A/N - Thanks as always for the wonderful reviews! Enjoy...

Chapter 4

The following evening was clear and warm, and Sam was actually looking forward to the party planned for later that night, if for no other reason than to have something to do. Most of the day, the team - with the exception of Daniel, who was still studying the scrolls - had little to occupy them, as the rest of the village was busy preparing for the ritual celebration.

Giyana had brought them some traditional native clothing earlier that afternoon, having informed them that their military garb was inappropriate for the occasion. Sam immediately fell in love with her brightly colored sarong, but Jack and the rest of the men were less than enthusiastic about what essentially amounted to over decorated loincloths. However, when they complained, Giyana merely shrugged her shoulders and cryptically replied that they wouldn't have to worry about them for long.

Sam tried to reassure her teammates that they would be the picture of formidable masculinity, but when she walked into the open air hallway to meet them for the celebration, she had to stifle a giggle. All three men were bare chested and bare legged, with what seemed to be rather small pieces of feathered and beaded fabric covering their crotches.

Jack threw a hand up in exasperation. "Alright. This is so unfair!"

"To what do you refer, O'Neill?" asked Teal'c, who of the three men was the only one even close to pulling off the outfit.

"That we look like this," he said, gesturing to himself, "and she looks like…like…." He faltered, searching for the right word, one that wouldn't get him court martialed – or punched.

"A princess?" offered Daniel.

"A goddess," proclaimed Teal'c.

"Beautiful," said Jack finally, grinning slightly as he took in her long legs, narrow waist, and generous curves, barely concealed by the strategically placed sarong.

Sam smiled and blushed, but then narrowed her eyes at her commanding officer. "Consider it payback, sir, for the blue dress on Simarka."

"Touché, Carter," he conceded with a slight inclination of the head, his smile growing wider. "Shall we?" He indicated that she should proceed him down the hallway and tried to convince himself that he did so out of courtesy and not just so that he could stare at her six. Teal'c raised an eyebrow at him, noting the faint smile that played at the corners of his mouth all the way to the base of the fortress at the edge of the cliff, where they were to meet Sukumar and Giyana.

The moment the Beiminian leader walked out to greet them, though, Jack's smile disappeared. The man's eyes were glued to Sam. The only consolation, thought Jack, was that he looked almost as ridiculous in his ornate loincloth as the rest of them.

"Ah, but you are stunning," he said to Sam, as he walked toward her.

"Thank you," replied Jack, and Sam had to duck her head to hide her amusement.

Sukumar cast a brief, disdainful glance at Jack, then turned his attention back to Sam. "Please, follow me. Our ritual takes place on the shores of the pool, where the river flows into the sea."

He led them down a steep stairway cut into the side of the cliff. At times their path wove behind the waterfall that poured over the edge, and Sam was amazed once again by the beauty of the locale. By now the sun was setting, and the ocean was a riot of color, reflecting the pinks and oranges that played across the sky. Several people, all similarly attired, mingled on the warm sands of the beach below.

When they reached the bottom, they made their way to several wide mats laid out on the beach. As they sat, the ever present yet silent servants brought them food and drink.

"Sukumar," asked Daniel, between mouthfuls of fish and fruit, "I've been reading your scrolls, and I am unfamiliar with your god, Jocahu. I understand that he was once present on this planet?"

Sukumar nodded. "Jocahu brought Sequene and his people to this place and showed him the miracle of our Fountain, the source of our health and well being. At first, he walked among us, but one day he rose into the sky in a ship that sails the heavens and has not returned since. Legend has it that he will come back to take his people into the heavens with him. First, though, we must achieve perfection through the Fountain."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "And what, exactly, is this Fountain?"

Sukumar looked at Jack as though he were slow. "As I have told you, it is the source of our health and well being. Those who enter the Fountain are renewed."

The four members of SG-1 exchanged startled looks. "Forgive us, Sukumar, but we don't understand," inserted Daniel, cutting off Jack before he could respond. "How does it work?"

"The priests prepare the site, and we enter the sacred waters at their source." At that he indicated the river flowing over the side of the cliff. "It is a ritual in which we engage each year during the time of the second rising. In fact, the priests should be making their way to the Fountain as we speak."

"Well that was helpful," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Would it be possible for us to see the Fountain, Sukumar?" Sam asked as sweetly as possible.

He beamed at her. "Of course. I will take you there myself tomorrow, when both moons are waxing. It is then that the power of the Fountain is at its strongest."

"Any chance we could take a look in the daylight. Say, tomorrow morning?" Jack asked.

Sukumar frowned. "The ritual is conducted at night. And my duties prevent me from taking you there during the day."

"Ah, well, I'm sure we could find it on our own..."

"No!" Sukumar barked. "It is forbidden for the uninitiated to visit the Fountain unaccompanied. We will wait until tomorrow evening," he said with finality. He stood then and gestured toward the ocean. "Come," he said, his features softening. "The second rising will occur momentarily."

The rest of the group rose, and Sukumar offered Sam his arm. She glanced over her shoulder at her commanding officer, who did not look pleased but did not otherwise indicate that she shouldn't accept. She grasped the Beiminian leader's arm lightly, and he led her a few yards closer to the shoreline, with Jack and the rest of the team trailing closely behind. Almost all of the revelers had quieted and turned to face the ocean with them.

A full moon, easily ten times as large as Earth's, hung low over the horizon directly in front of them, its reflection bright on the gently rolling waves. Sam squinted as a she tried to discern what was happening. Along the edge of the horizon, the night sky began to lighten slightly. As she watched, a great dome, faint but huge, began to rise up from the ocean behind the moon. It only took Sam a moment to realize what it was. "A second moon!" she gasped in wonder.

"Wow," murmured Daniel from beside her. At the same time, an excited rumble rolled through the crowd behind them. Apparently, the Beiminians were equally impressed by the spectacular sight. The second moon was climbing quickly now, and although it was not nearly as bright as the first, once fully risen, it would easily take up a quarter of the sky.

Sukumar turned to face Sam. "A beautiful picture, no?" He leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Though not half so beautiful as you."

Unfortunately, his words were loud enough to be heard by the rest of SG-1, and Jack's head whipped around so fast Daniel wondered if he didn't give himself whiplash. But Sam had removed her hand from the leader's arm and was already working on managing his unwanted affections. "Sukumar..." she began gently, when unexpectedly she dropped her head in her hands and bent over with a cry of pain.

"Carter!" Jack was at her side instantly. He grabbed her elbows and tried to pull her up so he could look at her face. "What is it?" he asked, but she would neither answer him nor remove her hands from her head. Jack looked directly at Sukumar, who appeared stunned. "Water. Now!" Jack commanded, in a tone that brokered no argument. The younger man scampered off in the direction of the servants.

Sam stood up straight, but Jack did not release his hold on her. "Carter?" he asked, his voice softer now. She lowered her hands to rest them on his forearms. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." She spoke directly to her commanding officer, still holding him tightly. "It happened again, sir. There was a flash of light and a sharp pain, and then I was running through the jungle..." Her voice trailed off, but he nodded at her. Whatever was happening to her clearly wasn't a dream.

"Would you like me to accompany to your quarters, Major Carter?" asked Teal'c.

She smiled up at the Jaffa. "Thanks, Teal'c, but I think I'm okay now."

"You sure, Carter?" Jack asked again.

She dropped her hold on him and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Uh, guys?" Daniel was looking behind them, back toward the celebration. The remainder of the group turned to follow his gaze.

"What the hell...?" asked Jack, as he watched the locals begin to discard what little clothing they had to walk, jump, or dive into the pool at the base of the cliff.

But before they could wonder further about the actions of the Beiminians, a servant approached Sam with a cup of water. She attempted to take it, but he did not let it go immediately. She looked up to meet his eyes, which were full of fear. "You mustn't go to the Fountain," he whispered to her. His eyes shifted nervously from side to side. "All is not as it seems."

He released the cup and retreated quickly, head down, as Sukumar approached. The Beiminian leader furrowed his brow and watched the young man hurry away. He walked up to Sam with a cold smile. "Are you well?"

Sam nodded and took a drink from the cup she had been given to mask her surprise at the servant's behavior. "What are they doing?" she asked him, trying to buy time to process what had just happened. She indicated the large group of naked people now swimming in the pool.

"Legend has it that bathing in the waters that flow from the Fountain on the first night of the second rising brings health, longevity, and...," he looked her up and down, and she repressed the urge to shudder, "virility." He extended his hand to her. "Come, join me, and see for yourself."

Before she could respond, Jack inserted himself between Sam and Sukumar. "Ah, thanks, but no thanks, Suki. I think we'll pass."

"If that is what you choose," he replied, stiffly. "Though I would think a man of your advanced age might find great benefit in such an endeavor." Before Jack could react, Sukumar turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the pool, discarding his clothing as he went.

"I really don't like that guy," Jack muttered under his breath. "And I really didn't need to see that."

"Uh, Jack," said Daniel, looking around. "I think maybe we should sit the rest of this party out. Because we're about to see a whole lot more."

Everywhere they looked, men and women in various states of undress were becoming intimate, most with absolutely no concern for personal privacy.

"Now this reminds me of Cancun at Spring Break," said Jack, wryly, though he was clearly uncomfortable with the situation. He clapped his hands together. "Right. Okay, let's pack it in, kids."

The group began making their way back to their rooms, trying very hard not to stare at the activity going on all around them. Unfortunately, they had a long way to go, and the inhabitants of Beimini were clearly quite comfortable with their sexuality, at least on this night. Jack muttered something to Daniel about being trapped in a bad porn flick, and Sam had never been more grateful for the cover of darkness, as she was sure she was blushing to her roots. Even Teal'c seemed to be in a hurry to leave the beach.

Once they had returned to their rooms, all four team members gladly changed back into their BDUs, then gathered in Daniel and Teal'c's room again to debrief.

Sam sat down on the floor and crossed her legs. "So, Sukumar's story about Jocahu seems to confirm the theory that he's a Goa'uld."

"Maybe," said Jack, sitting beside her, "but if that's the case, where'd he go and why hasn't he been back?"

"I have never heard of the god Jocahu," added Teal'c. "However, it is possible that he was a minor Goa'uld who was killed many years ago."

Daniel crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "That would explain why he hasn't returned to the planet. It also gives me a theory about this Fountain."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jack asked Daniel.

"They've got a sarcophagus," he stated.

Jack nodded. "Well, at least we know now why they're all so young and healthy, not to mention nuts..."

Sam wasn't so sure. "That still doesn't explain the servant's warning tonight."

"Nor the strange beings in the jungle," added Teal'c.

Suddenly, Sam cried out, grabbed her head, and rolled over on the floor. Jack was by her side immediately, trying to turn her over. Daniel and Teal'c dropped down beside her as well.

"Carter!" Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and rolled her onto to her back, trying to repress a rising sense of panic. Something was seriously wrong.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "The light!" She blinked up at Jack. "It's happening again," she whispered, her voice filled with fear.

At that moment, great clanging bells sounded throughout the fortress. From far below, several people began to shout. At a nod from Jack, Daniel darted out of the room and called out to a Beiminian man he spotted running across the courtyard.

"Hey!" Daniel yelled. The man stopped and looked up at him. "What's happening?"

The young man's eyes were filled with fear. "It's the savages! They've attacked the priests!" He resumed his sprint across the open yard.

Daniel jogged back through the open doorway to his room just in time to see Teal'c helping Sam to her feet. He barely caught his rifle as Jack threw it his direction. Daniel raised his eyebrows at their leader.

"We're going to find out what's going on around here," he stated, in response to Daniel's unspoken question. He turned to his Second. "You sure you're up for this, Carter?"

"Yes, sir," she replied without hesitation, apparently having recovered from her experience immediately prior.

Jack nodded once, and his team followed him out the door.

oOoOoOo

They traced the path of the river into the jungle, trailing some distance behind a group of Beiminian men carrying torches, who had presumably gone after the priests. Like before, they remained on high alert, weapons at the ready. Not long after they entered the jungle, the men walking ahead of them stopped, talking excitedly among themselves. Jack gave the signal for his team to move in but indicated they should remain hidden.

As they crept closer, Daniel could see that there were five men in all, including Sukumar, gathered around something lying on the jungle floor. "Is he dead?" asked one of them.

Sukumar rose from where he had been crouched by what Daniel could now see was a body. "They've killed him." The firelight reflecting in his eyes gave him a wild look. "They will suffer for this," he snarled.

With that, Sukumar continued upriver, the other men trailing behind, and Jack moved out as well, with Sam and Teal'c close behind.

Just as Daniel stood to follow, he felt a presence behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he whipped around. He gasped as he came nose to nose with the red eyes and distorted face of one of the jungle creatures. Before he could react, though, the being reached out with a gnarled hand and touched it to Daniel's forehead.

Instantly, two words formed clearly in his mind. Help us.

TBC...