Eden Obsession
Eden Obsession
by Carhop
Summary:
Summary: SG-1, now minus Jack, gets a new team member with a rather unhealthy
obsession that leads him to drastic measures.
Category: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Series
Season: any Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: adult themes, sexual situations, violence
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 11/03/03
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the author.
Author's Notes: Feedback is always much appreciated. Please help me get better at this. I need all the help I can get. Profuse thanks to my beta readers Zoe, San and StarShadowHE. Any remaining mistakes are my own.
* Sam *
All the general did was let it be known that we were looking for a fourth member and I was inundated with applications, queries, impromptu interviews and people stopping me in the hallway. Those who wanted to be on Stargate Command's flagship team approached all three of us by phone, email, or in person.
I plunged head first into my new duties and quickly developed an appreciation for just how hard team leaders really work. A certain colonel had made it look easy - at least until it was time for paperwork. I successfully buried myself in my new duties and in the lab, so there was little time to mourn my lack of a life.
General Hammond assigned SG-1 to missions with other teams or where a fourth member wasn't necessary. Occasionally, one of us would go off with another team. Daniel, Teal'c and I, being so used to working as a team, continued to operate as the perfectly well-oiled machine. After a few weeks on our own, we sat down to review some of the depressingly huge pile of resumes left after the initial culling. Each one had excellent qualifications and something special to recommend them. I knew it would be a long and tiring day.
"ColonelCarter, I believe this man, reputedly a warrior of great prowess, would be an excellent addition to SG-1." Teal'c always leaned toward the soldiers in our deliberations.
"But, Sam, just look at this one. He has three PhDs and wrote one of his theses in the linguistic abnormalities of the Villanova period of the Etruscan Confederation, circa 900-700 BCE. He and I covered complementary areas. You can't get a much more perfect fit than that, Sam." I rolled my eyes at Daniel's obtuseness and Teal'c's one-dimensionality. They certainly weren't making this decision any easier.
We had worked at it for most of the day, eliminating dozens of candidates, leaving dozens more, when the PA system blared, summoning me to General Hammond's office. Ah, sweet reprieve.
"I'll be back guys. See if you can eliminate a few more while I'm gone." Yeah, right.
Receiving permission to enter, I presented myself to the general, "Reporting as ordered, sir."
"Please sit, Colonel. I have a two-week mission and a temporary member for your team, if you agree to both. I'm leaving this to your discretion as I'm quite aware you have a long list of projects at the moment." I smiled my thanks and nodded for him to continue. "I'm sure you've heard about the illness that put three quarters of SG-11 in the infirmary..." Again, I nodded, this time with reservations. Everyone in our small community had heard about their misfortune. "I have a request for an SG team to do some surveying work on P3J-299 and SG-1 is the only team available just now for that amount of time. Plus, Lt. Simms, the member of SG-11 unaffected by whatever hit his teammates, is a geologist." I'll admit my smile slipped a little at the mention of the beta site. He was there, but I couldn't let that affect my duty as the new leader of SG-1.
"Wasn't Lt. Simms a member of the US Geological Survey for a couple of years, sir?" I asked, almost sure I was right.
"Exactly, Colonel. Simms is a perfect fit with SG-1 on this mission. I've used him for some errands off world recently, but prefer that his skills be better utilized. Would you consider taking the mission and Lt. Simms until his team is on its feet again?"
"Of course, sir. Do you have any particulars on the mission?"
"Only what I've told you and that there is a number of other skilled tasks that need doing around the camp. You'll know everything as soon as you arrive, I'm sure."
"When do we leave, sir?" My preference was to rip the scab off quickly.
"In two days, colonel. That should give you some downtime to take care of any personal items and finish a few projects." He stood to indicate the conversation was over and I left quickly, heading for my office and my team.
* Jack *
General Hammond had promised me a team for two weeks' work, but I'd never expected my old team, SG-1. Mid-morning, a week or so after making the request, they showed up on my doorstep. Sam looked as beautiful as ever walking toward the camp, laughing unreservedly at a teammate's joke. Until she saw me, that is. My heart lurched at the sight. It brought home the loneliness of my life without those who had become my family, especially Sam.
Her smile collapsed like a popped balloon and she was all business. "Sir, General Hammond said you had some work for us."
"Hello to you, too, Colonel." I tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, Daniel, Teal'c and ..."
"Lt. Jared Simms, sir," the handsome, young man offered, along with his hand. I disliked him on sight, all six feet three or four of him, especially since he seemed to be the source of her laughter. We gripped each other's hands like two vices.
"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant. Are you the new member of SG-1?" I released his hand and tried to shake some blood back into mine without anyone noticing.
"Only in my dreams, sir. It's a temporary assignment while my team, SG-11, is in the infirmary with food poisoning." He flashed a brilliant smile at me and then at Sam. My jaw clenched involuntarily.
"If you'll explain our assignment, sir, we can get started right away," Sam interjected coolly.
"Uh, sure. Come into my 'headquarters', such as it is," I asked and lead them into the tent that served as my home, office and headquarters.
As we all crowded inside, Daniel remarked, "You've actually done quite a bit, Jack. You have, what, three log cabins and two, uh..."
"Pre-fab buildings, Daniel. The medical facility and mess hall are in pre-fabricated buildings we shipped in to get them up fast. The log cabin over there, the one that they're putting a roof on now, will be mine when it's done." I walked around the worktable and faced them over a map of the region. I pointed to a large blank spot on the northwest section of the map.
"This is what I need filled in. Geology, resources, area covered by spring flooding, flora and fauna, whatever you find. I have a map to get you down the escarpment and to the river. The river will most likely form a major highway for trade with other, future settlements. The valley will be a major farming area, assuming the area doesn't flood so badly each spring it would be impractical. We've noted signs of extreme flooding in some areas. We have to know what to expect from upriver."
"Yeah, having the farm float away each spring wouldn't work too well," Simms put in, annoying me to no end.
"You'll add information to the north and west of the existing map, as far as you can go in the time allotted. When you get back in a week or so, you can add the measurements you took out there to our mapping software. After that, I have another list of tasks for you."
I continued the briefing for some time, drawing out the period before she left, studying her face covertly. Eventually, they left; she left me, turning her back firmly. I suppose it was only what I deserved for doing the same to her.
* Sam *
Using the colonel's map, we made our way to the cliff and south to the slide area where the map showed an easier way down than strictly ropes and tackle. The trip there took the rest of the day, so we camped on top, making the most of the last bits of daylight to plan our descent the next day.
"Whose turn is it to make dinner, Daniel?" I asked.
"I'll make dinner, ma'am, bein' the new guy," Simms offered with a smile.
"Be my guest, Lieutenant. Daniel's favorite is the macaroni and cheese," I joked while my friend sputtered and choked on a mouthful of water.
"Not funny, Sam," he gasped. Even Teal'c managed a smile at my attempt to channel our former teammate. Someone had to make fun of them and tell sarcastic jokes.
I questioned Simms on the descent the next day and we talked about the logistics for some time around the fire. Finally, we all wound down and turned in for the night.
* Daniel *
Sam and I settled into our tent and I drifted off to sleep. Sometime later, I woke to a faint sniff from my tent mate, then another. She lay with her back to me.
"Sam, are you okay?" I whispered.
"Yeah, Daniel. I must be allergic to something on this planet," she said, her voice muffled.
"Like, maybe a colonel we ran into today?"
"I can't imagine what you mean." She'd never been any good at lying.
"Can I do anything to help?"
"Not unless you know how to heal a shredded heart," Sam whispered.
"Sorry, I'm pretty much a failure in that department, Sam." I reached out and squeezed her shoulder. A slender, calloused hand reached up and squeezed mine back.
"Thanks, Daniel. It's nice to know you're there for me - you, Teal'c and Janet."
"We always will be," I promised.
* Jared *
My plan to be indispensable to SG-1 and secure a spot with them was going well. I'd rappelled about halfway down the slide area, where the slope flattened for a few feet, making an ideal staging area for the rest of our descent. Resting for a few seconds, I gazed around the huge river valley in front of me.
Enormous herds of antelope-like beasts with huge, red spiraling horns flowed through the space between mountain ranges, following the southward path of the river. Tracts of purple-leaved trees twined through blackish-green bushes. Strangely shaped yet familiar birds flew over the backward path of the herd, grazing on the insects and seeds disturbed by the passing beasts.
"Colonel, you can send down the equipment now. The rest of the slope will be pretty easy as long as the surface stays stable. Looks like it's been here a few years and turf's grown over the scree," I reported into my radio.
"Very good, Lieutenant. Here comes the first load of equipment."
Three loads later, Teal'c joined me, then Daniel. While they schlepped the packs down to the valley floor, I guided the colonel down. I tried not to be obvious about staring at her attractive figure as she came down the rope, but I thought that Teal'c caught me ogling. Well, I am only human.
* Janet *
I hated days like this. No amount of watching patients recover and leave healthy could make up for the death of others. Especially, when I didn't know why they died. With a huge sigh, I stood to go report to my superior.
"Sir, if you have a moment..."
"Of course, come in Doctor, sit. What can I do for you? You look upset."
"Yes, sir. Lt. Marten died just a few moments ago. She was the last member of SG-11. Except Lt. Simms, of course. He was very lucky not to have eaten the last meal with his team." I fought to remain objective.
"Do you know what caused her death?"
"No, sir. The cause was the same as Lt. Colonel Washington and Captain Masters, but I've been unable to determine what that cause was. In these circumstances, sir, I'm required to order an autopsy."
"Very well, Doctor. I regret the loss of such good people, but I know you did everything possible. Please keep me informed of the results of the autopsy."
"Yes, sir." I turned to go, deeply troubled. There was paperwork to do. There was always paperwork to do in cases like this.
* Sam *
We set off westward toward the river, where we would turn north. The vegetation was open and fairly low growing here, letting in lots of bright, dappled sunshine. Our feet made little noise on the dirt track, but raised scents reminiscent of cinnamon and dried dung. Brush slapping repeatedly against our legs put forth delicious aromas of lemon and basil.
A pleasant two hours walk brought us to the river, where we stopped for lunch. Lt. Simms set up his surveying equipment and took many readings along the river. I gathered samples of water, soil and plant life that we hadn't seen last time.
After lunch, we headed north and continued in that direction for two days, mapping, surveying, gathering and recording everything in sight. Simms' skills frequently came in handy, refining our usual methods. I was really quite impressed with him.
On the last day before we had to head back, the river forked, with the smaller branch heading westerly into a gap in the mountains. A natural ford above the fork gave us the perfect place to cross, so I decided to split the party to cover more ground.
"Teal'c, Simms, you two head west. Daniel and I will continue north. Keep on for as long as you can today, then turn back tomorrow. We'll meet up here."
Teal'c merely nodded his agreement and turned to cross the river ahead of Simms.
When they were out of sight, Daniel turned to me with his boyish grin and asked, "Have I ever told you the tale of the Connecticut Archeologist in King Kasuf's Court?" He proceeded to regale me with a highly edited and fantastical version of his year on Abydos. Soon I was laughing so hard it was difficult to walk straight. What would I do without my friends?
* Teal'c *
Lieutenant Simms performed his duties most efficiently; he eagerly accepted and completed unpleasant tasks. Yet, I could not escape a feeling of uneasiness around the young Tau'ri.
His eagerness to become a part of the preeminent team of Stargate Command was understandable. Many aspired to join our family. I could not name what raised my foreboding, so I strove to ignore it, succeeding finally.
Our path lead far into the mountains and we climbed steadily. The lieutenant guided us unerringly to the most efficient path and best place in which to climb. By the end of the first day, our perch overlooked much of the wide valley through which we had traveled. I took many images from this vantage, while he made measurements of the valley and the escarpment beyond.
Returning the following day brought us to the rendezvous by mid-afternoon. I instructed Lieutenant Simms to continue south and set up an evening camp for us while I went to meet my friends.
* Jared *
Just as with SG-11, I was the outsider. So, I searched hard to find the perfect spot for a camp, laid out a fire for the night, cleared a couple areas for tents, hauled water for washing and generally did whatever I could to be everyone's favorite team member. It really sucks being the new guy.
At least Sam - Colonel Carter - appreciated my efforts. When I showed her and the others the secluded spot where I'd left some warm water, soap and a towel, she sighed happily and tossed a coin with Dr. Jackson to see who got it first. Teal'c, being Teal'c, merely nodded, but I took it for a sign of approval.
Since I'd made camp, it really wasn't my job to make dinner, but I had plenty of time waiting for them. Fortunately, with all my camping with the USGS, I was pretty adept at making camp food taste better. All it took was a careful hand with some herbs, spices and dried vegetables that I kept in my "emergency supplies," a kit of all sorts of things that eventually came in handy, one way or another.
* Daniel *
Our good weather continued and the level countryside was easy to negotiate on foot. The trip back was uneventful and actually quite enjoyable.
Sam cheered up quite a bit, but as we got closer to what its inhabitants had quickly started to call Eden Camp, she became quieter and joked with us less. As she sobered, Jared tried harder to get her to laugh. My supply of jokes was long since exhausted, so I appreciated his attempts.
Again, we walked into the camp, chuckling over yet another whopper told by the lieutenant. Warned of our approach by the sentry, Jack walked out to greet us, trying on a big grin that faded the closer we got.
"Welcome back, kids. Come on in and sit down. How was the trip?" We followed him inside his tent and sat around the table. Our report lasted until well after suppertime, so we eventually relocated to the mess hall. Several of the men and women assigned to the camp clustered around to listen to the tale, eager for anything new. After the formal report was complete, Jared kept up his string of amusing anecdotes for the group.
While Sam steadfastly ignored Jack unless he spoke directly to her, she obviously enjoyed listening to Jared's monologue. I watched them, fascinated by the interaction between the three.
The next day Jack assigned us to specific tasks. Sam, of course, began repairing the faltering naquadah reactor. Simms set to inputting mapping and geological data, while Teal'c taught the Eden inhabitants defensive techniques. They were here for their skills in building and creating, not for their fighting skills.
I spent the time cataloging plants, soil samples, animal sightings and images. Some would come back with us for in-depth analysis; some would stay here for less intensive study. After two days, I finished - about the same time as Simms.
"Well, we do have one particular task you two could help with, Daniel, but I don't know if you're going to like it," Jack said when we asked for more work. Sam still needed another day or two to complete her repairs.
"Okay, spit it out, Jack. What are we in for this time?"
He smirked and replied, "We need a few dozen trees felled and hauled in to keep the mill and cabin builders busy. If they have enough material, they can keep going on the cabins and larger buildings we'll need before winter."
I groaned and we followed his foreman out to the stand of trees. Thank goodness they had ATVs large enough to haul the logs. We spent two days chopping and dragging trees until the pile was large enough to satisfy Jack. I don't think I've been so sore in so many places since my first field trip as an archeology student. Sam, bless her, massaged my back after dinner.
Each evening the five of us and any of Jack's people who weren't sound asleep by dark gathered in the mess hall, where Jack and Jared battled to see who could amuse Sam the most. The testosterone flowed like water from the two men in their undeclared war, as did the looks of intense dislike. Yet, somehow, Sam missed the obvious and never knew she was the prize they were after.
On our last night, she left early. "Night guys. I'm exhausted and I need to finish packing. See you at breakfast."
"I'll walk you as far as the women's tent, Sam." I hopped up to walk with her, sensing two pair of eyes boring into the back of my head.
As we neared her destination, I asked, "Um, Sam have you noticed the little rivalry between Jack and Lt. Simms this week?"
"No. Not really. Why do you ask?"
"Well, since you're the one they're showing off for, I thought you might have noticed things were a little ... tense."
"I just think they're both trying to be the center of attention. I'm sure it's nothing to do with me, Daniel."
"Whatever you say, Sam." I sighed. Talk about denial.
What I didn't realize was that Jack had followed us; not close enough to overhear, but near enough to see me hug her goodnight and head off to the men's tent. The next morning, however, he made sure I knew he'd seen us.
The five of us were just walking up to the meadow containing the Stargate, Teal'c and Jared in the lead, when he stopped. "Thanks for lending us your team's skills, Carter. We have a ton of work to do before winter and your contributions have really helped." He paused and then continued, his voice pitched for just the three of us, "Daniel, Sam, you might want to watch yourselves around Hammond. He's not too keen on workplace relationships, if you know what I mean."
Sam bristled. "No, Colonel, I don't know what you mean."
He glanced at her coolly. "If you can't keep things professional, at least keep it out of his sight."
Finally getting his implication, I grabbed his arm before Sam said something we'd all regret. No one would blame her, given what he'd hinted at. I dragged him to the side and whispered urgently, "What the hell do you mean saying something like that to Sam? You should know better than anyone how professional she always is."
"Daniel, if you two want to have an affair, that's your right. Just don't make it so obvious or Hammond will have your butt in a sling." He really believed it of us.
"Jack, you are my best friend, but I have no intention of allowing you to get away with that type of allegation. You are so far out of line. Sam is my boss, my teammate and my friend. That's all!" He had me really steamed by then.
He snorted, disbelieving, and quipped, "Whatever! Just keep it out of sight, for her sake if nothing else." With that, he spun on his heel and walked away.
After Jared and Teal'c passed through the event horizon, an irritated Sam asked, "What was that all about?"
"Uh, Jack seems to think you and I are, you know, lovers." The very thought made me blush and I couldn't look her in the eye.
"The man is clearly delusional." She realized how unflattering that may sound to me and amended with a grimace, "It would be like... French kissing my brother." I glanced up to see her apologetic smile.
"You know, Sam, I always wanted a sister," I said, a little wistfully.
"Well, you have one now, Daniel." I wrapped a brotherly arm around her shoulder and we followed our two teammates home.
* Janet *
I sat and re-read the test results for a fourth time. I couldn't put it off any longer. General Hammond had to know. There was no doubt; someone had murdered SG-11. The medium was their energy bars; the poison came from mushrooms only found in extremely remote locations in North America. Gathering my wits, I called my superior to ask for some of his time.
"Of course, Doctor Frasier. Come right now, if you have the time." I was once again grateful for the extraordinary support the general had always shown me. I piled the autopsy reports into a folder and made my way to his office.
"Well Doctor, what can you tell me about the deaths of SG-11?"
"The reports I got back from the pathologist indicate that they were murdered," I baldly stated.
His eyebrows rose. "Tell me what you have." And, so I did. The report listed the poison administered to the team members, the failure of the liver and kidneys, the build-up of toxins, and the ultimate causes of death. His face grew longer with each sentence.
After a few moments of silence, the general asked, "Is there any hope of finding out who did this, Doctor?"
"I certainly hope so, sir."
"What will you need?"
"With your permission, sir, I'd like to bring in a forensic investigator."
"Of course, Doctor. I'll find one with the appropriate level of clearance. Is there anything else you'll need?"
"Free access to every department, every person and thing within the SGC will be crucial. Plus, we may need to destroy every uneaten energy bar in stock. The toxins were terrestrial in origin, meaning that someone in the SGC or at the manufacturer planted the poison for the express purpose of killing people."
"Whatever you need is yours, Doctor. I want to know who is responsible for killing my people. Dismissed."
* Jack *
After thoroughly kicking myself for being such a jerk, I settled back into my now accustomed - lonely - routine. Daniel graciously accepted my emailed apology - thank goodness for the wireless networks and email systems our network engineer set up between the camp and the SGC - and kept me up to date on the achievements of SG-1. They completed one successful mission after another. Sam was a great commander, as I knew she would be. Simms continued to make himself valuable to the team and soon became the de-facto fourth member of SG-1.
Time passed and summer was in full swing at Eden Camp. We completed all of the log cabins and the dormitories. The tents were abandoned in favor of more comfortable quarters and the US Army Corp of Engineers team constructed a larger, more permanent mess hall as the population of the camp grew. When we passed 100 people, I declared a holiday and we re-christened Eden Camp as Eden Base. Some were even starting to call P3J-299 Eden.
Not too long after the holiday, I took some time for myself. Loaded up with fishing gear, lunch and a bottle of the cook's homebrew, I headed out. One of the sentries greeted me as I left the base.
"Off to your lake for some fishing, sir?"
"Sure am, Johansen. I can't wait to put my feet up and cast my line into that water. See you later." I waved goodbye and set off along the trail that wound toward the eastern valley where we'd start the colony next summer. Turning off, I climbed the steep hill along the faint trail my semi-regular trips to the small lake had left.
Cresting the top, I looked down into a cup holding a small lake and reflected, "Too bad Sam can't see this. She'd finally agree to go fishing with me." Shrugging away painful thoughts of lost opportunities, I started down to my homemade dock and settled myself into the broken-down chair appropriated from an office. The shortened legs allowed me to lounge on the dock and cast in comfort.
For once, fishing didn't work its magic to free my mind and the various tasks waiting for me at the base kept repeating themselves like a looping video tape. With the arrival of several scientists, my duties had more than doubled. We had yet to begin construction of the office and lab complex, so they were working out of their cabins, in tents, or wherever they could set up equipment. They got in the way, complained about the working conditions, and generally pissed off the longer-term personnel.
"I'd get so much more done if only I could clone myself." The light of a brilliant idea struck me. "Why can't I? Damn!" I quickly rounded up my gear and almost ran back to the base to send an email to Hammond. My brainstorm could solve all my problems at once.
* Sam *
About four months after our mission to P3J-299, I received an email from Colonel O'Neill inviting me to spend some time at Eden Base. He supposedly had a way around the regs which had kept us apart for so long. Daniel had already passed along his apology for being such an ass, but I wasn't disposed just yet to be forgiving.
My reply to the invitation was a polite refusal, short and to the point. There was nothing and no one there I cared to spend time with. Anyhow, that's what I told myself. Janet encouraged me to go, if for nothing else than to finally close out that part of my life. She was so busy on some hush-hush project; I barely had time to mention it before she dashed away again.
Not too long afterward, Daniel started mentioning what a nice place Eden Base was and wouldn't I enjoy a little time away from work.
"Not really, Daniel. I have a ton of work to do and not enough time to do it in as it is." Teal'c remained stoic throughout our friend's sales pitch.
"But, Sam, you know you really ought to visit. Jack's made incredible progress according to his emails. See, I got this picture of the new buildings and he sent me the plans for the science labs."
"No! Not interested." I glanced at Lt. Simms for assistance and, holding his hands up, palms out, he wisely kept out of the discussion. "Well, I have a meeting now. See you later, guys." I made my escape, at least for the moment. Daniel's assault on my determination continued for several days, until I finally started to consider Colonel O'Neill's offer - just to get away from my annoying "brother".
One morning at breakfast, Daniel's campaign began again. "Ah, come on. You know I won't quit until you give in," he asserted, grinning at my reaction.
"I could order you to, Daniel," I mumbled around a bite of toast.
"Well, if you're going to put it that way..." He flicked his eyes toward Teal'c, who nodded so slightly I wasn't sure I'd really seen it.
"ColonelCarter, you would benefit from a period of rest. Why not spend it on Eden. I am sure O'Neill has many beautiful places to show you."
"You, too? It's a conspiracy," I moaned, my forehead in my hand. "What's next? You'll have Cassie send me email advice on how to get a love life?"
He seemed to consider the idea seriously for a moment. "I am sure CassandraFrasier could impart considerable wisdom on the subject. Perhaps we should enlist her assistance, DanielJackson."
I threw up my hands and said, a little too loudly, "Whatever! I give up. You win. Make the arrangements and I'll go." Heads turned from all around us and stayed turned to watch me stalk from the mess hall.
* Jared *
There was no way in this universe or the next I was going to let her go there alone - to be alone with him. He was her past; I was her future. Daniel planned to tag along, so I had an excuse to join the happy party as well.
I would allow no more interference when I was so close to having my heart's desire. In fact, the more I thought about it, the better this opportunity looked. Everything necessary was in place already, thanks to all the milk runs and errands to Eden Base I had run for Hammond. I was ready to put my plan into motion. With luck, within a few days, we would be together - forever.
* Jack *
I was so nervous. Not since I got married to Sara had I been this panicky. I hoped to persuade Sam to move to Eden to take the job of running the base and science station. That would leave me free to resign my commission - or not - and take over the designing, building and running of the colony. No reporting structure in common, voila, no problem with the regs.
It took some time to convince Hammond, but once on my side of the argument, he made it happen. I'd asked him to send the new orders with Sam, so I could offer them to her personally.
As five-star hotels went, the new dorm was rough, but at least she wouldn't have to sleep outside or in a common tent this time. I paced the room reserved for her, inspecting each little item and piece of furniture for the third time.
I'd worked so hard since my brainstorm to have everything ready. There was still so much to do before she got here. Did I mention how nervous I was?
* Janet *
Ivan Stafanko, the forensic investigator General Hammond finally found, was a wonder and a holy terror. He and his team cut a swath through the storerooms, carting off every MRE and energy bar received before SG-11 left for their last mission. They wiped clean the quarters of all four members of SG-11 and took everything out of their lockers and packs.
He spent days in his temporary labs on Peterson AFB, testing, sorting, searching, and analyzing. I spent hours each day with him, theorizing, reading analyses, answering questions and theorizing some more. It was painstaking and extremely slow, mostly due to security concerns. I interviewed everyone who had any contact with the team before the mission. Ivan stayed behind a one-way mirror and fed me questions. I felt like a detective and, if not for the circumstances of the investigation, would have enjoyed myself immensely.
One day, I walked into my office to a flashing light on my phone - voice mail. Ivan's voice told me to call him right away. His tone of breathless excitement told me he had something of importance for me. I dialed his number anxiously and waited three rings for him to answer. Just when I thought we were going to play phone tag, he answered, out of breath.
"Ivan, it's me, Janet. You have news?"
"Yes! We found how it was done - how the toxin was introduced into the food bars."
"Please, don't keep me in suspense," I begged.
"You know that we found a wrapper stuffed deep inside a pocket in Lt. Marten's pack containing a small portion of the food bar that killed her. One of my people did a microscopic scan of the wrapper. In the crimped end of the wrapper, there was a tiny tube in the crimp made by slipping a hypodermic needle between the two sheets of plastic. Our killer introduced the poison through the needle and into the bar.
"That's an amazing piece of detective work, Ivan. Now, do you know who did it, why and when?"
* Sam *
General Hammond had given us a week of downtime. After the past few months of uninterrupted missions and work, SG-1 more than deserved it. He'd even asked me to take a packet of paperwork to the colonel, saying mysteriously that I'd get to read them after Colonel O'Neill had.
Not surprisingly, Jared decided to come with us. He wanted to do some rock climbing along the escarpment and get in a little hiking. It was beyond me what would persuade him to do for fun what we do for a living, but then, I still didn't know what Colonel O'Neill had planned for me either.
I walked ahead of Daniel up the ramp, with Jared just behind and to my left. Just as I was about to step into the event horizon, Daniel seemed to stumble and fall. Simms shouted something and a hand on my back propelled me through the Stargate. De javu.
As I exited the wormhole on P3J-299, I spun to check on my teammates. Lt. Simms was there with me and grabbed my shoulder as though to support me. I felt a sharp sting in my neck and the world went away.
* Daniel *
As Sam started through the gate, Jared said something I didn't hear and his hand swept out to push me back as though from danger. I was off balance from his shove and my glasses fell off as I tumbled to the base of the ramp.
I scrambled to my feet quickly, grabbed for my glasses, and tried to hurry through before the gate shut down. Just my luck, it closed as I approached the shimmer of blue.
"Re-dial P3J-299, Sergeant," I yelled to the control room technician.
The Stargate spun and chevrons glowed, but the tech's voice answered, "Sorry, Dr. Jackson, incoming wormhole. You'll have to wait until this one closes before I can dial out again."
So, I waited impatiently while the gate finished its combination, the gate "flushed sideways," and the incoming traveler made the transit. It turned out to be Jacob Carter, Sam's dad and Earth's liaison to the Tok'ra.
"Hey, Daniel. You here to greet me because my daughter's too busy for her ol' dad?"
"Actually, I was just leaving with her and Lt. Simms for some downtime at the beta site. I'm sure she'd love to have you come along," I blurted before my mind caught up to my mouth. Dad + Sam + Jack = "Oh shit," but it was already too late.
"Glad to, Daniel. Sounds like fun and I haven't seen your beta site yet."
"Uh, Sergeant, would you dial up P3J-299 again, please?" I shouted lamely to the smirking tech. The trip was uneventful this time and we exited into a glorious morning.
"So, where's Sam? By the way, isn't Jack O'Neill in charge of this site?" Jacob asked oh- so-casually.
"She must have gone ahead with Jared, and, uh, yeah, he is. The base is this way." I skimmed quickly over the answer he already knew and continued on in silence. We walked the flat trail, which was quickly becoming a full-fledged road, between two bands of colorful foliage. The wood of young trees, sporting leaves of every hue, continued for the 20 minutes until the base came into sight around a corner. I stopped to gape at the raw scar in the earth from which new buildings sprang. "Wow, Jack's made a lot of progress in the past few months. When we were here last, it was a couple of tents and a few log cabins."
"I'm really impressed. Who knew Jack had the talents to actually build something," Jacob joked. I looked at him trying to figure out his point.
"Yeah, well, he's a man of many talents. In fact, there he is. Jack!" I yelled to the graying head bent over a worktable. To either side were two large structures in the process of assembly. The head lifted to reveal a genuine smile.
"Hey, Daniel, Jacob! Did Hammond send you with the orders?" He strode up to us like a whirlwind
"Orders? I didn't get any orders. He must have sent them with Sam or Jared." Jack's smile faltered slightly at the lieutenant's name. "Where is Sam? They should have been here almost half an hour ahead of us."
Jack turned to a P90-toting SF. "Hey, Yatchenko, seen anything of Colonel Carter or Lt. Simms this morning?"
"No, sir. Dr. Jackson and Mr. Carter are the first visitors we've had all day."
* Jack *
I knew immediately something was wrong and turned to my second, Major Grace. "Get together some search parties. We need to cover the region around the Stargate. Have some maps printed so each leader has at least the area their party is searching. Break out the spare radio batteries and the survival gear. We don't want anyone else going missing."
"Jack, is that really necessary?" Daniel asked, confused at my assumption that Sam and Jared were in trouble.
"Daniel, there's no place to go on this planet except the base. If they wandered off the trail for some reason, one or both of them may be injured. As peaceful as Eden is, it's not without dangers." Grace finished speaking into his radio and I instructed, "Contact General Hammond about searching the nearby planets with Stargates in case they were kidnapped or misdirected."
As much as I wanted to be on the ground searching for Sam, I stayed at the headquarters running teams. We quartered the area for a couple of miles around the Stargate, from the east side of the base to the escarpment in the west; north beyond the river that ran straight to the cliff; south to the big slide. There was no sign of them anywhere.
* Daniel *
Jack worked far into the night and the next day on the search for Sam and Jared. He never rested, barely stopped for food and became less communicative as time passed. General Hammond's news about the death of the last member, but one, of SG-11 had hit us all pretty hard. Jacob and I filled in where we could, running errands, getting coffee, manning the radios, even joining search teams when people came in too tired to go on.
Around mid-afternoon, I finally convinced Jack to get some sleep. Teal'c had arrived some hours earlier, recalled from his downtime with Ry'ak. He coordinated with the SGC on the off world search teams. Jacob had left in the wee hours to get something or other from the Tok'ra.
Freshly showered, Jack showed up again after only a couple of hours of sleep. He grunted a greeting and jumped right in. "What's the progress, Grace?"
"I'm sorry to say, nothing so far, sir. We've covered almost the entire search zone, some areas multiple times. There's no sign of them. General Hammond sent word just a little while ago saying that he had to call off the off world searches."
Jack closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. This obviously wasn't what he wanted to hear.
* Janet *
Ivan and I had just finished reading the lab results. There was no longer any doubt of who the killer was. I don't know why it hadn't come as a surprise to me. We waited impatiently to report the findings to the general until his aide said we could enter.
"Well, Doctor, Mr. Stafanko, do you have all the answers to our mystery?" he asked soberly after we seated ourselves.
"Yes, sir." I gestured to Ivan that he should have the honor of telling the details.
"The person responsible for the deaths of your team is their fellow team member, Lt. Jared Simms. He tainted the rations of his teammates, as well as his own, most likely before their last mission. The latter was done, no doubt, so he could point to that as proof that he would have died too if he'd eaten with them that last night."
"How can you be so sure he's the guilty party?" The general faced each of us in turn.
"General, my team found a microscopic sample of the lieutenant's DNA on the inside of the wrapper of one the unopened bars. He quite cleverly used a hypodermic needle to thread between the layers of plastic covering the energy bars, and probably used sterile gloves while working on the bars."
"Then, why did you find the DNA in the wrapper?"
"I don't know if we'll ever find out for sure, but my guess is that his sterile field wasn't as complete as he hoped and a bit of epithelial invaded the wrapper while he was working on it."
"Why he would do such a thing?"
"I can only say that the psychiatric examination after he's caught will have to determine his motives. We can only determine the facts of the case, not the motivation."
"Can you tell me if he's likely to try it again?"
Ivan paused, "I would have to say yes, he would, if put into whatever situation triggered his actions. Why do you ask, sir?"
Pursing his lips in anger, General Hammond answered as directly as Ivan's clearance allowed. "Because we received word late yesterday that Lt. Simms and Lt. Colonel Carter went missing between here and our remote base. I've had four teams searching possible destinations since then and Colonel O'Neill has his entire base out searching. There's been no sign yet."
I gasped, afraid for my friend, "He has Sam? How did he get to be... there alone with her, sir? Wasn't Daniel supposed to go with them?"
"Yes, but I've just been show recordings of the gate room in which he quite cleverly pushes Dr. Jackson down the ramp to keep him from going through with them. I was just about to contact Colonel O'Neill with this information when you called."
* Daniel *
Major Grace's radio bleated for attention. "What's that, Captain? Thanks, I'll tell him right away." Turning away from the device, Major Grace excitedly relayed to Jack, "They found the colonel's cap, sir. Captain Jessed has it, over by the Stargate."
Jack leapt up and grabbed his gear. "I'm going to join the search. You all have everything under control; you don't need me." He clapped me on the shoulder, "Daniel, go get some sleep. You've been up longer than I have and even you can't go forever on caffeine."
I watched him race off to the west, chasing the first bit of evidence that our missing friends had ever been on this world. Teal'c approached the command tent from the direction of the mess hall, all the while talking into his radio.
"Yes, General Hammond, this is most unpleasant news. I will tell Colonel O'Neill without delay." Teal'c replaced the radio on his shoulder and turned to me. "DanielJackson, General Hammond has just relayed to me the results of the investigation into SG-11's deaths. Dr. Frasier now has proof that Lt. Simms is responsible for their demise. General Hammond also confirmed that Lt. Simms prevented you from going through the Stargate with them. I must tell O'Neill."
Shaken by his revelation, I stuttered, "Uh, yeah, he's, uh, out looking. Jessed can tell you where he is." I ran my hands through my hair and walked randomly through the base for a some time, berating myself for having ever trusted Jared and being so easy to ditch.
Finally done with self-pity, I decided to put my energy to better use doing what I could to help find her.
* Sam *
My head pounded with the rhythm of my heart. I was cold and in a lightless place. With some effort, I struggled to sit up and almost lost whatever was in my stomach when my head swam. Nausea, dizziness, headache, and my mouth certainly tasted like the Academy marching band had been through at least once. Did Janet make Daiquiris again?
I felt around where I lay for clues to my location. The rough rock floor told me I wasn't in Kansas or the SGC any more. Taking inventory was a distressingly short task. My jacket, vest, cap, boots and pack were all missing, accounting for the chill that I felt.
Greatly daring, I tried to stand and almost decapitated myself when the chain attached to my neck jerked me back onto the floor. I followed the chain from the leather band on my neck to the stub of rock it'd become tangled around. A small box on one side of the collar seemed to hold the band closed and refused to yield to any tinkering.
Untangling the chain took most of my remaining strength. Based on the pressure in my bladder, it had to have been at least a day since... whatever happened. I traced the chain again, this time all the way to the very heavy eyebolt embedded securely in the wall. At least I had some mobility, but I didn't know what good it would do me.
My team! It finally struck me that I hadn't heard or seen anyone else. I stood again and shouted, "Daniel, Simms, answer me if you're there. This is Colonel Carter. Are you there?" Nothing answered, not even an echo. I tried again. "Is anyone there at all?"
Having gotten nothing that way, I walked in stocking feet straight out from the wall, slowly letting the links of the chain out one by one. There was no use strangling myself... yet. About 15 feet from the rock wall, I reached the end of my tether and started walking the diameter of my new world. Rocks tripped me as I shuffled along and stubbed my toes every few inches.
The rock wall abruptly stopped any further progress around the circle, so I followed the wall to the opposite end of my small domain. Once there, I found something that made my heart beat faster - an energy bar and a half-full canteen. Having skipped breakfast before leaving the SGC, I gobbled most of the bar and a few sips of the water before stopping myself. I had to ration my supplies for as long as possible. I had to believe that somewhere, someone was looking for us.
* Jack *
The walk from base to the Stargate calmed me slightly and used up some of the raw energy raging through me. I stalked up to the captain running the search operations in this area. "You found her hat, Captain? May I see it?"
He handed me the cap and I just barely resisted the urge to put it to my face to smell her scent again. I ignored the look of pity that flickered across his face. Word must have gotten out that Sam was here on a personal visit to see me. Before either of us could speak again, the Stargate began to turn. Within seconds, the wormhole connected and Jacob Carter ran out, followed quickly by another Tok'ra, Aldwin.
"Jacob! What's that?" I pointed to the huge box strapped to his back.
"It's a satellite. The Tok'ra agreed to let me 'give' it to the colony. It should help find Sam much faster, assuming she's on this planet at all." I held up her cap for him to see. "That hers?" I nodded.
"How long until you get it in orbit and get some intel back?" I asked.
"A few hours, if nothing goes wrong."
"A few hours," I shouted in dismay. In a few hours, Sam could be dead.
Taking pity on my obvious distress, Sam's father said, "Jack, that's cutting a whole day off the normal time to get one of these babies working. I want her back at least as much as you do, but there's only so much we can do."
Jacob seemed to consider whether to finish what he had to say, so I exclaimed, "Spit it out." He at least had the grace to look embarrassed.
"Jack, I'm afraid this 'gift' squares all accounts with the Tok'ra. It was a huge concession on their part to give up such a valuable piece of technology."
I shook my head and spat, "Whatever. If it finds her, it's worth any price. Isn't that right, Dad?" He looked embarrassed again and turned back to the road. They loped away carrying the equipment boxes as though filled with air.
Appearing suddenly from the wood, the chubby, middle-aged head cook, Master Sergeant Bodine, ran up to us waving a BDU jacket, puffing heavily.
"Sir, we just found this. It's Colonel Carter's," he got out before stooping with hands on his knees to keep from collapsing.
"Where did you find it? Show me," I gruffly ordered. The man nodded and turned back the way he'd come. We walked northwest toward the escarpment for about 25 minutes. I gave him enough time to get his breath back before asking the questions plaguing me. "Tell me all about how and where you found this, Sergeant."
Now that he had enough air left over to speak, his Arkie twang was more evident. "Two o' my men were searching the south river bank walking toward the cliffs, when they found this half in and half out o' the water. There was drag marks like the colonel pulled herself into the water or got pulled."
"Have you checked downstream?" I seriously dreaded hearing the answer.
"Yes, sir. While I ran back with the jacket I sent my men downstream, though there wasn't too much downstream left, if you get my drift." He chuckled at his own pun until he saw my face, and then cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. The waterfall over the cliff was only about 100 feet from where we found the jacket and they reported that there was no exit marks found anywheres on either side of the stream. I'm sorry, sir."
We arrived at the small river several silent minutes later. We heard his men and followed the noise until, without warning, the panorama of the valley opened in front of us and the cliff fell away at our feet. To our right, the river tumbled over the edge. To our left, a man stood watching another rappel down the rock face. At our feet, the cliff fell away abruptly.
* Sam *
Despite having no jacket, cap or boots, I slept like the dead until a scrabbling noise off to my left woke me. The darkness around me was slightly lighter, especially in the direction from which the noises came. I stood again to be in the best defensive position possible.
"I-is anyone there? Simms, Daniel? Answer me, damn it!" My voice shook, though I'd like to think it was from the cold that permeated my body after sleeping on the ground.
More sounds, coming closer. Whoever it was carried a flashlight, which bounced as they walked along a passage just around a corner from my position. I waited not so patiently while "he" stood the light on its end, sending up a cone of light into which a man stepped. Tears pooled in my eyes from the sudden brightness.
"That isn't any way to greet your lord and master, Samantha. Be a little nicer and I'll give you something to eat." It was Lt. Simms! Sauntering up to me as if he was king of all he surveyed.
"Lieutenant, let me out of this collar right now!" I ordered. His response was a brutal slap across my face that knocked me to the floor.
"Sam, my love, I can make your life much easier or much harder. It all depends on you. Now, what was that again?" His voice dripped with false tenderness. I spat blood from a cut lip and stood again.
"Lt. Simms, would you please let me go?" Okay, I said it through clenched teeth, but it was as good as I could do at the moment. The second strike was his fist to the side of my chin. Reassessing my current status, I softened my voice and stayed kneeling in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Jared. It's very nice to see you. Would you tell me why I'm here, please?" It almost made me sick to say it, but aggression obviously wasn't the way to his heart.
"Why darling, you're here so we can be together, be a family. I knew as soon as I saw you at your promotion party that I had to be with you always. Lt. Marten was nothing compared to you. You're the one I've looked for for so long. We'll be perfect together, Sam, just perfect. Your brains and my drive will make for flawless children."
His children? I swallowed the urge to be sick and sat, waiting for his next move. He picked up the light and bustled around in the darkness, once revealing our packs stacked in a corner well out of my reach. I heard the clack, clack of wood being stacked. A sudden flare of brighter light briefly blinded me.
When my sight adjusted to the gentle firelight, I saw Simms sitting comfortably on a ground pad on the other side of the fire, sipping from a canteen. I'd long since emptied mine, no matter how I'd tried to stretch the precious resource. My thirst grew just watching him and I licked cracked, dry lips.
When the silence became more than I could stand, I asked, "I still don't get it. Why did you pick me? I mean, what's so special about me that you had to go to this extent?"
"Sam, Sam, you are so unaware of your own beauty. Your humility only adds to your perfection. When I saw you, standing there like an ice goddess, pure, untouched, and a genius on top of it all, there was no one else for me. Don't you see?"
"Not really. Sure, I'm smarter than average and some say I'm attractive, but I'm hardly untouched. You make me sound like much more than I really am." This was dangerous ground if he decided I was expendable, but I couldn't resist.
"I just knew! Lt. Marten was so flawed compared to you, so I discarded any plans to make her mine. Unfortunately, she felt otherwise, and Capt. Masters seemed to think I owed her something. That simply had to be dealt with before it got in the way of my plans."
I thought about this for some time and came to the inescapable conclusion that he'd killed or arranged for the death of his teammates on SG-11. A sick chill ran through me at the thought of being totally in the power of such a man. I shivered again.
"May I have my jacket and boots? It's really cold in here at night."
"They were sacrificed to the greater good, my love. Your jacket will tell the searchers that you fell over the waterfall and your boot, a couple of miles downstream, will convince them of your death. Soon, they'll give up searching for us at all."
Waiting for him to make the next move, I knelt quietly watching my captor. We sat that way for I don't know how long, but he must have decided I was cowed enough. Simms stood, gracefully uncurling his long limbs, and walked the four steps to our packs. Reaching inside of one, he pulled out a canteen that he threw to me without a word. He turned back to the packs and removed the envelope General Hammond had given me for Colonel O'Neill. It landed on the fire and flared briefly, sending sparks toward the distant ceiling, before the flames ignited the paper inside.
"Thanks." I drank half of it before realizing the taste wasn't of purification tablets. "What's in this?"
"Just some herbs to make you sleep again. Similar to the injection, you'll be a little dehydrated when you wake. Here, take these. You'll notice they taste different too, but that's just because they were grown on Eden, not Earth." He thrust a bunch of dirt-covered carrots at me. I was so hungry that I merely brushed off some of the dirt and started crunching away at the most delicious meal I'd ever eaten.
"Good. Thanks," I managed around a mouthful.
"Yes, Sergeant Bodine really has quite a green thumb... and they were remarkably easy to steal. These people haven't figured out yet that food is power." I remained silent, unable to come up with an answer that wouldn't result in another blow. Whatever the drug was, it knocked me out just about the time the last bite of carrot slid down my throat.
* Daniel *
For hours into the night, Aldwin and Jacob worked on the satellite. They removed the two halves from the two boxes and carefully fit the parts together. Tweaking here and there, testing, analyzing readings from handheld devices, kept them absorbed to the exclusion of all else. Nothing seemed to distract them, not the sun setting, airmen erecting portable lights, people returning from search details, nor the almost constant clamor of radios as teams reported their results - or lack of any - and Teal'c's frequent conversations with the SGC.
I interrupted Jacob long enough to ask what I could do for them. He sent me here and there, gathering information and tools. I kept him up to date on the search and any news.
"Got it!" exclaimed Jacob suddenly, startling me out of a semi-doze.
"Wh-huh? You got what?" I asked trying to rub the sleep from my eyes.
"We're ready to launch," he triumphantly announced from amid a sea of tools and abandoned coffee cups.
"So, what now? You need a ship or a rocket, don't you?"
He snorted derisively, "No, it launches itself using a continuous burst from the anti-grav stabilizer units built into it, and they'll keep it in orbit for a very long time."
"Then, what are we waiting for, Jacob?"
"You to stop asking questions, Daniel." He motioned to Aldwin, who carried the basketball-sized object to a spot of ground clear of any tents or people. "Now, watch," he instructed.
Aldwin worked with his handheld for a few seconds, then woosh it was gone, straight up and out of sight in seconds.
"That's it?"
Aldwin answered impassively, "The satellite will be in its permanent orbit within approximately 30 minutes. Then we can start the calibration. Within five circumnavigations of this world, about eight to ten hours, it will begin to send scan data of the area."
"How soon before we can tell where Sam is?" Jacob inquired, once again the anxious father.
"For an accurate location of a specific person, the satellite will require several days of continuous scans." He saw our crestfallen expressions and took pity. Aldwin was all right for a Tok'ra. "However, shortly after dawn, we should have an accurate count of every person on the planet and their approximate location."
Sometimes you have to love technology.
* Sam *
Waking up after being drugged was not my idea of fun. Again with the marching band through my mouth, and the drummers kept using my head for practice. Any fast movement would have been a mistake, so I sat up carefully and glanced slowly over at the banked fire. I was apparently alone.
A small stack of wood lay near enough for me to grab and toss on the fire, if my aim was careful. I took the smallest piece, stretched out as far as my leash would allow, and was just barely able to poke it into the center of the small blaze with my fingertips and another piece of wood. The dry wood took immediately and I soon had a tiny bit of warmth to heat my frozen body.
I thought back through my conversations with Simms, and one point kept jumping out at me - why me? I sighed and muttered, "Why do I always seem to attract the wackos and the aliens?"
Even hoarding it jealously, within a few hours my wood was gone and the room grew dim and cool again, and then finally dark. As the hours went on and Simms didn't return, I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or panicked. I was sure now that no one would ever find me. I couldn't stop the slow fall of tears. It was the darkest hour in my life.
* Jack *
Exhausted, I returned to the command center just after dawn. There was nothing new from the Tok'ra - go figure. Daniel was curled up in a chair, sleeping. I muttered something I hoped was comprehensible to Jacob and walked to my cabin for a shower and some food.
A few hours later, I'd napped briefly, showered, found new clothes and pounded down my third cup of coffee. Apprehensively, I headed back to the command center. Daniel ran up to me, jostling the mug in my hands. Barely missing wearing the scalding liquid, I held it out to him with a frown, "For you."
For the first time since I'd met him, Daniel ignored a cup of coffee. He tugged excitedly at my arm. "Jack, they just stripped the first scans from the satellite. We know how many people are on Eden. Come on, they need to ask you some questions." I dropped the mug and ran after him.
"Jacob, I hear you have good news."
"Yeah, Jack. Aldwin just downloaded the latest and we know there are 127 humans on Eden. Does that match your roster?"
I ticked off each group on my fingers, "Sixty permanent military personnel, 18 scientists and their assistants, 44 USACE personnel, Teal'c, Daniel, and you two - that's 126." I looked around at my friends. "Who's the extra, Sam or Simms?"
Jacob to the rescue. "Aldwin, can you bring up a 3-D display of everyone's position?"
The younger-seeming Tok'ra fiddled with several knobs and buttons on the satellite receiver until a hazy picture of the base and its surroundings appeared in the air above the squat box. Aldwin adjusted something Sam would understand and the blur popped into focus. We were looking at a map with each of us shown as a glowing dot.
I stepped from side to side to see if I could find myself. Sensing a silence from my companions, I noticed they were all staring at me. "What?" No sense of humor in this group.
Calmly ignoring my antics, Aldwin posed, "Colonel O'Neill, how many of your people are below the escarpment?"
"Mm, there should be three there right now. Sergeant Bodine sent two down and I sent another. That way, we could cover both directions at the bottom, plus down the river. Why?"
Aldwin pointed to the map, "If you look at this portion of the display, you will see one, two, three, and over here, four humans in the river valley. Who is the fourth?"
Good question. I grabbed my radio and pressed the button to contact Capt. Jessed, who was back in charge of the search after a few hours of sleep. "Captain Jessed, this is O'Neill." The radio crackled with his reply.
"Jessed here, sir."
"How many men are down in the river valley right now?"
"Three, sir. They're still searching the cliff base and riverbank, but should be returning soon for a meal and some rest. We've found nothing since Colonel Carter's boot washed up on the other side of the river."
"Our wonderful new satellite just showed us four people down there. We'll meet you at the 'gate in 15 minutes. O'Neill out." I started madly grabbing my gear from where I'd left it hours earlier. "Daniel, you and Jacob stay here and direct the two SFs I'm going to send after that fourth dot. Teal'c, you're with me."
We sprinted back to the 'gate, making the 20-minute trip in a record eight. I knew I'd pay for it later. Jessed waited for us, standing in the shade of the Stargate as a break from the hot afternoon sun.
I started giving orders as soon as I stopped running. "Jessed, there's someone, possibly Lt. Simms, west southwest of here down in the valley. Send two armed SFs after whoever it is and have them coordinate with Dr. Jackson at the command center. He can use the satellite intel to guide your people right to our friend. If it's Simms, approach with caution. He's already killed three people." The young captain's eyes widened. "Yeah, it was SG-11, his old team," I added grimly.
Teal'c and I headed for the waterfall and the rappelling ropes. We figured that, if Simms was in the valley, the best place for him to keep Sam without her being visible to the satellite was in one of the many caves along the cliff. We each made our way down the rock face and conferred briefly at the bottom before going our separate ways along the cliff.
I walked south with the vertical face to my left, pulling bushes away to reveal the bare rock. It was a good way to burn up some of my frustration - at first. The further I traveled, the greater my anger at Simms grew and a few bushes had the misfortune to be in my way. I left mayhem in my wake until one bush with deep roots fought back and I ended up on my butt, breathing hard.
The growing shadows from the sun's progress toward the western mountains made an unusual pattern on the cliff wall to my left. I studied it for a few moments before it occurred to me that it was an opening about 15 feet up, partially hidden behind an overhang. I stood and walked nearer to examine several small scrape marks on the stone below the shadow.
The bleep of my radio startled me so badly I tried to hit the TALK button three times before I could answer Teal'c's call. "Teal'c d'you find anything?"
"There are many small caves along this expanse; however, none have yet revealed anything of interest. What of your search, O'Neill?"
"Just found an interesting cave opening that's pretty much invisible except at certain times of the day and from specific angles. I'm going to climb up to check it out. If you don't hear from me in ten minutes, hotfoot it down here. My radio will be sitting outside on the ground so you can triangulate on its signal."
"O'Neill, it would be best if you waited until I am there in case Simms has returned. O'Neill. O'Neill!"
"Nice try, big fella," I thought as I lay my radio on a flat rock. My recent months behind a desk came back to haunt me as I tried to scramble up the rock face with no climbing gear. By the time I heaved myself onto the overhang, my breath was coming in gasps. After resting for a few seconds gazing out at the valley, I hauled myself to my feet and started walking slowly into the darkness.
Belatedly remembering the flashlight in my pocket, I shone it into the dark and barely missed a concussion waiting to happen right in front of me. I ducked and wove to get through the narrowing way and around the many outcrops of rock. About 20 feet in, I met a blank wall and only an errant breeze and a small sound to my left kept me from giving up. My toe hit a rock and I swore loudly without thinking.
A shaky voice called out from within the cave, "Hello? Simms, is that you?" My heart beat like a trip hammer.
"No, it's not. Sam?" I hurried in the direction of the voice and moved out into an open space that echoed from all sides. "Where are you? Can you see my flashlight? Tell me where you are."
"Over here," she called again, from my right now. I panned the beam around until I saw her - filthy, tearstained and recoiling from the light. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"Sam!" I called out. Somehow, my feet got me across the irregular floor without falling on my face. Without even a thought to what my reception would be, I pulled her into my arms and held on with all my strength. I placed small kisses in her hair, down her face until my lips found hers. I kissed her until we were both breathless. "God, Sam, I've been going crazy the past few days while you were missing." She just held me tightly.
"Eh-hm," Teal'c cleared his throat from the cave entrance and she pushed back from my arms. "ColonelCarter, I believe we will need a hacksaw to remove your bonds. I will go back outside to call Captain Jessed." With that, he turned and tactfully left us alone again.
"Bonds?" I asked, knowing that her hands were free. They'd been all over my back and butt moments ago.
"Yeah." She held up a heavy chain attached on one end to a bolt in the wall and on the other end to a thick leather band around her neck.
"He had you chained up like this for three days? Are you all right, Sam? He didn't hurt you?" I babbled, shocked at Simms chaining her like a dog to the wall.
"I'm tired, hungry and I stink, but there's not much else wrong. Other than a slap or two, he never touched me."
"Did he tell you why..." I waved my hand around to indicate her prison.
Her voice was bitter, "Oh, it's really very flattering. He thinks I'm perfect enough to be his brood mare. You know how much I love being appreciated for my looks and I.Q., instead of myself."
"Oh, god, Sam. I'm so sorry you had to be the victim of his madness. Even though, I have to say, I've always appreciated your looks and I.Q." I waggled my eyebrows in an attempt to make her laugh. What I got was a watery grin, but it was still enough to cause my brain to stop working for a few seconds.
While we waited for the hacksaw, I tried my knife on the band around her neck. Only the outer layer was leather. The inner layer was metal that my knife couldn't do more than scratch. Finally, I gave up and sat next to her on the stone floor. She shivered and huddled into my body for warmth.
"I am such an idiot! Why didn't you say something?" I blurted as I tore off my jacket and put it around her.
"Our packs are over there. Might be a blanket inside," she added through lips stiff with cold. Only one pack remained in the corner where she pointed. All of the supplies and gear were missing, leaving only a spare pair of socks and one well-worn boot that I recognized. She took these gratefully.
We sat in silence, my arms holding her to me until Teal'c returned with the saw.
* Sam *
We marched back into camp, a rather bedraggled looking group, me lugging my leash and collar, limping on my one stocking foot. I'd refused all offers to carry me. Daniel and Dad were waiting for me and ran to meet us at the edge of camp. Suddenly, two pair of arms engulfed me, as my father and Daniel both converged on me.
"Dad, Daniel, you might not want to stand so near. I smell bad."
"How are you, kiddo?" my dad asked, backing off a little to examine the bruises on my lip and chin. "He do this to you?"
"Pretty good, considering. Yeah, these are Simm's work. His idea of foreplay, I guess." Their expressions of shock brought me back to civilization. "Sorry, bad joke."
Daniel grabbed my arm and tugged toward the Stargate. "Let's get you back to the SGC so you can be checked out. I know Janet and General Hammond are practically jumping up and down to hear everything now that we've found you."
Meanwhile, Colonel O'Neill grabbed my other arm, tugging toward the base infirmary. "Let's not waste time going all the way back there. Our medic can check her out just as well. This isn't the back of beyond, you know." Dad merely stood back with an amused look on his face.
"Hey!" I jerked my arms back and glared at both men, who squirmed under my intense scrutiny. "Anyone care what I think?"
Teal'c stepped forward. "I care, ColonelCarter, as I'm sure they do. May I show you where you may shower and get some sleep?"
"Yes, thank you, Teal'c. I can always count on you." I stopped for a moment and turned back to the colonel. "Here, you can keep these as a souvenir of my third and, hopefully, last trip to your lovely planet." I put the chain and collar into his hand, ignoring the crushed expression in his eyes, and walked back to Teal'c.
He put an arm around my shoulder and gently led me to a dormitory room, complete with a private bathroom. I was in heaven. As he turned to go, I softly called his name and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you so much for being there for me - again. I love you Teal'c."
"As I love you, Samantha Carter. Sleep well, my friend." He turned again and left me alone.
Moments later, I stood under the hottest shower I could coax from the plumbing, frantically scrubbing off the filth and the stink of Simms. Not having anything to put on except the soiled uniform I'd worn for the past few days, I crawled into bed with nothing between the sheets and me. Within seconds, I was fast asleep.
When I woke, the window beside my bed showed no light except from orange-tinted security lamps outside. A hand on my battered cheek alerted me to another presence. Before thought impeded action, I grabbed the hand and rolled us both over so that I sat astride the intruder. I pinned his arms to the mattress at shoulder height, while he lay across the bed.
"Isn't it a little late to be creeping around a lady's bedroom, Colonel?" I asked him, sarcasm dripping from every word.
His eyes bulged and scanned every inch of me that he could see, which was quite a lot. I noticed him staring and added, "Yes, I am a real blonde. Now, do you mind telling me what you're doing here, sir? Or do I need to call the guard?" Even in the poorly lit room, I could tell he was blushing. Colonel O'Neill blushing??
"I, uh, brought a bag that Janet sent for you." He pointed with his chin at a small gym bag by the bathroom door and very carefully kept his eyes on my face. He cleared his throat and added, "And I wanted to check on you, Sam, see how you're doing."
The sound of his voice, raspy with emotion and ... something I couldn't identify made my breathing quicken. A mental picture of me kissing him like this, at my mercy, sent a jolt of raw lust through me. He must have seen it in my eyes, because his sable eyes reflected my desire. Disgusted with the both of us, especially myself after what I'd just been through, I leapt off him and paced toward the bathroom.
At the door to the small room, I paused to call over my shoulder, "Please be gone by the time I'm done in here, sir. I'd like to get a little more sleep before morning." A few minutes later I heard the door quietly close behind him. Alone, at last; alone, again.
* Jack *
My heart beat so hard after slinking out of her room, I had to lean against the hallway wall. I really thought for a minute there... The look in her eyes, the reactions of our bodies. It was a good thing the base was pretty much deserted this time of night or I'd have to explain my condition.
I guess I don't really blame her for being mad at me. It wasn't one of my brighter ideas to slip into her room as she was sleeping off her ordeal of the past few days. And, then to touch her was a classic bonehead O'Neill move.
I had to get her to at least consider the idea of coming back here to take the job. Before too many others were out of bed, I enlisted the help of Sergeant Bodine, my friend from the search. Seems he has a soft spot for young lovers. Even though we may not have met all of his criteria in that regard, he was willing to overlook a few gray hairs.
While the sergeant prepared a sumptuous breakfast for us, I woke up and talked to the rest of her team and her father. Daniel would have agreed to anything pre-caffeine; Teal'c is at heart a romantic like the sergeant; and Dad, well I hadn't figured out his motivation yet. They all agreed to leave the two of us alone together for breakfast.
At 0700 sharp, she arrived at the mess hall. I waved her to my table over in the corner. Every eye in the room was on one of the two of us. Seems Bodine couldn't keep a secret.
"Morning, Sam." I pulled out her chair as my mother taught me. She seemed surprised at the gesture.
"Good morning, sir. Will the rest of my team be here soon?" She was every inch the professional this morning.
"Uh, no, they've already had breakfast and are probably packing."
"I should do the same then. Sorry about breakfast." She started to stand, but I put my hand on hers.
"Please, Sam, stay and eat. You could probably use the meal." Her stomach conveniently rumbled at that moment. I couldn't help a small grin. "And Daniel and Teal'c really want to know what you're going to say to my offer."
"So, sir, what is this great offer you have for me? General Hammond said I'd get to see the orders he gave me to deliver when I got here. Unfortunately, Simms burned them." She sat back, arms folded across her chest, temporarily distracting me with images of last night. Naked Sam, mmmm. "Sir?"
It mustn't have been the first time she said it, because there was more than a little edge of annoyance to her voice. "Um, yeah, the assignment." I took a quick slurp of Bodine's excellent coffee. "My job here has gotten too big for one person. I have to manage the military people, the scientists, the Army Corp of Engineers construction troops, plus work on the design of the colony which has to be ready for construction to begin next summer. I'm working 16 and 18-hour days and still falling behind, something you should be able to relate to personally, Sam. The scientists hate me because I'm military. The USACE construction workers think I'm a bureaucrat."
"How could I possibly help, sir?" There was a distinct lack of caring in her voice.
"Hammond got permission for me to recruit a base commander to take over all base and science station operations from me, reporting to him. I'll work on the colony plans full time once the transition is complete." Still no signs of curiosity in her face, so I played my last card.
"The job would probably come with a promotion once you've served the minimum time as a light colonel. If you decided not to stay once the three-year assignment is up, you could take your pick of commands on Earth." I paused, nervous about this part.
"If you do decide to stay, we could be together. We'd both report to Hammond and there's no longer a significant difference in our ranks." Was that a flash of interest, I saw? "I really want you to come here, to be here with me. When I pushed you away all those months ago, it was a seriously stupid move, causing both of us unnecessary pain, especially you. Would you please forgive me?"
"Yes, I can forgive you, sir." Still with the 'sir'. Her face twisted up in anguish and her head dipped. "I don't know if I can forget... or if I can trust you again."
"Sam, please! Just say you'll think about it. Don't dismiss this chance out of hand." Reddened eyes rose to meet mine, and my heart did a painful dance.
"I...I'll think about it." She stood again, but I didn't dare stop her this time.
* Sam *
I was shaking so badly that, when I passed through the inner doors to the mess hall vestibule, I leaned for a few seconds against the wall trying to regain my composure. Base commander, bird colonel? Did he really think appealing to my ambition would seduce me into forgetting how badly he'd hurt me?
Anger put some starch into my backbone and I walked through the outer doors to see my father, Daniel and Teal'c sitting idly on the raised edge of a flowerbed. I put my hands on my hips and walked up to the trio.
"Bored, boys?" I asked with a touch of annoyance.
Daniel stopped swinging his leg to answer, "Uh, no, just waiting for you, Sam. How did it go?"
"It?" I prompted, playing dumb.
"Jack's 'job' offer. Breakfast. Whatever."
"I said I'd think about it, nothing more, and I left before eating. Now, let's get going. I'm sure Janet has a whole bank of really fun tests ready and waiting for me." My father rose with my two and walked to my side.
Leaning into me he said, "Sam, let's talk." He led/dragged me like a sulky teenager to the dorm room where I'd slept last night.
He rounded on me. "Give me one reason why you didn't accept Colonel O'Neill's offer."
"You are asking me why I don't give up command of SG-1 to move here for the unlikely possibility of a relationship with him?" He stepped away, one hand on his hip, the other smoothing back non-existent hair from his forehead.
"Sam, you're my only daughter and Jack O'Neill is not exactly the man I would have picked for you, but you two love each other. It's been plain to me since I first saw the two of you together. Now, I know you've never acted on your feelings - not counting the dream world - but maybe you should."
"Dad, I tried to act on it several months ago and he... he pushed me away. I've never been so hurt by anything in my life, except Mom's death. Plus, I don't know if I could live on a planet where nothing good has ever happened to me."
"Sam, good memories don't just happen, you have to make them. Don't blame the things that have happened to you here on the planet. Jack's a good man - a little off kilter, but so am I - don't throw him away because he followed some bad advice." He winced at his slip.
"Who's bad advice?" I demanded quietly.
"I'd really rather not say, Sam. He told me in confidence; and he feels really bad for having done it."
"Dad!"
"George." He looked like someone had kicked him.
"General Hammond told Jack not to be with me?" Several things made a lot more sense now. I could feel my jaw clenching in anger, but couldn't stop my reaction.
"Now, Sam, it's not quite that simple, but essentially, you're right. After you all returned from the dream, Jack asked George for his advice about whether you two should go for it or go back to the way things were before... you know. George gave the company line and convinced Jack that for you to give up your military career just to try to reproduce your fantasy would be a major mistake - for you and for Earth."
His words took all strength from my knees and I sat - okay flopped - down on the bed. My emotions ran from anger - at Jack, at Hammond, at the Air Force rules, everything - to despair that we'd ever get together, that something would always come between us.
"Has General Hammond changed his mind about Jack and me being together? If we both reported to him, he would have to approve."
Dad gazed earnestly at me. "Sam, he's ready to help you pack right now if you'd agree to stay here with Jack."
"Then, I'll think about it. But that's all I promise, Dad."
"Would it help if I say that Selmak thinks you should go for it, too?" He grinned weakly and I returned the gesture.
"Maybe."
* Janet *
"Sam, all your blood work and tests show you to be in excellent health, except for a slight decrease in weight and electrolytes, most likely from not eating or drinking enough for three days."
"Thanks, Janet. So, I'm cleared to return to work?" A hopeful expression lit up her face.
"After a weekend off, yes. Your system has been through a lot of stress over the past few days. You need to rest for a couple of days." Sam crumpled like a five-year-old whose favorite toy was off limits during a timeout. Her face formed a pout. "Sam, you either need to stay totally away from Colonel O'Neill or marry the man. You're even picking up his bad habits."
Snickers came from the doorway and we turned to watch Daniel and Teal'c walk into my domain while trying to suppress laughter. Sam's face froze in the realization that what I'd said was true.
* Sam *
Janet wanted me to go, Hammond and Dad wanted me to go. I knew where Daniel stood on the subject. In desperation, I turned to my rock, Teal'c. Throughout the past months, he had always been there for me, for anything from a smile or nod of approval to a hug or shoulder to cry on when the loneliness got too much. I would never have made it through this last year without him.
"Should I go, Teal'c? Can I trust him with my heart again?" I'd interrupted his Kel'no'reem and we were sitting on cushions in his candle-lit quarters.
"Do you love him?" Teal'c rumbled in response. I lowered my head to think for a moment, then sat up straight to face him.
"I don't really know. I did love him - so very much. But, after he put my feelings through a meat grinder, I don't know if I can be sure of him." Why was this stuff so hard? This makes physics look easy.
"SamanthaCarter, O'Neill has expressed a desire to make up for his mistakes. This may well be your last opportunity to be with him. Do you not owe it to yourself to find out whether you wish this relationship to continue?"
I held the silence and stared into space, thinking. "Maybe I do. Maybe I do," I muttered and looked up at my friend. "Thanks, Teal'c."
General Hammond was more than happy to allow me another seven days of downtime after my last disastrous attempt at a vacation. I sent Jack an email asking if his invitation for a visit was still open, and then I waited - for the email to make it to Eden in the daily dump of data, for him to answer the message and the reply to make it back. Those two days passed so slowly it felt like two years.
His answer wasn't a surprise, but it was a relief to have that over. While I prepared to leave the next day, Daniel and Teal'c stopped by.
"Hey, Sam. So, when are we leaving?" Daniel inquired.
"We, Kemo Sabe?"
"Yes, ColonelCarter. O'Neill has reported that, although seriously wounded by his pursuers and not expected to live, Lt. Simms is still at large. We cannot in good conscience allow you to go alone," Teal'c announced. Daniel I could have talked out of it, but with Teal'c, I knew I was beaten.
"Well, if two good looking men just happen to want to walk me to the base, who am I to say no?" I gave in as graciously as possible.
"That's the spirit, Sam. Teal'c is going on from there to spend time with Ry'ak and I have a ton of work I'm taking with me. Why not do it in a beautiful place?"
"Thanks, guys. I feel better with my two big brothers taking care of me." They were so puffed up at my easy agreement, I had to add, smirking, "Just remember: when we get back, I'm still the boss."
* Daniel *
Our trip to Eden Base was uneventful this time and the weather cooperated wonderfully by showing the late summer foliage to its best advantage. Two armed airmen, anxious to keep the colonel's guest safe, met us at the Stargate. Little did they know she could take care of herself very well when not betrayed by someone she trusted. I feared that, sadly, her trust would be much harder to gain in the future.
Adjoining rooms were ready and waiting for us in the dorm, Sam's filled with wildflowers, so the three of us unpacked. On the network terminal, I found a note from Jack, saying he had a work emergency and wouldn't join us until tomorrow. "Poor Sam," I muttered to myself. "She just can't get a break."
Sam, Teal'c and I decided to walk through the base before dinner. Jack and his people had made incredible progress in the months since first coming here. People from the base yelled greetings and came over to talk. The two big structures were more than half built in a newly cleared section of the camp and the foundations for two others completed what would become four sides of the central common of Eden Base. To the east clusters of log cabins shared smaller common areas equipped with tables, benches and outdoor grills - all the comforts of home. A horseshoe pitch and a volleyball field overlay a rough baseball field.
"At least Jack knows his people have to play," I commented. Sam and Teal'c exchanged amused glances.
"Daniel, if there's one thing the colonel knows how to do, its play," she added, grinning.
"Indeed, O'Neill is most proficient at recreational activities, especially if they involve the Simpsons."
Sam smothered a snigger at Teal'c's dry humor and asked, "Anyone else hungry? Colonel O'Neill's note promised a special dinner tonight. All we have to do is show up and ask for Sgt. Bodine."
"Let's go. You know how this fresh air makes me hungry, Sam."
Jack was right. The dinner was exceptional. Fresh fish and vegetables, delicately spiced, in a paper-thin shell made up the main course. Dessert was an exceptional chocolate mousse.
"Oh, this is fantastic," Sam moaned with pleasure over her mousse and coffee. "If O'Neill is trying to tempt me, this is by far the closest he's come." She glanced at the kitchen door, where our host, Sergeant Bodine, stood watching us. "Excuse me for a sec."
Sam walked to the sergeant and spoke briefly with him. His chest puffed up and he grinned happily at her words. The portly cook continued smiling as he watched her retreating form all the way back to our table.
"I think Sam's made another conquest," I commented to Teal'c, who merely nodded sagely.
"Would you believe the colonel actually caught the fish we ate?" she asked, seating herself again. I shook my head and Teal'c looked doubtful.
"Has he told you yet what he's got planned for this week?" I replied with a question of my own.
Sam swallowed her last bit of dessert and licked the spoon with a wicked grin. "Nope. He just said, quote 'Bring hiking boots and sunscreen, but leave the dancing shoes and party dresses at home. Bathing suit optional.' What do you think of that?"
"Hmm, sounds like a regular mission to me, Sam. Ex-cept for the bathing suit part." It made me blush a little.
"Perhaps O'Neill wishes you to conduct another survey, ColonelCarter."
She chuckled and said, "I'm tired guys. I'll see you at breakfast." We walked her to her room and said our goodnights.
* Sam *
Ever the optimist, I'd brought some professional papers. I pulled one out of my duffle and set it on the night table. In the spare, but functional bathroom, I prepared for bed. Discarding the sexy nightgown I'd packed, hopeful for an opportunity to use it, I grabbed a XL tee shirt and shrugged it on.
The paper did its duty and within a few minutes, I was too sleepy to read anymore. It seemed no more than a few seconds after my eyes closed that a breath of air brushed against my cheek. Suspecting the colonel of sneaking up on me again, my eyelids rose ever so slightly. A shadow approached from behind a large chest in the far corner.
His voice was so low; I strained to hear his muttered words. "Samantha, my darling, I'll rescue you from this prison of walls. Hmm, mm, yes..." The words degenerated into a grating buzz of sounds. His halting footsteps whispered against the soft area rug by my bed.
"Oh, god, it's Simms," ran through my panicked mind. His aroma - sweat, dirt, infection, dung, whatever - hit me like a slap. I froze, afraid to breathe or move, lest this nightmare turn out to be real. I could almost believe I'd never left the cave.
As he stole up to the bedside and reached his hand out to touch me, I thought, "No! He's not going to do it to me again. I won't be his victim this time!"
Adrenaline surged through my muscles and propelled me from the bed. Grabbing a lamp from the table, I swung at his head, smashing the cheap ceramic base with a highly satisfactory crash. Taking the lamp cord, I turned Simms over, sat on his back and bound his hands behind him.
"Well, I can see you didn't need me to rescue you this time, Sam." Hanging from an access panel to the upper crawl space was a smirking Colonel O'Neill. He dropped to the floor and walked to where the unconscious Simms and I occupied most of the available floor space. The colonel's toe nudged Simms' arm.
"Samantha, my love, don't listen to his lies. He just wants you for himself," raved my prisoner.
As one, O'Neill and I yelled, "Shut up!"
The colonel held up his radio and asked, "Mind if I call the guard to get your friend out of here?"
"Be my guest, sir."
He spoke into the radio, "Seems the lady didn't need our help after all. You can take out the trash now." Within minutes, six SFs and a couple of burly USACE types arrived to take Simms away, carefully not staring at my bare legs. One of the SFs turned to me as he left, his face deadly serious.
"Thanks for capturing him, ma'am." Before I could respond to his rather mysterious statement, the door closed behind them. Now for the $64 question.
"What are you doing here, sir?" Sneaking around my room at night was getting to be a habit with him.
"I suspected Simms would try to visit you tonight, so I decided to wait for him."
I was incredulous at his gall. "You used me for bait!" I accused him angrily and slapped him as hard as I could before stalking to the bathroom. I didn't care if he brought me up on charges, it felt so good. The door made a very satisfactory boom when it slammed shut. My clothes from the day still hung on the door, so I hurriedly dressed and packed up my things. All the while, the colonel spoke to me through the door.
"Sam, it's not like that. I asked Teal'c not to tell you, but Simms almost killed two of my people two days ago. He tried to steal food from the garden and two SFs caught him. He took a 2x4 to them. They'll both will need some rather extensive dental surgery. That is, after they get out of the infirmary."
Well, that explained the thanks. I opened the door and started packing my clothes.
"Sam, don't go. I suspected he'd try something and wanted to be prepared."
I was still steamed. "Why didn't you tell me? Why leave me in the dark?"
Hands in his pockets, he looked down at his feet and muttered, "Because I was afraid you wouldn't come if you knew how bad things were."
I rolled my eyes. "Sir, what am I going to do with you?"
"You could call me Jack..." he suggested tentatively. This, not being the expected response, confused me for a second and I gaped like a fool.
"Look, Sam, I have to go check on my security team. Uh, make sure Simms hasn't left 'em all in a pile of little pieces. May I come back so we can talk about this? We really need to talk," he begged.
I reluctantly agreed and he left, taking all the air in the room with him. Unpacking took all of a few seconds. When I pulled the nightgown out of my duffle, the folly of my actions hit me. My refusal to trust him in any way or simply give him a break, seemed petty and almost hysterical, in retrospect.
"Come on, Sam. Quit being such a chicken shit and talk openly with him," I berated myself. My eyes fell on the diaphanous nightie. "Go on, go for it. Don't overthink it for once," the little devil in me urged. I grabbed the bit of silk and ran to the bathroom.
* Jack *
The SFs were regaling the next shift with tales of how "their new colonel" had kicked Simms' ass but good, and, since the pronoun they used was "she," I kinda thought they weren't talking about me. They had Simms safely settled in the little closet we occasionally used as a cell. I checked to make sure he hadn't received any extra bruises on the way here. Satisfied that he was getting better treatment than he deserved, I said goodnight and hurried back to Sam's room.
My knock was soft enough not to carry beyond her door. All we needed was an audience to her letting me in at 2 a.m. Gossip on a small base is a major pastime pursued by almost everyone. Her career did not need this type of gossip.
"Come in, Jack," she called. I closed the door behind me and slipped the lock on. Only the fixture over the lavatory mirror illuminated the bedroom.
"Sam, you should have heard the guys bragging about how you took that slime ball down. You've got a fan cluuu..." My voice trailed off as I saw her silhouetted in the doorway.
"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you speechless, Jack?" Her self-satisfied smirk sent a jolt of electricity from my stomach straight south. This was not going at all as I'd planned, but I wasn't complaining. She walked toward me slowly, the silky material swaying around her hips enticingly, distracting me terribly.
"Uh, does this mean you've decided to stay?" Somehow, they never taught us in survival school how to resist this type of torture. Sam walked up to me and looked up into my face. Her expression was suddenly earnest, with a little fear thrown in.
"Maybe, but we'd have to set some ground rules first."
"Whatever you want, Sam. So long as it's in my power, it's yours," I promised sincerely.
"Okay. First, we have to work as partners here, so no keeping me in the dark - on anything!" I nodded my agreement. "Second, we take this relationship thing slowly, that is, if you still want to be with me."
"More than anything in the universe, I want you in my life. I love you, Sam."
She took a deep breath and bit her lip. Her voice shook as she replied, "I love you, too." We gravitated into each other's arms and held tight, though the feel of her skin through the sheer stuff she wore was making it really hard to keep my hands still.
I grinned happily. "Though, I have to say, taking it slowly kinda messes up what I had planned for tonight."
Her hand trailed from my shoulder down my chest to my abdomen, making my breathing ragged. "Well, that can be arranged."
"Actually, Sam, that wasn't what I was talking about - not that I'm saying no to that" Reaching into my pocket, I brought out the little jeweler's box and handed it to her. "This is what I had planned."
Her eyes were huge and she looked from the box to me, and back to the box.
"Open it," I urged, incredibly nervous.
"Oh my god, Jack. Is the Rock of Gibraltar missing?" Her mouth hung open - in awe, I hoped. I took the ring and put it on the tip of her ring finger, and then looked to her for permission to put it on all the way. Sam stared at me for an eternity, every bit of suffering I'd caused her displayed for me in her incredible blue eyes. She must have liked what she'd seen, because her special smile blossomed and she said, "Yes."
I slipped on the ring and pulled her to me for a kiss to seal the deal. The thought that another kiss could be as good as the one we shared in Simms' cave never occurred to me. This time Sam put her whole heart into it and I was lost until she pulled back to kiss her way down my jaw to my collarbone. Things got really interesting from there.
* Sam *
We walked into the mess hall looking for my teammates and, again, every head turned to watch us. Daniel and Teal'c waved us over to their table. On the way, several people greeted us, and I was surprised how many knew me by name. "Although," I thought wryly, "I'm probably infamous here for being kidnapped and chained up in a cave by my own subordinate." Jack greeted the guys and walked toward the kitchen.
"You two look like you could use some coffee," Daniel observed. "Late night?" I felt the blush start at my chest and make its way up to my scalp. The little scamp chuckled.
"ColonelCarter, is there something wrong with your left hand?" Teal'c inquired.
"No." It was safely in my pants pocket.
"You're going to find it hard to eat with one hand, Sam." Daniel had me there, so I took my hand out and placed it on the table. His expression - absolutely agog - was priceless and worth letting the cat out. People all over the room gasped as the early morning light caused the huge diamond to sparkle. I could see Daniel was having trouble framing an adequate question, so I took pity on him.
"Jack tells me he found the stone in a stream near here and had it cut and set on Earth. It's the very first Eden gemstone found." Never one for jewelry, I was oddly quite proud of the "rock." Jack sauntered up carrying a rather large container for just breakfast.
"So, what's your plan for today, Jack? Don't you think you've kept Sam in the dark long enough?" my "brother" stated.
"Nope. It's a surprise - for her. If you're very nice - to her - you might find out when we get back," Jack quipped and turned to me with a smirk. "Ready to go, gorgeous? I picked up our breakfast and lunch to go."
He held out his hand to help me up and I took it. At that moment, a loud cheer and deafening catcalls broke out among the diners. Jack smirked - the jerk - and I smiled weakly, unbelievably embarrassed. This was so not going to be good for my credibility when I took command of this base.
We picked up our packs before heading roughly east along the trail to the next valley, the future home of Jack's colony. About a half mile from the base, he directed me onto an almost invisible track that lead sharply uphill. Bushes loaded with ripe berries and tiny rose-like flowers slapped against our legs as we climbed. The colors and scents enticed the senses. The soft duff underfoot absorbed all sounds of our passage.
Our upward path continued for perhaps another mile until we crested the ridge into a small opening in the forest. We walked for a few seconds until we stood on a ledge projecting out from the ridge like the prow of a sailing ship. I gazed at a 270-degree view of a pocket-sized valley. At the bottom sat a crystalline lake sparkling in the morning sun.
I couldn't help smiling at the untouched beauty of it all. "This is incredible, Jack! How did you ever find it?"
"I was surveying the area, searching for, well, anything at that point. We hadn't been here long and there was no handy Tok'ra satellite in the sky then." He smiled happily at me. "As soon as I saw it, I knew it was my price for taking the job."
"You're price...?"
"Yeah. When I agreed to take what was essentially my final assignment, I asked for a signing bonus of sorts." I looked at him incredulously. One didn't normally bargain with the United States Air Force when offered assignments. He smiled sadly and scuffed his foot in the humus underfoot. "Hammond knew the circumstances of why I needed to leave the SGC and felt a little guilty, so he arranged everything with the President."
"So, this valley is...?"
"Mine. Ours," he gestured to each of us and I felt tears prickle in my eyes. "And it goes to our heirs in perpetuity. Tax free, assuming Eden ever starts taxing people. The valley, everything in it and the ridge all around the valley are included. The fish you ate yesterday was from our lake. I found your diamond here, not too far from the hot springs. That's why I could keep it for you instead of turning it over to the colony."
I gazed at him in amazement - Jack never failed to surprise me. "So, this is where we're staying for the week?"
"If you'd like to, yes. I have a very small cabin down by the lake; just one tiny room for now, but I have plans. Having you there would make it the Taj Mahal." The way he looked at me made my knees weak.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him close. "Anywhere you want to go, I'll be there, watching your six."
His eyebrows rose and he asked, "You'll be staring at my butt?"
"Well, that too. I see no reason to stop now." I grinned broadly and drew his head down for a kiss. I could hardly wait to begin our new life together.
Continued in Garden of Eden
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