The next chapter… now it gets interesting :)
"Godspeed!" General Hammond called as Jack led the team through the stargate. Jack was fully aware of how each mission left the general feeling in terms of abandonment. He was deathly afraid of going through the stargate, but the downfall was that he never attended the off-earth missions and he missed a lot of the action. George Hammond was stuck behind a desk, it was safe for him there, it was safe for his two beloved grandchildren, who would never need to fear his safety.
Jack walked a head, Sam Carter close behind, trailing a step or two behind her, was Daniel Jackson and Teal'c, the Jaffa dragged behind the back, as if his presence was the protection for the SG-1 team.
Through the gate, to P3X-419, Jack guided his members through to the planet where the grassy hills went on for miles, where the trees surrounded the wield stallions and mares, and the white storybook castle situated somewhere near the back on the paddock. The scenery looked like something in a child's imagination.
No sign of life was present.
"Wow!" Daniel exclaimed wild-eyes and intrigued with what lay before him. There was much for him to study. "This is so…"
"Child-like," Jack filled in.
Daniel nodded looking around in awe.
"Sir, there may be something in the castle on the hill," Sam suggested. Her eyes were like that of an excited child with a new telescope set. She looked eager to explore the surroundings of the new environment that grasped her curiosity.
Jack nodded. It seemed like a logical step to take.
"O'Neal," Teal'c addressed. "Is it wise to go in unannounced?"
Jack rolled her his eyes. "No worries, Teal'c. It doesn't look inhabited."
"We'll be cautious," Sam promised trying to set his mind at ease.
Jack shot an appreciative look her way. She smiled and held his gaze for only a moment before she averted her eyes back towards the Castle.
Daniel began humming the theme song of the Wizard of Oz as he trudged up towards the hill. "We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz…" he sang.
"Daniel!" Jack hissed with annoyance. If anyone was going to be singing musicals, it was Jack. Daniel barely watched TV.
"Come on, Jacker's…" he shrugged unbothered by his harsh tone. "You love the Wizard of Oz!" he stated, unable to lose the excitement and energy of the moment.
"You are acting rather peculiar, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c observed. His pace remained even, slow and steady, a step behind Sam.
"Nuh," he refused waving his hands in the air as if swatting a fly. "Just feeling happy… like a kid," he danced around in circles as they continued the hike towards the castle.
"I got a feeling, he's not in Kansas anymore," Jack said as he watched Daniel with slight concern. It wasn't that Daniel wasn't insane in the eyes of Jack, but this was a whole new level, even for him. He was suddenly aware of the shooting pain in his arm. He self-consciously favored his left elbow, doing his best not to draw extra attention to himself. Jack had a job to do he would not jeopardize his team with minor complaints.
"Come on, Jacko, Jack on in the box, BOING!" he jumped at Jack inches from his face. Jack pulled back, both startled and annoyed.
"Restrain yourself, Daniel, or I'll have no choice but to place you in one of those white lab coats… apparently it's like a constant bear hug," he said, a twinkle in his eye.
"Sir, you seem to know a little too much about stray jackets," Sam smiled teasingly. "Care to elaborate on that?"
Jack only smiled.
"I like hugs!" Daniel exclaimed stepping up and throwing his arms around Jack's neck. Jack felt the pain shoot up his arm again, and he angrily pushed Daniel with his good arm. With a hard shove, Daniel stumbled and landed flat on his backside.
He pulled a face. "That was not nice, Jack!"
"Want a quarter?" Jack asked pulling a coin from his pocket.
Daniel nodded eagerly, and Jack threw him the money, which he caught without effort. "Wow… thanks," he examined the coin like a rare treasure.
"Now, you can call someone who cares…" Jack grinned playfully.
Sam suppressed a smile.
"Do you want to try it again?" Jack offered.
Daniel picked himself up off the ground and brushed the dirt from his slacks. He thought about it for a moment. "I'd rather not."
"Wise choice,"
They pressed on reaching the Castle doors, the large wooden arch-way behind them. Each team member hesitated at the door, Jack looked to Sam. "Wanna knock?" he encouraged hesitatingly.
"Me?" she frowned looking suddenly nervous.
"This is a fairytale place," he told her gesturing to the picturesque scenery around them. "You fit here, more than us."
"How's that, Sir?" she challenged.
"You're a princess… beautiful, you know, a man's fantasy," he grinned unconcerned about the comment he had made. It was as if he was suddenly without responsibility, without a heavy weight, but in doing so he'd lost his confidence and fear of the unknown suddenly gripped him.
Sam frowned surprised by this. "Sir, are you alright?" she looked worried.
"Yes," he answered timidly suddenly moving behind her. He gripped her jacket and hid his face from the door's view like a scared child hiding behind the comfort of a strong and loving parent.
"Sir," she tried to pry him from his grip on her. "Connell… Sir… please let me go," she ordered.
Jack seemed to freeze, fear evident on his face, his grip tightened and Sam was no match for him.
"O'Neal," Teal'c was confused. "Like Daniel, you are acting most strange."
"There is nothing wrong with me!" Daniel insisted. His tone was even and serious, he had lost the child-like quality he had possessed on minutes ago.
"You were singing and hugging the Connell," Sam interjected.
"I was NOT!" he yelled vocally. He thought for a moment, as if looking for a lost memory. "Was I?"
"Yes, Daniel Jackson, I regret to inform you that Sam is indeed correct." Teal'c assured him.
Jack, who was still clinging to Sam, nuzzled her softly, moaning as he cuddled her closely. Sam tensed. This was not the Jack O'Neal that she was used to.
Daniel took hold of Jack's shoulders and gently pulled him away from Sam's back. He was reluctant to release her. "Come on, Jack," Daniel urged. His hands remained on his friend. "What the hell is going on around here?"
Teal'c looked blankly at Sam and Daniel. "You two have been acting rather bizarre."
"Something on the planet?" Daniel guessed.
"A chemical, maybe…" Sam offered, as Jack muffled something incoherently into Daniel's shirt.
"I conquer. Since our arrival to this planet, strange things have occurred."
"Strange things?" Daniel asked.
Just then Jack pulled from Daniels' grasp and stood up straight. "Why hasn't anyone knocked on the door?" he asked impatiently, his mannerisms and voice evenly normal.
Sam giggled vocally watching Jack. He looked at her, causing her cheeks to redden with embarrassment. She approached him and pressed her lips to his cheek for a moment before running away, her legs frayed wildly about as she ran around the grassy paddock giggling childishly.
"O'Neal," Teal'c asked raising an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with your face?"
""No," he said. "Why?"
"Your cheeks are an unusual crimson color."
Jack turned away, moving towards the grass, and away from the castle door. He hurried to retrieve Sam. As he reached her, he forgot about his arm and she began to peel off her jacket dropping it on the ground beneath her feet, she attempted to strip the black t-shirt from her body. Jack, who instantly recalled the last time something similar had happened in his presence, grabbed her forcefully before the t-short could be removed. He pulled the material back down over her stomach, covering her flesh.
"Let's not do this," he advised. "It's been done before."
Sam smiled seductively. "You don't want me to."
Jack struggled not to trip over his own feet as he answered. "Er, well, um…" he stumbled over his words and managed to shake his head. "Not really a wise idea, carter, trust me."
Sam hesitated. She nodded in agreement and stepped up to kiss him on the cheek, this time closer to his lips. "Have to have some fun," she giggled, running off again.
Teal'c, Daniel and Jack stood back waiting for her moment of insanity to pass. As far as they could tell, it lasted only a few minutes.
Sam seemed to stop mid-run and stand still. A moment later she blinked focusing her eyes on Jack. 'Why are we all standing around?"
Daniel opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out.
From thin air, several natives materialized before their eyes, each of them silver-skinned, huge wide eyes and thin tight lips, hair that grew well past their shoulders, except for the male native.
Four in number surrounded the SG-1 team.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow as he watched Jack; Daniel and Sam jump back with sudden shock, all huddled together in a circle.
"WOH!" Jack cried, his hand on the small of Sam's back in a defensive position, an instant reaction he was not conscience of.
"O-K…" Daniel acknowledged. "I think it's safe to say, this planet is inhabited."
Sam stood beside Jack, in close proximity, eying the people with suspicion.
The natives were dressed in medieval clothes. The only male, dressed stylishly in a traditional black suit and a heavy jacket. The two older woman in long fancy gowns, one gold and the other a light lavender, while the youngest child who looked no older than seven, was dressed in a pink princess dress.
"What is the look of shock?" Teal'c asked, slightly confused.
Jack grimaced averting his eyes from Teal'c to the people and back again. "Enter the word "duh" here!" he said with sarcasm.
"I do not understand," replied evenly.
""What's not to get, the people dressed like royalty… not the Simpsons, obviously, but silver colored skin stands before us."
"In do not see, O'Neal."
"Damn it Teal'c, they're right there!" he pointed. The male growled with annoyance. Jack swiftly pulled his hand back.
"It is rude to point your finger!" the voice stated matter-of-factly.
"Sorry," Jack mumbled.
"What's for the apology, O'Neal?"
"Not you, Teal'c, the tribe on this planet."
"He cannot see you," the female dressed in lavender answered, adopting the same bluntness as the man.
Just then Teal'c took a step away, as the rest of the SG-1 team watching in horror as he stepped through the male man.
"WATCH OUT!" Jack screamed.
Teal'c turned, unconcerned by his loud, abrasive tone. He raised an eyebrow.
"You walked right through the dude," he stated matter-of-factly. The words he had uttered hit him and he knew how ridiculous he sounded.
"Well, given that you can't see them, I understand your calmness. But hell, wave your arms around and you might hit them."
Teal'c stood motionless. "I do not wish to wave my arms, O'Neal."
"Just do it!" he ordered stepping across the grass and waving his hands at the male. He expected to have his hand dissolve through him, but surprise threw him for a six when he was pushed by the man's hand and thrown to the ground, landing on his back.
The pain shot through every inch of his body.
Funny, NOT so funny… post a review and I'll give you the next chapter. :)