Sorry folks - this is a repost. For some reason the site didn't accept my edits and uploaded the unproofed copy. Please ignore the last one.
Actually, as Jack's eyes had become accustomed to the darkness in the room he realized there were a few things he missed on first glance. At the back of the room was a door – that would have be be investigated. He also noted that there were various cupboards in what looked like a small kitchen. At least there was a pump and a table. He figured poor old Mithrad had had to have some amenities as the First Prime.
Without looking at Sam he walked across the room to check what was behind the door. To say he felt self-conscious was an understatement. He only hoped the Major was not looking at him saunter, cheeks in full view, across the room.
He opened the door and sighed in relief. Well, that was one thing they didn't have to worry about.
"What is it Colonel?"
"Bathroom", he answered succinctly. "Primitive but all there. Looks like a toilet and bath, although whether there's any hot water I don't know. At least we'll have some privacy."
Thank God, she thought. The last few days had been extremely awkward in the bathroom department. Although fortunately, she'd spent a lot of years on missions with the guys so it hadn't been as bad as it would be for many women.
The Colonel closed the door and walked back into the main room. She carefully kept her eyes averted but wondered how in the world they were going to do that for the next two months. Oh well, she supposed they'd just get used to it after a while. Lots of people go to nudist camps and, after a while, it doesn't mean a thing.
Jack had to walk past Sam to get to the 'kitchen' and had to work hard not to look at her. This was going to be difficult, he thought. He stepped up and began opening the various cupboards.
"Looks like all Mithrad's stuff is here. There might actually be some things we can use." Not only were there dishes and pots and pans there were also some simple tools.
"Bingo!" Jack said, relief in his voice. He'd found some clothes. Unfortunately it only looked like one set but at least it would offer some modesty. Pulling them out he realized there was a simple leather tunic and leather pants. There was also a pair of what must have been Jaffa underwear. Grimacing, he took a quick sniff. He wasn't going to wear – or ask Sam to wear – someone's dirty underwear. Fortunately it smelled clean, if a little musty.
"Here", he tossed the underwear and tunic to Sam. "At least it'll give us something to wear. The tunic will be long enough so it'll be like a short dress." The thought of that was quite pleasing although he'd never say that; not if he valued his life.
He took the pants for himself.
"Great! Leather, my favorite." He held them up and realized they were going to be quite small on him which was surprising. Most First Primes seemed to be big. He remembered the last time he wore leather pants, when he was a guest of Ba'al and he remembered the Jaffa. They had all been huge. He'd actually felt small in comparison.
"Don't like leather Sir?" He could hear Sam struggling to get the tunic on.
"No – reminds me of those creepy guys with mustaches who thought they were God's gift to women. You know the type, they'd always leave their shirts unbuttoned too low and wore chains –" He stopped suddenly and looked down – damn, who was he to talk!
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Sam spoke as if she hadn't noticed his sudden silence. "They're the kind that would always come up to you in a bar and say some smarmy pick up line. They always smelt as if they'd bathed in cologne. My girlfriends and I figured they must have a small –"
This time it was Sam's turn to stop dead. She couldn't believe the topic of conversation – or that she was even saying these things to her CO.
"Small …. what, Major?" She looked up and saw the Colonel grinning at her. He was dressed in a pair of too small, but very sexy looking leather pants. She had a fleeting thought that they could get very uncomfortable!
"Uh small – bank accounts?"
"If you say so Major." Sam looked quite amazing in the tunic. It came down midway between her knees and uh, upper thighs. He could see a tiny bit of white sticking out, clearly from the Jaffa's 'fruit of the looms'.
"Looking good Major", he smiled at her. She smiled right back.
"Thank you Sir. You don't look so bad yourself." Yup, very sexy.
"Well, at least we have clothes. The thought of being Adam and Eve for the next couple of months really didn't appeal."
"No, although we do have our own resident snake."
He barked a laugh – "That we do." He looked down at himself in the pants; they were incredibly tight and about three inches too short. He kind of felt like Captain Kirk!
"Only problem with these is they may hinder the plan."
"Hinder the plan Sir?" she asked, clearly confused.
"Yeah, if they want me to produce any little 'Tauri' these are definitely not a good idea."
She giggled, she couldn't help herself, even though she did feel sympathetic.
"Hey, no giggling Major. Believe me, if you were a man you would definitely not be happy like this."
"I know Colonel. I'm sorry – it's just that it feels good to be able to joke around. I'm feeling so relieved I think I'm kind of giddy."
He took a deep breath and walked up to her. Taking her arms he drew her to him in a 'Jack O'Neill special hug' (the world's best kind).
"I know Sam. I'm sorry about all this. If there was anything I could do I would." He rested his head on top of hers. She realized, at that moment, how much he took his responsibilities to heart. Even though this whole thing wasn't his fault in any way, he would feel like the blame was his.
"There's nothing to be sorry about Sir. You're the one that thought this up." she gestured to the room. "It's given us some breathing space so maybe we can figure out a way to get out of here. At least we don't have to worry for awhile about what that, that creep is going to do to us."
He laughed a little at that. "You're right. I think we need to relax a little and then start thinking of a plan of action. Let me finish looking in these cupboards to see if I can find some bedding and then we can rest." He turned and grimaced. He was definitely going to have to find a solution to the pants before the old family jewels were well and truly crushed!
Dr. Warner was exhausted. First there'd been the problem of the 'woman-hating' Teal'c, then Janet had gone off world, and now SG4 and SG9 had both run into trouble. Fortunately no one was critically injured but there'd been broken bones, soldiers requiring stitches and, in two cases surgery. All he wanted to do was collapse but he had to stay on duty tonight. He just hoped Janet would return soon.
He had just put his head down on the cot, hoping to catch a few winks, when Nurse Cooper stuck her head in.
"Dr Warner, I'm sorry. You're needed. Jenks in Security says the Dr. Jackson is asking for you."
"Hell", he answered, swinging his legs over the side of the cot. "What could he want now? Probably wants to tell me how women caused World War I and II." Sighing he stood up.
"Thanks Lieutenant. I'll go see what the problem is. Make sure no one steals my bed!"
"No Sir", she smiled. They all liked Dr. Warner and felt for him right now. "I'll make sure."
Warner walked slowly down to the security wing. He really hoped they could find a solution to this problem. It's not like there wasn't enough to worry about with O'Neill and Carter missing. Both of them were well liked and respected and the entire base was feeling the stress.
It was more than that, though, the Doctor realized. Soldiers were often a supersticious lot and SG1 had somehow come to signify Earth's hope against the Goa'uld and other alien threats. As long as they were okay, there was a feeling that Earth would triumph. Now, there was a general feeling of doom beginning to pervade the base. Warner thought he should say something to General Hammond, although he figured the wiley commander was already aware of the problem.
He arrived at Jackson and Teal'c's cell and nodded to the guard on duty.
"What's the problem?" he asked the young SF.
"Dr. Jackson says he doesn't know why they're in there, that he can't remember. He asked to speak with Dr. Frasier but I told him she was off-world so I suggested you." He reached over with his swipe card and opened the door.
"Thanks Airman. I'll take it from here." He started to walk into the cell.
"With all due respect Sir, I should watch just in case …."
"Okay fine." Warner strode into the room. "What seems to be the problem Dr. Jackson, Teal'c" He looked at the two men who were looking confused and upset (although it was more Jackson than Teal'c who looked his usual stoic self).
"Why are we here Dr. Warner? What's going on?" Daniel asked, speaking quickly.
"Don't you know?"
"No, all I know is is I suddenly woke up and I was in a cell with Teal'c here. The guards wouldn't tell me anything and they said that Janet was off-world. I then asked to speak with Jack or Sam but was told they 'weren't available'. What the hell does that mean and what's going on."
"Teal'c, do you have any memory of what happened?"
"No Dr. Warner, I do not. I too woke up and was here with no recollection of what had transpired. Can you not tell us?"
"Let me first ask the two of you, what is the last thing you do remember?"
Daniel frowned in thought. "I remember Jack telling Teal'c and me to go to that ceremony on P – whatever the hell that planet is. He said he'd stay back and watch Sam. We were worried about what they might do to her. They were a bunch of woman haters on that planet. It was awful."
"Yes indeed", agreed Teal'c. "It was very distressing. I have not seen men who treat their women quite so badly."
"Okay, so do you remember the ceremony itself?"
"Uh, I remember being worried about what it would entail – I mean Teal'c talked about an orgy and I … uh … was a little concerned since there weren't any women present. I spoke to the head guy. What was his name again Teal'c?"
"Amdahl."
"Yes, that's right, Amdahl. Anyway, he told us we didn't have to participate if we didn't want to. Then I remember sitting on some couches and he started to speak. The next thing I knew I was in here. Please Dr. Warner, what's happened."
"I'll tell you in just a minute." The Doctor turned toward the security guard. "I think we're okay now Airman. Just give me a few minutes alone. I'll knock when I'm ready to go."
"Are you sure Sir?" the SF asked worriedly. He'd seen a lot of tricks in his time.
"I'm sure. I doubt very much whether Teal'c or Dr. Jackson are going to attack me."
"Good God no!", exclaimed Daniel. "Okay, you're really creeping me out here Doctor. Can't you just tell us what's happening."
"I will, I promise. I just need you to answer some questions for me okay?"
"Okay", muttered Daniel.
Teal'c frowned, obviously not happy, but bowed his head in agreement.
"Can you tell me a little about Dr. Carter?"
"Sam? Why would you want to know that?"
"Please Dr. Jackson, just tell me some things about her. I'll explain in a moment."
"Okay. Sam is a Doctor of Astrophysics, she's –"
"I meant something a little more personal. Tell me about your relationship with Dr. Carter."
"Relationship?" Daniel asked, frowning. What in hell was Warner implying?
"Sam is my friend and my collegue. We've worked together for years and she's like a sister to me – the sister I never had. She'd smart, beyond smart! She's funny; you'd never know it to talk to her but she's got a wicked sense of humor. In fact, she reminds me of Jack in that way. The two of them will burst out laughing at the weirdest things – I often can't even figure out what they find so funny!" He looked to Warner, wondering if this was what he was wanting.
"Do you trust her?"
"Trust her? Trust Sam? I'd trust her with my life – no, I'd trust her with everyone's life. She's a remarkable person. Is there anything else you need to know?"
"No Dr. Jackson, that's fine. Now Teal'c, can you tell me about Dr. Frasier?"
Teal'c looked at him with no expression but again he nodded. "Dr. Frasier is a fine medic. She is very smart and understands much about humans and, if fact, about many others including Jaffa. She has been responsible, on many occasions, for saving my life and that of SG1. She is also a formidable warrior. I have great respect for Dr. Frasier. I also consider her a friend."
Dr. Warner heaved a sigh of relief. Whatever it was had obviously warn off. They'd wondered if that would happen. There was no way either man would have been able to fake it. They had appeared almost physically sick anytime women were even mentioned.
"Okay Doctor, we did what you asked, now it's your turn. What happened and why are we here."
Warner spent the next 15 minutes telling the two members of SG1 exactly what had happened. When they heard that O'Neill and Carter had been taken they both looked shocked and then angry.
"What's being done about it?" Daniel wanted to know. "Does Hammond have teams out looking?"
The Doctor explained that everything possible was being looked into but that they really didn't even have anywhere to start. He did tell them that they had figured out who had done it; that it was a Goa'uld named Matsya.
"The fish god? Why in the world would he kidnap Jack and Sam and the women?"
"There is a legend, Daniel Jackson, that Matsya was responsible for 'new life'. He was the one who provided new hosts to the Goa'uld. Maybe this is the reason."
"Oh God, do you mean that Sam and Jack have been turned into hosts?"
"That is possible, although my understanding is that the hosts are usually very young. I do not know why they would have been taken."
Daniel turned back to the Doctor. "We have to get out of here. We have to help Sam and Jack. Please Doctor, let us go."
"You'll have to wait for permission from General Hammond I'm afraid."
"Call him now. He'll let us go on your recommendation and then we can help find our friends."
"I'm sorry, it's the middle of the night. The General's home in bed. Why don't you just relax here and in the morning you can get out.
"Doctor, have you seen these cots? And the lights? Do you have any idea how impossible it is to rest in here? Please, you can restrict us to our rooms but we would really like to get out of here."
Warner considered them for a moment. He was thoroughly convinced they were okay so could see no harm in it.
"I tell you what, I'll arrange for you to share a VIP suite. That'll be a bit more comfortable but I'll insist that a guard be posted."
"That will be fine, Dr. Warner", Teal'c solemnly agreed.
The Doctor knocked on the door of the cell, hoping he'd done the right thing. He explained to the Security officer who objected, but who couldn't do much. The Doc was a superior officer. He did accompany Jackson and Teal'c to the VIP room and arranged for a guard. Shaking his head, he walked away. Warner returned to his cot, hoping to get a couple of hours of sleep.
Daniel and Teal'c sat, speaking quietly to each other. After about a half an hour Daniel stood up and knocked urgently on the door. The guard opened it.
"What is it Dr. Jackson?"
"It's Teal'c. I think something's wrong. He's passed out." Daniel pointed to the floor where Teal'c lay in a heap. The guard rushed over, knelt down and felt for Teal'c's pulse. That was the last thing he remembered for a long time.
"Very well done Daniel Jackson." Teal'c stood up and looked at his friend who was still holding the lamp with which he'd 'bashed' the guard.
"Thanks Teal'c. Didn't like to do it but we've gotta get out of here. The men are obviously still under the control of the women. We've got to get out of here and find Sam and force her to tell us how to stop this."
"What if she won't?"
Daniel paused and then grinned. "Then we'll just have to kill her."
Jack and Sam made up the bed with the sheets and blankets they'd discovered. Again, things were a bit musty but clean. Right now Jack wasn't about to complain. After the last few days just having a few basic things seemed like heaven. In fact, the little house was quite well equipped as far as day-to-day living was concerned.
"There, that's done. Anything else we can do to fix this place up?" He looked around but there was was really nothing more they could do. They had discovered, to their delight, that they had both hot and cold water. Sam figured it came from a hot spring underground but, whatever the source, it meant they could bathe. He'd miss having a shower but it was better than nothing, especially since they were going to be living in such close quarters.
Now that was really the issue here. How they were going to do this without killing each other – or falling into bed and 'Mai'thuning' each other - was the question. They'd have to discuss setting some rules for living together. He still couldn't believe he'd actually suggested this. He was either an idiot or a masochist!
"Sam/Colonel", they both spoke at once.
"You go first Carter." When she didn't speak but just stood there, looking nervous he spoke. "What is it?"
"Uh – I was just wondering – how we were going to manage this? We're going to be living awfully close and I'm just worried – uh …." She looked too embarrassed to continue.
"You're just wondering how you're going to keep from killing me right?" She looked slightly shocked, but, if he read her right, also as if she was thinking just that. She must expect that he'd be hard to live with. He knew he could be difficult but he also knew he was a different person at home than at work.
"Look Sam", he stopped. "Come here", he sat on the bed and patted the space beside him. "I think we need to discuss this. I know it's not going to be easy but we can do it. We've got a relatively comfortable place with a bathroom no less!" he said in triumph. She had to laugh but agree.
"Living so closely, there will be times we'll get on each other's nerves; that's just human nature. So let's figure some things out so we don't end up killing each other." He smiled and turned a bit more towards her.
"Look, I know you're worried that I'll be a pain in the butt. But don't forget Sam, I was married and I do know what it's like to live with someone – I don't mean live together like a married couple" now he appeared flustered, "but all about sharing space. Sara could tell you that I was pretty easy to live with; although she did threaten to kill me for leaving the toilet seat up. So you see, there's really no problem. We don't have a toilet seat here." He looked at her in triumph, as if that solved all their problems.
She looked up at that and lifted her eyebrows. Yeah, he knew there was more to it than that but they'd just have to take it one day at a time.
The first few days were difficult. They 'tip-toed' around one another, so worried about bothering the other one that they ended up driving each other crazy. It was 'sorry Sir', this and "is that okay Major?' that. It was almost as if they were two complete strangers who had been thrown together instead of friends and comrades of many years standing.
It was on the fifth day that things finally broke. Jack insisted that he do the dishes. He still was feeling guilty and tried to do as much as he could to take any burden off of Sam. There was not very much cooking; most of the food was delivered to them cooked, although they did get some fresh food.
After supper Sam had stood up to wash when Jack reached over and told her he'd do them.
"It's okay Sir, I don't mind."
"No, you go sit down Major, I'll finish here."
"No Sir, really, I can do it."
"I know you can Major – but so can I. You go rest."
That did it! That absolutely, positively did it.
"REST!" she screamed. "What the hell do you think I've been doing for days Colonel? All I've been doing is resting. At least this gives me some variety. Can't you bloody well rest and let me do something for a change? You won't let me do a damn thing and it's driving me crazy. I'm not an invalid. I want to wash the damn dishes!"
She stood there glaring at him, wearing nothing but a short little leather tunic, holding a dish rag, eyes flashing fire. As he stared back at her he could tell when the realization hit her that she'd just yelled at her commanding officer. Her expression changed from fury to guilt to apprehension in all of five seconds. She stood there totally still, waiting to be reprimanded and probably yelled at in return.
He took a deep breath and then burst out laughing. In fact, he laughed so hard he could barely breathe. He had to finally bend over and grab his knees to keep himself from falling over. He attempted to speak a number of times but every time he did another bout of laughter would hit.
After a few minutes of hysteria he was finally able to look up. As soon as he saw Sam's beat red, furious face the laughter started again.
It took a while but eventually he calmed down enough to speak.
"I'm sorry Sam", he hiccupped. "I'm not laughing at you, really, just at the situation. I can't believe it took you this long", he chuckled. "I would have killed me three days ago." She began to look puzzled.
"You don't have to worry, I'm not mad. In fact, I can't remember enjoying anything so much in a long time. If you could only have seen yourself telling me you wanted to do the 'damn dishes'"
He turned around and pulled a chair out and sat down. Gesturing for her to sit down as well he began to speak.
"Look, you had a total right to chew my butt out. I'm feeling guilty for this whole situation so I was trying to do something to feel less guilty. I guess doing the dishes isn't really going to cut it!" He was sure he heard a very soft 'ya think', but couldn't be sure.
"Colonel, you don't have anything to feel guilty about." She looked up at him, trying to decide whether to continue. Finally, with resolution in her eyes she asked "Sir, permission to speak freely?"
"Of course Sam, you don't need to ask." But of course she did, he realized. They were still behaving as commander and subordinate – and that was the problem. This situation made that very difficult.
"Sir, you have to stop feeling guilty. It really doesn't help." Oooh, that was a bit harsh, he thought but, when he considered it realized it was also true. "What we need to do is look forward and figure a way out of here."
"Sam, I am sorry – not for getting us into this, because you're right, it wasn't anything I did, it was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I am sorry for letting this situation go on too long. This isn't going to work if I spend my time feeling guilty and if you spend your time tiptoeing around me because I'm your CO. So, from this moment forward I am declaring this a 'military-free zone.' From now on I'm Jack and you can yell and scream at me all you want and I promise I'll let you do the dishes everyday from now on. I promise that what happens here stays here – you know, what happens in Las Mithrad, stays in Las Mithrad!"
She smiled at that but looked kind of worried. Without the military protocol she was really frightened as to where they could end up.
As it was, it turned out pretty well. They organized a routine that helped them get through the day. The Col- no, Jack was a man with a lot of energy and he would start to get antsy, and drive her crazy, if he didn't get enough activity so they developed an exercise routine. It was hard, at first, as there wasn't a lot of room, but Jack turned out to be quite inventive and turned their little room into a gym by using various utensils they found. Although she was active herself, and quite fit, she really felt herself growing even more so under Jack's 'training'.
In return, she taught him yoga. At first, he resisted, positive that it was some kind of mystic eastern crap. When she showed him how difficult some of the positions were, but also how good it could make him feel, he became a convert. At first he found it hard. He was extremely fit, but also quite stiff. His joints gave him some trouble, especially his knees, but after a while he definitely noticed that he was feeling better. The only thing he absolutely, categorically refused to do, he told her, was to say 'um' or chant.
After the success with the yoga Sam then tried to get Jack to meditate, knowing it would be very helpful in their present stressful situation. He absolutely refused. It wasn't that he thought there was something wrong with it – in fact he knew a lot of people who really benefited by it. The fact was he was terrified of what it would do to him. He spent a good amount of his life not allowing bad thoughts and memories to creep into his mind. He knew he could easily dive into serious depression by thinking about the things that had happened to him in his life. The idea of 'opening his mind' and letting these in was something he just wasn't willing to try.
Of course, he'd never tell any of this to Sam. With her he simply joked and made fun of meditation as 'mumbo jumbo'. When he'd said it for about the fifth time he realized that he had finally upset her. She seriously thought he was ridiculing her, which was never his intention.
After his last sarcastic comment she turned away from him and sat down at the table. Pulling out a few of the tools they'd found she began working on something; he didn't know what it was although he was sure it was brilliant. He tried to joke with her but she didn't answer. It was when he heard a small 'sniff' that he knew it was time to face the music.
"Sam", he said softly. She refused to look up.
"Sam, please, look at me." She glanced up but then immediately returned to her project.
"Sam, I'm sorry." Okay O'Neill – you gotta fess up here and try some honesty. "Sam, let me explain, please?" he asked cajolingly.
At that she finally put down the piece of wood she was fiddling with.
"It's okay Sir" (oooh – he was definitely in trouble). "I understand. I'm sorry I bugged you about it. I promise not to do it anymore. I know you think it's stupid."
"No Sam, I don't think it's stupid at all. In fact, I know it's not. As much as I sounded like an ass, I really do know that meditating is a good thing. I know lots of people who do it and get a lot out of it. I had psychologists trying to get me to do it for years." Okay, she may not know it but that there was a huge admission in and of itself; one that he'd never made to anyone before.
She may in fact have realized just that because she looked at him in surprise and compassion (maybe mixed with curiosity). When she didn't say anything he continued.
"Look, as I said, I know I was being an ass. I just couldn't tell you the real reason, okay." Maybe that would be enough.
"What is the real reason Jack?" At least he was back to being 'Jack'.
Breathe Jack, breathe. Not one for self confessions he was finding this difficult.
"It scares me, okay." There, he'd bared his soul. This time it was he who refused to look up.
"Why does it scare you?" She sounded confused.
"Well, there's not much in my mind to begin with so 'emptying it' just doesn't seem like a good idea."
"Jack, if you don't want to tell me you don't have to – but you don't have to cover it up by joking. Just tell me you don't want to do it for a 'personal reason' – that's all I need to know."
He sat there quietly, knowing she deserved more from him. He'd always found it to share anything of himself, but he sensed this could make a difference to their relationship – as friends of course.
"It'll let in the bad memories", he murmured so quietly she could barely hear him.
"What?" she asked gently, not sure if she'd heard him right.
"It'll let in all the bad memories. I don't think I could handle that."
Oh God, she'd never heard the Colonel – no – Jack – say anything like this before. Maybe only that once in the time-loop when he'd spoken about his son. Other than that he pretty much dealt with everything as a joke.
"I'm sorry Jack. I had no idea."
"Course not. It's not something I usually go around talkin' about." She knew from the way he sat there that this was a very big deal. He'd just opened up to her in a way he did with few people. She felt honored, but also frightened. She did not want to screw this up.
"But you're wrong Colonel." He looked up in surprise at her words, not even noticing that she'd called him by his rank again.
"What?"
"You're wrong. Emptying your mind doesn't let in the bad memories – it gets rid of them along with everything else. That's why they call it 'emptying'. It allows you to get beyond all of the bad, all of the stressful parts of your life." It was time for some confessions of her own.
"After Jolinar, I thought I was going to go mad. I had all her memories, along with my own. Everything got mixed up and I felt like I was living a nightmare. I finally went to see a therapist, one recommended by Janet. He convinced me to try meditation. Like you I was scared, scared that Jolinar would 'take over' if I allowed myself to let go. Instead, I was able to control my thoughts, my feelings in a way I'd never managed before. I felt free for the first time in a long time. Since then I use it anytime we've had a stressful mission or I'm worried or upset."
He sat quietly, thinking about her words and recognizing that she'd shared something equally as personal with him – just to help him feel better. Looking up finally, he smiled.
"Thanks Sam. And I really am sorry for being such a jerk. It's my way of dealing when I'm uncomfortable."
She laughed at this. "I know Colonel – we've all known that for a long time."
He wasn't quite sure to what to make of that but let it pass. "All right. You're telling me this meditation thing is helpful? Well then, show me how it works."
She was right, he admitted to himself a few days later. He felt better afterward. Of course, he'd never admit that to anyone and made Sam promise never to tell.
So, their days became set. In the morning they'd wake up and do yoga, then eat breakfast. After a short rest they'd do more vigorous excercises. Following that, they'd spend a good portion of the day trying to get the chains off of Jack. After supper they'd spend some time just talking and relaxing. Right before bed they'd both spend time meditating, then it was to sleep.
That was easily the most difficult time of the day – that and early morning. Jack so wanted to reach over and pull Sam to him. In many ways they were living as man and wife and yet were physically far apart. It was killing him.
Little did he know it but Sam was feeling the same way. On a couple of nights she woke up, her body pressed up against Jack. She would carefully move over but seemed to always gravitate towards him. He never said anything, so maybe he didn't notice.
She barely thought about Pete at all and when she did it was with guilt. She knew she was going to end it with him as soon as she got back but, knowing him, he was terribly worried for her. That just made the guilt all the worse.
She was sitting one evening, just thinking about things when Jack came over. He'd been working on a 'secret project' for the past few days. He'd go into their little bathroom to work on it, not wanting her to see. She must admit to being curious.
He stood in front of her, holding something with a cloth draped over it.
"What's that?" she asked, grinning.
"Oh, just a little something I whipped up." With that he took the cloth off and there was a home made chess set.
"Wow, did you do that?"
"No Carter, I went and bought it at WalMart."
"I'm sorry Jack, I'm just so impressed." Actually, it was quite amazing considering the few available tools and supplies they had. Jack set it on the table and she took a careful look at it. Then, she began to laugh.
The figures were clearly representations of friends of theirs from the SGC. The 'king' was Hammond – a bald figure with little stars engraved on him. The Queen was Janet. Jack had carved a little lab coat and a stethoscope around the neck. If she wasn't mistaken there was also a tiny penlight in one of the figures hands.
She laughed when she saw the Bishop – it was wearing teeny, tiny glasses and was carrying what looked like a cup of coffee. The knight was, of course, Teal'c – the emblem clear on his forehead. She had a bit of trouble figuring out the Castle until she saw the emblem of the SGC with a little round gate on it.
She was absolutely delighted with the whimsical chess set. Not only would it give them something to do in the evenings, it was a reminder of their home and friends.
"Aren't you going to look at the pawns", Jack asked, clearly pleased at her reaction. She reached down and picked one up, wondering who he'd used for the pawns. Then she laughed – it was Thor! Of course, all the little Thors looked exactly the same – perfect!
"This is amazing Jack! Thank you for doing this." She laughed in delight again. "This is too funny!"
Jack smiled back, thrilled that he had brought some happiness to her.
"You realize that I'm gonna whip your butt don't you?" he asked, feeling quite cocky.
"Oh, I don't think so Colonel. In fact, I challenge you to a game right now!"
She had known for years that Jack liked chess but she'd never actually played it with him. Daniel and he had a running game but she'd never asked him how well Jack played. She was a pretty good player herself and didn't want to slaughter him. She decided to go easy on him so that he wouldn't feel bad.
It took about 15 minutes for her to realize she not only didn't have to 'go easy' on him – in fact, she was absolutely, completely out of her league with Jack. He was an expert and easily bested her, again and again.
She didn't know quite why she was so surprised. Maybe she'd gotten arrogant with her designation as the resident SGC genius. All she knew was that Jack had a knack for seeing moves way in advance and planning accordingly. It struck her one evening, after about the fifth loss in a row, that he was a master at tactics. It was what he did, it was one of the things that made him such an excellent leader and which had saved their collective butts on numerous occasions. The skills of chess were the same as those of a military commander – to see the moves of the enemy in advance and plan for them.
No wonder he was great – as a soldier and as a chess player. No, maybe he couldn't name all the elements on the periodic table – but he was a genius in his own right.
Right now he was contemplating the chessboard. It was amazing how still he could be when he needed to be, she thought.
"Jack?"
"Hmmm?"
"Do you know the elements on the periodic table?"
"Hmmm, what?" He kept looking at the board.
"The elements – on the periodic table."
"Yeah, what about 'em?"
"Do you know them?"
"Yeah. Except maybe the newest ones." He reached over and moved his knight, glancing up in triumph at her. He saw that she was looking at him in surprise.
"What?" he asked, frowning.
"You really know them?"
"Know what Carter? What are you talking about?"
"You said you knew all the elements on the periodic table."
"I did?"
"Yes, you did. Just now. So, you really know them?"
She was absolutely charmed at how embarrassed he looked. He'd been well and truly caught out. She'd known, in fact they'd all known, for years that Jack was smart. She was beginning to believe he was much more than just smart.
"Had to learn them in school. They just stuck I guess. Why the question?"
"Oh, I don't know – maybe because I just realized what a fraud you are."
"Fraud? Me? Carter, what's goin' on in that head of yours tonight."
"Well, you've liked to pretend, for a lot of years, that you're not so smart. We all knew that wasn't true and I've just proved it."
"What? Because I memorized the elements. It takes a lot more than that to be smart Sam."
"No, not just because of that. Look at the way you play chess. No matter how hard I try, and believe my, I'm trying, I can never beat you. There's lots of other things too – things you don't realize you're saying at times."
He groaned. "Sam, I'm just a regular guy. You and Daniel are the smart ones. I'm just a soldier. So, I've picked up a few things, that doesn't mean anything."
"Jack?"
"What now?" he asked, rolling his eyes.
"Did you go to university?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because Daniel, Teal'c and I have a bet going and I want to win."
"A bet! What kind of bet?"
"Well, Teal'c doesn't think you went to college. He says you are a warrior and were trained to fight." Jack snorted – that was the truth. "Daniel thinks you got your Bachelors Degree only – just enough to make it to officer's school."
"He does, does he. What does he think I studied, Machine Shop or Basket Weaving?"
She giggled, "No, I think he thinks you did English or something like that."
"Really? Good guess."
"That's what you studied? English?" She wasn't surprised really. Jack had a real love of language – and could use it very effectively.
"Yeah – English Lit and Composition. I used to like to write."
"What did you write?"
"Not Science Fiction, I promise."
Laughing, she said she wasn't surprised. She tried to pin him down but he refused to tell her any more. She'd have to worm it out of him slowly!
"So, any thing else?"
"Hmmm", he answered innocently.
"Any other degrees?"
"Now Carter, why would I get any more degrees? I only needed an undergraduate degree to become an officer.
"Sir – Any. Other. Degrees? She asked very pointedly.
"Mssrs n flsflfy." He muttered.
"I didn't hear that Sir." She wasn't going to let him get away with this.
"A Masters in Philosophy."
"Really? Wow Sir, that's impressive. Philosophy's a hard subject."
"Nah – just a lot of reading and talking - both things I'm good at Carter." He was quite red in the face, she noticed.
"Why philosophy?" She was really curious – he so often seemed to be man of action rather than a 'thinker' but that wasn't the mark of a philosopher.
"Just wanted to know what made people tick Carter. Are we done now? Can we get back to the game?" Yup – O'Neill was definitely embarrassed by this conversation.
"Did you ever write anything on it?" So she wasn't going to give up, was she?
"Yes, now let's play chess!"
"Under one condition. You show me what you wrote when we get home."
"I don't know if I even have it anymore. It's probably long gone."
"Really?" She looked him directly but when he wouldn't meet her eyes she knew he was 'fibbing'. "Nope – you promise or no more chess."
"Ever?" he sounded like a disappointed little boy.
"For one week."
"Okay, fine, I'll show you the articles – article – but you promise not to laugh?"
"Of course not. And thank you!"
That evening was a real breakthrough in their relationship. Now that she really knew something about the Colonel she began to talk to him, not as her commander, but as a very intelligent, thoughtful man.
The 'plan to break free' on the other hand, wasn't really going anywhere. The house was solid, and surrounded by the compound. As for the chains attached to Jack, they were made of a material that was almost impossible to break.
They'd found a small file, which had thrilled them, until they realized how hard the metal really was.
"This reminds me of the metal on that probe the went through your shoulder."
"Don't remind me Carter", he said, shuddering. One of the more awful experiences of his life!
"Why do you think aliens have this irresistible urge to skewer me? First it was that damn probe, then that titanium arrow, then Ba'al" (he looked at her when he mentioned Ba'al – none of them knew everything that he'd done although they knew about some of the knives), now this." He flicked the chain. "There must be something about me that cries, 'come, stick things in me'."
"I know Sir – it's terrible. I really feel bad but if we keep it up eventually it'll come off."
She really did feel badly for him. He'd been hurt way too much.
So, after the yoga and exercise, they worked on filing the chain. When there was absolutely no evidence of any effect they started on the 'medallion'. The loop that suspended it from the chain looked like slightly different material. They began to file it. After two weeks they could see a bit of change – there was a groove forming. They figured, at this rate, they'd get it off just before the two months were up.
Slowly, day by day, their relationship was changing. Although neither of them recognized it, it would soon become apparent that they had well and truly moved beyond Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter!
Daniel and Teal'c quietly walked through the corridors of the SGC. They only came across one Airman who simply smiled at them as they passed. They were too familiar a sight for anyone to question their presence.
They made their way to the requisition area. Here they had to take out two guards who they tied up and hid. It was a good thing they were men otherwise it would have been much worse for them.
After they'd collected all the weapons and equipment they needed, Daniel and Teal'c headed to the Control Room.
A lonely technician sat at the controls. No teams, other than that of Major Griff and Dr. Frasier, was off world – and they weren't expected back yet. When Dr. Jackson came sauntering in he didn't think anything of it; it wasn't an unusual occurrence.
"Dr. Jackson. What can I do for you?"
"Sorry soldier" Daniel zatted him and Teal'c quickly tied him up. While Teal'c was occupied, Daniel began the dialing sequence. As the chevron reached six they ran down the stairs. As they sped up the ramp they heard the shouts of the SF's – they even heard one or two shots fired.
They both threw themselves into the wormhole. They had Jack – and an entire planet of men – to save.