Title: Xanadu
Season: Late 4/early 5. Since Jack and Sam are together this must be an AU (but I really hate calling it that.) It's our pre-ascension SG-1-just slightly different. If asked I would say this takes place 4 months after my Seven Days- The Return Home story, but can most definitely be read as a stand-alone.
Category: Drama, Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Romance
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Rating: R
Warnings: adult themes, language, sexual situations, violence
Summary: SG-1 find themselves captured on a planet and forced into a most
unusual situation.

Notes: This story is not entirely light and fluffy (ok, big understatement here). Although Sam and Jack are an established couple, this is not just a vehicle written in order for them to have explicit sex. What Jack and Sam do on their own time is their own business and I'll leave the good smut writing to those far more gifted at is than I. My specialty is angst. Relationships. And good old-fashioned adventure.

This story is about choices SG-1 must make in the field and the repercussions that follow. It's an idea that I couldn't get out of my head and with luck- I was able to successfully get down on cyber-paper. No graphic sex scenes are going to be seen but some explicit acts might be implied. You have been warned. Remember, it is always darkest before the dawn and that I ALWAYS finish my stories on a positive note.

Oh! And all the historical stuff about the khans is accurate. See? The history degree DOES come in handy once in awhile.

Chapter 1

Colonel Jack O'Neill adjusted his glasses as the wormhole disengaged -it was bright on this planet. Not the usual murky sunshine filtered through trees, but pure unadulterated light shining down from two large yellow suns.

"Remind you of anyplace Daniel?" Jack O'Neill asked his friend. From the corner of his eye Jack could see Daniel attempting to hide a smile; this place WAS a lot like Abydos. Maybe Danny would find yet another alien babe.

"Your turn to receive the welcome gift Jack." Daniel said adjusting his own sunglasses and tightening the straps on his backpack. After 6 years he could finally crack small jokes about their first trip through the gate and the resulting marriage of Daniel to his wife Sha're. As welcome gifts went, that HAD been a good one.

"Nahh." Jack O'Neill said glancing quickly at his 2IC, Major Samantha Carter. "I say we give the honor to Teal'c."

"What is this honor you speak of O'Neill?"

Jack grinned. "You'll have to ask Dr. Jackson on that one." Jack took a moment to examine the landscape through his binoculars. Not a hell of a lot to see. He idly checked the clip on his P-90 and after confirming his team was ready to move, gave the order to move out.

The planet was nothing more than a giant desert and a desolate one at that. No discernible plant or animal life but a high concentration of naquada was somewhere due west of the gate. The twin suns blazed unrelentingly down on the 3 humans and single Jaffa warrior as they slowly made their way across the sands. The minutes slowly passed into hours.

"Are we at least getting close Major?" Jack asked in what he hope wasn't a whiny voice. As much as he complained about trees, he really did prefer the temperate climates. Daniel of course was happy as a bug in a rug. Well maybe not THAT happy- the lack of buildings or other signs of civilization were an enigma to him. There were plenty of planets with gates that didn't support human life, but usually there was a reason for that - natural disasters, planetary wars, something. This planet was eerily quiet.

"I think we're getting close Sir." Samantha Carter said stopping for a swig of water. Sam could feel the small granules of sand getting under her clothes and into the small folds of her skin. It wasn't exactly pleasant. "I just wish I could shake this feeling that something is seriously off with this planet."

"Off?" Jack echoed incredulously. What could be off? They were surrounded by sand for crying out loud. They had been walking for over three hours and had seen nothing but rolling plains of sand.

"I, too feel uncomfortable here."

Teal'c AND Sam. Jack didn't like how that sounded one bit. "OK then. Everyone keep his eyes open, ok? With luck we'll find the source, nab us some naquada and tootle on back to the Stargate just in time for tonight's episode of The Simpsons." As always, Sam smiled slightly.

15 minutes later Daniel discovered something; a partially covered opening leading downwards into the sand. The opening would have been easy to miss if they hadn't been walking in a fairly straight line from the gate. Quickly and quietly all four fell into position as Jack gave hand signals indicating where he wanted everyone to be. Cautiously Daniel, Jack and Sam entered the hidden structure while Teal'c took up the rear and guarded the only known entrance. Slowly they made their way around the perimeter; Jack and Sam skirting the right and left edges of the underground construction while Daniel blithely walked up the center in order to examine an obviously manmade beam in the center of the room. The structure itself appeared to be deserted.

"Doesn't seem to be a lot here." Jack remarked still holding his P-90 firmly across his chest and giving a small nod back to Teal'c. "Daniel?"

"No discernible writings Jack. Which is odd considering the size and shape of this structure. In Ancient Egypt..." Daniel's educational ramblings were cut short by Teal'c.

"We are not alone O'Neill."

"I feel it too, Sir." Sam said looking around frantically trying to quell the feeling of dread gnawing on her insides.

Needing no further confirmation Jack ordered the group to fall back. They were almost to the doorway when the entire room seemed to fill at once with at least a dozen shrunken old men holding zat weapons. Huh? This was so not how the Goa'uld usually operated.

Jack was the first to assess the situation. They were completely surrounded and the surroundees, however old and short they might appear to be, were pointing weapons at them. "Hold your fire!" He shouted holding his hands up and away from his weapon. A firefight of 11 to 4 wasn't the best odds and the fact that they were completely surrounded negated the possibility of fighting their way out. There was no way they could do so without someone getting hurt. The old guys seemed to be holding zats and it only took two direct hits to kill a man. Nope- they were going to play this one out diplomatically. "Daniel? You're on."

Before Daniel could open his mouth to begin the standard Earth 'We come in peace' welcome speech Sam interrupted.

"They're Goa'uld Sir. All of them. We're surrounded by Goa'ulds."

Colonel Jack O'Neill was NOT a happy camper. The old snakeheads had taken their weapons and packs and had led the SG unit through a maze of underground tunnels. After nearly 10 minutes they were led through an outdoor antechamber and into a great hall filled with somber looking elderly Asian men. None of them appeared to be taller than five foot (1.5 meters) and all of them looked older than dirt. They were dressed in what were once obviously nice robes of rich fabric but now hung on their lean frames in tatters.

"Well this is different." Jack said to no one in particular. Daniel took a step forward.

"My name is Daniel Jackson and these are my friends, Major Samantha Carter, Colonel Jack O'Neill and this here is Teal'c. Um, we come in peace and did not mean to disturb you."

"My name is Oghul and I am Khan on this planet." Jack couldn't help but grimace at the sound of the snake's voice. Always grated on his nerves.

"Right. Listen Oogie, not sure what you folks are doing here but if you give us back our weapons we'll be on our merry way."

"We cannot do that." Oghul replied simply staring at his four captives with cold eyes.

"Didn't think so." Jack mumbled.

"Sir, do you notice anything strange about this?" Sam whispered quietly.

"Being captured by snake-heads in the middle of nowhere? What can be strange about that Major?"

Sam ignored Jack's rant and continued. "There are no slaves."

"She's right Jack!" An animated Daniel Jackson interrupted. "I see about a dozen of these elderly men but no slaves."

"Which means?" Jack said impatiently.

"I don't know Jack, but it is definitely unusual." The khans continued to stare silently at the group. "Judging by Oghul's name, I believe these men are descended from the Yuan dynasty in China. I think that was in the 13th century."

"Looks like the original guys." Jack said glancing up at their jailers. He was about to say something more when one of their jailers stood up and motioned for silence.

"You have entered Xanadu."

"You have GOT to be kidding! Xanadu? As in Xanadu, Kublai Khan and pleasure domes?" Jack said incredulously.

"You read the Coleridge poem Jack?" Leave it to Daniel to quote the source.

"Who?" Jack said distracted. "Nahh, Frankie Goes To Hollywood was popular in Iraq the last time I was over there. Heads up, kids! These guys suddenly seem to be quite interested in us."

Interested was an understatement. All 11 khans were talking at once and gesturing towards the group. Oghul held up his hand for silence and turned his gaze onto Sam Carter.

"You are a woman." He said pointing at Sam.

Sam stood her ground and glared back at the small Asian man. She flicked her eyes briefly towards her commanding officer. Sam did NOT like the way everyone was staring at her. What she wouldn't give for a nice matriarchal planet...

"Good eye there Grasshopper." Jack said trying to sound nonchalant as he took a small step closer to Sam. No weapons, surrounded by snakes and they're beginning to eye Carter. Nope this just wasn't a good scene at all.

"You dress like a warrior, but you are a woman." Sam held herself up slightly straighter as she continued to stare at the wizened old man, trying to quell the ball of apprehension forming in her stomach.

The elder Goa'uld turned his back on the SG-1 team and began to quietly talk with the remaining members of his clan in an ancient Chinese dialect.

"Jack?" Daniel said watching the khans nervously. "This would be a great time for your great leadership skills to shine. I really think we should be leaving."

"Working on it Danny." Jack said with a slight frown. "Teal'c! Ever hear of this group of bozos?"

"I have indeed O'Neill. They were banished from their home over 200 years ago after an attempted coup failed. Coups and wars among the System Lords happened frequently before the rise of Ra, only this time there was a difference. The leader of this group attempted to win favor with one of the System Lords in the guise of a young boy. All 12 of the coup members were under the age of 10, as they believed young hosts would succeed where others failed. It proved to be an incorrect assumption. The System Lord in charge chose not to kill them, but rather banish the Goa'uld children to an unknown world. It is said that they are cursed to live out their lives trapped in a single body for all of eternity."

"Peachy. Too bad we couldn't have arrived after eternity was up." Jack was about to say something more when he noticed how animated the ancient Asian men had become. A decision of some kind had been made. Jack really didn't like the way they were gesturing at Sam.

"Anything Daniel?" Jack whispered.

"I'm sorry Jack," Daniel said clearly frustrated. "I just don't speak Chinese." It had been a long time since Daniel had felt this impotent on a team mission. If..no WHEN they returned from this, he was adding Chinese to his list of 23 known languages.

The small Asian man turned to face the SG-1 group and spoke in accented English. "We wish to be educated."

"Gotta mid-term coming up do ya?" Jack joked. Educated. They could do educated. Or at least Carter could. Maybe throw some Newtonian physics their way or something.

"On human mating rituals."

Aw crap!

Chapter 2

Unaware at how his words had affected the SG-1 team, Oghul continued without pause.

"We came to this world with young host bodies and were not given the opportunity to participate in human mating rituals and acts before we were vanquished. We wish to be educated."

"I'll tell you what I'll do for you boys." Jack O'Neill began taking a step closer towards his 2IC. "We'll head on back to Earth and send on through a couple issues of Playboy or something. Maybe a Kinsey book or two. You'll love it, lots of pictures."

The Goa'uld khans were not angry or annoyed with Jack's attempt at flippancy but neither were they moved by it.

"You will show us," He said pointing at Samantha Carter. "We would like to see how humans mate. We would like to see a woman."

"Colonel..." Sam said with eyes the size of saucers. They couldn't possibly plan on raping her could they? Was it even possible for these elderly men?

"Sorry. No can do." Jack said with more confidence than he felt. There was no way in hell he was going to let a snake rape his Sam. None. Unfortunately he hadn't a clue how he was going to prevent it.

"Um, haven't you already been, well, educated with previous hosts?" Daniel asked, attempting to take their attention away from Sam.

"Unfortunately these feeble host bodies and minds have been unable to retain the knowledge and pleasure of a mating with a female. We wish to have the woman mate in front of us." Oghul said calmly placing his hands together in front of him. Seeing the shock on the prisoner's faces Oghul patiently continued his explanation.

"Had you arrived 50 years ago we might have attempted to mate with her ourselves, but unfortunately not only do these minds not remember how, we are afraid our host bodies would not survive the attempt. We wish to live as long as possible and can use the knowledge of human mating to educate us." He attempted a leer. "To entertain us."

Jack couldn't help himself. "That is so SICK."

"We are not able to leave this planet and are also forbidden and prevented from taking new bodies as hosts. One of our numbers attempted to meld with a different species many years ago, but that ended poorly. We could kill you now, or you can entertain us for a few hours and be free to go."

A different Goa'uld stepped up beside the leader and eyed Sam lasciviously. "We would prefer she mate with the younger one with blue eyes but any of you would be acceptable."

Daniel turned bright crimson and stared at his feet. "Mate" with Sam? Oh no. There was no way he could do that. None. It was akin to incest. Plus, if the Goa'uld didn't kill him Jack just might. There was just no way he could do it.

Sam had to hand it to Jack- he was quick. "Sorry, that just is not possible. See- Major Carter and Daniel here are relatives." Oghul and his companion didn't look convinced.

"See?" Jack said taking a step closer to Daniel and took his glasses off. "They both have blue eyes. It..um, runs in their family." //wrap it up O'Neill.// "In human cultures relatives are not allowed to mate." Jack was pretty certain that some cultures still thought it was a pretty swell idea but he was NOT going to mention that. He mentally crossed his fingers that the Asian men were unaware how common blue eyes could be in Caucasian cultures.

"Very well," Oghul replied in a resigned voice staring at Sam. "Choose your mate and begin."

"Now hold on here a second..." Jack began trying to stall for time. This was not happening. There was no way this was really happening.

"We are quite serious. Your woman will mate with one of you or all of you will perish. We cannot leave this planet, we cannot change hosts and we are extremely bored. You will either enlighten us on your sexual practices or you will be killed."

For the first time in over 4 months, Samantha Carter broke protocol and did not refer to her commanding officer by his rank.

"Jack.."

"I am SO open to suggestions Major."

Oghul turned his back with a flourish of his tattered robe. "Begin!" It was such a strange sight to see an elderly Asian man impatiently demanding to see sex. Jack might have laughed if it wasn't such an absurdly serious situation.

"I said, BEGIN!" Quicker than Jack could have thought possible, the Khan whipped out an old zat-like weapon and aimed it at Daniel. Before he could shout a warning, his friend was fired upon.

Daniel looked surprised as the electric current hit his right shoulder and resonated through his entire body. He began to shake spastically before arching his body once more in pain before collapsing to the ground unconscious.

"Stop!" Sam yelled sinking to her knees beside Daniel. Jack was right next to her attempting to shield his favorite archaeologist from a second shot. One zat blast stuns but two kills and Jack was NOT going to have anyone die on this mission.

"I will shoot him again Colonel Jack O'Neill. Begin." Jack looked around the room wildly searching desperately for a way out of this. 5 of the Khans had taken positions at the front of the room, sitting in thrones of some sort. Two more were on either side of the chamber and the remaining three were behind them blocking the only entrance. All had weapons.

Sam looked up from the still form of her friend and gazed at her commanding officer with a determined stare. "We'll do it." What choice do we have? Sam conveyed silently to the resigned Jack O'Neill. Jack nodded almost imperceptibly- what choice indeed.

"You may commence." A different voice requested this time.

"Sorry bud, it doesn't work that way," Jack explained, grimly standing up. He could see the arm of one of the Goa'uld move as if to shoot one of the members of SG-1 again.

"Whoa! Hold on there! You can just put that thing down right now." Jack said gesturing with his hands and blocking the shot from hitting Daniel. "We said we'd do it, ok? But there's some things that have to happen first."

"Explain."

"First off, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c here need to leave." There was no way Jack could do what was "required" of him with an audience of his friends. He was a lot of things, but exhibitionist was not one of them.

"We will not allow them to return through the Stargate until you have completed your acts." Jack so did not like how that sounded, but nodded to the speaker.

"Well, departing through the Stargate would be the preferred choice, but just outside of this structure would work."

The leader nodded. "Very well." He clapped his hands to draw the attention of two "guards". With weapons still drawn, they surrounded Teal'c and Daniel. Teal'c effortlessly lifted the still unconscious form of Daniel Jackson and turned to face his commander and friend. "I will make sure DanielJackson is aptly distracted if he awakes before you and Major Carter finish."

"Uh, thanks Teal'c," Jack said awkwardly. How the heck did he and Carter get into these situations?

Notes: Now we're getting to the R stuff.

Chapter 3

Sam looked at her commanding officer, the man she had secretly loved for 3 years and been allowed to openly love for 4 months and wondered how the hell they had gotten themselves into this.

"We are waiting," Oghul stated in a calm voice.

"Right," Jack muttered looking around the sparsely furnished room. A very well worn rug was beneath their feet but otherwise there wasn't much there. Besides the throne and a dozen old guys that is.

"Just so I have this straight," Jack said stalling for time. "If we do this for you all four of us will be free to go."

"That is correct," Khan Oghul said with a curt nod.

"We will be allowed to walk unaccompanied all the way back to the Stargate?"

"Yes."

"And we only need to 'educate' you this one time?" Jack said trying not to sound incredulous.

"Don't push it Jack," Sam urged, quietly nudging her commanding officer. She just wanted to get this over with and get everyone home safe and sound.

"Yes." The tone of Oghul's voice had changed; he was getting impatient.

"Right. OK then." Jack was at a loss. He knew what needed to happen now but that feeling a guy needs to be all hot and heavy with a girl was SO not there.

Sam could see that Jack didn't know how to progress. Well actually, Sam had seen Jack progress quite admirably in the past but this was an entirely different situation. Sam turned to face the eager Khans.

"Do you have any clean blankets or bedding?" She asked in a strong voice. This was actually the first time many of the elderly men had heard her voice and the sound of it caused them all to talk animatedly amongst themselves.

"Geeze Sam. Maybe all you need to do it talk dirty and they'll let us go." This elicited a small smile from Sam. Within minutes clean blankets were set down in front of them. One of the lesser khans stared unabashedly at Sam and even attempted to reach out and touch her.

"Watch it buddy," Jack growled knocking his hand away from Sam's breast.

"There shall be no more postponements," Oghul said with a flourish. "Begin at once or we will shoot your friend again." With just a single look between them, Jack and Sam began to undress.

Sam's initial burst of confidence had faded as she slowly took off her jacket and began to unbutton her regulation shirt. Her fingers shook noticeably and after only a few buttons she stopped.

"I don't know if I can do this Jack," Sam whispered close to tears, her head hung low in defeat.

"Yes you can Sam," Jack said taking a step closer. Gently he lifted up her chin until he could see her eyes. "Just concentrate on me, ok? No matter what you hear or what is going on around us, just focus on me."

"Another trick you learned in Iraq sir?"

"Maybe." Jack shrugged. "But for the moment Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter aren't here ok? To enunciate his point Jack took off both his and Sam's dog tags.

"No Jack," Sam said looking his squarely in the eye. "It is Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Sam Carter that are here. Jack and Sam are only for home, ok?"

"Can we still leave the dog tags off? They always chafe my skin." Sam gave him a weak smile.

"Stop talking!"

"All right already!" Jack yelled back efficiently unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off. Quickly he made short work of his pants and shoes and looked up to see how far Sam had gotten. Not very.

Sam was standing motionless with her back towards the khans and her hands clenched tightly by her side. Jack ran a hand through his short, cropped hair and wondered how he was going to do this. There was no way he could have sex with her against her will. None. If that meant they all died, so be it. Idly he realized that this situation was exactly why married or involved couples weren't allowed on the same team. It didn't make him feel much better knowing he couldn't have forced any woman to have sex with him. He just wasn't made that way. Suddenly Jack snapped his fingers in memory. The bet! Despite the circumstances he allowed himself a small smile.

"Hey Sam," Jack asked turning so he once again faced her. "did you remember our bet today?"

"Oh god!" Sam said half laughing-half crying. "I did." The week before Sam had lost a pool game bet with Jack (only because he distracted her) and as a consequence, was told to wear the sexiest underwear she owned on their next off-world mission. This mission. Sam was actually fairly confident it would have been more difficult for Jack than herself. She had planned to idly remind Jack of what she had on later that afternoon. Give him just enough of a peak to make him squirm. Sam sighed- guess he'd see it now, eh?

"Did ya go with the white satin thing or the lacy black number?" Jack whispered into her ear. He could feel Sam's smiling.

Jack closed the distance on what little space there was between them and finished unbuttoning Sam's shirt. He slowly parted the sides of it to reveal a tight, sweat stained tank top. Jack ran his thumbs slightly under the tank top and was rewarded with a small Samantha shiver. Jack smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"You are moving too slow!" One of the khans yelled at them. "We want to see the woman naked!"

"No sense of romance," Jack whispered into her ear as he turned around to face their "audience."

"Lesson number one guys- you can't rush these things." Well technically you COULD but they didn't need to know this. "Anticipation is half the fun with 'mating'." Jack said holding up his hands to emphasize the quotation marks. "Now you guys just sit on back and be quiet ok?" Jack figured that as long as they were giving the show, he should have a little control of the situation. To his astonishment, he did! The khans quieted down.

"I still don't know if I can do this Jack." Sam whispered.

"Sure you can Sam." Jack said softly loosening her belt. "If you want, just keep your eyes closed and just concentrate on my voice. Imagine we're on vacation." Sam gave an unladylike snort.

"Right." Jack agreed lowering her pants to her ankles. "This would be a shitty spot for a vacation."

"I say we go to the cabin next," Jack said as he carefully folded their clothes off to one side. "Someplace isolated and away from everything."

"I'd like that," Sam whispered as Jack enveloped her in a large hug. Jack could feel Sam's legs shaking slightly and he tried desperately to think of something to help her relax. Relax! Right, as if that were really possible given the circumstances. He ran his fingers up and down her amazing legs once again marveling at how we was actually allowed to look at them. On a daily basis even! Sam had amazing legs.

"Like the undies Sam," Jack whispered, giving the thin black bikini string a small snap. More "ahhs" could be heard from across the room.

"Have I ever told you how much I like how you look in these tank tops Major?" Jack said reaching underneath the top and caressing her skin. Slowly he stroked the sensitive areas around her stomach and gently worked his way upwards towards her breasts.

"Maybe once or twice," Sam answered with a small gasp. She loved how Jack touched her. Despite the situation, Sam felt herself responding to him. After several minutes of light caressing and gentle kisses along her neck and face Jack removed the tank top and pulled Sam close. Both of them were now clad only in their underwear. He kissed her deeply and was rewarded when Sam responded with a deep kiss of her own. The peanut gallery began jabbering once again in excitement.

"Ignore them," Jack whispered as he continued to kiss her and caress her back. Sam in turn reached around and grabbed Jack's ass pulling him even closer to her. Now it was Jack's turn to moan. He reached behind Sam's back and undid her bra. And that's when everything abruptly changed. As soon as Sam's bra fell to the ground the khans, as a single body, moved forward. From their vantage point they could see very little of Sam's breasts but they knew what was there. And they wanted to see more.

"Show us!" Oghul demanded.

Chapter 4

1230 Hours
Outside the Khans encampment

Teal'c was becoming apprehensive. Not about O'Neill or Major Carter, but about DanielJackson. After being escorted out of the Khan's inner chambers, Teal'c had carried his friend outside where he gently placed him underneath a frayed fabric awning. It did little to mitigate the oppressing midday heat, but did protect them from the direct rays of the sun. The two khan guards had thrown their backpacks onto the ground and walked back to the cavern's entrance. After a brief argument amongst themselves, one of the khans headed back inside while the second stood guard over the two SG-1 members. Teal'c was certain he could overpower the guard but that still left 10 khans on the inside and a wounded DanielJackson on the outside. No, it was best to remain where he was.

After searching through the contents of the two backpacks returned to him, (Daniel Jackson's and O'Neill's) Teal'c was unable to locate either of the first aid kits. Doctor Frasier had insisted that all members of SG-1 carry a fully equipped first aid kit at all times. More than once this had saved lives, or at least stabilized serious injuries until she could take a look at them. It appeared that Teal'c was going to have to.. what had O'Neill called it? Improvise.

The burn on Daniel's soldier was a serious one and it was unusual for a zatted individual to stay unconscious for so long. Teal'c quickly examined Daniel's wound and was surprised at how charred his flesh was. Apparently the weapon was more similar to a staff weapon than a zat'nik'atel. Teal'c made a mental note to speak of this to O'Neill and Dr. Fraiser when they returned to the SGC. Although he did not have access to a first aid kit, he did locate two small packets of an analgesic in the bottom of Daniel's backpack. He grabbed one of O'Neill's t-shirts and began to tear it apart into strips in order to create field bandages.

"Ah man, what hit me?" Daniel moaned attempting to sit up. The world spun about nauseatingly and Daniel fought hard to not be sick. Teal'c quickly came to his side and helped the younger man up. He passed Daniel a canteen of water.

"Do you not recall DanielJackson?"

Daniel nodded while taking a sip from the canteen. The liquid was warm but tasted wonderful on Daniel's lips. He drank another large swig before handing it back to Teal'c.

"Oh yeah. We were ambushed- yet again, and these..." Daniel stopped in mid sentence and frantically scanned the area. "Where are Jack and Sam?"

"They are still inside," Teal'c replied somberly.

"We can't just leave them in there!" Daniel said becoming more agitated by the moment. "We need to go get them!" He was oblivious to the khan guard standing not 20 feet away.

"We cannot," Teal'c answered calmly.

"What do you mean we cannot! Teal'c they're our friends! We need to help them. Oh God, what if they.. and Sam.." Daniel once again felt nauseous. He dropped his head into his hands in defeat.

"I do not believe Major Carter will be assaulted by these Goa'ulds."

"I'd like to believe you Teal'c but why do you think this?"

"O'Neill has stayed with her. I believe the Goa'uld will watch O'Neill and Major Carter together and then allow us to leave."

Daniel knew Teal'c was by no means stupid, but this seemed just ludicrous! What was to prevent the goa'uld-khans from killing them all? His incredulousness must have been written on his face for Teal'c continued to speak.

"I continue to distrust Goa'ulds DanielJackson. But you and I are still alive. Had these Goa'ulds desired so, they could have killed you and I and then forced Major Carter and O'Neill to partake in sexual acts. We are still alive, therefore I believe we shall be allowed to leave here when they are done."

"Teal'c, I hope to God you are right." Daniel said sounding utterly defeated. He didn't even want to think what his friends must be going through. Suddenly Daniel heard a shout. The guard must have heard it as well, for he also turned his head towards the sanctum's entrance.

"DanielJackson," Teal'c said in a loud voice remembering his promise to O'Neill. "We need to treat your shoulder wound."

"I'm fine Teal'c," Daniel insisted, straining to hear what was going on.

"Doctor Fraiser would be upset at me if you do not at least take these." He held out 4 Tylenol capsules. Daniel's shoulder DID bother him a bit and he took the offered pills without further comment. After swallowing, he again turned back towards the chamber. Teal'c was prepared for this eventuality.

"DanielJackson," Teal'c said in a loud voice.

"What Teal'c?" Daniel said tiredly turning back towards the former Jaffa.

"I wish to learn how to play poker." And with that Teal'c brought out a pristine deck of cards (from O'Neill's pack) and placed them in front of the archaeologist.

1230 Hours
Inside the Khans encampment

"Show us!" Oghul demanded.

The nascent romantic mood that had been growing between Jack and Sam was instantly shattered with the appearance of Oghul and his followers. It was quite disconcerting to be surrounded by 11 ancient-looking Asian men, and Sam quickly moved to cover her bare breasts. She had never really forgotten where they were but had the khans remained silent, Sam was pretty certain she and Jack would have been able to do what was expected of them and get out of this with their psyche more or less intact. Now she wasn't so certain.

As Sam turned away from the khans, Jack turned towards them. "What the HELL do you think you are doing?!" He shouted. His anger was unexpected and the khans stopped their approach towards them.

"We want to see more," Oghul said matter of factly.

"And you couldn't just watch from where you were?" Jack asked acutely aware that Sam was still turned away from them. Away from him.

"We can see fine, but we wanted to see more closely."

"That wasn't part of the plan Oghul!" Jack said purposefully pronouncing the leading khan's name correctly. Maybe if he were nice to him, the guy would back off.

"If the woman shows us her body, and allows us to closely look upon her, we will go back to our seats and not approach you again. You still need to show us how you mate but we will not demand of you such a closely watched demonstration."

"Oh God," Sam whispered clasping a hand to her mouth and sinking down onto the blanket. This couldn't possibly be happening could it?

"And if I say no?" Jack asked. Hang on Sam.

Oghul shrugged. "If you say no, we will kill the men right now and keep the woman prisoner."

Jack fought to keep his voice calm. "Our warriors would come looking for us. You are only 11 people." Jack spat out the word 'people'. "Our warriors would quickly overpower and kill you. Are you prepared to die just to view a woman?"

Jack's argument must have been working as several khans began to argue amongst themselves. Jack turned around and put his arms around Sam's shaking form. "We'll get out of this Sam. I promise you. We WILL get out of this."

"Your argument is persuasive but we feel you will not risk the female's life by dying. We only ask to be allowed to view her body before you mate with her. We will not touch her. After the mating all four of you will be allowed to walk away from here unharmed. Will you really choose death rather than life?"

Jack knew that this precise situation was why women were kept out of combat situations for so long. It was such an unholy choice. Sam's dignity over all of their lives. And Jack wasn't naive enough to think Sam wouldn't be killed as well. They could all be killed. Sure the guys at the SGC would come back and kill their asses but what good would that do poor SG-1?

While Jack was deep in thought Sam made up her mind. All of her guys were getting out of here. And if that meant Sam needed to flash some perverted snakes, than so be it.

"Jack, I'll do it." Sam whispered pulling herself upright. She still held one hand in front of her breasts but she turned to face the khans. "I'll do it." Silently she looked into Jack's anguished eyes and without speaking a single word, a decision was made.

Are you sure?
I need to do this Jack.
I love you Sam. More than anything in the world. Please remember that. I love you too.

Jack turned back around to face the Khan leader. "We'll do it your way." He said pointing a finger at Oghul "But no one, and I mean NO ONE is to touch her, do I make myself clear? No more than five minutes and then you are all to go on back to your spots over there and shut the hell up!" Jack was acutely aware that not only was he yelling at the snakes holding them captive, but he was doing it wearing only Marvin the Martian boxer shorts.

Oghul looked back at Jack with cold eyes. "We will look as long as we like Tau'ri But we will not touch her. And we may still comment during your mating but it will most likely be in a language you will not understand. You will be released and allowed to leave after your coupling."

"Sam?" Jack asked turning back to look at her.

"Let's get this over with Jack," Sam whispered dropping her hand and pulling off her underwear. Without looking at the once again excited jailers, Sam grabbed Jack's hand firmly and squeezed her eyes shut while trying to remember to breathe.

"I am not going to open my eyes until they leave Jack. Please tell me when they are all gone." Jack could barely hear her she was whispering so quietly. Sam stood absolutely still as each khan circled her body to view it from all angles. They continually talked amongst themselves while circling her body. Sometimes they motioned for Jack to step a little to the left or right but none of them insisted he let go of her hand. One especially curious khan tried to reach out and touch one of Sam's breasts but Jack slapped the hand away so hard he was hopeful he had actually broken it. Seven minutes later they were satisfied and walked back to their "perches" near the throne.

"They're gone Sam," Jack whispered giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Can I still keep my eyes shut?" Sam asked trying not to cry. A few tears escaped from her tightly closed eyes and Jack tenderly wiped them away.

"Look at me Sam." Sam shook her head.

"Please Sam? Look at me." Sam opened her eyes and through a blur of tears saw the man she loved gazing at her with such love and compassion that she feared her heart might break in two.

"We'll get out of this Sam, I swear to you we will."

"I know." Sam whispered.

"Enough talk!" Oghul shouted as several other khans laughed and began to talk amongst themselves.

"Just focus on me Sam. Close your eyes if you need to , but just keep your focus on me, ok?" He felt Sam nod against his chest. Gently Jack began to kiss the tears from her face and then the tender area behind her ears. He continued kissing all the sensitive planes in Sam's face until he felt her begin to relax slightly. He then began to lightly run his tongue under her chin and down along her collarbone. He heard her small sigh. Gently he nipped at one of her ears and ran his tongue just along the outside edge as one of his hands began to caress a breast. He felt her nipple slowly come alive in his hand and quickly knelt down to allow his mouth to assist his hands in exploration. Sam let out a small moan and began to run her fingers through his hair, pulling Jack's mouth closer to her.

Jack let out a low moan of his own as Sam sank to her knees and pulled Jack's mouth away from her breasts and up towards her face. "I love you Jack." Sam said in between kisses. "God, I love you."

For nearly 20 minutes they kissed and caressed until Sam broke away slightly breathless. "I'm ready Jack." She said in a whisper giving one of his nipples a final flick with her tongue. Sam had done everything she knew how to do in order to get Jack aroused. Everything had caused much chatter amongst the khans. Apparently they had experienced some of the act themselves but kept asking Jack if it felt different when a woman did it. Jack had let out a moan as his fingers gently tangled themselves in Sam's hair and replied, "How the hell should I know? I never have had this done by a man!"

Jack positioned himself over Sam and began to slowly move forward when suddenly he froze. "Sam?"

"Just do it Jack. Please." Sam asked looking at him with teary blue eyes.

"You're not ready Sam. It will hurt."

"Jack please, I just want to go home. Just do it. It won't hurt much- I swear."

But Jack couldn't. There was just no way he was going to force himself on a woman. Even if it was the woman who asked his too. He gave Sam a sensual kiss on the mouth and then whispered in her ear. "Let's give these guys a little show shall we?" And with that he began a trail of kisses down Sam's neck and torso.

"Jack, no! Not here!" Sam's voice became quieter. " Jack? Really, you don't need to do..." Pause. "This." And quieter. "Oh..." And finally a breathy, "Well if you insist." Ten minutes later a very flushed Samantha Carter flipped her lover onto his back and proceeded to kiss the living daylights out of him. Works everytime. Jack thought smugly before all his senses were flooded with essence of Sam Carter. They hardly noticed the loud voices positively cheering behind them.

Chapter 5

Thankfully the elderly khans were chatting in Chinese as Jack and Sam lay in a tight embrace trying to get their breathing back under control. Jack was on his back with Sam pressed tightly against him. She wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as she bent down to kiss him on the nose. "You sure know how to put on a show Colonel." Sam whispered. Jack let out a short laugh as he kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Somehow I think the stopper was you my dear Major." Slowly they disentangled themselves and were quite startled to discover that the khans had once again moved closer towards them.

"Ah for crying out loud! Not again.." Jack muttered sitting up and reaching for his shorts. Sam was frantically looking around for her own undergarments.

"What is that smell?" One of the khans asked taking another step towards Sam. It was the same guy who had tried to cop a feel from Sam earlier, Jack noted with distress. Sam had turned quite red and was busy gathering up all the clothes she could find. She still was having problems locating her underwear.

Jack could have laughed. Almost. "That is the smell of mating your perverted old snakes!" Jack said angrily pulling up his pants and reaching for his shirt.

The breast-infatuated khan took another step forward. "It is coming from the woman," he said suddenly grabbing a hold of Sam by the arm and inhaling in her scent. Instinct took over for Major Samantha Carter and she kneed him viciously between his legs and broke free from his grip. Breathing heavily Sam picked up her tank top and quickly put it on. The bra she could grudgingly do without, but she really needed her underwear.

"Way to go Major," Jack whispered coming to her side. Breast-khan was quite angry and another discussion ensued rapidly in Chinese as Sam tried to put on her pants. Her limbs were shaking so violently that she was having problems getting her leg into the opening. Quicker than Jack could have thought possible two khans grabbed hold of his arms while Breast-khan stepped forward and slapped Sam. Hard. Sam reeled from the blow but quickly stood back up and snarled at the khan. "Ready for some more hotshot?"

The khan made a motion with his hand and two others stepped forward to pin Sam's arms behind her back as well. She continued to struggle fiercely even as she was forced to kneel before the breast-infatuated monster. Jack did NOT like how this was shaping up and lashed out at his captors. He succeeded in breaking free of one before being brutally punched in the stomach by another.

"Enough!" Shouted the khan/thug grabbing a hold of Samantha's chin. "You will have your lover cease his struggles or I shall shoot him. Do I make myself understood?" Sam looked over at Jack's gasping form and briefly made eye contact. If they wanted to get out of this, they needed to play the khans' games. For now. Sam nodded.

"Very good," Breast-khan said mockingly moving her face first to the right and then to the left. "Pretty thing aren't you? Now we just need to teach you some manners." Breast-khan slowly unsheathed a small knife and with in one quick motion, cut Sam's tank top down the center. It fell away from her body easily leaving just a faint trail of blood from where the knife had nicked her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Jack yelled, having recovered his breath and once again began struggling against his captors. Oh god Sam.

"Your woman needs to be taught manners." And with that the horny khan reached over and ran his hands over Sam's breasts. Sam flinched at the contact and Jack could actually see her withdrawing within herself. Sam was certain she was about to be raped and planned to be as far away as possible when it happened. For several long seconds the Goa'uld touched Sam's breasts obviously enjoying every moment.

"Enough!" Oghul shouted pulling the breast-infatuated khan away from Sam. "The woman struck at you Temur and you in turn struck back at her. It is done. I gave the man my word they would be free to go after they mated. They have done what we asked. They can go."

"No!" Roared Temur. "The woman has insulted me and I demand honor! I say we kill the men and keep the woman as our.." He paused as his eyes scanned Sam's partially clothed body. "plaything." He grinned lecherously at Sam and took another step towards her. Sam looked him squarely in the eye as she finished fastening her pants (the belt was also no where to be found) and pulled on her regulation shirt. She cursed her hands for refusing to stop shaking.

"No." Khan Oghul said simply. "You have your souvenirs Temur, leave it at that. If we were to keep the woman, others would come and we would surely be killed. We all know this to be true. Which is why we are sending them home unharmed." He looked over at Jack. "We trust you never to return to our home world again."

Jack just nodded. Actually if he had his way, they would send in a couple commando units and blow these fuckers up, but more than likely Hammond would just order the coordinates deleted from the computer.

"Leave people of the Taur'i before I change my mind!" Khan Oghul shouted in his finest royal-sounding voice. The Khan turned around and walked out of the room. One by one the lesser khans followed him with Temur taking up the rear holding fast to Sam's bra and panties. He held her underwear up to his nose and inhaled deeply causing both Jack and Sam to grimace. Quickly they put on their socks and laced up their boots. Their packs and weapons were nowhere to be found but Jack couldn't give a damn about those. He and Sam were being allowed to leave.

"You ok?" Jack asked as he stood up holding out his hand to Sam. Sam took it and Jack was dismayed by the iciness of her touch. Shock. He knew the cut was pretty superficial but he still hoped Sam would let him dress it once they were a good klick away from this place.

"Yeah. Let's just get out of here," Sam replied in a raw voice.

Together they stepped out into the bright sunlight. Teal'c and Daniel sat a little ways from the entrance under an awning of some kind. It looked like they were playing... cards?!

"We're outta here kids." Jack said flatly as he passed the startled remaining members of Sg-1.

"Jack! Sam!" Daniel said standing up a bit too swiftly. He nearly fell back down as a wave of dizziness hit him with full force. Probably should have had Teal'c take a look at his shoulder, Daniel thought idly. He felt like shit.

"Major Carter, O'Neill. It is good to see you both well."

"Thanks Teal'c," Jack replied somberly, eyeing his favorite Major with concern. Sam continued to stare straight ahead.

"Everything OK Jack?" Daniel asked as Sam silently walked past the trio and towards the direction of the Stargate.

"Could be better Daniel," Jack said with a heavy sigh. "Could be better." Quickly the remaining members of SG-1 gathered up their things and followed Sam towards home.

Chapter 6

They had been walking for nearly an hour before Daniel noticed that Jack hadn't taken a drink of water since they had left. Come to think of it, where WAS Jack's canteen? Or his backpack?

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" Jack answered distractedly, his eyes still focused on the distant form of Samantha Carter.

"Drink?"

"Wha?" Jack asked confused. Daniel offered him his canteen and Jack accepted it automatically. Whatever had taken place behind those doors (And Daniel was not naive enough not to guess) had left Jack just as shell shocked as Sam. Daniel was pretty certain his friend hadn't had anything to drink in the last few hours.

"Jack, they didn't hurt..." Daniel paused as he considered his words. "They didn't hurt Sam did they?" Both men knew exactly what he was asking.

"No Daniel- it was nothing like that," Jack replied with a heavy sigh taking another swig of water and handing the canteen back to Daniel. Sure she had kneed the guy and yeah the pervert had slapped her and then proceeded to cut her top off- but Daniel was thinking rape and Jack needed to set his fears to rest. At least one of them could get out of this without nightmares. Jack still would have liked to treat Sam's cut, but somehow he doubted she'd let him get that close. Not right now. God! Jack knew that he and Sam's making love (it was love wasn't it?) was infinitely better than the alternative but it was still the wrong thing to do. It had to be affecting her ten times more than himself. Jack suddenly stared at the canteen in horror. Carter!

"Danny, I need to borrow this, thanks," Jack said in a rush as he grabbed the canteen back from Daniel and sprinted across the sand dune towards Sam. If he could be so messed up by all this that he forgot to drink, heaven knows what it was doing to Sam. She needed reminders to eat even on a good day!

"Sam!" Jack shouted as he continued his laborious scamper across the sands. "Carter, stop!" Seeing that it was not having the effect he wanted Jack decided to take additional steps. "Major Carter! You will stop right now and that is an order!" Jack shouted, in his most official Colonel sounding voice. He felt ridiculous yelling at Sam that way but knew it was the only way he might be able to reach her. He was right - Sam stopped instantly.

"Sir?" She asked turning around to face him. The spot where Temur had slapped her was already beginning to bruise and her eyes were bright from unshed tears.

Jack thought his heart might break with that one look. He could see all her emotions so clearly on her face. Self-loathing, fear, pain, hurt- all of it was right there for him to see. Her hat had not been among the clothes they had been able to put on, and Jack could see she was already beginning to get sunburned. He loved her pale skin and had begun the task of cataloging her freckles just a few weeks ago. They were at least two hours from the Stargate and Sam was already suffering from heat exhaustion and/or sunstroke. And definitely shock Jack. Don't forget the shock. Jack badly wanted to hold her and talk to her and just be there for her but knew that now was not the time and this planet was certainly not the place. All he could do was let her know that he was here.

"Thought you might want some water," Jack said, offering her Daniel's canteen. He could see the confusion in her face. "We left our packs." Jack said simply. Sam nodded and took a small sip. The water tasted like dust in her mouth. She looked up at Jack and silently handed him back the water.

Please go Jack. Please. I can't see you right now. I love you but I just can't! Please go. Please.

Jack wanted more than anything to stay but had learned to read Samantha Carter long ago and nodded understandingly at Sam's silent plea.

"I'm just going to give this back to Danny and then come on back and walk with you, ok?"

Sam bit her lip hard in an effort not to cry. No Jack. Please. I just need to be alone right now. If you walk with me I'll lose it and I really, really can't do that on this god-damned fucking planet!

Jack understood every word she didn't say and nodded again. "Alright." Jack said softly reaching out to touch her. He saw Sam take the smallest of steps away from him and though it tore at his heart, he knew it was nothing he should take personally. See the bright side of being psychologically and physically tortured in the past? You knew exactly what to expect in others.

He pulled his hand back and gave Sam a look of complete understanding. "I'll just be a hundred feet or so behind you Carter. Let me know if you need anything ok?" He turned as if to leave and stuck his hands deeply in his pockets. Jack was surprised to find a tube of chapstick in there and realized that he had stolen it from Sam's dresser earlier that morning. Jack turned back around and silently handed her the chapstick with a small smile. "Don't want you burning anything Major." And with that he walked back towards the very worried Daniel and Teal'c.

Samantha Carter turned back towards the direction of the Stargate and holding the small tube like a talisman continued her slow walk home. *I will not fucking cry. I will not! *

"Welcome home SG-1!" General Hammond said jovially, as all four members of his favorite team stepped through the wormhole. Instantly he could tell something was wrong. Seriously wrong. Only Daniel and Teal'c had their packs and none of them had their weapons. He could see a large bruise forming on Major Carter's left cheek and what appeared to be a scorch mark on Dr. Jackson's shoulder. Zat blast?

"Good to be home sir," Jack replied without his usual enthusiasm.

"I need to take a shower," Samantha Carter stated in a monotone voice as she walked down the ramp and out of the room.

"Major!?" General Hammond was quite confused. Of all of them, Major Carter was always the most conscientious when it came to military protocol. To leave without being dismissed was absolutely unheard of. George suddenly had a horrible feeling in the bottom of his stomach.

"Let her go General," Jack said quietly. Hammond nodded and looked the rest of SG-1 over. Teal'c always looked the same (except when gravely injured). Daniel seemed upset and a bit uneasy on his feet. And Jack? Jack looked shell shocked. And for something to do that to Colonel Jack O'Neill- well it must have been pretty bad.

"Seeing as it's nearly 1600, why don't you all clean up and get cleared by Dr. Frasier. We'll debrief at 0800 tomorrow morning. You all get a good night's sleep- you look like you need it."

"Thank you General," Jack said with complete sincerity. Had the General not offered, Jack was prepared to ask for a 12-hour delay. There was no way he and Sam could do this today.

"So what's this I hear about you getting hit with a zat Daniel?" Dr. Frasier asked, as she helped him off with his shirt. He might be somewhat used to the damn things but they still hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. Although to be honest, he hadn't really felt it much until Janet started prodding him. Too worried about Sam.

"Sssss- Ow! Janet that hurt!"

"Sorry," Janet replied absently, as she examined his shoulder. She was always concerned when a member of an SG team was injured. But a simple zat blast to Daniel? Walk in the park. Only.. Hold on.

"Daniel!" Janet remarked suddenly. "This looks different." Different was an understatement. The burn had charred away most of the skin on his left shoulder leaving a red oozing wound. Walking three hours in the desert certainly hadn't helped either- the wound was infected.

"Daniel, are you certain you were zatted?" Janet asked in a more concerned voice as she carefully cut away the last bits of cloth sticking to his wound. "This looks a lot more like a staff blast!"

"Wha?" Daniel asked scarecly paying attention. He hadn't even looked at the burn until Janet pointed it out to him. Naturally just seeing it caused him to retch and the pain to come crashing down upon him. With lightening fast reflexes Dr. Frasier placed a small bowl underneath him just in time.

"Easy Daniel." Janet said with genuine sympathy. Like his sketchy eating habits, Dr. Daniel Jackson had been totally unaware of the severity of his injury until it had been made blatantly obvious. Whatever had happened on that planet, it was serious enough to cause him to actually forget about his wound.

"Want to talk about it?" Janet asked handing Daniel a moist tissue.

"Not really," Daniel answered, utterly exhausted.

"Afraid I need to know at least a little Daniel," Janet said as she set up an IV and gently pushed a needle into Daniel's arm.

"That wasn't a typical zat blast," Janet began.

"No. It wasn't."

"And?" Getting answers from Daniel was like pulling teeth, Janet needed to get the Colonel in here. Or Teal'c!

"It was an older model Janet. It did the whole electrical current thing, I guess it just had the added bonus of burning it's victims as well." Daniel gave a shallow laugh. "Portable staff weapon. Awfully nice of the Goa'uld to do away with those things." He said gritting his teeth as Janet began cleaning his shoulder in earnest.

"At the time, getting struck by the thing sure as hell beat the alternative!" Daniel sounded angry.

"What alternative Daniel?"

Leaning back onto the pillow Daniel replied in the faintest of voices as he closed his eyes. "Raping Sam." He might have been unconscious for most of the "event" but Daniel knew damn well what had happened and why and ... He never got to finish the thought. For the second time in 10 minutes Daniel Jackson got violently ill.

Janet again held a bowl in front of Daniel, but it soon became clear that he had nothing remaining in his stomach. His dry heaves painfully wracked his body, jarring his shoulder injury. Daniel's physical reaction was to the pain and trauma of whatever had happened on that planet. Janet wished she could have heard what Daniel had whispered but was confident she would find out soon enough- for now it was best for him to rest.

Chapter 7

Sam sat against the shower wall shaking with rage and hurt, the faint cut on her stomach and the stinging of her cheek a reminder to how close she had come to being raped. Raped. Assaulted. Violated. Sam let out a shuddering breath as she once again picked up the bar of soap and began scrubbing her skin.

Walking home had been horrible. It was one thing to walk 3 1/2 hours without a bra or underwear in blistering hot temperatures, but to do so after having had sex was disgusting. Without anything to soak up her perspiration, the caustic drops had burned the small cut on her chest and been a constant reminder of that ASSHOLE-PERVERTED-PIECE-OF-SHIT Temur. Sam dropped the soap and began to cry again. What a fucking nightmare!

Jack was worried. He had been waiting nearly 30 minutes for Sam to come out of the locker room and knew he was going to have to go inside. Having stood outside the only entrance/exit nearly the entire time, he was fairly certain no one was in there but Sam. Enough was enough- he needed to check on her. Cautiously Jack opened the door and peered inside.

"Hello?" Jack called out. Nothing. "One male Colonel rounding the corner!" Still nothing. Jack could hear the shower running and could only see one locker (Sam's) open. He decided to take a chance and walked around the corner into the shower area. Sam was sitting on the floor of a stall with her back up against a wall and her knees tucked tightly to her chest. She was rocking silently as the shower continued to fall around her- it having long since grown cold.

"Oh Sam!" Jack exclaimed, as he stepped into the cold shower and turned the water off. He squatted next to the woman he loved more than life itself. Sam flung herself onto him and held him as if her very life depended on it.

"I'm so sorry Sam," Jack murmured, gently stroking her wet hair. "So very, very sorry." For over 10 minutes they sat like that as Sam cried tears of humiliation and fear. Tears she couldn't dare shed while off world. Jack knew this was only the beginning of her healing but he was awfully glad she could release it so effectively. He knew he couldn't. Not like this. Never with tears. He could hear Sam's breathing start to change and despite her slight shivering, he feared she'd fall asleep just like this if he didn't get her up.

"Sam?" Jack said pulling her away from him gently. "We need to get you dressed and over to see Janet before she sends out a posse looking for us."

"Ok," Sam said nodding slightly. With Jack's help she stood up, although none too steadily he noticed with unease. Together they walked over to Sam's locker. Slowly Sam went through the motions of dressing- not once did she say a single word. Jack knew she was still in shock and briefly wondered how this might look if someone were to walk in right at this moment. Of course HE was still fully clothed so excuses could be made. That and the fact that he was allowed to see his major naked anytime he wanted.

Well away from the SGC that is.

"Ready?" Jack asked softly, as Sam finished pulling on a pair of socks. She didn't feel up to shoes at the moment.

Sam nodded and together they headed down the hall towards the infirmary.

The pair had barely made it through the front door before a very angry doctor pounced on them. "Colonel! What the blazes happened to Daniel!?" Janet Frasier said, pointing a finger into Jack's chest. She had been so concerned about Daniel that she hadn't even noticed the sorry physical state of the couple before her. Sam's eyes instantly filled with tears at hearing of the seriousness of Daniel's injury. She knew he had been zatted but it never occurred to her that the ancient weapons might harm him more than the newer models.

"Sam, honey- are you ok?" Janet asked, taking a good look at Sam and the Colonel. Her anger quickly vanished as she critically viewed the two before her. She could see the formation of what had to be a painful bruise on Sam's left cheek and wondered what else she would find upon examination. She led Sam to a bed and had her sit down before she fell down. And it certainly looked like Samantha Carter might fall down at any moment. Janet could tell she had been crying heavily and took in Sam's damp hair (not even combed) and the Colonel's wet clothes with growing apprehension.

Sam just shook her head as she tried to get her emotions under control. Janet took out the blood pressure cuff and began to go through her usual checklist of post mission procedures. Sam was shaking slightly as Janet tightened the cuff and read the number. This can't be right. She got another cuff and tried again. Same number.

"Colonel? Sam? What happened?" Sam's blood pressure always hovered around 110/70. Currently it was 80/55. Way too low. Dangerously low in fact.

"Lie down Sam, please?" Janet asked, gently pushing her friend down onto the soft sheets. Sam sighed as she closed her eyes. She knew she was in safe hands.

"Not yet Sam honey. I'll let you sleep later," Janet quickly pulled the curtain closed and began to help Sam out of her clothes. Wordlessly Jack helped. The angry red cut on her stomach testimony to the perversion of some elderly khans.

"Looks only superficial," Janet mumbled to herself lightly touching Sam's gash. Sam didn't react in the slightest. Janet shined a small light into Sam's eyes and was disturbed by Sam's lack of reaction. Rapid pulse, low BP, paleness despite obvious sunburn- Sam was in shock. Why?

"Sam? Can you tell me what happened?" Janet tried again, wrapping the BP cuff around her for a second reading. The number didn't make her happy- on top of everything else, Sam also appeared to be dehydrated. Janet efficiently began a saline IV and patted her friend's arm gently. "We'll have you feeling better in no time, honey." Sam just looked at her friend silently, afraid if she tried to speak, she'd burst into tears. Again.

"You can sleep now Sam, I am just going to talk to the Colonel for a little bit, ok?" Sam's eyes filled with tears and she nodded. Janet took a step forward. "Do you not want me to talk to the Colonel?" Jack took a step back out of the curtained area to give the two women some privacy. Sam shook her head. Janet was confused. Was Sam saying not to talk to Jack, or was she merely objecting to Jack's stepping away?

"Talk to Jack, Janet," Sam said, in a husky voice struggling not to cry again. She failed miserably and large tears fell from her eyes as she angrily wiped them away. "I can't tell you about it. Not now. Talk to Jack."

"I'll do that Sam," Janet replied, squeezing her friend's hand. "You rest." Sam nodded and turned on her side, making herself as small as possible as she drifted off to sleep. Janet stood over Sam for another minute to make sure she was resting comfortably before turning back towards Jack.

"Colonel," Janet said putting on her doctor face. "Your turn." Jack nodded and took a seat on the bed next to Sam.

"How's Daniel?" Jack asked finding his voice again.

"He should be okay in a few days. I was just surprised by the amount of damage. I had expected a basic zat burn and instead faced a nasty 2nd degree burn that just might need a little skin graft. His muscle tissues seem intact so I think he'll recover fully. He seemed just as surprised as I was about it."

"You know Daniel. If his mind is one other things, he tends to forget the basics. Eating, painful zat burns- things like that." The words were classic Colonel Jack O'Neill but the delivery was woefully lacking.

"Uh huh," Janet said taking Jack's blood pressure. She looked at the readings and shooke her head. "Not you as well Colonel," Janet said with a sigh, as she lowered the bed and asked Jack to lie down for a second BP check. Janet wasn't surprised to find him also dehydrated. And dammit if he didn't show signs of shock as well.

"Colonel, excuse my language but what the hell happened to your team?"

"Janet, I promise to tell you everything, but for the moment can I please take a quick shower? I swear I'll be back in 10 minutes." Janet looked at him skeptically.

"You have everyone figured out already," Jack said softly in a resigned voice. Sam and I are a bit dehydrated." He sat up slowly and ran his fingers through his silver hair. "And probably suffering from a little PTS (he recognized the signs) - Sam more more so than me. Daniel got zatted, but not before he heard enough to be overly worried about Sam. Teal'c's still Teal'c and I'll betcha dollars to donuts he'll be in here checking on both Sam and Daniel before the evening is through." He looked pleadingly at Janet. "Can I please take a shower?"

Janet questioned whether Jack could actually make it to and from the shower in one piece, but recognized his desire to be clean. She grudgingly nodded. "Ten minutes Colonel. If you aren't back here in ten, I'm sending in the MPs." Janet mentally crossed her fingers that she wouldn't need to send nurses.

True to his word, Jack returned showered and somber less than ten minutes later. "Can I see Sam for a sec first?" Jack asked, looking as if the weight of the world rested on this shoulders.

"That would be fine Colonel," Janet replied, not really fathoming what was happening here. Both Daniel and Sam were still sleeping so Janet had been unable to get any of her questions answered. Whatever it was it must have gotten to Teal'c as well because he wasn't in here to check on his teammates' health. Janet remembered him pausing only long enough to ensure that Daniel was being looked at before leaving to Kel No Reem. Kel No Reem was like a deep state of meditation and if Teal'c felt the need to enter it so abruptly after a mission.. well it couldn't have been good.

Jack quietly pulled the curtain back and pulled up a chair next to Sam's still form. She was lying on her side in a tightly curled fetal position; even sleeping she looked troubled. And it was all his fault. All of it. He should have seen the writing on the wall (or lack thereof) and pulled his team out of there before any of this happened. Jack took one of Sam's warm hands and held it up to his cheek. "Forgive me, Sam."

"Colonel?" Janet said touching him lightly on his shoulder.

"I'm coming." Jack stood up and after placing a gentle kiss on Sam's forehead.

Jack closed the curtain and walked over to the empty bed near Dr. Fraiser. "Everyone still going to be ok?" Jack asked, sitting down and rolling up his sleeve.

"Just fine Colonel," Janet said taking his BP once again. Still a bit low. Janet noted the bruising around his ribs and figured the Colonel had gone ahead and pissed someone off. Again. Otherwise he appeared to be ok. She had Jack lie back down and gave him a saline drip to get his fluids back up.

"Ready to tell me some details?" Janet asked gently, taking a seat beside the Colonel.

With his free hand Jack rubbed his face and sighed. "Not really. But I will."

Slowly Jack told his friend and doctor what had happened on the Goa'uld planet. Janet was horrified that her friends had to go through that and could only imagine what it must have been like for Sam.

"I raped her Janet. I love Sam with all my heart and I raped her," Jack said in anguish shutting his eyes tightly in hopes of stopping the images from replaying themselves. "And then I had to stand there while that slimy snake touched her."

"Colonel, listen to me," Janet said touching his arm. "You and Sam did what needed to be done to get the team home safely. I am certain you didn't physically hurt her in the least." Janet said adamantly. A ghost of a smile crossed Jack's lips as he remembered just how he had insured it wouldn't hurt. Jack shook his head frowning again.

"It doesn't matter Janet, we were still forced to have sex!"

"That's right Colonel," Janet said adamantly. "Forced. Both of you. Remember that." Janet could see her words really weren't getting through to him. "Colonel," she said in a softer voice, "just think how different this would have been if you and Sam hadn't already gotten permission to be in a relationship off base."

"But that's just it Janet!" Jack said his voice rising in frustration. "We weren't off base. We were on a frickin' desert world when it was just Major and Colonel and suddenly we were forced to.." Jack was spent. They were forced and that's all there was to it.

The pint bag of saline was empty and Janet quietly pulled out the needle and gave Jack a Band-Aid.

"Janet, I need to be with Sam tonight. Can I please take her home?" Jack looked like a lost soul sitting there with his hands clasped tightly between his knees.

Janet thought for a long moment before answering. "Colonel, I know you and Sam promised the General you wouldn't show any form of inappropriate behavior while on base but I think an exception can be made in this case. It's nearly 7 o'clock, and you really aren't in the best shape to drive and Sam certainly shouldn't be vertical for the next 12 hours. So here's what I am going to do- you and Sam can stay together in one of your rooms. I'll clear it with the General before I leave tonight. I know he is still around." Little did Jack know that the General actually never left the base before SG-1 was cleared (or admitted) from medical.

"Thank you Janet," Jack said sincerely, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Jack could only hope this would be all right with Sam as well. So far she hadn't reacted negatively to his presence but Jack would not be surprised at all if she did. God- what a fucking nightmare.

Chapter 8

Sam awoke disorientated and confused. She wasn't in the infirmary (lack of beeping machinery) and this wasn't her bed. It wasn't Jack's bed either (he was on a flannel sheets kick at the moment). Sam blinked in the darkness and could just make out vague shapes against the wall. No windows... they were still on base! Well this was a first. Sam had been in Jack's SGC room hundreds of times, but never in his bed. Not that it was any different from the one she had down the hall, but still... Suddenly the memories of the last 24 hours came crashing back to her, as did the reason she had awakened so suddenly. Jack O'Neill was having a nightmare.

Jack had always been good at hiding his feelings and fears from those closest to him. But no matter how deep he had buried them, they always found away to manifest themselves in his nightmares. After they had been seeing each other (officially) for a month or so, Jack had told Sam about them. He was afraid he might lash out at her one night in his sleep and wanted her to be prepared. He used to scare Sara sometimes and he didn't want that to happen to Sam. He still couldn't talk about his black ops missions, but at least Sam vaguely knew what he must have done- Sara only knew he was military. The nightmares actually hadn't been all that much of a surprise. After nearly five years of off-world missions, Sam had witnessed her share of Colonel O'Neill nightmares. Usually he'd wake himself up and then go for a walk. Occasionally Daniel would go with him.

Jack still had his arms wrapped protectively around Sam's body but he was shaking and Sam could feel heat radiating from his face and neck. "You can't have her." Jack hissed tightening his grip around her waist. Sam felt her heart tighten and tears instantly pooled in her eyes as she slowly turned around to face her lover.

"Jack," She said softly reaching out to lightly touch his face. Even in the dimness, Sam could make out Jack's pained expression and see the beads of sweat covering his face. His t-shirt was soaked with fearful sweat and his left hand was clinched into a tight fist.

"I said LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE!" Jack roared, sitting straight up and looking around the room frantically inbetween ragged breaths.

"Jack," Sam said again touching him gently on his back.

Jack suddenly became aware of Sam's presence and swiftly pulled her tightly against himself. He took deep shuddering breaths against her hair and neck, drawing solace from the unique scent that was Samantha Carter.

"Oh god Sam, I'm so sorry. I am so sorry baby. So very sorry." He continued to murmur into her neck while Sam gently rubbed his back whispering her own words of absolution.

"It wasn't your fault Jack. There is nothing to forgive. It was not your fault." They sat wrapped in each other's arms for several minutes before Sam could feel Jack starting to slip back to sleep. Together they took off Jack's sweaty t-shirt and lay back on the bed. Jack instantly wrapped himself once again around Sam and within moments was fast asleep. Sam let out a shuddering breath and held Jack's hand securely against her chest as she too fell back asleep.

General Hammond was not looking forward to this debriefing. His Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Janet Frasier had come to him the night before and given him a very watered down version of what had happened to SG-1. The general felt physically ill at hearing of the events that had occurred on P2X-415. He drew solace from the fact that Major Carter had not been raped by the Goa'ulds but was under the distinct impression that more had occurred than what Dr. Frasier was telling him. He had agreed to allow the Colonel and Major to share quarters and hoped it would be enough to at least allow them a little rest. All four members of SG-1 would recover physically from the mission but Dr. Frasier was very concerned about their psychological well-being.

The General stood quietly in the doorway of the briefing room silently observing his favorite team. Dr. Jackson, still pale and heavily bandaged had been temporarily released from the infirmary (skin graft was scheduled at 1400 that afternoon) and was sitting nervously next to the ever stoic Teal'c. Major Carter sat on Daniel's left and looked like a war zone survivor, her eyes staring straight ahead but not really seeing anything. The General could just make out a slight tremor in her hands. Jack sat at his usual place around the table playing absently with a pencil. George could see how worried he was about the Major and saw the way he would steal glances at her every few seconds. George sighed as he walked through the doorway. Jack instantly stood up and Sam was just shifting her chair back to do the same when the General motioned for them to remain seated.

"As you were people." He sat down at the head of the table and picked up a single piece of paper.

"As you know, Dr. Frasier spoke with me last night and I have been given a rudimentary briefing on what occurred on P2X-415. I want you all to know that I only need Colonel O'Neill to submit a summary report. The Pentagon and other government officials don't need to know every last detail of what occurred on that planet." George could see Sam visibly relax with that statement. "That said, I'm afraid I need to know the whole story." He said this in a softer voice before putting down the paper and looking at Colonel O'Neill.

Jack cleared his throat to start but it was Teal'c who began to speak. He might not have been able to prevent the events from unfolding on the planet, but he could spare his friends a little discomfort by beginning the debriefing.

"The planet appeared exactly as it did in the MALP images GeneralHammond. According to MajorCarter, a significant amount of naquada was approximately 8 miles due west of the gate and we began our walk in that direction. The planet is a desert and the rolling hills made our progress slow. We had been walking for nearly three hours when we came across a man made structure nearly hidden amongst the sands."

Daniel took over. "Both Sam and Teal'c felt there was something wrong with the planet General."

Hammond looked at Major Carter curiously. "Explain Major."

"I can't explain it sir," Sam said meeting General Hammond's concerned eyes. "The whole planet just felt off somehow. Teal'c felt it too. It wasn't as if I felt the need to leave the planet or something-it just felt wrong."

"I concur with MajorCarter's observations."

Hammond nodded. "Continue."

Daniel continued with the narrative. "We came across a half-buried entrance to a tomb or something. Jack had Teal'c guard the entrance as he and Sam took up right and left side of the structure. I was left to check out the room itself." Daniel paused to take a sip of water.

"It didn't feel unsafe to me but both Sam and Teal'c felt very uncomfortable inside the building. So much so that Jack ordered all of us to leave. Unfortunately we weren't fast enough. The walls actually had opened up on three sides of the room. Within seconds we were totally surrounded by a dozen or so Goa'ulds."

"Old Asian guys actually," Jack added with a grimace.

"They all carried weapons GeneralHammond," Teal'c clarified. "They were quite silent in their approach and nothing we could have done would have made any difference."

"Except maybe not have GONE INTO the room," Jack piped in angrily.

"Jack, there was no way we could have walked out of there after they had us surrounded." Daniel looked at the General. "There really wasn't General. We might have been able to take out the majority of them with our weapons. But all 11? Jack made the right call and had us lower our weapons."

"Right call, my ass," Jack mumbled under his breath.

"Colonel that will be enough."

"Sorry sir."

Daniel continued. "Our weapons and packs were taken from us and we were led to a large chamber. The Goa'ulds called themselves Khans and as it turned out- these guys had been banished by Ra and some of the other System Lords over 200 years ago."

Sam spoke up for the first time. "Something was done to their bodies that prevented them from traveling to another world via the Stargate Sir. In fact, they told us they couldn't take a new host and were forced to live out the remainder of their lives in one single body."

"Major, do you feel the source of the naquada came from these Goa'uld?"

"Not entirely sir," Sam explained. She felt much more comfortable talking about the failed scientific mission than the actual events of the mission. "The readings I was reading were way too large to be coming from just the Goa'ulds. I believe there is a rather large concentration of raw naquada somewhere on the premises."

"Interesting," Hammond said taking a few notes. He nodded at Dr. Jackson to continue.

Daniel licked his lips. He was rapidly approaching the part he didn't like. "The Goa'ulds had built a throne of sorts on one side of the room and several of the guys were up there staring at us; the rest were scattered around the room to prevent us from escaping. They told us their history and while we were talking amongst ourselves one of them began honing in on Sam."

"They were intrigued that MajorCarter was a female warrior," Teal'c added.

"Right." Daniel didn't know if he could go explain any further.

"Dr. Jackson?" Hammond encouraged.

Daniel cleared his throat again and cursed not allowing Janet to give him more drugs before the debriefing. "The eldest khan, Oghul, wanted to see a little more of Sam than he currently did. He actually asked if.. um.."

"He wanted to see Tau'ri mating," Teal'c once again supplied. Sam sank lower into her seat and closed her eyes.

"Right." Daniel said pointing at Teal'c. "Naturally Jack said no and that's when I was zatted."

Teal'c knew how difficult this was for his friends and continued in the narration. "DanielJackson was indeed shot by an older version of the zat'nik'atel and that is when O'Neill requested that DanielJackson and myself leave the room. His choices were to have all of us stay and be shot, or to agree to the Goa'ulds demands. He made the correct decision." Teal'c looked straight at Jack when he said this. "We were escorted outside and placed under a canopy of some sort. We were given back two of our packs but none of our weapons. We remained there for approximately 90 minutes before O'Neill and MajorCarter came out of the main chamber. All four of us were allowed to leave and head back to the Stargate without further incident."

"Colonel, do you have anything to add?"

"Nothing you need to know," Jack said succinctly. "Nothing pertinent I mean sir."

"Jack, I'm sorry to have to ask, but the Goa'ulds or Khans as they called themselves were just content to watch you and Major Cater?" The General couldn't keep the level of disbelief out of his voice. Why didn't the Goa'ulds kill them?

Jack sighed and stole a glance at Sam. She had slunk lower in her chair and was holding her hands tightly on her lap. She hadn't made eye contact with Jack since they had walked into the room. All in all, Sam was handling this about as well as could be expected.

"At first the khans were satisfied with our little show, but later they wanted a little something more. It wasn't comfortable for either the Major or myself but neither one of us were physically assaulted." He and Sam had agreed that this was what he was going to say but Jack couldn't help but notice how Sam cringed at the words 'physically assaulted.' He just wanted to assure the General and his friends that Sam was definitely not raped.

"Colonel," General Hammond said with a little more anger than he intended. "I have seen your medical reports. Both you and the major suffered physical blows at the hands of theses Goa'uld; that's physical assault son."

"What the Colonel is trying to say is that we weren't raped sir," Sam said speaking up for the first time in several minutes. She sat up straighter and took a sip of water hoping it would be enough to hold back the nausea that was threatening to overwhelm her.

"Some of the Khans tried to get a little fresh with me sir, and Colonel O'Neill attempted to get them to stop. This is when he received his injuries." General Hammond just nodded. "I tried to not react to some of the things one of the Khans was doing to me but I'm afraid I also lashed out."

"She kneed the guy," Jack explained with a grim smile.

"The Khan didn't take too kindly to that sir, and that's when I received my injuries." Sam couldn't help but look into the General's eyes and beg him not to ask her to say any more. The General nodded once and stood up.

"I think that's all I need to know. You all are on downtime for the next week. I recommend using that time to actually leave the base." The General received the usual "Yes, Sirs" and "Thank you General" as the group stood up to leave.

"Colonel? Can I have an additional word with you and the Major please?" Both Jack and Sam turned back towards the General with apprehension.

"I know you two have been through a hellacious ordeal and I want you to know that if you need more time, you just let me know."

"Thank you sir," Jack said resisting the urge to take Sam's hand.

"I am also ordering the two of you to talk to someone."

"Sir?" Sam asked, puzzled.

"I don't care if it's McKenzie or Frasier or a priest or a friend but both of you need to talk about what happened. And talking to each other does NOT do it for me; do I make myself understood?"

"Yes sir," Jack and Sam replied at the same time. Both knew the General was right but neither one of them looked forward to reliving the event.

"Now go on home kids and get some rest. That's also an order." Jack gave the General a small smile and lightly placed his hand on the small of Sam's back as he ushered her out of the office. There would be plenty of time to talk with others in the upcoming days, for now Jack and Sam were heading home.

Chapter 9

At first Jack was worried Sam would want to spend time by herself; something Jack really didn't want her to do. But she surprised him by suggesting they head up to the cabin.

"Really," Jack replied, stopping dead in his tracks in the middle of the SGC hallway. "You really want to go to the cabin?"

The pair were still on base awaiting their final medical clearance from Dr. Frasier. Daniel's surgery the day before had been successful and he was going to be released from the infirmary the next day.

Sam shot Jack a look of poorly veiled annoyance.

"If you would rather not go Colonel, I'm sure I can find some place else to visit."

Oh yeah- Sam was pissed. And the SGC was SO not the place to have this conversation. Sharing a bed here two nights ago had been an aberration; the pair had spent last night at Jack's.

"Major, I suggest we talk about this after the doc gives us a clean bill of health."

"Fine!" Sam said a little curter than she had wanted. They walked the remaining 100 meters in silence.

"Hey Spacemonkey!" Jack greeted Daniel as he approached his bed. The intrepid archaeologist had already conned the nurses into allowing him to bring in a laptop. Daniel looked up from the computer with an irritated frown.

"Typing one-handed sucks Jack."

"I'm sure." Jack said with a grin.

Daniel closed his laptop with a click and motioned for Jack to take a seat. Janet had already taken Sam across the room for her post-really-bad-mission-physical.

"So how are you guys doing?" Daniel asked giving Jack one of his patented concerned looks.

Jack shrugged and began fiddling with a pen he had found in his shirt pocket. "Sam wants to go to the cabin."

"Really?" Daniel said taken back. "Jack, has she ever been to the cabin?"

"Nope. Which is kind of funny really don't you think?"

"Maybe a little." Daniel said pausing. "So are you going to go?"

"I dunno." He paused as if considering the request for the first time. "Think we should?"

"Yes. Absolutely." Daniel said with a nod. "Neither of you should be alone right now."

"I dunno Daniel." Jack said standing up and walking around the bed. "Maybe I need to give Sam some time by herself." He picked up a card from Daniel's bedside and began reading it. From the SGC nurses.

"Sit Jack. You'll make me dizzy if you start one of your pacing shtiks."

"Pacing shtiks?" Jack said taking his seat again. Daniel just waved his right hand awkwardly in the air in a you-know-what-I-mean sort of way.

"Did Sam say she wanted to go to the cabin alone or that she wanted both of you to go to the cabin together?"

That was actually a good question. Jack paused to replay the conversation in his head. "She asked if we could go to the cabin."

"Well there you go!" Daniel said triumphantly. "She wants you both up there together."

Jack nodded still unsure. He went to playing with the clicking device on the pen.

"Tell you what Jack. Why don't you and Sam head on up there and if both you and Sam want, I can come up and keep you company later in the week."

Jack smiled. He'd like that.

"So how are you really doing Sam?" Janet asked sitting beside her friend on the bed. Medically speaking Sam had fully recovered, although Janet was quick to note that Sam had already managed to drop two pounds in the last 48 hours. That girl could lose weight faster than anyone she knew! She'd have to keep an eye on that.

"I wish people would stop asking me that Jan." Sam said with a sigh.

"They are only asking because they care Sam."

"I know."

"Jack had another nightmare last night." Sam blurted out. As both of their doctors, Sam knew she could tell Janet just about anything without worrying that it would wind up in the SGC rumor mill.

Janet didn't need to ask what about. "Was it bad?" She asked concerned.

"Not as much as the first night." Sam paused as if wanting to say something more.

"But.." Janet began.

"How can I forget about what happened Janet, if Jack is right there beside me screaming it out in Technicolor detail?!" Sam's eyes were beginning to pool with unshed tears. Janet silently gave her friend a tissue.

"What about you Sam? Are you having nightmares?"

"No- not really" Sam laughed weakly. "Jack would accuse me of working my brain too hard- but I can honestly force myself not to think about what happened Janet. And I seem to be able to keep that restriction in place even when I sleep."

Janet picked up her friend's hand. "Sam, you know that's not healthy."

"I know." She said casting her eyes downward. "But I just don't want Jack to have to carry any more guilt. It wasn't his fault Janet!"

"Who are you trying to convince Sam?" Janet said giving her friend's hand a slight squeeze.

"I'm a Major in the United State's Air force and my commanding officer did everything he could to insure the safely of his team." Sam said forcibly.

"But you aren't just a member of his team Sam."

"On an off-world assignment, I am." Sam said adamantly.

"You were never just a member of his team and you know that. It's true neither you nor Jack would ever do anything that would jeopardize the SGC or any member of SG-1, but if ever there's ever a situation developing between just the two of you- Air Force regulations go out the window. And you know it." Sam just nodded and blew her nose.

"Let yourself feel Sam. Anger, pain, hurt- all are valid emotions that you need to express. The Colonel is one of the strongest individuals I know. He'll be ok with anything he hears."

Sam didn't quite believe Janet but realized there was some truth to what she was saying. Sometimes it sucked being the smart one.

Chapter 10

"Lots of trees here." Sam said dryly as she stepped out of Jack's SUV. It had taken them over 16 hours of near continuous driving to get up to the cabin, but Sam had to admit it was sure beautiful.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" Jack quipped as he blissfully released his legs from the driver's seat. It had been his great idea to try and make it up here in one day. Hindsight dictated that this wasn't one of his better ones. Although he and Sam HAD shared the driving time, he was still pretty damn wiped out. **Getting old Jack.

Sam couldn't believe she was actually here. Had it really taken her 5 years?! She had wanted to come up before now but was just too fearful that a rustic cabin, a good bottle of wine and Jack O'Neill would lead to very unwholesome thoughts. No- they were wholesome all right, just not appropriate. Thank god they didn't have to hide anything anymore! She was actually allowed and even ENCOURAGED to hang out with Colonel Jack O'Neill. Go figure.

"Lemme give you the big tour." Jack said walking around the car and putting his arm around Sam's waist. Sam instinctively stiffened (against her will dammit!) and pulled slightly away. She reached down to take Jack's hand in an attempt to cover it up. Jack wasn't fooled in the slightest.

It had been 5 days now since '415 and Sam and Jack's sex life left something to be desired. Five days wasn't anything to be worried about for a normal couple, but after over 3 years of unresolved sexual tension, 'normal' for Jack and Sam was at LEAST once a day (when they weren't off-world that is). Jack had been quite smug after the first month. Not bad for a guy in his mid 40's eh?

But not now. Jack had no illusions that making love wasn't something they would do anytime soon, but he did hope she would at least take comfort in his physical presence. Sam had begun wearing long sleeve pajama tops and bottoms to bed. Not exactly a sign that she was coming to grips with things. Her previous sleeping attire consisted of a pair of his boxers and nothing else. And though she DID still like to cuddle and always fell asleep tightly spooned against Jack's body, there had been no additional physical contact.

The night before Jack had accidentally (on purpose) reached under her silken top to lightly touch her waist. Sam had surprised both of them by bolting straight up and scrambling out of bed. She had made some remark about being really thirsty but no one was fooled. For nearly 20 minutes Sam had sat on the cold kitchen floor cursing the Goa'ulds and the Khans and wishing she could just stop feeling this way. She was thankful Jack was giving her space but wondered how long even he could keep this up.

Silently Sam had padded back to the bedroom and slid under the covers. Jack had pretended to be asleep when she came back to bed and although he had desperately wanted to talk to her about it- kept quiet. It was obvious she wasn't ready yet. Sam molded herself tightly against Jack's body and kissed him softly on the neck.

"I love you Jack O'Neill."

In the darkness Jack had allowed himself a small smile. At least Sam still loved him; she might not allow him to touch her at the moment, but knowing that she still loved him went a long ways towards making things better. There were no nightmares for either one of them that night.

The sound of a small splash snapped Jack back the here and now.

"Teal'c tells me there aren't any fish in here." Sam said picking up another small stone and throwing it into the water.

"I think I saw a carp last year, although it might have once been someone's personal pet." Jack countered with a smile. He hoped it wasn't his imagination- Sam DID look more relaxed up here. Jack was happy to see her lean legs again. The shorts might be walking shorts, but they flashing him a fair amount of thigh.

"Planning on doing a spot of fishing Sir?"

"Sir?!" Jack said with a frown. "You are SO not allowed to call me Sir while at this cabin!" He might have been worried if he hadn't seen Sam trying to hide a smile.

"Ahh, but I haven't shown you the inside of the cabin so you are forgiven." Now it was Sam's turn to be confused. What was Jack up too?

He opened the front door and pointed to a sign nailed to one of the rafters above their head. "Abandon Ranks all Ye Who Enter."

"Cute." Sam said with a grin.

"I thought so."

Jack continued showing Sam around the place. The cabin had begun its life as a small, single bedroom shack on a 10-acre lot. Over the years Jack had gutted and rebuilt the inside, added an additional floor that included two bedrooms and a second bathroom, and most recently built a rooftop deck. Taking Sam's hand, Jack helped her up the spiral staircase that ran up through a small loft/attic and onto the roof.

"To the north there is the Chippewa National Forest." Jack said pointing at the heavily forested land straight ahead. "And although you can't see it from here, Lake Superior is out there somewhere to the east."

"It's funny how different this really is than all those planets we tromp across. I don't know what it is Jack, but I can always tell when we're home. A planet might have nearly the same kind of Douglas Fir or Alder tree, but it just isn't home, ya know?" Sam took a deep breath of the fresh.

Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know." They stood there in quiet contemplation for several long moments before Jack suddenly snapped his fingers. "Be right back!" He ran down the stairs and returned with a rather large telescope. His telescope from home in fact. "And wait until you see the stars Sam! It's incredible the sheer number you can see out here!" Sam couldn't help but share Jack's enthusiasm. She smiled wholeheartedly alongside him.

"Can't wait!"

They brought in the rest of the groceries and luggage and Jack quickly shooed Sam out of the kitchen insisting he wanted to make her a meal on his own. Sam didn't put up much of a fight and quietly retreated to the living room where she wrapped herself in one of the afghan blankets lying around and curled up on the couch to read a book.

Jack poked his head out 40 minutes later to find Sam fast asleep. A book on wormhole physics lay on her stomach. Jack smiled as he put the cork back in the wine bottle and set the oven on low. Dinner could wait until later.

Sam woke up several hours later to find the sun had set and the local crickets putting on a symphony outside their cabin.

"Noisy aren't they?" Jack asked from across the room. He had just finished making a fire.

"How long was I out for?"

"Three hours."

"Jack! You should have woken me up!" Sam said irritated. "Now I'll never fall back to sleep."

Jack smiled at the image of Sam with her hair in disarray and faint pillow creases on her left cheek. "As your commanding officer, I thought you needed the sleep. And as a guy who loves you very much..." Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "I just liked watching you sleep." Sam blushed slightly and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame the 'bed head' look she was sure she had.

"Hungry?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I think I am." Sam said surprising herself. She hadn't been eating too well and knew Janet had mentioned something to Jack. Sometimes it truly sucked having your CO be the guy your dating. A NORMAL boyfriend wouldn't have noticed her lack of appetite. And even if he had his suspicions, he wouldn't have known for sure because her doctor sure as hell wouldn't have mentioned it to him. Of course, a NORMAL boyfriend was something Samantha Carter hadn't experienced in over a decade. She shook her head in disbelief as she stood up and stretched. The nap had felt good.

They ate a slow and leisurely meal and then afterwards went for a walk along the lakeside. They couldn't see much, but the sounds of the forest at night were soothing. Later they made their way up to the roof and spent a good hour looking at stars and trying to figure out which ones they had visited. Jack was feeling pretty damn good about everything as they got ready for bed. He was a little bummed when Sam put on her silk pajamas, but couldn't help but smile as one of Sam's hands found its way under his t-shirt to rest atop his stomach. She idly played with the small patch of hair around his belly button. He might not be able to touch her yet, but she was beginning to touch him and that was a wonderful thing. There was one thing that troubled Jack however; although Sam's touch felt awfully nice, it really wasn't causing the reaction it normally did. Jack mentally shrugged and pulled his major tighter against his body. Definitely felt nice,

Both of them fell asleep rather quickly and for Jack O'Neill there were only sweet dreams. Unfortunately Sam wasn't so lucky. Her nightmare gripped her with such ferocity that she awoke shaking like a leaf with a scream lodged tight in her throat. Before Jack could offer any words of comfort she bolted from the bed to the bathroom and became violently ill. Jack was by her side in moments rubbing her back and whispering comforting words. He offered her a cool washcloth after she was done and stayed with her as she silently brushed her teeth and splashed water on her face. Together they returned to the bed but for the first time in five nights, Sam turned away from Jack and curled herself into a tight ball on the far edge of the mattress. She might have been physically only a few feet away but her body screamed at Jack to stay away. And he did.

The next morning Jack awoke before Sam and spent several long minutes watching her sleep. Sam lay on her right side with her knees bent and a pillow clasped tightly against her chest; she didn't look restful at all. Jack sighed quietly and ran a hand tenderly across her face. Sam murmured in her sleep but didn't wake up. Jack quietly left the bedroom and made his way towards the kitchen. He took his time brewing a fresh pot of coffee and mentally inventorying ingredients he would still need to pick up in town later that day. Coffee in hand Jack grabbed his cell phone and stepped out onto the front porch. The sun was just rising and the myriad of colors amongst the clouds always managed to leave him a little awe-struck. He sat on the swinging chair for several minutes debating whether or not to make the call. His concern over Sam won out over the potential backlash.

"Dr. Janet Frasier please." Jack said to the SGC switchboard operator.

Chapter 11

Standing in the airport luggage carousel area, Samantha Carter still hadn't decided if she was pissed as hell or deeply touched that her friends were coming up for a visit. Jack had been so crafty in broaching the topic that Sam was still reeling from the news. She glanced at her watch expectantly. The puddle-jumper with Janet, Cassie and Daniel should be landing soon. Sam hoped she had made the right decision in agreeing to their visit. Not that she didn't miss them or enjoy their company, it's just she was painfully aware of the underlying reason for it. Herself.

It wasn't often that Sam was affected so profoundly from a mission. She could feel the hysterical laughter bubbling up within her. **Yeah, but how many times have you been stripped naked and mauled by pygmy Goa'ulds? Usually the only time she lost her cool exterior was when one her teammates were injured or missing. And even then, it usually was handled quietly and in private. Unfortunately for everyone involved, she DID have a pattern. It wasn't a conscious decision or anything, but Sam almost always threw herself into her work (either to forget or try and find an answer) and she usually forgot to eat. That's just how she was. So why everyone was so concerned that she had dropped a pound or two was ludicrous! It wasn't as if all of this was a big surprise or anything; this was standard operating procedure when it came to Samantha Carter.

Sam sighed and sat down on one of the hard plastic chairs. She knew she wasn't quite being truthful here. This wasn't your normal SGC traumatic event, and never had it hit her so intimately. She knew Jack was worried- hell she was worried herself. Janet might think it was great that she was beginning to have nightmares, but Sam wasn't too sure. These nightmarish memories had been brutal. In the one last night, Temur had been the one who raped her and Jack had been forced to watch. God it had been so horrible! She had wanted to cry when Jack followed her into the bathroom that first night. Sam didn't remember a single word he had said but the tender act of just being there with her was nearly enough to break her heart. God she loved the man.

Sam swiped her eyes absently as she checked her watch for the third time. **Anytime now guys... Sam sat watching as another small planeload of passengers arrived to claim their luggage. Nope, didn't look like it was their plane. She ran a hand through her slightly longer than normal blonde hair and sighed. Jack had been so damn sly about all of this!

24 hours earlier

"Morning Sunshine!" A very chipper Colonel greeted her as she stepped into the divinely smelling kitchen.

"Pancakes?"

"Homemade waffles actually." Jack said waving a small paring knife in the air. "With fresh strawberries and whipped cream. He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Sam smiled as she sat down on a stool near the breakfast nook. "Sounds wonderful." She picked up the morning paper scanning for anything interesting to keep her occupied. Truthfully she wasn't all that hungry but she would make a gallant effort to try and eat some of the food being made for her.

"So..." Jack began glancing furtively at Sam as he poured some more batter into the waffle iron. "How'd you feel about a little more company up here?"

Sam looked up from the front page. "Jack?"

Jack turned and gave her a somewhat nervous look. "I'd like to say for the record that it isn't entirely my idea."

"Go on." Sam said crossing her arms across her chest.

"See, the Doc has the next three days off and wanted to take Cassie to Southern California for a little vacation. Cas wanted to see Disneyland before she got "too old" to enjoy it and the Doc was looking forward to the sunshine."

"But.." Sam began.

"El Nino." Jack said simply as he pulled out the now cooked waffle and placed it with the others in the oven to warm. He took another moment to pour Sam a fresh cup of coffee and placed it on the counter in front of her. He then leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on lips as he sat down on a stool next to her.

"Apparently Southern California is rather soggy right now. Record rains and cool temperatures. Since she and Cassie were going on a frequent flyer flight, CASSIE asked if they could go someplace else."

"Cassie, huh?"

"I swear to god Sam, Cassie asked if there were another place to go besides the wet pacific coast."

"Uh-huh." Sam blew on her coffee and took a small sip. Nirvana. Daniel had definitely showed Jack the finer points to brewing a good cup of coffee.

"And that's when Janet asked Cassie about coming up to the cabin." Sam just gave him a look and Jack rushed on before she could say anything. "You know how Cassie has always wanted to come up here. Heck, I was planning on using the kid at some point as a way to get you up here. But seeing as THAT'S not necessary any longer..."

"So did Janet ask to bring Cassie up before or after you called her Jack O'Neill?"

Uh oh. Maybe he wasn't as crafty as he thought- Sam was good.

Jack looked at her sheepishly. "After." He admitted. Sam took another sip of the coffee and audibly sighed.

"Jack, am I that much of a basket case that you need Janet's help?" Sam sounded hurt.

"No!" Jack said forcibly setting down his coffee cup a little too hard. "You are NOT a basket case." He said adamantly. He placed both hands on Sam's knees. "But I AM worried about you Sam. When SG-1 gets cleared for our next mission, I want you there to watch my back. But that's not going to happen until you start to come to terms with what happened on '415."

"I HAVE come to terms with what happened on that god-forsaken planet!" Sam yelled standing up. "It was a fucking gang-bang Jack! With you doing all the banging and everyone else just drooling on the sidelines! I have NEVER been so mortified about anything in my entire life!" Sam suddenly realized she was shouting. Loudly. At the one guy who really didn't deserve to be shouted at. She quietly sat back down. "Never." She whispered.

Jack did his best to swallow the large lump in his throat and not show how shaken Sam's words had made him. It was the first time she had shown anger and while logically Jack knew this was a good thing, inside he was cringing and already piling the blame heavily on himself.

"Remember what Hammond said?" Jack said in a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat. "We won't be cleared for duty until we talk to someone and that's not going to happen unless we make the effort to actually see folks other than ourselves." He took one of Sam's slightly shaking hands in his own.

"We will get through this Sam and you are probably the strongest individual I have EVER met. But we both could use a little help here. Janet offered and I accepted. Although I did say I needed to discuss it with you first." He looked at her expectantly with those big chocolate brown eyes of his. As if Sam honestly had a chance of saying no to him.

"Ok." Sam whispered.

"Janet and Cassie can come?" Sam nodded. Jack squeezed her hand. Sam looked at this man who cared for her so much through moist eyes. She leaned over and placed a tender kiss on his lips.

"You mentioned breakfast?"

"Coming right up m'lady!" Jack said standing up with an audible click of his knees. As if remembering something, Jack suddenly turned back around and grinned cheekily at Sam.

"So how'd you feel about Danny coming up and joining this party as well?"

Sam could do nothing but roll her eyes. "Wouldn't be a party without Daniel." With that she picked up her coffee and began to read about the latest Washington scandal.

Present

"Sam!" Cassie said wrapping herself around Sam's waist. Sam bent down and hugged her favorite-orphaned alien back. She gave her a huge smile. "It's great to see you Cassie."

"Cassandra!" Her mother admonished kindly coming up behind the pair. "Give Sam some space to breathe now, ok?"

"I'm fine Janet." Sam said standing up. Over Janet's head, Sam could see a very disorganized archaeologist approaching them. "Hey Daniel."

"Sam! Please tell me they have decent coffee in this town." Daniel said somewhat breathlessly dropping his shoulder bag heavily on the ground.

"He's been suffering from withdrawal symptoms for the last four hours." Janet whispered conspicuously."I never quite realized the extent of his addiction before." Sam laughed out loud. "Somehow Janet, I doubt that."

"Hey, I heard that. It wasn't my idea to leave so darn early."

"Daniel, you were late, which is why we didn't have time to stop at Starbuck's before catching the flight." Daniel muttered something under his breath as he looked around hopefully for an espresso stand. Why couldn't Jack's cabin be in some place civilized, like say- Seattle?

"Worry not Daniel, you have taught Jack well and a freshly brewed pot of Italian Roast is waiting for you back at the cabin."

"Thank the non snake infested gods." Daniel said happily as he awkwardly picked up his bag using his left hand. "What are we waiting for? Let's head it out!"

"Is he like this off-world?" Janet asked linking one of her arms through Sam's.

"Jan, you have NO idea."

Jack had indeed cooked up a feast in the 90 minutes that Sam had been gone. Daniel of course paid no mind to the freshly grilled steaks or potato salad and went straight for the aromatic beverage perched on the edge of the counter.

"Just poured Daniel." Jack said smiling. Daniel was such a clich when it came to coffee.

"Thanks Jack." Daniel said blissfully breathing in the heady smell. Never did he so desire a second hand in order to bring the heavenly smelling liquid to his lips. Why'd Janet have to be here! It's much easier to break a few 'Doctor's Orders' (like keeping his shoulder immobilized in a sling) when the doctor in question isn't standing right behind you! He groaned appreciatively as he took his first careful sip. Jack resisted the urge to cover Cassie's ears. Geesh Daniel- get a room!

"Colonel Jack!"

"Heya Cassie-o-pia!" Jack said swinging the not so small teenager in a small circle. Another couple of months tops and his child swinging days would be over.

"Colonel, stop that!" Janet said absently going into doctor mode as Jack lowered the dizzy girl to the ground. "You still have some tender ribs and rough housing with a 95 pound child is not..."

"I am NOT a child." Cassie interrupted glaring at the adults present and hastily scrambling to her feet.

Jack laughed. "I'll be good Doctor, promise." He offered Cassie a hand up. "And you are definitely not a child anymore Cass. Just remember that all perspective dates have to be approved by me, ok?" Cassie nodded trying not to blush.

"Lunch is about to be served, but first I think everyone needs to see this great sign I have hanging over my front door...."

Chapter 12

Cassie could scarcely sit through lunch she was so anxious to explore the area. Throughout the meal she would ask Jack questions about the lake and the surrounding area.

"Done!" She declared setting down her fork and standing up. "Can I go now?"

"Cassandra!" Janet Frasier said crossly. "Sit back down and wait for everyone else to finish." Janet was embarrassed. Cassie wasn't usually this rude (or quick) at home. She opened her mouth to say something more only to close it again in perplexity. All three members of SG-1 were smiling. Or rather trying hard NOT to smile.

"Someone was to fill me in on the joke?" Janet asked.

"Remind you of anyone?" Jack asked turning towards Sam.

"Hmmm. Let me think? Teal'c perhaps?"

"Very funny guys." Daniel said not enjoying himself so much anymore.

Sam turned to Janet and Cassie and explained. "When Jack, Teal'c, and I go off-world with Daniel, he sometimes get a little, uh.. energetic about what he finds."

"Danny goes nuts over rocks and buildings." The Colonel added. Seeing Daniel's look of annoyance he held up his hands to waive off any complaints and added, "In a good way I mean."

"The Colonel often has to force him to sit with us in order to eat, which Daniel does. But often he'll eat as quickly as possible and then stand up and announce that he's done and would someone PLEASE escort him back to the work site."

"I'll have you know that I haven't done anything like that in a good 6 months." Daniel said matter-of-factly.

"You're forgetting last month so quickly Danny?"

"What? I don't remember any gulping of food..."

"No, but what about the evening I told you lights out and you continued to read?"

"That's right!" Jack, that was dam..darn mean of you to do!" Daniel said wrinkling his nose. "And how'd you manage to sabotage my flashlight anyhow?"

"Took out the batteries and replaced them with rocks while you were on watch." Jack said smugly. Daniel could do nothing but glare back at his best friend. One day Jack O'Neill...

"Cool." Cassie said following the ping-pong conversation of her favorite team. "If you're comparing me to Daniel, than that is a compliment." Cassie said sweetly. "Everyone knows that Daniel is very clever and smart and I can only hope to emulate him one day."

"Emulate?" Jack mouthed to Janet.

"SAT word." Janet mouthed back before turning towards her daughter.

"You're right honey, Daniel is very clever and if you study really hard, I bet you'll be just as smart." She lowered her voice slightly and added, "hopefully not as accident prone; but just as smart."

"Hey.." Daniel began trying hard not to take it TOO personally. After all they WERE calling him smart. Before he could open his mouth for another retort Sam jumped in.

"I've also finished Cass, so why don't I go on a walk around the area with you?" Both Janet and Jack frowned slightly. Sam hadn't eaten very much dinner.

"You want any company?" Jack asked in what he hoped was a very nonchalant sounding voice. Sam of course saw right through it.

"We'll be fine Jack." Sam said fixing him with a decidedly pointed stare. "Right, Cass?"

"Absolutely Sam! I'll just get my coat!" And with that Cassie bounded up the stairs.

"Pretty boring living with a 15 year old isn't it Doc?" Jack asked.

"Oh yeah." Janet said helping herself to one of Jack's yet unopened beers.

Cassie was having fun. Not only was the forest around the lake 'cool' but she was enjoying the one-on-one time spent with her second favorite person in the whole universe. The pair tramped over 100 year old logs and examined the various plants and small animals living in/on the trees.

"The squirrels here look different." Cassie announced, suddenly stopping to a complete standstill.

Sam took a moment to examine a squirrel frozen in fear just 10 feet away. She snapped her fingers in memory. "Their ears!" Cassie gave her a 'huh?' look. Sam smiled as she explained. "The further north you go on the planet the more extreme examples you can see of evolutionary adaptation. Towards the south, squirrels have quite rounded little ears. Where we live they are slightly pointed and up here they are EXTREMELY pointed. See?"

Cassie nodded and then sat down on a log and burst out laughing. "Sam, who IS smarter? You or Daniel?"

Sam sat down next to her and considered the question for a long moment. "I am pretty certain Daniel and I are quite similar in our IQ's, but we are both smart in very different ways Cass."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just thinking about a question we had at school. If trapped on a desert island, who or what would you take with you. My class laughed at me when I blurted out SG-1 without thinking." Sam blanched a little at that admission. Cassie saw her face and quickly set her fears to rest.

"I told everyone that was the name of the rescue team who found me in that abandoned house up in Toronto. Since I won't talk AT ALL about life before my 11th birthday, everyone is pretty certain I had an absolutely horrid childhood. So by mentioning Toronto, everyone just shut up."

"I'm sorry you can't talk about the past with your friends Cass." Sam said putting her arm around the younger woman.

"It's ok Sam. After four years, I'm kind of used to it." They sat in the forest for several long moments in comfortable silence.

"Are you o.k. Sam?" Cass asked carefully, uncertainty lacing every word.

Sam sighed. Of course Cassie had been told at least a little about what to expect. After all, the last Jan had heard, I was waking up in the middle of the night to either puke or scream. Not exactly healthy and something you should worn a child about.

"I will be Cass." Sam said with more confidence than she felt. "What did your mom tell you?"

"Just that SG-1 got hurt on a mission." She paused and then gave Sam a cheeky grin. "AGAIN. But that this time you and Colonel Jack needed a little more support from your friends in order to recover." Cassie turned to face Sam and took a deep breath.

"Were you and the Colonel badly hurt Sam? I mean, you kinda don't look well, but it isn't like you're in a cast or hooked up to machines or anything. When I asked mom what happened she said she couldn't tell me." Cassie raised a hand haphazardly in the air. "Something about doctor/patient confidentiality."

Sam didn't know what to say. Not that she would EVER tell Cass the truth, but she did deserve to know a little something more.

"I'm ok physically Cass- it's just that something really bad happened to me psychologically on our last mission and I am having a hard time dealing with it. Which is stupid really because in actuality it boils down to extreme embarrassment and not much more."

"Did that 'bad thing' also give you a bruised cheek?" Cassie was by no means stupid. She might not be Sam or Daniel's league but she was right up there with her mom as far as common sense and natural intelligence comes in.

Sam rubbed her cheek absently. "Yeah." Again they lapsed into silence.

"Did I ever tell you about my first few weeks at the new school here on Earth?" Sam nodded.

"You didn't tell us a lot Cass, and we figured much of that had to do with the shock of being on a new planet with different customs. I remember you were excited the first couple of days and then quiet for a couple of weeks before bouncing back and talking non-stop about your teachers and friends."

Cassie nodded, that sounded about right. "Did I ever mention Jeffrey?" Sam shook her head. Jeffrey? Who the hell was Jeffrey?

"Those first few weeks were really tough, Sam and I think I tried harder than I would have normally because I didn't want to disappoint all of you."

"Oh Cassie!" Sam said hugging the girl close. "You would NEVER disappoint us. Ever."

"I know that NOW." Cass said with the arrogance of a young teenager. "But then, I wasn't so sure. So there I was in the 6th grade trying to make new friends. We didn't have anything like school playgrounds back on Hanka and so here on Earth, I could always be found playing on the bars at recess. I got quite good at doing penny drops and even..." Cassie lowered her voice "death drops."

"Cassie! Those are dangerous!" Sam remembered watching her friends hanging from their knees from single bars 6 feet off the ground. They would swing themselves back and forth to gain momentum before releasing their legs and (hopefully) landing on their feet. The REAL gutsy ones would sit on the top of the bars and just fall back and do a partial somersault in the air before attempting to land on their feet. She shuddered at the memory.

"No recesses anymore Sam, you can stop worrying." Cassie said grinning at her friend for a moment. She suddenly got more serious. "Most of the time all the girls played on the bars and the guys out in the sports fields. We never really gave them much notice and we were always flipping around in skirts and such.

Well, thar first Friday at school happened to be my mom's birthday. Um, my real mom that is.. and I was missing her like crazy that morning." Sam gave her a look of concern and sadness. Cassie returned the look with a slight shrug and a look of "it's ok, I'm ok, so stop looking at me like I'm made of glass." Sam could relate to that feeling so she gestured at Cass to continue.

"That day I wore a pair of-what did you call them? Knickers. I wore a pair of knickers my mother had made me for the year before. They were underneath my robe when you and the rest of SG-1 found me. They are really pretty Sam- lots of handmade lace and really soft fabric that shimmers and nearly changes color in the sunshine. There actually isn't anything like it here on Earth.

So I was wearing these knickers and hanging upside down when a gang of boys decided to pay the upper playground a visit. They saw me hanging there with my kickers showing and totally lit into me for my funny underwear. Their ringleader was a guy named Jeffrey. He was the first bully I had ever met and I'm afraid he hurt my feelings quite a bit those first couple of weeks. I just wanted to curl up and disappear. He made fun of my knickers and called me names. And if that wasn't enough, he began to make fun of my mother when I had told him in a fit of anger that she had made them for me. For the next couple of weeks he would use any occasion at all to bring up my strange looking knickers and how I must have freaks for relatives." She paused as if to consider her words more carefully. "I wanted to hurt him Sam. I wanted to hurt him like he was hurting me. But I didn't know how." Cassie gave a sigh lost in the memories of a tortured little girl.

"But then came gym class!" She said perking up. "To this day I do NOT understand the rationale behind teaching 12 year olds the finer skills of wrestling but that is what we were learning. The thing is, wrestling is actually very similar to a game I used to play with my father's brother's sons back home." Cass knew the word for cousins of course, but that wasn't what they were called back home, so she felt strange giving them the name 'cousin' here on earth.

"I was really quite good at the game and would often beat my much older and stronger relatives. Never the less, I was quite surprised when the P.E. teacher teamed me up with Jeffrey. At first I was quite nervous and scared but then Jeffrey started in once again on my knickers and I just lost it."

"Lost it?" Sam asked a little fearfully.

"Yep, lost it. I had Jeff pinned to the mat in under 5 seconds. In a very painful position. He couldn't believe it and asked for a rematch. Again I beat him very quickly. This happened three times and in the end I had him pinned with the right side of his face pressed tightly into the mat