fistfull of rain

Author: Geonn

Email: neil_j_miser@yahoo.com

Rating: NC17

Pairings: Sam/Janet

Category: Drama, Romance

Series: Third in "Storm Warning" series, after "Like The Rain."

Website: www.realmoftheshadow.com/geonn.htm

Disclaimer: These folks don't belong to me. I stole them from MGM's toybox without asking their mommies for permission. I promise to return them more or less unscathed.

Spoilers: Movie, "Out of Mind," "Legacy," "Foothold," "Watergate," "The Light," "The Tomb," "Meridian," "Frozen,"

Notes: Astute readers will notice similarities between this story and "Unknown" and "Lab 4." Is it still plagarism if you steal from yourself? Also, Chapter One contains some pretty graphic (in my terms anyway) descriptions of an autopsy. Be careful reading that part! All lyrics and songs used in this story, including the title, are by Warren Zevon. The poem, of course, is by Robert Frost.

Archive: Yes, just let me know where it'll be.

Summary: Janet and Sam finally sit down to discuss their relationship, but an unforeseen accident may separate them.

Sound Clip


Prologue,

P3Q-52R was completely deserted. Behind the Stargate, hills rolled towards the horizon. Trees, tall and magnificent trees, dotted the landscape. On the horizon, the towers of a small town were visible. The denizens here were struggling against evolution, trying to create a sizable niche for themselves before their civilization was ready for it. The result was wide-spread settlements and dozens upon dozens of people falling through the cracks. They had tried too hard to do too much too fast and now they were paying the price. Their world was crumbling, people falling through the cracks... it had initially reminded the SG team of Earth in the Depression-era. People had been grateful for the MREs the Major had offered them.

Colonel Jamison Van Owen, however, cared little about the economic conditions of the world. He coughed up blood on the red dome of the DHD and brushed away the red spot, shaking his head angrily. He could barely think. Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose and he shook it away. He pressed the center dome and the Stargate activated, but he didn't run towards it. He was never going home again.

Grabbing his mic from his shoulder, he contacted the SGC. "This is Colonel Jamison Van Owen of SG-6. Do not, under any circumstances travel to P3Q-5..." He closed his eyes. What the hell was this planet called? "P3Q-52R," he managed.

He dropped the radio and coughed, considering charging the wormhole and diving through. Would impacting the iris be a painless way to go? Or would it be like being hit by a truck? He decided against it, fearing that the thing inside of him would survive and spread through the base. He stepped away from the DHD and waited for the Gate to shut down.

Once the hum of the event horizon had left the world in quiet peace, he realized exactly how alone he was. He sobbed and ran his finger over the gold ring on his left hand. The ring was melted to his flesh, seared there forever... "I'm sorry, Gwenny," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Gwendolyn."

He turned and looked in the direction of the village, then unfastened his service revolver from it's holster. He hefted the weapon in his hands, feeling the grip get hotter as he held it. He wiped away the sweat from his eyes and pressed the muzzle against his temple.


Chapter One,

"Still out here in the wind and rain
Look a little older but I feel no pain
And it stands to reason
I'm still looking for love."
-- Warren Zevon

Janet sipped her coffee and stared out the window at the leaves outside of the restaurant window. She hadn't been to sleep since Sam's little appearance and the night was starting to catch up with her. She had barely even attempted to get dressed; she was wearing a sweatshirt with the name of her high school on it, jeans and a baseball cap. She was also wearing a pair of eyeglasses that she hoped hid the dark bags under her eyes. She had spent the entire night just trying to figure out what to do with Sam and how to deal with this sudden and unexpected revelation.

Before Sam had arrived, Janet had made a decision of her own; she had called her ex-husband. It hadn't been the wisest decision she'd ever made and it had ended in a huge fight, but she was bound and determined to not end up an old maid. So what if she didn't exactly love him? There were plenty of marriages out there without love... She sipped her coffee and leaned back. Of course, Sam had arrived and thrown everything out of whack.

Sam was a beautiful woman, there was no denying that. Anyone, male or female, would be glad to know that someone like Samantha Carter loved them. But... a relationship with another woman? Was she ready to take that step? She chuckled. 'I called my ex-husband,' she thought. 'I'm ready to take *any* step...'

She looked up just as Sam came in and waved, smiling as the blonde made her way over. "Hi," Sam said softly, taking her seat. "Have you ordered yet?"

Janet shook her head. "Just coffee."

"It smells great," Sam said. "I didn't sleep a wink last night."

"Neither did I," Janet admitted, smiling. "But... I had a lot of things to think about."

"I know, I know," Sam said, motioning for the waitress to bring her some coffee. "But... I'm willing to give you all the time in the world to consider this. It's no small thing, I understand that."

Janet nodded. "I called my ex-husband."

Sam frowned. "You what?"

"Before you came over, before you said all those beautiful things to me. I called Kevin. I've just been... so scared lately of, of growing old alone and being alone. I hate going to bed by myself and I guess I snapped or something. There's a song called Reconsider Me that goes 'And I'll never make you sad again cause I swear that I've changed since then.' I guess I figured it might apply to that slimeball I married." She sighed. "I called him. I told him I was lonely. I told him that I might want to work things out. He... said some nasty things that made me remember why we broke up and we had a huge fight." She ran a hand over her face, sticking her fingers under her glasses to wipe her tears away. "That's why I was so... frustrated when you came over last night."

"Are you okay?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yeah," Janet whispered. Sam's coffee arrived and Sam ordered for both of them; they had been there enough that the waitress knew them by name. When she was gone, Janet said, "I want to try."

Sam's heart stopped. It took two or three tries for her brain to convince it to rev up again. She managed to ask, "Really?"

Janet nodded. "Yes."

Sam sighed and smiled, leaning back in her chair and blinking rapidly. "It's a good thing you're a doctor," she finally said. "I think I'll need First Aid in a minute."

Janet grinned and reached across the table, stroking Sam's fingers. "Do you really love me?"

"I do," Sam nodded. "I really do. How could I not?"

Janet nodded and looked down at the table. Their food had just arrived when Sam's pager beeped. "Damn it," she hissed, pulling the infernal box from her belt and looking at it. "Damn, damn, damn... I have to go to the base," she said. "Will I see you at the base?"

"I'm off today."

Sam's spirits dropped.

"But I'll come in if you call me," she said, smiling.

Sam smiled. "Excellent. I'll make it a point to call." She gathered her things, then looked at Janet. "Can I kiss you good-bye?"

Janet tensed slightly. It was an innocent request. It wasn't like they had never kissed before. But there was something about it that seemed... she finally said, "No. You can't kiss me good-bye." She stood, walked around to Sam's side of the table and softly kissed her lips. She stroked her friend's hair and said, "You be careful, okay? Make sure you're not calling me to come patch you up."

"Yes, Doctor," Sam said, mock-saluting. She was blushing as she pulled a twenty from her purse and laid it on the plate to pay for their food. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Janet nodded and watched Sam leave.

---

"Thank you for coming so quickly, SG-1," Hammond said, taking his seat at the head of the table.

Jack O'Neill steepled his fingers and said, "Not a problem, Sir. You say jump and I ask... if that would be the best course of action."

Hammond successfully held back his grin. "This is not the time, Colonel. SG-6 is missing-in-action. We're not sure of the situation, but we received this call from them three hours ago." He placed a tape recorded on the table and pressed play, repeating Colonel Van Owen's final plea. When it was finished, Hammond continued, "We've tried contacting them several times, but have received no reply. We believe they may have been compromised or have fallen victim to some kind of Goa'uld trap."

"And we're the lucky winners who get to go find out?" Jack asked.

"Exactly."

Jack waved his fists triumphantly. "Oh, goody."

---

Sam hated the masks they were forced to wear when entering a potentially hazardous situation. She adjusted the breathing aparatus over her mouth and looked around. "Seems... deserted, Sir."

Jonas had moved far to the right and was the first to notice the body. "Except for him," he said, his voice coming over the radios they carried in their helmets. The rest of the team joined him and saw what remained of Colonel Jamison Van Owen. He was crumpled on the ground, his hand still clutching his weapon. The skin of his face and hands were all tinted deep crimson, as if he had been sunburned. It was obvious he had shot himself. "Oh, God," Jack whispered, his hand instinctively going to his mouth. "I take it that's..."

"Colonel Van Owen," Sam confirmed, kneeling next to the body.

Jack hated that he had never met the man; the SGC had grown to such proportions that it seemed like they were adding teams by the truckload. There were entire teams he didn't know. And now, one of those faceless many was laying at his feet, dead by his own bullet. "Anyone here know this guy?"

Jonas shrugged. "I met him once in the Mess. Seemed like a nice enough guy."

"Colonel Van Owen would not have taken his own life unless he deemed it necessary."

"When is it necessary to kill yourself?" Jack snapped, trying to repress the memory of his own suicidal tendencies after Charlie's death. He shook his head and said, "All right. How many people on SG-6?"

Sam thought for a moment. "Five. Two civilians."

"All right," Jack sighed, turning and scanning the horizon. "Jonas, you and Teal'c head towards the village they were supposed to be checking out. Carter and I will get this guy ready for the Doc to look over back home."

Jonas and Teal'c headed off and Sam started preparing Van Owen's body for transfer to the SGC. Jack dialed Earth and contacted Hammond, letting him know they needed a decontamination unit set up in the Gate Room, plus an immediate quarantine of one of the isolation labs. He was about to sign off when Sam remembered Janet's parting words at breakfast and said, "Sir? Maybe we should call in Dr. Fraiser. She *is* an expert in exotic diseases. Maybe she could figure out what happened here."

"Good call," Jack said. "Get Dr. Fraiser to the base, too, Sir. Tell her it's a priority."

"Will do, Colonel. Keep your people safe," Hammond said, signing off.

They loaded Van Owen's body into a mobile quarantine unit and started towards the village to rendezvous with Jonas and Teal'c. They intercepted each other at the halfway point. "They're all dead," Jonas reported. "We found them in the middle of town. Lots of burned bodies and three wearing charred SGC jackets. I think Van Owen must've burned them all alive."

"He must have had a reason," Sam said. "I'm thinking there was some kind of outbreak here and he was trying to contain it."

"By killing his team?" Jack asked, turning on her. "Gee, wish we'd had that strategy when we got addicted to that Goa'uld Light. 'Just kill us, General. Nothing else we can do.'"

"He may not have had that option, Colonel," she replied, adding extra bite to his rank. "We shouldn't judge him for his actions."

Jack nodded and looked around. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Whaddaya say we get outta this ghost world?"

---

"Would you like some almond cookies? I think I finally got the recipe right and would like some honest feedback." Gwendolyn Van Owen smiled and handed Hammond two foil-wrapped cookies from the pocket of her apron. He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. She was a beautiful woman, her blonde hair resting on her shoulders and framing a supermodel's face. She had given birth to two children, but there wasn't an extra ounce on her. Hammond could barely look at her.

"Mrs. Van Owen, I'm sorry, but this isn't exactly a social call."

Her face collapsed like something inside of her had imploded. "Oh." She blinked and looked at the cookies in her outstretched hand. "Oh," she repeated.

"Your husband was... on a routine mission when..." He looked down at his polished shoes on the porch of Jamison Van Owen's modest one-story house and hated himself for a moment before he continued. "I'm sorry. He was involved in a jeep accident. The fuel tank exploded and he was burned badly."

Gwendolyn was trembling and she hugged herself tightly. "Did he... go quickly?"

"The doctors believe so," Hammond said. "Is there anybody I can call for you? Someplace you'd like to go?"

She shook her head slowly. "My... mom works in Denver. I-I call her. She'll be here by the time the kids get out of school..." She shook her head and covered her face. "He's really dead?"

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Van Owen. I truly am." He replaced the cap on his head and turned, walking back to his car. The aide was standing by the back door and opened it for him, knowing how painful this kind of thing was for the General. "Let's go," Hammond said quietly.

---

As they waited for Janet to get to the base - Davis claimed he had apparently pulled her out of bed, though Sam knew otherwise - the team read the SG-6's reports on the planet for their examination. It was normal, routine stuff. They were examining a world that was seemingly dead and abandoned, though their findings indicated that it hadn't been abandoned very long. On the first day, Major Roland Potts had taken ill with a fever and started remaining at camp while the rest of the team continued their explorations.

It was there that the reports started getting sketchier. Van Owen stopped being so meticulous with his notations, indicating they had explored 'a large building' or 'some kind of cellar.'

On the fourth day of the mission, Van Owen bluntly reported Potts had died. That was the same day the team had stopped communicating with the SGC, failing to check in with the base. Three days after that, one week after beginning their mission, Van Owen had contacted the base and put a bullet in his brain.

Sam felt an involuntary shudder and closed the folder. Something awful had happened on that planet. The question Janet now had to answer was what had caused a soldier like Van Owen to kill his entire team and then himself?

---

Janet adjusted her tie and stepped into the infirmary. Dr. Warner checked his clipboard, obviously perturbed that they had again called Dr. Fraiser in when he was on duty. He smiled curtly at her and said, "Your... patient is in Lab C-2. Enjoying your day off?"

"Actually, I'm enjoying it a lot," she smiled and waved, leaving the infirmary to go to the iso-lab. She was halfway to the elevator when Sam intercepted her. "Hey, Sam!" she winked. "Couldn't resist calling me, huh?"

Sam smiled and stepped into the elevator. "Yeah... about that. Janet, I want you to be very careful with this guy. He's been getting steadily warmer since we brought him back from the planet. I'm... just a little worried about what happened on that planet."

"Why don't you fill me in?" Janet asked, suddenly becoming the professional.

Sam told her everything she knew. Jamison Van Owen had called in, told the SGC to avoid P3Q-52R, and put a bullet in his brain. She didn't know if the call came before or after he had apparently burned the rest of his team alive. Janet shivered and stepped out of the elevator. "So we're dealing with someone who snapped?"

"Well... just keep an open mind when you're examining him." She patted her friend on the shoulder and softly asked, "Will I see you tonight?"

"Of course," Janet said, feeling like a teenager awaiting her first date. It was just so silly, but she couldn't help but feel giddy. She pushed personal feelings aside and went into the lab.

After the near-catastrophic events concerning Ma'chello's Goa'uld-killing devices, Hammond had been reluctant to let anyone unnecessary be in the lab during an examination. So Janet was sealed into the lab alone while Sam went into the observation room. Hammond and O'Neill were already there, waiting patiently for the doctor to arrive. She was presently in the airlock between rooms, sliding into a protective suit like the kind SG-1 had worn to the planet. Finally, she appeared, tugging at the black rimmed collar of the white suit. "Okay," she said, approaching the body on the table. "Let's see what happened here."

Sam felt another shudder travel down her spine and straightened her back. 'Wow,' she thought. 'Second in one day.' That should have been her sign that something was going to go wrong. She ignored it, instead deciding to shake off the feeling and lean forward to watch Janet do her job.

"Okay," Janet said, sliding a block under the body to raise the chest and cause the arms to fall to either side. She clicked on a tape recorder on a desk near the autopsy table. "Subject is Colonel Jamison Van Owen, cause of death: one bullet wound to head. Manner of death believed to be suicide." She looked up at Sam through the glass and said, "Although here, it could be just about anything."

Sam smiled and leaned forward. "Janet, does he still feel hot to you?"

She touched his throat, then looked at her chart. "My God. He's 50 degrees warmer than when you brought him in." She looked up at the people in the observation room. "How could that be?"

"We're not sure. He was hot on the planet, but we thought maybe he had been sunburned or had been laying out in the sun for too long. Is there a disease that we know of that could cause such a temperature spike?"

"Not after death," Janet shook her head. She looked at Van Owen's dead face and said, "Full of mysteries, aren't you, Colonel?" She picked up her scalpel and spoke to the recorder again. "I'm preparing to make the Y-incision." She made the initial cuts, then opened the man's chest.

In the observation room, Sam became fascinated to the point of obsession with her fingernails. Hammond figured there was no time like the present to wind his watch. Teal'c remained where he was, keenly observing this medical ritual. Jack O'Neill, having been told an autopsy was going to be performed, was three levels away, reading a magazine. Sam cleared her throat and forced herself to look up again.

Janet had removed the ribs and part of the abdominal and pericardial sac, exposing the internal organs. Sam felt herself gagging, but covered her mouth and watched Janet work. The woman was amazing... She smiled, trying not to focus on what the petite woman was actually doing. Janet was speaking quietly into the tape recorder, marking her findings. "Sir," she said, looking at the glass. "All of his organs are warm to the touch. Was he kept in the freezer after he was brought here?" It was a stupid question; the SGC didn't have a morgue, so there were no iceboxes to keep people in. The commissary had told her no on more than one occasion...

"We tried to keep him as cool as possible. As you can see, it's easier said than done with this body," Hammond reported.

Janet grimaced behind her mask and began to remove the organs from Van Owen's body. "It's warmer between and underneath his organs," she muttered, pulling back slightly.

In one blinding instant, Sam suddenly couldn't breathe. Her nausea was no longer being caused by the autopsy. She felt herself break out in a cold sweat and grabbed the mic. "Janet, get out of there!" She didn't know what was wrong, she just knew Janet couldn't stay in that room another minute. "Get out of there!" she repeated.

Teal'c had tensed at the Major's outburst, but Hammond and Janet had the same reaction; they froze. Sam stood, pushing her chair across the room with the motion. "JANET!" she called.

Sam's horrors came to life an instant later. In a flash, Jamison Van Owen's body burst into flames, his open chest acting as a kind of barbecue pit. Janet yelled and jumped back, cradling her hand to her stomach. Sam watched in horror as Janet collided with the table holding the tape recorder and collapsed amid a shower of medical supplies. Sam wanted to cry, wanted to scream, but she could barely think over the sudden blaring of the klaxons. She turned to hurry to her friend's aid, but Teal'c held her back. "Do not attempt to enter that room, Major Carter," he warned.

"Teal'c... Let me go." Her voice was so strong that the powerful Jaffa very nearly did what he was told.

Hammond interjected. "You'll do her no good being trapped in their with her, Major."

Sam frowned. "Trapped?" She turned and looked inside, seeing what they meant. Janet's hand was burned, which meant that it was more than likely breached. The scalpels and other tools that had fallen on her had torn her suit in several places. She had been exposed to the environment of the quarantine. She was trapped inside the room with a dead body and was now, more than likely, suffering from the same disease. Sam wanted to cry. After a moment, image be damned, she started to weep.

"In a heart there are windows and doors
You can let the light in
You can feel the wind blow
When there's nothing to lose
And nothing to gain
Grab a hold of that fistful of rain."
-- Warren Zevon


Chapter Two,

"Sometimes love is wet and cold
Similar to rain, just a hard to hold
Love can make you sad and blue
If you don't watch out it'll fall all over you."
-- Warren Zevon

Sam pressed both palms to the glass and stared at a nightmare scene. After the initial shock of the situation set in, Teal'c and Hammond had rushed off to alert whoever needed alerting. Sam had remained behind to, she had told them, make sure everything was okay when Janet came to. But the truth was, *nothing* about this was okay. Janet was laying in a room, her suit ripped, exposed to an apparently fatal disease. No. Nothing was okay about this situation.

---

At first, Janet thought that she had fallen over drunk. She'd done that only a few times in her life; once in college and another time when she had graduated medical school. But neither of those times had involved something big and plastic stuck over her head. She felt it out and managed to deduce it was some kind of helmet with a glass in front. She also realized that she was being rained on. Sprinklers... emergency sprinklers. In an instant, she realized what had happened. Van Owen, the explosion, being knocked unconscious...

Her head was pounding mercilessly, but the helmet was keeping her from rubbing her temples or the bridge of her nose. She forced herself to stand and make her way over to the table. Jamison Van Owen's smoldering remains were being drenched by the downpour, but there was nothing Janet could really do to stop it... She looked down at herself and confirmed her fears; her suit had been torn in three... four... five places. She lifted her hands and saw the burned glove.

Moving carefully so she didn't injure anything that was already injured, she peeled back the blackened material and examined her skin below. It wasn't burned, thank God, but it was red, warm... and definitely exposed. She wouldn't be able to leave this room. She shuddered and looked to the observation room. Sam was sitting there, alone, her hands covering her face. She was rocking back and forth, shaking her head slowly. "Sam?" she asked.

Sam jerked and looked down, eyes wide. "Janet!" she called, before remembering she needed the mic. She snaked it around and spoke, "Janet! A-are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

"I hurt my ass when I fell," the doctor complained.

Despite herself, Sam smiled. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Behind her mask, Janet blushed and looked down at the table. Sam explained, "Hammond and Teal'c went to the Command Center to see if they could get some outside help. We have calls out to the Tok'ra, but haven't heard anything so far... Jonas and Colonel O'Neill are helping, but we may have to go back to the planet to investigate."

"Why didn't you go?"

"I wasn't going to abandon you," Sam said, as if it was the stupidest question she'd ever heard. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Janet started to reply with a standard 'I'm fine,' but Jamison Van Owen's body convinced her to be more thorough. She mentally looked at herself, examining how her body was reacting, then shook her head. "I don't feel anything yet. Not like I usually am before I get sick."

"How are you usually?"

"I get bitchy," Janet said, smiling up at Sam.

Sam smiled again. 'How can I smile when Janet's in this situation?' she thought. 'She's amazing...' She angled the mic towards her mouth again. "You can probably take off the suit. It'll be more comfortable, I think."

Janet nodded and began to unfasten the zippers and buttons that usually made certain there was no contamination. Excellent job they were doing. When she finished, she untucked her uniform blouse from her skirt and rubbed the back of her neck. "Okay. Let's look at what's liable to happen. When you found Van Owen on the planet, he was already hot? Sunburned?" Sam nodded. "And he was hot when I started examining him."

Sam sat up straighter. "Oh, my God. He didn't burn his team alive. They *burned* alive by themselves?"

"They got some kind of infection that slowly started to burn them alive." Janet walked over to the table and looked down at the body. "His wedding ring is melted to his finger. His watch is melted. I think we're on to something here."

"He microwaved from the inside out?" Sam asked, wincing.

"It looks that way," Janet said. "I'm going to look for any kind of infection that could've caused that kind of reaction." She shook her head. "Something else brought back through the damned Gate."

It had been SG-1's mission to bring the remains back to the SGC, so Sam winced, feeling as if it was a jab at her personally.

"Okay. I'm taking a sample from his lungs," Janet announced, before hunching over the body and preparing to scrape something from the exposed organ.

---

Hours later, Sam was still rooted to the chair in the observation room. Janet tossed something aside and shook her head, muttering at the table. "Janet," she prodded.

The brunette turned. "I haven't found anything, Sam. Not a damned thing." She ran a hand over her forehead and looked at the sweat it came back with. "Is... is this..."

"You're been working hard," Sam said. "It's not a sign you're overheating. Janet, listen to me... you won't end up the way Van Owen did."

Janet glanced at Jamison Van Owen's dead body and shuddered. She went to the cabinet and withdrew a fire blanket, covering the body completely. She rolled the table to one side of the room and put a white sheet over the fire blanket. Out of sight, out of mind, Sam decided. "We'll find a way to solve this," she promised. "Teal'c and Jonas are returning to the planet to look for signs of what caused it."

"A damn bug," Janet snapped. "That's what caused it."

*"Not like I usually am before I get sick."*

*"How are you usually?"*

*"I get bitchy."*

Sam shook her head as she recalled Janet's fateful earlier words. "Janet, I'm going to go see if I can get some other help. Will you be all right by yourself for a while?"

"Yes, fine, go," Janet growled. Sam stood, moving towards the door, but paused when she heard Janet call out, "Wait!"

The doctor's call had been muffled by the glass, but Sam still heard and returned to her chair. "Yes?" she said.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Janet said, shaking her head slowly. "I'm... sorry. I didn't mean to be so bitchy. But..." She closed her eyes.

"We'll find a way," Sam quietly whispered. "You're not getting out of our date this easily."

Janet looked up and smiled, but Sam was horrified at how red the other woman's face looked. 'Just imaginging it,' she told herself. 'Her face is fine. Just fine.' She nodded and said, "I'll be back soon. I'll send someone in to keep you company."

Janet nodded again. "Okay. Don't be gone too long."

"I swear," Sam said.

---

A few minutes later, Sam sat at her computer terminal and typed a short note. It was sent out over the Internet and she gathered her things. She didn't have much time to get to the meeting point. She turned... and gasped. She had been alone in her office, the door locked to avoid someone stumbling in and seeing what she had written. So the arrival of the woman standing before her was a bit of a shock. Her identity was also a bit of a shock.

"Tae'ya," Sam said. "You're here."

"I am," the redhead nodded, walking over to the table and taking a seat on a stool. Her once long, beautiful hair had been cut short against her skull. She seemed pale and a little thinner than Sam remembered. She rearranged her robes and skirt, drawing her knees up and resting her hands on them. "I'm here to help you."

Sam frowned. "Help me? A-and what happened to you? You look like hell."

Tae'ya looked away, closing her eyes for a moment. "You may defy the Others once. Even twice. They do not take kindly to repeat offenders. I created a child, altered the lineage of royalty, saved the lives of several people I cared about, meddled with what they call trivial affairs and... I suffered the consequences." She forced a smile and said, "However that is not why I am here."

"You can't help," Sam said. "Not if this is what they did to you last time. Did... they torture you?"

She closed her eyes and said, "The worst aspect of punishment in my civilization is that... the accused often picks their own sentence. I did this to myself. I felt I deserved it."

"My God," Sam said.

"I will help you now, if you so wish."

Sam shook her head. "No way in hell. I won't let you get hurt again."

"I can help you without defying the others. I can save Janet Fraiser's life without breaking any of their rules."

"How can you..." She figured it out almost immediately. "No. Absolutely not. I will *not* let Janet ascend." She shook her head and waved her hands in front of her face as if to wave away the very thought. "No."

Tae'ya stood as well. "With respect, Sam... it is her decision. You cannot make the choice for her."

Sam closed her eyes. "It's not fair. I... she could love me. I told her everything, Tae'ya. Everything about... about how I felt and what I wanted from her and she-she didn't run screaming for the hills," Sam chuckled. "I never imagined she'd actually want me, too." She brushed her eyes and said, "I don't want to lose her like I lost Daniel. Not when I'm this close to everything I ever wanted."

"Allow me to give her the option, Samantha."

Sam licked her lips, looked at the ceiling of her office and quietly said, "Okay. Give her the option. But if she says yes... give me a chance to say good-bye, okay?"

"I promise you, Samantha."

---

Harrison Maybourne had never been a well-liked individual. In high school, his tormentors had been unable to think of a taunt for his name (kids were cruel, if not necessarily clever), so they had taken to calling him Froggy. He had worn big round glasses like his father and had an impossible-to-tame cowlick. Girls laughed at him and guys teased him to impress their girls. High school had not been fun. Neither had elementary school, or any other school.

But he had finally managed to gain a modicum of respect by joining the Air Force. His position in the NID had led to a position of power over many, many individuals. He had felt bulletproof... for about a minute. After effortlessly corraling his subordinates and gaining a reputation as a force to be reckoned with, Harry Maybourne - now a Colonel, outranking and in charge of most of the people in his office - had run into a new form of bullies. Bullies that took the form of Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, a Jaffa turncoat and someone even nerdier than a fifteen-year-old Maybourne.

It was like high school all over again.

Fortunately, just like high school, things appeared to be making a turn for the better. He was out of the military, labeled a traitor,  but he still had power. Oooh, did he have power. And if anyone wanted access to that power, they had to know how to deal with Harry Maybourne. They also had to know how to suck up their pride and kiss a little ass. They had to show they NEEDED his help. And that gave him a power high that lasted weeks...

As he tightened the jacket around his bulging belly (reminding himself he needed to start that diet tomorrow), he made his way towards the pre-arranged rendezvous point. He was halfway there when he heard a soft voice say, "Maybourne."

He turned, recognizing the voice but not fully understanding the context. "Major Carter," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Not who I was expecting, but I can't say I'm disappointed. How can I help you this afternoon?"

She stood, fiddling with the zipper on her leather jacket and avoiding eye contact. "I need your help," she finally admitted.

He looked her over, from her short blonde hair to the way she filled out her sweater, jeans and leather jacket. She was the embodiment of every cheerleader that had ever clung to a football player while poor Harrison picked up the books that had been knocked out of his hands. As beautiful as she was... Maybourne kind of wanted to see her fail. "I can't help you."

"You don't even know what I need," she snapped, finally raising her eyes to his.

"I'm assuming you're looking for some kind of antidote for Dr. Fraiser's condition. I don't have it."

Sam clenched her teeth and glared at him. He chuckled and looked around the park. "I still have contacts within the SGC, Major Carter. Did you need anything else?"

"You have contacts," Sam said, approaching him. "You were part of the Russian Stargate program and I *know* they're holding back information. The Eye of Tiamat proves that. Tell me what you know."

Maybourne glared at her. "I'm *telling* you what I know, Major Carter. The Russians... no one has ever encountered this kind of disease before." He sighed and glanced towards a group of kids playing near the parking lot. "I wish I could help you, Major. Truly, I do. But I know nothing about a... microwaving disease."

Sam sighed.

Maybourne chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "You... were never in covert ops, were you Major Carter?"

She looked up, wondering what this had to do with anything. "No. I wasn't."

Maybourne nodded slowly and gestured to the parking lot. "Say hello to Starsky for me. Good-bye, Major." He turned and started walking back to his car as Sam scanned the parking lot. Jack O'Neill was leaning against his truck, kicking at the gravel by the tire. She rolled her eyes and marched towards her car, hoping the Colonel wouldn't say anything.

"You went to Maybourne," Jack said, dashing her hopes as she was opening her car door.

She paused, leaning against the door. "She's dying, Sir."

"And Jonas and Teal'c are looking for a cure on the world. You know that."

"What if they don't find it?"

"They might."

"What if THEY DON'T?" Sam snapped, turning to face him. "What if Janet dies in that room and I didn't do a damned thing to stop it? What if she dies because I sat on my ass and played by the rules? What then, O'Neill?"

Jack was unphased by her tirade. "Then you mourn her, you bury her and you move on. You don't go to someone like Maybourne just because--"

"You went to Maybourne, Sir. When I was in trouble, you went to Maybourne for help."

Jack inhaled slightly and said, "That's different."

"Yes," Sam agreed, her voice a bit softer. "Yes, it is different. Because in this case, there are actual feelings at stake. See you at the base, Colonel." She turned and climbed into her car, speeding out of the parking lot and leaving a rooster's-tail of gravel behind her. Jack grit his teeth and kicked his tire angrily.

---

Janet shook her head. She'd only seen Tae'ya twice; the first time had been during an exam and the second had been when the redhead appeared nude in the Gate Room. Both situations had been memorable in their own way, so Janet knew how awful the woman looked. She also knew that the offer was real. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"I am. If you agree, we will begin the process and you will join the others."

Janet looked at the palm of her right hand and bit her lip. "Ascension. And life." She held up the other hand. "No ascension and death." Back to the right, she said, "Ascension... no Sam. Death, no Sam. She just told me she loved me, you know. I don't... get to hear that very often."

"I find that difficult to believe," Tae'ya smiled.

Janet returned the expression. "If I ascend... there's no turning back.

"None."

The brunette nodded. "I have faith. In Sam, in the SGC... I'm not ready to give up on her, Tae'ya. I'm sorry, but... I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm going to stay here."

Tae'ya looked down for an instant, then stood. "Samantha said you *could* love her. What did she mean by that?"

Janet shrugged. "I'm not sure how I feel."

"You're willing to die, Janet. Rather than ascending and assuring you'll never be with Sam, you're willing to ride out this terrible disease in the hopes they can cure it. Tell me... if it were not for Sam, would you have taken my offer? If she had never said anything to you about her feelings?"

Janet's eyes widened. "If I didn't know how Sam felt... if she hadn't opened my eyes last night." She sighed. "I would probably accept your offer."

Tae'ya smiled. "There is no 'maybe' about how you feel, Janet Fraiser. Enjoy your time with Samantha... may it be very long indeed." She bent down and kissed Janet's forehead, vanishing in a flash of light that nearly blinded the doctor.

Sergeant Siler looked up from the desk in the observation room, frowning. "Um... Dr. Fraiser? D-did something just happen in there?"

Janet couldn't stop smiling. "No, Sergeant. Not a thing..."

---

Cassandra threw the towel over her shoulder and used one end to blot her face, making her way towards the benches. Unnecessary roughness? It's not like she had been trying to play rugby out there... just protecting her team's interests. Practice or no practice, the other team was the enemy. She sat down and pulled a water bottle from her book bag, taking a long drink and watching the rest of the practice (such as it was). She sighed and stretched her legs out, laying down on the bench and staring up at the sky. "Cassandra?"

She groaned. Edward Kittleton, one of the biggest dweebs around. Equipment manager for the school soccer team and Number One Fan of Cassandra. She ignored him, pretending to be asleep. "Cass?" the voice was closer now, so she cracked an eye.

"Hey, Eddie."

He bristled slightly. No one - not even the wonderful, great Cassandra Fraiser - could get away with that very often. "Edward," he corrected. "I, uh..." He pointed towards the parking lot. "I was just wondering. Isn't that your mom's car?"

Cassandra sat up, turning to make sure it wasn't. "No, Eddie, it's-- Yeah," she corrected, surprised. "Yeah, it is. I wonder what she's doing here..."

"Maybe she's picking you up," Edward offered. "If she's not, you think maybe I could give you a ride home? I have my mom's Dart, so I was thinking--"

She didn't hear the rest of his awkward request. She was already making her way towards the car. It had to be Sam's; no one else in Colorado Springs drove a Volvo like that. She was almost on top of it when the door opened and Sam climbed out, slamming the door and closing the distance between them. "Hey, Sam!" Cassandra said, smiling brightly and hugging the blonde. "Come to see me play?"

"Yeah, kind of," Sam said, sounding distracted. She scanned the field. "Why are you benched?"

"Unnecessary roughness," Cassandra growled. "'Course, if I do it in a game, the coach names me MVP." She shook her head, brushing her hair out of her face. Indicating Sam's black t-shirt and green pants, she asked, "What're you really doing here?"

Sam winced and said, "I, uh... Something bad happened at the base and I might not be able to come home for a couple of days."

"How bad?" Cassie asked, suddenly fearful of alien invasions and look-alike invaders. She had been terrified three years ago when her moms had come home and explained their days-long absense. But... Sam was here. What could have happened?

"Bad," Sam nodded, pulling her wallet from the pocket of her leather jacket. "Look, um... here's a hundred dollars and my credit card. Try not to go too crazy with the pizzas and junk food, okay? Here are my keys... I'll take a cab back to the mountain." She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair. "Um... what am I forgetting?"

Cassie clutched the handful Sam had given her. "You're forgetting to tell me what's going on. Tell me, Sam."

Sam lowered her head. "Nothing you have to worry yourself about right now. Trust me, Cassandra. We've got everything taken care of, and it'll just take some time to clear everything up."

Cassandra looked down at the money in her hand, then grabbed Sam and hugged her tightly. "You *will* bring her home soon, right?" she asked softly.

Lightly brushing the teen's hair, Sam whispered, "I hope so, Cassandra. I hope so."

---

Teal'c and Jonas took their seats after having gone through a thorough decontamination procedure. Jonas spoke first. "We originally discovered the bodies of SG-6 and immediately reported back to the Gate. This time we went a little further and found that the problem was widespread. The entire village SG-6 was visiting had been destroyed."

"How far did the disease reach?" Hammond asked.

"We found some radio equipment and attempted to contact outside villages," Teal'c reported. "We made contact with one man who did not reveal his name, but he did express concern at the disease we had encountered."

Jonas picked up, "They call it In-cinder... like a cinder inside of the body. It grows until it basically cooks someone from the inside out." He shuddered slightly and glanced at Teal'c. "To be blunt, Sir, he seemed a lot more concerned for his own world than ours. Can't say I blame him... the disease is starting to spread outward. It won't be long before it overtakes the entire planet and the Stargate is dead-center in the hot zone." He sighed and finally revealed the worst of the bad news, "They don't have a cure."

Hammond pursed his lips and leaned forward. "Permission to be blunt with you, gentlemen?" They both nodded. "Major Carter considers Dr. Fraiser to be one of her closest friends and Colonel O'Neill is... well, he's stubborn when it comes to no-win situations like this. When... if the time comes, I need to know you'll support any difficult decisions I may have to make."

Jonas frowned and looked across the table. "Are you saying you want us to... to back up an order to kill Dr. Fraiser?"

"Dr. Fraiser is already dying," Teal'c said softly. "Any actions by us would merely be... mercy."

"Mercy?" Jonas snapped. "How can you possibly say that? Did-Did Dr. Fraiser give up on you when you went through the rite of mal-sharan? Did she leave your bedside after SG-1 was captured by Hathor?" He stood, angrily looking at the two bald men. "I'm sorry, General. I won't give up on Dr. Fraiser and I won't support *any* acts of... of *mercy* towards her. I'm sorry." He turned and left the briefing room, shaking his head in frustration.

Teal'c stood and clasped his hands behind his back. "I will support your decision, General Hammond," he said. "I understand how difficult it must have been for you to arrive at this."

Hammond nodded slowly. "Damn hard. I look at her like a daughter, Teal'c... how can I possibly order her death?"

"It would be an act of mercy, as you said. She would prefer quick and painless death to what lies in wait for her with this disease."

The General didn't seem convinced. "Thank you, Teal'c. You're dismissed. Try to find Colonel O'Neill and tell him what you've learned."

Teal'c bowed slightly and turned, following Jonas' path from the room.

Hammond steepled his fingers and leaned forward, trying to come to terms with his decision.

---

Sam almost collided with Jonas stepping out of the elevator. "Oh! Jonas, I-I was just coming to find you and Teal'c," she said, shaking her head. "What's going on?"

Jonas crossed his arms over his chest and glanced back towards the isolation room. "I don't think you'll want to go in there," Jonas said through his teeth.

"What's happened?" Sam asked, suddenly afraid. "Did something happen to Janet?" Images of Daniel rising out of his body filled her mind. Even though the guard had said that Janet was still there... she couldn't discount anything.

"Not yet," Jonas said, interrupting her worries. "Look, you deserve fair warning... Teal'c and I went to the planet and we made contact with someone who hadn't been affected by the virus. They said that there's no cure. Hammond has decided that when the time comes, they're just... they're going to kill Dr. Fraiser rather than force her to go through such an awful illness."

Sam couldn't breathe. She blinked and said, "No... no, what do you mean?"

"They think it's inevitable she's going to die like Colonel Van Owen did." Even though Jonas hadn't seen the man die, word of it had spread quickly through the base. "They're looking at it as an act of mercy."

Sam shook her head and said, "Thank you, Jonas, for telling me. Thank you." She stepped around him and disappeared down a long hallway, forcing herself to keep her thoughts straight. They were going to kill Janet. Kill an amazing doctor, not to mention an amazing person, to contain a deadly disease. It wasn't right. They couldn't do that. Without consciously taking the steps, Sam found herself again in the observation room, looking down at Janet. The doctor was sitting next to the bed that had once held Jamison Van Owen's body and was rubbing the back of her neck.

"Janet," Sam whispered, not bothering to use the mic. "They can't do this."

She remembered Colonel O'Neill's desperate bids in the past to save her life. Why couldn't she do the same for Janet? Why couldn't she pull off the same miracles Colonel O'Neill had? It wasn't fair. Just because he was a Colonel. Just because he'd been in Black Ops and 'knew how it worked.' She balled her hands into fists and began to pace.

No one deserved to die alone like that, Sam thought, staring at Janet through the glass. No one deserved to die locked in a room with no one there to comfort them. Hell, even executed child killers had guards in the room with them. Sam felt her lower lip tremble as she thought about her mother dying by herself in the back seat of a destroyed taxicab. No hand to hold, no one to whisper reassuring words in her ear... Sam closed her eyes and quietly said, "No. Not Janet, too."

She turned and stalked out of the room. An airman, someone Sam didn't recognize, was stacking crates of water bottles next to the door of the isolation room. "Airman," she said, approaching quickly.

He snapped to attention. "Major Carter."

She waved him off and he went back to work. "Are you supposed to be guarding this room?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "Keep everybody away and make sure no one stumbles in lookin' for the bathroom," he smiled.

"Good," Sam said. "I want you to go find Colonel O'Neill and report that I am attempting to break into the room."

His smile vanished. "Ma'am?"

"Find him. Tell him in person that Major Carter is going into the isolation room."

"Bu... but..." He looked at her, then he looked at the door. "If I leave..."

"You have your assignment, Airman. Go report."

He reluctantly put down the water bottles and walked away, occasionally glancing over his shoulder as if he was afraid this was just a test. Once he was gone, Sam picked up one of the crates and opened the door with her keycard and authorization code. She stepped into the airlock between rooms and shut the door. Taking a deep breath, Sam swiped the card through the scanner on the inside door and stepped into the isolation room.

Janet looked up, half-expecting to see someone dressed all in white like in one of those alien abduction movies. She gasped when she saw an unprotected Sam enter. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Janet snapped.

Sam put the crate down and shrugged. "Giving you a hand to hold. C'mere," she held her hands out and Janet reluctantly fell into the embrace and started crying.

"Some prayers never reach the sky
Some wars never end
Some dreams refuse to die
Next time I would rather break than bend."
-- Warren Zevon


Chapter Three,

"You don't know what love is
Until you've learned the meaning of the blues
Until you've loved a love you had to lose
You don't know what love is
You don't know how lips hurt
Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost
Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost
You don't know what love is."
-- Warren Zevon

Colonel Jack O'Neill's face underwent a peculiar transformation when he received bad news. His eyes bugged out towards the messenger, his face got red, his lips pulled tight against his teeth and veins appeared in his neck and forehead. "She did *what*?!" He snapped, half-rising out of his chair.

General Hammond rubbed the bridge of his nose. The Airman had been told O'Neill was off-base, so he had gone to the next-best person. "I received a report that Major Carter entered the isolation room with Dr. Fraiser unprotected. She's in there now."

Jack picked up the folder detailing SG-8's next mission and hurled it across the room. "What... why was... how..." He shook his head, put both hands on his hips and decided to go with a simple, "WHY?"

Hammond shook his head. "She didn't explain her actions, Colonel." Jack turned and stalked from the room. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To get some answers," he snapped.

---

Janet wiped her eyes and brushed her sleeve under her nose. "You stupid, stubborn, idiotic, dumb, stupid..."

"You said stupid twice," Sam quietly noted.

Janet slapped Sam's shoulder and said, "Why the hell did you come in here? What the hell were you thinking?"

Sam shrugged. "You were going to die if we didn't find a cure. I... don't think anyone deserves to die alone."

"It's a damned idiotic thing to do," Janet chided. "You come in here to keep me company, which means you're going to die, too. Where does that leave Cassandra? Huh? Who is going to raise her if both you and I..." She glanced towards the sheet hiding Van Owen's remains and shook her head, not wanting to finish the thought. Finally, she sighed in frustration and admitted, "I'm glad I'm not alone."

Sam walked to the bed and leaned against it. "I guess we'll have to call off our date."

Janet chuckled and said, "Or at least postpone it for a while." She looked at Sam. "You're avoiding my question about Cass."

"I gave her some money," Sam said, running a hand through her hair. "Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c and Jonas could... they'll take good care of her."

"Sam," Janet said softly. "She doesn't deserve to have another mother die. Let alone two..." She shook her head. "You shouldn't have come in here."

"DAMN RIGHT!"

They jumped at the third voice and turned. A red-faced Colonel O'Neill was standing in the observation room, flanked by the rest of SG-1. He was glaring at Sam through the glass, the smoke almost visibly pouring from his nostrils. "Major Carter, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking that no one deserves to die alone, Sir. I'm convinced I did the right thing."

"I hope you're so goddamned certain when you get court-martialed for this."

Sam held her hands up. "Bring us out of this alive, Sir, and I'll hand you my resignation personally."

Jack balled his hands into fists and looked ready to punch anything in sight. However everything that wasn't breakable cost hundreds of tax-payer dollars. He turned and looked at Teal'c. "You. Gym. I need to kick some ass." He forced himself by and Teal'c raised an eyebrow, following O'Neill from the room.

Jonas held his hands up and trailed the other two men out of the room. Sam turned to Janet and said, "So I guess we're alone in here." Indicating the sheet, she asked, "Is he... going to start smelling?"

"No," Janet said. "He's... he's char-boiled. He won't start decomposing any more than that turkey you cooked last Thanksgiving."

"You said that turkey was good," Sam said, slightly injured.

"Pleaaase, Sam," Janet said. "Smoke plumed out of it when we tried to carve it. We had to eat Hungry Man dinners."

Sam sighed, then allowed herself a smile. "Okay," she said. "We're decided that I'm a bad cook and Van Owen won't start stinking. Next subject?"

Janet turned and walked back to where she'd been sitting, lowering herself to the floor. "I remember the last time I was hot in this room... Ma'chello." She shook her head. "That was terrible."

Taking a seat beside Janet, Sam said, "The great Janet Fraiser, out of control. It was an amazing sight to see."

Janet trembled as she remembered the day from almost three years ago. She could almost hear herself screaming: 'It's too hot! They're trying to suffocate us!' She looked up at the ceiling and said, "You know what the worst part of that whole entire experience was? When I looked at you and saw your eyes flash." Sam frowned and Janet chuckled. "I'm sitting there going crazy and the worst thing is that I thought I saw your eyes flash. Because if you were a Goa'uld... I thought... that we were doomed. A brain like yours on the enemy side, that'd be our worst nightmare."

Sam quietly asked, "Was that the only reason?"

"I hated the idea of losing you," Janet said, running her hand over the back of her neck. "I don't know," she whispered. "After what you said last night, I guess-I guess I've been thinking more about us. I guess... in the back of my mind, you've always been the one I've loved, Sam. But I never saw past the 'we're-both-women' part. I never thought to think of you in that way." She exhaled. "I'm babbling. I'm not making sense. But I've been thinking about it a lot without... knowing it." She rubbed her forehead. "This damn virus is making me loopy."

Sam wrapped her arms around Janet and said, "You're making perfect sense to me, Janet."

---

"She did *what*?!"

Jack held his hands up. "That's what *I* said."

Jacob Carter didn't know whether he wanted to punch someone or collapse. Sam had gone into a quarantined area?! How? Why? He shook his head and barked, "What's the situation?" He stalked down the ramp and led Jack and Hammond to the elevators. Airmen and other assorted members of the SGC that got in his way quickly corrected their course. Hammond filled his old friend in on what had happened as they rode to the level where Sam and Janet were waiting to die.

When they exited the car, Jacob knew most of what was happening. He went into the observation room and grabbed the mic. "Samantha May Carter, what the *hell* did you think you were doing?"

Sam didn't look up. Her arm was around Janet and the brunette appeared to be sleeping. "Hey, Daddy," Sam said quietly.

Jacob grit his teeth, working his jaw as he tried to think up something to say. Anything. "How could you do this?"

"I wasn't going to let Janet die alone, Dad. I wasn't going to let General Hammond kill her either." Everyone looked to the General, who appeared to be hating himself more than anyone else could. "Maybe they'll think twice about killing both of us. Maybe not. Either way... she's not alone. She deserves better than that." She stroked Janet's arm for a while, then looked up. "Dad, do the Tok'ra have any of those cryogenic chambers like the ones Hathor used when she captured us?"

"No. We took the ones she had, but we could never figure out how they worked. Why?"

She shook her head. "I figure this disease is heat-based. So theoretically, if we could get cold enough, maybe the virus will die."

"For that to work," Jacob argued, "you'd have to be cold enough to kill ALL of the virus. Which means killing yourselves."

Sam smiled and shook her head. "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire..."

Jacob closed his eyes and automatically finished the quote, "But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to know that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice. Sam, this... this is..."

"Something I have to do," she interrupted.

Jacob stepped back and turned to Jack and Hammond. "I'll keep my eye out for... something that might help. Although I can't imagine what it might be." He lowered his head and spoke again in Selmak's voice. "A virus like this once decimated an entire team of Tok'ra operatives. A symbiote was not even sufficient to protect against infection. I trust you understand that this disease must not be allowed to spread to the general population of Earth."

"We'll do what we have to do," Jack said. "Don't you worry about that. I don't wanna die anymore than you do. Well... again. I don't want to die *again.*" He shook his head and walked out of the room. Selmak returned control to Jacob and said, "George, could I?" Hammond nodded and stepped out. Jacob took the mic and said, "Sam? Sam, t-this isn't easy for me to say... and I want you to know th-that..."

"I know, Dad," she interrupted.

"Do you love her?"

Sam smiled. He always knew everything about her without having to be told... it was probably the reason she had forgiven him so quickly and why they were as close as they were. She looked at him and said, "And I think she loves me, too..."

Jacob lowered his head. "I hope you don't have to make this sacrifice, Sam... but I'm glad you did it for the right reasons. I'm proud of you, honey."

Sam smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

---

Sam brushed Janet's hair lovingly and watched her best friend sleep. Janet's hand had migrated towards her face and the tip of her thumb was just barely pressing against the line of her lips. Sam smiled and thought, 'Imagine that... Janet Fraiser a thumb-sucker. That would explain the underbite...' She put her hand on Janet's cheek, disturbed by the heat she found there. "Come on Janet," she whispered. "You have to fight this."

Janet turned on Sam's lap and clutched the blonde's thigh with her free hand, tightening her grip slightly and snuggling against the warm flesh. Sam gasped slightly and looked up at the observation room. Everyone was off trying to find a solution to the problem, so there was no one to see her groping. "C'mon, Janet... now's not the time for strenuous activity..."

Murmuring in her sleep, Janet slid her hand higher and nuzzled her face against Sam's crotch. Sam straightened her back and looked around nervously. Janet's hand had now joined her face in the crux of the blonde's legs. "This isn't happening," Sam quietly told herself. Janet whispered something, then exhaled sharply against the material of her friend's pants. Sam finally slipped her hand onto Janet's back and massaged lightly. "Janet," she whispered. "Janet, wake up... Janet."

"Sam," Janet whispered, waking slowly. Her eyes flickered open and she turned her head slightly, staring straight into the green material over Sam's crotch. "W... uh, what's going on?"

Sam exhaled a sigh of relief. "You were groping me," Sam explained. "In public..." She looked around and shrugged at their solitude. "Well, semi-public."

"Oops," Janet said, smiling playfully. "Sorry." She sat up, straightening her hair. Suddenly, she looked at her hand and said, "Uh... I didn't... was I sucking my thumb?"

"Kind of. Yeah," Sam said sheepishly.

Janet closed her eyes. "Oh, God. I'm so embarrassed..."

"Don't be," Sam said, rubbing Janet's shoulder. "I thought it was cute."

Janet shook her head and said, "Oh, well... I guess you would've found out eventually." She caught herself and blushed deep red, turning away from Sam. "I mean, uh... if we... ever..."

Sam rubbed Janet's back. "Don't worry, hon. I know what you meant."

Janet sighed and laid down flat on the floor. Sam laid down next to her and stared at the ceiling tiles. "Are you getting hot?"

"Is that a come-on?"

"Noo," Janet laughed, her tone quickly turning more somber. "Are you... starting to feel the effects of the virus?"

"A little, maybe," Sam said. "You?"

"I feel like I've got a fever," Janet admitted. They stared at the ceiling for a long time, content to be silent. Finally, Janet asked, "When was the first time you thought you were going to die?"

Sam frowned. "What do you mean?"

Janet shrugged. "Well... all kids think they're invincible, right? Until something happens and you realize how easy it would be to... to die. When was that moment for you?"

"I don't know. Do you know?"

"Oh, definitely," Janet said immediately. She snuggled against Sam's side and smiled. "I was... six years old and my big brother was always sneaking away from the house and going into the woods with his friends. And, being the bratty little sis, I was never invited along. Which meant, of course, I was bound and determined to go. So one day, I followed them into the woods and snuck up high into a tree when they went into their little fort. I was so proud of myself, being so sneaky... until the branch snapped and I fell about twenty or thirty feet. Broke my arm and my leg. I didn't want my brother to know that I was there, so I didn't cry or call out for help." She sighed. "I was certain I was going to die there."

Sam stroked Janet's arm. "What happened after that?"

"My brother and his friends found me and were furious until they found out I was hurt. Took me to Daddy and we went to the hospital." She bit her lip. "He looked so pale and... terrified driving me to the hospital. He probably broke every traffic law in the books."

Sam smiled. "Fathers are like that."

Janet looked around, then said, "It's ironic, you know. I wanted to be cremated. Looks like I'll get my wish..."

"Shh," Sam said, not wanting to think about their predicament at the moment. "We'll find some way to get through this. C'mon, you're with a member of SG-1. How could something bad happen to you?"

"That's what I thought until Daniel..." Janet said softly. "No one is invincible, Sam. Not even you."

---

Jacob Carter stared at the table in front of him and said, "Do you remember Butterscotch?"

Hammond turned, not sure if the Tok'ra leader was speaking to him or not. "Excuse me?" the General asked.

Jacob raised his head. "Butterscotch. Annoying little flea of a dog that chewed most of my uniform trousers to tatters and peed on everything that wasn't waterproof. Sam's dog."

"I remember something... furry running around your house," Hammond smiled. "What about him?"

"We had him because he was hit by a car outside of our house," Jacob explained, steepling his fingers. "Sam went right over to him and cried her eyes out and begged me to do something. She took him into the garage, fed him, nursed him back to a semblance of health, took him to the vet in the basket of her bike... she was bound and determined to get that dog healthy. And she did. We had him for almost ten years." He sighed. "Sam's always been a sucker for a lost cause, George. It's why she dated Hansen, it's why she got engaged to the jerk... It's why she was so willing to spend so much time trying to fix our relationship." He shook his head. "I should've known it would come to this. She finally went over the line and it's going to cost her her life."

"Don't count her out yet, Jacob."

He chuckled. "I appreciate that, George, but I know what you have to do. I know what *I* would do in your situation. Desperate measures and all that."

"We're going to hold off as long as possible. You know the SGC and you know your daughter. I know how trite this sounds, but surrender isn't in our vocabulary."

Jacob nodded. "I'll keep my fingers crossed, then." He stood and shook Hammond's hand. "I'll get back to the base and see what I can do to help. Although..."

"I know. Do what you can and we'll do the same."

"I hope it's enough, George. I honestly do."

---

Janet tipped the water bottle and caught the final drop, wiping her mouth before dropping the bottle to the floor. "I'm so thirsty," she sighed, falling back and stretching out on the exam bed. "I'm sweating like a pig..." She wiped her forehead and ran her hand over her blouse. "I wish I could just... take all of this uniform crap off."

Sam turned and looked around, finally going to the phone and contacting an airman. A few minutes later, Hammond had arrived. "Sir," she said. "I have... a request to make. Janet's getting very hot in here and you understand how these uniforms can be in hot environments. I'd like to request that the blast doors be lowered and the security cameras shut off."

Hammond looked at Janet. It was obvious she was incredibly uncomfortable... and he *did* know how stifling they could be. "Sounds... reasonable enough. Very well, Major. Airman..."

The young man seated in front of the General in the observation room typed a series of commands and a large protective barrier slid over the glass. Sam turned and smiled to Janet. "Private enough for you?"

"Yes," Janet said, stripping off her tie and beginning to unbutton her blouse. It was halfway undone when she looked at Sam and said, "Turn around, peeping Carter."

Sam grinned and turned her back. She listened to clothes rustling, zippers pulling and - oddly enough - the cabinet being opened. "What are you doing over there?" Sam asked.

"Okay, you can look," Janet said.

Sam turned and was almost speechless at the sight before her. Janet was wearing a white tank top, the low-cut collar stained with sweat. Her dog tags hung inticingly between her breasts. The cabinet Sam had heard opening had been Janet taking a pair of white cotton boxers from the supply closet and putting them on. The short legs of the boxers covered practically none of Janet's slender legs, shining with sweat. "God," Sam whispered. "If this illness wasn't killing you, I'd say it was a good look for you."

Janet crossed her ankles and hugged herself, apparently embarrassed. "General Hammond, are you still there?" No response. "Airman?" Nothing. "Anyone?" There was no reply. Janet walked to Sam and quietly said, "I wish I didn't have to be this... naked with you. I want the first time you see me naked to be when we're..." She blushed and looked away.

Sam hooked a finger under Janet's chin and turned it back forward, looking int oher eyes. "You're beautiful, Janet. If I see you naked once or a hundred times before we make love, it won't make any difference whatsoever."

"I really, really want to kiss you."

Sam shrugged and said, "What the hell. It's not like I'll catch anything." She lowered herself even as Janet was rising to meet her. They met somewhere in the middle, their lips pressing insistently at each other. They broke apart and Sam smiled, brushing Janet's cheek. "That was nice." She kissed the tip of Janet's nose and said, "Thank you."

Janet kissed Sam's chin. "You're welcome."

Sam kissed Janet's lips, pulling the petite woman a little closer. "You're a very good kisser," she said, kissing Janet softly once more.

"You're not so bad yourself," Janet said, nuzzling Sam's cheek. Sam's hands were buried in the brown locks, undoing the few remaining bobby pins and causing her long hair to collapse against her shoulders.

"You have such beautiful hair," Sam said, pulling a few curls up to her face and inhaling Janet's shampoo.

Janet smiled and ruffled Sam's short cut. "Yeah. You have... you have *some* hair," she giggled, kissing the taller woman's cheek. Sam suddenly turned her head and slipped her tongue into Janet's mouth, searing the shorter woman's lips with the passion of the kiss. Janet could only gasp and try to breathe through her nose as her mouth was invaded. Janet moaned loudly and moved her hands to push Sam away, unfortunately planting them directly on Sam's breasts. Her eyelids fluttered south and so did her hands, sliding around Sam's waist to clutch the blonde's ass.

"Ummm, Sam," Janet moaned around kisses.

"Janet," Sam whispered, lowering her hands and lifting Janet up. Instinct caused Janet to wrap her legs around Sam's torso, her ankles locking together behind the taller woman's back and her hips thrusting rhythmically against Sam's. "Janet, Janet, Janet," Sam chanted, carrying Janet to the exam bed and laying her down. She pulled on the string holding Janet's shorts up and loosened the waistband.

Janet laid back and closed her eyes. "Sam, no... no..."

"No?" Sam said, straightening. She was panting, her forehead sheened with sweat. "What?"

Janet was panting. "No... no strenuous activity. We're burning to death, hon. The last thing we need to do is raise our body temperatures."

"Mine is already atmospheric," Sam said, leaning down and kissing Janet's neck. "Soaring higher with every second." She pushed Janet's shorts down and spread her fingers over the brunette's thigh. "I'm on fire, Janet..."

The brunette closed her eyes and lifted her body up, running her hands through Sam's hair. "We shouldn't do this."

"That's what makes it so good," Sam said, finding Janet's lips and attacking them.

Finally relenting, Janet mewled and peeled off her tank top. She broke the kiss long enough to take it over her head and toss it aside. Sam looked down at her friend's bare breasts and growled low in her throat. She locked eyes with Janet and pulled the brunette's head forward. Their lips millimeters apart, Sam breathed, "You're the most gorgeous creature, Janet." She licked Janet's lips and then allowed herself to slip one hand between her friend's thighs. Janet yelped into Sam's mouth, then giggled at her response. Sam pulled back and said, "You're on fire, too, Janet."

She closed her eyes and nodded, propping herself up on her hands. "Sam... we should stop..."

"Then stop me, goddamnit," Sam hissed, slipping two fingers into her friend. "Cause I won't be able to do it myself..."

Janet moaned in defeat and collapsed, pulling her legs up and planting both feet on the bed. She spread her knees, giving Sam more room to operate. Sam climbed onto the bed and kissed the inside of Janet's thighs, licking the salty sweetness of the other woman's sweat. "You're so beautiful, Janet. I want to make love to you every night... I want to wake up next to you every morning. I love you, Janet. I love you so much..." She rolled the pad of her thumb over Janet's clitoris, causing the brunette to lift her hips off the bed. Sam clutched one globe of Janet's ass and held it in the air, causing her lover to thrash against the pillows like a fish out of water.

Sam lowered her head and lightly kissed the patch of hair between Janet's legs. The brunette moaned and looked down, locking eyes with Sam as the blonde extended her tongue towards the wet slit of Janet's sex. "Please, Sam, please... please..." she pleaded. Finally, Sam made contact and pressed forward, sliding her tongue deep into Janet's body.

"SAAAAAAM!" Janet cried out. Sam reached up with one hand, covering the doctor's mouth. While they were alone, the isolation room wasn't soundproof. Janet pressed her mouth against Sam's hand, her screams still seeping between Sam's fingers. Sam flicked her tongue against Janet's clit, then used her free hand to spread Janet's folds. She licked between her fingers, tasting the sweet flesh of Janet's pussy.

Tears appeared in Janet's eyes and she tilted her head, slipping all four of Sam's fingers into her mouth and sucking wantonly. She had always been orally fixated; it had been one of the reasons her ex-husband had fallen so completely for her. She closed her eyes, sucking hard on her lover's fingers as she felt Sam work magic between her legs. She leaned forward, allowing Sam's hand to slip out of her mouth, and grabbed Sam's cheeks, angling the other woman's wet face to her own and kissing her deeply. She tasted her own juices on Sam's lips and tongue and moaned, trying to get acquainted with the taste of a woman (even if it was herself).

"Make me cum, Sam," Janet ordered. "I want to cum with you."

Sam's heartrate rose a bit, but she did as she was told. She spread Janet's folds with her index finger and pinky, sliding the middle two fingers into Janet. "You're so tight, Janet," Sam whispered. "So tight... so warm... God, Janet, I love you..."

"I love you, too, Sam," Janet said. "God, how I love you."

Sam almost cried when she heard that; six years she'd waited... six long years and here she was, making love to Janet on what might be their death bed. She trembled and sobbed, lifting herself up and snuggling against Janet's breasts. Janet used one hand to cup her own breast, aiming the nipple towards Sam. The blonde took the hint, wrapping her lips around it and suckling gently. "Yes, Sam... oh, God, yes, I'm so close... I'm so close. You're going to make me cum, sweety... yes, baby... yes..."

Sam bit her lip and twisted her hand inside of Janet, causing the brunette to tremble. Sam felt the quake in her friend and held her tightly, pressing their overheated bodies together as she rode out of the wave of Janet's orgasm. When she finally came down off her high, she fell forward and pinned Sam to the bed. Sweat was dripping off both of them, their bodies tinted red and their hair plastered to their skulls.

Janet looked up at Sam, kissing her softly. "You're still dressed," she said, fiddling with the zipper pull on Sam's jumpsuit.

"Uh-huh," Sam said, unable to say anything else.

"Did you... did you have an orgasm?"

"No," Sam said.

Janet sat up and said, "Should... do we... should we do it again?" Her eyes flashed at the idea.

Sam was distracted by the sight of Janet's nude body next to her in bed. She bit her lip and ran her fingers over the curve of her friend's breast, over the plains of her stomach and between her finely-toned legs. She shook her head. "It's okay. We should rest a bit..."

Janet nodded and slipped off the bed, finding and replacing her clothing. Dressed again, she climbed into bed next to Sam and laid her head on the blonde's chest. Sam fingers Janet's brown bangs and said, "If we do die... at least now we do it with no regrets."

The brunette smiled and kissed Sam's throat. "You got that right, beautiful. Thank you." She spread her fingers over Sam's stomach and soon fell asleep.

After a few minutes, Sam smiled and said, "No gorgeous... thank you..." She kissed Janet forehead and decided to try to get some sleep.

"Gentle rain falls on me
All life folds back into the sea
We contemplate eternity
Beneath the vast indifference of heaven."
-- Warren Zevon


Chapter Four,

"The moon has a face
And it smiles on the lake
And it causes the ripples in time
I'm lucky to be here
With someone I like
Who maketh my spirit to shine."
-- Warren Zevon

If Sam had any doubts about the reality of what had happened, they were dispelled by the warm body pressed intimately against her. She smiled and opened her eyes, looking down at the peaceful - if dangerously red - face of Janet Fraiser. She kissed the doctor's forehead and brushed away the slight pink smudge her lips left behind. After a moment, she realized what had waken her; someone was working at the door. She sat up quickly, grabbing Janet's discarded contamination suit and draping it over the other woman's underwear-clad body.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"Major Carter," came Siler's voice from the intercom. "From the silence in there, we assumed you two had gone to sleep or..." He didn't finish the thought. "We're loading some supplies into the airlock. Food, oscillating fans, some ice cream... stuff like that. Is everything okay in there?"

Sam looked at Janet. "We're fine, thank you, Siler. What's the word on getting us out of here?"

He paused, then said, "Should I lie, Major?"

"Yes, please."

"Very good," he said immediately. "No worries at all."

Sam closed her eyes. "Thank you, Sergeant. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment. Sorry, Major."

Sam walked back to the bed and sat on the edge, arranging Janet's hair and feeling her forehead. It definitely didn't look good. She blinked back tears, then walked to the table and picked up a thermometer. Might as well know the actual temperature of her body. She stuck it under her tongue and turned, watching Janet sleep as she waited for an accurate reading. She used her lips to wiggle the thermometer as she thought back to her love-making with Janet. It just seemed unreal... beautiful and amazing and everything she had dreamed of.

And now they were going to die.

She took the thermometer from her mouth and looked at it, wincing at the reading. 102. Nothing to get worried about, unless you were infected with a microwaving virus. It was a sure sign her body was getting hotter. She walked to the bed and stroked Janet's arm, deciding not to disturb the other woman just yet.

It turned out to be a moot point. Janet coughed violently just then, her body bending at the middle. Sam jerked back, then grabbed Janet's hot hand. "O-oh, God," Janet hissed, rolling towards the edge of the bed. Sam caught the brunette before she fell and laid her on the rubber mat.

"Janet? Janet, you have to tell me what to do!"

Janet rolled her head from side to side, clutching her stomach. Sam put a hand on the brunette's forehead and felt the clamminess of her skin. "God, Janet, no... Janet! You have to help me!"

"E-e-emesis," Janet managed. "Hurry..."

Sam grabbed what she hoped was an emesis basin and rushed back, kneeling next to Janet just as the brunette started to throw up. She winced at the sight and sound, but continued to stroke Janet's bare arm. The skin was disturbingly dry, the muscles beneath hard and tense to the touch. Janet's body spasmed as she threw up, her knees drawing close to her chest. "S-Sa-am," Janet pleaded.

"I'm right here, honey. I'm here. I'm here." She embraced the petite woman, holding her tight. When she released her, Janet had passed out, her eyelids fluttering. Sam bit her lip and laid the doctor down again. "Please wake up, Janet," she whispered. "Don't die on me."

---

Jack rubbed his face and turned off the TV. As fun as it was watching Homer and his dysfunctional brood, it just wasn't the same when two of your best friends were laying in a room at work waiting to die. He tossed his paper dinner plate into the trash and walked into the kitchen, using the remote control to activate the stereo. Hitting shuffle caused the soothing music of Bach to waft through the big house. He sighed and opened the freezer, knowing how classical music was supposed to make people smarter.

So why couldn't he think of something to help Sam and the Doc?

He let the cool air of the freezer cover him for a moment, then withdrew the ice tray and a pitcher of ice tea from the fridge. Brilliant ideas were Carter's forte, not his... He popped some ice out of the tray and thought about packing the ladies in it. That'd cool them off, definitely. Of course, freezing wasn't the problem. Thawing them out would be the problem. Of course, it wasn't unheard of... they'd successfully taken that woman from the ice in Antartica. What had they called her... Ayiana?

He clunked some ice into the glass and sighed. Carter had even gone to Maybourne for help. *Maybourne.* Of all the idiotic, lame-brained, moronic... He paused and looked at the glass, picking it up and staring at the ice cubes. He popped his lips and blinked for a moment, then said, "Carter, you genius."

---

Jack O'Neill hated being in a hurry at the mountain. No matter how fast he ran, he was always stymied by the elevators. Riding twenty-eight stories into the ground is slow work. He paced the length of the car, running a hand over the back of his neck as he examined his plan with a fine-toothed comb. It should work. It *had to* work. The doors opened and he squeezed through, breaking between two airmen and dashing towards the isolation rooms. His knees howled in pain as he took a sharp corner and he winced, knowing he'd pay for this dash tomorrow.

It didn't matter how much pain it caused him; as long as Carter and Fraiser were there to hear him complain. He pushed Siler out of the way of the mic, muttering an apology as he grabbed the mic. "Major? Doc? You guys awake in there?" He hated having the blast door down, but as hot as it was getting, he wouldn't blame either woman for stripping down to their scivvies. Pushing away those thoughts, he called, "Carter! Janet, you guys in there?"

"Sir?" came Sam's muffled reply.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "I... have kind of a stupid plan."

"Any plan is worth looking at," Sam said. "What is it?"

Jack was suddenly nervous about explaining his idea to someone like Carter. No doubt she'd shoot thousands of holes into it, make a list as long as his arm why it wouldn't work, pat him on his head and send him away. No. Any idea was a good idea. "Okay. Um... okay. It's kind of weird, so bear with me. You guys might have to kill yourselves for it to work..."

Beyond the blast door, Sam looked down at Janet's unconscious body and quirked an eyebrow.

---

This was a rare opportunity. Jack made sure his jumpsuit was zipped just right, then turned on the projector and blinked as it burned his eyes. He was rubbing his closed eyes, trying to make the red spots disappear when Jonas and Teal'c entered. Hammond said, "Gentlemen, thanks for coming so quickly. Jack thinks he may have a solution to our little predicament."

Jonas and Teal'c both froze halfway into their seats. "Jack?" Jonas asked.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c said.

Jack smiled. "Yeah. I think I got this thing licked."

"Let's hear it, Colonel," Hammond said.

Jack cleared his throat and said, "Two years ago, we were asked to pull the collective asses of the Russian Stargate Program out of the fire when they couldn't get their Gate to shut down. I trust you read up on that, Jonas?"

The Kelownan nodded. "It was a fascinating dilemma. I would've liked to--"

"Ah, ah," Jack interrupted. "My speech." He turned on the projector and showed some scientific slides. "These... are... things. That live... in water." He frowned and shook his head and shut off the projector. "Teal'c, you remember finding Maybourne in the freezer? You remember what you said?"

"Humans die when frozen," Teal'c said.

"Right! Humans *do* die when frozen. Which is why we're not going to just freeze Carter and Fraiser and kill that fire bug in them. We'd end up killing them. But... if there was a way to keep them alive..."

"How would we do this?" Hammond asked.

O'Neill sighed. "We make contact with the world where the little buggers came from. We have the address in our files from the Russians, so we just dial it up and make contact with them. Carter and Daniel did it; they were sucked through the sub window and had some kind of conversation with the things."

Teal'c nodded. "They did not, however, have any memory of conversing with them. I was also inhabited by them for a time and retain no memory of our joining."

Jack shrugged. "It could be worth a shot, at least. Right? Here's the plan... we make contact and Teal'c goes through--" Teal'c tilted his head to one side and Jack explained, "Because you can breathe longer underwater, if that's... what it is. Less... risky, you know. Anyway, we send Teal'c through and use sonar to let them know that we... well, come in peace for lack of a better phrase. He brings back samples, Carter and the Doc breathe them in or whatever and we freeze them."

"Like Maybourne in the freezer," Jonas said. "The virus would die in the cold, but the alien organisms would allow Sam and Janet to survive."

"In order to live, Major Carter and Dr. Fraiser must first agree to be frozen to death."

Hammond nodded slowly. "We send the sonar and wait for a reply. If we receive acknowledgement, we continue with the plan. I don't want to risk sending Teal'c there to become a prisoner."

"Right, Sir," Jack said. "Now... Carter and Fraiser haven't got a lot of time. Whaddaya say we get to it?"

---

"Janet," Sam said softly.

Janet's brown eyes fluttered open and she smiled slowly. She had been placed back on the bed, the mattress adjusted so she was laying flat. Cold compresses were on her forehead and chest, while several more were pressed against her sides. Despite the heat overflowing her body, she was relieved that some parts of her body actually felt cold. If she survived this, she promised, she was going out into the first snow of the season wearing shorts and flip-flops. Janet cleared her throat and Sam offered a water bottle. Janet drank gratefully, gasping with each swallow. When the bottle was empty, she coughed and said, "Hey there, pretty lady."

"Hey," she grinned back. She stroked Janet's cheek and said, "Ready for some good news?"

Janet forced herself into a sitting position, holding the compress to her chest. "Yeah. What happened?"

"We have a plan to get rid of the virus."

"Great!"

"And..." she winced, not sure if she should reveal this part. "And Colonel O'Neill came up with it."

Janet's face fell. "Oh."

---

Teal'c stood before the Stargate in full scuba gear, his face peering out from behind the grated mask. "Sending sonar-based message," Major Davis reported. "Transmission underway."

"What did the message say?" Hammond asked.

"We decided simple would be better, Sir," Jack explained. "We basically said, you know, 'Need assistance, we won't harm you, take us to your leader.'" He cleared his throat and glanced at Hammond before adding, "I just made up that last part."

Davis reported, "Message has been received, Sir."

Hammond took the microphone and said, "Okay, Teal'c. Go through when ready."

Teal'c raised one hand and started up the ramp. A few seconds later, he was fully enveloped in the bright blue light of the event horizon. He suddenly felt as if he had been thrown into the ocean with bags of cement tied around his ankles. He fought the urge to inhale and felt something pressing at him from all sides; it was more insistent than being under normal water... He was trying to determine what exactly the difference was when--

*You are Jaffa*

He wasn't floating anymore. He was wrapped in some kind of bubble, his eyes and ears blocked. He couldn't see or hear anything other than the voice, but he wasn't sure where that was coming from. He spread his fingers and bent his knees. He wasn't restrained, but he couldn't tell if he was actually standing or laying on anything. "I am Jaffa," he said, answering their question. Or... comment...

*Jaffa serve Goa'uld | Goa'uld are inherently evil.*

"I have renounced the false god I once served," Teal'c explained. "I work in the service of the Tau'ri now. They, and I, are enemies of the Goa'uld. We are attempting to destroy them."

*We know Tau'ri | Tau'ri sent you to acquire help*

"Yes," Teal'c said. "Major Samantha Carter and Doctor Janet Fraiser are in dire need of your assistance."

*We know the Major Samantha Carter | The Major Samantha Carter is a kind human and brilliant | She is in need of assistance*

Teal'c nodded as well as he could. Something was still clouding his mind, but he couldn't tell what. "We have devised a plan--"

*We know of your plan as well | You wish to use us | You will use us as you would use a tool | We are not tools, Jaffa Teal'c*

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the voices. There seemed to be more than one; as if he was speaking to a commitee. "Your assistance would be vital. We acknowledge your sentience, which is why we contacted you before coming through. We mean you no harm. The people with whom I serve would like to attempt to form a friendship between our two worlds."

*Beginning with an act of good faith on our part | We cannot trust you*

"The goodwill began when I came through the Stargate," Teal'c argued. "How were we to know how you would react to our presence? You murdered everyone associated with the Russian Stargate."

There was a long pause. He'd gotten them... *How many of our number would you require*

"I do not know. Your people once inhabited the body of a human and froze him. We would need double the number that inhabited that man."

Another silence. This time, Teal'c could hear quiet murmuring. They were considering the offer, or perhaps discussing the previous inhabitation of Maybourne's body. Teal'c flexed his hand and attempted to get a better feel of his surroundings. He took a deep breath and felt the water sloshing away from his face. He blinked... and suddenly saw Colonel O'Neill kneeling over him, brushing water away from his face. "Teal'c, buddy. You okay?"

He coughed and sat up, holding his stomach. The Stargate was already deactivated, but a small metal container sat next to him on the ramp. "I brought this through with me?" he asked.

"Yeah." Jack picked it up, turning it over in his hands. "Yeah, it looks Russian and there's Russian lettering on it. I figure it came off that sub they never bothered to send back. Did you make contact, by the way?"

Teal'c frowned. "I... do not recall. I do not remember entering the Stargate."

Jack nodded and said, "Had a feeling you'd say that. But this box seems to be evidence they went for it. Whaddaya say we go save our friends?"

---

Sam winced as she drank the... well, to be completely accurate... as she drank the people. It tasted a bit like Mountain Dew, assuring she would never buy that particular soft drink again. She put down the cup and groaned, looking up at her team mates in the observation room. Janet had put her skirt back on and the blast doors had been raised so they could converse and see the plan in action. Janet was still uncomfortable about being seen in a tank top, but all she could do about that was wear a shirt... and she was way too hot for that. "How long should it take?" Sam asked.

"We'll give the watery folk a few minutes to fully... uh, make themselves at home," Jack said. "Then we'll have to transport you to the kitchen in a portable quarantine unit and--"

"That will not be necessary."

Jack turned. Tae'ya was standing behind them, still looking pale and drawn. Jack smiled despite her weary appearance and said, "Ms. Nerina, if I'm not mistaken. Nice to see you again. Bring Danny Boy with you?"

"Alas, Dr. Jackson is elsewhere at the moment. However, I can be of assistance. I can alter the atmosphere within the isolation room and freeze them and everything inside. When they have reached the appropriate temperature, I can also thaw them out again."

Sam stood. "Tae'ya... will you get in trouble again?"

Tae'ya smiled sadly. "Tell me when to begin lowering the temperature."

Sam looked away and walked to Janet's side. "You drink?"

Janet nodded. "I'm scared."

A cool blast of winter air blew through the room and Sam shuddered, hugging herself. She reached out and rubbed Janet's shoulders. "It'll be all right, Janet. We'll get through this."

Janet nodded, although she didn't seem too sure. Sam turned and saw that Hammond and Jack were both turned to face Tae'ya. Confident she wouldn't be seen, Sam leaned forward and quickly kissed Janet's lips. Hugging the petite woman, Sam softly recited the lyrics to a song she had recently heard. "Don't let us get sick... Don't let us get old... Don't let us get stupid...all right? Just make us be brave, make us play nice... Let us be together tonight."

Janet hugged Sam back and said, "Get me off this bed."

Sam picked the brunette up and laid her on the floor. Since hot air rose and cold air fell, they decided laying on the floor would be the quickest way to freeze. Actually... that had been Jack's idea. They were obliging him, since his last idea had been so good. They laid next to each other and Sam looked over at Janet. The skin of her chest, visible about the U-shaped collar of her tank top, was bright red. Sam hoped it wouldn't blister...

"Hey," Sam whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think... after all this is over... Cassandra will still say we don't know anything about being cool?"

Janet barked a laugh and covered her mouth. "She'll have the coolest Mom on the block!"

"After all those times of telling us to chill out... here we are."

Janet shook her head, trying to contain her laughter. "Stop it. We're supposed to stay still for this." She reached out and took Sam's hand. The blonde gripped it tightly and stared up at the ceiling tiles. "Are you going to go to sleep?" Janet asked.

"It'd be better to. I'd rather not be awake when I freeze to death." The room was already freezing cold. Sam remembered being locked out one December morning when she'd gone to get her paper in just her pajamas. The thin pajama pants and tank top had done nothing to prevent the icy chill from making her bones tremble, but it was nothing compared to this. She glanced over at Janet and saw the doctor's nipples standing at attention under her tank top.

Frostbite was a very real concern, but it was a bit too late for that kind of thinking. Sam exhaled and closed her eyes, letting her mind fill with images of Janet. She let herself remember the way Janet looked when they had made love. 'If this plan doesn't work,' she thought, 'I might as well die happy.'

After a moment, Janet said, "What was that you said a minute ago? That... that sickness thing?" Sam repeated it slowly and Janet took note of the words. Then, they recited it together. "Don't let us get sick... Don't let us get old... Don't let us get stupid...all right? Just make us be brave, make us play nice... Let us be together tonight."

Thirty minutes later, the two women were laying frozen on the floor of the iso-lab.

---

"Hot chocolate, of course," Sam said, indicating their mugs. "With marshmallows."

"Hmm," Janet said, smiling. "Umm... Hawaii. In August. At noon."

Sam leaned back, wiggling her toes as she tried to think of something else hot and wonderful. They were sitting on Janet's sofa, hot chocolate mugs in hand. Sam was wearing an open dress shirt over her bra and panties, her bare feet curling and uncurling in Janet's thick carpet. Janet was wearing a long t-shirt and a pair of boxers, her hair hanging loose and wild in her face. She blew a strand of hair away and brushed her cheek. Sam finally said, "A fire in a fireplace."

"Sitting in front of it with someone you love," Janet whispered, rubbing Sam's knuckles.

"Yeah," Sam said.

It had been three days since their ordeal in the isolation room. Hammond had given them two weeks of downtime to make sure the virus was completely destroyed and that they had fully recovered from being frozen. Teal'c had returned the water-based aliens to their own world with the thanks of Earth and, showing their new trust in the people of the Tau'ri, they allowed him to remember their meeting.

Janet snatched Sam's mug and placed both of the drinks on the coffee table. She turned to face Sam and draped herself over the taller woman. Sam gladly accepted the weight, using both hands to smooth Janet's hair away from her face. Cassandra was off on a weekend with Uncles Jack and Teal'c, getting to know her newest uncle, Jonas. The women had taken advantage of their splendid isolation, making love whenever possible and spending the rest of the time sharing anything that came to mind.

It was close to midnight when the subject of Tae'ya came up. Sam felt tears come to her eyes when she thought about the redhead. "She was... so amazing. So wonderful. I hate to think that something bad might've happened to her because of her association with us. I just couldn't bear that."

Janet kissed Sam's cheek and said, "I'm sure she's fine, baby."

"She sacrificed so much for us. She saved us over and over again... I wish there was something we could do for *her*."

"You told me that she was the one who... who pushed you towards revealing how you felt about me?" Sam nodded and Janet pressed her face against Sam's collarbone. "Then we all owe her something. I just wish there was a way to help the people of P3Q-52R..."

Sam nodded. "We tried contacting them about how we beat it, hoping they might have the means to recreate what we did... but we didn't get a reply. I'm thinking it spread faster than we imagined."

"Thank God for quarantines."

"And thank God for Colonel O'Neill's silly ideas," Sam grinned.

They were silent for a while, simply listening to the quiet music playing on the stereo. Sam touched Janet's ear and quietly sang along with the CD. "I have advice for the young and old, if I may be so bold. When you find someone to have and hold. Don't let nothing come between you..." She took Janet's hand and kissed the knuckles. "I love you," she whispered. "So much you don't even know."

Janet said, "I'm getting a pretty decent idea." She snuggled against Sam's playing with the barely-visible pink line that ran across Sam's belly. It was the first of Sam's wounds that Janet had patched. "You want to sleep here tonight?"

"Mmm, don't tempt me," Sam said. "I can't. Cassie'll be back tomorrow."

"So?"

"Sooo... unless you wanna explain to Cassandra why we're sleeping together..."

Janet sat up. "Make love to me tonight. We'll tell Cassandra tomorrow."

Sam blinked rapidly, waiting for the punchline.

"Well?!" Janet said. "C'mon. We'll have to tell her sometime if we're going to be... you know... a couple."

"A couple?" Sam said, her voice full of tears. She pulled Janet to her and kissed her lips softly. "Don't let this be a dream," Sam whispered against Janet's smile. "God, please, don't let this be a dream..."

That night, together on the couch, Janet proceeded to prove to prove to Sam that it was definitely not a dream. When Cassandra came home from her weekend with the guys, Sam and Janet sat her down and broke the news to the girl. The shriek of happiness that followed would have been enough to shatter the iris if the force had been directed properly.

To celebrate the new developments in their lives, Sam took Janet and Cassandra out to the movies. As the film played out, Sam found herself paying more attention to her new family. For the first time in a long time, everything was as it should be. Sam turned back to the movie and slipped an arm around Janet's shoulders.

"They tell me love requires a little standing in line
And I've been waiting for you, lover, for a long, long time
I've been pacing the floor
I've been watching the door
Meanwhile I'll keep searching for a heart
Searching high and low for you
Trying to track you down
Certain individuals
Have finally come around."
-- Warren Zevon


Geonn

Stargate SG1

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