her feet. He lead her around the mountain in the opposite direction that Ser'in had gone at a rushed pace. They got to the stone wall that doubled as a door seconds before Ser'in arrived. Jack practically forced Sam behind a near by tree and crept into the shadows near the door. Sam could see the predator in Jack's eyes as he waited for Ser'in to open the door.

Ser'in stepped up and passed her hand over a square etched into the stone which lit up with colours. Sam knew the code by heart, but this panel did not respond to just any touch. Ser'in went to enter the code but hesitated. She looked around and then sniffed at the air.

"Jaa'ck?"

Jack had not counted on Ser'in's sense of smell being so acute. Feeling that his position had been made he stepped out of the shadows. Ser'in forced a smile, but she couldn't keep from taking a nervous step back. Jack rushed up and snatched her left wrist in one hand and whipped her around and forced her back against his chest. He reached around her and put his other hand around her throat. Ser'in cried out and tried to free herself, but now that Jack was healthy again he was far stronger than her.

Everything happened so fast that by the time Sam broke cover Jack had Ser'in under his control. The pink dragon whimpered in fright and pleaded to be released. With her thin arm being forced up between her shoulder blades Sam knew Jack was hurting her. Sam walked up to Jack carefully with her hands held up in a placating manner. She knew what he was trying to do, but this wasn't going to help them.

"Jack, let her go, please."

"No!" Jack barked. "Enough is enough! Ser'in, open thi..."

"Kanuri!"

It had been so long since anyone had triggered the disk at the back of Jack's ear that he had completely forgotten about it. His balanced reeled violently dropping him to the ground. Ser'in cried out as she was taken down with him. She quickly untangled herself from him and slammed the code into the panel and ran down the hall. Jack forced himself to his feet, but when he tried to follow her he stumbled to the side and was brought back to his knees.

"Just lay down." Sam urged.

"Carter? You still on your feet?"

"Yes, I have a different trigger word."

"Go after her, get out of here."

Sam shook her head sadly and sat down next to Jack. He wrapped his arms over his stomach and started retching. He snarled in a combination of anger and frustration. Sam rubbed between his shoulder blades as the effects of the disk slowly wore off. When he could Jack sat up and looked at Sam with a guilty expression.

"I'm sorry, Carter, I think I may have just burned the last bridge out of here."

"It was a bridge to nowhere anyway."