The Bad Bet

by Rysler

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asr/rysler/badbet.php
Summary: During a routine off-world mission, Sam loses Janet in a bet with the locals

Chapter 1

Two members of SG1 stood side by side on a mountain ledge on an alien planet, looking down at the range of hills below them. 400 kilometers to the west lay a Stargate, beyond snow and pine forests.

"Is it a bird? Is it a plane?" Jack peered through his binoculars. "Why, no, it's the truck returning from it's eight hour round trip."

Sam shaded her eyes and peered down the side of the mountain. "I don't see them."

"It's that moving black speck. Cockroach-sized. We'll be able to hear them in another fifteen minutes or so." Jack lowered the glasses.

"Should we make preparations?"

The Colonel glanced at Sam. "What preparations didn't we make in the last eight hours, for crying out loud?"

"Sir." Sam rolled her eyes. "We've been through this. For the last eight hours. Two trucks would be a waste of resources and add to the cultural contamination. Didn't you see 'The Gods Must Be Crazy'?"

"Why yes, Carter, I did." Jack scoffed.

"There you go. We don't want our trucks stolen, do we?"

He grumbled. "I suppose not."

Sam took the binoculars and watched the truck crawl slowly up the mountain.

"I'll go make preparations," Jack muttered.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Jack lifted the flap of the tent and stepped through the opening. Warmth surrounded him, brushing away the cold of the outside. The snow on his boots began to melt and drip into the thick fur he was standing on. "Truck's almost here," he said.

A woman holding an infant in her arms looked up at Jack questioningly.

"Doc's on her way." Jack said to the woman, knowing she couldn't really understand him, as he tried not to look at the baby, it's small face split unnaturally near the nostrils, and moved over to where Daniel Jackson was lounging on a cot on the other side of the tent, covered by a bear-hide blanket. "Wake up, sleepy-head."

Daniel groaned and rolled over.

O'Neill poked him. Or rather, poked at the mound of blanket, eliciting a squeak. "Wake up, butt-monkey."

"Jack." Daniel groaned again, shifted, and opened one eye. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Oh, an hour." Jack grinned.

Daniel parted his lips and wet them. "Truck's here?" He rasped.

"Almost."

"Okay."

Jack waited.

Daniel grumbled. "I'll be right there."

"Right." Jack turned and made his way out of the tent. The cold, dry air immediately found him, and he cursed. He could hear the truck now, its engine straining against the steep incline of the herder path. Carter was nowhere to be found. He sighed, standing still, savoring the final moments of peace he had before it was time to give orders again.

The truck came into view, steered by Teal'c, with the four members of SG8 huddled together in the cab. The truck was open-topped, and Jack wagered they were cold, despite the 40 pounds of armament and supplies they each carried.

Doctor Janet Fraiser climbed out of the cab as soon as the truck stopped, and headed toward O'Neill.

"You look a little pale, Doc," Jack said cheerfully. "Cold?"

Janet glared at him.

"Scratch that." He furrowed his brow. "You look a little green."

"You said there was a...rash, sir?" Janet ignored his jibes. "And need for a dentist?"

Jamie Chen, D.D.S, came up beside Janet.

"Inside," Jack jerked his thumb behind him, toward the tent.

Chen stepped toward it, and stopped as Daniel Jackson threw open the flap. "Oh, Jamie. Come in." He disappeared again. Chen glanced at Fraiser, and then followed Daniel.

Jack clapped his hands together. "Right, the rash. They're in a cave. Follow me." He started off.

"Where's Sam?" Janet asked as she followed. "I'll probably need her help."

"Is my help not good enough?" Jack snorted.

"She's a bit less likely to tell the patients to suck it up and walk it off, sir," Janet replied apologetically.

"Fine." Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Carter!"

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sam Carter escorted Janet toward the mouth of the cave. Two other members of SG8 trailed them. "The rash has obviously been a problem with the Helicons for awhile, but we offered your services as part of our trade negotiations, and they took us up on it," Sam reported.

"Gee, thanks." Janet smiled.

Sam chuckled. "It looks like gangrene, and it's obviously debilitating, but it doesn't seem to be fatal."

"Sounds like a fungus of some sort," Janet said contemplatively.

Sam glanced at her. "You have theories already?"

"I read the preliminary reports on the ride." Janet confessed.

"Ah." Sam nodded. "No wonder you look so green."

"Sam."

"Do you want to stop at the bushes before we go into the cave and see the rotting flesh?"

"Sam!" Janet covered her mouth. "Maybe I should--" she mumbled, and darted toward the treeline.

"The Colonel owes me twenty bucks," Sam muttered, as she ran after her friend.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The cave stank of body odor, excrement, and rotting flesh. Fraiser had been examining patients for several hours. Sam was assisting her, holding various instruments and recording the examinations with a digital video camera. The other two technicians formed another team.

Janet crooned to a patient and urged him to lie on his back. "Sam," she murmured, "Why don't they speak English?"

"Daniel theorizes that they're indigenous...Not brought through the Stargate from Earth." Sam answered. "So the Ancients or the Goa'uld or whoever didn't imprint. It's also possible the dominant race here speaks a different language. The aerial surveys showed several cities more advanced than this camp."

"And the dominant group didn't think to settle closer to the Stargate?" Janet grumbled, as she examined the rash on her patient's abdomen.

Sam grinned. "Guess they don't worship the chappa'ai."

"Godless heathens." Janet grumbled.

Sam laughed. She helped Janet heft a patient onto the slab they were using as an examining table. "I gotta wonder if you're trying to turn me into a doctor."

Janet pursed her lips. "Hardly. You're the girl with the gun. Besides, I... think we work well together."

"We do," Sam reassured her. "We're a good team."

Janet grinned. "The best."

"Absolutely."

"Now, roll him over so I can get a stool sample."

Sam cringed. "The things I do for girl power."

"Just think," Janet chided. "You're on another planet."

Sam sighed. "Just think."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Janet and Sam wandered out of the cave and rejoined SG1. In a nearby open-air tent, Doctor Chen was typing into a laptop.

"How goes the rash, Doc?" Colonel O'Neill inquired when Fraiser was close enough for conversation.

"It's not debilitating, at least not at this stage, and it's not contagious, so I think these people can resume...their normal lifestyles... Whatever those are." She handed several plastic vials and sample kits to a member of SG8, and then indicated he should join Chen in the tent.

"Not contagious?" Daniel asked. "Then how is it so widespread?"

"It's something in their environment," Janet said. "An allergen."

"That doesn't make any sense." Daniel countered. "They've presumably been here long enough to adapt to their environment. Even as hunters, their range is restricted to these mountains."

"I agree, Doctor Jackson. Given their urgency to have us look at it, I'd say the rash is recent. Though not so recent that they blame us."

"Well, that's good news." O'Neill rested his hands on his gun belt.

"Are you saying this could be a biological weapon of some sort?" Daniel interjected.

Janet exhaled. "It is a possibility."

"Great." Jack looked at the sky. "Why can't a mission ever go right?"

"We could always just leave, sir." Sam suggested.

"Yes, good point. Daniel, is there any reason why we can't just leave?"

Daniel Jackson frowned. "Well, the negotiations are going well. There doesn't seem to be a Goa'uld presence here, and friendly natives could assist us with evacuation sites. Not to mention, the Stargate's location gives us room for a possible beta site. Then there's the usual--native culture, unique biology--"

"For crying out loud."

Sam, who had been watching the exchange of data, smirked.

"Sir," Janet stepped in. "The contagion doesn't seem that harmful. As soon as Chen accomplishes the molecular analysis, we should be able to devise an antidote for ourselves and the natives." She shrugged. "Most of our time was spent doing general medical field work--unrelated illnesses, pregnancies, and hygiene. How did Doctor Chen's operation go, by the way?"

"Good," Daniel replied. "She showed the healer how to take the follow-up steps, but we'll need to come back in three months for another surgery. Another reason not to leave." He glanced at Jack. "At least they'll stop drowning the babies with cleft palates."

O'Neill cringed. "Hopefully." He clapped his hands. "Okay. These folk have invited us to a nearby town, where we can negotiate with people of more authority. Daniel says it's--it's..."

"Feudal." Daniel explained. "We're to be taken to the local warlord."

"Right. Drinking and feasting are apparently possibilities."

"As usual." O'Neill said. "Teal'c will stay behind at the remote post so he can drive SG8 back to the Stargate when it's time. Doc, you're with us. They like you. Unless you need to get back to Cassie, in which case, Teal'c'll drive you."

Janet paled. "A four hour truck ride..."

"Three hours. It's downhill."

Janet closed her eyes. "A downhill truck ride? Or a two-hour walk to a night on the town? I'll take you up on your generosity, Colonel. Cassandra's fine."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SG1, minus Teal'c, plus Janet, were situated in a saloon with their guides and the "mayor" of the town, a warlord named D'rn. The place, a sizeable wooden box, served as town hall, Lion's club, and watering hole in one, where food, beer, and diplomacy flowed freely.

"What's he saying, Daniel?" Jack asked his friend while they eyed D'rn.

"He is willing to offer us the territory around the Stargate."

"Is it his to give?"

"I suspect it's no one's, but their approval can't hurt."

"What do they want in return?"

"Weapons." Daniel sighed.

"Weapons?" Jack frowned. "What for?"

"I haven't been able to translate that yet." Daniel grumbled.

"Well, you'd better figure it out before we--"

"Kant!" Said D'rn, who stood up and gestured at SG1.

"Uh..." Daniel leaned back quickly.

D'rn gestured, and the food was taken away. In place of the dishes a rough parchment was laid on the table, and two crude dice were thrust at Jack.

"They want us to play a game," Daniel murmured.

"You are a brilliant archeologist, Daniel."

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Carter," Jack continued. "You're the hustler. You play." He took the dice from D'rn and nodded politely at the warlord.

Sam had been thick in conversation with Fraiser, and looked up, momentarily confused, at her commanding officer. "What?"

Jack tapped the map. "Come play."

D'rn grunted affirmatively.

"I..." Sam glanced at Janet. "I don't know how."

"You're smart. You'll figure out how."

Janet nudged Sam's shoulder. "Come on, Sam. I've always wanted to see you in action."

Sam's eyes widened, and then she shook her head. "Fine." She began to study the crude carvings on the dice.

Jack leaned back and, behind Sam's back, mouthed to the doctor. "Did you just flirt with her?"

Janet glanced at her companion, who was absorbed in strategy. "Worked, didn't it?" She mouthed back over Sam's head.

Jack winked, then straightened again. "Daniel, rules?"

Daniel furrowed his brow. "Well, the object is either to be high or to be low."

"They're just numbers on the dice, sir." Sam reported.

D'rn grunted affirmatively, and the patrons of the town cheered.

"Well, okay." Jack folded his arms. "Let's have a few practice rounds."

Sam caught onto the game quickly, much to the delight of D'rn and his people. They divided up in the room, about a fourth taking the side of SG1, and cheering on their alien team. Daniel kept a steady dialogue, occasionally giving instruction to Sam.

When it was her turn to roll again, Sam lifted the dice to her lips, thought better of it, and then turned to Janet. "Bless the dice?"

Janet grinned, and took hold of Sam's wrist. She exhaled, brushing the wooden pips with her breath, and tickling Sam's fingers in the process. "Win something for me."

Sam flushed. "All right." She leaned forward to roll, but a grunt from D'rn stopped her.

"He wants to up the stakes." Daniel translated.

O'Neill, who was now lounging at a nearby table, surrounded by attractive locals, suddenly paid attention again. "What's he offering?"

Daniel said something to D'rn. D'rn responded, making a circle with his index finger, and then pointing at Janet.

Janet frowned.

"I, uh, think he's offering us the territory we want. In exchange for our medical expertise." Daniel offered.

"I don't think that's what he said." Janet growled.

"Uh, well." Daniel ran his hand through his hair and spoke to D'rn. D'rn gestured at a woman at his right side, then at Janet again, and grinned toothily.

"I don't need a translation for that." Janet slapped the table.

"If he's really offering us the territory, I can win," Sam insisted.

Jack leaned forward, brushing off the entreaties of his escort. "It's a game of chance, Carter."

Daniel and D'rn exchanged words. D'rn pointed at his woman again, and then held up one finger.

"Okay," Daniel murmured. "I think we've got it all worked out."

"Daniel..." O'Neill warned.

"If we win, we'll get to stay the night, and continue negotiations. They're offering us... You know..." Daniel gestured at the woman. "We can always politely refuse. If we lose, I think they'll mock us mercilessly."

Jack grunted. "What are the odds, Carter?"

"It's like craps, sir," Sam responded. "50/50. Red or black. But I'm confident."

"You're confident. That's comforting." He glanced at Janet.

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "As long as I'm not going to be harassed by a warlord, I think I'm okay."

"Well, then, go for it." O'Neill sighed.

D'rn beamed.

Sam rolled the dice.

D'rn laughed.

Sam cringed. "I lost."

"What?" O'Neill stood up.

D'rn, apparently anticipating a threat, moved back, and bodyguards swarmed him, quickly outnumbering SG1.

"Uh..." O'Neill threw up his hands. "I'm just saying... What?"

One of the bodyguards reached for Janet.

"Hey!" She slapped the man away. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" Sam moved to place a protective hand on Janet's shoulder.

Daniel managed to put himself between D'rn's contingent and SG1, and kept speaking in broken dialect. "Okay, guys... Guys?" He looked over his shoulder to see Jack fuming. "Jack?"

"What!"

Daniel winced. "It's just for one night..."

"What's just for one night?" O'Neill growled.

Janet stepped backward, closer to Sam, who wrapped an arm around her chest. "Remember," Sam rumbled. "I'm the girl with the gun."

Janet's lips twitched.

"Janet stays in the main lodging. I will go with her, as a chaperone."

Jack folded his arms.

"We don't have to take D'rn's wife, especially as none of you speak the language. D'rn's okay with letting me represent... you... " Daniel nodded in Sam's direction. "Look, think of it as a cultural exchange. In the morning, we'll all have breakfast, continue negotiations, and Drn's people will mock us for our cultural stupidity and susceptibility to drinking and gambling."

Sam's arm tightened around Janet.

O'Neill rolled his eyes. "One night?"

"As a show of good faith. Playing along." Daniel lowered his voice. "I think they tricked us."

"No kidding." O'Neill muttered. He glanced at Janet.

Janet narrowed her eyes. "I'll have a gun, radio, and Daniel?"

Daniel nodded.

D'rn grinned.

"Just for one night," O'Neill reiterated.

"The things I do for my country," Janet grumbled.

Sam smirked. "Just think, you're on another planet."

"Just think." Janet sighed.

Daniel exchanged more words with D'rn, and then turned to SG1. "Okay. We can say goodbye, then we'll be escorted to our lodges."

O'Neill turned to Janet. "You can back out."

She exhaled. "I'll be fine, sir. Maybe there'll be...patients."

Sam's hand slid from Janet's shoulder, and rubbed her back. "Janet, I'm really sorry--I was stupid, I..."

Janet turned around to face the taller woman. "It's okay. You just owe me. Big time."

"Big time." Sam exhaled. "I'm sorr--"

"Stop." Janet found Sam's hand and squeezed it. "We'll talk about cockiness and boundaries after the mission."

"Okay." They looked awkwardly at each other for a moment.

D'rn cleared his throat.

Janet stepped forward and hugged Sam's waist. "If I call you on the radio, you'd damn well better be there."

"Before you even finish getting the words out." Sam whispered against Janet's hair as she returned the hug.

They parted, and D'rn wrapped one arm around Daniel's shoulders, one arm around Janet's shoulders, and laughed. He led them off, but not before Janet glanced over her shoulder at Jack and Sam, and grimaced, mouthing "body odor."

Sam covered her mouth.

Jack grinned. He leaned over to Sam. "Cockiness and boundaries?"

"I don't know what that's about, sir." Sam's face turned pink.

Jack looked smug. "I do. She likes you." He sang the last three words.

"She does not!" Sam blushed more deeply. "She's... Janet. Doctor Fraiser. She--"

"She likes you." Jack sang again.

"We're friends. Two women in our position, it's to be expected. Maybe even a survival tactic. It's--"

"For crying out loud, Carter." Jack interrupted her. "How do you sleep at night?"

"Sir!"

Their conversation was halted by the arrival of arrival of D'rn's woman, who smiled at them pleasantly, and placed her hand on O'Neill's chest.

"Why, hello, native," Jack purred.

Sam rolled her eyes.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O'Neill was jolted from sleep by the crackling of his radio. "Jac--" said Daniel's voice. Static blocked the rest of Daniel's sentence, and then the feed went silent. Jack rolled over to pick up the radio from the bedside table, and it crackled to life again. All he heard through the new wave of static was a crash, a thud, and then, silence.

He sat up.

In the darkness, he could sense Carter sitting up as well. "What the--"

"Maybe they're just having a little too much fun?" Jack quipped, as he fumbled with his blankets.

Sam lit a candle, and the interior of the small hut became visible.

Jack held down the button on the radio. "Daniel, this is O'Neill. Is everything all right?" He clicked it off, and waited.

Silence.

"Daniel," he tried again. "Doctor Fraiser. Come in."

He glanced at Sam. She shook her head wordlessly.

They were dressed and halfway out the door when their guide, Andk, ran up to them, his breath white in the cold pre-dawn. He spoke rapidly, and gestured at O'Neill.

"Hey, buddy." Jack growled. "We don't understand a thing you're saying."

The native pointed, and then began running in the direction from whence he had come. Jack and Sam took off after him, their heavy footfalls marring the previous night's freshly fallen snow. They reached D'rn's hut and burst inside, disregarding the guards who stood at the doorway.

D'rn was dead.

Daniel was on his back on the ground, moaning. O'Neill knelt next to him, while Sam examined D'rn's body, which was splayed awkwardly against the back wall of the hut. She glanced around, seeing Jack, Daniel, and Andk. "Janet's gone," she reported. "And so are the other women."

"Yeah..." Daniel parted his lips and weakly wet them with is tongue so he could speak. "D'rn tried to stop them. He said they could take his wife, but not Janet. Whoever they were, they were affronted. He died trying to save her." Daniel cringed.

Sam knelt. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Daniel clasped O'Neill's arm, and allowed the Colonel to haul him into a sitting position. "I was just...unconscious."

O'Neill adjusted the askew glasses on Daniel's face, pushing them up his nose. "Who were they?"

Andk spoke, panic in his voice, but Daniel interrupted him. "I don't know," he said. "But they spoke English."

Chapter 2

Teal'c's baritone voice came over the radio. "SG1, come in. Is there a disturbance?"

Jack tapped his radio. "Teal'c, what's the situation at the camp?"

"I have returned SG8 to Earth so that they may continue their medical investigation," Teal'c rumbled. "And I have returned with the truck and supplies."

"Great." Jack replied. "Can you meet us at the village? Fraiser's been kidnapped. Just GPS our location."

"There's no--" Sam started.

"There is no satellite in orbit," came Teal'c's voice. "But I believe I can follow the road you took."

Jack shook his head. "Right."

Sam covered her face with her hands. "Crap." She moaned. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have--"

"Carter." Jack grunted. "Shut up. You weren't the only one. I gave the order, based on Daniel's assurances."

Daniel, his cheek still bloodied, studied the ground. "He's right, Sam. It's my fault." He inhaled. "I got Janet kidnapped."

"That wasn't the point I was trying to make." Jack frowned. "Point is, knuckleheads... Cockiness and... What was the other thing?"

"Bravado," Daniel moaned.

"Accountability," Sam sighed.

"Kant." Andk wailed.

"Boundaries!" Jack bellowed. "Stop letting your personal feelings interfere with this mission so that we can get on with rescuing Janet."

Daniel and Sam exchanged a look.

A roaring sound heralded the arrival of Teal'c and the truck. The four boarded. "Daniel," Jack asked, "I assume Andk here can tell us what the hell is going on?"

Daniel pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Yes..."

"Good." Jack settled in next to Teal'c and began filling him in on the incidents of the morning.

Daniel glanced at Sam. "Personal feelings?"

"Who knows? I don't have any." Sam cleared her throat. "You?"

"Nope." Daniel slouched down in the seat. "He called her Janet."

"I noticed."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

They walked to the gates of the walled city. The sun was high in the sky and the snow glistened like diamonds in the bright light. Andk had informed them that the city was Nkin, the capital of a powerful enemy. Daniel had speculated that the Nkin-dwellers controlled most of the civilization, and that D'rn's people were outcasts.

Andk explained that the raiders had been slavers, and that the slaves were usually sold at auction every year at this time. He presumed figures as great and powerful as SG1 would have no problem buying Janet back.

O'Neill did not share his faith. They had expected Janet and Daniel to join them for a peaceful breakfast, and something had gone wrong. Something was bound to go wrong again. Daniel and Sam were to speak to the slaver directly, in the hopes that by offering a dark horse bid, they could have access to Janet. O'Neill, Teal'c, and Andk would take the more industrial side of things, and attempt to break into the palace where Janet was being held.

The truck had been ditched a kilometer outside the city, and now they entered through the unguarded main gates, heavily cloaked against the cold. "So, where's this fortress?" O'Neill asked Andk. "Palace. Stronghold. Whatever."

Daniel translated, and Andk pointed north.

"Holy...moly." Jack breathed, as he followed Andk's hand and took in the familiar sight of a peak of a pyramid.

Daniel removed his glasses, rubbed the lenses on his shirt, and put them back on. "The Goa'uld."

"Indeed." Teal'c murmured.

"I knew something would go wrong," Jack grumbled.

People stared, but did not seem alarmed, as SG1 wandered deeper into the city. UAV maps had indicated a population of several hundred thousand, so while they could not entirely blend in, O'Neill hoped they would not be the biggest event of the day.

Daniel was frowning. "How does this change our plans?"

"Well," the Colonel said. "Maybe Teal'c should go in with Carter? A more-Goa'uldy presence?"

"We don't know if they're even... Goa'ulds, or just squatters. And they may recognize Teal'c as the shol'va. Better to stick to the original plan."

"Yeah, that always works." O'Neill sighed. "Carter, how do you feel about this?"

"You want me to just march into a Goa'uld temple, with naquada in my blood, and ask to buy a suspiciously militarized Tau'ri?"

Daniel winced. "Well, actually, she's not...militarized..."

Jack and Sam stopped walking and turned to stare at him. Teal'c raised his eyebrow.

"D'rn's wife had some native clothes. Janet... kind of had fun putting them on."

"Janet had fun?"

Daniel cringed. "She was going to wear them to breakfast, just to see the looks on your faces."

O'Neill started walking again. "So she looks like a slave? For crying out loud...We have to get her out of there."

They were in the shadow of the temple. Andk whispered something to Daniel, gesturing at Carter.

Carter frowned. "What?"

"He's reminding me that women aren't too... equal, around here. So you should do your best to, you know, pass."

"You know I hate it when you say that."

Daniel looked down.

"These are Goa'uld, Carter." O'Neill interjected. "A little prudence, at least?"

"We don't even know they're Goa'uld."

"How are we going to buy Janet?" Daniel changed the subject. "With what?"

"What's valuable?" O'Neill asked, looking at Andk.

Andk pointed at the temple.

"Gold?" Daniel asked Andk.

Andk blinked.

"Um..." Daniel took off his glasses and showed Andk the polished gold trim.

Andk nodded vigorously, then pointed again to the temple.

"Ah, the international currency," O'Neill said.

Sam glanced at him.

"Universal. I meant 'universal'." Jack shrugged. "Okay, Daniel, go back and get the gold. Teal'c, you drive him. We'll stay here and scope out the fortress."

Teal'c look pained.

"What is it, buddy?"

"I do not wish to drive again." Teal'c frowned.

O'Neill raised his eyebrow. "Why not, buddy?"

"With the constant acceleration and the open nature of the vehicle..." Teal'c explained. "...It is cold."

"Jack," Daniel started, cutting off the Colonel's attempt at appealing to Teal'c's manhood, "Maybe you should come and brief General Hammond on what's going on here."

"You mean, tell him we lost the Doc in a bet?"

Carter cringed.

Daniel nodded.

"And then tell him she's been kidnapped?"

"Hey, look on the bright side," Daniel said. "Maybe he'll authorize force."

"Because that's so his style." Jack sighed. "All right. Major, you and Teal'c are on intel duty. See Fraiser if at all possible. Figure out how we're going to approach these guys...And who these guys are. We'll... go get our wallets."

"Yes, sir." Carter exhaled.

Teal'c inclined his head.

"Let's get back to the truck, Danny. 10 hours, we're thinking?"

"More like 12."

"Yikes."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"What?" Hammond bellowed. His voice carried across the briefing room, the force of it causing O'Neill and Daniel to wince simultaneously.

"It was a cultural exchange, you see--"

"I am sure, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said, "That losing the Chief Medical Officer of the top program in the Air Force in a bet violates some sort of protocol!"

"Yes, General. You see--"

"Point is." Jack cut Daniel off. "She's being held hostage now."

Hammond rubbed his head. "And not by the people who won the bet?"

"No, sir."

"You see--" Daniel tried to explain.

"That's enough," Hammond cut him off.

Daniel looked down.

O'Neill squared his shoulders. "I recommend we take SG3 in and get her back, sir."

"You know I'd rather not use force unless it's absolutely necessary," Hammond said.

O'Neill protested. "They attacked us, sir."

"They attacked the people you were with. They didn't even see you, if I'm to interpret the debriefing correctly. Let's get Doctor Fraiser back with as little bloodshed as possible."

"Then the only alternative," Daniel interjected, "Is to trade."

"Which means giving up valuable archeological finds." Hammond sighed.

"Well, maybe they want gasoline, or C4, or running water, or something," O'Neill commented.

Daniel brightened. "That's right. D'rn did want to trade the Stargate for weapons."

Hammond glowered. "Not helping your cause here."

"General Hammond to the control room" boomed over the speakers. "Incoming radio transmission from the planet," Harrigan's voice reported.

"Must be Carter," O'Neill said, and the three men scrambled downstairs.

"Report, Sergeant," Hammond said, as he walked toward the speaker.

"Got Major Carter for you, sir." Walter pushed a button. "Receiving, Major."

"Sir," crackled Carter's voice. "They aren't Goa'uld. We've seen no Jaffa, no parading, no worshippers, and neither Teal'c nor I can sense a symbiote."

"Well," O'Neill said, folding his arms. "There's a point in our favor."

"We haven't been able to get inside the fortress yet..."

Hammond looked over his shoulder at O'Neill. Jack cleared his throat.

"...It's heavily guarded. Perhaps 100 foot soldiers..."

"Probably a way to keep the locals employed," Daniel speculated.

"...But we've got a solid map, including infrareds that show us where the women are being held, sirs. Just five, and judging by what we've observed in the city, they're all for export. Apparently we're three days away from the annual summer festival... Intel is much easier now that everyone speaks English..."

O'Neill blinked. "Summer?" He mouthed to Daniel.

Daniel shrugged.

"...We think the plan is viable, sirs."

O'Neill leaned over the microphone. "Is that the 'We get caught in order to get inside the prison' plan? Because, you know, I'm tired of those..."

A sigh came over the radio. "Not as long as you bring the gold."

"See you in five hours," O'Neill said brightly.

Hammond, still red-faced, turned to O'Neill. "Do you realize how valuable Doctor Fraiser is to this facility?"

"More valuable than me, sir?" O'Neill grinned.

"Exactly."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Carter adjusted her robe and exhaled forcefully, white breath clouding in the cold air. "Why me? Isn't Daniel more suited to this sort of thing?"

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The last time I was trusted with infiltrating anything, I ended up insane and tossing Fraiser across a room."

"Yup. Military regulations. You've been trained. Besides, Andk says you look more like the natives. I mean, the other natives. The Narn."

"The Nkin."

"Right. And I need Daniel to read stuff, as we bust the girls out. Remember, the gold is just a diversion. We're not waiting until market day."

"Festival day."

"You know what I meant."

"Fine." Daniel handed Carter a sack. "You know what to do?"

"I think so." Carter sighed. "Are we sure Teal'c as my bodyguard is a good idea? Does Andk mention, you know... people who look like him?"

"It's a gamble. We're gambling." O'Neill reminded her.

"Christ," Carter exhaled.

"We're betting that they've seen Jaffa before. So Teal'c's gonna be bait that there's something more than gold here. To keep this warlord interested so he doesn't just kill you and take your purse."

Carter blanched.

"Watch your back, Carter. The attack on D'rn's people was well executed. Probably planned for months. He's not going to let two meddling kids screw up his big plans. Whatever they are."

"You're such an inspiration, sir."

Daniel squeezed Carter's shoulder. "Good luck, Sam. We'll be a radio call away."

"I will not be." Teal'c reminded them. "I will be even closer."

Carter graced the Jaffa with a relieved smile, and they turned to walk into the city of Nkin.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"You're a day early. I host an exclusive dinner for the most important buyers tomorrow night," said the warlord Rdek. "But since you don't have your own people to put you up, I'm glad I could be of assistance." He smiled in a way that was meant to be charming, but only made Carter feel nauseous.

"I appreciate the hospitality. Since the accident, we've been pressed to replace my handmaiden."

"Of course, of course." Rdek turned a gold goblet in his palms. He had not stopped pawing at it since Carter had pulled it out of her sack, as a token of good faith. "This year," he said, "I have five girls. Of course, their prices are high. I believe that if good stock is rare, it will be sought after."

"Supply and demand," Carter murmured.

Rdek looked at her with surprise. "Exactly."

"Still," she folded her hands and put them on the table. "I think I can make a reasonable pre-emptive bid, comparable to what you'll get at auction. I only hope to be offered consideration."

Rdek smiled. "I understand. We've not had any people from your province in several years. Not since the avalanche closed the pass...?"

Carter smiled pleasantly. "And another avalanche cleared it, just this fall during the melts."

"Of course." Rdek inclined his head. "The weather has certainly been turbulent this year. I know your journey was long, and with the accident... I wish to show you that Nkin is an accommodating friend."

"Of course." Carter smiled.

Teal'c smiled.

Rdek stood, his hand still clutching the goblet. "I need to attend to some duties pertaining to the festival. My guard will show you to your rooms. Perhaps you can join me in an hour for dinner, and then I will introduce you to the merchandise?"

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sam sat on the edge of her bed in her suite. Teal'c leaned against an ornate dresser. He had an adjoining room.

"That seemed too easy," Carter contemplated.

"Perhaps his mind was truly on other things, and he only recognized that we were a day early."

"He would know every single customer, and we don't have the trappings of Entare."

"Then perhaps he was blinded by the gold."

Sam rested her chin in her hand. "Maybe. He did seem awfully enamored of our sample." She reached into her pack for the radio and activated it. "Colonel?"

"Go ahead, Carter."

"We're situated for the evening, it looks like Rdek bought it."

"Glad to hear. We'll be nearby, but we'll stand down until further notice. This whole town belongs to Rdek. His name is on everyone's lips, and apparently, he's not too feared, for being a murdering warlord. He keeps the order, and has been for so long that people don't recall rebellion. Any recognition of Teal'c?"

"No, sir." Sam glanced at Teal'c. "Rdek just treated him like any other bodyguard--just assumed he was invisible. He says tomorrow night there will be a party so that the big bidders can have a look at the merchandise." She cringed.

"Oh, goody. Any news on Fraiser?"

"We'll know in a few hours, and check in then."

"All right. Over and out."

Sam glanced at Teal'c. "So rounding up the local migrants is just routine for him."

"I do not like to see anyone enslaved, Major Carter."

She reached over and rested her hand on his forearm. "Me either, Teal'c. We won't let this rest."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Rdek, torch held aloft, led Carter and Teal'c down a narrow curving stairway. Two guards followed at a discreet distance. Sam could only think of a dungeon. The walls were cut stone, and the air was damp. Cells receded into the walls, some sealed with reinforced wood doors, others with iron bars. Teal'c was frowning at the emblems chiseled above each alcove, and Sam squinted quizzically at him.

"Ra," he whispered discreetly, as Rdek moved away to light the torches lining the corridor.

Sam pursed her lips. "At least we know where he is."

Teal'c inclined his head.

"Here we are." Rdek gestured to a guard, and a door was opened. On the outside, there was damp brick and mold, but inside the large cell there was candlelight in receded alcoves and a natural spring. The air smelt of cinnamon and sweat. Five women huddled at the back of the room. "We keep them together," Rdek explained. "It helps with their socialization."

Sam scanned the room as neutrally as possible. She spotted Janet's reddish-brown hair, and D'rn's wife tucked into her arms. Since the women were together, Sam found it easy to evaluate Janet under the guise of detached interest.

"You know, of course, that they don't speak our language. They're foreigners. That always requires a bit of training. We would never enslave our own people."

"That would be barbaric," Sam murmured sympathetically.

Rdek nodded. "We choose only the best stock. These are not wild women. They're often the daughters of tribal leaders. Smart. And they've been raised into royalty."

"I think, Rdek, that my gold has been well-spent so far." Sam forced herself to smile.

Rdek brightened. "Guards. Separate the women, so we may have a better look."

A woman screamed as a guard grabbed her arm, and Sam had to choke down nausea. Janet stood on her own, drawing D'rn's wife with her, and then reluctantly stepping back.

"Now, it would be improper to allow you first pick, but perhaps you would like the night to examine one of them, if the gold..."

"...is right?" Carter finished. She drew a gold-linked bracelet from an inner pocket, and offered it to him. The bands were encrusted with diamonds, and the jewelry was worth a fortune on Earth--if it had not been sitting in a vault in Area 52 for two years.

Rdek's eyes widened. "I have never seen gems like those before."

"Let me show you..." Carter smiled. She walked to the stone wall of the cell, and dragged a diamond tip against it, leaving a mark in the rock. When Rdek took the bracelet from her fingers, he saw that the diamond had suffered no damage.

"Remarkable." He looked at Carter, and for the first time his congenial manner slipped and greed, or desire, shone in his eyes. She felt a surge of fear.

"More where that came from," Carter said nonchalantly. "Maybe it can be a new line of business for you. Like I explained before, we're short on people. After the avalanche, there was an illness. We could not turn to our trading partners for help. Now that the pass is open again, we're in a position to throw ourselves on the mercy of our neighbors."

"Of course." Rdek bowed, and gestured to the women.

Sam stepped up, and gestured to Teal'c. They started on opposite ends of the row, and made a show of examining each slave. Teal'c opened the mouths of the women and examined their teeth. Sam knelt and felt their calves for sturdiness. She passed over Janet, not looking in the woman's eyes, and made a show of liking D'rn's wife, until gesturing at Janet again.

"She's much smaller than the others," Sam suggested.

Rdek cleared his throat. "Yes, she was extraneous to those we culled this year. However, her features are exotic enough I believe she may serve as a novelty."

"I think you may be right. She may be suited for Entare's needs in the refineries. May I have her for the night and then perhaps evaluate the rest when the others arrive tomorrow?"

"Of course." Rdek smiled politely. "Will your...guard... be taking one also?"

Carter raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous." She turned toward the open doorway. "He'll remain outside of my chambers tonight. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just a personal comfort thing when I travel."

"Of course. We all like to surround ourselves with the people we trust." Rdek responded. He gestured, and Janet was seized. She struggled, and the other women began screaming. Rdek sighed and quickly led them from the cell and to the stairs. "She'll be bathed and taken to your chambers. Would you care to join me in the parlor for tea and games?"

Carter blanched at the mention of games. "No, please do not think me ungrateful... It has been a long journey. I would prefer to turn in, and spend tomorrow in Nkin."

Rdek nodded. He was running the bracelet through his fingers, feeling along the bumps of the diamonds. He would only remember Carter when he got tired of his newest toy.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

When the warlord had taken Sam and Teal'c away, Janet sagged against the damp, mold-covered wall at the back of her cell. The cool stones held her up as her knees wobbled.

D'rn's wife stood next to her. The woman's expression was impassive. She, too, had recognized Sam, but also recognized nothing had changed. They were still prisoners.

Janet had convinced herself she was the only survivor. She realized now that had been a defense mechanism--concentrate on the present. Survive. Don't dwell on the past. Stay alive.

Sam was outside that door, breathing in and out. Janet's instincts told her to fling herself against the door separating them and claw at the wood until she got through. Hopelessness was so much easier than waiting.

She glanced at D'rn's wife. The woman was staring impassively at the door. Janet could see the lines of tension in her face. She imagined they mirrored her own. Waiting for rescue was harder than waiting for death.

Janet began to pace.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

As soon as the door closed, Janet stomped toward Carter. "You. This is all your fault."

Sam cringed, scurrying backward on the bed. "I'm sorry, Janet."

"You're sorry?" Janet knelt on the edge of the bed.

Teal'c watched the two women.

"I'm sorry." Sam repeated. "We thought--We..." She looked away from Janet's glower.

Janet exhaled, and seemed to get a grip on her emotions. "Does this happen to SG1 on every mission?"

Sam opened her mouth, but it was Teal'c who answered. "Yes."

Janet stopped inching forward, and turned, sitting with her legs dangling over the foot of the bed. She pulled her flimsy silk robe tighter around her small form. "It was the worst moment of my life, you know," she said. "When Rdek's men came... There was so much blood. I see the results of blood. But I never see it... so freshly spilled."

Teal'c took a step closer. Sam sidled up, placing her hand on Janet's back. "We wouldn't leave you."

"I know." Janet said somberly. "I know protocol. But when I saw D'rn fall... He's dead, isn't he?"

Sam nodded. Teal'c inclined his head.

Janet inhaled sharply. "When you weren't brought with us... I figured you were dead, too. That Rdek had wiped out the village."

"He only targeted the chief's tent," Sam said.

"That was new information." Janet's voice was choked, and she was tense under Sam's hand. "I thought it was all over. My life. Stargate. Cassandra. I thought--"

Sam wrapped her arms around Janet. "We're indestructible."

Teal'c knelt in front of Janet and placed his hand on her thigh. "We have been in worse situations."

"You." Janet corrected. "You have. Not me. I just deal with the aftermath. Not the...during."

"Radio the Colonel." Sam said over Janet's head to Teal'c. "See if he can get us out of here tonight."

"What?" Janet sat up straighter. "We can't leave the others."

"Janet..."

"No." Janet turned, so she was level to Sam's face. "We're not just going to leave them."

"We will not." Teal'c affirmed.

Sam reached up and cupped the doctor's tear-stained face. "We have a plan. Don't worry. We always manage to save the entire universe, not just our favorite part of it."

Janet grinned at Sam. "You're saying, trust you?"

"Trust me."

"You lost me in a bet."

Sam dropped her hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Janet put her hands on Sam's shoulders. "You came to rescue me."

"I did." Sam leaned forward and rested her forehead against Janet's. "Think nothing of it."

Teal'c began speaking to O'Neill over the radio.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Has Chen made any progress on the disease?" Janet asked once they had settled into an ornate canopied bed.

Sam smiled to herself. "Doc Fraiser, always thinking of others, even though she's been kidnapped."

Janet rolled onto her side to poke Sam in the ribs.

"I think it is pretty clear Rdek's responsible for it. It'll be good to take him out."

"Take him out?" Janet furrowed her brow. "So SG1 is a bunch of assassins?"

"Janet." Sam's eyes widened. "He killed D'rn. He...God knows what he would have done to you."

"Vengeance is...petty. I don't want anyone to hurt anyone for my sake."

"Okay." Sam answered softly.

"Okay?" Janet squinted at her friend. "That was too easy."

"Sometimes it's nice to be reminded of what's really at stake. When I go back to the SGC, and you're there, taking care of me... It's like I'm human again. Not just a soldier."

"I like taking care of you," Janet murmured. "It's strange, seeing SG-1 like this. You've been so... together. So Mistress of Entare." She laughed when Sam turned over at the title, pressing her face into the pillow. "You're not like this on Earth," Janet finished.

"I'm not?"

"You're so unflappable right now. I've seen you..."

"Flapped?" Sam grinned, turning her head, her face still pink from blushing, to look at Janet again. "You're different, too."

"Me?" Janet wrinkled her nose.

"You're unflappable on Earth. You command your domain. You're...scary." Sam smiled sheepishly. "When I come through the 'gate, I know I can just turn myself over to you."

Janet looked down at her hands. "I'm out of my depth."

"Well, when I'm out of my depth... I just help you." Sam answered.

Janet exhaled. "So what do you need?"

"Escape routes." Sam reached over the side of the bed for her pack and pulled out a notebook. "Tell me everything you remember about the pyramid."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Teal'c had returned from his own explorations, contributed to the map, negotiated plans A and B with Carter and O'Neill, and was now in a state of kelnoreem outside of Carter's door. He brought his own candles off-world, but the Nkin had plenty to contribute to his meditation.

Sam snuggled drowsily against a pillow, still wearing most of her gear underneath her robes.

"You always sleep in that?" Janet murmured, face down on her side of the bed.

"Yup." Sam grinned, her eyes still closed.

"So you get pretty rank."

"It helps. Especially outside. Natural camouflage."

"Great." Janet mumbled. "Aren't you supposed to be ravishing me, Ms. Stinky?"

Sam opened her eyes and looked at Janet's small, prone body next to her. "Jack said... you like me."

"I did." Janet shifted on the blankets. "Until you got me embroiled with slavers."

"I'm sorry--"

"Don't." Janet rolled onto her side and faced Sam. "I was just teasing."

Their gaze held. Sam bit her lower lip. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Didn't I?" Janet's smile widened. "You know... I keep you close even when your 'assistance' violates all kinds of medical protocols. I took an active interest in physics. When Cassandra came, I thought maybe things would happen naturally. They didn't. So I figured..." She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. When Sam was silent, she continued. "I didn't even know if you were--" Janet cleared her throat. "And I'm not allowed to ask."

"I am." Sam exhaled. "For as long as I can remember."

Janet reached out with the arm not pinned underneath her and rested it on Sam's abdomen. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about what you said before, about Rdek, and I'm thinking about Cassandra." Sam closed her eyes. "When I had to confront Jonas Hanson, I couldn't kill him. I should have plugged the bastard." She sighed. "But I couldn't do it. I couldn't go there--couldn't be that person." Her stomach muscles tensed under Janet's hand. "I would kill for Cassandra. Not just that... " She covered Janet's fingers with her own. "I'd fight to preserve her world. Keep her safe from people like... Rdek. What he does, here, is a threat to her."

"I understand." Janet shifted closer to Sam. "Everything changes when you become a parent."

"A parent." Sam let out a derisive laugh. "You don't think I'm evil?"

"No." Janet pressed her forehead against Sam's shoulder. "You may have lost me gambling, but..." She poked Sam in the stomach, eliciting a short laugh. "... You came and rescued me. You sweet-talked Rdek for me. When I thought you were dead." Janet's voice caught. "You could have walked away."

"We don't leave our people behind," Sam said mechanically.

"No." Janet whispered. "You don't leave your people behind. And there is nothing you will stop at for us. You've become that person you were afraid to become. And thank God."

Sam rolled over, away from Janet, drawing Janet's hand with her and keeping it against her stomach, so that Janet was soon pressed against her back, holding her. "You're the same, Janet. You never stop fighting."

Janet snuggled against Sam, slipping her free arm under Sam's pillow. "I'm glad we have something in common."

Sam chuckled, and linked her fingers through Janet's. Safe for the moment, they went to sleep.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Carter, come in." The radio crackled.

Sam groped for the radio on the bedside table. A pre-dawn grayness filtered through the drapes. Janet slept beside her, the small figure flung diagonally on the bed to take up as much space as possible. "Carter here," she rasped.

"Everything okay today?" O'Neill's chipper voice asked.

"Peachy." Sam sat up, pushing blankets off her shoulders. "What's up?"

"We need more time to evacuate D'rn's people and clear our escape route."

Sam glowered into the dim room. "How much time?"

"Possibly another day."

"Sir!" Sam yelled, and then immediately winced, glancing to see if Janet was still asleep. "Sir. Tonight is the big Slaver's Ball. It would be convenient if we were gone before then."

"Understood, Carter. If you come up with a way to deal with these 200 guards before we do, feel free to share."

Sam gripped the walkie-talkie, an unexpected wave of fear overtaking her. She, Janet, and Teal'c were trapped, surrounded by an army, and relying on others--Rdek's charity or O'Neill's skill--to survive the day.

"Carter?"

Sam rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Go ahead, sir."

"Daniel wants to say hi."

Sam smiled to herself in the dark room. "Hi, Daniel."

"Hi! How are Janet and Teal'c?"

Sam felt a hand on her leg, as Janet groggily hauled herself up and reached for the radio. "I'm fine, Daniel. Sam rescued me. Well, Sam got a one night free trial with the slave of her choice."

Jack's voice came over the radio. "I'm looking forward to hearing about that in your reports."

"The sooner you get us out of here, the sooner you'll hear the juicy details," Janet purred sweetly into the receiver.

"Got it, Doc." O'Neill said. "Over and out."

Janet stretched. "So we're stuck here?"

"Looks like." Sam shrugged, setting the radio back onto the table.

Janet flung herself back on the bed. "Great."

Sam grinned. "Think you can take being my slave for a few more hours?"

"I'm just afraid I'll laugh uncontrollably at an inappropriate moment."

Sam snorted. She leaned over Janet, looking into her face. "When Rdek sees you, you have to look ravished."

"Hm. How good are you in bed? Will I be despondent or satisfied?" She stretched under Sam's body, faking a satisfied expression.

Sam's face broke into a smile. "Trust me, you'll like it."

Janet chuckled.

Their eyes met, and Sam swallowed nervously. "Should we...talk about last night?"

Janet reached up and touched Sam's face, studying her serious expression. "Do you want to?"

"I..." Sam leaned into Janet's touch. "I want you to know I'm open to...whatever. Or...whatever not." Janet's thumb brushed her chin and she closed her eyes. "This probably isn't a good time, anyway."

"No." Janet murmured. "Probably not."

Sam opened her eyes. Janet was watching her. The first rays of sunlight pierced the blinds and touched Janet's face, flashing in her dark eyes. She continued caressing Sam's cheek, wanting the link between them, wanting the warmth under her fingers.

Sam leaned closer, her gaze intent on Janet's lips. She laughed. "This isn't quite what I imagined."

"Oh? What did you imagine?" Janet dropped her hand.

Sam put all her weight on her right arm and clasped Janet's fleeing fingers with her left hand. "I didn't imagine a woman in my bed, ever, while I was still in the Air Force. Much less on another planet, surrounded by bad guys."

Janet squeezed Sam's hand. "Did you think of me, at all?"

Sam's face and neck turned red as she answered, quietly, "I didn't dare." Her breath brushed Janet's lips. Janet looked at her intently. She untangled her hand from Sam's and cupped the back of her neck.

At Janet's urging, Sam descended. She brushed a kiss against Janet's cheek, exhaling against the warm skin, leaving a damp imprint of her lips, and then lifted her head.

"What are you waiting for?" Janet played with tendrils of blonde hair.

Sam grinned. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be nervous."

"Okay."

Janet tipped her head back and pulled Sam down to her. Their lips met, warm and wet. Janet nuzzled each corner of Sam's mouth. Sam exhaled, hot breath caressing Janet's cheeks, and then pressed her lips to Janet's again.

Janet wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and hugged her. Sam chuckled into Janet's mouth, slipping her tongue out to swipe Janet's bottom lip. Her body rested half on Janet's, creating delicious pressure that caused the smaller woman to sigh into the kiss.

When Sam drew back, Janet tilted her head on the pillow. "Does this happen on all your missions?"

"Sometimes. But I've never wanted it. Not even when it was..."

"Women?" Janet squinted, amusement touching her features.

"Yeah." Sam confessed. "See, there's this woman who has been raising my daughter. I like keeping tabs on her."

Janet rubbed Sam's back. "Oh? So I'm just a surrogate?"

"You're the only one I trust." Sam rolled to Janet's side, keeping one arm looped around her waist.

Janet turned her head and smiled. "I can live with that." She pursed her lips. "So what do we do now?"

"Well," Sam drawled. "We're in a bed. In a very romantic castle..."

Janet laughed, her voice light. "You rogue. What do we do, mission-wise?"

"Ah." Sam nodded. "We wait."

"Just...wait?"

"Yup." Sam tapped her fingers on Janet's belly. "Until Colonel O'Neill gets back with 'the plan'"

Janet grumbled, "If I wanted to sit around for hours, I'd have become a cop."

"At least they get doughnuts," Sam said sympathetically. She rested her chin on Janet's shoulder. "I suggest sleep. Since we don't know if the Nkin have coffee."

"Coffee," Janet moaned. She reached up and clasped Sam's hand. "This complicates things."

Sam looked down at their fingers. "Yeah. Is that okay?"

"I think so." Janet pulled their hands up, and pressed a kiss to Sam's fingers. Sam wriggled closer. "Would you...Sam..."

Sam lifted her head.

Janet closed her eyes. "I want you to kiss me again."

Sam descended, her lips finding Janet's. Janet made a sound, soft and keening, that caused Sam to lean into the kiss. She darted her tongue between Janet's lips, finding Janet's warmth waiting for her, accepting her.

Janet's next sounds were lower, coming from the back of her throat, and the deep moan elicited a whimper from Sam, who drew back to kiss Janet lightly. Their mouths sloppily and softly met, tasted, and parted, before Sam settled again at her side. "Rest. More kissing when you wake up."

Despite being a slave held by a soulless warlord on a frozen world, Janet was content, enveloped by Sam's body heat. She closed her eyes, with Sam's promise tugging at her lips.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A knock came at the door. The sun was higher in the sky, sending light persistently through the heavy drapes. Sam groggily rolled away from Janet and called, "Come in."

Teal'c entered. "Major Carter. Doctor Fraiser."

"Hey, Teal'c," Sam said, smiling as she wriggled into a sitting position.

Janet opened one eye and blinked at Teal'c in greeting.

He inclined his head. "I trust your night was uneventful."

"Yup. Yours?"

"Indeed. Though I felt eyes upon me at various times, I was not interrupted. Rdek has sent a servant this morning to invite you to..." Teal'c frowned.

"Brunch?" Sam suggested.

Teal'c nodded.

Janet's stomach rumbled.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sam had washed her face and arms, denying Janet's help. At the insistence of a guard, Janet had been taken to a bath, and smelled like potpourri by the time she was brought to lunch with Sam, Teal'c, Rdek, and several noble guests of Nkin.

Janet looked at the men and women at the table, sans SG1, and could only see murderers and slavers. Even though she had exacted a promise from Sam not to retaliate, she was afraid of the men at the table, and the fear made her tremble even when Sam's knee casually brushed her leg.

Rdek tapped his glass with his fork. "To a prosperous festival."

Sam raised her glass. Teal'c looked straight ahead. Janet studied her hands.

Platters of food were brought, and Sam accepted a ladle of soup. She glanced at Teal'c, and then at Rdek.

Rdek smiled. "I understand. Please, I can only hope it builds our trust." He was wearing the diamond bracelet Sam had given him.

Sam inclined her head, and offered her bowl to Teal'c. He took a spoonful of soup, tasted it, and nodded. "It is quite...tasty."

Sam accepted the bowl and smiled at Rdek. "He doesn't say that often." Her words were an attempt at apology.

Rdek accepted the gesture. "The best Nkin has to offer."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sam was in a lounge with the other guests. She sat away from the main cluster, and Janet was at her feet. "What was that all about?"

"The food?" Sam asked.

"Mm hm."

"Sometimes they slip poison or some sort of truth serum into the meal. Teal'c's symbiote can handle it."

Janet's eyes widened. "Does that happen often?"

"Nah." Sam grinned. "Most of the time it's MREs or nuts and berries."

Janet cringed. "No wonder Zantax is my main pharmaceutical expense."

"Exactly. Then there's Daniel, who'll eat anything put in front of him, alien or crawling or puce."

"We're trying to clone his gastrointestinal DNA," Janet quipped.

Three clicks came from Teal'c. Janet and Sam looked at him. Three clicks repeated, the sound emanating from his belt.

"Excuse me," Teal'c said, and stepped out of the lounge. Rdek and some of his court watched the large man go, but refrained from commenting to Sam. They were across the room, close to the fireplace. Sam was at the window, near the escape route.

Teal'c returned. Sam looked ahead, pretending to follow Rdek's animated charades by the mantle.

"O'Neill says he will be ready in one hour. He suggests taking out the other merchants with a concussion grenade and using a dart on Rdek, and then freeing the slaves."

"What about the guards?"

"O'Neill says not to worry."

"Okay." Sam sounded skeptical.

"He will click three times, then twice, then three times again when they are ready."

"The usual signal."

Rdek drew their attention with a gesture. "I apologize," he announced to the room, but I must go into Nkin to take care of final arrangements." He bowed. "You understand."

After he had gone, some of the guests moved closer to Sam.

"It has been so many years," one warlord, Daraal, said to Carter. "Since we have seen anything from Entare. Your guard and your stones are...most unusual."

Carter smiled politely. "We've been refining our metalworking techniques. Teal'c's skin is the result of the foundry gases."

Daraal's entourage murmured excitedly.

Teal'c frowned.

"And Rdek tells us you have already purchased someone, before the auction. Unprecedented!"

Sam smiled, touching Janet's head. "Rdek took sympathy on me."

"Of course," Daraal said. "He's such a kind man."

"For the right price," Sam replied.

Daraal graced her with a genuine smile. "I am relieved to see you speak the same language as we do, despite being from so far away."

"Quite fluently," Carter assured him.

"Rdek's stock has been thin of late," Daraal said, lowering his voice. "And I must say, your choice is not impressive."

Janet managed to remain still, but Sam could feel her tensing under her hand.

"Perhaps the court of Entare is as weak as their slaves," another courtier suggested, and the room erupted in laughter.

Carter smiled thinly. "In Entare," she said, "Size doesn't matter." She tangled her fingers in Janet's hair and drew the woman's attention toward her. Sam gave Teal'c a signal and he moved to a sideboard where oils were laid out. He selected two and brought them to Janet.

With her head turned away from the rest of the room, Janet glared at Sam, as if to say, 'You can't possibly expect me to wash your feet.'

Sam tightened her grip on Janet's hair.

Teal'c smirked, and Janet got a glimpse of the First Prime he had been before he was forced into American egalitarianism. She made a note to ask him how many times his feet had been washed.

Sam turned her attention back to the group, discussing the hardness of diamonds as Janet drew off her slipper. Janet massaged Sam's foot, using her medical knowledge to manipulate the muscles and dig her fingers into the calluses. When she rubbed her thumb against the sensitive pads of Sam's toes, the soldier shuddered. Janet moved up, under Sam's parted robe, to cup her calf. Sam stretched her toes toward Janet.

Janet bit back a smile and picked up a bottle of oil with her right hand while massaging the arch of Sam's foot. The nearness of Sam's naked skin, the trembling she felt under her fingers, and the scent of the spice suspended in the oil were intoxicating. She felt herself getting wet as she poured the oil on Sam's ankle and watched it drip over the slope of her foot.

Sam swallowed loudly, not daring to look at the woman at her feet, but curling her toes, reaching out toward Janet. Janet put the bottle down and used both hands to rub the oil into the skin. Sam opened her mouth, her lips forming a moan, although no sound came out to draw unwanted attention. Janet stroked the sole of Sam's foot, tracing a pattern in the oil. She shifted, so her own heel pressed against her center.

Teal'c clicked three times.

Janet exhaled.

Sam slipped her foot back into her slipper.

Teal'c clicked twice.

Sam stood, reaching into her robe.

Teal'c clicked three times.

"Pardon me," Sam said, pulling Janet to her feet and walking to the door. Teal'c pulled the pin from a grenade, rolled it into the center of the room, and shut the door on surprised faces.

The three strode down the corridor as a boom echoed behind them.

Teal'c pulled the radio out. "We're on our way to the dungeon."

"Meet you and your charges in the main hall in four minutes." O'Neill came over the radio.

Chapter 3

"Okay, we'll get the prisoners," Sam said, taking command. "You hold this position and make contact with the Colonel." Janet's eyes widened. She lifted her hands, showing them empty. "Hold it with what?"

Sam blinked. "You and Teal'c go, then. I'll stay."

Teal'c inclined his head, and he and Janet headed toward the dungeons.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Teal'c led Janet down a twisting stairwell. He held a lantern aloft, its flickering firelight barely revealing the walls that closed in on their shoulders. Janet felt the dampness seep into her, making her flimsy robes sticky. She shivered with cold she'd already forgotten in the few hours she'd been away from the cell. "This is hell," she said.

Teal'c looked over his shoulder at her, and then went on.

Janet exhaled.

Teal'c's weapon went off, shooting electricity that brightened the dungeon into daylight for an instant. The movement was so sudden Janet thought the staff had accidentally discharged until she saw the shadow of a guard lying in front of them. Teal'c fired again, and then twirled, swinging his staff into the waist of a third guard. When the darkness returned, filled by the screams of women behind a wooden door, Janet dared to breathe.

"They're dead." She stared at Teal'c.

"Many have already died," he responded calmly.

Janet looked down at the dirt floor. A guard's blood pooled near her right foot.

"Come." Teal'c stepped toward the door. "We must free them."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

When Janet emerged from the hall, hand in hand with D'rn's wife, she saw an Air Force truck in the middle of the grand foyer. The sight of a truck made her nauseous. Sam popped her head out of the front passenger window. "Need a lift?"

Teal'c helped the women into the back of the truck, and Janet, settled behind the cab, peered at the back of O'Neill's head in the driver's seat. "This is your big plan, Colonel?" The one I stayed in bed for?

"Superior technology and firepower. Works every time." O'Neill grinned.

Sam chuckled, reaching through the cab window to touch Janet's shoulder. "Well, hopefully just this once."

"Cynic." O'Neill snorted. "Everyone ready?" He drove the truck in a curve until it faced the outer doors. Janet saw no sign of the Nkin noblemen. "200 guards?" O'Neill quipped. "Start counting." He floored the truck. "Pyramids have nicely-sloped stairs."

The vehicle shot through the open doors and down the stairs, scattering the main contingent of guards that lined the walkway--the advantage of superior technology that made Sam feel somewhat like a bully. Once off the palace grounds and into the city, the truck encountered no opposition.

"The streets are clear," Sam commented to O'Neill.

He nodded. "Festival's on the other side of town."

"Good planning."

Instead of traveling west toward the Stargate, O'Neill drove north and then doubled back, off-roading for a solid hour before reaching a temporary camp.

Chen was there with supplies in case the rescued people needed medical assistance.

"We're going to stay, possibly overnight, just to make sure Rdek can't find D'rn's men. We also didn't want them anywhere near the Stargate."

"So we've taken sides?" Sam had asked.

"It merits further study." O'Neill explained. "The SGC's archeologists, sans Daniel, have managed to translate D'rn's language." He tapped an earpiece. "Gibberish in, English out. A bit slower on what I have to say back, though, and the folks keep giving me odd looks."

Carter smirked.

The camp was dark that night. No bonfire party to celebrate the rescue, no funeral pyre to mourn D'rn. Sentries, including Teal'c, O'Neill, and Carter, kept watch a mile in all directions.

Well past midnight, Carter slipped into the tent where she'd been assigned. Janet was there, writing by candlelight. "Hey," Sam murmured, looking over her shoulder. "Working on your report?"

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep." Janet reached behind her, blindly. Sam grabbed her wrist. "Off world, in the forest... feeling a little unsafe, I guess." Janet murmured.

Sam released Janet's hand and knelt behind her, wrapping her arms around Janet's shoulders. "Do you still feel unsafe?"

Janet rolled her head back, resting her temple against Sam's cheek. "I feel better."

"Me too," Sam confessed. She pressed a kiss to Janet's head. "It's lonely out there."

"And cold," Janet commented. "Your lips are freezing."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Janet turned her head. "Let me warm them." She offered herself to Sam.

Accepting, Sam kissed Janet gently. The heat of Janet's lips melted her own, and she delved deeper as sensation returned, finding the hot wetness of Janet's tongue, stroking her back to life. Sam moaned softly, letting Janet choreograph the kiss, and surrendered to her, as Janet found her tongue and suckled.

Sam's hands began to travel, chastely across Janet's upper chest, then to her stomach. She was debating whether to tug the hem of Janet's shirt from her belt or dare to touch a breast when Janet tugged Sam's lower lip between her teeth and bit. Sam moaned, paralyzed except for the sounds desperate to escape her, and she was still as Janet's lips traced her jaw, before finding her earlobe and nibbling.

"Sam," Janet breathed into her ear.

The word was a declaration. Sam arched into Janet's touch. Her hand slid over Janet's chest, finding the curve of a breast. "You're beautiful," Sam whispered into the throat under her lips.

Janet squeezed her eyes shut. "Sam." She repeated, clasping Sam's hand on her chest. "It's been a long time, since..."

Sam kissed the back of Janet's neck.

"...I've been touched." Janet whispered.

"Why?"

"I'm a woman," Janet sighed, as if that settled everything. She arched back into Sam. "It could end my career. They could take my daughter. It's immoral. It's indecent. God." She seized Sam's lips in a passionate kiss.

Sam succumbed, giving herself to the possession of Janet's warm mouth and demanding tongue. She slid her cold hands under Janet's shirt, tenting the cotton. "Janet." She moaned into the kiss, and Janet responded with a soft cry.

"Janet," Sam whispered again, provoking another cry. Her hands moved higher, teasing the elastic hem of the sports bra, brushing the slope of Janet's breasts.

Janet drew back, panting against Sam's lips. "I'm losing control, Sam." She urged Sam to move, until the soldier was kneeling in front of her. "I haven't been in control for two nights now."

Sam placed her hands on Janet's knees, and grinned up at her. "When we're off-world. I'll take care of you."

Janet held her cheeks and drew Sam up for a searing kiss. Sam's hands found Janet's front again. She explored Janet's breasts, finding them soft and pliant under her hands. She tugged Janet's shirt up and fondled her breasts through the cotton bra, encouraging Janet's moans against her mouth. The nipples were hard in her hands and she slipped her right hand under the bra to feel one against bare skin, pressing into her palm.

Sam drew back, breaking the kiss. Her lips were wet with saliva as she knelt, pushing Janet's legs apart. She leaned forward and kissed Janet's bare stomach. Her lips left damp trails across Janet's flesh, and Janet's hands found her hair, guiding her.

Janet rested her head against the back of the chair and panted. She clutched blonde locks in her fists and squirmed under Sam's touches, wholly inappropriate for a hide tent in the middle of nowhere, but she had forgotten the word "No." Instead, she cried "Sam," and gasped when the wet touch lightened and she felt Sam's teeth lightly graze her abdomen.

"Hm?"

"Can anyone hear us?" Janet managed to ask, urging Sam's head back toward her skin.

Sam's tongue traced the edge of Janet's bellybutton. "Not if you're quiet." She slid her hand up Janet's inner thigh, caressing her through the wool trousers.

"Oh God." Janet closed her eyes. "I don't think I can... hold on, Sam." She released the woman's hair and grabbed the edges of the chair as Sam's hand moved higher.

Sam tongued the edge of Janet's pants, tasting her abdomen where skin met cloth. "There's so much I want to do," she murmured, covering Janet's crotch with her palm.

"Like what?" Janet gasped, thrusting her hips forward on the chair, against Sam's hand. She shamelessly let Sam feel the heat between her legs.

Sam opened the top button of Janet's pants as she whispered, her voice husky with the effort to keep quiet. "I want to see your breasts." She opened the second button.

"I..." Janet opened her eyes. "They're nothing special." She studied the top of Sam's head.

Sam separated the folds of Janet's open pants and placed her hand on the flat of Janet's abdomen. "Please."

Janet hooked her fingers in the hem of her bra and pulled it up, freeing her breasts from confinement. They sagged slightly, toward Sam, who lifted herself on her knees to press her mouth to one. Her hand moved inside Janet's pants at the same moment her lips pulled on a hard nipple, and Janet whimpered. She sat up, curling her arms around Sam's back to encourage her mouth.

"Sam," she begged, as Sam's fingers stroked her through her underwear. The soaked fabric provided erotic, slightly slippery friction against her clitoris as Sam touched her. She spread her legs as wide as she could in the chair. The sensations of Sam's warm mouth, tugging and pulling at her breast, distracted her from what Sam's fingers were doing to her, and the dual pleasures were threatening to overwhelm her. She cupped Sam's face in her hands and urged her back, stroking her cheeks in apology. "Later... You can do that later..." She murmured to her lover.

Janet leaned further forward, panting in Sam's ear as Sam fondled her. She could smell herself, arousal and sweat mixed with the perfume of Rdek's harem, and imagined the whole tent stank of their sex. "Harder, Sam," she whispered, and then bit into Sam's earlobe as the hand between her legs suddenly applied more pressure.

"I'm close," Janet breathed. Sam arched up, burying her face so Janet could feel her lips on her throat. She could feel Janet trembling against her, and held her hand still as Janet clamped her thighs together and gasped.

Tears stung the corners of her closed eyes as Janet clung to Sam. She sagged into the chair, and Sam removed her hand and buttoned her pants. "What now?" Janet asked.

"Sleep."

Janet opened her eyes to see Sam grinning at her. "Sleep?"

"Sleep."

"But... What about...?" Janet faltered, looking away, at the incongruous form of an animal head hanging over the entrance flap.

Sam stood, and placed her hand on Janet's shoulder. "We'll talk when--"

"Carter." Her radio crackled.

Janet felt anger at the intrusion and covered Sam's hand with her own, responding to an urge for possession that surprised her.

Sam unclipped the radio with her free hand. "Go ahead, sir."

"Dawn in two hours. We'll leave then. Start packing."

"Aye, sir."

Sam re-clipped the radio and smiled at Janet. "Earth is waiting. The first thing I am going to do after debriefing is to find you."

"Okay." Janet drew Sam's hand to her lips.

Sam leaned down, pulling her hand away and replacing it with her own mouth, kissing Janet softly before stepping to the tent flap. "Rest."

Janet lolled her head on the back of the chair.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SG1 had made it through the Stargate without running into Rdek's men, and were debriefing Hammond in the conference room. "We don't think Rdek's men have any idea what the Stargate is," O'Neill reported. "We're 100% sure--" At a glare from Carter he cleared his throat. "99% sure they didn't see us go through, and will assume we returned to wherever Sam and Teal'c came from."

Teal'c raised his eyebrow.

"Entare," Sam clarified.

Daniel leaned forward. "I suggest we revisit next year to catch the next festival, and see how the political situation has progressed."

"Put a note in the dialing computer," Hammond said, frowning. "Why would they poison the people who were their slave pool?"

"Short-sightedness?" Daniel speculated. "Or perhaps they were just culling the herd."

Carter cringed.

"I can't believe it's snowing," Jack grumbled.

Hammond glanced over at him. "Colonel, it's winter in Colorado Springs."

"It's unfair." Jack folded his arms across his chest.

Hammond rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Janet. "So the fungus has been eradicated?"

"We gave D'rn's tribe a year's worth of supply, and showed him how to hide it. So even if Rdek tries again, they'll be ready. Hopefully, he'll assume it hasn't worked, and give up."

"And move on to another plan," Sam muttered.

Hammond looked thoughtful. "It's too bad we weren't able to find the source of the disease and neutralize it more effectively."

Janet looked down, but O'Neill answered firmly. "When the killing started, sir, the mission parameters changed."

Hammond nodded. "All right. You're dismissed, until 1200 tomorrow. SG3 is returning with Tok'ra intelligence."

The men pushed their chairs back and stood up. Janet lingered in hers, taking time closing her notebook and trying to catch Sam's eye.

Sam glanced up. Her gaze met Janet's and she looked directly at the doctor. Her lips parted to speak, but Hammond's voice interrupted, startling them both.

"Doctor Fraiser, can you go over the fungus and the cure with me in your office? I want to make sure we're on the same page for the report to Area 51."

Janet looked away from Sam and at the General. He smiled down at her. "Unless you'd rather rest."

"Now is good, sir. I'd rather get through it first, rather than having it hang over my head," she murmured. Sam stood up and edged toward the door.

Hammond nodded. "I thought you'd say that."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Despite Sam's promise, Janet was the one to seek her out as soon as the medical debriefing with Hammond ended, finally finding her in her lab. "You found me," Janet said softly. "Janet, I--" Sam cleared her throat and looked down at her report. She'd been faking absorption in her work for over an hour, waiting for Janet's meeting to be over, wondering if Janet was delaying things in the hopes that she would give up and stop waiting.

Janet leaned her hip against a table. "What happens off-world, stays off-world?" Her tone was wistful.

"I didn't--" Sam looked up sharply. "Come home with me, Janet."

"Come home with you?" The doctor raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude.

"Yes."

"Tonight?"

"Yes." Sam nervously watched Janet.

"Okay."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

"Do you spend a lot of time here?" Janet asked Sam, as the entered the foyer of Sam's house.

"Yeah." Sam rubbed the back of her neck. "I like coming home at the end of the day. Having a house. Having heirlooms. It makes me feel... normal."

Janet looked around, at the pictures on the walls. "So what am I doing here?"

Sam blinked, and turned to look at Janet. "You make me feel normal." She winced. "In a complimentary way, I mean. You--"

"Sam." Janet put a hand on her forearm to save her from rambling. "It's just... I've been trying all my life to be normal. To hide that part of myself that doesn't... quite fit in. So I've made a career for myself that lets me help people. I can let little parts of my heart through. But my home life is a blinding reminder of how I'm different."

"Huh." Sam mulled the information over. "I've always been 'exceptional'," she raised her free hand and made a quotation gesture. "I guess what I always really wanted was what my parents had, briefly." She rested her hand on Janet's shoulder. "What you and Cassandra give me."

Janet leaned in, resting her cheek on Sam's wrist. "I guess it is complimentary, then."

"I hope so." Sam grinned.

"You rogue."

Sam stepped forward, curling her arm around Janet's neck. She breathlessly looked down at the smaller woman.

Janet lifted herself on her toes and pressed her mouth to Sam's. Sam's lips were soft, and Sam's kisses, so bold on the mission, were timid now that they were together in Sam's home, now that each kiss was a declaration that this was more than an affair.

Sam slid her arms around Janet's waist and tugged her close, hugging her more than kissing her. She let Janet take the lead and clung to her as Janet's tongue slipped between her lips. Sam whimpered, leaning into the possession of Janet's kiss.

"I want to see you," Janet whispered.

Sam grinned as they parted. "You see me all the time."

"Not...the way I want to." Janet reached up and touched left Sam's breast, caressing her through her shirt. Sam grabbed Janet's hand and held it against her.

"Whatever you want." Sam murmured, cupping the smaller woman's cheek. "We're on your turf, remember?"

Janet ran her thumb over Sam's nipple, feeling it rise through the cotton. "I want to go to your bedroom."

"Okay." Sam paused. "Can we do that with our current posture? Because I don't want to let you go."

Janet leaned into Sam, exhaling as Sam's arm tightened around her shoulders. She pillowed her cheek on Sam's breast, still tracing the shape with her fingers.

"I could carry you," Sam suggested. She nuzzled the top of Janet's head.

"There's a drawback to sleeping with your doctor," Janet murmured, her voice muffled by Sam's shirt. "You're not going to carry me anywhere."

"Sleeping with--?" Sam's voice was hoarse.

Janet stepped back, drawing Sam's hand with her. "Let's go to your bedroom." Janet led Sam through her own house.

Sam balked. "I should shower."

Janet tightened her grip on Sam's hand. "Then I wouldn't be able to smell you."

Sam's bed was unmade, despite her absence from Earth for three days. Had it only been three days? Sam blushed at the haphazard comforter, at the askew pillows. She couldn't remember when she had last washed the sheets. If Sam's mother had been alive, she would be ashamed of Sam bringing a woman home to such unkemptness. Sam turned to Janet, looking apologetic.

Janet's attention was on the bed. Her lips were slightly parted, and Sam could see her breathing, gathering air to speak. Janet's lips curved into a smile. "Compared to your bed," she murmured, "We're overdressed."

Sam threw her head back and laughed. "I can fix that."

"You can fix anything."

Sam untucked her shirt from her jeans and pulled it over her head. She could feel Janet watching her, could see lust in Janet's eyes. She reached behind her, contorting, to unfasten her bra. The fabric fell to the floor. She stood in front of Janet naked from the waist up, her stomach shifting with each nervous breath.

Janet took a step closer, her line of sight level with Sam's breasts. "When I said I never got a look at you," She said softly, not touching Sam, "I lied. The first time I saw you, you were the most beautiful specimen ever to enter the infirmary." She placed her hand on Sam's abdomen, felt it quivering under her touch.

Sam inhaled. "It's not that I'm afraid of doctors." She moved toward Janet, so that the pressure of Janet's hand on her stomach increased, and Janet had to tilt her head back to continue to watch the blonde's lips as she spoke. "That's just the effect you have on me."

Janet tilted her chin down again, and leaned in to tuck her head against the hollow between Sam's breasts. She listened to Sam's heartbeat, measuring the tempo.

"Why don't you finish undressing me?" Sam suggested.

"What about me?"

"Soon enough." Sam wrapped her arms around Janet. She stroked the smaller woman's back with knowing fingers, and Janet's hand on Sam's stomach slid lower, resting on the bottom of Sam's jeans. "This is--"

"Life-changing," Sam answered, continuing her exploration of the contours of Janet's back. "I know."

"I'm glad we're at your house. I wouldn't have the courage to do it in my own."

Sam was silent. Janet heard the change in heartbeat under the skin. "You misunderstand," she murmured, placing a kiss on the slope of Sam's breast. "I want the courage." She popped the button of Sam's jeans.

Sam parted her lips.

Janet slid down the zipper.

Sam closed her eyes.

Janet drew away, and Sam felt her jeans being tugged down past her hips, and then felt a soft wetness against her belly. She opened her eyes and looked down to see Janet kneeling in front of her, kissing her stomach.

Janet shifted lower and exhaled against the curls between Sam's legs. She reached up to ruffle the patch of hair with long fingers as her mouth moved lower still, tasting the crux of Sam's thigh.

Sam stumbled. "Janet," she said when she remembered speaking, "Take off your clothes."

"Only if you get on the bed." Janet put her hands on Sam's hips and hauled herself to her feet. "And close your eyes."

Sam complied. When she opened her eyes again, as she was lying with her head and shoulders propped up by pillows. Janet stood nude in front of the bed. Sam smiled. Janet grinned back, and knelt on the edge of the bed, cupping Sam's foot. She bent her head and kissed the arch. At Sam's answering gasp, she bit into the pad of the sole. Then she traced Sam's calf with her tongue, moving upwards until she tasted the hollow under Sam's knee. "You shaved your legs," she murmured, moving up between Sam's legs.

"Yeah. As soon as I got to the base."

"Why?"

"I was hoping for a date." Sam moaned as Janet massaged her inner thighs.

"I see." Janet crouched over Sam. "Next time...I want to shave you."

Sam convulsed, reaching up to draw Janet into her arms. "Oh god. Okay."

Janet evaded her grasping, and seized her wrists. She pushed them over Sam's head, pinning them against the pillow, before bending down to capture Sam's lips in a hungry kiss. Her tongue darted into Sam's mouth, penetrating her, dodging the seductive warmth of Sam's tongue straining to meet her. She sucked on Sam's lower lip, tugging on it before drawing back again. "Keep your hands still, Sam."

Sam's eyes were closed. Her body flushed the hue of arousal as she shook underneath Janet. Satisfied with Sam's compliance, Janet released her wrists in order to crouch on all fours. Her head was even with Sam's breasts, and she dipped to capture a turgid nipple in her mouth.

Sam groaned and arched into her. Her hands remained where they were. "Good girl," Janet murmured, lapping at the wrinkled aureole. She tugged the pebble-hard tip between her lips, released it, took as much of Sam's breast into her mouth as she could, drew back to admire the wet sheen on the pale skin. She blew against the nipple to see Sam quiver.

When Sam vocalized her need, pleading and speaking Janet's name, Janet latched onto the other nipple, suckling firmly. Sam let out a low, rumbling groan.

Janet's lips moved lower, tasting Sam's belly, and then lower still. The woman she had rescued held Sam captive. Sam had walked into a Goa'uld pyramid, had tricked a warlord, had kept this woman safe, and now she whimpered as Janet's tongue entered her. "Janet," Sam cried, as Janet's lips found her clitoris. "I want you. I want you, too."

"You can have me." Janet whispered the words, and then shifted until she straddled Sam's head, burying her face between Sam's legs again to taste her from a new angle. She licked and explored the wet, swollen folds of Sam's vulva as she rotated her own hips above Sam's waiting mouth. She was the smaller woman, but she was on top, and Sam had to struggle to move her hands, to defy Janet's orders and grab Janet's hips.

With Janet's crotch settled against her mouth, Sam earned her first moan from her partner. They lapped at each other, their mouths sloppy in the sensation of being intimately touched, of feeling their own urgent quickening, and the need to pleasure their partner.

Janet came first, sitting on Sam's face, gasping as she rode the hard, wet, flattened tongue to climax. She suffocated Sam for a moment as she sagged, but Sam lifted her up, held onto her, as she trembled with release. "I love you, Sam," she said. Ever since the dungeon door opened and Sam had been standing there, not dead, the declaration had been inevitable.

"Janet." Sam crooned in response, spreading her legs.

Janet bent forward, maintaining her position. She parted Sam's folds with delicate fingers, and used her tongue to guide Sam's pleasure. She lapped with wide, slow strokes. She inhaled the muskiness of Sam's wetness that coated her cheeks, felt Sam's sweat on her thighs and belly. She felt the orgasm against her tongue just as Sam's body went rigid, and Sam's breath choked in mid-gasp. Sam convulsed, and Janet's kisses against her center followed her until she stopped quivering. Her knees slipped onto the bed.

Janet turned around, grinning at Sam's glazed expression. The woman's eyes were heavy-lidded, and she wore an exhausted smile.

Janet kissed her, their juices mingling.

Sam took a breath. "Want to stay over?"

Janet answered with a throaty chuckle. "Yes."

"Okay." Sam closed her eyes. "We should probably change the sheets."

"Yeah." Janet rolled off onto her back.

"Janet?"

"Mm."

"I love you, too."

Janet smiled to herself. "That makes things easier."

"Occam's razor. It's inevitable."

"Sam?"

"Mm?" Sam kept her eyes closed.

"If you ever talk math after sex again, I'm leaving you."

"What if I didn't talk, just traced the variables on your skin?" Sam rolled over, placing her hand on Janet's hips.

"That's okay."

"Good."

"Sam?"

"Mm?"

"Goodnight." Janet felt lips against her shoulder, and then a whispered, "Say it again."

Janet shifted, facing Sam. "I love you."

"Because I saved you?"

"Because you're decent in bed."

Sam grinned, and ducked to kiss her lover, and the night was theirs.