Stargate Command

There was a knock on the door that had Teal'c opening his eyes and raising a brow in the candlelit room. "Enter."

Daniel peeked his head in, confirming his fear that he was interrupting and winced. "Hey Teal'c, gotta second?"

"I have many Daniel Jackson." Standing, he nodded and motioned him inside with a gentle swing of his arm.

Daniel stepped inside and closed the door behind him, walking slowly to the other side of the room.

It had been a difficult week, and the constant worry for Jack and Sam had them both on edge.

Teal'c frowned as he watched Daniel; overtly aware that the lack of sleep and copious amounts of caffeine were taking their toll on his gentle friend. He could see the tracks of self-doubt and desperation trailing behind him as he entered the room, eerily quiet as Teal'c waited patiently for him to find his words.

When Daniel turned, he swept his glasses off his face with an exhausted sigh before lifting the bottom of his shirt in a half-hearted attempt to clean them off. His squinted eyes rose to meet Teal'c's nervously. "So, I've been thinking about trying to get another message out to Jacob."

"Do you believe that is wise?"

Daniel heard the disapproval in his tone. In fact, he'd been expecting it.

Which was why it had taken him all morning to work up the nerve to run it by him. As he slid his glasses back onto his face, he couldn't help the building frustration as he used his index finger to shove the arch, pushing the spectacles into place.

"I don't know if I'd call it wise, but we don't really have another choice right now Teal'c."

…

Ever since Maybourne had pushed Daniel into the coffee house bathroom and filled him in on the dire circumstances, they'd been desperate to help Jack and Sam in any way possible. But since that day, Daniel and Teal'c had been sidelined. As soon as Daniel had arrived on base that day, they were informed by General Hammond that gate travel and off base privileges for both of them had been suspended until further notice.

There was no mistaking the underlying anger in Hammond's voice as he gave them the news, making it abundantly clear that his hands were tied and he was being forced to walk the line.

Daniel spoke out against it immediately, but his passionate defense fell on deaf ears, and any talk about helping Jack and Sam in any way only resulted in talks of treason and the crime of aiding and abetting fugitives.

The stark truth was that they were alone. And if they were going to get any help, it would have to come by way of the stargate.

Their focus quickly shifted as they tried to think of seemingly valid reasons to contact the Asgard and/or the Tok'ra that wouldn't raise suspicions.

Any wishful thinking that Thor would be able to track down Jack and Sam and beam them somewhere safe while they worked out a plan to get their lives back dissipated quickly. They hadn't heard from the Asgard in ages. And as far as thinking of a valid reason to contact them, Daniel was coming up empty.

The Tok'ra on the other hand were more up his alley. Something dealing with a translation involving the Goa'uld would be along the usual lines of something he would realistically reach out to them for.

It took another day before an idea came to mind.

Daniel had been in his lab, staring absentmindedly at a recently discovered artifact involving Nun, the Egyptian god of primeval waters.

It was a large piece of aged cloth with a drawing of Nun lifting a ship into the sky as an offering to the sun god Ra at the beginning of time. The representation was littered with vertical lines of small hieroglyphs, a big sun disk and a huge scarab. It was a well-known drawing among Goa'uld and Jaffa. One that represented the eternal union between the soul and the body, a complete resurrection of a living being.

And although Daniel had seen it many times, this depiction was different. It was vibrant and fresh as if it had been preserved in a museum vault. Daniel had treated it like a family heirloom when he found it, admiring the attention to detail that other versions lacked, including Nun's bright blue Egyptian vest and the tight lattice work …

As his eyes pulled focus, Daniel perked up immediately when he saw it, grabbing his magnifying glass and studying the small straight lines with wild intensity. "It's perfect," he whispered.

…

It was a painstaking process weaving the Ancient writing into the lattice work of Nun's vest, and Teal'c did his best to block the camera in Daniel's lab with his big frame. Once it was complete, he headed to General Hammond with a tall tale, hoping to convince him that the translation of the Ancient writing, was important enough to request the Tok'ra's help.

Luckily, there weren't many people on Earth that would've recognized the deception, even if they were looking for it. And when it came time to make the pitch, the General went for it easily. That's when Daniel knew that although Hammond had been barred from assisting in any way, he wasn't going to stand in their way.

…..

But it had been two days since he sent the urgent request for assistance along with the modified cloth drawing…and nothing. The only thing Daniel could think of was to send out second request, this time to the High Council.

Daniel held up his palms to Teal'c placatingly, "I know. I know we said we could only risk one communication safely. That anymore might alert the bad guys…but what if Jacob didn't see the ancient writing in the design? I mean, I was hoping it would be easy for Selmak to recognize, but it's been two days and nothing. No Jack, no Sam and now no Jacob." He raked his hands through his hair and his voice strained, exposing his real fear. "We don't even know if they're still alive Teal'c. Would if this Knight guy got to them already?"

"O'Neill and Major Carter are fierce warriors Daniel Jackson. I believe it is highly unlikely that they would allow themselves to be captured so easily."

"Yes, but how come they haven't found a way to contact us?"

Teal'c opened his mouth to reply and was cut short by the familiar blaring of klaxons.

'Unscheduled Off-World Activation!'

Sgt. Harriman's voice echoed through the loudspeakers and Daniel's eyes widened as their eyes met.

Two minutes later Daniel tried to mask his eagerness as he sprinted into the control room, coming to a quick stop next to General Hammond, catching his breath as Teal'c stood beside him, annoyingly unaffected by the sprint.

"It's the Tok'ra sir." Harriman called out.

"Open the iris." The General canted his head at Daniel. "Well, this may be in reference to the design on that piece of artwork you've been waiting so patiently to hear back about Dr. Jackson."

Daniel didn't miss the hopeful inflection in his voice as he watched him head for the stairs. "I hope so General."

As soon as the General turned, Daniel grinned widely at Teal'c, slapping him on the shoulder excitedly before following Hammond to the embarkation room.

But when Jacob Carter came through the blue shimmer and made his way down the ramp, the rage in his eyes made Daniel's smile fade.

"Jacob." The General greeted him warily.

Jacob's jaw was clenched, and just when it seemed like he was going to say something, his head bowed before rising again. His eyes flashed and his features calmed instantly as Selmak's voice came through.

"It is good to see you General Hammond. Dr. Jackson, I apologize for our delay, it could not be avoided. However, we received your design and I'm fairly certain we can help with the translation of the Ancient text."

Daniel seemed frozen in time, still in shock from Jacob's sudden transformation and it took a nudge from Teal'c's shoulder to snap him out of it. "Oh, yes…yes of course. That's uh… great…really great."

General Hammond nodded, "Well Dr. Jackson, I'll leave you to it. When you've finished with your research, I would like a debrief on your findings." Not waiting for a response, he turned on his heel to head back upstairs.

"Uh yes General, of course." Daniel called out behind him before nodding at Selmak. "Everything's in my lab, right this way."

The communication between Daniel and Selmak was tedious. They passed a pad of paper back and forth, writing in Ancient just in case Teal'c body was unable to cover them from the prying camera completely. Daniel filled them in on what Harry had told him and they tried to bounce some ideas on how to track Jack and Sam down.

Besides an unlikely theory that Selmak might be able to adjust the sensors in the Tel'tak they used for detecting Naquadah signatures in mines, to track down the small amount of Naquadah in Sam, was far-fetched at best. Even if it worked, it would take months to cover Colorado Springs let alone the rest of the country. Daniel equated the effort to a needle in a haystack, and after Jacob explained the reference, Selmak replied, "that task would be a simple endeavor by comparison."

Daniel's head hung in disappointment, really wishing the Tok'ra would've allowed just a little hope.

Selmak advised that as soon as they returned to their base, they would put in an official request with the SGC for Daniel and Teal'c to accompany them back for a meeting with the High Council to discuss the findings of the translation. Once Daniel and Teal'c gated in, Jacob would have a cloaked Tel'tak waiting and they would be stateside in less than a day.

Jack shifted and moaned, unable to bring himself to open his eyes just yet. There was a cold and empty feeling stirring in his chest as he reached out instinctively for her, his hand landing on the hard edge of the small bed instead. That had him opening his eyes, immediately noticing the sheet over him as the scent of her arousal lingered in the air. He sat up and scanned the room, seeing the computer on the small table with a dancing screensaver.

There was a clawing in his gut that he pushed away, annoyed at how much not knowing where she was affected him, even when the enclosed moving platform made it impossible for her to be anywhere else; Asgard beam technology notwithstanding of course.

He would get a shower and then seek her out.

He rubbed his hands over his stubble as he thought of earlier and smiled. Falling asleep was one thing, passing out was another. And he never done that before. Although he had never come twice like that before either…let alone that hard. Just the memory of her taking him like that had his groin awakening. It had been a first time for that too. He stood up and stretched before plodding to the small shower, disappointed that he had missed out on washing her, although it would've been a hellava tight fit.

After getting out, he dried off and was heading over to their duffel when he heard a noise at the door. Expecting she was returning, he turned. But when all he heard was a scratching noise, he froze. It sounded as if someone was trying to jimmy the lock. His hackles rose. Fists clenching, he closed the distance quickly.

Striking first in a fight wasn't necessary, but provided a good advantage.

Striking first in a fight while naked however…was absolutely goddamn essential.

As the door opened, Jack pulled his punch just in time to avoid contact with Sam's face, and muttered. "Shit."

Holding a cup in each hand and clutching a bag between her teeth, Sam let out a muffled yelp as his fist stopped short and stumbled backwards. The room key dropped from between her two fingers as Jack reached for her, grabbing her hip with one hand and the to-go cup that was dangerously close to tipping with the other as he pulled her against him just inside the threshold. They froze and he recovered first, wincing at her shocked face. "Hey, sorry about that."

He watched her wide eyes roam down his bare chest pressed against her as her cheeks pinked. She took the bag out of her mouth with her free hand and held it up, sounding a bit breathless. "I got some provisions. Were you expecting someone else?"

A small squeak sounded behind her and Sam turned to see someone passing by the door, realizing it was still open. "I should probably get that before a crowd forms." She huffed a laugh and handed him the bag, before picking up the key and shutting the door.

When she spun back around, her chest met his as he backed her against the door. and leaned his head in for a kiss, needing to taste her. He heard her exhale a little moan as his tongue pushed passed the crease of her lips and slid slowly along the roof of her mouth. The tightness he had felt in his chest since he woke up without her, finally started to ease as he pulled his head back and flashed her a small smile. "Okay, so I might've been a little worried."

She cocked her head questioningly.

"The IRS guy."

Sam eyed him defensively. "Doubting my abilities, are we?"

He shook his head. "Never."

Which was true. He had taught her himself. Seen her in action, felt her power, and knew from experience that she could wipe the floor with the guy without breaking a sweat. But it had nothing to do with that.

Leaning in again, he stopped just short of contact, and she felt her nipples harden as his warm breath teased her lips; his dark gaze making her stomach twist with desire. "I don't know if you know this about me, but I can get a bit overprotective at times…some might say possessive even."

Sam bit back a groan, feeling a familiar warmth forming. "You don't say…."

He nodded slowly "Oh yes. So, absolutely nothing to do with your abilities and everything to do with me."

Her soft voice mirrored his as she eyed his enticingly full lower lip an inch from her mouth. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that kind of thing turns me on then."

Slipping her hand around the back of his neck, she smirked. "But for the record, the day I can't handle myself against a tax man, is the day I hang it up." Then she was pulling him to her, licking her target before sucking it between her teeth with a little growl. Jack groaned as she raked down his wet lip slowly before releasing.

She looked down when she felt his arousal press against her thigh as it started to spring to life and hummed.

Jack followed her eyes. The fact that she could get him hard with a kiss after their big romp earlier, boggled his mind. As much as he loved the idea of sinking into her again, he could feel the exhaustion lingering and knew it would be awhile until he fully recovered.

"Pay no attention to him…he's a dreamer."

She bit her lip, still looking. "Are you sure? Looks like some damn good dreams."

"I'm sure…he's sure…we talked about it and we're both sure." He quipped.

Her eyebrow rose and he shook his head to dissuade her from her obvious thoughts. "Sam, if you make me come again, I'm going to slip into a coma. Hell, I might've last time…I'm not really sure…I can't remember anything after the whimpering."

Her face split into a big grin as she laughed hard, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

He couldn't help but smile, it always gave him a thrill when he could make her laugh like that. "It's not nice to laugh at your elders you know. Didn't anyone ever tell you that?"

Lifting her head, she rolled her eyes, the big smile still gracing her lips. "Please, you are not old." Her fingers wrapped around his semi-hard girth and he groaned. "Case in point."

He held up the coffee and food in surrender and leaned in for a chaste kiss. "Mercy."

She smiled smugly, releasing him as he turned and headed to the table to set things down. "So what's in the goodie bag?"

The lack of response and sudden silence made him turn around. Sam had stopped short of the table and when he saw her downward gaze and the guilt-stricken look on her face, his stomach dropped. Plucking the other cup from her hand and placing it blindly on the table behind him, he cradled the nape of her neck with his hands, tangling his fingers in her soft waves as he searched her eyes. "Hey, where'd you go?"

She met his eyes hesitantly, fumbling with her words. "I'm sorry Jack…I didn't mean to…to…I didn't even realize…"

The obvious distress in her voice tugged at his heart. "Whoa…whoa…" he interrupted softly. "What's this all about?"

"My nails…your back." She swallowed hard, wringing her hands together. "The scratches are… I'm sorry…I should've gotten something for them while I was out."

When it occurred to him what she was talking about, he huffed a laugh of relief. "Jesus Sam, that's what you're worried about? Don't you dare apologize; it was hot as hell to feel you put your mark on me like that. Honest."

Her small smile didn't quite reach her eyes and his expression turned serious as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers reassuringly. "Sam, I'm fine. You said you wanted all of me. Well, I want all of you too. No holding back on me okay?"

When she nodded and he noticed the tension in her shoulders wane, he pulled her in for a hug.

Glancing down at her as he pulled away, he smiled, "Nice shirt by the way."

She shrugged, "It reminded me of you so…."

Chuckling, he turned and stepped toward the duffel for some clothes, "I still think if the Enterprise was a good enough name for Kirk and Picard then…"

His sentence died as he froze. "Doh!" His eyes widened as his turned around, holding up a bright yellow Homer t-shirt with a big dimply grin. "Excellent."

Letting out a giggle, she unpacked the sandwiches. "I know it's like an unnaturally bright yellow but…"

"Are you kidding? It's great…thanks." He slipped it over his head, smiling wide as he stretched the bottom of it away from his body to look at it again; making the frosted pink donut with sprinkles in Homer's grasp look huge.

He slid on some boxers and had a seat, opening up the wax paper on his turkey sandwich as she swallowed her first bite.

"So, I need to fill you in on what I found."

His eyes widened as he stuffed a mouthful to the side of his cheek to talk around it, "You found something?"

She nodded, wiping her mouth with a bar napkin. "A shell corporation with a money trail…and a list…a coded list of names from different sectors of government agencies, including the SGC."

He stopped mid-chew with a muffled, "Wha?"

She nodded, "I know and it's a long list Jack. God knows how long they've been there, right under our noses."

Grimacing, he shook his head and swallowed, "NID is one thing…but the SGC?"

They ate in silence, letting the information marinate.

"So, can you break the code?"

"No…but the FBI can." A corner of her mouth twitched.

He couldn't help the smirk. Maybe it should have made him nervous that she was actively hacking into the same federal agency that would inevitably grace the country's ten most wanted list with their photos, but it didn't. He was forever in awe of her brilliance.

"Then we'll have to figure out a way to get the information to Daniel. I just don't know how yet. Between the Air Force, the spies at the SGC and NID, and Knight's men, they'll be tracking his every movement, his phone, and his computer."

She continued. "I mean an email would be the simplest method, but it would only take a couple of minutes for a good IT guy to pull the information and save it on another server before Daniel could delete it. And as soon as Knight found out Daniel knew about the list; he'd be the next target."

Jack frowned at that. "I'm not putting anyone else in that asshole's crosshairs."

His mind wandered as he finished the last bite of his sandwich and took another sip of his coffee, talking out loud absentmindedly. "Too bad we couldn't do something like Mission Impossible."

When she cocked her head in confusion, he rolled his eyes.

"You know…" His cleared his throat before impersonating a low monotone voice from his memory, "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds." Then he motioned his hands out to the sides and puffed his cheeks out for a little imaginary boom, with fizzling sound effects and everything.

Sam straightened as her mouth gaped.

"Seriously? Come on, the tv series…Peter Graves, and the newer movies with you know…" Snapping his fingers, he looked down, his eyebrows furrowed as he struggled to remember the name, "The kid from Top Gun, and the movie where he dances in his skivvies with the shades…damn…what's his name…"

Her eyes widened. "Genius."

He waved her off, "No, that's not it." Then he looked up as the word processed. "Huh?"

"You're a genius." She flashed him one of her big dazzling smiles that made him forget what they were even talking about.

His eyebrows rose as he smirked. "How's that now?"

"The Mission Impossible thing, I can do that."

It was his turn to gape. "You can make an email self-destruct?"

"Yes! I mean no…not blow up or fizzle, or whatever that weird thing you did with your mouth was. But I could have a virus implanted in the email designed to activate as soon as the audio recording played through. A list would take too long for him to try and memorize, but a smaller message…"

Jack shrugged, "Why don't we just tell him about our next stop. That we'll leave the list for him hidden somewhere at the station."

She nodded, "That could work. And if we hid it in an email requesting his translation services, from say a museum or something, there's no way anybody watching would be able to recognize it as a fake message and translate quick enough."

He smiled, "Sounds like a plan."

She sighed. "Now we just need a language for him to translate. Something not immediately familiar to the average Joe IT guy. I guess I could use a language translation program online…"

"Well, my Farsi is a bit rusty, but it maybe obscure enough to work and he'd be able to recognize my voice."

Sam grinned as she got up quickly, and he moved his arm just in time to avoid a collision with his coffee as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. "That's perfect."

He hummed with satisfaction, grabbing her hip with his free hand and inviting her onto his lap. She straddled him and her smile gentled as her eyes flicked to his hair. Her fingers followed, combing through his damp locks languidly as he closed his eyes and sighed; her gentle massage lulling him into submission.

He traced her spine with the pads of his fingers, wanting a lifetime of these moments.

The feel of her body against his…anchoring him.

Her touch chasing away the darkness.

The soft clacking of the tracks played through the room like a romantic overture and had him wishing they could stay like this forever. Isolated and safe in each other's arms.

A sense of longing stirred within as he reveled in the moment and opened his eyes, gazing at her with an unmistakable reverence that had her blushing. And when he opened his mouth to speak, the words in Farsi flowed off his tongue like melted butter, stunning her fingers into stillness. She didn't need to know the language to hear the inflection of intimacy behind the words.

He certainly didn't sound rusty.

"What did you say?" The glint in her eyes had him thinking that she might have a thing for languages, or maybe only when they were spoken just for her.

Tight-lipped, he smiled and shook his head slowly, planning on keeping it a secret…for now.

"Oh, come on…" She cajoled, leaning in and nuzzling his neck with purpose. A needy groan was coaxed out of him as her lips and tongue worked over the long cords, digging into the hollows of his collarbone while her hips rocked against him; the gentle sway of the train adding to the friction as he hardened against her heat.

Suddenly a coma sounded like an acceptable risk.

In a last-ditch effort to resist, he threw out a strained compromise, hoping like hell she'd bite. "How about you ask me again when things calm down a bit."

That got her to pause. She met his eyes and nodded slowly, conceding with a sultry, "I can do that," before kissing him in a way that had his whole body standing at attention and aching for more. Hell, he would've given her the secrets to the universe if it meant she wouldn't stop doing that with her tongue.

As she swallowed his moan, he couldn't help but think…if she had a thing for languages, his French wasn't half bad either.