Chapter Five

Stepping through the shimmering event horizon, Sam felt herself breathe somewhat easier. The tension on base had been stifling as everyone prepared for the imminent arrival of the Commander-In-Chief. Thankfully, SG-1 had managed to sneak out for their mission just before he'd arrived on base. His limousine had been pulling up to the checkpoint when Walter had been dialing out. It now seemed likely that they'd miss his visit entirely, which was just fine with Sam.

Apparently, her attitude was shared by her teammates, who also seemed to relax slightly upon stepping through the gate. Even Daniel, who began sneezing almost immediately on arrival, looked relieved to be away from the SGC.

"You've gotta love the smell of…" Jack glanced around. "…blue dandelions." In fact, the most abundant flower on the planet's surface did appear to resemble a bright, cornflower-blue dandelion. It was the same flower etched on the surface of the urn they'd brought with them.

Thinking of the urn, Sam took a deep breath. "I really hope we can figure out what to do with that artifact we brought."

Suddenly, Jack stopped, looking around. "Weren't some of Greenborne's men supposed to meet us here?"

Teal'c's dark eyes seemed to be taking in the entire horizon at once. "Indeed," he said grimly. "I hope they have not encountered any unforeseen complications on their journey."

Jack's face twisted in a grimace. "Unforeseen obstacles seem to be the status quo today," he muttered under his breath.

As if proving his words true, Sam suddenly reached up and grabbed her head, eyes closed in an expression of excruciating pain. In seconds, she'd fallen to her knees, unable to stand against the mysterious onslaught exploding in her brain. Wordlessly, she shrieked in agony.

Immediately, Jack turned to his second-in-command, concern etched on his features. When he saw her sinking slowly to the ground clutching her forehead, he rushed to her side. "Carter? What's going on?"

She shook her head, unable to reply. Then, with a faint whimper, she collapsed to the ground in a boneless heap.

Jack's mind sharpened with a sudden rush of adrenaline. Raising his P-90, he scanned the area for enemies as he barked an immediate order. "Daniel, dial us out of here. I have no idea what just happened, but I'm not waiting to find out if it can happen again."

Teal'c had already raised his staff weapon menacingly and was searching the landscape with nearly-black eyes that missed nothing.

Seeing that Teal'c was covering their escape, Jack rushed to his incapacitated second-in-command. "Carter, hang in there!" he commanded under his breath. Taking her pulse, he was relieved to feel it thrumming beneath the pale skin of her wrist. It was fast, but it was strong.

He was about to pick her up when Teal'c's voice rang through the clearing. "O'Neill!"

The next few seconds seemed to occur in slow motion. Just as Daniel finished dialing Earth, causing the familiar vortex to whoosh from the stargate, a single alien figure appeared directly in front of the party. It's face was frighteningly inhuman. Large, insect-like eyes examined the group dispassionately. Mottled, grey-green skin shimmered in the afternoon sunlight as three-fingered appendages rose slowly in the air.

In an instant, Jack, Teal'c, and Daniel found themselves repeating Sam's earlier actions, falling to the ground as a spear of painfully intense sensations penetrated their minds.

Jack felt as though every noise he'd ever heard was suddenly being played in his ears at once while, simultaneously, he viewed every image in his memory and felt every texture which had ever brushed his skin. Just when he thought he couldn't stand another moment, the sensation receded, leaving him weak and nauseated.

Then, much to his dismay, a booming voice resounded in his head.

You are the leader. Why have you summoned us?

Jack shook his head, rubbing his temple in an effort to regain his equilibrium. "We didn't mean to summon you," he rasped queasily. "It was a mistake."

The voice replied immediately. We have come far for your summons. We would know the creatures which called to us from across the stars.

Slowly, Jack's vision cleared enough for him to clearly view the creature standing before him. "We're explorers," he said groggily, "trying to protect our homeworld from invasion."

The voice in his head quieted somewhat. I have determined that from your memories.

Jack blinked. His memories? "You looked in my head?" he asked, sounding somewhat annoyed.

We needed to be sure you were not our enemies. The voice was unapologetic.

Grimacing, Jack looked around at his now-unconscious colleagues who lay sprawled on the hillside. "Let us go," he said wearily. "We didn't mean to call you in the first place. If you've really read my mind, you'll know we're not a threat to you."

The alien seemed to consider his request. Agreed. But we will take a sample of your species to study.

A sample? Suddenly, adrenaline shot through Jack's bloodstream. That didn't sound good. "I don't think so," he said firmly.

Disregarding his objection, the creature stepped toward Sam. This one has a remarkable mental capacity for a lower species. We shall take her.

Suddenly, Jack jerked himself into a standing position. "NO!" he yelled forcefully. Given his weakened state, the sheer intensity of his protest was impressive.

The creature seemed to view his distress with interest. You have an attachment to this one, it observed dispassionately.

Jack swallowed. It hardly seemed worth denying, when the thing had already violated his brain. "Yes," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Mirrored bug-like eyes regarded him intently. You have an attachment to all these here, it commented, but to that one most of all. It seemed puzzled.

Feeling totally unprepared for this encounter, Jack tried to lift his weapon, but found himself utterly paralyzed, frozen in place like a statue. The only thing that seemed to be obeying his will was his voice. "Don't you have others you care about?" he asked desperately.

The creature seemed surprised by the question. There are others of value to me, it admitted.

Jack leapt on the statement frantically. "Then you understand why I don't want you to take any of them."

It pondered his words, tilting its head in a nearly-human gesture. I am unable to see what you value about these creatures. And as for that one, it gestured to Sam you are not even her mate.

Closing his eyes in frustration, Jack tried to formulate an appropriate response. "My people have rules about choosing mates," he said evenly.

The alien shifted its attention to Sam for a moment. I do not understand, it replied. If you find value in this one's company, why do you not fight to change the rules?

Jack laughed humorlessly. "It's a bit more complicated than that," he muttered. "Please, just let us go."

Unfortunately, the strange creature didn't seem ready to do so. Your memories indicate that you have kept your… feelings… for this one hidden. It seemed uncomfortable with the idea of emotions, but clearly was trying to communicate in the most accurate way possible.

Rolling his eyes, Jack was struck with the absolute absurdity of the situation. He was trying to explain to a bug-eyed alien why he'd never admitted his feelings for Sam. Since he had a hard enough time explaining that particular decision to himself on any given day, his chances for rescuing the rest of his team weren't looking so good. "I had reasons," he snapped.

The alien looked at him with its cold, unblinking stare. These feelings you experience… They are new to my kind. It stepped away from Sam and approached him, sending a slight tingle of relief down his spine. Aid me in transmitting these sensations to my hive and I will let you return to your home.

Jack blinked. "Aid you? Can't you just take what you want?" The damned thing had already read his mind.

It replied matter-of-factly. We can sense surface motives and thoughts, but our mental powers are not without limits. You are able to block us from the things you protect most closely.

That admission set Jack back on his heels. If what the creature said was true, he could probably count on the fact that nothing terribly sensitive had been compromised. None of his teammates would have revealed anything classified without one hell of a fight. "So what am I supposed to do?" he asked, praying for a chance to escape from this nightmare with his colleagues beside him.

The creature looked from Jack to Sam and back again. Open yourself to the value you find in that one, it replied. I will relay the experiences to my colony so that we may understand your attachment.

Jack exhaled sharply. Open himself to his feelings for Sam? He had no idea what that meant. "You're going to have to be more specific," he said dryly. "I'm afraid I'm new to this whole psychic thing."

It seemed to understand. Think of her, it responded simply. Fill yourself with all that you treasure about her.

Swallowing nervously, Jack steadied his nerves. "Okay," he said reluctantly, "but don't get upset if I don't do a very good job." He'd spent an immense amount of energy in the last seven years repressing his feelings for Sam. He had no idea how he could possibly let go and share them now with a creepy insect-like alien under life-or-death circumstances. Still, it wasn't as though he had much of a choice.

Closing his eyes, Jack tried to concentrate on the things he found most admirable in his second-in-command. She was loyal, hard-working, and tough as steel when the situation called for it. Beyond that, she was the most amazing problem-solver he'd ever had the privilege of working with.

More. The voice in his head seemed to understand that this was merely the surface of his feelings for her. Taking a deep breath, Jack pushed further into his soul and tried to dig deeper.

He thought of her kind heart and noble instincts – how she always put the needs of others before her own. He began remembering the countless selfless acts she'd initiated during her career at the SGC… holding Cassie, even though they'd all thought it would end in death; crying shamelessly at Daniel's deathbed; urging Jack to leave her in the bowels of a Goa'uld ship, simply to save his life.

More! Now the alien's voice was more than a means of communication. Like a wedge, it seemed to creep into the opening he was making into his subliminal mind – widening it so that more of his emotions could pour out into his present consciousness. Suddenly, Jack found himself immersed in the most intimate feelings he'd ever experienced.

…Desperate moments passed as he waited for the ring of Jaffa footsteps to sound both of their dooms. It didn't matter. He couldn't leave her.

…A feeling of grim certainty overwhelmed him as he strode toward the Tok'ra lie detector. He'd save her, even if it meant his own life was forfeit.

…The rush of giddiness in his gut was punctuated only by a slight twinge of guilt. He knew she'd have no recollection of his actions when the next loop started. But he'd be damned if he didn't go after what he wanted just once. It would be worth it, if he could only sweep her into his arms for a few, perfect seconds.

Scenes flickered in his head faster than the frames of a movie – the glimmer in her eye when she'd laugh at one of his jokes… the feeling of elation when they'd escaped near-death once again… the sound of her voice as she analyzed something impossibly complicated…

The feel of her wrapped in his arms.

The taste of her on his mouth.

The agony of knowing she wasn't meant for him.

The yearning he felt every time he looked at her.

All at once, a floodgate within him seemed to open, releasing every gut-wrenching emotion he'd ever felt about the beautiful woman lying on the grassy hill beside him. All of the conscious thoughts and images he'd ever experienced were slowly consolidated into one, perfect feeling of bittersweet longing and affection. Every moment he'd ever spent desperately wishing for a different ending to their story was distilled into a single crystal-clear emotion.

Love.

Slowly, Jack felt himself emerging from a haze. In the back of his mind, he realized that tears had been unconsciously streaming down his face, though he had no recollection of shedding them. As his eyes focused on the scene before him, he suddenly realized that the creature was looking at him… differently.

I am humbled, it said through their mental connection. Such an experience is unknown in my kind. We are changed.

Strangely, Jack could almost sense a shift in their connection when he stared into the creatures eyes. Where before there had only been crisp, calculated strategizing, now there was something deeper. Wearily, he looked at the alien and prayed for assistance. "Can we go now?"

Yes. The answer triggered a wave of relief in his exhausted brain. My kin and I thank you for sharing your experiences. We will remember you and your species for some time to come, it stated solemnly. Then, with as little ceremony as it had appeared, the alien seemed to blink out of existence.

Suddenly, the radio on his vest crackled to life.

"SG-1? Are you all right?" General Hammond sounded almost as dazed as Jack felt.

Totally immersed in his own mudded feelings, Jack didn't even process the odd note in his commander's voice. He interpreted the question as Hammond wondering what was taking so long for the team to step through the gate. Glancing around, he was relieved to see his teammates starting to stir on the ground. "I think we're okay… I'll explain what I can when we're back through the gate," Jack rasped into the microphone. "O'Neill out."

As the four members of SG-1 stumbled through the event horizon onto the embarkation platform, they were initially unaware of anything unusual. However, seconds later, as the gate deactivated, it was apparent that something very strange was happening.

Dead silence engulfed the gate and control rooms. Not a single person spoke. No one even moved. And every eye in the immediate area was glued to the four ragged teammates who'd just stepped through the gate – or at least on two of them.

Jack exchanged a nervous, uncertain look with the rest of his team. By the wide-eyed, hesitant looks on their faces, none of them seemed to understand what was going on, either. He was about to comment on the silence, when the door to the gateroom opened and two figures stepped into the room.

As soon as he got a good look at the people approaching him, the words died quickly in Jack's throat. Instead, he found himself snapping a reflexive salute at his Commander-In-Chief. From the corner of his eye, he could see Sam respond almost in unison with him.

"Sir," he said crisply, breaking the silence.

The President, a former Navy officer, returned the salutes smartly. "Glad to see you're in one piece," he said sincerely. His tone of voice indicated that there had been some doubt that they'd make it back unscathed.

Jack blinked, not aware that their mission had even been on the President's radar. "Thank you, sir."

Exchanging a meaningful look with the President, Hammond spoke next. "Can you tell me what happened out there?" he asked, gesturing to the now inactive stargate.

Exhaling slowly, Jack tried to formulate the least complicated explanation. "When we arrived, no one from Greenborne's party was there to meet us." He seemed suddenly startled. In all the chaos, he'd totally forgotten about the other SG team still stationed offworld. "I can't say for sure what happened to them, but I can make a pretty good guess." When Hammond's brows lifted in surprise, Jack continued his account. "We'd been there for less than a minute, when suddenly, Major Carter collapsed. Five seconds later, this green, bug-eyed alien showed up and did some sort of psychic mind-blast thing to us. Jackson and Teal'c also fell unconscious." He grimaced. "Apparently, it kept me awake because it wanted to talk to me. Anyway, we…" talked wasn't the right word, "communicated for a while. It eventually learned a little about humans and decided to let us go." That was certainly close enough to the truth to give an initial idea of what had happened. Jack had no intention of saying more until he'd had a chance to digest the whole incident.

Hammond exchanged another significant look with the President, making Jack a little nervous. They seemed to know something he didn't, which, in his experience, was never a good sign. "Doctor Frasier will need to examine the three of you," he said, gesturing to Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam. "Colonel O'Neill, I think we'd better head upstairs for a little debriefing before you go to the infirmary."

The four teammates looked at each other in mute surprise. Jack had just admitted to having an alien probe his brain, and he was being debriefed before being checked by Janet? To say this went against protocol was an understatement. Still, an order was an order. "Yes, sir," Jack replied quietly. He had no idea what was going on, but he was pretty sure he was about to find out.