2

He wakes slowly…so slowly. His sleep was so good, deep… Reluctantly his eyes drift open. He is outdoors, in a field, lying on a blanket. He tries to recall how he came here, but it is too difficult, and it doesn't matter, anyway. Turning onto his back, he gazes up at the sky; the blue star and its accompanying sweep of color make him smile.

Someone is beside him. He turns his head lazily to see, and catches his breath. She is so pretty, he thinks. Sleeping, she is turned on her side toward him, and he studies her face, smooth, peach colored skin, perfect lips, the lower fuller and slightly pouty, parted as she breathes. Hair like sunshine—cut very short, tousled; arched blond brows, with long lashes to match lying on her cheeks. A thrill rushes through his body, settles between his legs, and he moves away a little, embarrassed. He wonders what color her eyes are. Her skin looks so soft, he moves his hand toward her, but does not dare touch…

His eyes travel further; her throat and shoulders—smooth, creamy—are bare, her arms curled so that her hands are tucked under her cheek. She is wearing a kind of silky shirt, with thin straps, blue—heavenly blue… I think her eyes are blue... How do I know that? He can see the swell of her breasts under the shirt, and he quickly averts his gaze, but it is too late and his body is tensing again, growing hard and urgent. He sucks in a deep breath and holds it, closing his eyes until he feels more in control.

Who is she? He knows her. He is sure that he knows her. And yet, everything about her is new and fascinating. He cannot recall who she could be or where he might have seen her. But it is enough simply to lie here and look at her, to wait, perhaps, for her eyes to open—they are blue—he is sure, now, that they are blue...

She breathes, feels the air filling her lungs, waking her body. Another breath, and she opens her eyes—and looks into the deepest, most beautiful, dark brown eyes she has ever seen. Gentle, warm, full of sweetness. A beautiful face; chiseled lips, but soft, and vulnerable, perfect chin, thick brows—a scar bisecting one of them. The best, kindest, most desirable face she can imagine.

And he is looking back at her with an expression of such longing and love and uncertainty that her whole being goes out to him. She smiles and his lips curve in answer. No name for him comes to her mind, no memory of him, but he is hers, the one, the most important being in her world. She sees into his soul, to the goodness there; it is in his eyes, and on his face.

Her gaze goes to his body, and her breath hitches. He has a cloth draped around his hips, but otherwise he is naked. Bronzed skin stretches tightly over the strongly developed muscles of his chest; wide shoulders, narrow waist, deeply defined biceps. His nipples are erect, hard and inviting. Licking her lower lip, she catches it between her teeth, thinking how it will feel to run her tongue over those nipples. Liquid heat rises and pools at her core; her body loosens and her thoughts cloud with arousal. Every nerve ending sings with anticipation.

"You are so beautiful," he whispers, and pleasure fills her heart. He reaches out toward her, and pauses. "May… I?"

She nods, then watches as his hand approaches slowly and brushes her shoulder, gently traces the length of her arm, and reaches for her hand. She opens it to him and his fingers trail lightly across her palm. The touch is electric, and she gasps with shock. Closing her fingers on his, she draws his hand up to her lips, and kisses it, caressing his skin with her tongue, all the time keeping her eyes locked on his. His eyes widen and glaze with desire, and she sees his battle to hold himself back. She releases his hand, and he strokes her cheek with his knuckles; her lips tremble. Her fingers reach for his body and her nails skate lightly across his chest. Air whooshes from his mouth and he groans heavily. She reaches down and pulls away the cloth draped across his hips, exposing his full readiness. Through the silky fabric of her shirt, her nipples stand out high and hard; he catches one between thumb and forefinger and rolls it lightly, causing her to shudder and shriek.

He is breathing hard now, and she is making small sounds deep in her throat, and she sits up, pulling her shirt up over her head and throwing it aside; he pushes her onto her back and leans over her, and his groans thicken and become a deep, constant purr, despite the fact that his mouth is fully occupied with one of her breasts, and his tongue is bringing her closer… oh, so much closer to that which she desires so deeply.

The pants she was wearing have vanished and he is lying between her legs, and her legs are wrapped around his body and with a ragged sigh he slides into her soft heat, slipping in deeply, and kissing her mouth, devouring her mouth with his greedy one; they are both moving, moving in rhythm, together, moving, thrusting, until together they reach their peak, and they rise and soar together…

Afterward they lie, holding tightly to each other, legs entwined, her head on his chest, his face buried in her hair, breathing in the scent of one another.

"My name is Jonah," he tells her softly.

"I'm Thera," she replies.

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3

"Well, doctor?" General Hammond says quietly. He is standing at the foot of Daniel's bed with Janet and Teal'c.

"He's going to be fine," Janet tells them. "It was an allergic reaction to something on the planet. He's been exposed to high levels of histamines. Slightly different than what you usually find on Earth, so his meds weren't effective enough. Once he was back here, away from the exposure, he started improving immediately. He should be back to normal in a few hours."

Something in her tone tells Hammond there is more. "What else, Dr. Fraiser?"

She frowns slightly. "Daniel has also been exposed to some sort of radiation. Nothing I recognize, and it doesn't seem to have hurt him. It's dissipating, but we found traces in his blood tests. I checked Teal'c, and found it on his skin, his symbiont has evidently cleaned it from his blood. The radiation may be harmless—we get exposed to lot of kinds that are. But until I know more, I'd suggest anyone who goes to that planet wear full hazmat gear and go through decontamination when they get back."

Hammond exchanges glances with Teal'c. Both men have tensed. "O'Neill and MajorCarter have been on P6R-724 for over four hours, GeneralHammond. They have not answered our radio hails. I ask permission to return and search for them. I will go alone so as not to risk anyone else."

Hammond looks at him for a few moments, then turns to Janet. "Doctor? What do you think?"

"I think Teal'c is safe, sir. But anybody else should be suited up just in case."

"I'll ask for volunteers to go with you," Hammond decides. "I'm sure we'll find some."

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