Chapter 3

"Why do you continue to resist? This could all be ended if you would only translate the tablet," Anubis walked in a circle around Charlie looking at her injuries, her back was covered in whip marks and so were her legs, "how many times have you died now? Eleven, twelve? Why do you continue to resist?" he stopped in front of her.

The Jaffa stuck her back and her head snapped up. "Because I have brains... and I don't work for stupid Goa'uld who aren't Gods!"

The Jaffa immediately struck her back twice on the backs of her legs. Her legs gave in and she was hanging from the cuffs around her wrists. One of the other Jaffa violently raised her head by her hair. Blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth. Several other Jaffa came in and stood around her.

"Continue," Anubis ordered as he walked out.

The Jaffa smiled at each other before hitting her with the ends of their staffs. After a few minutes of this she was un-cuffed and dragged out.

"Why does she resist?" another of the prisoners asked anyone.

"If Anubis was to get into the Lost City..." the Tok'ra replied, "he could then wipe out everyone... everywhere."

A few minutes later she was half-dragged, half-stumbling back into the cell and they went to chain her up again; they hadn't used the sarcophagus.

"Stop!"

They stopped and dropped her to the floor. Turning around they saw three Jaffa standing into the doorway.

"Leave her to us."

The other Jaffa all quickly walked out. Two Jaffa picked Charlie up carefully. The other went over to the Tok'ra and took the crystal out from the front of his clothes.

"Selmak will be waiting, take her," the Tok'ra told him. The host took over; "she can find... the Lost City."

"We will not fail."

They carefully carried Charlie out of the cell. The other Jaffa quickly followed and they started towards the nearest ring room.

They arrived a few minutes later and the two Jaffa carrying Charlie carefully laid her down in the rings while the other placed the crystal in her hand. Charlie slowly looked up at him, her breathing ragged.

"It's alright. You're going back to Earth," the Jaffa smiled kindly, "you'll be fine. Selmak will take you."

He stood up and stepped back and the rings came down and took her away. She appeared again on a small scout ship. As soon as the rings had finished Jacob quickly started the small scout ship engines and flew away. Once clear of the planet he set a course for the Tok'ra home world. He got up and walked into the ring area of the ship. He knelt down next to Charlie.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Captain Charlie Barker," she half-mouthed, half-whispered, "RAF."

"You're gonna be alright Charlie. Now I'm gonna move you to one side. Okay?"

She slowly nodded. He carefully picked her up and started moving her to one side. She started to struggle against him and he stopped moving.

"I'm not going in!" she called out quietly, "I'm not!"

"Charlie, listen to me," Jacob continued to hold her, "I'm not putting you in anything, okay?"

"No!"

"Charlie, listen. You're safe now."

She slowly started to calm down and looked around, tears fillings her eyes. Jacob continued on and she grimaced as he set her down, her back facing him.

"What happened to you?" he asked, as he looked at the extent of her injuries.

"They whipped me... and killed several... times... it hurts."

"It's okay."

Jacob went over to the other side of the small ship and picked up the healing device. He came back over.

"This should help, it might hurt for a while."

She slowly nodded. Jacob held the healing device near her back and concentrated. After a few minutes he stopped and moved to concentrate on the backs of her legs. When he stopped she slowly settled down, only a few whip marks still remained.

"Crystal..."

Jacob took it. "What's it for?"

"Lost..." she muttered before passing out.

Jacob put the device back and picked up a blanket and laid it over her gently before going back to the front.

Jacob walked into the infirmary carefully carrying Charlie. Janet looked up and ran over as he laid her down on her side on one of the beds.

"What the hell happened to her?" Janet demanded as she came round and looked at her back and legs.

"She had been tortured severally," Selmak replied, "I managed to heal most using the hand held device. She has been killed, revived and tortured several times. Her back and the backs of her legs were covered in whip marks."

"Can I get some help here!" Janet called out.

Jacob stepped back as Charlie started to wake up and began to struggle. Several nurses rushed over, a few gently held her down. One of the other nurses passed a drip and Janet attached to Charlie. The nurse took some sedative and injected it into the drip and Charlie began to calm down again and settled back to sleep.

An hour passed and Janet walked into Hammond's office to find him there with Jacob.

"How's Captain Barker?"

"She's settled for now. Her injuries aren't too serious thanks to Jacob though she will go into withdrawal," Janet stated, "she's been sedated so she can get some sleep."

"I've ordered the rescue teams to return," Hammond stated, slightly amused, "Major Carter said they'd be back in half an hour. The Goa'uld have left and the locals are throwing a party."

Suddenly the incoming traveller alarm went off and the three of them went down to the control room.

"Receiving SG-1's IDC."

"Open the iris."

The iris slowly opened and SG-1, -2, -3, -5 and -11 came through. A few moments later Alan and Ben came through carrying an unconscious Jason; his leg was bleeding severally. Janet rushed down and arrived as they placed him on a gurney.

"Let's move!" Janet barked. They quickly began quickly moving out to the infirmary.

"What happened?" Hammond demanded, "I thought you said it was a party."

"Some of the locals were a rough with Captain Mendelo. He had been sitting quietly because Captain Barker had not returned," Teal'C informed him.

"Dad, what brings you here?" Sam said after she noticed him standing slightly behind Hammond.

"Returning your new kid. There was a Tok'ra I was meant to rescue but I got her instead."

"How is she?"

"She'd been killed several times," Jacob explained, "I managed to heal most of the whip marks on her back and legs but I couldn't do all of them."

"She'd been whipped?" Ben repeated slowly.

"Yes, until she died."

"Where is she now?" Ben asked urgently.

"In the infirmary," Hammond replied, "drop your gear off and then report there."

Hammond and Jacob turned and walked out. Ben sighed and Colonel Alicia Manes, SG-5, walked over to him.

"You okay?" she asked gently.

"Yeah, it's just..."

"I know," she put her hand on his shoulder, "they're both back and they're both going to be fine. Come on."

They slowly started following the others out of the gate room.

Ben and Alicia arrived in the infirmary to see the others sitting on the other beds and Alan talking to Charlie. She was sitting in a reclining position.

"Hey Charlie, how you feeling?" Ben walked over.

"Okay, sore back and legs, but apart from that I'm fine. Where's Jason?"

Just then Jason was pushed in and put in the space next to Charlie. She watched and didn't take her eyes off him.

"Doc?" Alan voiced his question in one word.

"His leg's broken," Janet replied, turning to face him, "and he fell into a coma. He should come out of it in a couple of weeks. Charlie?"

She didn't reply; she was still staring at Jason.

"Charlie, you need to rest."

"No," she whispered.

Janet injected the sedative into the drip. "He'll still be there when you wake up."

Charlie slowly closed her eyes and settled down to sleep.

"They're gonna be okay, right?" Ben's voice was laced with worry.

"Yes," Janet smiled, "Charlie will be fine and Jason will wake up soon. They'll be fine."

"Now calm down and remember to breathe," Alicia said as she guided him to a seat, "if you keel over and die I ain't gonna help you."

Two weeks passed since the mission. Darkness greeted Charlie as her eyes fluttered open. A few lights were on but were very dim. It was supposed to help her sleep but it wasn't helping much. Without thinking her eyes went over to the bed directly next to hers and fell on the non-moving body of Jason Mendelo. His slightly moving body, his chest was still rising and falling. She let go of a breath she'd been unintentionally holding. Something about him just made her go 'click', if that was the right way to put it. Her feelings towards him were… well… she didn't know how to describe them. Charlie let her eyes slide over his body before tearing them away to look around. A smile crept on her face when she saw the sign Colonel O'Neill had placed above the door. Janet still hadn't noticed it. A movement from Jason's bed and her eyes went flying over to be greeted by Jason's gaze.

"Hey," his voice was hoarse.

A smile erupted over her face before she could stop it. Almost instantly a mirror image of her smile was on Jason's face.

"That's it? Just 'hey'? After all those chat up lines you've told me?" she retorted to his greeting.

"Well, I have a back up but it involves being able to move," he motioned towards his legs under the bed covers.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I haven't slept in a month. You okay?"

"I am now."

"What?"

A blush coloured Charlie's face. Jason's eyes glided over her and her face got hotter.

"I mean, after all the treatment I've been receiving."

"Right," Jason said quietly, looking up at the ceiling again.

Charlie watched as he avoided her eyes. Should she tell him? But how? Here went nothing…

"Jason," she suddenly blurted out and his eyes met hers. A shiver went down her spine; "Jason... I..."

"Ah, Captain Mendelo, you're awake. Excellent," a doctor appeared in the doorway and Charlie sat back into the pillows, looking at the end of the bed.

Several nurses were called in and Jason was wheeled out of the room. As he passed Charlie's bed he pointed at himself, then at her and mouthed 'later'.

Jason came back into the infirmary on crutches several hours later to find it empty and the lights back on. He went over to a nurse.

"Excuse me," he asked, "where's Captain Barker?"

"Dr. Fraiser released her half an hour ago captain," the nurse replied, "she's gone home to rest."

"Thank you," Jason turned and began heading out of the infirmary.

Jason sat in the commissary looking into a bowl of jello and occasionally prodding it with the spoon.

"There you are," Colonel Edwards walked over and sat down opposite him, "how you feeling?"

Jason didn't reply; he just continued to poke at the jello.

"Hello, earth to Jason! Anyone home?"

Jason still didn't reply. Ben reached over and snatched the spoon out of his hand and put in down. Jason slowly looked up.

"What's - wrong?" Ben asked clearly.

"It's nothing," Jason whispered.

"Come on. Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"It's - nothing," Jason repeated.

"Jason Mendelo. How long have I known you?"

Jason shrugged.

"Long enough to tell when something's wrong with you. Now spill."

"It's Charlie. I..."

"Come on."

"I really like her and... when I woke up she was awake. We started talking and then she was gonna say something to me but the doctor came and I got taken out. I said we'd talk later. I come back and find out she's gone home."

"So?"

"She was gonna tell me something before the doctor came in."

"Well why don't you go round her house and find out that she was going to say?"

"A, don't know where she lives and B, can't drive with the broken leg."

"Okay then, A I'll go find out and B, I'll take you."

"Don't bother," Jason slowly got up, grabbed his crutches and hobbled out.

Colonel Edwards got up and started to the infirmary. He arrived and found Dr. Fraiser walking towards her office.

"Hey Doc. Fraiser, can I ask you something?"

"What can I do for you Colonel?"

"Could you tell me where Captain Barker lives?"

"Why?" she looked at him suspiciously.

"Okay, long story short she and Jason have this huge well... thing, and now she's gone home, he's gone quiet and moody and well... you get the idea," Colonel Edwards explained.

"I know they have a thing. She'd gone quiet and I got her to talk," Janet informed him, "I've just sent Sam to talk to her. She kinda has the same problem."

"I was gonna try and take him round so they could talk and sort it out and etc, etc, etc."

"I'll take him for you," Janet smiled, "do you know where he is?"

"Thank you and no, I don't know where he is. I tried getting him to talk in the commissary but he left in a strop, or best he could on crutches."

"I'll put these away and then deal with the Jason-Charlie problem."

"Thanks doc."

"What brought on this sudden concern?"

"I just want everything to go on as if this little adventure never happened. I feel it's somehow all my fault that everything happened."

"You'll get over it."

Ben smiled and turned and walked out. Janet walked to her office, put away the folders and took off her white coat before grabbing her keys and heading out.

"No offence and all but... why you here?"

"Janet asked me to stick around to make sure there were no problems," Sam explained.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Sam looked over at Charlie; she was staring at the same spot on the ground that she'd been staring at since Sam had arrived.

"You okay?" Sam asked Charlie was who sitting, knees up against her chest, on her sofa.

"Yeah," Charlie whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Sam got up and walked over to Charlie. She sat down next to her. "Now spill."

"I really like Jason. And when I get the courage to tell him, or its the right time, something always comes and I don't know if I should bother to tell him coz the moment will probably just get interrupted again and again and again."

"Come here."

Charlie lent her head against Sam's shoulder as she started to cry.

"Calm down," Sam soothed, "it'll be alright. Jack and I have put up with it for years. It'll be alright."

A few minutes later Sam looked down and saw she'd fallen asleep. Sam carefully got up before laying Charlie down and wrapping the blanket around her better. She took the empty glasses into the kitchen and gave them a quick rinse before writing a note and putting it on the table in front of Charlie. She picked up her coat and walked out to see Janet and Jason walking up the drive.

"She's asleep," Sam told them, "I'd just left a note for when she wakes up."

"There you go Jason. Stay with her until she wakes up and then talk - to - her," Janet ordered.

"Alright, alright," Jason hobbled in and Sam shut the door behind him.

"How is she?" Janet asked as they started towards their cars.

"Upset. She finds the moment and courage to tell him and someone interrupts. Now she's thinking of not bothering any more."

"Well, they're both together. They won't be bothered so they'll have plenty of time to talk," Janet stated as she opened the door to her car.

"See you back at base," Sam called as she went over to hers. Janet drove off as Sam climbed in. Sam followed a few moments later.

TBC

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