Daniel grimaced. "I… umm… I'd like to talk to you, Ashasti."

"We'll talk later, Blue Star. Right now, I have to…"

"Ashasti, please. I'd really like to talk to you now. I need to talk about… us."

Ashasti gazed at him for a moment, and perhaps she saw some of his inner turmoil reflected in his face. Her brows drew together, and she stepped closer. "Okay, Blue Star." She gave him a rueful smile. "I know I've been neglecting you. It's just there's been so much happening. My situation at work and… things…" She sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't really have any good excuse." Her face settling into an expression of determination, she took his hand. "The paperwork can wait. You're more important. Let's go up to my bedroom."

Daniel quailed inwardly, but meekly let her pull him down the hallway. At least they were heading away from Ashasti's office.

In other circumstances, Daniel might have been quite content to be heading up to Ashasti's bedroom with her. He'd always found her physically attractive. And after living in her house for two weeks, he'd gotten to know her well enough to realize there was a lot about her that he liked. But there was Neralo to consider.

And there was also Nara to consider. Some people dealt with romantic disappointment by turning to someone else, but he wasn't made that way. He found it difficult to contemplate having sex with Ashasti when his heart was still fixed on Nara.

They entered the atrium, and made their way toward the spiral staircase in silence. The closer they got to Ashasti's bedroom, the less she seemed to look at him. Her gaze was fixed straight ahead, with a pensive little crease between her brows. He wondered what she was really thinking and feeling. Despite the promise of physical intimacy between them, Ashasti seemed very far away.

Daniel recalled the day that Nara had told him about Ashasti and Neralo….

###

"Wow!" said Nara. "You read that passage perfectly. I didn't hear a single mistake. You're doing really great!"

Daniel's answering smile was tinged with irony. Though Nara was a radical by Ashoran standards, no one was immune to the influence of their culture. Nara's astonishment at how rapidly he was learning to read Ashoran probably reflected her culture's low regard for the male intellect. But Nara's surprise was laced with delight, rather than with hostility or denial. That, Daniel thought warmly, expressed her true character. So he didn't make some sarcastic comment like, "That's a relief. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle Ashoran on top of my other two-dozen languages." Instead, he just thanked her for her praise.

Nara was seated beside him at the computer terminal in her quarters. Close beside him. Now that he was no longer concentrating on translation, he found himself keenly aware of the glow of her skin, and the fresh, feminine scent of her body. "Nara," he began, "I just wanted to say…" But his mind seemed to go blank, and he ground to a halt. Why did his facility with language desert him at times like this? "Thanks for teaching me," he finished, feeling incredibly lame.

Nara smiled wider. "Don't mention it. I'm really enjoying this."

"Me, too!" he quickly responded. "Very much so. I really feel very fortunate. To have met you." Daniel winced inwardly at how geeky that sounded. He gazed into Nara's lovely eyes and tried to get his meaning across through sheer intensity of feeling.

But Nara looked away and started fiddling with her data-wristlet. Daniel's heart sank. After an awkward pause, she said, "You know, I think you're ready to start studying the Book of Ashora, and the Founders' other writings. I know how eager you are to understand Ashoran culture in greater depth." Her tone was casually thoughtful, but she didn't look up from her data-wristlet. Daniel could tell he had once again made her uncomfortable.

Why do you keep doing this, Daniel? he asked himself. Don't you think it's time to accept that Nara is only interested in friendship? Hasn't it become painfully obvious that whatever else you believe you sense is just wishful thinking?

Nara sighed. The hand she'd been using to pull nervously at a dangle on her data-wristlet grew still, and she just stared down at it sadly. "Though I really don't know why you care about studying my society, considering the way we've treated you."

"Well," said Daniel, "your culture is unique. I can't help feeling fascinated. Besides," he added, "I may be a sex slave, but no one's actually put me to work."

Nara looked at him sharply. "Ashasti wouldn't… you know …" She frowned. "If I thought there was any danger of her forcing you into anything, Daniel, I'd… well, I'd find a way to protect you." She said this with a serious, determined expression that Daniel found terribly endearing. He was greatly touched – and once again impressed by the way Nara had transcended Ashoran conventions. Most Ashoran women wouldn't have acknowledged there was anything he needed protection from.

But the warm glow of his feelings for Nara was contaminated by simmering anger over his situation. He hated knowing that he really did need protection – that he was physically helpless. And for a moment, Daniel had to wonder why it bothered him quite so much. You'd think I'd be used to it, he thought. After all, he'd grown up feeling physically and socially vulnerable – first as an orphaned child, then as a teenaged "geek" who wasn't as experienced or comfortable with fighting as other boys.

Maybe it was because he hadn't had to feel that way in a while. SG-1 had changed him. One of the things he'd gained was the sense of feeling secure in his own body, and it was painful to lose that. But at least he didn't feel as alone as he once had. Part of his team was still with him – along with new friends.

Smiling softly, he said, "I know I can count on you, Nara. But I think you're right about Ashasti. Especially since it's pretty obvious she's not all that interested in me." His face scrunched up in frustrated puzzlement. "It's clear she loves Neralo very much. So why is she doing this at all? Why did she Claim me as a concubine?"

Nara shifted uncomfortably. "That's between Ashasti and Neralo," she said.

"I'm what's between Ashasti and Neralo," said Daniel, his voice soft but edged with annoyance, "and I'd at least like to understand why."

Nara gave him a sheepish look. "Okay," she said, "but you have to promise not to let Neralo know I told you. He'd kill me."

"My lips are sealed," said Daniel.

Nara shook her head. "It's all so stupid. It's because of something that happened about a week before Ashasti Claimed you. Ashasti went to the Coming-of-Age celebration of a friend's daughter, and stayed out all night. When she finally came home, Neralo started asking her if she'd spent the night at the House of Service – accusing her, actually. Ashasti felt his tone was inappropriate."

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "House of Service?"

"Yes," said Nara. "Ashasti's friend had a huge party for her daughter at the House of Service itself. At the big House of Service, the one attached to the Great Temple."

"I'm afraid you'll have to give me a little more background here. That's an aspect of Ashoran culture I haven't yet encountered."

"Oh, right. You see, our custom is for girls to have Coming-of-Age rites when they're fifteen. Well, that's the usual age – a girl can delay it if she doesn't feel ready. During the rites, she's introduced to the world of adult sexuality by a male acolyte of the Goddess – an Initiator. Initiators are the only male members of the Ashoran priesthood. They embody the Sacred Bull."

Daniel's eyebrows rose even higher. "I see," he said. And he did. Although the Ashorans' primary deity was the Great Goddess, they also worshipped the Sacred Bull, who was said to bring forth the creative energy of the Goddess. It was obvious the Sacred Bull represented the masculine principle. It had been that way among the People of Light and Dark, too – the other Minoan-descended culture they had encountered through the Stargate – so Daniel assumed this reflected the original religion of the Ancient Minoans. However, the People of Light and Dark didn't practice the sort of rite that Nara was describing. Daniel wondered if that custom had come down from the Ancient Minoans, or if it was a peculiarly Ashoran innovation. Somehow, he suspected the latter.

And Daniel also suspected why Neralo had been so upset, but he wanted to be sure he understood. So he asked, "This House of Service – what is that, exactly?"

"It's a place that's staffed by young, unmarried Sons of Ashora who have been accepted by the Temple as Initiator Candidates. They're trained by certain priestesses for the role of initiating young girls into womanhood. But not all Candidates are actually ordained as Initiators. Only those who show the greatest spiritual maturity, emotional sensitivity, and sexual skill are accepted for the position. Initiators are the crème de la crème, because even becoming a Candidate is a highly selective process. The Temple turns down thousands of applications every year."

Daniel's mouth and eyebrows twitched. "Yes," he said, "I can just imagine." Daniel hated gender stereotypes, but he had to admit there was a certain degree of truth behind some of them. In his mind's eye, he saw hordes of young men pounding on the Temple doors for the job of deflowering virgins.

Nara nodded solemnly. "Many young Sons of Ashora dream of becoming Initiators. It's regarded as a sacred honor. And though an Initiator performs his duties for only a few years, he keeps the status for life. Initiators are the only males on Ashora who actually have the right to vote – though only in religious elections, not in secular ones."

"Fascinating," said Daniel. And telling, he thought. It really says something about which attributes this society considers most valuable in a man.

"Well," Nara went on, "the thing is, Candidates spend one or two nights a week in the House of Service. It's part of their training program. Women go there for festive occasions, or sometimes just if they're feeling lonely. Food and drink is available, and the Candidates provide sympathetic companionship – including sexual Service."

"Ah," said Daniel. He'd suspected as much. "So when Ashasti didn't come home, Neralo was afraid she'd spent the night giving one of these Candidates some training."

"But, ironically, that isn't what happened," said Nara. "Ashasti did not have sex with a Candidate. She just drank a little too much and passed out. She doesn't hold her liquor very well. But when Neralo started interrogating her about where she'd been all night, Ashasti got her back up and told him if she wanted to enjoy the Services of a Candidate, that was entirely within her rights as a Daughter of Ashora. She told Neralo that he needed to stop behaving like some patriarchal barbarian who regarded his wife as property."

"Ouch," said Daniel. "So Neralo naturally assumed that she had slept with another man. What did he do?"

"Nothing, at the time. I think Neralo was stunned. I think he was expecting Ashasti to reassure him that she really hadn't been with another man. Ashasti has never seemed interested in other men. But, as a Son of Ashora, Neralo not only doesn't have any right to object, he isn't even supposed to feel any objection. So what could he do?" Nara sighed. "My poor brother. He brooded about it for a couple of days – and then he exploded."

"Exploded?"

"It happened one morning after breakfast. The children had just left for school, and Ashasti was getting ready to leave for work. Suddenly, Neralo lost it. He threw a glass against the wall and smashed it. Then he picked up the kitchen table, and smashed that against the wall, too."

Daniel pursed his lips as he digested this. If Neralo had been a chattel-male, that would have set off the anti-aggression programming in his Collar, but Golden Collars didn't have that feature. The anti-aggression programs weren't entirely reliable, and even Ashoran women apparently didn't want their sons and brothers getting Punished for no reason. However, male violence of any sort – even against inanimate objects – was a huge taboo. According to Ashoran mores, it was the sort of behavior that called for "correction" from a Son of Ashora's "Guardian." And Ashasti was Neralo's Guardian.

"I take it Ashasti used the Collar to Punish Neralo," said Daniel.

Nara gave him a significant look. "No, she didn't. Even though most Ashorans would say that's what she should have done. Even though I'm sure Neralo himself would prefer that she had."

Daniel winced. "Oh, no. Don't tell me. Ashasti decided to punish him a different way – by taking me as a concubine!"

Nara shook her head. "No," she said, "it's not like that. Ashasti doesn't think of it as punishment. You have to understand – my sister-in-law is an extremely idealistic woman. Too idealistic, sometimes. She sees you, Daniel, as a way to help Neralo overcome his jealous nature."

Daniel could feel his brows twitching rapidly in incredulity. "Her logic escapes me."

Nara sighed. "Neralo's violent outburst came as a great shock to Ashasti – and to Neralo himself, actually. Sons of Ashora aren't supposed to behave that way. They aren't supposed to have that sort of jealousy and anger inside them. That's regarded as a sign of corruption. Neralo feels extremely ashamed of what he did – and Ashasti feels extremely worried about it. She's worried about the state of his soul. And she's gotten it into her head that by taking a concubine, she'll be able to prove to Neralo that – just as the Book of Ashora says – her love for him will not diminish just because she has sex with another man. She believes that once Neralo sees that, it will cure him of his jealousy."

Daniel winced again, but he was beginning to understand. "So Ashasti is actually doing this for Neralo's sake? Oh, that's messed up."

"I know," said Nara. "I realized a long time ago that our ideas about male jealousy are crazy. Most Ashoran men do feel jealous; they just try to hide it – even from themselves. I tried to talk Ashasti out of taking a concubine, but she wouldn't listen to me." Nara's eyes flashed. "After all, I'm just her lunatic sister-in-law who believes in Government conspiracies, and thinks that maybe kidnapping a man from another world and forcing him to have sex with you really isn't okay. I mean, honestly! What red-blooded Ashoran woman would listen to a fruitcake like me?" Her tone was sarcastic, but her expression held hurt as well as anger.

Daniel's heart swelled with sympathy and admiration. "I know how it feels, Nara. I've been regarded as a lunatic, too, and for the exactly the same reason – for having unconventional but totally correct ideas. But my unconventional ideas were only about archeology. Yours are about the way human beings should treat each other, which is a whole lot more important. So hang in there, Nara. Because I really believe the day will come when your people will appreciate everything you're doing."

Nara's face shone at his words. They gazed into each other's eyes, and Daniel once again felt that deep sense of connection – and attraction. But then a cloud of unease seemed to settle over Nara's features, snuffing out the connection. She broke eye contact, once again stared down at her data-wristlet and pulled at the pink dangle that hung from it. Daniel felt bereft.

There was another uncomfortable silence. Then, Nara's mouth twisted. Without looking up, she said, "But 'everything I'm doing' doesn't amount to much, does it?"

"It amounts to a lot," said Daniel, his voice firm. I can still give her my friendship and support, he thought, even if she doesn't want anything more. "You and your dissident group have made a real difference. You helped get a Charitist elected as High Priestess, didn't you?"

Nara looked up at him, her expression brightening. "Yes," she said. "That's true."

Nara had told Daniel the story. During the recent election for High Priestess, Nara's underground group had uncovered evidence that the Foundationists were running a smear campaign against the Charitist candidate. They had handed the evidence over to certain friends in the press, and when the story came out, the resulting public outrage helped to get the Charitist elected.

"You said she's the first non-Foundationist High Priestess in Ashora's history, right?" continued Daniel. "That strikes me as highly significant. I get the feeling Ashoran society is starting to evolve away from matriarchy. It's got a long way to go, of course, but people like you are the ones who will make it happen. One day, men and women on Ashora may be able to live together in much greater equality and harmony."

Daniel's eyes narrowed as an idea struck him. "I wonder if the shifting mood on Ashora is what drove the Foundationists to create the New Start Program? From what I've been learning, the Charitist Party is becoming a serious challenge to the Foundationists' control of the Government. After all, there are several Charitists on the High Council now, including your new High Priestess. The Foundationist cabal must realize that increases the risk someone outside their little group will discover something about the Founders' Secret. That's probably why they're so desperate to develop memory erasure technology!"

Nara's expression brightened as she considered this. "If the Foundationists are afraid that change is in the air, maybe it really is!" Then her face fell again. "But if they perfect the memory erasure technology, they'll be able to manipulate our society in all sorts of subtle ways. They'll prevent real reform from ever happening." Her face contorted in frustration. "Damn it! If only I could find incontrovertible proof of the Founders' Secret, it would change everything. The Foundationists would lose their grip on power forever, and Ashora would become a truly different place." Nara gazed at Daniel, her eyes full of yearning. "A truly better place."

###

Daniel and Ashasti reached the top of the spiral staircase. Another few steps, and they were at the door of Ashasti's bedroom. The door opened before them in response to Ashasti's neural implants. And after they passed through, the door shut behind them with a soft click that made Daniel cringe a little.

The walls of Ashasti's bedroom were sky-blue, patterned with slowly drifting white clouds. It created the impression that Ashasti's room was located on a high platform, surrounded by nothing but air. Daniel remembered this room from his first night here, when he'd learned of his status as Ashasti's chattel-concubine. But thanks to the polite, desultory manner in which Ashasti had pursued her "rights," he'd managed to avoid her bedroom ever since.

Until now.

Ashasti walked over to her bed and sat at the foot. Now she was looking at him, and there was something very focused in her gaze. She patted the mattress beside her and said, "Come here, Blue Star." Her tone was friendly but firm. Quietly determined, in fact. She's made up her mind to do her duty, thought Daniel. Oh, this is just so wrong, in so many ways. But he was stuck. He had to keep Ashasti occupied long enough for Sam and Nara and Neralo to free Jack. So he obediently walked over and sat beside her.

Ashasti smiled at him, and the wall pattern changed. The blue sky and white clouds dissolved into a facsimile of the sky at dusk, with the last glow of sunset still smoldering on his left, while on his right the first stars flickered in the approaching darkness. Daniel was again reminded of his first night in Ashasti's house. He remembered how she'd said she loved the sky at dusk. She's setting the mood, thought Daniel. What's next? The Ashoran version of Bolero?

But the room stayed quiet. It was just the two of them, sitting together on her bed in the artificial twilight. Her eyes glimmered mysteriously in the dimness as she reached up and gently brushed his hair.

Daniel surprised himself by not flinching. He liked Ashasti, and it did feel intimate, being here with her like this. But it was a sad sort of intimacy. For the first time, Daniel found his mind shifting away from the ongoing rescue attempt, and his feelings for Nara, and focusing on the woman who sat so close to him. The woman who was planning to have sex with him out of misguided devotion to her husband. Daniel's heart suddenly filled with pity and concern.

"Ashasti," he said, "you mustn't do this." Ashasti frowned, obviously surprised by his words – and by the absolute conviction behind them.

"Look," he went on, "I know what you're trying to accomplish, and I can even sympathize with your reasoning, given your cultural background. But regardless of what a Son of Ashora is supposed to feel, the truth is Neralo will never be able to just stand by indifferently while you become intimate with another man. You're just torturing him. And I know that isn't what you want. I know you love Neralo just as much as he loves you."

Now Ashasti looked stunned.

"As a student of human history and culture," Daniel continued, "I can tell you that humans rarely do well when asked to share their sexual partners. Most people really aren't cut out for that. Most people find it very painful." He spoke quickly and fervently, hoping to get through to Ashasti before she started trying to block him out. "I know you must be aware that Neralo is suffering, and that's got to be hurting you, too. Besides, you don't really want to have sex with me, do you?"

Ashasti sprang up. "That's not true!" she sputtered. "And that isn't for you to say, anyway! How did you know…" She ground to a halt. When she went on, her voice was tight. "I can see Nara has been telling you things she shouldn't." The wall pattern changed again, shifting back to a bright daytime sky – which made it easy to see the angry disapproval on Ashasti's face. "Nara's judgment is sometimes quite poor."

Daniel jumped to his feet and faced her. "Nara's judgment is just fine!" he snapped. "You're the one who doesn't have a clue. Can't you see you're destroying your family's happiness? Not just Neralo's, but your children's, too!" Daniel gestured toward the roof of the house, where a landscaped patio provided a view of the city. "Don't you remember that night you invited me – excuse me, ordered me – to have dinner with you on the roof, just the two of us? Remember the way your daughter Meloria barged in on us, claiming she was having a crisis at school and just had to talk to you right that second? What do you think that was about?"

Ashasti's mouth dropped open in disbelief. She obviously wasn't accustomed to having a chattel-male speak to her that way. "Meloria is just a child," she said.

"Yes!" cried Daniel. "Exactly! She's a child, and she doesn't want her family disrupted. Don't you think she can sense how unhappy her father is?" Daniel didn't add that Meloria – who was eleven – was openly hostile to him when the adults weren't looking. It wasn't as if he could blame her. Daniel Jackson, home wrecker, he thought bitterly.

Now Ashasti's face turned positively grim. "You may be right about that," she muttered worriedly. "Neralo's jealousy is probably having a negative effect on the children."

Daniel practically bounced up and down with frustration. "Ashasti, no! That's not the point! Come on, just put yourself in his shoes. How would you feel if Neralo had sex with another woman? Even if you knew he loved you best, how would it make you feel?"

Ashasti gave him a bemused look. "But that would never happen. No Ashoran woman would have sex with a man unless she controlled his Collar."

Oh, should have seen that one coming, thought Daniel "I'm speaking hypothetically. Use your imagination."

Ashasti frowned, and Daniel could tell she was considering what he had said. But then she shook her head violently. "No," she said. "That's all wrong, Blue Star. You're still thinking in patriarchal patterns. You're still just a patriarchal barbarian!"

"I think what you really mean is that I'm just a male," said Daniel, his voice light and quick. "Just like Neralo. Does matriarchy mean that Neralo isn't entitled to be treated the way you'd like to be treated yourself, Ashasti? Do you really believe that's the way it should work?"

"You don't understand anything!" shouted Ashasti, suddenly furious. "Neralo is my husband! I adore him! And it is my sacred responsibility to protect him from corruption!" Her angry expression crumpled into pain, then smoothed. When she continued speaking, she sounded calmer, but she was staring into the middle distance. "What Neralo has done is not his fault. It's mine. Neralo's always been jealous, and I've always known it, yet I never tried to correct him. I…" she frowned, looking deeply distressed. "Sometimes, I sort of liked it. And that was very wrong of me. If I'd corrected him earlier, Neralo would never have reached the point of having a violent outburst. I failed him."

Daniel sighed. "This is even more messed up than I thought."

"Shut up," she ground out, her eyes flashing. "I've heard more than enough patriarchal nonsense from you!" It was evident that Ashasti's shock at his attack on her worldview had turned into outrage. Maybe he hadn't chosen the best way to approach her – but then, he hadn't made a conscious choice at all. The words had just started pouring out of him.

"You're wrong to think I'm not attracted to you," she continued. It sounded more like a declaration of war than a declaration of affection. "I would never have chosen you as my concubine if I weren't. And I think it's time for me to prove it."

Uh-oh, thought Daniel. Ashasti took a step toward him. Daniel took a step back – and then gasped at the sensations coming from his groin.

"Hey!" he yelled, fuming. "I thought you didn't believe in using the Collar that way! I thought you said…" His protests were cut off as Ashasti hit him with the Paralysis command. He fell back on Ashasti's bed, his body limp. Well, most of his body was limp. It was obvious that a certain portion of his anatomy was exempt from the Paralysis command.

He lay on the bed awkwardly, with his legs hanging partially over the foot. He couldn't move at all, except for his eyes. As Ashasti crawled up on the bed beside him, he tried to keep her face in his field of view. She looked distressed, but also determined.

"I'm sorry, Blue Star," she said. "I know I haven't handled this well. It's just I've never had a concubine before." For a moment, she looked on the point of tears. Daniel realized everything that had been happening in her family – and at work, too – had been affecting her much more than she admitted. "I should have remembered that patriarchal males need to truly Serve a woman to be freed from their old thought-patterns." As she spoke, she reached down to Daniel's loin-cloth and undid the clasp. "But I won't neglect you anymore, Blue Star. I promise. Things will be better from now on." She pulled the loin-cloth away, leaving him naked and exposed. Daniel's stomach clenched with embarrassment and alarm, but there was nothing he could do. He had no control over his body.

God, he thought, this is worse than I imagined. Would Ashasti really just rape me like this? He wouldn't have thought so, but he sensed that the dissonance between her ideology and her instincts was driving her a little crazy right now. She seemed close to some sort of breaking point. Well, he thought, at least I'm keeping her occupied while the rest of the team rescues Jack. That's what I meant to do all along, isn't it?

Daniel watched with growing anger as Ashasti stripped her clothes off. He couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was, but he resented noticing, because he knew his current state of sexual arousal wasn't natural. She had forced it on him through the Collar.

Once she was nude, Ashasti reached out and tentatively touched his cheek. Then she ran her fingers down his body, touching him everywhere. It made Daniel furious. But when he saw the uncertainty in her face, his fury abated a little. He could tell she'd never done anything like this before, and he knew she didn't mean to hurt him. Ashasti placed her hand in the most intimate of places – and then stopped. Ah hah, thought Daniel. The idea of having sex with my paralyzed body isn't much of a turn-on, is it?

"Blue Star," she said, "I'm going to un-Paralyze you. But you mustn't be difficult, or I'll … I'll have to Punish you. Is that clear?"

When Ashasti released him from Paralysis, Daniel restrained the impulse to slap her hand away from him. That would probably just set off the anti-aggression programming in his Collar. And he had to remember he was supposed to be providing a diversion for the attempt to rescue Jack. So he just sat up, fists clenching the bed sheets.

"That's slightly better," he told her, "but unless you stop controlling the rest of my anatomy, I won't cooperate with anything you want to do." He glared at her, his face inches from hers, while she continued to touch him intimately.

That was when the door of Ashasti's bedroom flew open, and Neralo rushed in, with Nara close behind.

Neralo froze, his face stricken.

Ashasti turned toward him in alarm, taking her hand off Daniel. As soon as her attention shifted, Daniel felt his body return to his control. When he caught sight of Nara's appalled expression, all the blood seemed to rush out of his lower anatomy and into his face.

"Neralo!" cried Ashasti, clearly astonished. "How did you…" She looked at her bedroom door, then back at Neralo. "You used your emergency access to unlock the door. Neralo, you shouldn't have done that." Her voice sounded faint and shaky.

Neralo stepped toward her. His movements were jerky, like those of a crudely made marionette, and his expression seemed wooden and lifeless, too. As Ashasti watched him, her chin began to quiver.

Daniel got up and moved away from Ashasti, grabbing a sheet and awkwardly wrapping it around his middle.

Ashasti didn't even seem to notice. All her attention was focused on her husband, who was now standing in front of her, his expression unnaturally stiff and unreadable. Then Neralo fell to his knees before her, and all at once, his face seemed to crack open. "No!" he howled. The sound came from his gut, full of primal rage and grief. His face turned beet red, and veins stood out in his temples. "No!" He grabbed the bed on either side of Ashasti so violently that it looked as if he would tear fistfuls out of the mattress. He took a sobbing breath, and when he spoke again, his voice had become small and anguished. "I can't, Ashti. I can't. Please don't…" He put his head down into her lap, and began sobbing uncontrollably.

Ashasti's body bent forward, and she reached her arms around her husband. She was sobbing as well. "All right," she choked out. "All right." She slid off the bed and onto the floor. On their knees together, they embraced.

Daniel swallowed, his throat tight. The emotions in the room were so intense that for a moment he'd forgotten everything else. But now he approached Nara and hissed, "What happened?"

Nara's face was streaked with tears. When her eyes met his, she sort of flinched. But she said, "It's okay. Our plan worked. Sam and Jack are on their way to the safe house."

Daniel took a deep breath, feeling 10,000 pounds lighter. He was elated – but only for a moment. He couldn't sustain the mood, not with Nara looking at him that way. "How did you two end up here?" he asked softly.

"After we disconnected from the special interface we were using to support Sam, Neralo noticed the house had recorded Ashasti's arrival. I asked him where she was, and that's when he stood up without a word and rushed out. He must have seen that both she and you where in her bedroom, but he wouldn't say anything. I just followed him." Nara looked at Daniel accusingly. "And how did you end up here?"

"I ran into Ashasti as she was heading for her office!" cried Daniel. "I couldn't let her walk in on you and Neralo while you were working on rescuing Jack. I had to do something." Looking once more at Neralo and Ashasti, Daniel was thankful he had resisted doing the most obvious something. The couple were now sitting on the bed, holding one another and talking softly. If he and Ashasti had actually been doing the deed when Neralo walked in, it would have made the couple's reconciliation much more difficult. Perhaps impossible.

Nara looked away from Daniel. "Of course," she said, her tone stiff. "You just did what came naturally."

Daniel's jaw dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Nara shrugged, and gave him a bitter glance. "Well, you're a male after all."

Her words hit Daniel like an electric shock. "I can't believe you said that!" he cried, flailing his arms in agitation. "Do you have any idea what I've just been through? No, no of course you don't, because on this world, only men have to worry about being raped!"

Nara's mouth tightened. "Don't give me that. Ashasti doesn't believe in using the Collar to control men's sexual reactions."

"She may not believe in it," said Daniel, "but she did it! What do you think you were looking at when you walked into the room?"

Nara looked uncertain. "Really?" She examined his face for a moment, and then her expression softened. "Oh, Daniel. That must have been awful." She stepped closer, and put a hand on his arm. Then she snatched her hand away again, as if she'd been burned.

Daniel glanced down at her hand, then up quickly at her face. "What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" she responded, obviously trying to look nonchalant.

Certain clues began to click together in Daniel's mind. The way she'd snatched her hand away was consistent with the way she carefully avoided any sort of contact with his body. And he'd thought she was upset with him on her brother's account, but then why had she seemed so relieved to learn that his sexual arousal was artificially induced? If there was one thing Daniel had learned about Ashoran society, it was that male concubines were surrounded by powerful taboos.

Daniel looked at the slim, vibrant, strong-willed woman he had come to love, and felt simultaneously thrilled and dismayed. "You've been brushing me off because I'm Ashasti's concubine. Haven't you?"

The look on her face gave him all the answer he needed. "Nara!" he cried. "How could you? After everything you've said about longing for sexual equality, and hating chattel-male slavery, how could you treat me as nothing more than another woman's property?"

Nara's faced crumpled. "No, Daniel, please don't take it like that. It's complicated."

But Daniel had run out of patience and understanding. After what had just happened to him – and everything that had been happening for the past two weeks – he couldn't deal with this from Nara. He deliberately turned his back on her, and discovered that Ashasti and Neralo were now gaping at him and Nara. He realized he had raised his voice quite a bit.

Neralo looked at Nara and said, "I knew you liked him."

Ashasti's eyes went first to Nara, then to Daniel, then back again, her mouth open in astonishment. "Nara!" she cried. "Have you been…"

Nara cut in before Ashasti could even finish her question. "No, Ashasti! I swear I haven't! I haven't touched him!"

Daniel gave Nara a disgusted glance. "Oh, I can vouch for that, Ashasti. Nara definitely hasn't been violating any Ashoran taboos."

Nara turned to him, her green eyes full of pain. "Daniel, please! It isn't just that." Her face twisted. "Well, okay, I guess it is that. I've been feeling so torn and stupid about it, but it's a gut reaction, and I can't seem to get rid of it. Because you're not just any woman's concubine, you're Ashasti's concubine." Nara gestured toward Ashasti. "You're supposed to belong to my sister-in-law, who's done everything for me. Who's given me a job and taken me in when almost nobody else would. And I've already been sneaking around behind her back, taking advantage of her generosity, to try to help you and your friends escape from Ashora. So how could I…" She grimaced. "You have to understand, Daniel, interfering with another woman's concubine is just the lowest thing an Ashoran woman can do. And besides, you're supposed to be leaving soon anyway! And, besides…" She ground to a halt.

"And besides, what?" asked Daniel.

But Nara looked down and shook her head. "Nothing, Daniel. You're right. I'm just a big hypocrite. In the end, I'm no different from any other Ashoran woman." Looking up at him, she smiled bitterly, her eyes full of tears. "So count your blessings. The two of us could never have worked out anyway."

Before Daniel could untangle his feelings enough to reply, Ashasti spoke. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Nara. You've been saying for years that some of the things taught by the Book of Ashora can't possibly be the true will of the Goddess, and I finally understand how right you are. I only wish I'd listened to you long ago." Ashasti sighed. "The truth is, there've been times I felt the Goddess prodding me to listen to you, but I blocked Her out because I was too busy feeling spiritually superior. I've wronged you, Nara – along with my wonderful husband."

Her eyes went to Neralo. He squeezed her hand a little tighter, and said, "It was me, too, Ashti. I was trying to live up to the Book of Ashora just as much as you were."

Then Ashasti turned her gaze on Daniel. "I think I may owe you the biggest apology of all, Blue Star." She caught herself, and smiled ruefully. "I mean, Daniel." Her face pinched with distress. "I'm so sorry, Daniel," she said, her voice raw. "What I almost did to you was crazy. Crazy and terrible. I don't think there's any way I can quite make up for it, but I'm going to try. I'll do my best to help you get back to your home world."

Daniel blinked, surprised at how much it affected him to hear her apologize. And to hear her use his true name. "Thank you, Ashasti," said Daniel. He gave her a small smile. "And by the way, I forgive you." Ashasti smiled back, and Daniel felt his hopes soar.

Only a few days previously, he'd thought he'd never see Jack again. Now he knew that Jack was free and safe and with Sam. Soon, the three of them would be together again. When Daniel let himself imagine that, he really felt he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was the blue, watery light of the 'Gate, with home on the other side. And Daniel suddenly felt convinced that Teal'c was waiting on the other side of the 'Gate, too. Somehow, he just knew that Teal'c had made it back. When the three of them got home, SG-1 would be together again for the first time in over a year. And now he had another team he could count on, too – an Ashoran team that stood ready to support SG-1. Ashasti had come on board, and they also had Neralo, Lagash, and Ifefal.

And Nara. But at this hopeful moment, Daniel didn't want to remember Nara. He didn't want to think about the hope of love he was leaving behind.