Lab 4

Author: Geonn

Rating: R

Pairings: Sam/Janet, First Time

Category: Drama, Angst

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.

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

Notes: What if someone read a story and wanted it to have a different resolution? Here's that experiment... This is the first version of the story, to be followed by Version B. The only major difference between the two is the resolution and the opening dialogue. Oh, and the tic-tac-toe game is different, but it has the same outcome.

Summary: Sam and Janet find themselves trapped with no memory.

Special Thanks to Hl for the banner.

Version A

<"Carefully...">
<"I'm *being* careful... I know how dangerous this stuff can be.">
<"That... is that what I think it is?">
<"What?">
<"Tha... Oh, shit! JANET! Look OU--">

She was hurt. Wasn't she? Slowly, she raised one hand and experimentally flexed her fingers. She counted them. Five. Same on the left... everything seemed in order. Both of her knees bent and her toes wiggled inside of her boots. Ten individual wiggling things inside the uncomfortable leather. She groaned as the pain worked it's way through her torso.

Laying on her back, the pain seemed to have pooled along her spine. Moving caused it to redistribute through her extremities. Through a long, slow, torturous process, she managed to lift herself into a sitting position and lean against the wall.

It was sitting in this position that she realized something; she didn't know her own name. That thought jarred her and caused her to look around for anybody else, be they enemy or friend. At this point, she would take either... A friend would be able to explain who she was and what had happened. An enemy would at least explain her confusion. But, at the moment, she seemed alone in this little world. "Hello?" she offered.

The only response she got was a quiet "Uhn" that came from someplace else in the small room. She pushed away from the wall a bit, noticing that the pain was beginning to subside slightly. "Is someone there?"

Her view was obscured by a large boxy structure in the center of the room. The table or whatever it was had been topped by a glass enclosure; a display case? No... the protective sleeves and gloves provided in the glass told her that it was a quarantine area. She didn't remember when she had ever seen one before, or what it could be used for, but she knew that it more than likely contained something dangerous. Something that could explain her confusion.

Even in her weakened state, it was easy for the woman to get to her feet. She stumbled towards the table, back bent and arms swinging low like apes she had seen at the zoo. On the top of the table, on the other side of the thick protective glass, a small black box stood innocently. Two pairs of tongs rested on either side of the box like silverware at a dinner setting.

Exploration of the box would have to wait. Through the glass, on the other side of the table, she saw an outstretched arm, the fingers of the hand curled slightly. She used the table as a walking aide to circle the glass enclosure to see who else was here with her. The brunette was unconscious, her limbs splayed in a way that made her look like a discarded rag doll. Her lips were parted slightly and she was visibly breathing.

The woman helped her companion into a sitting position, gently tapping the soft cheeks to awaken her. Finally, chocolate brown eyes fluttered open and swam unfocused across the room. "Where?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," the first woman admitted. "This may sound like an odd question... but do you know who I am?"

The brunette blinked, shaking her head as if to clear the cobwebs, then focused on the person in front of her. "You... uh... no. I-I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"That's what I was afraid of. Do... you know who *you* are?"

After a moment, the brunette whispered, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that."

The first woman leaned back, giving the other amnesiac room to breathe. They sat across from each other, separated by a black rubber mat that was askew on the floor. Made uncomfortable by the silence, the brunette finally reached down and straightened the mat so that it was parallel with the wall and table. "So, what do I call you? Blondie?"

'Blonde,' the first woman thought. 'At least I know what color my hair is.' She shrugged. "I guess so. And I could call you Brownie." She chuckled at her meager joke, then looked around. "Any idea what this place is?"

The brunette used one arm to prop herself up and she looked around. "Some kind of lab, I'd guess. Computers, centrifuge, this... quarantine thingie. Needles and stuff like that. I-I think we're in a medical lab."

The blonde had stopped listening. The twisting of the other woman had caused her white lab jacket to fall open and reveal her blue blouse. Tagged to the woman's breast was a blue and white pin. "Hey," she said, catching the petite woman's attention. "You have a name tag."

She looked down and saw it. "Oh. I-I guess I do. I'm--" She paused, twisting her head and the tag simultaneously to read the name printed there. "I'm Fraiser, apparently. Do you have any kind of tags?"

Blondie, as she had been so eloquently dubbed, looked herself over. She was wearing green fatigue pants, a black t-shirt and a white lab jacket that matched Fraiser's. "Huh-uh... I don't think so." Patting herself down, she discovered a bulge in one of the pockets of her pants and something cold and metal resting under her t-shirt. Ignoring the bulge for the moment, she withdrew her necklace, twisting the tags around so she could read them. "Carter, Samantha." She grinned. "Sam Carter."

Fraiser repeated the move, surprised to find tags of her own. 'Tagged twice,' she thought. 'I must be some kind of VIP or something...' She read the tags and reported, "Janet Fraiser."

"So," Sam said, tucking her tags back in. "Pleasure to meet you, Janet."

"Same here, Sam," Janet smiled. "Although I'd have to assume we've met before."

"You'd think," Sam said, looking around. "But I don't think realizing we may know each other isn't really a big win in this situation." She tested her legs and found that the majority of her pain had passed. She pushed herself up, using the wall for support, and looked around. "Let's take what we know. You and I must be some kind of... of scientists." She tugged at the lab coat for emphasis. "We were examining this box when... when something happened."

Janet interjected, "And this is a military operation." Off Sam's questioning look, she explained, "Dog tags. They identify us as Air Force officers. At least... mine does."

"Mine too," Sam assured her. "So... what does *that* tell us?"

Janet pursed her lips and pulled herself up so that Sam wasn't looking down at her. "It tells us that something went terribly wrong." She indicated the glass separating them from an observation room. "No one's in there. I can't see anyone moving around and I really doubt we would have been left alone with something that would cause this kind of damage."

"M-Maybe we didn't know it was this dangerous," Sam offered, although she wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse...

"I find that hard to believe," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I think we should go look for help."

Sam nodded. "I agree. See if this is an epidemic or just--"

"Oh, crap," Janet whispered. Sam turned and frowned at her. "It's just... well..." She indicated the door. "The door is closed. What if whatever caused this is trapped in this room?"

Sam glanced at the closed cabinets and drawers. "W-what do you mean? L-like a bug or something?"

Janet shook her head. "No, no, I mean... well, what if whatever caused this was inside of that box and we released it? What if we're the only ones affected and opening the door causes the rest of the base to fall victim to it?"

"Or..." Sam looked at their sole exit. "What if something happened *out there* and we were affected by a lesser version?"

"I... don't follow."

Sam sighed. "Let's say this is a very important base. Maybe... we're located in the middle of a war zone or something. What if our enemy managed to infiltrate the base using some kind of chemical weapon? The door might have been the only thing that kept us alive. The memory loss may just be a minor side effect. What if, when we open this door, we're swarmed by enemy forces?" She crossed the room and pointed at the box. "And what if this box is... some kind of weapon against them?"

"That's an awful lot of what if's and maybe's," Janet said, crossing her arms over her chest. "But you have a point. We don't know what caused this and we don't know who or what is outside that door."

Sam turned and looked at the door again. "So... what do we do?"

"Sit tight. This *is* a military base. If something did happen to us, the government is bound to send someone to investigate. Hopefully someone who'll be able to fill us in on who we are."

The blonde sighed. "So we just wait?"

"We just wait."

---

After a while, Sam got tired of waiting. "We don't know what's on the other side of that door," she noted for the fifth time in under an hour. "It could be someone just waiting for us to open the door and let them in. Someone *friendly* who knows who we are."

"Could be," Janet agreed. She was sitting on the floor across from Sam, hands resting in her lap. "Or it could be a trap. Someone who knows that we've lost our memory and is willing to take advantage of that."

Sam sighed and leaned against the wall. "You're a very negative person." She blinked, then straightened. "Wait. Wait... What if *you're* the enemy?"

"What?" Janet asked, completely confused.

Sam struggled to her feet. "It makes sense... I mean, bring a prisoner to a room, pretend you're both suffering from amnesia. Why are you so keen on keeping me in this room?" She was still working this plan out in her head, but it sounded like a winner. So she kept at it. "Amnesia is the perfect cover. I forget regulations, I forget swearing to secrecy. And besides, you're apparently on my side. When my memory starts coming back, I could easily let important information slip."

Janet stood. "Sam, that's ridiculous. I assure you, I'm just as confused about this situation as you are."

"Which I only have your word about."

Janet rolled her eyes and searched for an answer. Finally, she said, "Okay. Let's say I *am* an enemy agent." Sam took a step back. "Which I am not. But... then how would you explain the bond we feel? I mean... I can't be the only one feeling this."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"When I woke up," Janet explained, "and I saw you over me... I didn't know who you were and I didn't know who I was, but I felt like it didn't matter. Everything would be okay. That's... what I've been feeling ever since I woke up. That you and I are, at the very least, close friends is the only thing that makes sense to me. And you're telling me you can't feel our connection?"

Sam exhaled slowly. "I feel it. I... didn't want to mention it."

"Why not?"

The blonde shrugged and moved to the glass wall. "There should be people here. Watching. It-it's an observation room." She climbed onto the table, walking over to the glass and pressing her face against it to look left and right. "I can't see anyone in the halls."

"Get down from there," Janet ordered. "You're going to get hurt. And stop avoiding my question. Why didn't you want to mention how you felt about me?"

Sam turned and said, "Because I feel like we're a lot more than friends."

"Oh." She looked down at her name tag and said, "Do you think maybe we're sisters? Married to other people, which would explain the last names."

Dropping to the floor, Sam wiggled the fingers of her left hand. "No ring. And I don't see one on your hand. And, no offense, I doubt you and I are from the same gene pool." She smiled. "And besides, w-what I feel for you isn't... familial."

Janet felt herself blushing. "Oh." She turned and looked at the examination table. "This box could be important."

Considering the subject dropped, Sam walked around to the other side. They had subconsciously taken the positions that had apparently been in when disaster struck. Janet slipped her hands into the wide black sleeves, her fingers flexing inside of the protective yellow gloves. Sam frowned and asked, "Should we keep messing with it?"

With a shrug, Janet picked up the tongs and said, "It could be the answer to whatever this is."

"Stop messing with it," Sam said, her voice firm. "Just... don't." She scratched her chin. "I-I don't want you to get hurt again."

Janet withdrew her hands again, letting them drop to her sides. "Okay. So what do you propose we do?"

---

The paper was marked by over a dozen cross-hatched lines. The segments each formed nine boxes and each box was filled with various combinations of X and O. Sam found a blank spot and drew two more sets of parallel lines. "Wanna be O again?"

"Sure," Janet said, resting her chin in her palm. She used the pen from her blouse pocket to mark her move: center square.

Countering with an X in the center square on the top row, Sam said, "You getting a little bored with this? We could play rock-paper-scissors."

"Nah," Janet said, adding a second O to the bottom left corner. Sam marked the upper right. "It's just a little tedious," the brunette said as she marked the upper left square with another O.

Sam lifted her pen to make her next move, then realized what Janet had done: she had set up two possible ways to win. "Oh, you sneak!" Sam hissed, marking a random square. Janet circled the bottom right square and drew a line connecting her three circles. "How'd you get so good at this?" the blonde asked.

"I watch a lot of Hollywood Squares," Janet sighed. "It's a lot more fun with Tom Bergeron... What other games can we play?"

Sam capped her pen and sat up. "What did you just say?"

"I asked what other game can we play?" Janet said, crumpling the paper into a ball and hurling it towards the trash can.

"No," Sam said, scooting forward. "You said you watch a lot of something called Hollywood Squares."

Janet blinked. "I-I did... What is that?"

Sam laughed. "I don't know! But... you remembered something! Maybe whatever this is, it's wearing off!"

"Let's not get our hopes up," Janet said. "Maybe it was just a... an abberation." She brushed her hands on her lap, slowly picking herself up off the floor. One thing she *definitely* remembered what that she hated sitting in a skirt. "Are you tired at all?"

"A little," Sam admitted, tossing her pen back onto the counter. "Why?"

Janet shrugged. "I was feeling a little wasted," she said.

Sam went to one of the cabinets they had explored earlier and pulled out a blanket. It was a fire blanket, meant to be used in emergencies, but it would do. "Here," Sam said. "Sweet dreams."

Janet reluctantly took the blanket, going back to the spot where she had come to earlier. She looked at the spot on the floor, then said, "Sam?"

"Uh-huh?" the blonde said, distracted now by a game of solo-tic-tac-toe. "Want me to turn off the lights?"

"No. Uh... it's just that, ah..." She closed her eyes. "I don't... think I want to sleep alone."

Sam looked up.

"I'm not... it's not... I just think that I would sleep better if you were right next to me. It would be easier to relax knowing you were... right there."

Sam stood and walked over to Janet, taking the blanket from her. "No problem, Janet. I think we could both use a little comfort tonight." She indicated the room and asked, "Where do you wanna sleep?"

With a shrug, Janet pointed down. "I guess here is as good a place as any. I'd rather sleep on one of these mats than the concrete."

"Good enough," Sam said, dropping the blanket and pulling off her lab jacket. Catching Janet's raised eyebrow, she said, "Well, I figured we could use them for pillows."

"Ah," Janet said, breathing a little easier. "Right. Smart idea."

Sam grinned, unable to resist a little mischief. "What? You didn't think I was going to strip down to my skivvies with a complete stranger, did you?"

Janet blushed and said, "I... just... let's just go to sleep."

She laid down on the floor, pulling the blanket up and over herself. Sam grabbed another fire blanket from the locker and laid it down right next to Janet's. Before laying down, she walked to the door and turned off the lights. The observation room was still lit, offering them a sort of nightlight. Sam laid down, her arm against the examination table. She rolled onto her side and looked at Janet. "Worried?"

"Yeah," Janet admitted, her voice low as if she was afraid of being caught talking after lights-out. "I mean... how long will it take for them to realize something's wrong? And... even once they find out, they'll probably have threat-assessment, examination of the facilities... it could be a week or more before they get to us."

"You have any pressing engagements?" Sam inquired.

"Not that I can remember," Janet smirked. "But... I don't know. I'm just anxious. And hungry."

Sam patted herself down, looking for the bulge she had felt earlier. She withdrew a shiny gold package that was crumpled and smashed. Opening where the package said "PULL HERE," she discovered two thin bars of chocolate. "Hey," she said, offering one to Janet. "It's called a Twix, I guess. Want one?"

"Yes, please." She took the candy and bit the tip, chewing slowly. "Y'know," she said, her mouth full, "I *did* win the majority of our tic-tac-toe games. It would only be fair if I got both."

Sam extended her hand, holding the other bar out to Janet.

The brunette chuckled. "I-I was kidding." She laughed and took another bite, staring up at the ceiling. "You were going to give it to me, weren't you?"

Sam shrugged. "You're hungry."

"Well... so are you. But you were going to give me your only food."

Another shrug from the beautiful blonde.

Janet rested her head on the balled-up lab coat and ate a little more of her candy. "Maybe we *are* more than just friends," she whispered.

---

With no clocks, no sunrise and no way to determine what was going on in the outside world, Janet woke up when she felt rested. She had no idea how long she had been out, and had no way to find out. 'Must be morning,' she decided. 'Otherwise I would still be tired.' It was then that she noticed that Sam had migrated across the mat and was curled against her side. Janet looked down at the blonde, not too surprised to find that her own arm had wrapped around the other woman. She patted the Sam's shoulder and whispered, "Hey. You awake?"

"No," Sam replied, snuggling her face closer. It took a moment, but she finally realized what she was doing and sat up quickly. "Whoa... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Janet chuckled. "It's okay. I don't have rabies or anything... I didn't mind cuddling up with you."

Sam smiled nervously and started an in-depth examination of the walls. "All the same... sorry. I shouldn't have..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Any idea what time it is?"

"Um... waking up time, I suppose." Janet followed Sam's gaze and said, "What's so interesting?"

"It's..." Sam chuckled. "Okay..." She leaned forward and brushed the pad of her thumb over Janet's cheek, bringing it back smeared with brown fudge.

Janet's eyes widened. "Oh, crap! The candy bar!" She looked down, relieved to see that none of it had melted on her clothing. She finished wiping off her mouth and face, then turned back to Sam. "Did I get it all?"

"Thumbs up," Sam reported, standing by the observation room window. "Still no sign of our gallant rescuers. Maybe we should send out some kind of..." She paused, then turned back to Janet. "Do you trust me?"

Alarm bells went off in the brunette's head. "Why?"

Sam walked to the door. "I'm going to go out and see if I can find some help. Or some food or something... at the very least, I'm going to find out if we're really stuck in this godawful room until help arrives. D-do you trust me to do that?"

"Yes," Janet admitted without hesitation. "I do. But... be careful, all right? We don't know what caused this."

Sam nodded and walked to the closet. She withdrew a protective mask and brought it to Janet. "Put that on... cover yourself with the fire blankets until I get the doors closed again. All right?"

Janet nodded, pulling the plastic mask on over her head. Again, she told Sam to be careful and the blonde's response was a simple smile. Wrapping the blanket around herself like a poncho, Janet pressed herself into the corner and watched as Sam stood in front of the door. The blonde was hesitating, nervous about what she would find. She glanced back at Janet for emotional support and the brunette lifted one thumb. "You gotta come back," Janet said. "I'm not done kicking your ass at tic-tac-toe."

With a cocky grin, Sam responded to Janet's raised thumb with a finger of her own. The middle finger, to be exact. She turned back to the door and pressed the button. The large metal portal slid open and they were no longer protected from the outside.

---

"As we walk together through the autumn nearing winter," Janet whispered, brushing her hand through Sam's short blonde hair. "As we walk together through the autumn nearing winter," she repeated, wishing Sam would just open her eyes already. She cleared her throat and sang, "As we walk together through the autumn nearing winter..." Her voice was getting hoarse.

"Ja..."

She looked down. "Sam?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

The blonde blinked, opening her eyes wide as she tried to gather her bearings. When she finally locked onto Janet's face, she frowned. "Wha' were you singin'?"

Janet chuckled. "I have no idea. I could only remember the first line."

Sam grinned. "Yesterday a TV show, now a song lyric. We'll have this amnesia thing licked before we know it." She realized she was laying in Janet's lap and struggled to sit up.

"Uh-uh-uh," Janet admonished, pushing Sam back down. "You got hit pretty bad."

"Hit?" Sam whispered. "I don't re-remember anything about being hit..."

Janet looked up at the door, again closed against whatever was outside. "As soon as the door opened, you were thrown back by some kind of... of wave. I think it was something chemical, but I can't be sure. I was protected by the blankets and the helmet, so I was able to shut the door. Tell me you're okay."

"I feel fine," Sam insisted. "Just... a little bit woozy. You being here... makes it a li'l better."

That was enough to make Janet's spirits soar. "Just get a little more rest, 'kay? I don't want you overexerting yourself... you're sweating an awful lot. I don't want you to get dehydrated."

"Were you a doctor?" Sam asked, already falling back into her slumber.

"Yeah," Janet replied. "I think maybe I am. Do you want me to sing to you some more?" Sam nodded and Janet cleared her throat. "As we walk together through the autumn nearing winter... as we walk together through the autumn nearing winter... as we walk together..."

---

"As we walk together through the autumn nearing winter Through the dying leaves and trees we call our home and native land."

Sam opened her eyes. "You remembered more."

"Yeah," Janet chuckled, a bit surprised to have interruption. "It just came to me."

Sam nodded, her eyes closed. "Remember anything about us?"

"More of a... revelation than a memory."

"Mm-yeah? What was that?"

Janet brushed Sam's bangs out of her eyes and leaned down, gently kissing the other woman's lips. Shock turned to acceptance as Sam brought one hand up, burying it in the other woman's hair. Janet broke the kiss, looking down at Sam. The blonde blinked and sat up, twisting herself as she turned so that she never lost eye contact with Janet.

Once she was on her knees, Sam leaned forward and kissing the brunette, her fingers resting on Janet's cheeks. Their tongues waltzed slowly, their breath mingling. Both women smelled and tasted like chocolate and caramel due to their bedtime snack. Janet pulled back, her breath continuing to wash over Sam's face as she stroked the blonde's cheeks. "We shouldn't do anything else," she whispered. "Not until we get our memories back."

"You're right," Sam said, her fingers undoing Janet's tie. "Absolutely, one-hundred percent," she tugged on the flimsy blue tie and tossed it aside before continuing down to the buttons. "I cannot believe how right you are. We have to stop." She leaned forward, kissing Janet's throat as she undid the first few buttons of Janet's blouse, her hands immediately skimming over the flesh below.

Janet closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side. Sam pulled the rest of the buttons out of their holes and Janet rolled one shoulder out of the material. Eager to explore this newly exposed flesh, Sam abandoned Janet's throat and dove down to the gentle slope, her tongue following the trail of Janet's collarbone. She nipped lightly at Janet's skin, rising to once again taste the fragrant mixture of Janet's mouth.

"Relationships... re-relationships esta-hah-blished during moments of... stress or-or danger of-often end..." She closed her eyes. It was so hard to concentrate on something as inconsequential as words! Sam cupped Janet's brassiere-clad breasts and began a downward descent to taste them. "Often end," Janet continued, "B-badly."

Sam looked up at Janet as she popped the clasp on the brunette's bra. "That's an interesting theory. Do you remember earlier, when I said we were either doctors or scientists?"

Janet nodded as her underwear was carefully plucked away.

"Well," Sam said, her thumb flicking across one erect nipple. "Scientists would *definitely* have to test out a theory like that." She kissed Janet softly, her hands flattening over the brunette's full breasts. "We should... take notes. Establish a hypothesis..." She nipped at Janet's lower lip, then lowered her head to taste the flesh so recently revealed to her. "And above all... test, test, test. What do you think, Dr. Fraiser?"

Janet rolled her eyes. "The things I do for science," she muttered as she stripped Sam of her t-shirt.

---

Afterward, they rested together under one fire blanket. They didn't bother to get dressed ("Murphy's Law," Janet had offered, suggesting that if they stayed naked, their rescuers were bound to show up to embarrass them) and simply enjoyed each other's body warmth. Janet woke first, kissing the back of Sam's neck and letting her tongue linger to taste the blonde's salty flavor. "You're so beautiful," she whispered.

Sam rolled over so they were facing again, trailing her knuckles over Janet's soft features. "Hey," she said, her voice soft with exhaustion. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Janet nodded. She wrapped her arms around Sam, her hands resting just above the cleft of Sam's rear end. Finally, she asked what she knew they had both been thinking about. "Do you think we're lovers?"

"We are now," Sam smiled.

"I meant... before. Do you think...?"

Sam sighed and put a finger over Janet's lips. "Shh. Janet... I don't know how I could know someone like you and not be attracted. The things I've been feeling for you since we woke up yesterday... I don't know. Love just seems to be a perfect explanation. I know, without much of a doubt, that I was at least in love with you before whatever happened."

Janet smiled. "That makes me feel better. Because... I've been feeling the same way."

"Do you want to try it again?" Sam asked, her eyes gleaming evilly.

"You're insatiable," Janet sighed, her hands already pulling Sam closer.

---

"Have you remembered any more of that song?" Sam asked, making another line between two dots. They were playing a game that Sam didn't know the name of; a grid of dots marked most of the paper. They took turns making lines and seeing who could obtain the most complete boxes. It was mind-numbing, but they'd both had enough of tic-tac-toe and, unfortunately, making love was starting to become too energy-consuming.

Janet shook her head. "I think it was done by a band... it's a ballad. But I can't remember specifics. I've been playing the two lines I *can* remember in my head, but nothing so far."

"I remembered something," Sam revealed with a shrug. "Something called a Stargate. Big, metal ring... Other than that..."

Janet closed another box and marked it with a 'J.' "I noticed something earlier, when we were..." She smiled and indicated the rubber mats where they had spent most of the day.

"What's that?"

Janet looked around, as if worried eavedroppers had suddenly appeared. "We haven't gone to the bathroom since we got here. Did you notice that?"

Sam sat up straight. "You're right. All we've eaten was a candy bar, but we still should still be feeling... urges." She furrowed her brow. "Huh. That *is* odd."

Janet sighed. "I suppose we shouldn't dwell on it. Put it to the back of our minds."

Marking another square, Sam leaned back against the wall and stared at the observation room window. "I hate not doing anything. I love the company," she noted with a smile, "but... I'm getting a little bit stir-crazy in here."

"I understand completely," Janet confided. "But... you have to admit, it is really nice, in it's own way. Nothing to worry about, no responsibilities, no stress... It's peaceful."

Sam shrugged, looking around. "I suppose. And I really want to just... sit back and enjoy it." She reached out and stroked Janet's hand. "And enjoy you, but a part of my mind has gears turning, trying to figure out this whole damn mess. So far, I have no idea what to make of this entire situation."

Janet rested her hands on her hips and exhaled slowly. "You about ready to admit defeat here?"

"Huh? Oh... oh, the game." She smiled. "Sure. Why, are you sleepy?"

Janet nodded. "Came on all of a sudden..." She yawned, then pulled herself up. Once she was standing, she extended a hand and helped Sam to her feet. "You planning to join me in bed?"

"Clothing optional?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Geez. Un*controllably* horny..."

"So sue me," Sam said, pulling at Janet's blouse.

---

Janet woke a few hours later, disappointed to find herself alone. "Sam?" she whispered, propping herself up on one elbow and looking around the lab. "Sam, honey, a-are you here?" The idea of being alone in this situation was unbearable. She managed to get herself into a kneeling position before she spotted Sam in front of the observation room window. Since that area was operated by different controls, they were unable to turn off the lights. Sam's silhouette was outlined sharply by the artificial morning light.

"Sam?" Janet blinked. "What are you doing?" The blonde had pulled her clothes back on and was staring intently into the observation room.

"I saw something," Sam whispered. "Something was moving around in here."

Janet stood, covering herself with the blanket as she gathered her own clothing. "Rescuers?"

Sam shook her head. "Didn't look like us. I mean... well, it looked human. But I don't think it's from wherever we're from."

"Enemies?"

"Hard to say." She turned. "Are you dressed?"

Janet had her skirt on and was struggling to get the sleeves of her blouse turned the right way. "Almost. Give me a second to find my bra."

Sam nodded and turned, searching the lab for something. Finally, she settled on a chair pushed underneath the desk and rolled it towards the window. "What are you going to do?" Janet asked.

Making sure Janet was covered, Sam lifted the chair and said, "Watch out... cover yourself with one of those blankets."

"The chemical wave," Janet argued. "Sam, what if..."

"I don't think there *is* a chemical wave... I think it's all in our heads." She spun, hurling the chair at the glass of the observation window. The glass shattered with the impact, causing a ripple effect to spread from the window, over the ground, spreading across the entire room. Janet screamed as the world imploded.

---

"She's coming around," she heard a voice say.

"Doc? You all right?"

Janet winced at the bright lights of the infirmary. She was going to have to see to that once she was back on-- She stopped mid-thought, realizing that she remembered everything; Cassandra, her ex-husband, the Stargate program... Sam. She blinked, searching for someone to tell her what had happened. General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill were standing next to her bed, looking appropriately relieved and concerned. "Sir. Sir," she greeted them. "Where's..."

"Carter is all right," O'Neill informed her. "She's still unconscious, but Warner says everything is normal. How are *you* feeling?"

She groaned, "Horrible. What happened?"

O'Neill filled in the blanks. "You and Carter wandered off on P8J-433. When we found ya, a group of local religious goofs had taken you hostage and put you in some kinda zoo. Must've knocked you wacky with drugs, searching your brains for information. Carter was conscious when we found you; said you were in a recreation of one of our labs here and didn't know who you were. Must've been awful."

Janet looked over at the next bed, seeing Sam's unconscious form under the blankets. 'So she remembers. I wonder if she regrets...' She looked at O'Neill. "Just terrible, Sir..." She blinked and said, "If you don't mind, could I get a little more rest?"

"Consider it an order," Hammond chimed in. "You and Carter both have a lot of the drugs still piping through your systems." He touched her arm in a fatherly gesture of concern and nodded slightly. "Get well soon, Doctor."

"Yeah," O'Neill said. "Daniel won't know what to do with himself if his favorite patch artist isn't around to clean up after him." He winked. "Sweet dreams, Doc."

Once they were gone, Janet rested her head on the pillow. An alien zoo... She shuddered at how completely suckered she had been; brainwashed, locked in a cage and completely complacent. Of course... that *may* have had something to do with who her cell mate was... She looked over at Sam and saw that the blonde was waking up. "Sam," she managed.

Sam turned slightly, locking her eyes on Janet and managing a hoarse, "Hey."

"We're home," Janet told her. "O'Neill and Hammond will explain everything later."

Sam nodded weakly and closed her eyes for a long moment. "I don't."

"Don't want?" Janet asked.

"Regret it," Sam whispered, already falling back to sleep. "Not a single minute."

Janet smiled and said, "Me neither, Sam."

---

The room was completely destroyed. Coverings were strewn about. Strange markings covered most of the parchment supplied. First knelt and examined the etchings; X's, O's and lines... obviously some kind of arcane language. He dropped the paper and stood, surveying the damage. "It is a shame," he said, his voice low and barely audible.

Second nodded. "We gave them what they desired. Peace. Isolation. Each other... Why did they rebel against the system?"

"These humans seem incapable of taking happiness at face value. Perhaps they did not know what they had found."

"Perhaps," Second admitted. "So they will return to their world? With it's problems and crises and pain? And nothing we have done here will... matter."

First cocked his head slightly. "On the contrary. I believe that they may have gained something in their time here. Something wonderful... perhaps that will be enough."

Second sighed. "One can only pray. Shall we go? We have others to tend to."

"Yes," First said, once again examining the room that had, for a time, been the Garden of Eden for Samantha Carter and Janet Fraiser. "Let us continue to the next."

~End~

Version B