Love & War

Author: Geonn

Rating: R

Pairings: Sam/Janet, established relationship

Disclaimer: Not mine. None of it. I even borrowed the letters that make up the words.

Spoilers: Foothold, Tin Man, Double Jeopardy, Into the Fire, Entity

Series: Ninth in the Ampersand Series

What Came Before: Life & Death, Search & Rescue, Forgive & Forget, Hide & Seek, Light & Dark, Now & Then, True & False, Cookies & Cream

Notes: This takes place approximately two weeks after the events in Cookies & Cream, and the play mentioned occured between True & False and Cookies & Cream. Several events in this story deal entirely with events that occured in past stories. Please feel free to ask if anything confuses, perplexes or downright makes you say 'huh?'

Summary: While Sam and SG-1 face an almost forgotten foe, Janet has to deal with the consequences of a bad decision.

Chapter One

Sam slipped into the house she shared with Janet Fraiser at a quarter past midnight. She had planned to be home earlier, but they had been delayed getting back to the 'gate and the briefing had seemed never-ending. She quietly stepped into the dark living room, noticing the small bump of Janet on one of the recliners.

The doctor had apparently covered her legs with the thick green comforter usually covering the back of the couch and had an open book laying on her lap. Her head was tilted to the side, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted.

Sam paused, looking at the petite brunette in front of her. 'She waited up for me,' Sam marveled. 'No one has ever waited up for me... with the exception of Dad, but that was different.'

Careful not to disturb her sleeping lover, Sam placed the book on the coffee table. She was careful to mark the place with an unopened envelope from the stack of mail. Gently, she pulled back the comforter and placed it on the couch. Janet would have wanted it folded, but that could wait until later. Underneath, Janet was wearing a white t-shirt and socks. Sam smiled, gazing at the lovely woman's bare legs before continuing. Keeping in mind that this certain recliner creaked when weight was shifted, Sam expertly slipped one arm under the brunette's knees and the other around her shoulders. With a slow, deliberate heave, she pulled Janet out of the chair with minimal sound. Janet murmured in her sleep, curling against the warmth of Sam's body. Her hand came to rest innocently on the curve of Sam's breast.

Sam smiled and turned, heading for the stairs. She was halfway up when Janet's eyes opened and she looked at her lover. "Sam?" she whispered.

"Yes, love?"

Janet blinked. "Where we goin'?"

"Bed."

"Oh," Janet sighed, stifling a yawn. Her fingers played over the t-shirt where it laid. When Janet realized what she was groping, her lips turned up in a smile. "I missed you."

"Shh," Sam smiled, trying to turn the doorknob to their bedroom with her hand without dropping Janet. She finally succeeded and stepped inside, kicking the door shut with her foot. She crossed the bedroom in relative darkness, having only the streetlight filtering through the bedroom window to guide her. She could have made it in pitch black. She knew this bedroom like the back of her hand. She placed Janet on top of the blankets, slipping her arms free. Once Janet was on the mattress, Sam was able to rearrange the sheets so that Janet was underneath them.

The brunette rolled onto her side, pulling her knees up and cradling the pillow against her head. "Night, Sam." As she drifted off, she suddenly said, "We got' talk..."

"Tomorrow," Sam promised. "Good-night, Janet. I love you."

"Love you," Janet whispered. She was already gone. Sam moved to the closet and stripped out of her clothes. She had her hand on the faded flannel nightgown she wore when she was going to bed just to sleep, then decided against it. She found a pair of panties in the drawer and pulled them on, walking back to the bed and crawling underneath the blankets. Janet automatically rolled over, cradling her head in the warmth between Sam's neck and shoulder. She lightly kissed the skin there and repeated, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Janet." As she stared at the dark ceiling, she wondered what Janet wanted to talk about. 'Maybe she's changed her mind,' Sam hoped. She kissed the top of Janet's head, laying back against the pillow and succumbing to sleep herself.

---

Sam slowly became aware of the fact that she was alone in bed and sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking for her wandering lover. The bathroom door was open and from her vantage point, Sam could see steam on the mirror. Janet had already showered and was probably making breakfast.

She checked the clock, discovering it was half past six. The sun was beginning to peek through the window, faint rectangles of light spreading on either side of the bed. Sam turned, sitting up and lowering her feet into the fuzzy bunny slippers that Cassie had bought for her for Christmas a few years back.

She plodded to the dresser, pulling the drawer open and pulling out a pair of pink-striped boxer shorts and an old t-shirt. She was about to pull the shirt on when she remembered that Cassie was probably going to join them at breakfast. She put on a bra first, then the t-shirt. She pulled her boxers up and stumbled to the door, her feet tripping in the slippers that had always been several sizes too big.

Passing Cassandra's bathroom, Sam noted that the shower was running. 'Ah, Janet was here!' The fact that the girl was awake and mobile this early was a testament to the lovely doctor's parenting skills. Downstairs, she could smell the unmistakable aroma of bacon cooking, eggs scrambling and coffee brewing. 'The modern family,' Sam mused. 'The love of my life, my daughter... who could ask for more?'

The mantle over the fireplace was dotted with pictures taken of Sam, Janet and Cassie on various holidays. Sam's favorite was the one in front of a lake that was taken either on the Fourth of July or Cassie's last day of school. The girl was posing next to a duck, with her two parents standing behind her. Janet's face - which moments before had been a normal smile - was contorted in a wide 'O,' her eyes as wide as they had ever been. Only Sam knew why.

They had asked a kind man walking his dog to snap the picture and he had happily obliged. The moment the old gentleman had said "Smile," Sam had slipped her hand down Janet's back, cupped her ass, and squeezed. Janet had just enough time to register the assault as the shutter closed and the moment was captured in eternity.

Sam moved away from the mantle and stepped into the kitchen and paused, saving the tableau before her to memory.

Janet was sitting in her regular place, plate of bacon and eggs cooling in front of her. She had the newspaper open in front of her, the news section put aside, her attention focused on the comics. Her brunette hair was still mussed from sleep, her make-up not yet applied. She was dressed in a cotton robe, the sides of which fell apart and revealed her slender, bare legs. She had one leg casually draped over the other, one foot gently tapping the air. She was completely unmade, completely natural, completely Janet. She had never looked so beautiful.

Sam smiled, moving to the stove. "Hiya," she smiled.

"Hi," Janet said softly.

As Sam placed some scrambled eggs to her plate, she looked over her shoulder. She spotted Janet watching her, then look away. Sam smiled and put two strips of bacon alongside the eggs and moved back to the table, dropping into her seat. She picked up her fork, then noticed Janet watching her again. She smiled, suddenly self-conscious. "What?"

"Sam... we have to talk..."

At that moment, Cassandra decided to enter the kitchen. She wore her schoolclothes, her hair still wet from the shower. She trudged past Sam and Janet, moving into the kitchen to prepare her breakfast. "Morning," the girl yawned, heading back to the table. Janet arranged herself, giving Sam a look that said, 'we still need to talk...'

Sam frowned slightly, then went ahead and started eating her breakfast. They ate in relative silence, each woman occasionally stealing a glance at the other.

Cassandra finally broke the silence by saying, "How was the planet, Sam?"

Sam swallowed her mouthful of eggs and said, "Nasty. Even worse than the bathroom when you get done with it."

Cassie rolled her eyes at the jab, then smiled. "Glad you're back." She glanced at Janet, then looked down at her plate.

Sam frowned. "Cass? What happened while I was gone?" *brpp brpp*

Cassie jumped at the sound of the bus horn outside, jumping from her seat. She pecked Sam on the cheek, repeated the motion with Janet, then slipped out the door.

Sam watched her go, then turned her full attention to Janet. "Now... what was that all about?"

Janet picked the napkin off of her lap, carefully folding it. "The day you left for P2J-884, I got a call from Cassandra at school." She placed her hands over the napkin, not making eye contact with the blonde.

"She was in the principal's office. She had apparently gotten into a fight."

"A fight?" Sam said. "Who'd she fight? Why?"

Janet shook her head, dismissing the question. "It was the latest of many. Apparently, she's become quite the expert at fisticuffs."

"Our Cassie?"

Janet nodded slowly. "Four fights in one week. Since you've been off-world, she almost got into another one."

"That doesn't sound like her... Why would she be fighting kids at school?"

The brunette took a deep, shaky breath. "Do you remember the play that Cassandra was in at school about a month ago? She played the Martian?"

Sam's lips tried to smile at the memory, but found it impossible. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Backstage, we went to wish her luck. We were holding hands and, when you thought we were alone, you pushed me into a costume room."

Sam blushed. "Oh."

"We missed the first half of the play," Janet said, still avoiding Sam's eyes. "And, we thought it was just an innocent little fling. Turns out a couple of kids saw us."

"Oh, God," Sam whispered.

"They recognized us from school functions or... or something, I don't even know... But when Cassie started missing school to help Christine Reiner with her pregnancy, a couple of kids took notice of how close the girls were." Janet wiped her cheeks, dabbing them gently with the tip of her napkin. "They're so awful..."

"They're kids, Janet!"

"Kids our daughter goes to school with!" Janet said, wiping her cheeks. "Kids... that tease her that she'll be gay when she grows up. They're already calling her names," she shook her head. "Names I can't bear to repeat."

"What does this have to do with us, Janet? Cass is strong. You saw her. It doesn't affect her." Sam was standing now, slowly moving around the table.

"It's not how strong she is, Sam. The principal thinks that... that the relentless teasing might cause Cassandra to take drastic measures. Prove that she's straight."

Sam rolled her eyes. "He's afraid she'll start sleeping around just to prove she's not gay? C'mon, Janet..."

Janet stood. "It's not that unlikely, Sam. Remember when you were in school? People said you were the brain? They called you the human abacus? Do you remember what you did?"

Sam looked down at her bare feet, leaning against the table. "I bombed a science test," she said weakly. "But that's different..."

"You wanted to prove all those loudmouths wrong. What about Cassie? She doesn't bring her friends by because she's scared they'll walk in on us making out on the couch. She's embarrassed when we go out to movies and drink out of the same cup."

"She's... embarrassed by that?" Sam couldn't believe her ears. Where was all of this coming from, all of a sudden? As she stared at her lover, she slowly began to realize the brunette was hiding something.

"I don't blame you for being surprised," Janet said. "You're never home enough to actually have a heart-to-heart with her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This whole thing is about me being away too long?"

"It's been coming for a long time, Sam. I think... that it would be best for me and for her if maybe we... cooled it for a while."

"Cooled it?!" Sam almost shouted. "Janet, I love you. I love you more than life. If... if it's my job, I'll quit. If it's kids at Cassie's school, I'll go and knock some sense into their heads myself. But don't tell me that you want to break up with me because it's gotten too *hard*."

Janet was openly crying now. "Sam," she whispered. "When you were on Chahakae, I thought I would die. Now, we..." She shook her head, holding her palms out to indicate the kitchen around them.

"Now? What now? What is it about now?"

Janet stood. "After you were rescued, we vowed that we would never let the Air Force dictate our relationship."

"Right," Sam nodded. "I risked my entire career to rescue you from Almierta."

"Right. Sam, don't you see?" She took Sam's hands in her own. "We've gotten so concerned about the Air Force and our careers and our relationship... we haven't been paying any attention to how Cassandra is feeling. We can be more open in the neighborhood because it's non-Air Force. But it's affecting Cassie."

Sam shook her head. "I don't see what you're talking about."

Janet sniffed. "If we're affectionate at the base, we'll be discharged. Or worse, separated. If we're affectionate here, Cassandra is teased."

"So what? We just live together and keep our hands off when we're in pub..." She froze, immediately realizing Janet's intent. "You... don't want to live together?" The question was posed in a hushed whisper, her blue eyes wide with disbelief.

"I... think... it would be for the best."

Sam blinked at Janet, her arms crossed tightly over her breasts. "You... think it would be for the best."

She closed her eyes, then turned her back so that she was no longer facing Janet.

"Sam...," Janet started.

Sam held up her hands. "Do you want me to pack my things? Do... when do you want me out? Is this an eviction notice?" She turned, heading out of the kitchen. Janet was hot on her heels.

"Sam, please..."

The major froze, keeping her back to the brunette.

Janet reached out, longing to grab Sam by the shoulders and spin her around... but something kept her from it. "I don't... we just... I'm sorry."

Sam gently tapped her finger on the bannister. After a long pause, she managed to choke out, "This isn't about Cassie, or the neighborhood kids or teasing at school. It's not about any of that. It's about me proposing, isn't it?"

Janet remained silent.

Sam nodded her head, turning to face Janet with red eyes. "So... It's over?"

Janet sobbed, turning away from Sam. Behind her, she could hear the blonde climbing the stairs and close the door to the bedroom.

---

Janet stared down at her knee, crossed casually over her left leg. She reached down, adjusting the crease so that it was even. Once her pants were satisfactory, she looked up and across the room. The yellow curtains were parted and she looked out over the lawn of the house. She could see her car parked at the corner, under the shade of the large poplar tree. A mail man walked down the street, sorting a handful of mail as he moved.

The woman seated a few feet away softly said, "Take as long as you want."

Janet sighed, trying to will the tears out of her eyes. She knew that if she started to speak, the tears would start flowing. She settled for another sigh.

"Do you want to just continue this another time?"

"No," Janet said, touching her forehead with the tips of her fingers. "No, I can do this."

"Okay," the woman said, nodding. "It's just that I know how difficult it is for you. Just... take your time. Put your thoughts together."

Janet closed her eyes. The psychiatrist, Sandra Coulson, was a well-kept secret at the SGC. After the Touched virus had broken out at the base, an Air Force lieutenant had visited Dr. Coulson in order to work through his feelings about his actions as a 'neanderthal.' He had tried to work his way around the Stargate, used euphanisms and metaphors, but had eventually broken down and told her about the entire project. Since she was a psychiatrist and her meetings *were* confidential, she would be fine as long as she signed a confidentiality agreement.

Ever since that day, she had been used by officers wishing to keep bigger secrets; get things off their chest that they weren't comfortable sharing with Dr. MacKenzie.

Janet pulled a Kleenex out of the box on the table, wadding it in her hand. "I told Sam... that I was scared of Cassie being forced to prove her sexuality... I told her that I was angry about her not being home very much. I told her it would be better if we... we didn't get married or even live together. She's moving her stuff out right now."

Dr. Coulson, stating the obvious, said, "I guess she took it bad."

Janet chuckled mirthlessly, dabbing her eyes with the Kleenex. "Took it bad... of course she took it bad... I mean, how could she *not* take it bad?" She dabbed her eyes. "I shouldn't have ended it."

Sandra shook her head. "Janet, you've been coming to me for weeks. Every session is about your fears of this relationship. Why do you put yourself through this?"

"What do you mean?"

Sandra tapped her pen on the top of the notebook. "Sam is forbidden fruit. The only reason you want her is because you can't have her. You have ample reason to stop seeing her, yet you remain. My advice is to kick her completely out of your life. Take Cassie, ask for a transfer to... I don't know, Alaska. Get rid of Samantha Carter completely."

Janet sat up, forcefully staring at the doctor. "No. I won't do that."

Sandra smiled. "Very good, Janet." She leaned forward. "To hear you talk about it, you'd think the entire reason you're with Sam was the knowledge you were doing something wrong. I've seen you with her, Janet. You showed up here in tears at the thought that she was leaving you. And the fact that you won't leave her, despite the pressure to do so, tells me one thing. You love her. The real question is... why don't you want to marry her? The Air Force? Regulations?"

Janet shook her head.

"Alan?"

The brunette froze, her fingers tightening around the Kleenex in her hand.

Sandra tapped her pencil against the arm of her chair. "This would take too long to finish right now. For your sake, and for Sam and Cassandra, go. Stop her before she leaves."

"But... but Cassie's fighting. I can't deny she's fighting kids at school."

"Which is something she needs to deal with. I'd be happy to talk with her, but not right now. We've established that you love Sam. You're happier with Sam than you've ever been. And Sam would be lost without you."

"That's just speculation."

"No, Janet. She's told me. You're the best thing that ever happened to her. I can only imagine what she's going through now." She set aside her notepad and pen and stood, kneeling in front of Janet. "Do me a favor? Next time, don't come to talk to me. Go upstairs, put away the suitcases and talk to Sam. Make love to her if she doesn't want to talk. Just work through it yourself. There's no need to complicate matters."

Janet dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex. "It... It seemed so huge this morning."

"It was. Because *you* made it huge. Next time, just look at the beautiful woman across from you and erase all the doubts from your mind. Now go home. Take a bath with her, crawl into bed with her, *fight* with her if you have to... just communicate."

Janet smiled. "Thank you, Sandra."

"The check is in the mail," she winked.

Janet chuckled. "Thanks..."

---

A steady, but light rain had started falling on her trip home from Dr. Coulson's office.

Janet's heart sank when she saw that Sam's car wasn't in the driveway of the house. 'Am I too late?' She parked in front of the garage door, stepping out of the car and opening the garage door manually. Sam's bikes were parked along the left side. Janet released the breath she had been holding. If Sam had left, she would be back. No way she was abandoning those motorcycles. Janet closed the garage, leaving her car parked in the driveway.

She went up the walk, wondering where Sam could have gone. She opened the front door, noting that it was unlocked. Sam was never that careless, usually. She went upstairs, calling out, "Sam?" even though she knew the blonde wasn't there. The bedroom door was open and Janet slipped inside.

A suitcase was laying open on the bed, but no clothes were in it. The sheets were rumpled and the pillow pulled away from the headboard. Janet lightly touched the slipcover of the pillow, feeling the tell-tale wetness of freshly shed tears. She felt her heart clench at the thought of Sam sobbing not long ago. She turned, looking over the bedroom. No drawers hung open, the closet doors were closed. She could see Sam's toothbrush laying on the sink. Had Sam run out to see a psychiatrist, too?

As she passed the nightstand, she saw the flashing light on the CallerID, indicating a missed call. She walked to it and pressed the review button. All that appeared were the words: Confidential Caller. She gasped. The only confidential number they would have received would be from the base... that would also be the only reason for Sam's hasty retreat. SG-1 had been assigned a mission and would probably be gone for who knows how long.

Janet turned, running down the stairs and fumbling in her pocket for her car keys. She couldn't just wait until SG-1 got back to tell Sam she was wrong. She had to catch her before she left.

Chapter Two

The road that led to Cheyenne Mountain was blocked by a large chain-link fence, usually manned by only one soldier. There were other checkpoints on the way to the entrance to the mountain, so it was really just a formality to keep lookie-loos away. As Janet approached it that rainy morning, she noticed that three men were posted at the first gate. Her pulse quickened slightly as she pulled to a stop and lowered her window.

A soldier approached, bending slightly to look into the car. "Morning, Dr. Fraiser. I didn't think you were expected until later."

She handed him her ID card, looking at the other two guards. "I thought I'd come in early. Has, uh, Major Carter come in yet?"

"Yes, ma'am," the soldier nodded, glancing at her ID before handing it back. "Around a half hour ago."

"Any idea what's going on?"

The guard shook his head, "That would be classified, ma'am. You can pull on through."

She rolled the window back up and pulled through the open gate. The only reason there would be extra security was if something was happening at the base. That, too, would be the only reason that Sam would leave so quickly. Something was wrong.

She passed all the other checkpoints and parked in her usual space, quickly heading for the elevators. Visions of Tok'ra, Goa'uld and Asgard emergencies from years past flew through her mind. She frantically punched the button for Level 28 and immediately began wishing the elevator was faster.

As she exited the elevator, she ran forward to the command area, where she could see General Hammond pacing nervously. "General! What's going on?"

He turned and saw her approaching. "Dr. Fraiser, I thought you were coming in..."

"I know, I know," she interrupted. "What's going on?"

"You'll be briefed in full soon. All I can tell you right now is that we have engaged an enemy and are preparing for a battle."

Her heart clenched. "Sir... the United States is already on alert..."

"I know, Doctor. We're dealing with bare-bones in regards to our soldiers. All we can spare is SG teams 1 and 3."

Janet peered through the glass at the gate room below. The Stargate was active, the event horizon shimmering a few yards away. At the bottom of the ramp, flanking a MALP, were the members of SG-1. Her heart leapt at the sight of the back of Sam's head, mostly hidden by the helmet she wore.

Jack O'Neill made a motion with his hand, indicating to his team to move forward. Sam started up the ramp without so much as a backward glance. Janet fought with all her might to resist the urge to rush into the gate room and grab the blonde.

After a few seconds, the MALP slipped into the wormhole and vanished, followed closely by Sam. As the major slipped out of sight, Janet inadvertently released a quiet whimper. The Stargate disengaged, separating her from her lover by billions of miles. She took a breath and asked, "What is going on, Sir?"

He sighed, then turned to her. "You'll be briefed in a moment, Doctor. Please, wait for me in the briefing room?"

"Yes, sir," she said, saluting him before walking off.

---

To her dismay, she found the coffee maker empty and the box of coffee grounds missing from it's usual position on the tabletop in the briefing room. She walked to the water carafe on the table against the far wall and tried to pour a glass, succeeding only in spilling water all over the glass surface.

As she sipped the lukewarm water, General Hammond entered with Major Davis from the Pentagon. He nodded in recognition before settling into his seat.

"Dr. Fraiser," Hammond began. "I wanted to wait until Major Davis arrived before I explained the situation. Better than explaining it twice."

She sat across from the dark-haired man. "I understand, Sir. Major Davis," she nodded.

"Dr. Fraiser. Nice to see you again."

Hammond slid two file folders to them, both marked with the SGC insignia and a marking that read: Classified.

"Last Tuesday, SG-9 came in contact with a friendly race known as the Cheletans. They were a peaceful people, willing to share what little technology they had in exchange for literature."

"Literature?" Davis questioned. "They want stories, sir?"

"Basically. It seems that they haven't developed a system of publishing. Much of their folklore has been lost over the generations and they're suffering from a severe lack of folklore.

"It doesn't seem that vital, Major, but they apparently feel it's important enough to agree to trade. SG-9 discovered that the Cheleta possessed a certain antibiotic that seemed to heal a variety of diseases. We were eager to develop diplomatic relations with these people. SG-9 returned five days ago and we immediately began accumulating some of the best literature of our world. Shakespeare, Hemingway, even some modern authors like Stephen King and JRR Tolkien were included. We had a few scholars go over the works and ensure that most Earth-based references were either deleted or re-worded so that the Cheletans could understand them.

"All in all, the procedures took a total of five days. When SG-9 planned their return to the planet, they were expecting a welcoming party. What they got was a volley of heavy weapons fire. Before the Stargate closed, we received word that SG-9 was rapidly running out of ammunition and Colonel Niccol was, unfortunately, killed in action. I sent SG-3 through at approximately 1000 this morning and they sent back word that SG-9 had been taken as hostages by the Cheletans. We've heard nothing from the front lines since."

Janet frowned. "What made the Cheletans turn on us? Did we offend them somehow?"

"It's uncertain what, if any, their motivation was. The Cheletans have refused to speak with us. Any call for negotiation is answered with more violence."

Davis looked up from his report. "I've scanned Colonel Niccol's report... he doesn't seem to mention anything about seeing any weapons during his time with the Cheletans. In fact, he refers to them as, and I quote, 'the most docile race I've ever come across.' How could they have reversed in... in a handful of days?"

"Many things can change in a week, Major," Hammond said. "They may have had allies who disagreed with the treaty and forced the Cheletans to attack. We simply won't know until this battle is over."

"And when will it end, sir?"

Hammond shrugged, sighing. "Colonel O'Neill has orders to return immediately as soon as they liberate SG-9. Unfortunately, the Cheletan society is rather vast. They may have to fight their way back to the Stargate. I think you should prepare the infirmary for heavy casualties, Doctor."

"Yes, sir," Janet nodded, standing with a crisp salute. Hammond returned the gesture, then headed back to the control room.

---

Janet nervously waited for the phone to be answered. Finally, there was a click. "Hi! This is the Fraiser and Carter residence. We're not home right now..."

She waited for the message to play out, then spoke after the beep. "Cass, baby, Sam and I are both stuck at work. I, uh, I don't know when we'll be back, but I think I'll hold off on calling Mrs. Davenport." She smiled, knowing that Cassandra would whoop with joy that she *finally* didn't have to have a babysitter. "Call me when you get this message, okay? I'll try to come home tonight but... I don't know. Be sure you're in bed by ten and try to wake up in time for school tomorrow. I love you, baby."

She hung up and looked at the phone for a moment. In the closed confines of her office, she laid her head on the desk and began to sob quietly.

---

The first thing Sam heard as she stepped onto the alien terrain was a massive explosion. In front of her, Jack O'Neill dove to his right, disappearing over a gentle hill. She followed suit, noticing that the MALP had been hit by weapon's fire. She found herself at the bottom of the hill, along with Jack and Teal'c. Daniel joined them a few minutes later, his face marked by a few bleeding scrapes. He had apparently been hit by debris from the MALP.

"Well, they certainly know how to welcome their enemies, don't they?"

Sam ignored her CO's joke. She hated wars, especially wars fought on alien planets. The enemy always knew where they were going to be coming from, which meant ambushes were insanely easy to plan. She often marvelled at the fact that they had been so successful fighting the Goa'uld. She decided to inform Jack of her plan. "Sir, SG-3 sent back some intelligence on the layout here. There's a group of buildings just through those trees over there," she pointed. "That's where they were picking up SG-9's radio signal."

"All right," Jack nodded. "So all we gotta do is get there, bust them out, get back to the Stargate and dial home without getting killed in the process. Cake."

Sam nodded grimly.

Daniel groaned, brushing his hair out of his eyes and removing his glasses. The right lens was covered by a spiderweb of cracks. "So how do we get past our welcome wagon out there?"

Teal'c adjusted his grip on his staff weapon and used the butt end to draw in the sand. "We are here... there is a dense tree covering there," he said, pointing at the copse that Sam had indicated a few seconds ago. "I shall draw their fire. You shall find cover there."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack said. "Let's do it."

Teal'c crouched and prepared to stand, a look of grim determination etched across his features. His hands, looking like they had been carved from marble, clenched and unclenched around the staff weapon. Sam lined up behind Daniel while Jack prepared to lead the way. He peeked over the top of the hill, then nodded. "On three... one... two..."

He broke into an immediate run after breaking from his crouch, opening fire on the enemy. Daniel followed as the Cheletans began to return fire. Teal'c rose from his position and steadied his staff weapon, firing into the grove where most of the enemy fire was emanating from. The fire ceased for a moment, as if the Cheletans were trying to determine which target to shoot. Finally, they settled on Teal'c since he had their position locked down and was actually causing damage. The ground around Teal'c's feet kicked up as bullets dug into it. The Jaffa didn't halt in his cover fire, he simply stepped back and crouched slightly to avoid being hit.

Sam reached the tree cover and stopped, pulling a hand grenade from her belt. She pulled the pin loose, held the grenade tightly and locked onto where Teal'c had been firing. Once she had it pinpointed, she concentrated on all those Sunday afternoon football games with her father and brother. 'C'mon, Dad, there's no way she'll get that ball all the way down here!' Drawing on that power, she lobbed the grenade. It vanished into the trees and, mere seconds later, leaves and branches were thrown outward like kindling.

Teal'c ducked, making a break for the trees as Cheletans began flooding out of the tree line. As Teal'c passed her, she watched the Cheletans as they scurried from their hiding places, their skin and clothes burning. They pawed at their chests, pulling at something. Sam frowned, trying to determine what they could have been trying to remove. She shook her head and followed Teal'c into the undergrowth.

---

There was a light knock on the door, and Janet looked up to see Charlotte Parker standing just outside her office. "Charlotte! Hi..."

"Hi. Dr. Fraiser. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I did. I was wondering how Dr. Roth was doing? She's called in sick the past few days. I just wanted to be sure it was nothing serious." The relationship between Charlotte and Amy was the source of much gossiping, but none of it was mean-spirited. Charlotte had been through a lot and the people who knew she had found happiness were happy for her.

Charlotte smiled. "She's fine, I guess. Her little alien parasite decided to learn what the flu felt like. She's been bed-ridden for a couple of days."

Janet smiled slightly. "Ah, well... tell her we miss her. Especially now."

"Yes," Charlotte said, her smile fading. "Any word from Cheleta?"

"SG-1 just went through... General Hammond tried several times to contact the MALP but he hasn't gotten any information."

Charlotte nodded. "I see... I know they'll come out of this without a scratch. How many times have we been certain they wouldn't be back..."

"...only to have them walk back in without a scratch," Janet said, nodding. "I know. But it only takes one, you know?"

"I know," Charlotte nodded. "Believe me."

Janet winced slightly. If anyone was an expert at the deadly nature of the Stargate, it was the woman in front of her. Two members of her team, her lover, and a good friend had all been killed in the line of duty in a matter of months. "Look, uh, if you want to talk or anything... I'd be happy to listen."

"Thanks," Charlotte smiled. "I'd like that... but I should go check on Amy."

"Right. I'll see you, Charlotte."

"Bye, Dr. Fraiser."

As the young girl left, Janet sighed and looked at the picture on the corner of her desk. It was a photograph of Sam and Cassie at the lake, sitting on the edge of the dock. Sam's feet were barely dipped in the water, her jeans rolled up to the knee. Cassie was sitting in her lap, staring out over the water. Sam's chin was resting on top of the teenagers, her eyes half-closed. A towel was wrapped around both of them. Janet picked up the picture, tracing the line of Sam's cheek. "I love you so much, Sam... come back to me..."

The pain wasn't entirely from the thought that Sam would die. It was mostly from the knowledge that, if the worst did happen, Sam would have to die thinking that Janet didn't love her anymore. Janet leaned back in her chair, holding the picture to her chest. Quietly, she repeated, "Come back to me..."

---

Night was falling by the time they reached the structures. Jack and Sam crouched behind a large bush while Daniel and Teal'c covered their backs. Jack pulled a pair of small binoculars from his jacket pocket and scanned the shadowy alleys between the buildings. "I'm countin'... three guards at each building. Maybe four... All armed. We're gonna have a hard time getting through there." He sighed and glanced at Teal'c. "Are you getting any signals from SG-9's radio?"

Teal'c checked the monitor on his belt. "It is very weak... but steady. I believe they are attempting to contact us."

"So they're alive," Daniel whispered.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "But for how long? Sir, I have a plan."

"Let's hear it."

"I think I can attract their fire, Sir. If I make a break for that building," she said, indicating a shack set apart from the other buildings, "they'll try to apprehend me. You, Teal'c and Daniel will be able to get into the building holding SG-9."

"Negative, Carter. Can't have you risking yourself on a suicide mission."

"Sir... why not, Sir?"

He half-smiled, still watching the shadowy guards moving about a few yards away. "You're the only one of us with someone waiting back home."

Sam tightened the grip on her gun, fighting the urge to hit the colonel with it. "We talked about this, Sir. You said that you were fine with my relationship so long as it didn't have an effect on my ability to function as an officer. Well, you're making it an issue now."

Jack's smile vanished. "Teal'c would be better equipped to draw their fire, Major."

"You need him with you, Sir. In case you come across danger inside. And Daniel might be able to communicate with any peaceful Cheletan civilians you may come across... He said they speak in some weird Arabic dialect. Sir, I have to do this."

Jack sighed. "Anyone else have any brilliant plans?"

"Sir," Sam snapped. "This is the plan, like it or not. If we want to get our people out of this damned place, we have to move now."

"Teal'c?" he said, ignoring her. "You have any Jaffa stratagies we could pull out?"

Sam clenched her teeth. "Do what you want, Sir," she said, spitting the last word at him. "But you make damn sure this isn't in vain."

Before Jack could question or stop her, she had stood and was running across the field towards the abandoned building.

Jack hissed, "Damn it... okay, move in, guys."

The Cheletans were already shouting at each other, moving away from the small cluster of buildings to intercept the trespasser. Sam lifted her rifle, opening fire on the aliens as she neared the shack. She reached her destination and flattened herself against the wall, making herself as invisible as possible.

Jack and Daniel were moving towards the building housing SG-9's radio signal. Teal'c kept an eye out for Cheletans who weren't hunting Sam. Jack found the correct building and kicked the door in, rushing into the small building and sweeping the room with his gun. The four living members of SG-9 were sitting against the far wall, their wrists and ankles bound with thick rope. Lieutenant Scott Freeman, the ranking member of the team after Niccol's death, looked up and smiled. "Colonel O'Neill, you are a sight for damn sore eyes."

Jack knelt next to Freeman, looking around the small room as he loosed the knife from his belt. Plates of half-eaten meals and pitchers of putrid water laid nearby, some of it spilled onto the floor. "Where's SG-3?"

"Sir?"

Jack frowned. "SG-3. They were sent through a few hours before us... they never showed up here?"

"No, Sir. You're the first sign of hope we've seen since we showed up here."

"That's odd," Daniel frowned.

"Damn odd," Jack concurred, cutting the last of the ropes off of Freeman's wrists. "Let's free the rest of you and get you guys home."

"Colonel O'Neill!" Teal'c warned from outside. "The Cheletans return!"

Daniel left the building to help his teammate hold off the attacking forces while Jack and Freeman untied the remaining prisoners. Once the entire team had been liberated, they stood and moved towards the door.

---

Sam decided the shack was a pitiful cover and made her way back into the woods, the sounds of pursuing Cheletans hot on her heels. She was panting, her undershirt sticking to her back as she began to sweat heavily. Her heart was pounding, slamming against her ribs as she narrowly avoided low-hanging branches and tree stumps that threatened to trip her up.

A few twigs snapped in her face as she ran and she could feel blood beginning to seep from the small scrapes. If she could just evade her enemy long enough to circle around and make it back to the Stargate, everything would be fine. Her mind wandered to the last time she had been pursued through the forest, thinking the Stargate was her refuge. It had been on what she later discovered was a world called Chahakae and she was being pursued by a monstrous being called the Rakazsha.

A heavy branch slammed into her right shoulder, threatening to drop her. She winced and grabbed her arm, wondering what kind of tree it had to have been to hurt that bad. Another one whipped across lower back, making her entire side burn. Back? How could a branch of hit her in the ba... She looked down, inadvertantly slowing. A ragged hole had been cut in her jacket, blood seeping across the green material. Her shoulder had also been hit, the blood already running down her sleeve. The Cheletans had shot her. Suddenly, a massive body slammed into her from behind and she was tossed to the forest floor. She felt the unmistakeable press of a boot against her neck as strong hands gripped her wrists to keep her from moving. She assumed she was being held by at least three men, but it could have been more. All she could see were thick tree trunks and the boots of other Cheletan soldiers as they surrounded her.

One of her captors was speaking into a communication device. She could only hear one side of the conversation; the replies were probably coming in on an earpice.

"Cha oo'l ipta ree'oe... efeda."

He paused, the boot on her neck increasing it's pressure and forcing her face into the mud and leaves of the forest floor. The pain from her side and shoulder were throbbing now.

"Epre tenghre ad'yatic ke. Ke! Ad'yatic, Carter, Tau'ri..."

'He knows my name?' Sam marveled. 'How could he possibly know my name?'

Suddenly, the boot was lifted and she was hefted to her feet. The men holding her arms spun her around so she could see the man who had been speaking into the communication device. He was large, his skin covered with black camoflague paint. He hissed, "You ah a veddy 'portant prisonah, Majah Cartah." She noticed her only affected the odd accent when he spoke English. "I vill be highly re'arded fo' bringing you to our leadah."

He nodded at the guards and one of them slipped a mask over her face. She struggled against them, trying to break free. "Restrain her!"

She felt a small pinprick at the base of her neck. "No," she whispered. "Nonononono," she chanted as the burning liquid began to course through her veins. Her knees buckled as the poison began to take affect. As her mouth dried, she began to cough. "We... we... rescued S...G... G-9." She fell to her knees. "We rescued our team."

"You are worth four teams, Majah Cartah," he chuckled.

She felt consciousness slip away as the men began to half-carry, half-drag her through the wooded area. She was a prisoner of war.

Chapter Three

The answer to the mystery of SG-3's disappearance was sitting in plain sight in the Gate Room. Captain Charles Borden was sitting on the edge of the ramp, his entire right leg severed just above the knee. The rest of his team were in various states of disaster; Lieutenant Travis Sloane had been shot twice, Lieutenant Aubrey Welch was unconscious and bleeding from a head wound, and the leg of Sergeant Donna Welles' uniform was ripped and blackened with blood. Sloane and Welles seemed to be incoherent, staring into space and trying to catch their breath.

As Janet Fraiser wrapped the stump of Captain Borden's leg, she looked over at Lieutenant Welch. The young woman was beginning to come to. "Aubrey? Lieutenant Welch, can you hear me?"

Aubrey looked up, her eyes glassy. "Doc Frais... errr?" the girl slurred.

"Yes, it's me... you made it back. Lieutenant, I need you to tell me what happened out there... if you can, that is." She raised one finger in front of Borden's face, slowly moving it from one side to the other to gauge his response as Aubrey responded.

The girl shook her head, light brown locks shaking back and forth against her porcelein features. "They forced us to head back to the Gate before we even had a chance to find SG-9's signal. But as soon as we were within range of the DHD, they surrounded us. We were close to succumbing when SG-1 came through and diverted their attention."

"So what's all the damage?"

"Someone on SG-1 threw a grenade to distract the damned Cheletans. It landed right next to Captain Borden's boot and... well... did that."

"All this damage is friendly fire?"

"Looks like it, ma'am," Aubrey said, weak. Her eyes were locked on the blood-soaked bandage on her CO's leg. "Do you want me to go to the infirmary?"

"Good enough... Nurse, get Captain Borden on a gurney and take him to the infirmary. See that the on-call nurse takes care of him."

As Borden was tended to, Janet knelt next to Travis Sloane, checking the bullet wounds, he was frowning at the control room. "We went through the Stargate?"

"Yes, you made it back through the 'gate. Can you follow my finger please?" She lifted her index finger and began to move it slowly from left to right. Sloane turned his attention to her, following it with ease. "Very good," Janet smiled. "We'll get you back to the infirmary and patched up right away."

As Borden was lifted onto a gurney, he laughed suddenly, shaking his head. Janet turned. "What's so funny, Captain?"

"After SG-1 threw the grenade... I just remember pain. I don't even remember how we made it to the DHD."

Janet smiled. "Sloane and Welles don't seem very hurt... maybe they dialed."

Borden shook his head. "They were out before the grenade was even thrown. There's no way either of 'em got the whole team to the 'gate." His smile had vanished. "We were in enemy territory," he suddenly realized. "How'd we get to the DHD? It's... it's impossible."

"Apparently it's not impossible, Captain. You're here. Let's just get you to the infirmary and see what we can find out, okay?"

He nodded weakly, laying back and closing his eyes. As he was wheeled out of the room, he muttered once more, "It doesn't make sense..."

---

Dirt. Dirt in her mouth, in her nose. Rocks. Scratching her cheeks. Stopping. Water running. A creek, or river. Water... in her nose! In her mouth! Drowning! No! Back to air! Dirt again, but now mud. Finally stop. Rest.

Sam weakly opened her eyes, the effect of the drug wearing off. Strong arms picked her up and dropped her onto her back. Shadowy outlines floated in the sea of air above her. The night was black as pitch now, no stars or moon visible anywhere.

One of the images knelt and caressed her face, pausing over her eyes. "She is awake."

The second figure knelt and brushed her neck with his fingers. Suddenly, she felt a syringe being violently jabbed into her neck. She gasped, wanting to scream but unable to find the strength. The burning sensation was stronger and lasted longer this time around. When it finally subsided, Sam's entire body went limp. Her vision faded as her captors began to light torches around their camp.

---

"The hell we are!" Jack O'Neill snapped.

"Sir, please," Scott Freeman pleaded. "We're within range of the 'gate, we have a straight shot... we should take it."

"Carter is still out there," Jack returned. "I'm not leaving her behind on a hostile planet."

Lieutenant Manuel Galegos, one of the rescued members of SG-9, muttered, "She could be dead for all we know."

Jack tensed. "I don't think I heard that, Lieutenant. Care to repeat?"

"I believe he is correct, O'Neill," Teal'c intoned. "She would not have remained out of contact for this period of time unless she was being forced to maintain silence. If she is not dead, she is captured. It would do little good to endanger ourselves to attempt a second rescue at this point in time."

Daniel sighed, his shoulders sagging a bit. "I have to agree with both of them, Jack. It's our only choice; go home and get help."

Jack gripped his radio. "Carter?" he hissed. "Carter, do you read?"

Freeman clenched his jaw and said, "Fuck this. Men, move out. That's an order." He stood and started across the dark field towards the DHD. The rest of SG-9 followed. Teal'c cast a backward glance at O'Neill, then followed.

Daniel shook his head. "She's not going to answer, Jack."

Jack made a fist, looking like he needed something to punch. Finally, his hand loosened and he hung his head. The Stargate roared to life and he stood, following Daniel across the field. As they made a break for the 'Gate, Cheletans burst from the sides of the clearing, weapons blazing. Jack returned fire, giving Daniel enough cover to get through the event horizon. SG-9 was already long gone.

As he backed towards the Stargate, his P90 spitting tongues of fire at the enemy, Jack screamed, "I'm sorry, Sam!" He stepped through. Seconds later, the Stargate disengaged.

---

Janet sat behind her desk, nervously adjusting the papers in front of her. Damn physicals. Damn paperwork. "Damn everything," she spat, shoving the work aside and leaning against the back of her chair. Her feet were bare beneath the desk, her shoes tossed off as soon as she had entered the office a few minutes ago. She stood, walking to the filing cabinet and thumbing through old files for something that might waste some time.

As she was going through the files marked 'B,' she found a small envelope that she didn't remember seeing before. She pulled it out and saw that Sam's handwriting on the front had declared this envelope "For Dr. Fraiser's Eyes Only." Janet frowned, moving to her couch and sitting down. She tucked her legs underneath herself as she ripped the side of the paper open and slid the contents into her palm.

Four small white flowers, followed by four small yellow flowers. Janet's jaw dropped and she raised the envelope to smell inside. The heavy scent of jasmine rose to her nostrils. She emptied the envelope, finding only a small piece of paper folded once. She opened it with trembling fingers and read Sam's semi-sloppy handwriting.

"Janet,
Thank God You're Mine.
Samantha"

Tears welled up in Janet's eyes. Her fingers closed around the eight tiny flowers as memories began flooding her mind.

***

Janet looked over her shoulder as she slammed the car door, looking warily at the two-story house she had parked in front of. All of the front-facing windows were dark and no light poured forth from the backyard. Adjusting her jacket, the doctor looked down the street one way, then the other. There didn't seem to be an abundance of cars, but she couldn't be too careful. Of the cars parked on the street, she recognized the majority from years of living in the neighborhood.

Finally, with a sigh, she headed up the driveway to meet her doom. "Give me Goa'uld," she muttered. "Give me hallucinating SG-1 members or Touched viruses... but please, God, spare me the surprise birthday party."

Sam had promised - no, SWORN! - there would be no surprise parties. Janet had vowed to withhold sex if the blonde had lied. But then the on-leave major had called several times during that day just to 'shoot the breeze.' Casual "Any emergencies today?" turned to "When are you getting home?" quickly evolved to "You're SURE you'll be home at eight? Absolutely positive?"

She unlocked the front door and closed her eyes, ever-so-slowly pushing it open and stepping into the front hall.

No lights sparked to life, no so-called friends screaming 'SURPRISE!' at the top of their lungs. Blessed silence. Wonderful darkness. She dropped her purse on the floor, looking through the mail on the hallway table. At the bottom of the stack, she found a small post-it note written in Sam's scrawled handwriting.

"Cassie is at her friend's for a sleepover. I'm out on the bike to give you some alone time. Do yourself a favor and take a nice, long bath. Love, Sam. PS, Happy Birthday!'

Janet placed the note and looked up the stairs. Something seemed odd. It was a trap, she decided. But a bubble-bath trap with no Cassie meant... Janet's face quickly spread into a smile. A night alone with Sam. The doctor moistened her lips and whispered, "Happy birthday to me."

She started up the stairs, noticing that yellow and white flowers marked each step. Jasmine flowers, if she wasn't mistaken. The trail of flowers turned sharply and headed into the bedroom the two women shared. Janet smiled and opened the door, examining the interior. Everything *seemed* in place, except for the closet door. It stood slightly ajar, when usually it was completely closed.

Janet decided to ignore that point and entered the room, shutting the door behind her. She followed the trail of flowers to the closed bathroom door and eagerly turned the knob.

The bathroom was completely lit by dozens and dozens of scented candles. The soothing smell of jasmine and sandalwood drifted past her as she gazed at the filled bubble bath. Jasmine flowers floated on top of the thousands of bubbles. A silk robe hung on the far wall, obviously for after the bath.

She heard the closet door close behind her and she turned, her eyes widening.

Samantha Carter, her hair curled and dotted with white flowers, was standing at the foot of the bed wearing a velvet-colored silk robe that barely reached her thighs. The collar stood open wide enough to reveal a generous amount of cleavage. Her feet, usually buried in combat boots or sneakers, were now accented by a pair of red high heels. She was smiling broadly, her teeth bared and her tongue sticking ever-so-slightly between them.

In one hand, the blonde held a bottle of wine. In the other, two glasses. She laughed quietly and said, "Happy birthday, baby."

Janet began to blush in the candlelight, letting her eyes trail down Sam's body. The blonde placed the glasses and wine on the foot of the bed, then approached Janet. When their bodies were mere inches apart, Sam began to coo, "Happy birthday... to you..."

Her fingers skimmed the material of Janet's uniform blouse until they locked onto the small white buttons. She undid the first three before singing, "Happy birthday... to you..."

The major finished undoing the buttons and untucked Janet's blouse. "Happy birthday, Dr. Fraiser," she cooed as she slipped the blouse off of Janet's shoulders. "Happy birthday to you." Their lips met in a slow, searching kiss. The brunette moaned into her lover's mouth, her hands instinctively going for the belt of Sam's robe.

The blonde swatted Janet's hands away, pulling out of the kiss and stepping back. "Ah, ah, ah, Doctor Janet. Not yet. Let's get you out of the rest of your clothes."

Janet reached behind her back, finding and releasing the clasp of her bra and letting it fall to the floor. Sam licked her lips, eyeing the doctor's erect nipples. "Why, I think I may be exciting you, Doctor Janet."

"You have no idea," Janet whispered.

Sam knelt, caressing the soft flesh of Janet's stomach before roaming along the hem until she found the zipper. A small tug and the skirt was in a pool around Janet's feet. Sam stood, taking a step back and examining her lover. "Panties and high heels... I like this new look."

Janet hooked her thumbs in the elastic of her panties. "How about this look?" She slipped the cotton down to mid-thigh, letting gravity take them the rest of the way. She stepped out of the panties, hooking them on the end of one high heel. With a cherubic smile, Janet kicked and sent the underwear flying in Sam's direction.

The blonde caught them, immediately bringing them to her face and inhaling. "Mmm... I do believe the person wearing these had recently become aroused."

"Always such a scientist," Janet giggled.

"Out of the heels," Sam ordered. "And the...," she paused, her eyebrows slowly rising to meet her hairline as she realized what was missing. "Why, Janet Fraiser! You're not wearing any pantyhose?"

Janet's grin widened. "You promised there wouldn't be a party and... well, I wanted to surprise you when I got home." She winked.

"Okay...," Sam said, her eyes still glued to Janet's bare sex. "Off with the heels and into the tub. I want to give you your first present of the night."

Janet obediently removed her shoes and moved into the bathroom, still amazed by the candles and flowers. "It must've taken you ages to do this."

"Not long," Sam promised. "I just needed to make sure I knew when to start."

Janet smiled, dipping a toe into the bubbles. "Ahh... hence all the phone calls."

"Yeah," Sam said, moving in from behind and putting her hands on Janet's shoulders. "Sorry about that."

She placed a kiss just below Janet's ear, suckling the skin she found there. Janet shivered under Sam's lips, sinking her foot into the water up to the ankle. "The water feels incredible, Sam.... not too hot, not too cold... Perfect."

"Just like you," Sam whispered.

The doctor raised her other foot, preparing to place it in the bath as well. Unfortunately, her wet foot had bad traction on the porcelein and she slipped, almost falling into the bubbles. Sam reached out, grabbing the doctor around the waist and helping her stand. Janet's near-slip caused the water to splash, hitting some candles and flowers. It also splashed across the bottom half of Sam's robe.

The two women held each other, both trying unsuccessfully not to smile. Janet looked down, seeing the wet material of the robe clinging to Sam's hips.

"Oh, Sam, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, baby," Sam said, nibbling Janet's ear. "I was already wet."

Janet shivered in Sam's arms, allowing the blonde to lower her into the tub. As the brunette settled against the wall of the tub, she let her eyelids drift down and she relaxed. The bubbles and warm water curled around her small form like a cloud. Sam removed her high heels while next to the sink, then moved to a position behind Janet's head, sitting in the small area between the tub and the wall. She frowned slightly, not opening her eyes. "Sam? You have enough room back there?"

"Of course," Sam promised. "I made sure to check. This was not a spur-of-the-moment idea, you know." She leaned forward and kissed Janet's bare shoulder. As Janet soaked, Sam picked up a large, open-mouthed pitcher and submerged it in the tub next to the brunette. She brought it back up, full of water and sat it on the floor next to her.

"What're you doing?" Janet asked, her voice quiet and dreamy.

"I'm going to wash your hair."

"Okay," Janet smiled.

Sam gently pushed Janet forward to avoid spilling water onto the floor and kissed the back of her lover's neck. She picked up the pitcher of water and warned, "Close your eyes."

Janet complied and felt the warm water begin to pour onto her head. Wet torrents traced streams down the doctor's back, racing back to their home in the tub. Janet's hair was flattened against her forehead as Sam continued to slowly drench her with the water from the pitcher. She felt several rivulets roll down her temple and past her ears, dripping off of her chin and finding her breasts. The continuing stream of water also managed to find and moisten her shoulders, arms and nipples.

She felt the end of the shower was coming, so she raised her face, keeping her eyes and mouth closed. The water splashed down on her forehead, wetting her cheeks and mouth and eyelids. Sam emptied the pitcher, setting it aside before placing a hand on each of Janet's cheeks.

The brunette finally opened her eyes, looking up into Sam's blue pupils. To each woman, the other appeared to be upside-down. Slowly, they brought their lips together in a passionate kiss. Sam finally broke the kiss and said, "Sit up, hon. You'll get a crick in your neck."

As Janet straightened, she smiled, "Now who's the doctor?"

"Hush, hush," Sam admonished. There was a squirt as Sam placed a dollop of shampoo into her hand, then the sound of the blonde spreading the goo on her palms and fingers. Finally, Sam reached forward and began to administer the sweet-smelling shampoo into Janet's brown locks. Janet inhaled, smelling the jasmine scent. "I think I see a pattern tonight," she chuckled.

"Well," Sam explained, managing to focus entirely on her task, "You did tell me jasmine was your favorite flower... and we have that garden of jasmine flowers in the backyard anyway."

"We do?" Janet asked, confused. "Where?"

"Oh," Sam giggled. "Did I forget to mention? Jack, Daniel and Teal'c came by earlier. We planted you a whole garden of jasmine."

Janet gasped. "You didn't! Can jasmine even grow in Colorado?"

Sam's finger paused, entwined with the dripping strands of Janet's hair. "I... don't know. I'm sorry, Janet. I thought it would be..."

Janet grinned. "It's okay, sweetheart... we'll make it work. And if we can't, we'll salvage what we can and bring them inside."

"I love you, Janet." She kissed the spot between the brunette's shoulderblades, causing the smaller woman to shiver. When she finished massaging Janet's scalp, Sam said, "Okay, now we need to rinse."

"Another shower, perhaps?"

"Not this time. You'll have to trust me, Janet."

Janet frowned, half-turning in the tub. "Trust you? Over shampoo?"

Sam sighed, then said, "Take a deep breath and hold it."

Janet did as she was told, turning back to face front. Sam put a hand on each of Janet's shoulders and slowly pushed the brunette's head under the water. The pressure was enough to slide the small woman, but not so much that she couldn't fight back if she wanted. Once her head was submerged, Sam began to work the shampoo out of Janet's hair.

Under the surface of the water, Janet felt Sam's fingers tangling and untangling in her hair, could vaguely smell the scent of the bubble bath her lover had used. Her entire body was encompassed by a feeling of weightlessness, her skin tingling in the warm water. She felt like she was in her own private world.

Sam finally finished, moving to the side of the tub as she said, "Okay, done."

Janet rose out of the water, her mouth opening for air as she surfaced. Water cascaded from every part of her body, her hair sticking out at odd angles. She sat straight up, her breasts poking out of the water with remnants of the bubble bath clinging to them. She reached out, snaking an arm around Sam's neck and drawing the blonde closer. Their lips met in a fiery kiss, their hands busily exploring. As Sam reached under the water to play along the skin of the doctor's thigh, Janet managed to subtly undo the blonde's belt and pull the robe open.

Sam leaned back, sliding the robe off of her shoulders. Underneath, she wore nothing at all. Janet's eyes widened and she extended her hand. "Come to me."

Sam didn't hesitate; she stood and threw her leg over the side of the tub and dropped down, sitting on the doctor's thighs. As they pulled together for another searing kiss, Janet slipped her hands down to cup Sam's ass and draw the taller woman forward. Their chests were pressed together when they finally broke for air. "This is the best birthday present anyone could ever hope for. Thank you, Samantha."

"I love you, Janet. I just want to make you happy."

"You're here when I get home. That's more than enough."

"Oh, so I don't have to go through all this trouble next year?"

"I expect this and more, missy," Janet grinned. "Now... how about some birthday cake?"

Sam kissed Janet's nose, then said, "Where would you like your cake served?"

"Is 'your body' an option?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Always, my love."

They climbed out of the bath, taking the time to completely towel each other off, before heading downstairs hand in hand.

***

Janet looked up, noticing that Dr. Amy Roth was standing in the doorway of the office, a frown etched on her features. "Janet? You okay?"

Janet reached up, touching her cheeks and discovering they were wet with tears. "I'm, uh... I'm fine, Amy. Just worried is all." She suddenly realized who she was speaking to. "Amy! You should be in bed, resting!"

Amy entered, sitting next to Janet on the couch. "I'll be fine, Janet. Remember, I have the same medical training you do." She paused, brushing a strand of hair out of Janet's face. During Sam and Janet's previous separation, Janet had pursued a relationship with Amy. The raven-haired doctor sighed, "I'm sorry she's out there," she said. "I know she'll come back to you."

The alarm klaxon began to sound, filling their ears with it's repetitive drone. Both doctors shot to their feet as the intercom announced, "Incoming traveler! Medical team to the Gate Room!" Janet dashed out of the office, pausing to grab a medical bag as she ran.

---

Sam woke on a soft, pillowy mattress, her arms and legs bound to the bed. She could feel something pressed against her left temple, eerily reminiscent of the Tok'ra memory devices that had been attached to her during the past few years. She tried to sit up, discovering that her torso was also bound to the bed. She looked down, seeing the strap across her chest. She also saw that her uniform had been removed and her wounds tended to. With a heavy sigh, she lay her head on the pillow, trying to remember what the hell had happened. The attack in the forest... she had lured the enemy away and the rest of SG-1 had moved in to rescue the prisoners. If they had succeeded, they would have gone back to the gate and returned home, mission accomplished... and she was stranded. If they had failed, they were prisoners, too. General Hammond probably wouldn't risk another team and would probably try to think of another way to extract them. In that case, she was still stranded.

She craned her neck, trying to see if anyone else was in the room with her. A white curtain was pulled around her bed, obstructing her view of anything else. She chuckled quietly, noting how much the curtain looked like those used in the infirmary.

Quiet voices approached on the other side of the curtain and she lifted her head again, trying to hear what the voices were saying. "Hello? Who's there?"

The voices stopped. The curtain was pulled away and one of her captors entered the small area between the curtain and the bed.

"Well, how are we feeling today?" Janet Fraiser asked, checking her clipboard before laying it on the mattress.

"Janet?" Sam gasped. "What... what're you doing here?"

"I work here," the brunette chuckled. "It's the SGC, Sam. You made it home."

Sam stared at her ex-lover, dumbstruck. Something didn't quite add up here. "Where are Jack, Daniel and Teal'c? Where is SG-9?"

Janet sighed. "I'm afraid you were the sole survivor of the mission, Sam. We sent a MALP through after you arrived unconscious. They were all killed by an attacking horde of Cheletans."

Sam's mind was reeling. Janet approached, brushing away an errant strand of blonde hair and placing a toe-curling kiss on Sam's lips. "Welcome home, my love." With a wink, Janet turned and disappeared around the curtain.

Sam licked her lips, watching the curtain where 'Janet' had disappeared. The kiss made no sense. They had broken up... Sam blinked. And the restraints. If she had returned to Earth, why would they restrain her so thoroughly? Not to mention the fact that she was completely nude. There was no way Janet would allow that in her infirmary.

Wherever this place was, it wasn't Earth. And whoever that person was, it was not Dr. Janet Fraiser.

Chapter Four

Sam didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up. She sat up, testing the restraints across her chest and limbs. They seemed to have been loosened a bit, so she began trying to free herself of them as she examined her surroundings. The curtain had been moved aside slightly, so she could see a little more of the darkened infirmary. From what she could see, it *was* the infirmary. She felt a shiver run down her spine, remembering the last time she had been in a faux-SGC... the prison created by Hathor.

She squinted, turning her head away from her right hand. Moving quickly, she popped her thumb out of joint. Trying to ignore the flash of pain, she wriggled it free of the band and proceeded to free herself from the other restraints. Sitting up, she grasped her thumb and quickly popped it back into place. The sickening sound as the joint shifted grated on her ears, temporarily numbing the pain. Once they had been dealt with, her entire hand
throbbing with dull pain, she reached up and grasped the small attachment they had placed on her temple. She winced as she pulled it free, turning it over in her palm. It had felt like a Tok'ra memory device, but it didn't look like a Tok'ra memory device. There were barbs and odd-shaped protrusions all over the surface of the small instrument... some kind of cheap recreation. She laid it aside and slipped out of the bed, eager to find some clothes to cover herself with.

Her prayers were answered when an unsuspecting airman walked past the opening in the curtain. She straightened and snapped, "Soldier!"

He looked up, distracted, then did a double-take when he saw the beautiful nude woman standing a few feet away. "Ma'am?" he asked, taking a step forward.

She grabbed him by the collar, yanking him into the curtained area as she brought her head forward. Their foreheads connected with a sharp 'thock' sound and the airman's knees buckled. Sam kept her grip on his jacket, heaving him onto the bed and quickly stripping him of his jacket and pants. She also procurred his weapon, hooking it on her belt and slipping into the infirmary.

Three other beds in the infirmary were occupied by members of SG-3. They all seemed to be hurt pretty badly. Sam approached Captain Borden's bed, noticing his amputated leg. His face was wrinkled with pain, beads of sweat lining his forehead and upper lip. Checking his IV, Sam noticed all he was being given were sedatives. 'Keep him unconscious, with no pain-killers? Definitely not Janet's infirmary...,' Sam mused.

She looked at the other two soldiers, noticing that a member was missing; Lieutenant Aubrey Welch was nowhere in sight. Sam decided this mystery could be solved later and turned, heading for where Janet's office would most likely be.

She turned the corner, finding herself in the familiar hallway. A few yards down, she saw light pouring out from an open doorway. She grabbed her pilfered weapon and moved to the door. No one bothered her as she approached the office; apparently this area was off-limits to some personnel. Sam had a sinking sensation what the answer to this mystery was, but she had seen no evidence.

But besides Hathor, there was only one alien race that had spent long enough within the SGC to duplicate it to this degree...

She entered the office with as much authority as if it really belonged to Janet Fraiser. The look-alike was seated behind the desk and looked up as Sam entered, a vague smile vanishing from her lips as she registered the gun in the blonde's hands. "Sam? What's going on, hon?"

"You're not Janet Fraiser. Who are you and why are you keeping me here?"

FalseJanet looked again from Sam's eyes to the gun, then back again. The smile returned, spreading wider. "You... are an extremely worthy opponent, Samantha Carter. You're right. I'm not the Janet Fraiser you know. I am her replacement."

---

Janet nervously tapped her fingernail against the finished wood of the briefing room table. Lost? How could Sam be lost? Sam would never have done what Colonel O'Neill was suggesting. It was reckless, stupid. There was only one possible reason for her actions; she thought their relationship was over.

Daniel was staring at her from across the table, but she was doing her best to ignore the archaeologist. SG-9 was filling Hammond in on their treatment while they were held prisoner by the Cheletans.

Lieutenant Freeman shook his head. "I don't have an explanation for it, Sir. I spent a lot of time with the Cheletan High Chief. There was nothing in their behavior that would have indicated this kind of response. It's like they're a completely different race."

"What are the odds of that being true? Perhaps the world has two Stargates and you accessed a different location."

"No, Sir," Freeman disagreed. "The field was exactly as I remembered it. The Cheletans who held us captive wore the same kind of uniform as our friends did. It was them... it's just that it wasn't. I'm sorry, I'm not making much sense."

"Perhaps..." Teal'c started. He clenched his jaw, thinking, then leaned back in his chair.

"Teal'c?" Jack prompted. "What's on your mind?"

"I do not know if this is possible... but I believe that we are once again at odds with the alien race first encountered on P3X-118."

Jack looked down at the table, then shook his head. "I'm, uh... I'm no good with numbers. Is that Ree'tou?"

"I do not recall ever hearing the name of their race. They successfully seized the SGC with SG-1 was off-world in search of the Harcesis child."

"The shapeshifters," Janet said. "The... the ones with the web."

"You mean the ones who stole our faces and memories?" Jack winced. "Great... It'll be good to see those guys
again."

"I don't know, Teal'c," Freeman said. "I didn't see evidence of a web anywhere on the Cheletan world."

"While here, they made a valiant effort to conceal the existence of their web. Undoubtedly it is again in an inconsequential location."

Janet nodded. "In which case, the Cheletans would have had devices on their chest to maintain the facade." She glanced at the returned SG-9. "And they probably would have attempted to infiltrate Earth again."

Freeman caught her drift and stood, pulling his shirt completely up to the neck. His chest was bare. "I'm willing to undergo a complete physical, Dr. Fraiser. They didn't try to do anything to us."

"I'll be the judge of that," she said.

"No, you won't," Hammond stated, standing.

"Sir?"

"You've been killing yourself all day, doctor. We have SG-9 and they all appear to be well. Go home, get some rest. I'll make sure you're contacted if SG-3 or Major Carter return."

Janet hung her head slightly, then said, "Yes, sir."

As the teams shuffled out of the room, Daniel approached Janet and touched her arm. "Hey... why didn't you tell me things were bad?"

She shook her head. "I was... scared, Daniel. Sam and I... started talking a few weeks ago and I got scared."

"Scared of talking?"

Janet checked over her shoulder, realizing they were in a rather public area. "It's what we were talking about. Sam..." She shook her head. "Sam made me a promise. She said as soon as she got some leave, we were going to go somewhere and get married."

Daniel smiled slightly. "Married? That's great, Jan..."

She stopped him. "Need I remind you what marriage means to me? Everytime I think about the word 'I do,' I think about Alan... I think about all those horrible years of marriage and how good it felt to finally get rid of the bastard. And then," she shrugged, "I remember how much I loved him when we got married. I remembed how he made me feel... and how I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him."

"You're afraid of being Sam's wife?"

"No, Daniel... I'm afraid of being her *ex*-wife..."

Daniel put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Janet, she loves you... You don't know how much she talks about you off-world. She'll see a flower and mention how pretty it would look in your hair... or how she wished she could see you wearing some beautiful ceremonial gown from some civilization we've come across. She loves you with all of her heart."

Janet wiped a tear away, reminding him, "So did Alan... I was frightened. So I started to withdraw from Sam. I turned her down for..." she blushed, looking up at Daniel. "For things she wanted... and then used that against her when we broke up. I made excuses, just to use them as reasons to break up. And now she's been captured because she thinks I don't love her."

Daniel embraced the doctor, holding her close. "It's all right, Janet. It'll all be okay."

---

Amy coughed as she placed the stethoscope prongs in her ears, approaching Lieutenant Freeman's bedside.
"That's a nasty cough," he commented. "You sick?"

"A little," Amy admitted. "But I'll be fine." Freeman had removed his shirt and took a deep breath. Amy placed the ice-cold stethascope against his upper chest and listened. She moved it a little to the side, then frowned. "That's odd..."

"What's that?"

"I'm... not finding your heartbeat."

"Damn it," Freeman said, shrugging. "I knew you'd figure it out."

She looked up, noticing he had locked onto something over her shoulder. She turned in time to see Major Ben Coslett, one of Freeman's team mates on SG-9, approaching with a syringe. By the time she had time to register what she was seeing, Freeman had one muscular arm wrapped tightly around her throat while his free hand tugged the sleeve of her blouse until it separated from the shoulder. She gasped as Coslett buried the syringe in her flesh, injecting her with a luminescent golden liquid.

Freeman released her, letting her weakened body collapse in a heap on the floor. He slipped off the bed, then knelt next to Amy's unconscious form. To Coslett, he said, "Take her to an unused room, probably on Level 18. Make sure she's out of sight until the drugs take effect."

Manuel Galegos and Terry Cochrane, the other two members of SG-9, slipped out of their beds. "What do we do now?"

"We wait. When Dr. Roth wakes up, she'll be under our control. She'll tell Hammond we're fine and we continue as planned. Agreed?"

The two men nodded slowly.

---

"Replacement?"

FalseJanet moved around to the front of the desk, leaning against it and crossing her arms across her breasts. "Yes. I'm planning to replace the Dr. Fraiser currently living on Earth. Once I have control of the SGC, I'll begin to bring the rest of my forces through the Stargate."

Realization dawned on Sam. "You're... you're one of those... those chameleon aliens, aren't you? The ones who tried to take over the SGC two years ago."

"Correction," FalseJanet said, holding up a hand. "We *did* take over the SGC. You and that damned Jaffa ruined everything for us. We've spent the years between then and now rebuilding. Becoming stronger. We've brought more forces from our home system to assist us."

"They'll stop you," Sam asserted. "No matter what you try, you'll never make it past the Gate Room. We have defenses now."

"I've scanned your memory, I know about everything that has occured on Earth since our ill-fated attempt at invasion. I learned of your harmonic generator, but had already formed another plan that would render that defense useless."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Your people easily discovered we were not what we appeared. I believe it was due to the image projectors on our chests." She pulled her blouse open, popping several buttons off, to reveal her regulation bra. There was no small device on her chest. "We no longer need those devices, or the web, to create doubles."

"Then," Sam blinked, trying not to stare at Janet's chest. "Then how do you look so much like Janet?"

"In our travels, we stumbled onto a mechanical world. When we first discovered it, the world appeared to be desolate. Thousands of machines, running on century-old commands. We began to learn the language of the programmers and soon learned that he had a machine to create mechanical humans. We had just discovered the robotic creation device when the sole inhabitant returned. He was... an odd little man named Harlan."

Sam gasped, recognizing the name immediately. He was the robot who had created doubles of SG-1 five years ago. The time of his absense was, presumably, when he had gone to the SGC in search of his robotic SG-1 team.

FalseJanet continued with her story. "We easily manipulated him into helping us. We accessed his memory banks and came across very detailed accounts of his time spent on Earth, as well as the major events of your world. Since I had taken the form of Janet Fraiser on our prior mission and retained her thoughts and memories, I chose to become her once more."

Sam shook her head. "You were one of the aliens who made it through the Gate? I always assumed you were connected to the self-destruct."

"No," FalseJanet laughed. "We felt the pain of their destruction, but we survived. We've spent the last few months building strength, hoping to find the perfect opportunity to sneak past Earth's defenses."

"The Cheletans."

"Exactly. We kept our radio signals operating and discovered that an Earth team was planning to visit Cheleta after a short period. We moved quickly, replacing the Cheletans and setting up an ambush."

"Oh, my God," Sam breathed. "SG-9."

"They are not dead. They have been imprisoned on an uninhabited world, their memories and thoughts being fed to their doubles."

"Their doubles... who were rescued by SG-1."

"Correct. You went on a mission to bring home the enemy."

Sam closed her eyes, her grip on the gun waivering. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that FalseJanet was inches away. Sam gasped, moving to steady the gun, but FalseJanet grabbed it and ripped it away from the blonde.

Unarmed, Sam swung at the double of her ex-lover, trying to cause some damage to the perfect replica of Janet's face. Unfortunately, the alien/android was too quick. It caught Sam's fist and forced the major to fall backwards, sprawling on the couch cushions. FalseJanet straddled Sam's hips, pressing her hand against the blonde's mouth and fighting to keep her still. "Now, now, honey. It'll all be fine. You haven't heard my plans for you."

Sam glared at the double.

"You never had a replica. We were never able to complete the procedure. I want you to remain just as you are... human. I want you to be my second-in-command."

Sam's eyes widened and she began to fight again.

"Think about it!" FalseJanet hissed. "Think about the power you'd have! This is the only option you have, Samantha. You have a choice... between going home and risking your life day in and day out, living without the love of Janet Fraiser. C'mon, how long do you really think you could last under those conditions? Your second choice is this: Help me take over the world. Help me transplant my people to our new homeworld... and you can live by my side as vice-ruler. You will have Janet Fraiser, and you will be the second most powerful woman on Earth. What do you say?"

Sam stared up into the familiar chocolate brown eyes and felt something deep inside her. The alien was making sense. She fought it with all her might, but she *wanted* to help this... this look-alike.

FalseJanet slipped her hand away and sat up straight, her legs still planted on either side of Sam's torso. "What do you say?"

Sam bit her lip. She looked like Janet. Had Janet's voice, Janet's thoughts. But would she replace Janet? Could loving this woman be the same as loving Janet?

Finally, Sam closed her eyes. "What... would I have to do, exactly?"

FalseJanet smiled.

---

Dr. Amy Roth dropped the file on General Hammond's desk with a smile. "SG-9 has been cleared, Sir. They're fine, other than a little malnutrition and dehydration. Apparently, their captors didn't believe in three solid meals a day. I've ordered them to take a day off and eat a healthy dinner." She grinned. "Is there anything else, Sir?"

"No," Hammond said, placing the file in front of himself. "That will be all. Thank you."

Amy nodded, turning to leave. As she stepped into the hallway, her knees buckled and she fell against the wall. Her skull was throbbing, her skin felt like it was on fire. Then, in an instant, it was gone. Passed as if it had never happened. She shook her head, wiping the sweat from her brow as she steadied herself. Pretending to check her watch, she looked around to see if anyone had witnessed her little episode. Finally, she headed down the hallway.

---

Sam examined herself in the full-length mirror. "What are you doing, Carter," she whispered. FalseJanet, who was apparently also known as Xua'quil, had ordered her new second-in-command dressed in the finest silks. She wore long white pants and a long-sleeved blouse, both of which clung to her body like a second skin. She also wore a white trenchcoat that reached down to her knees and had three large buttons over her stomach. She smoothed the material against herself, turning to see how she looked in the outfit. "I'd say this is worthy of a planet co-ruler," she mused.

"What?"

The voice had come from one of the bunks behind her. She hadn't bothered to check the barracks FalseJanet had pointed her to; she had just assumed they were empty. Aubrey was sitting up in one of the far beds, her hair mussed from sleep. She was nude, as Sam had been upon arrival here, and had a bandage wrapped around her head. She threw the blankets off and sat up, apparently not caring that she was naked.

"What did you just say?"

"It's not like it sounds," Sam promised. "The alien pretending to be Janet offered me a post as her... her second-in-command when she takes over Earth."

Aubrey stood, approaching Sam angrily. "And you agreed to that?!"

"Yes... sort of. I just did it to get out of here. As soon as we're back on Earth, I'll turn back against her."

Aubrey sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. "How long have we been here?"

"Who knows," Sam sighed. "You were captured a few hours before I was, I suppose. But I could've been unconscious for days. I don't even know how long she had that memory device attached to me."

"Memory device?"

"Yeah, apparently she was 'reading up' on recent Earth events so she would be caught up when she got there."

"How long do you have to pretend you're on her side?"

"Just as long as it takes to get to Earth."

Aubrey nodded. "And, uh... when can I look forward to getting some clothes?"

---

Amy knocked lightly on Colonel O'Neill's door. Her brain was on fire again, her vision swimming. She knocked again, more insistent this time. Finally the door swung open and Jack stood before her, a robe sloppily thrown over his form. His hair was mussed from sleep. He blinked at her, then rubbed his face in an attempt to wake up. "Dr. Roth? What's, uh... what's up?"

She winced, leaning against the doorframe. "Colonel O'Neill, I must insist on speaking with you."

"Now? Uh... does it have to be now? It's kind of the middle of the night..."

"It is imperitive that we speak now, Colonel O'Neill."

"Look, Dr. Roth..."

"Please, Colonel O'Neill... Dr. Roth has been put to sleep for the moment. I am Natoris."

Jack froze, recognizing the name of the alien who had brought the doctor back to life a while back. "Natoris? I thought you were kinda the silent partner in the relationship."

"Normally, that is true. But I felt it was of the upmost importance that I take over. Dr. Roth is planning something insidious."

"Insidious, huh?" Jack muttered. "Like what?"

"She, along with the members of SG-9, have been compromised. They are planning to subvert the SGC from within while other forces attempt to infiltrate from without. I believe they will be successful."

Jack blinked, then ran a hand through his hair. "Well. That is big."

Chapter Five

Daniel Jackson carefully adjusted his glasses, peering down at the 'gate room. "Jack, are you sure?"

"Hey, don't look at me," Jack sighed. "Natoris is the one who said it."

Daniel turned, examining the faces in the room. For once, the ever-present airmen weren't lining the walls near the entrances and exits. It was a completely confidential meeting; only those in attendance knew it was occuring. Teal'c and Jack were seated at the table, the latter attempting to stay awake. On the other side of the table, Janet was picking at her loose brown hair. She had been called out of bed, although the phone call didn't wake her up. She was dressed down, wearing a sweatshirt and jeans.

Amy was seated at the head of the table, her spine ramrod straight and her hands steepled on the table in front of her. It was obvious someone else was in charge of her body and mannerisms.

The door swung open and General Hammond entered, his uniform slightly rumpled. He had also gone home for the night and been forced to return at a moment's notice. He dropped into his seat and examined the people who had summoned him. "Is this a fact?"

"Indeed, General Hammond," Amy/Natoris stated. "I became aware of an unknown substance in Dr. Roth's bloodstream. I predicted that it would impair her judgment and attempted to take over for her own good. It was then that I realized my host had been compromised."

"Compromised by whom?" Hammond asked.

Janet slid a report across the table. "I did a quick exam and found a match for the unknown substance in Amy's blood. It appears to be similar in composition to a drug used by the chameleon-like aliens first encountered on P3X-118."

"The aliens who took over the SGC for a time?"

"We believe so. We've theorized that the ones who managed to escape through the Stargate were not affected by the self-destruct the ones trapped here initiated. Since this theory has now proven correct, we shouldn't be surprised that the aliens are trying a second wave."

Jack rubbed his face, still only half-awake. "I thought we installed a... a thingie that would disrupt their... uh, look-alike... stuff..."

"Yes, in a manner of speaking," Janet nodded. "We adjusted our harmonic generator to emit a high-powered blast every time a team returned. This should have alerted us immediately that SG-9 wasn't who they appeared to be, but..." She stopped, sighing deeply. "Almost a year ago, an Entity came through the 'gate and ended up taking control of Major Carter's body. The arrival of that Entity caused a major power shut-down in the Gate Room. When we got power back up, it... it slipped our minds to reset the harmonics."

"Damn," Jack sighed. "Talk about your bad timing."

"It would not have mattered, O'Neill," Amy/Natoris stated. She still hadn't moved from her original position. "It appears the aliens have adapted to a more sophisticated level of masquerade. They transfer their consciousness into cybernetic organisms."

Jack groaned, "Oh, man... not cyborgs! You know how I feel about sci-fi!"

"This is anything but science-fiction, Colonel,"

Hammond growled. To Natoris, he said, "You're sure that even if the harmonics generator had been working, we would've been completely unaware they weren't who they said that were. What about Dr. Roth's exam? They tested normal."

"Dr. Roth was under their control at that time. She falsified the documents so that SG-9 could continue on their mission."

"And what mission would that be?"

"Preparation for invasion."

---

Aubrey had gone back to sleep, but Sam was lying awake in her bunk, staring up at the ceiling. After an indeterminate time, the doors slid open. She sat up, straightening her coat. The politically incorrect man who had initially captured her was standing in the doorway, smiling at her. "Majah Cahtah. Xua'quil wishes ya presence in hah private chambahs."

As Sam stood, she suddenly remembered who the soldier reminded her of; Miss Cleo, that damned TV psychic whose commercials were on every five minutes. She followed the man out of the cell, casting a glance at Aubrey's sleeping form. 'I'll come back for you,' she silently promised the younger woman. 'I will...'

The soldier led her to the familiar elevator, pressed a button and stepped back. Instead of the standard elevator car, as the doors slid open Sam saw a long, dark hallway extending from the opening. She had found the rabbit hole out of the Wonderland of the false SGC. She stepped through, noticing that her escort didn't follow. "Tha door is at tha end of thes hall," he told her. "Lahge double-doors mahked with the head of a lion. You cannot miss it."

Sam nodded and started down the hall, a bit intimidated by the slate walls and vaulted ceiling of the corridor. Looking back, she saw the elevator doors sliding shut. It was a peculiar feeling to see something so familiar in such an alien environment. She slowly continued, her slippers making quiet scraping sounds on the marble floor.

She followed a gentle curve in the hallway and found herself face-to-face with a stone engraving of a lion. The cat's head was caught mid-roar, it's eyes bejeweled with emeralds to make them sparkle in the dim light. She lightly rapped her knuckles against the stone surface and waited for a response.

The doors slowly slid open, giving her just enough room to slip through before they snapped shut once more. She jumped, spinning to make sure nothing had been caught in the rapidly slamming doors. Deciding she was trapped in this room, at least for the time being, Sam turned and examined the room. 'Awe' didn't begin to describe her response. The ceiling, easily two or three stories high, was criss-crossed with black support beams. A soft white glow was being produced from within the stone that made up the top of the room. The walls gently curved, making Sam feel like she was inside of a very, very large egg. On the far side of the room, there was a bank of video monitors and screens showing different parts of the Cheletan landscape. The central monitor, she noticed, was locked onto the Stargate. Between her and the video wall was a huge hot tub, filled to it's stone edges with bubbling waters. The steam from the tub rose, filling the air and giving the entire place an etheral feel. Sam walked to the railing that surrounded the hot tub, then she turned and examined the rest of the room. To her right, in a small alcove and separate from the rest of the room, a large canopy bed was sitting in the shadows. A see-through curtain hung over the front of the entrance of the alcove, offering a modicum of privacy.

"I am pleased to see you are wearing the clothing I picked out for you."

Sam spun, looking for the speaker. It was Xua'quil, the alien masquerading as Janet. She stood in the doorway, obviously having just arrived. Sam's jaw inadvertantly dropped at the sight of the impersonator.

FalseJanet had shed the Air Force regulation uniform. She now wore a powder blue brassiere and panties. Her black boots hugged the flesh of her calves, ending just above her knees. The brassiere was partially obscured by a see-through shawl that hung across the brunette's shoulders and clasped in the front. Her hair hung loose, lightly brushing against her shoulders as she walked across the room to the video screens. From behind, Sam could see that the shawl extended all the way down the alien leader's back, almost reaching the floor. The final touch to the outfit was a thin, blue crown that looked more like a headband. It was affixed just above her ears and wrapped around, coming to a point between her eyes and then plummeting to cover her nose. It looked like a medieval facemask.

She pressed a button on the control panel and the screens all simultaneously went black. With another swipe at the controls, the entire bank of monitors slid out of sight and was replaced by a long wooden bar.

Sam grinned in spite of herself. "What, did you have someone research swanky bachelor pads?"

FalseJanet half-turned, a smile lightening her features. "We came across some very interesting design specifications in the minds of several male humans during our initial... I suppose you would call it an... inhabitation. I decided to adopt several different styles so I would be comfortable when we finally claim Earth."

Sam nodded, approaching her nemesis. "Why are you holding me prisoner?"

FalseJanet turned. "I'm not. You're free to leave at any time."

"You held me in that cell... for who knows how long."

"It was only 13 hours. And besides, we were just taking precautions." She handed Sam a snifter of golden liquid. Sam sniffed it, then took a sip. It tasted a bit like ginger ale, mixed with 7-Up. She swished it around in her mouth for a moment, then swallowed. It wasn't that bad.

"Taking precautions?"

"You didn't attempt to escape. That made us feel confident that you were being honest in your desire to help us. There were other things pending as well."

"Oh?" Sam asked, taking a large drink of her liquor. She swallowed, this time feeling the alcohol - or whatever was in the drink - as it began to take effect. "What were... were you waiting on..." She felt extremely light-headed, but took another drink anyway. "We had to make sure your initial drugging had taken full effect."

"In... itial drugging?" Sam took another mouthful of the ambrosia, quickly following it and finishing off her glass.

FalseJanet topped her off as she smiled, "Yes, my dear. We had to prepare you for your complacency drug."

"Com. Pla. Cent..." Sam murmured. She finished her drink in one gulp this time, leaning against the wall as FalseJanet smiled welcomingly.

"Yes. We have to make sure you're complacent when we brainwash you."

"Oh." Sam's fingers were numb now and she dropped the glass. It shattered on the marble floor. She looked down, pursing her lips. "Oopsie-daisy," she chuckled. "I broke your glass."

"No problem, love. The brainwashing will just ensure that you don't try to trick us, okay? We don't want any turncoats in our ranks." Sam shook her head, her blonde locks trembling as her body shook. The golden liquid was beginning to take full effect. "Let's begin right now," FalseJanet suggested. "Would you like that?"

Sam smiled. "I would like that a lot," she whispered. "Good. Let's begin."

---

Freeman poured himself a cup of coffee, then held it up to the light. Frowning, he sniffed the concotion, then poured it back into the pot. Across the room, Terry Cochrane grinned. "Still can't get used to the coffee, huh?"

"Damn humans," he muttered. "Drinking sludge..." He walked back to the table and dropped into a chair. Manuel Gonzalez and Ben Coslett were in a separate room, sequestered from their teammates. "Why are we even being kept here?"

Cochrane sighed. "They said they found something odd in our medical reports. They're just holding us until Doc Fraiser can determine what it is."

"Fraiser," Freeman shook his head. "Why'd they have to call her? Roth had everything tied up in a neat little bow... now we have to rearrange our plans. Again."

"Take it easy," Cochrane sighed. "We just sit tight for a while and Fraiser'll have us cleared in no time. Then we can continue as planned."

The door to the quarantine room opened and O'Neill entered, looking at each man carefully before he spoke. "Hey, fellas. What's new?"

"We're being locked up by our own people," Freeman snapped. "That's what's new."

Cochrane stood. "Any word from Fraiser about our condition?"

"Oh, yeah, she figured out what it is."

Freeman smiled. "So we can leave?"

"No, not exactly. See... she found out that you guys are robots. Care to... explain that?"

Freeman grinned. "You've gotta be joking, Sir. Y-you're joking right? We can't be robots."

"Cut the crap, Lieutenant," Jack said. "We've been monitoring your conversation. We heard everything you guys have been talking about." He stepped forward. "Where is Major Carter being held? I want to know, and I want to know now."

Freeman sighed, "Unless she's someone important - which she's not - she's already been harvested for flesh."

"What?!" Jack gasped.

"Harvested. You think it's easy making massive amounts of cyborgs?" He shook his head. "It was so much easier when we would just stick people in a web."

Jack was across the room in an instant, slamming Freeman against the wall. "You better be lying to me, you rotten son of a bitch. Cause if we don't get Sam back, you're in for a world of hurt. I don't care if you *are* a robot, I will find a way to make sure that you feel every damn thing I do. Trust me on that."

Cochrane approached Jack from behind, but was stymied when a powerful hand closed on his shoulder. He spun, finding himself face-to-face with Teal'c.

"An attack would not be wise," the Jaffa warned.

The alien construct, being of sound mind, refused the advice and tried to punch Teal'c in the stomach. He had been hoping to puncture the symbiote pouch, but there was no such luck. Teal'c dodged the blow, grabbing the smaller man's wrist and snapping it backwards. Cochrane screamed as his hand bent backwards so far that his fingers touched his forearm. He stared at his mutilated limb in horror, then gasped, "I'm glad I'm not human..."

Teal'c closed his hand around Cochrane's throat, lifting him off of the ground. O'Neill turned and warned, "Don't kill 'im, Teal'c!"

He glanced at his friend, then tossed Cochrane across the room like a rag doll. The doctor slammed into the wall, falling to the floor in a heap. Jack turned back to Freeman. "So? You gonna talk or are we going to have to make Teal'c take out his frustrations on you?"

Freeman swallowed, then looked at the black statue standing a few feet away. Finally, the lieutenant sighed. "Whaddaya need to know?"

---

Sam woke slowly, feeling soft fingers brushing her hair. She smiled, rolling onto her side and snuggling against the warm body sharing her bed. "Morning," came Janet's soft voice.

"Oh, Janet... I had the strangest..." She sat up, realizing suddenly that it wasn't a dream. FalseJanet was sitting in the bed, her shawl gone. Sam's eyes inadvertantly traveled down the smooth slope of the other woman's chest, focusing on the creamy skin revealed by the blue bra. "It... this was all real."

"It was," FalseJanet nodded. "Are you feeling any different?"

Sam put a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes. "I feel... ugh..." She clutched her stomach, falling back onto the mattress. She felt FalseJanet's hands resting on her shoulders and she slowly crawled up into the brunette's lap. Resting her head against Janet's thighs, Sam cleared her throat. "I still feel a little woozy. Dizzy... Where's Aubrey?"

"Being convinced that our way is the right way."

"What if she doesn't agree?"

"Flesh harvesting," FalseJanet said, her voice completely devoid of emotion. "It's difficult finding enough raw material for our doubles."

Sam frowned. "You never said what happened with Harlan..."

"We killed him. We were forced to recycle his flesh to form one of my foot soldiers." She brushed Sam's hair gently. "Do you feel like you can sit up?"

With a gentle cough, Sam nodded and pulled herself up. She leaned against FalseJanet, looking into the alien double's chocolate brown eyes. "I have a question...."

"Anything, my love."

"When are we going to invade Earth?"

"Soon, dear." She brushed Sam's cheek with her lips. "You just can't wait, can you?"

Sam embraced FalseJanet. "I have a request. When we get to Earth, I want to give Cassandra a chance to join our cause."

FalseJanet pulled back. "I thought we discussed this. If she resists, she will die. We can make a perfect duplicate of her.

"Duplicates aren't the same..."

"Oh. Does that mean I'm not the same as the real Janet?"

"No, honey, no," Sam said, gently kissing the brunette's lips. "She... she doesn't love me. You do. It's just that Cassandra has done nothing to me. I don't want her to die without a choice."

"What about your friends? Jack O'Neill, the archaeologist?"

Sam bit her lip. "It hurts me, but they made their choice. They decided they were against you... which makes them against me."

"When the time comes," FalseJanet asked, "will you be able to watch them die?"

"If the need arises," Sam said, "I will kill them myself."

FalseJanet smiled. "Excellent, my love. Sleep... we will begin plans for invasion in the morning."

---

Aubrey looked up as Sam returned to the cell. It had been several hours since the blonde had disappeared; Aubrey surmised that she had slept elsewhere and it was now morning. The major was dressed in the same white outfit as before, only now she held a glass of something that resembled champagne. "Major Carter? What's going on?"

Sam sat on the bed, indicating the young girl to come closer. Aubrey reluctantly obeyed, sitting next to her superior officer. "I brought a drink for you," Sam said. "You must be parched."

Aubrey took the glass, eagerly downing the liquid. She had swallowed almost the entire contents before she gagged and coughed, spilling the drink over her chest. "Oh, God! What is that?!"

"Shh," Sam smiled, brushing the girl's auburn hair out of her face. "Just let it take effect."

"Effect? What, is this some kind of drug?!"

Sam pushed the girl down onto the mattress, straddling her. "It won't take long to work, honey. Just let it work it's magic." She lowered her head, gently brushing her lips across the lieutenant's.

Aubrey gasped, turning her face away from Sam. "Major Carter! I'm not... I... I'm involved with Captain Borden!"

Sam chuckled, trying to kiss the young girl again. "Borden? Borden is dead."

"What?" Aubrey's voice came in a shocked whisper, her eyes wide with horror. "It can't be true!"

"It is," Sam muttered, placing a series of soft kisses along Aubrey's cheekline. "He was too badly injured. The rest of your team was beyond help as well. Xua'quil didn't see the purpose of duplicating them, so she used their flesh to build more duplicates."

Aubrey was gasping for air now, her eyes wide with horror and disbelief. Sam finally placed a kiss on Aubrey's lips, her tongue delving into the warm depths. Aubrey fought back, biting down on Sam's tongue and shoving the shocked blonde off. As Sam rolled across the bed, Aubrey jumped up and bolted for the door. She didn't care if she was nude; she just wanted to be gone. The doors thankfully slid open and she escaped into the hallway, deciding at the last second to turn right. To her delight, she saw that no guards stood in her way.

Behind her, she could hear Sam's running footsteps, coming ever-closer. Aubrey turned a familiar corner and found herself in the middle of an alien stronghold. She froze, shocked at the sudden end to the SGC. Sam tackled her from behind and both women fell to the ground in a pile. Sam pinned Aubrey against the floor, panting. With a slight smile, the major chuckled, "Normally, I'd enjoy tackling nude women... C'mon, Aubrey... this is the chance of a lifetime. Just declare your allegiance to Xua'quil and everything will be fine. She'll let us live and rule by her side on Earth."

"Rule Earth? Sam, are you listening to yourself? What happened to the plan of just playing along?"

"Plans are made to change," Sam said. "Don't make us kill you."

Aubrey spit in Sam's face.

"Well. I suppose that answers *that* question." Sam stroked Aubrey's face. "Such beautiful skin... Perhaps Xua'quil will allow me to use it to construct a concubine. I'd want her to have your face, though. You have such the cutest little face..."

Aubrey struggled against Sam, but the drug was beginning to take hold. Her vision swam and she felt the strength seeping from her muscles.

---

The Gate Room was abuzz with activity. A MALP stood motionless on the ramp, prepared to go through. Directly behind it stood a group of Marines, specially trained for hostile situations. Their uniforms were a traditional camoflague, better allowing them to blend into the forest. Shoe polish darkened their features. Behind the Marines was the specially formed SG-SF, Special Forces Unit. It had been put together for just this mission and would most likely be disbanded afterward.

Colonel Jack O'Neill was leading the troops, dressed all in black, along with Daniel and Teal'c. Making up the rest of the SG-SF were Major Mark Burdett, Dr. Charlotte Parker and Natoris in the form of Dr. Roth. General Hammond approached the MALP, placing his hand on top of the probe. "Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to embark on an infinitely dangerous mission. The enemy you will be engaging is a crafty one, an enemy who came within a hair's breadth of defeating us at one point. I want you all to be on your guard at all times. Your orders are to engage the enemy, destroy as many as possible, and bring home our people. Godspeed, soldiers. And good luck."

The Stargate began to dial on those final words, the inner ring spinning as it always did. From the back of the control room, Janet watched as the large group prepared to speed across the galaxy to bring her lover home. She was sitting on the spiral staircase that led to the briefing room, her hands tightly clasped. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead on her fists. "Please let her come back to me... Please, don't take her away from me."

As the Stargate roared to life, she opened her hands and peered down at the small golden circle laying in her palm. The stone had dented her skin just below her middle finger, but it didn't hurt at all. Slowly, she reached up and turned the diamond ring over and over again. She held the ring to her lips and softly whispered, "I will marry you, Sam... just come home to me..." Tears rolled down her cheeks as the first wave of soldiers headed through the Gate.

Chapter Six

FalseJanet stood in front of the monitors, watching her troops as they prepared for the inevitable invasion. Her right hand held a wide-mouthed wine glass, filled with a faux champagne. She parted her lips slightly, pressing the glass against her mouth and tipping her head back. She caught a small amount in her mouth. She swished it back and forth, savoring the texture on her tongue before finally swallowing. She turned, whipping her cape around her lithe legs.

"Your planet truly has some wonderful concoctions. I simply cannot wait until I can taste the true texture of... what is this drink called again, my love?"

Sam, standing next to the bed, replied, "Champagne." She gently brushed a loose strand of hair out of Aubrey's face. After drugging the young lieutenant, Sam had brought her to the room and laid her out on the bed.

FalseJanet sighed, looking at the slight form underneath the blankets. "Samantha, we must speak of this insane battle you are fighting."

"What... what do you mean?"

"First you ask me to spare Cassandra's life. Now, you feel guilty for drugging this one. How many more will you request salvation for? I must know that you will not turn your back on me. I need to be certain that you are faithful to our cause."

"It is," Sam nodded, moving out of the alcove and kneeling in front of FalseJanet. She took one of the alien replica's hands in her own, kissing the fingers. "I trust in you completely. I swear."

FalseJanet smiled, stroking Sam's hair with her free hand. "Then you must be given a test of faith."

"Test?"

The duplicate hooked a finger under Sam's chin, tilting the blonde's head up until they were looking into each other's eyes. FalseJanet said, "I want you to kill Aubrey. Personally."

Sam's smile faded. "Myself."

FalseJanet produced a knife from one thigh-length boot. Pressing the handle into Sam's hand, she demanded, "Kill Aubrey Welch."

Sam reluctantly closed her fingers around the handle, looking at the curved blade in shock. "Kill... her? But I... I've never killed anyone in cold blood."

"Get used to it, love. Go. You can do it now."

Sam slowly got to her feet, hesitantly approaching the bed. She pulled the blankets back, baring Aubrey's bare chest. She adjusted her grip on the knife, testing the weight. She locked onto the girl's closed eyes and mouthed, "I'm sorry." She raised the knife above her head...

And alarms began to blare.

Sam spun around, dropping the knife in surprise. FalseJanet was already approaching the monitors, a look of anger passing over her features. The main screen was displaying the Stargate, as usual, but instead of the idyllic scene it had been showing for the past twenty-four hours, the clearing was buzzing with activity. Three camoed Marines were making a run at the treeline, making excellent progress as their two teammates laid down cover fire. Fanning out from the Stargate, using the MALP as cover, a group of black-clad SGC officers were heading in the opposite direction... straight for Xua'quil's compound.

"Damnation," FalseJanet spit, "How the hell did..." She slapped the monitors in anger, then spun around. "Samantha, my dear... we have a situation. Our plans must change accordingly."

---

Jack O'Neill dropped flat against the ground as weapons fire began to fill the air. Behind him, Daniel stopped to readjust the MALP calibrations from it's onboard control panel. Jack coughed, then turned so he could face the archaeologist. "Brilliant idea, Daniel, but I take it their cameras are operational again?"

"Uh, yeah... that would be a reasonable assumption. The EMP only blocked the camera signal for a couple of seconds." Daniel closed the control panel, having obviously given up on trying to recreate the EMP. He pulled the UAV off of the MALP and began to assemble it as quickly as possible.

Jack nodded. "Thank God it was enough. We gonna be able to make that treeline?"

"If we get enough cover from the Marines... then yeah." He laid the UAV on the ground, aiming the rockets away from the team, and fired. The small machine rose into the air quickly, drawing fire from several confused Cheletan look-alikes.

To Natoris, Jack asked, "This compound where you think they're holding Sam and SG-3... how far is it from the Gate?"

Natoris looked at the treeline, then gazed into the sky. "I believe it is approximately two miles. That is only an estimation."

Jack nodded. "Okay... Teal'c, you and Burdett cover us and the Marines. Danny, Natoris, you're with me." He rose into a crouch, looking for hidden enemies in the nearby shrubbery. Finding none, he waved forward and Daniel and Natoris ran for the trees. Jack followed, opening fire on unseen enemies that may have been targeting the Marines.

Once they were safe in the woods, Jack sighed, "Let's go bring back our people."

The team surged through the woods, occasionally pausing to seek cover behind a wide tree trunk. Troops of the chameleonic aliens, disguised as Cheletans, were on patrol in the woods and had been alerted that invading humans were in the midst. Jack steadied his gun, fixing his sights on one of the masquerading creatures. His finger tensed on the trigger, then pulled. The gun bucked in his hands and a bullet roared through the shrubbery.

The patrolman was caught in the upper shoulder and he fell to his knees, immediately turning and fixing his sights on O'Neill's location. Before he could open fire, Natoris caught him in the chest with a volley of fire from her weapon. The guard went down, his weapon firing harmlessly into the air.

Daniel paused, peering into the sky. "I've always wondered what happens to bullets shot into the air."

"I shot an arrow in the air," Jack said, pulling himself up. "Where it lands, I don't give a damn. C'mon, Danny."

Natoris turned. "We are approaching the vicinity of Xua'quil's stronghold. All conversations should cease immediately."

Jack snapped, "I'm the commanding officer here, got it? I give the orders."

"You have no understanding of these creatures or their mindset. I happen to share a body with one they control. Who do you think is better equipped to command this mission?"

Jack didn't answer, just motioned forward with his head. Natoris turned, leading the way through the forest. Though he didn't like it, Jack did remain silent.

The stronghold resembled a domed stadium; stone walls rose two or three stories above their heads, covered with a translucent dome that reflected the light into their eyes. Jack peered at the building, then scanned the surrounding area for guards. "I'm countin'... seven or eight armed guards on this side alone."

Natoris nodded slowly, then said, "That is merely the guards who are visible. I believe there will be at least two more stationed in areas that are not visible to us."

Jack tightened his grip on his weapon, then pulled the radio to his mouth. "Teal'c," he whispered. "You read us?"

"I do," came the quiet reply.

"When you and Burdett finish babysitting those Marines, we'll need a few more hands over here, know what I'm saying?"

"Indeed. We are on our way, O'Neill."

The radio shut off and Jack leaned against a tree trunk. "What's the plan, fearless leader? Wait for Teal'c or rush the stronghold now and wait for the calvary?"

Natoris scanned the walls, then decided, "I have a plan of action."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."

---

Teal'c knelt in the path, holding up a hand to indicate to Burdett that they were stopping. In the brush a few feet off of the path, he could see two alien guards moving in the opposite direction, carrying something in their arms. When they had disappeared through the trees, Teal'c rose into a crouch and made his way through the brush to whatever the aliens had been interested in.

Resting atop a pile of brush was the body of what once was an alien cyborg. It's shoulder had been hit by one round, it's chest pockmarked by three. It's fingers were still wrapped around the butt of his rifle. But the skin had been completely torn away. Burdett knelt next to Teal'c, scanning the trees for the enemy while sneaking glances at the violated cyborg's body. "God... they harvest skin from their dead soldiers? What kind of sick people are they?"

"They are searching for a suitable homeworld. They will stop at nothing to obtain that at any cost."

Burdett tried unsuccessfully to hide a shudder. "C'mon. Colonel O'Neill is waiting for us."

Teal'c nodded, rising and returning to the path.

---

Two guards stopped, conferring about the invasion force. One was testing the sight on his rifle when he came upon something odd resting in the trees. He frowned, indicating the oddity to his companion. They both peered at the discoloration, trying to determine whether it was one of their own people or an invader. They didn't have time to make the distinction or, if they did, they didn't have time to act on it.

At that moment, the person they had locked onto jumped into action. Natoris hit the button on the mobile EMP and dropped to her knees. The EMP wasn't strong enough to disable weapons or communications or even surveillance cameras... but there was one thing it could distrupt. The engines of the UAV flying overhead sputtered and died, sending the small plane into a nosedive... right for the guard duo.

Natoris did her best to navigate the kamikaze plane and, in the end, it landed dead center where she wanted. It impaled the first guard, slamming him into the wall of the stronghold before bursting into flames. The second guard, shocked at the attack, was caught by surprise in the ensuing explosion. His stolen skin began to burn and he dropped to his knees, screaming in horror.

Jack and Daniel burst from the trees, their guns breathing fire in opposite directions. Any guards alerted by the explosion were caught in the crossfire. The two men finally reached the wall, pressing tightly against it as Natoris burst out of the treeline. She held two guns, firing to her right and leaving her left unprotected. Jack dropped to one knee, opening fire on any guards that approached from that direction.

Teal'c and Burdett chose that moment to arrive, adding additional strength to the firefight. As Burdett rushed across the clearing, Teal'c leveled his staff and fired one powerful blast against the heavy doors to Jack and Daniel's left. The door exploded inward, taking the frame and part of the wall with it. Jack pounced into the now open access, ready to fire on anyone who stood in his way. What he saw made his concentration waiver slightly.

He was standing in what appeared to be the main hallway of the SGC. Directly ahead, he could see a short staircase that led up and into the control room. Beyond that, he could actually see the Stargate. His shock was almost enough to cause his demise. A barrel-chested man crashed into him from the left, slamming Jack against the wall. Daniel rushed in, trying to pull the attacker off to no avail. The huge black man closed his hands around Jack's throat and began to squeeze. As Jack's eyes began to roll into the back of his head, his body going limp, Daniel pressed the barrel of his gun against the attacker's temple and closed his eyes. Turning away, he pulled the trigger.

The black man collapsed, his cybernetic skull collapsing in on itself. Danger averted, Daniel stepped back and exhaled sharply. Jack grabbed his friend's upper arm and managed to gasp, "Thank you..."

"No problem," Daniel said, his face and uniform covered with what appeared to be oil. Teal'c and Burdett followed Natoris into the false SGC, all of them showing a momentary shock at where they found themselves.

Finally, Jack managed to compose himself after his near-death experience and said, "We'll split up... find whoever's in charge and get 'em to tell us where Sam is."

"That won't be necessary, Sir."

The entire group turned at the sound of the familiar voice.

Sam Carter was approaching from the direction one would normally find the infirmary. She was wearing a totally white outfit. Her hair had been combed back away from her face and was smoothed with some kind of gel. She was holding tightly to FalseJanet, the alien known as Xua'quil, and holding a gun to the petite woman's head. Sam's white coat had been wrapped around Janet's shoulders and buttoned to the chin to ensure a little privacy.

"Doc?" Jack asked, skeptical.

"No," Sam responded. "Just a reasonable facsimile. She was distracted by your attack. I managed to overpower her and take the gun."

Daniel tore his gaze away from Sam's outfit - which, while covering her completely, fit her like a glove - and asked, "What about SG-3?"

"She's already killed most of them... Borden, Sloane and Welles are gone. Lieutenant Welch is in Xua'quil's chambers, recovering from being drugged."

"Who drugged her?" Jack asked.

"Ah... I did, Sir. I was kind of under the influence myself at the time."

"But you've shaken it?"

"Yes, Sir. Believe me, I'm ready to interrogate this bitch back at the SGC."

Jack pulled his revolver out, pressing it against FalseJanet's forehead. "What interrogate? Let's end this right now."

"NO!!" Sam cried, putting her hand on top of Jack's. "I mean... Sir, we need to interrogate her." She was aware that everyone was looking at her oddly. "Don't you want to know how many of her kind there are? Where they have strongholds? Sir, she's their leader. An invaluable source of information."

Jack reluctantly lowered his weapon. "Yeah... I guess so... You sure you're okay, Carter?"

"Yes, Sir. Just a bit jumpy is all. I'm coming down off all of these drugs."

"What about guards?"

"I contacted them pretending to be Xua'quil," Sam said. "They're all converging on a point well away from the Stargate. We'll make it home safely, Sir."

Jack smiled. "Well... let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

---

General Hammond was on-hand to personally welcome back the troops through the Stargate. Janet nervously stood next to Hammond, chewing her lower lip. The fifth chevron was being dialed when she grabbed her CO's arm. "General, I... I have to see to something immediately. I'll see Sam in my office as soon as she's ready, okay?"

"No problem, Doctor. I'll tell her you're looking for her."

She smiled weakly, then retreated out of the Gate Room. She cast a final glance at the Stargate before she stepped into the hall. The doors slid shut behind her and she fished the engagement ring out of her pocket. She didn't know why she couldn't face Sam yet... she stuck the ring back in her pocket and headed for the elevators.

Meanwhile, the wormhole was engaging. General Hammond smiled as Jack stepped casually onto the ramp, his gun slung over his shoulder. Teal'c and Daniel followed, the former carrying the unconscious form of Aubrey in his massive arms. Natoris came through with the Marines. Bringing up the rear was the prodigal Samantha Carter, keeping a firm hold on... Janet Fraiser?

As the event horizon collapsed, Hammond stepped forward and locked eyes with the uncanny duplicate of his Chief Medical Officer. "Colonel? Care to explain?"

Jack sighed. "Robots, sir."

Daniel cleared his throat. "Actually, cyborgs. Using Harlan's technology, just like Natoris told us. I think, with this particular duplicate's help, we can wipe the mind-controlling agent from Dr. Roth's mind without permanent damage."

"Think again," FalseJanet hissed. "I won't help any of you."

Sam jerked on the smaller woman's arm. "Come on. I have the perfect cell for you." She glanced at Hammond. "Sir?"

"Dismissed, Major. Damn glad to have you back."

She nodded slightly, leading FalseJanet from the room.

---

The airman opened the door, allowing the women through. Sam shoved FalseJanet into the small enclosure, then turned to the soldier. "Airman... I'd like a moment alone with this bitch."

"Ma'am, I'm really not supposed to..."

"She held me captive, airman. She drugged me to be complacent, tried to force me to kill a fellow soldier and used my own feelings against me. Five minutes is all I ask."

The airman looked from Sam to FalseJanet, then nodded slightly. "Just make sure it's not visible, huh? Don't want to look bad on my report."

Sam smiled slightly. "Great. Thanks."

He nodded, leaving the room with a final glance at the alien construct sitting on the bed. Shaking his head, he slammed the door and disappeared down the hall.

Sam watched him go, then turned and faced FalseJanet with a smile. "Worked like a charm," she whispered.

"At least," FalseJanet said, rising to her feet, "phase one is working. You did well, my love. Now to implement the second part of our plan."

"Your wish is my command," Sam said.

Chapter Seven

Between the slats in her office's Venetian blinds, Janet was keeping a steady record of the hastily planned party taking place in the infirmary. While the injuries to SG-1 and their Marine escorts were minor, General Hammond had ordered complete physical work-ups on them 'just in case.' It was pretty clear, however, that this was the real deal come home.

Jack somehow managed to procure a bottle of wine and popped it open, pouring it out into cups pilfered from the commisary. Janet continually scanned the faces for the one that meant the most to her.

Finally, Sam appeared. She was looking a lot worse than when Janet had last seen her; bags under her eyes, utter exhaustion seeming to ooze out of every pore as she slumped onto an exam bed and closed her eyes. Daniel approached his recently-rescued teammate, whispering something to her before motioning in the direction of Janet's office. Sam followed the motion, unknowingly looking directly at Janet.

To an outside observer, the office looked deserted; it was the reason Jack hadn't burst in threatening to drown her in wine. The lights were all off and the blinds nearly closed. But Sam dutifully pulled herself up and stumbled across the room. Light poured in as the blonde opened the door, peering at the dark room. "Janet?"

"I'm here, Sam." She could hardly believe her lover had come back to her. In the back of her mind, she had prepared the possibility that this was the one where Sam didn't make it home. She had half of her speech to Cassie prepared.

Sam closed the door, not moving to turn on the lights. "I've been looking for you."

"Me, too. I mean... for you," Janet said. "I wanted to ask you a question."

"Would I have acted so stupid if I thought I was coming home to you? The answer would probably be no. But it worked out in the long run, didn't it? We got most of our people home... Accounted for the others."

"Actually... I wanted to ask you a question that I was too afraid to answer a few weeks ago." She pushed herself away from the desk, approaching Sam. They were inches apart in the darkness when Janet took her lover's hand and pressed the small gold ring against her palm. "Will you marry me? Will you be my wife? I was wrong before. I was so damn wrong." She was on the verge of tears. "Marriage scared me... not being married to you, but marriage in general. I was scared I was just getting into another bad situation. I've had a lot of time to think, Sam... to picture my life without you. And it... it isn't a life." She realized she had gotten through the entire speech she had prepared and her lover hadn't said a word. "Sam?"

Sam's entire body seemed to have transformed to stone. "Will I... what?" The blonde was trembling. Finally, she slipped something from her pocket. "I brought you something."

Janet looked into Sam's beautiful blue eyes, eyes that were barely visible in the dark office. "Sam, please..."

"It's a chocolate," the blonde said, still avoiding Janet's gaze. "I know how much you like chocolate, so I thought I would buy you some chocolate. Here..." She placed the candy in Janet's palm and turned away, turning her gaze to the ring in her hand.

"Sam..."

"Eat the chocolate, please. For me?"

Janet sighed and unwrapped the plain silver wrapper. Popping the candy in her mouth, she said, "Okay, now can we discuss... Whoa... where, uh, where did you get this candy?"

"The General. Come on." She took Janet's hand and began to drag her from the room.

"Where are we going? Sam, you didn't answer my question!" She spun around in front of Sam, blocking the door with her petite form. Sam stopped, hanging her head.In the dim light, Janet could see glistening trails on the taller woman's cheeks. Janet closed the distance between them, embracing the still tense major. It was the most awkward, uncomfortable hug they'd ever shared with each other; Sam refused to bring her arms up to touch the doctor.

The door swung open, pushing the two women aside as Jack stumbled in, his arm wrapped around a young civilian aid officer's shoulders. "I tell ya, the doc has some stuff in here that'll..." He flipped on the light switch, finally noticing the office wasn't as vacant as it appeared. "Whoops... Uh, we'll just..." He turned, wisely not taking the time to finish his statement. He turned the light off as he went, sending the women back to darkness.

Sam finally brought her hands up, lightly touching Janet's back with her fingertips. "Come on... The General wants you to examine the prisoner."

"Now?"

"He said the sooner the better. Come on, I'll take you to her."

---

Janet followed the taller woman down the hall, wondering what the purpose of this quest was. Sam kept checking over her shoulder, whether to make sure Janet hadn't lagged behind or to see if they were being followed, she wasn't sure. Janet was busy trying not to think about the bitter aftertaste the candy left behind. It had to have been the worst chocolate she had ever tasted. Finally, they reached the quarantine area. Sam approached the guard and said, "We need a moment alone, airman. Doctor's orders."

The airman glanced at Janet and nodded once, pausing to swipe his keycard in the scanner to allow them access. He saluted the women, then disappeared down the hall. Sam pulled the door open and ushered Janet inside.

The grey cell walls and lonely bunk bed reminded Janet of old court dramas on television. The client would press his face against the bars, pleading with some incarnation of Perry Mason that he was innocent. This situation, however, was a bit different.

Sam closed the door, pressing herself against it. Janet turned, looking at the blonde and wondering if the motion was to prevent her from retreating.

Janet frowned, facing the prisoner for the first time. She gasped. She had "seen" the woman on the other side of the bars hundreds, maybe thousands of times. The prisoner was a mirror image of herself, save for the blue bikini get-up she was wearing. A white overcoat was laying on the cot, folded and neatly placed on top of the pillow. "My God... when those aliens took over a while ago, I knew one of them pretended to be me, but I never imagined..."

FalseJanet stood, approaching the bars. "It's peculiar to finally see my original design. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Janet Fraiser. I plan to do marvelous things with you."

Janet stepped back. "Sam? What's going on?"

Sam placed her hands on Janet's shoulders, gently pushing the brunette forward. "It's nothing," she promised. "I listened to her and she makes a lot of sense. Just listen to what she has to say and then see if you want to join our cause."

"*Our* cause? Sam, you're... you're an alien like the members of SG-9?!"

FalseJanet chuckled. "Of course not! She passed a physical examination, did she not? She is as human as you and m... well, you, anyway."

Janet was dumbfounded. "Sam, why would you turn on me like this? Hell, on the SGC! On Earth! How could you do this?"

"She was hurting," FalseJanet replied. "The love of her life wanted nothing to do with her. Then along comes an perfect replica of that love. A exact image that promised love... and power... and everything Samantha could ever wish for. She was entranced."

"And now I can have both," Sam said, moving closer to Janet. "You said you loved me... you proposed. I will marry you, Janet. But we have to help her or we won't be alive to enjoy our union." Janet felt her back press against the bars, not yet aware that the laser perimeter that prevented the prisoner from getting too close had been disabled. "She has promised that those who don't join will be destroyed." She stroked the smaller woman's cheek. "I don't want to destroy you."

Suddenly, a pair of arms shot through the bars and wrapped around Janet's torso. Janet emitted a quiet 'eep!' before Sam silenced her with a deep kiss.

FalseJanet held tight to her predecessor, their identical faces side-by-side. As Sam's tongue explored her mouth, FalseJanet began to thrust her tongue into her counterpart's ear. Janet moaned, trying to pull away from her two attackers, but the cyborg had inhuman strength and Sam seemed stronger, too. It suddenly hit her... the chocolate that Sam had given her must have been some kind of aphrodisiac... or it contained a mind-controlling element like the nish'ta that had captivated the members of SG-1 on two occasions. That thought faded just as quickly as it had formed. Rational thought was useless under the sensual onslaught of the other two in the room.

As Sam continued to kiss her, FalseJanet's hands slipped away and her body no longer pressed against Janet's back. For a moment, she was glad that she was only touching Sam and lifted her hands to cup the blonde's face. Brainwashed or not, it was damn good to have her back. Suddenly, she heard the cell doors being slid open with apparently no effort whatsoever. She heard her own voice demand, "Bring her to the bed. Lay her on top of the covers."

Sam's strong arms swept Janet off her feet, their lips never losing contact. As much as she despised the thought, she was actually beginning to get aroused; an obvious product of the chocolate that Sam had drugged her with. She didn't fight as Sam carried her into the cell and gently placed her on the rough blankets.

She lay still, eyes closed and lips swollen from kisses, as the two women stared down at her. Finally, her own voice said, "Remove her clothing."

Fingers began to work at her belt, quickly doing away with it before reaching around the smaller woman's hips and finding the zipper. Janet arched her back, lifting her hips off the cot to better allow Sam to remove her skirt. As the material was slipped down her legs, she once again asked herself what she was doing. Gentle fingers began to caress her cheek and she looked up, expecting Sam's cerulean gaze. What she got instead was FalseJanet, smiling down at her. "You are a very beautiful woman, Janet Fraiser. I am glad that I have been given the opportunity to be you, if just for a short time."

The double then lowered her head and kissed familiar lips, their identical tongues dueling as Sam deftly unbuttoned the doctor's uniform blouse and slipped it away from her shoulders. Janet was now wearing only her slip and high heels. FalseJanet stepped back, removing her own clothes as Sam spread herself over Janet's semi-nude form. Janet looked up at her lover, running her fingers through the short blonde hair. 'So what if I have to help this despicable alien? I have my lover back.'

She didn't know where the thought came from, but she pulled Sam down until their lips met in a fiery kiss. Janet could feel her slip rising up, revealing her wetness to the cold air of the cell. Sam quickly moved between the brunette's spread legs, rubbing her thigh against her lover's bare core. She broke the kiss, smiling. "No panties, Janet? Surprises abound..."

Janet began to nuzzle Sam's throat, wishing that the infernal white uniform that Sam was wearing would disappear. She sat up, holding Sam close and kissed the major's nipples through her shirt. FalseJanet lowered herself to the bed behind Sam. Janet opened her eyes, looking over Sam's shoulder. Her doppelganger had stripped completely and was now caressing the blonde's back. When she met her predecessor's gaze, she smiled and pressed herself against Sam.

Angling Sam's head downward, Janet leaned forward and caught FalseJanet's lips with her own. She was kissing a woman who looked exactly like her... and she was enjoying it more than she thought possible. Sam's lips and tongue skimmed across the silk of the doctor's slip, teasing her nipples to arousal. Janet slipped one hand under the waistband of Sam's pants, reaching up with the other to caress FalseJanet's face. The major's thigh was still pressed against her, rubbing the white material over her and leaving a large wet spot.

Sam reached down, moving under the slip and gently fingering the doctor's clitoris. Janet moaned into FalseJanet's mouth, thrusting her hips against Sam's searching fingers. With a grin, Sam pulled the slip up and revealed Janet's nude form.

FalseJanet reluctantly broke the kiss, just long enough to get the slip over her double's head, before diving in once more. As Sam worked one more finger into Janet's wetness, she began to place butterfly kisses across the petite woman's stomach. She was hunched over completely, her legs straight out in front of her, her back arched and head angled down. She felt more like a pretzel than a woman as her two lovers kissed over her head. She swirled her tongue in Janet's navel, remembering when Cassandra had wanted to pierce her belly button and the doctor had hit the roof.

Sam smiled now, remembering Cassandra. She wondered what the girl was doing now. 'If only she knew what her *parents* were doing!, Sam mused. She didn't know why she started thinking of the teenager, but now she could hardly think of anything else. The two naked women pressing against either side of her no longer seemed to matter as her thoughts drifted back to picking Cassie up from school, fighting with her over cleaning her room, holding her in the missle silo when orders had been clear....

She was suddenly aware that someone was straightening her up and pressing her against the cot's blanket. Her vision cleared and she saw the two Janets working to remove her white uniform, eager to get at her nude body. As one slipped her pants off, the other was undoing the buttons on her blouse. It suddenly hit Sam that, without clothes, she couldn't tell one Janet from the other. She scanned their faces, looking for any hint, any clue, but found none. She whispered, "Janet," only to have both look up.

One Janet pushed Sam's head down onto the pillow and, turned towards Sam's feet, gently straddling the blonde's face, lowering herself to Sam's eager lips. She moaned as she began to roll her tongue across her lover's lips, instantly forgetting about the predicament she now found herself in. The other Janet was between the major's legs, her tongue working in tandem with her lips and fingers.

The Janet sitting on Sam's mouth was making short, staccato moans and clutching her own breasts as she neared climax. Her head was thrown back, her brunette hair skimming her shoulder blades as she rolled towards an orgasm. She leaned forward, keeping her crotch on Sam's face as she laid on top of her twin. The other Janet looked up and they kissed again, this time sharing the taste of Sam's juices. The thrusting tongue and familiar taste was enough to push Janet over the edge as she began to fill Sam's mouth with copious amounts of honey. Sam was in heaven; clutching eagerly at Janet's hips and pulling the small woman against her mouth.

When the orgasm finally began to ebb, Janet rolled off the blonde and lay on the bed. Her breathing was ragged, her pulse racing. She tried to focus on the ceiling, but found that her head was swimming and she couldn't focus on anything. Realization dawned on her a moment too late as she slipped out of consciousness.

FalseJanet looked up from her positon between Sam's thighs, noticing that her twin was no longer moving. "The drug worked," she stated.

"Don't... stop...," Sam demaned. "Please... so close..."

FalseJanet grinned and lowered her head.

---

Janet woke with a migraine that was keeping her hangover company. Her eyes seemed to be the only thing on her body that wasn't throbbing with pain. She tried to sit up, then realized she was restrained. Leather straps crossed over her shoulders, lower torso, thighs and ankles. She fought against the restraints, trying to make sense of the situation. Finally, she became aware of people talking nearby.

"...tried to examine her, she went ballistic. Thank God I was there or she might have succeeded."

She turned her head slightly, ignoring the jackhammer-pain that was resounding through her temples. She could see bars... bars like the cell where she had just made love to Sam and an alien. She couldn't believe what she had just thought... Made love to Sam and an alien? Not only an alien, an alien cyborg that was a dead-ringer for herself. The drug she had been given had been immensely powerful...

On the other side of the bars, she could make out four people. She squinted, trying to add shape to their forms. General Hammond was the closest, and next to him was Colonel O'Neill. Both looked upset, angry... or perhaps just tired. She turned her attention on the other two. Sam was there, dressed in her familiar black t-shirt and green pants. To her left was...

Janet blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

To Sam's left was Dr. Janet Fraiser; lab coat, blue uniform blouse, dark blue skirt... It dawned on her what had happened. They had seduced her, drugged her... replaced her. FalseJanet had taken her place. She tried to fight against the restraints, but she was far too weak to make any noticeable difference. A tear slipped free, rolling down her cheek and onto the cot. "Please... she..."

O'Neill shook his head, moving to the door. "Sir, request permission to chuck her through the gate to some god-forsaken planet? Like, say, a black hole?"

"Denied, Colonel. The people at the Pentagon will want a chance to examine a living alien specimen." The two men left the room, leaving Sam and FalseJanet alone.

Sam touched the bars lightly. "I'm sorry, Janet. It has to be this way."

FalseJanet grinned. "We'll take very good care of Cassandra. She will be a fine heir to my throne." She chuckled, wrapping her arm around Sam. "I have your lover, your daughter... and now your life. Good-bye, Janet. Enjoy your prison while you're alive to enjoy it."

As the two women left, all Janet could manage was a weak sob.

Chapter Eight

FalseJanet and Sam caught up with General Hammond at the elevators. "General Hammond," the alien construct called. "I have to discuss something with you."

The bald Texan turned, still frowning about the situation. "Yes, Dr. Fraiser?"

"It's concerning the... alien creature in the cell. I want to know exactly what you plan to do with her."

Hammond smiled vaguely as they stepped into the elevator. "Doctor, I assure you. It will be treated in the most humane way possible."

"It's not that, Sir. She... It... is incredibly dangerous. She has the knowledge of these constructs within her. If she ever manages to escape, who knows what she would be capable of?"

"What are you proposing, Dr. Fraiser?"

"I think she should be destroyed as soon as possible."

Sam turned, gaping at the smaller woman in disbelief. "Janet..." she whispered.

FalseJanet ignored her. "I was thinking about it, Sir. The perfect place would be the silo where we originally planned to dispose of Cassandra."

"Dispose of?" Hammond said. "We had no other options. This time, we have options. She will be held in the highest security until it is determined what her fate will ultimately be."

The doors opened and Hammond stepped forward. FalseJanet nodded. "Yes, Sir. I understand, Sir." The elevator doors closed on the General's retreaing back and the two women were alone again. "Damn... we may have to take matters into our own hands."

Sam hit the stop button next to the DOORS OPEN button. "Xua'quil, I thought--"

She was cut off by a sharp slap across her face. "What did we agree on?"

"Sorry... Janet. I thought holding Janet - the other Janet - hostage was necessary until we managed to control the higher levels of the SGC."

"At the time, I believed it was necessary as well," FalseJanet sighed. "But I have since decided that it will be necessary to continue my charade as Janet Fraiser a bit longer than anticipated. It is only common sense that the original Janet will claim innocence. And then it will simply be a matter of time before a member of your meddling SG-1 decides she may be telling the truth. She must be destroyed."

"You've been planning this all along, haven't you? You never wanted to persuade Janet to join us."

"Two Janets working on the same side?" FalseJanet scoffed. "Please, it's confusing enough as it is."

"Were you lying about Cassandra?"

"What about her?"

"Letting her live. Are you just going to kill her, too?"

"Samantha, we are, for lack of a better word, an army of invaders. What would we possibly benefit having a child in our ranks?"

"You're going to kill Cassandra."

"No, my dear. You will kill her."

Sam couldn't believe her ears. "What?!"

"Cassandra knows things, love. She would know I'm an imposter. You, however, are Samantha Carter's flesh-and-blood. You will gain the child's trust and eliminate the threat she holds to our cause."

"Eliminate? You mean murder Cassie? I... I can't, Janet."

"You can and you will," FalseJanet hissed. She reached behind herself, pulling a revolver from her belt. It had been hidden by her jacket. "I stole this from the armory. Using the weapon assigned to you by the Air Force would be too obvious. You will go home and use this to dispose of the girl." She reached around Sam and pressed the start button. The elevator lurched back into motion. "I will call home in approximately thirty minutes. If Cassandra is still alive, I will assume you have turned against me. At that time, I will destroy the other Janet immediately."

"You're going to kill her anyway."

"If you do as you are told, I will let her live long enough for you to say good-bye." She rolled her eyes. "Humans deal far too much on petty emotions..."

The doors opened. They were on Level 28. FalseJanet stepped outside, then turned. "Go to the surface. Go home. Complete your mission for the cause." The doors slipped closed.

Sam stood alone in the elevator, emotions running rampant. Finally, she hit the button that would take her all the way up. In a few days, there would only be one Janet... and she wanted to be sure she made that one happy.

---

"No, Brad was only pretending to like Sarah to make Angela jealous. No! No, Angela is going out with Joey, Sarah's best friend. Yes way! No! Okay, he was at the mall and Sarah was all, like, 'Joey is so happy in the whole thing,' and Brad is like, 'No way!' so...."

---

Downstairs, Sam quietly opened the door and stepped into the foyer. The revolver FalseJanet had equipped her with was gripped tightly in her hand, the other clenched in a fist. Her short-cut fingernails dug painfully into her palm, threatening to draw blood. Fighting back the urge to cry, she called, "Cass? You home?"

---

Cassandra sat up on the bed. "Sam?! Uh, Carrie? I gotta go!" She slammed the phone down and dashed to the door to her room.

---

Sam kept the gun against her side as the girl bounded down the stairs. "Sam?! No way! Oh, I missed you so much!"

Sam turned to the girl, keeping her weapon tucked against her side and out of sight. "Hey, kiddo." Cassie threw her arms around Sam, holding her tightly. The blonde wrapped one arm around the girl's shoulders, pressing the barrel of the gun against the soft-skin of the girl's abdomen. Tears filled the blonde's eyes as she gathered the courage to do as ordered. She had followed questionable orders before... this should be no different.

They were embracing like they had all those years ago in the missle silo. Sam cocked the hammer on the gun as images coursed through her mind. Birthday parties, holidays, the situation when Nirrti's experiments had almost killed the girl... They had been through so much...

Cassie was obviously growing uncomfortable with the hug. She shifted, pressing against the gun. "Sam? Why do you have your gun out? Is something wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Cassie."

"Sam?"

She pulled the trigger.

---

"General?"

"Dr. Fraiser. Come to fight for your cause again?"

She smiled, moving into the office and closing the door. "No, Sir. Not exactly. I just needed something for your annual physical."

"My physical?" Hammond frowned. "I thought I dealt with that last week?"

"Oh, you did, Sir. It's just... some idiotic nurse's aide misplaced your temperature reading. Rather than going through the whole thing again, I thought you'd rather just have me retake your temperature."

"Is that ethical?"

"Sir," FalseJanet smiled. "We both know you're healthy as a horse. This is just a technicality." She withdrew a thermometer from her coat pocket. "We can do it here, if you prefer."

Hammond opened his mouth. As the cold thermometer was placed under his tongue, he frowned and muttered, "Did you wath thith in thomekind of..." he removed the tool, then repeated, "Did you wash this is somekind of new anticeptic?"

"No, Sir. Why do you ask?"

"It has an odd taste."

"Oh, that's probably the nish'ta."

"Nish'ta?" Hammond said, standing. "What the--" His words died off as the effects of the drug began to claim him. His hands tightened, then released the armrests of his chair. FalseJanet grinned and said, "It has begun." She checked her watch. "If you'll excuse me, Sir, I have a phone call to make."

"Anything you say," Hammond intoned. "You're the boss..."

---

Sam paced nervously, tapping the wireless phone against the palm of her hand. Finally, it chirped with an incoming ring. She answered quickly. "Hello? Yes, hello?"

"Is it done?"

Sam closed her eyes. "It's done. What should I do with..." She shook her head. "What should I do with her body?"

"Burn it for all I care."

"Damn it... You look so much like Janet. Don't you have any of her compassion?"

"Frankly, no. And I'm thinking maybe you're not worthy to spare."

"I'm sorry," Sam sobbed. "I'll... I'll bury her in the back yard. I'll be back as soon as I can." She disconnected the phone and tossed it into the kitchen. She collapsed to her knees, crying loudly and hugging herself.

Cassandra stood, kneeling next to her. "Sam?"

She looked at the girl with red-rimmed eyes. She wanted to believe she had known the chamber was empty; after all it was a typical safety precaution. She wanted to believe that she knew what was going to happen. But the only reason Cassandra was alive was because of stupid, dumb luck. Questions raced through her mind. What if I had checked the chamber? Would I have reloaded to make sure I killed her?

Finally, she reached out and snaked her arm around Cassie's head, pulling the girl close and holding her as tight as possible. "I'm so, so sorry, Cassandra. God, what did I do?"

"You didn't do anything, Sam. Everything's all right."

Sam only cried harder. "I'll save your Mom, Cass. Everything will be all right."

Cassie held tight to the blonde, wondering what had happened off-world. "It'll be okay, Sam. I know it will." Tears began to pour from the teen's eyes as well, partly from the confusion she felt.

They stayed like that for a long time, crying and clinging to each other for dear life.

---

The sun was beginning to set, casting a yellow hue on the neighborhood. Sam sat in the bench chair on the porch of their house, holding her knees against her chest. Cassandra was pressed against the blonde, holding tightly to her. Both women looked like they had been crying and had, in fact, been sobbing for the past hour and a half. The only words spoken between them was the occasional whispered, "I'm so sorry," from Sam to Cassie. Each time she apologized, Cassie would hold tighter to the woman.

All around them, life continued as normal; the kid down the street was fixing his bike, an elderly man was walking his dog, some kids rode by on bicycles and waved at Cassandra. The girl weakly returned the gesture. Sam stroked the girl's hair, looking at life all around them.

She rested her head on Cassandra's, watching Scott Harrison begin work on his Firebird. A radio was perched on his hood and she could barely hear the sounds of the Barenaked Ladies blasting down the street. He slipped into the driver's seat, gunning the engine for practice. It roared loudly, carrying down the street like a shockwave. He stood, slamming the door and approaching the open hood.

"He should just give up on that thing... the sound of him revving that damn engine carries for..." Sam let the thought trail off. If the sound of an engine carries down five houses, how far would a gunshot carry? And in this mind-everyone's-business neighborhood, how many people would have called 911 that second? It would have been easy to pinpoint the house where the shot came from; when in doubt, check the trained soldiers.

Sam realized what FalseJanet had been trying to do. "Oh, my God... she didn't just want me to kill you," she whispered. "She wanted me to get arrested for killing you."

Cassie raised her head. "Sam?"

"The bitch! The bitch set me up!" Sam stood, heading for her bike.

Cassandra followed her off the porch. "Sam? Sam, where are you going?"

Sam stopped, turning. "There's something I have to do at the SGC. Janet's life is in danger, so is everyone else on this planet." She straddled the bike, pulling her helmet on. As she did, she felt a small body press against her back and hold on. "Cass, what are you doing?"

"Someone made you wanna kill me. Whoever it is, they must be pretty powerful to make you do something like that. You're gonna need help."

"No, Cass, it's too dangerous. Get off the bike."

"Sam... Mom needs my help."

Sam closed her eyes, deciding any further argument with the girl would be fruitless. She climbed off the bike, jogging into the house. She returned a moment later with a pink helmet, tossing it to Cassie. As the girl slipped it on, Sam slipped the bike into neutral and rolled backwards out of the driveway. Once she was in the street, she revved the engine loud enough to put Scott Harrison's Firebird to shame. She roared down the street with Cassandra holding on for dear life.

---

Sam trekked through the woods, glad she hadn't taken the time to change into street clothes before going home. Her heavy combat boots crunched twigs and dried leaves as she searched through the overgrowth for the 'back-door' to the SGC. Cassandra was close behind, holding tightly to Sam's outstretched hand. This caused Sam's arm to be turned around and stretched backwards, an obviously uncomfortable position, but when Cassie had let go, Sam had turned and grabbed her hand once more. She didn't want to lose her grip on the girl.

Finally, pulling through some overgrown grass, Sam saw the access port sticking out of a batch of weeds. The last time she had used this entry, the aliens from P3X-118 had taken over everyone in the SGC except for herself and Teal'c. Now, she was planning to use it again for the same purposes. She pushed the heavy cover up and looked into the long, dark hole that led down into the facility. "Okay, Cass... you stay here." She pulled a cell phone from her pocket. "I'll try to call you when the coast is clear. Don't come after me... it's far too dangerous. Got it?"

Cassie nodded. Sam embraced the girl. "Don't come after me. I don't want them to take you away from me."

The girl hugged Sam, then said, "You gotta go now, Sam."

She nodded, turning and looking at the ladder. "Yeah... I do. Wish me luck, kiddo."

"Good luck."

---

After 20 levels of descent, Sam leaned against the cold metal bars of the ladder and exhaled sharply. She could smell the sweat drenching her underneath her t-shirt, her feet ached in her boots, and she was exhausted. She closed her eyes... then saw the shocked expression on Cassie's face as a bullet tore through her stomach.

Her eyes opened quickly, her grip tightening on the ladder. 'Two levels to go,' she told herself. 'Two levels to go...'

---

Cassandra paced nervously next to the access ladder, cradling the cell phone in her hands. From the trees, she heard snippets of a conversation, bits and pieces of someone talking... and they were coming closer. Sticking the cell in her pocket, Cassie climbed onto the large cement structure and slipped into the dark tunnel. Far below, she thought she could see movement, but she didn't call out for fear the wrong people would hear her. She pulled the cover down, sealing them in darkness.

---

Sam looked up at the loud sound. Why would Cassandra have closed the cover to the access ladder? She almost called out to see if someone else had entered the tunnel, then thought better of it. She continued her downward climb.

---

Level 22 finally came. Sam slipped onto the small platform, turning the lock and pushing the heavy door open. She found herself in an abandoned hallway near the holding rooms. Looking both ways, she dropped into the room and closed the door behind her. Normally, guards were stationed within eyesight of the access door at all times. The fact she was alone didn't bode well for the members of the SGC. She slipped the revolver from her belt, checking again to make sure it was loaded. She had filled the empty chamber earlier. Slapping the chamber back into place, the major continued down the hall.

"Major Carter?"

She froze, her heart slamming against her rib cage as she turned. Major Mark Burdett was standing a few feet away, his friendly smile present, as always. "I haven't seen you in..." He paused, noticing her gun was out. "Major? Is, uh... there some kind of trouble?"

She raised the gun. "Take your weapon out of it's holster and lay it on the ground. Slowly."

"I... I don't have a weapon," he said, raising his hands slowly. "What's going on, Sam?"

She moved closer to him. "Raise your shirt."

"Sam?"

"DO IT!"

He reluctantly lifted his shirt, baring his chest to the woman of his dreams. Sam reached out with her free hand, placing it over his heart. If he were human, his heartbeat would be detectable. She frowned at him. "Where's your heart, Major Burdett?"

"Right where it's always been," Mark nervously replied. "Maybe you just have to listen closer."

She slid her hand over his pec. "I don't feel anything. Why don't you..."

Mark suddenly grabbed her wrist, twisting it painfully and bringing her to her knees. He then heaved her against the wall, swinging her like a club. She hit the wall with a loud thud, shaking every bone in her body. She quickly recovered, placing her boot against the Burdett clone's chest and shoving him backwards. His hand painfully released her wrist, leaving large red welts where his fingers had been. He hit the wall and immediately recovered, charging her.

Without any further choice - or time for a fight - she raised her revolver and aimed for the charging man's forehead. She pulled the trigger.

The cyborg's body lurched back with the force of the shot, it's head completely destroyed. It fell to the floor, the arms and legs still twitching. She patted down the alien, feeling for any weapons. He had lied; she found a 9mm tucked in the back of his belt and a small knife stuck into his boot. She took these and headed once more for the holding cells.

As she approached the corner that would take her to Janet's cell, a guard approached. He had obviously been alerted by the gunshot and had his weapon drawn. There was no time to determine if he was an invader or not. She raised her gun and fired, shooting him in the upper arm. He jerked slightly, looking at the wound as white goo began to seep from it. Sam grinned. "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto." She fired again, decapitating another alien.

She stepped over his corpse and ran to the holding cell. The door slipped open with no access card or code needed. She stepped inside, holding her breath.

Janet was still lying on the bed, strapped down and barely conscious. She was still dressed in Xua'quil's ridiculous blue underwear. Sam shot off the lock, no longer caring if the aliens heard. Pushing the door open, she knelt next to the bed and stroked her lover's face. "Janet? Janet, baby, can you hear me?"

The brunette rolled her head on the pillow, looking up at Sam. "Sa'? Is it really you this time?"

"Yes, honey... it's me."

"The aliens..."

"They took over my mind for a while, baby. But I'm all right, now." She kissed Janet's lips, pulling back to begin undoing the restraints.

"What... what're we gonna do?"

"We're going to kick some alien ass."

Chapter Nine

Sam reloaded as Janet attempted to regain her bearings. She held her hand to her forehead, wanting to will the drugs from her system. Drugs, she reminded herself, that had been administed by Sam herself. She looked at her lover as she checked the hallway for aliens. Apparently deeming it safe, Sam returned and looked at Janet. "Almost ready?"

"Yeah," Janet said weakly. "Almost. Can... I get something else to wear?"

Sam nodded, returning to the hallway and dragging the corpse of the guard into the room with them. She quickly stripped off the man's pants and jacket, tossing them to the brunette. "Sorry, but they'll be a little big..."

"Everything's big on me," Janet tried to joke. She stood, putting on the dead cyborg's clothes. When she was partially-covered, she picked up his boots and stepped into them.

"Those fit all right?"

"They're the boots of a six-foot-something man... how do you *think* they fit?" Janet snapped.

"Sorry," Sam apologized, turning back to the door. "Sorry."

Janet picked up the guard's weapon. "So your plan is to kick some alien ass. Have you thought it out any farther?"

"We need to find Teal'c or get some kind of signal to him. Even if the rest of the base is affected, he won't be," Sam said. She was leading the way out of the holding room, making a path for the nearest elevators. They had to step over the bodies of her first two kills. Janet paused, looking down at the decapitated officer and wondering how Sam had been capable of such violence.

"How can you be so sure?" They were standing at the elevator now. Sam pressed the button, standing to the side of the door in a firing stance just in case the car that came was occupied.

"He wasn't affected when the aliens first took over the base. And he wasn't affected by Hathor's nish'ta, either."

The elevator doors opened to reveal they had gotten lucky. The women stepped inside, Sam pressing the button for Level 28. Janet pursed her lips. "Fine. So we have to find out where Teal'c is. And your plan to do that, oh fearless leader?"

Sam turned. "Look, Janet... this is not the time for you to be angry at me. I freed you because I need help."

"Oh, good. I wouldn't want to think it was out of the goodness of your heart."

Sam spun to face Janet. "Look, I get that you're mad at me. But can we wait until another time to have this argument? I'm kind of thinking of other things right now."

Janet chewed on her lower lip, impatiently tapping her foot on the floor of the elevator. She finally opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the elevator opening.

Two soldiers were waiting when the doors slid apart, obviously speaking in hushed tones. They looked up, slowly recognizing the women before them. Sam drew her weapon, as did the other two startled officers. "Drop the weapon, ma'am."

"You first," Sam challenged.

The taller soldier stepped into the elevator as the doors were beginning to close. Sam fired, taking a chunk out of his shoulder. He kicked her into the wall, snatching the gun from her hands and tossing it aside. Considering the threat from her to be neutralized, he turned to Janet and lunged at her. The doctor was knocked into the back wall of the elevator, the soldier's body pressing against her. His vice-like grip closed around her throat, throttling the petite doctor. She kicked at him, her boots making contact but causing no noticable change in her attacker.

The man's head lurched violently to the side, his grip loosening slightly. It was enough to allow Janet room to maneuver and get free from him. Sam had gotten her weapon and was pressing it against the alien's temple. Janet locked eyes with the man just as the major pulled the trigger. She screamed, falling to her knees.

Sam turned, letting the corpse hit the ground. Janet pulled herself up, shaking her head. Sam sighed. "Look... I'm going to take you back to the infirmary, lock you in the office until I get the threat neutralized."

"You think I can't handle this?" Janet hissed.

Sam rolled her eyes, turning back to the doors without answering her lover. The doors opened again on Level 28 and Sam stepped out. Janet moved away from the wall and pressed the button for a different level.

Sam turned. "What the hell are you doing?"

"To find Teal'c... and get away from you." The doors closed.

---

The spot Cassandra had chosen to enter the facility was luckily located near a small storage closet. She slipped inside, leaning against the wall until she caught her breath. Outside, she could hear people walking past the closet, vague conversations and snippets of laughter. Finally, she felt confident that she could find and help her mother and Sam, so she stood up and headed for the door. She stepped towards the door, her foot slipping on something cold and round.

She looked down, taking a few steps back and getting down on one knee. She found the pipe, testing it's weight before deciding it would make a good weapon.

Armed, she stood and went to the door.

---

Janet entered her office, dropping into her favorite chair. The computer was already on, the screen glowing with the physical reports of different SGC members. To her horror, she saw that the screen was currently on Teal'c's exam results. "She's trying to find a way to take over Teal'c."

"That's right, bitch. And you're in my way."

Janet spun in her chair. FalseJanet, looking like she belonged, entered with a gun leveled at Janet's head. "You... have been such a pain in my ass." She slowly rose to her feet, facing down her identical evil twin. FalseJanet cocked the gun and growled, "About time I got this chance..."

"You had the chance before," Janet reminded her. "Frankly, I don't think you've got the guts to do it. You'll never win because you're a coward."

FalseJanet smiled. "Coward?" She fired.

A split second before FalseJanet's finger tensed, the real Janet dropped to the ground and rolled to her right. The bullet whizzed dangerously close to her head, but she didn't let it phase her. She launched herself at her twin's mid-section, wrapping her arms around the alien cyborg's waist and knocking her off her feet and forcing her to drop the gun.

The two women slammed painfully into the wall, both hitting the ground and needing a moment to recover. FalseJanet, blessed with cybernetic advances, was able to stand first and used the opportunity to kick her double in the stomach. Janet coughed, curling into the fetal position as the alien continued her assault.

Janet shot out her arm, wrapping her hand around the leg the other woman wasn't kicking with. She gritted her teeth and pulled, throwing her alien duplicate off-balance. As FalseJanet fell, Janet was rising. She pounced on FalseJanet's quickly dropping form and pinned her twin to the ground.

FalseJanet realized she had been bested and smiled up at her mirror image. "You're better than I gave you credit for... what do you say we make a compromise?"

Janet punched the other woman, throwing her head violently to one side. FalseJanet coughed, then spit a stream of red across the floor. "Bitch," she muttered. "You knocked one of my teeth loose."

"I hate loose teeth," Janet hissed. "Let's see if I can get rid of it." She punched the other woman again, then once more. FalseJanet growled and spit a pearly white tooth into her attacker's face. Satisfied, if somewhat revolted, Janet kneed the other woman in the gut and pulled herself up. She found the other woman's discarded 9mm and aimed it at the woman's head. "Get up. NOW."

FalseJanet reluctantly rose to her feet, making no eye contact whatsoever. "You're going to kill me now?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"It won't matter. There will be more. I'm just one of many... the vessel that houses my actual consciousness is back on the world where our constructs are made. It will just be used to form another duplicate. Perhaps we will choose another human next time."

"Stop talking."

"Put the gun down." Janet felt the confidence seep from her muscles. The voice, coming from behind her, had been male. And it had been familiar. She reluctantly lowered the gun and turned to face General Hammond. He was holding a zat on her, wearing an expression of utter hatred.

Janet peered over her shoulder at her twin, the ringmaster of this hell on Earth. "I suppose he's another alien cyborg?"

"Why don't you kill him and find out?"

Janet faced the general. "She's brainwashing you, Sir."

"Shut up. What shall I do with her, Mistress?"

"Restrain her. When we find Major Carter, we will use the good doctor to persuade her to return to our side."

"You know about Sam turning on you?" Janet asked as Hammond bound her wrists.

"Of course. I called the house and could tell she was lying to me. I realized she had not gone through with her orders."

"Orders?"

FalseJanet grinned. "You didn't know? I ordered Samantha to eliminate Cassandra. Apparently, she couldn't go through with it."

As Hammond prepared a set of handcuffs, Janet felt conflicting emotions. She didn't know which was strongest; she felt anger at this whore who had ordered Cassie's death... she felt fear that Sam may have *almost* gone through with the orders... elation that, even under heavy brainwashing, Sam had been unable to complete the mission... then fear that Cassie was out there somewhere. Probably alone, scared...

Hammond tested the handcuffs, then nodded at FalseJanet. The alien leader smiled at her twin, then said, "Let's go to the 'gate room."

---

"I'm so cool, too bad I'm a loser..."

Cassie ducked into a doorway as she heard the quiet singing voice approaching around a corner. She stood very still, the lead pipe clutched against her chest like a talisman. Her back was straight against the wall, her breathing as slow and quiet as she could manage.

She could tell from his voice that the person coming toward her was Jack O'Neill... and he was getting closer. He was humming now, the sounds of his boots sounding unbelieveably loud in Cassie's ears. She wanted to run into the hall, wrap her arms around her friend and let him tell her everything would be all right, but she didn't. Sam had warned her on the trip up the mountain to trust no one... even if they look like your friend, they may not be.

Jack had just passed the corridor she was hiding in. Taking a deep breath, Cassie rushed into the hall behind the colonel and swung the pipe in a high arc. She contacted the older man's head with a loud "THAK!," but he didn't go down. He spun, his knees threatening to give out as he faced his attacker. "Cass...?," he muttered. She swung the pipe again, catching his across the jaw. His head moved with the force of the blow and the slope of his forehead slammed into the wall. He collapsed into a heap.

She dropped the pipe, taking hold of Jack's ankles and dragging him towards the closet. "Sorry, Jack... really sorry..."

---

The Stargate was active. As Sam watched from the abandoned briefing room, two men stepped out of the event horizon and scanned the room they had arrived in. She estimated nearly a dozen people were gathered in the room, all dressed in green SGC uniforms and all looking familiar. She recognized a replacement for Sergeant Davis, as well as Dr. Roth and Dr. Warner.

She wanted to take the time to identify as many imposters as she could, but she could hear people approaching and hit the floor. FalseJanet walked through the briefing room, leading the real Janet to the stairs. General Hammond was obediently following behind the other two women, his eyes glazed. As soon as they disappeared down the stairs, Sam slipped after them, keeping out of sight. She could hear FalseJanet speak to the sergeant controlling the Stargate, then picked up the phone and pressed 'intercom.'

"Attention, Major Samantha Carter. We know you are in the facility."

---

Cassandra paused, kneeling next to Jack's prone form as the address continued. The speaker sounded like... no, that was impossible! "We have captured Dr. Fraiser."

---

Elsewhere in the facility, Teal'c woke from a deep state of kel'no'reem. He looked around, trying to determine the source of his interruption. "If you wish to see her alive again, you will report immediately to the control room. You have five minutes."

---

Cassandra abandoned Jack, making her way through the now-empty corridors. "Guards, you will not attack, harm or in any way mar Samantha Carter as she makes her way to me. I wish all damage to be done by my own hand."

---

Sam watched in horror as FalseJanet pressed a gun against the original's forehead. "You now have four minutes."

As FalseJanet set down the receiver, Sam stepped out of the shadows. Her hands were raised above her head. "Hey."

Both Janets turned, as did General Hammond. The guards at the far end of the room also drew their weapons, although Sam knew they wouldn't fire. They had just been warned not to hurt her, for crying out loud...

"It's me you want? You got me. Just let Janet go."

FalseJanet smirked, then turned to face her twin. "I just got a better idea." She pressed herself against Janet's body, smiling into the identical woman's face. "If you kill Sam yourself, I promise I will spare Cassandra."

"What?" Janet gasped.

"Don't do it, Janet," Sam warned. "She's made that promise before... she broke it then and she'll break it again!"

FalseJanet shook her head. "She's lying, Janet dear. She knows that you'd do anything to protect your child." She pulled the gun from Hammond's belt, then pressed it into Janet's palm. "Kill Sam. I'll let Cassie live."

Janet slowly wrapped her fingers around the butt of the gun, taking it from her twin.

"She's lying! She'll turn on you, just like she turned on me!"

Janet looked up at Sam, her eyes filled with tears. "I have to, Sam... it's my daughter."

Sam felt a tear trickle down her cheek. "Don't do this, Janet."

"I... I have to, Sam. God... I love you so much."

Janet leveled the gun at Sam's chest. As tears streaked down the brunette's face, she whimpered. "Can... can I kiss her good-bye?"

"Damn sentimental humans," FalseJanet growled. "Make it fast."

Janet stroked Sam's cheek, moving in close. "I'm sorry, Sam. I meant what I said earlier." Their lips were inches apart. "I want to marry you. God, if I didn't have to do this..."

"I understand, Janet. I love you, too."

Their lips met, each woman melting into the other. Sam instinctually brought her hands up to caress the doctor's back. FalseJanet sighed. "Okay, enough! Kill her already!"

"AAAIIIEEE!!"

FalseJanet spun, startled by the scream. Cassandra pushed herself off the wall, launching herself across the room, wielding the pipe above her head like a samurai sword. With her leap, she came flying at FalseJanet.

Sam and Janet both looked in time to see Cassie bring the pipe down in a graceful arc. It connected with FalseJanet's temple and violently tossed the woman to the ground. As Cassie landed, the alien leader tried to push herself back up. Cassandra brought the pipe down once more, this time slamming into the base of FalseJanet's skull. The cyborg groaned with the impact, her head dropping loosely to the cement.

Cassie was breathing hard, her arms immediately dropping to her sides. Sam and Janet broke their momentary paralysis and moved across the room with lightning speed. Janet grabbed Cassie into a powerful hug, crushing the girl against her breast and causing her to drop the lead pipe. Sam was kneeling next to FalseJanet's body, testing the vital signs. "Cassie," she warned. "Janet? Turn away..."

Janet cradled Cassandra's head against her breast, shielding the teenager's view with her body. Sam pressed the barrel of her gun against the soft skin below FalseJanet's jaw. "Good-bye, bitch." Without hestitation, she pulled the trigger.

This time, the chamber wasn't empty.

---

The substance that Xua'quil - FalseJanet - had used to take control of General Hammond and several other conveniently drugged members of the SGC had ceased working the moment the alien temptress was decapitated. Hammond blinked, trying to figure out what exactly had been happening. Janet approached, placing a hand on his shoulder as Sam attempted to cover the carnage to spare Cassandra the trauma.

Janet, deciding that Hammond could deal with himself for a while, armed herself with Xua'quil's gun and headed for the gate room. The doors slid open and she burst in like a miniature tornado. "EVERYONE DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"

The cyborgs that filled the room turned, staring at her in disbelief. "I am your mistress! Do as I command!" When the aliens still didn't move, she aimed at a duplicate of someone she didn't immediately recognize and shot him between the eyes. The others immediately began to disarm.

"Face down, on the floor. Interlock your fingers." The cyborgs did as they were ordered.

Hammond approached the window, peering down at his CMO. "We, uh... have a plan, I take it?"

"Yes, Sir," Sam assured him, wrapping an arm around Cassie. "We'll take the robot constructs back to Harlan's world and destroy them, along with the duplication process."

"But Harlan..."

"...is dead, Sir."

"I thought his constructs could only survive 48 hours away from the world."

"It appears that Xua'quil, one of the shape-shifting aliens that tried to take over the SGC a while back, figured out a way to devise a mobile battery source. She incorporated it into her own robotic form and the others fed off of it. They'll survive as long as they're on the same planet as her." The general looked at her oddly, so she added, "I learned a lot about them when I was their prisoner, Sir."

"I see." He shut down the Stargate and began to dial the co-ordinates from Harlan's world. Halfway through the address, he paused the check the procedures folder they kept for emergencies and finished. Once the Stargate began to dial, he looked down at Xua'quil's corpse."So now that she's dead..."

"It's only a matter of time, Sir, before all the others die, too."

"Good."

"Do you want me to fill you in on what happened, Sir?"

"Not necessary, Major. I... remember most of it."

Sam froze. "You... do, Sir?" She suddenly recalled the declaration of love both she and Janet had made in front of him, not to mention the passionate kiss... "How much?"

"Bits and pieces." He realized what she was referring to, then said, "Of course, some parts are fuzzier than others. Unless I see something that refreshes my memory, I guess I'll just have to live with not knowing."

"Rest assured, Sir," Sam smiled. "You won't get any memory-joggers."

"Good to know, Major." He winked at her, then said, "Congratulations, Sam."

"Thank you, Sir."

They both looked down on the Gate Room as Janet directed her prisoners through the Stargate.

~Epilogue~

Once SG-1 had regrouped, they gathered in the briefing room for an impromptu meeting with Hammond and Janet. Hammond declared the meeting top-secret, barring even the airmen usually posted at the entries and exits from attending. Jack was the last to arrive, nursing a mild concussion. He gently lowered himself into his regular chair and winced. "Sir, could we please turn off those klaxons?"

Sam looked at her CO. "My God... who did that to you? Xua'quil? One of the doubles?"

Jack glanced at Janet. "Cassie."

"Cass... Cassandra did that?" Sam said, trying to hide her smile.

"Hey! She snuck up on me! And... and she had a pipe..."

Hammond sighed, allowing himself a slight smile. "Could we focus, please? I want a detailed account of what the hell happened here."

Sam sighed. "And I suppose you want to know... everything. Right, Sir?"

"Agreed."

She took a deep breath and braced herself. What she was about to reveal was grounds for dismissal. "Dr. Fraiser and I have been in a relationship for several years."

"Sam!"

"He already knows, Janet." She took another breath. "Before we embarked for PJ4-861, otherwise known as Cheleta, we had a falling out in our relationship. I felt that she was finished with me, which led to a below-par performance on my part. I let my emotions cloud my actions and ended up being captured by the enemy. The leader brainwashed me into doing her bidding, used my love of Janet against me. I... I was coerced into helping her -- *it* -- take over the SGC."

"You facilitated the attempted takeover of the SGC?" Hammond asked.

"I did, Sir. Under orders, I journeyed to the house Janet and I share and attempted to kill Cassandra."

Janet tensed slightly.

"I... couldn't go through with it, Sir. The trauma of that helped break me free of Xua'quil's control. I immediately returned to the base and began working to stop Xua'quil at any cost."

"I see. Dr. Fraiser, what is the status on the alien world?"

She glanced at Sam. "I managed to round up all of the constructs and ordered them into a closed-off area. I checked Harlan's instruments as Sam suggested and discovered that the place was at the boiling point already. Without Harlan to maintain it, plus the added strain of dozens upon dozens of cyborgs being created, the machine was falling apart. Major Burdett and I barely managed to escape with our men before it began to implode all around us."

Hammond nodded. "The alien constructs?"

"We attempted to send a MALP through, Sir... apparently the destruction of the facility caused a massive cave-in. Any cyborgs that survived the initial destruction are buried under thousands of tons of rubble."

Hammond nodded slowly. "And the threat on PJ4-861?"

"We sent another team through the 'gate after we destroyed Xua'quil's duplication facility," Daniel provided. "The team we sent were able to easily take down their diminished forces and free the Cheletans. As Teal'c theorized, they were being kept in a web-like construct in one of the buildings in town. We liberated them and managed to corner a large number of alien specimens."

"Where are they now?"

"Ah... self-destructed, Sir."

"So there are no specimens for study, then?"

"Sorry, General."

"Don't be, Dr. Jackson. Dr. Fraiser, do you think these alien constructs pose any further threat to the SGC?"

She shook her head. "I doubt it, Sir. Their leader has been destroyed, as have their facilities for creating cyborgs. If we re-enable the harmonics generator, I don't think we'll have this problem again."

"Very well. If there's nothing else... you're all dismissed."

As the team began to rise, Janet cleared her throat. "General? May I have a word with you?"

"No, Dr. Fraiser. You may not. I know what this is regarding and it's the reason this was a closed-doors meeting. Major Carter says you two have been involved for several years. I'm not asking for a specific time frame because, frankly, I can't determine when the relationship would have started."

"Sir?"

"Until this situation occurred, you'd done a good job keeping it out of the SGC. If you manage to keep it out of here in the future, I'll manage to ignore it. You're dismissed." He turned, offering the women a slight smile before disappearing into his office.

Sam turned, facing Janet. Daniel quickly ushered Jack out of the room, following Teal'c down the stairs to the control room. The two women were alone for the first time in what seemed like years. Sam was wearing her blue jumpsuit, unzipped low enough to reveal her black t-shirt underneath. Upon returning from Harlan's world, Janet had changed into her standard blue blouse, dark blue skirt and lab jacket. An outside observer wouldn't have been able to tell anything life-altering had occured.

Janet was the first to move, making her way across the room to look through the window, looking at the Stargate. "I can't believe... I can't believe how long it's been. Since I actually felt safe."

Sam nodded, then realized something. "My God... I have no idea how long it's been."

"Sam?"

"It feels like years... I was unconscious for a long time when Xua'quil first captured me. I have no idea how much time has passed since we... since I..."

"It doesn't matter, Sam. Enough time has passed that I... I've realized something." She had her back to the blonde, but could see her reflection in the glass. Sam's image was superimposed over the Stargate, making the major seem larger than life. "When Colonel O'Neill first told me you had been captured, I was destroyed. I thought that you might... might never come back. I was so horrified when I thought that you might have died never knowing... never knowing that I love you."

"I know, Janet. I've always known..." Sam whispered, moving closer. "I love you, too. I want to marry you, it's just... I did something horrible, Janet. I... when Xua'quil had me under her control, I was ordered to do something that I would never have been able to do under normal circumstances. I never should have been able to complete it."

"What's so horrible that you don't want to marry me anymore?"

Sam closed her eyes. "Xua'quil ordered me to kill Cassandra."

Janet nodded slowly. "She...the alien said that you were failed to ki..." She closed her eyes and managed to say, "To kill Cassie. And then you confirmed it in the briefing... I guess I have been denying it, hoping I had misheard."

"No. I almost did it, Janet. I pressed the damn thing against her and I pulled the fucking trigger... I was so close, I... The chamber was empty. But... God, if it hadn't been..."

"Sam... it was. I love you. Cassandra loves you... And despite what you did under alien influences, I know you love us, too."

Tears flowed freely down Sam's face. "I almost killed her, Janet. How can you be so forgiving?"

Janet was saved from answering by Cassie's sudden entrance. "Mom? Sam?"

They both turned. The girl was with Daniel, who had tried to turn her back but she slipped from his grasp and ran for Sam. She wrapped her arms around the blonde, holding her tightly. "I know what you almost did, Sam."

Sam sobbed, her arms instinctively going to embrace the girl. "Oh, Cassandra, I'm so sorry."

"I hate the bitch."

"What?"

Cassie pulled back. "Language... I know... But she had to be a bitch. I can't believe she would do that to you. I can't believe she'd use you like that... make you try to kill me." She wiped away a tear and shook her head. "I'll kill the bitch if I ever find her."

Janet grinned, approaching her lover and daughter. "Sam already kinda blew her head off."

Cassie half-laughed, half-sobbed as she reached out and embraced Janet as well. "Oh, yeah," the girl said, remembering the gunshot in the control room. Janet had shielded her from seeing the carnage. "Good for you, Sam. Show her what happens when she tries to off me..."

Daniel found himself smiling as he watched the three women embrace. 'Orthodox or not, whatever your personal beliefs may be, this is the definition of a family,' Daniel thought. He turned, heading back downstairs to give the women the privacy they deserved.

---

Sam had initially wanted to turn down the offered vacation time. Hammond had insisted, as he thought that she needed time to fully purge her system of Xua'quil's mind-bending drug, but she insisted she felt completely fine. Once she learned the particulars of SG-1's newest mission, however, she had immediately headed back for Hammond's office to request the time. Daniel had apparently taken an interest in an archaeological discovery at the top of a very steep, very rocky mountain. It would take five hours of climbing to reach the apex, followed by at least two days excavating in the blistering 100 degree days and the sub-zero nights

Now, three days later, Sam sat on the porch swing of her and Janet's house, sipping cocoa and searching the stars for the system her team was currently working in. She had long ago discovered that the majority of star systems they had visited - Abydos being the only exception - were too far to be seen by the naked eye. She had almost laughed out loud when a scientific journal reported the discovery of an alien world capable of sustaining life... not realizing they had only located Abydos.

The swing rocked slightly as another body dropped gently onto it. Sam turned, smiling at Janet. "Hey."

"Hey."

The day before, both women had kept Cassie out of school and gone for a group session with Janet's friend, Dr. Sandra Coulson. Sam admitted the guilt she felt for betraying her lover and nearly killing her daughter. Sandra had proposed weekly visits for as long as it took to deal with the feeling of self-hatred Sam was harboring for her actions. Now, after only one visit, she felt better than she had in ages. They had spent nearly six hours (thank God Sandra didn't charge friends!) talking about family, love, marriage and other things that happened to cross their minds.

In the chilly twilight, Janet unfolded the large quilt she had carried outside, throwing one side over Sam's legs and tucking the other under her own. She snuggled against Sam's side, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt the taller woman's arm wrap around her shoulder.

Janet sigheded, snuggling closer to Sam. "I love this... I love you." She rested her hand on Sam's chest, just above the swell of her breasts.

Sam reached up, placing her hand over Janet's. "I love you, too."

They were silent for a moment, simply basking in the dying light of the day. It felt later than it actually was; Daylight Savings had started a few days earlier causing everyone's inner clock to be a bit out of whack. Sam rested her head on top of Janet's, closing her eyes. "I never want to let go of you."

Finally, Janet rearranged herself on the bench and took Sam's hand in her own. The blonde felt something pressing into her palm, but Janet wouldn't release her hand to look at it. "You made me a promise, Sam. Do you remember?"

"Uh... what promise?" Her heart was quickening. Janet couldn't possibly be talking about...

"You said the next time we both got some leave... well, I asked Hammond for tomorrow and he agreed. I have a three-day weekend coming up."

"Janet, you..."

The doctor removed her hand, revealing a small velvet holder. She pulled the top open, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. "Janet... it's... I don't have anything for you..."

Janet leaned forward, kissing Sam softly. "You're all I need. I already told Jack and the guys to clear their schedule for Saturday."

"They're off-world!"

"That, my dear Samantha, was a cleverly planned lie. So... do I need to do the traditional thing?" She slipped out from under the blanket, balancing herself on one knee and taking the ring from Sam. "Samantha Carter, I love you more than I ever thought possible... Just the thought that you love me as much as I love you is... mind-boggling. Please, make me the happiest woman on Earth, or any other planet, and say you'll be mine?"

"How can I say no?" Sam sobbed, cupping Janet's face and pressing a tender kiss to the brunette's lips. As the last embers of day faded, Sam pulled Janet into the swing and wrapped the blanket around their tired bodies. As they lay on top of each other, Janet slipped the ring onto Sam's third finger on her left hand, kissing the tip of each finger on that hand. "Samantha Carter... or Samantha Fraiser?"

"Or Janet Carter... Samantha Carter-Fraiser..."

"We have a lot to talk about, it seems."

They laughed, holding each other and whispering sweet nothings as the night began. From her bedroom window, Cassie could see Sam pull Janet onto the swing and could imagine what they were doing from there. She had switched off the light to see better and now, with a smile, pulled the shade. When she climbed into bed that later night, Cassie pulled the blankets up to her chin and - despite the events of the past few days - had nothing but sweet dreams.

The End