Chapter Six
Daniel could hear Sam mumble something in her sleep. She was no longer shaking, since the room had finally warmed up, and no one had bothered them since that lunatic, Adros, had left.
Sam had been sleeping for almost an hour, but Daniel still felt the need to hold her, feeling protective of her for the first time ever. She was normally the strong one, the one trying to protect him. It seemed like now it was his turn.
“Careful!” he heard clearly now, watching her sleeping face grimace in distress. She was dreaming, probably reliving one of their many close calls. They certainly had had quite a few last year alone.
He reflected on what SG-1 had recently gone through, wondering at the same time how they all still clung to their sanity. Personally, he had thought he would lose his mind for certain when he had believed himself to be a ghost. The whole crystal scull incident had left him shaken for weeks.
Poor Teal’c had recently lost yet another loved one to the Goa’uld. Unfortunately deluded Shau’nac had died at the hands of double-faced Tanith. The worst part was that his friend had not been able to avenge her death, sacrificing his desire to kill Tanith for the greater cause. Sacrificing yet something else, as if they had not all sacrificed enough!
Daniel felt Sam tense up in his arms, her bruised features reflecting anguish as she made little sounds of distress. He really should wake her. He was not sure nightmares would contribute to a healing sleep, but she suddenly relaxed again, and he stopped himself. Hopefully she would rest now.
Sam had had a particularly tough time lately, he thought. Thinking back, he remembered the three long months they had sat at Stargate Command trying to get Jack back from Edora. Well, he and Teal’c had sat. Sam had been working practically around the clock trying to build the device that would allow them to rescue Jack, only to find him in the arms of another woman when they finally did.
Daniel had been witness to what this had done to Sam, although he had not been able to talk to her about it, much less try to console her. She had still believed her love for Jack was a secret, but he and Teal’c had discussed Jack and Sam many times. Their feelings for each other had been obvious to both men for a long time.
Damned regulations! Of all the sacrifices Sam and Jack had had to make, Daniel thought their love for each other was probably the greatest. He had watched Sam seek refuge within herself, as if something inside had shattered, when they had all thought Jack had retired after the Tollan incident and gone back to Edora… back to Laira. She had not spoken to anyone for days.
Daniel had even thought about going to Janet and spilling the beans about Jack and Sam, he’d been so worried about her. Then Jack had suddenly returned to the team, expecting everything to just go back to normal.
Daniel had been hurt by Jack’s deception, but not Sam. If he had ever seen a more blatant sign of love, he could not remember. Sam had forgiven her CO and forgotten how miserable she’d been on the spot. She had just been too happy to have Jack back.
Even Teal’c had commented on it. “I understand why you are angry at O’Neill, Daniel Jackson,” he had confronted him during dinner days after. “But you must remember that he was following orders. As you often say here, his hands were tied.”
“I know, Teal’c. It’s just hard to forgive when you have been hurt deeply. He did tell me our friendship meant nothing to him, remember?” Daniel had just not been feeling very forgiving at the time.
“You must follow Major Carter’s example,” Teal’c had chided. “If anyone should be holding a grudge, it should be her.”
Daniel had not been able to argue with that, and had finally forgiven Jack. How could he not? Sam had done so, having been hurt the worst.
Then, a few months later, Freia had visited them for the first time with her nifty little armbands. That’s when Daniel had known for sure that Sam was not the only one deeply in love.
Jack had preferred to die with her rather than leave her to die alone in Apophis’ ship. Talk about sacrifices! The four of them had been willing to give up their own lives and be buried forever under the distant planet’s mountain rather than leave each other behind. They all loved each other, but Jack and Sam felt more than just the affection expected between devoted teammates.
Teal’c had confirmed their suspicions about the depth of Jack’s love for Sam weeks later, after the zatarc incidents at the SGC. He had been there when Jack had had to confess in public his love for his Major.
Daniel felt sorry beyond words for having missed that one! But Teal’c had been forthcoming with details. The big man had actually smiled sadly telling the story, describing how hard it had been for Jack to finally confess to his feelings for Sam.
How could Jack and Sam continue treating each other with such professionalism after that, Daniel could not understand. But they were doing it, just as if it had never happened. SG-1 and their mission meant that much to both of them!
Although he did not agree with their decision to comply with the military’s regulations instead of fighting them, he admired them both for doing so. He knew they were doing it because they considered themselves and their own feelings unimportant compared to being able to fight together against the Goa’uld.
Yes, sacrifices were a fact of life for SG-1, an unavoidable reality. Daniel felt he was the one sacrificing the least, since he had the least to sacrifice. That was small consolation, but some consolation nonetheless.
Poor Teal’c had given up everything, his position, his home, his family, and his people. The man’s single-mindedness, his strength, and his determination were astounding and admirable. Only a truly noble heart could do what he was doing.
Daniel felt pride with the knowledge that the former First Prime considered him one of his close friends, and again begun to recollect the sad circumstances that had made this friendship a reality.
“No!” Sam suddenly shouted in her sleep, sitting up abruptly and scaring Daniel half to death, scattering his recent thoughts in the process.
“Sam, it’s okay! It’s just a dream,” Daniel reassured her calmly, easing her back to lie on the bed again. He could feel her heart racing, but she just closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Daniel offered, knowing the answer already.
Sam just shook her head and snuggled closer to Daniel, seeking comfort.
He obligingly held her tight, careful not to hurt his own ribs. “Try to go back to sleep, Sam. We don’t know how long our reprieve will last, and you’re exhausted.”
She just nodded, gripped his hand in hers and went back to sleep right away.
Daniel kissed her bruised cheek, hoping she would have no more dreams.
-----
“Why not? It just doesn’t seem reasonable to hold two injured people when you are trying to negotiate with us in good faith,” Hammond was arguing with the two Segaran representatives in the briefing room.
Jack was sitting to his right, pale with fury and struggling to remain in his seat. Teal’c looked particularly menacing, his eyes no longer calm.
Hammond was trying to get Sam and Daniel back in exchange for Jack and Teal’c, at Jack’s insistence, but he was getting nowhere.
“We understand that these two people are the most knowledgeable in matters regarding to the Stargate,” the woman representative, Edrana, was explaining. “Our government is unwilling to let them go when the possibility remains that our negotiations with you may prove to be fruitless.”
The woman was a skilled diplomat, able to give them a firm “no” without losing her serenity and coming across quite pleasant while doing so.
“Please understand that we are trying to protect your friends from the military. If we try to remove them, we may be forcing their hand. They are not happy with us for having taken over command of the Huna occupation,” the Segaran man contributed.
The woman looked at him sharply, indicating to those present that she had not intended to divulge such information.
“You mean they are still in danger, then,” Hammond jumped at the implication.
“Not at all, we promise,” Edrana assured Hammond unconvincingly. “They are safe, and as long as we continue our negotiations in good faith, they will remain so,” she smiled.
No one believed her.
“I suppose we will have to accept that for now,” Hammond conceded unhappily, giving Jack a warning glance in order to keep the Colonel from interrupting. Teal’c straightened in his chair, lifting his chin in displeasure, but said nothing.
“All we want is to understand our origins and contact our people. The Huns now know that they originated in this planet and are able to return here if they wish,” Edrana stopped, clearly noticing Hammond’s reaction.
“We never told the Huns they could return to Earth! That would be impossible for countless reasons. We were only negotiating access to the Ancient ruins, which is part of our ongoing mission, in exchange for information about their origins and some medical advances we have that would be beneficial to them, given our similar physiologies,” Hammond explained.
“We understand they were also negotiating for weapons technology,” Omnem, the Segaran diplomat contributed cautiously.
Jack leaned over the table, plainly close to losing his patience. “That’s against our policy! We told them “no” on that one.” His anger was evident in the tightly closed fists resting on the table, if not in the barely controlled tone of voice. “Tell your spies to get their stories straight!”
The woman gently addressed the Colonel. “All that is irrelevant now, Colonel O’Neill. We honestly do not care what you would or would not have agreed to with the Huns. What we want is to be able to use the Stargate to search for our home planet. Surely you can understand our need.” She was using an effectively placating tone to which O’Neill seemed to respond. “We are not happy where we are. The continent we were relocated to is extremely small, and our population has grown too large, with nowhere else to go. Huns and Segarans were never able to get along, and our planet is too small for both races to thrive. Please understand that the only option to relocation through the Stargate is to displace the Huns, something many of us do not want to do. We are seeking diplomatic solutions to our problem.”
The Segaran woman was convincing, but Hammond wondered how many Segarans were really that peaceful and reasonable, having already dealt with Adros.
“Giving you access to the Stargate and the addresses we possess would be a disservice to your people, one I could hardly live with. Stargate travel is extremely dangerous, and we have never come across beings such as you, although humans populate many of the planets we have visited. Even if we gave you only the addresses that we have not explored, it is more likely that you will come across the Goa’uld or someone worse. And believe me, despite everything we have told you about the Goa’uld, there are worse enemies out there. Your planet would become a target; you could be enslaved or destroyed. Are you willing to risk that?”
Hammond could be convincing as well, and the two Segaran representatives looked pensive.
“This has been a good first meeting, very productive,” Edrana finally said. “We have learnt much about the Goa’uld and yourselves. We have exchanged points of view that are worth discussing further with our government. I personally do believe you are trying to protect us, but our original problem remains. Let us return to Huna and discuss this with Bregan. He is a reasonable man and will confer with our government back in Segara, and we will return when we are ready to continue our negotiations,” she concluded, turning off her recording device.
The two Segarans then stood up and bowed to the three men sitting across from them, who also stood.
Hammond sighed in resignation, knowing he had no choice but to let them go for now.
-----
Back in Huna, Sam and Daniel were now resting in more comfortable beds, having been moved to another room. They had been fed and clothed as well.
Sam was sleeping again, and Daniel was happy to see that she did not seem to be dreaming. He had demanded proper medical attention for Sam and had voiced his displeasure at her treatment in no uncertain terms when an apologetic Bregan had come to visit hours ago.
A real doctor had come shortly afterwards and had treated Sam’s wound. He had also provided analgesics for the pain and had given her a sedative so that she could rest. But she had taken a long, hot shower in an attempt to warm up her chilled bones and ease her sore muscles, only getting out when Daniel had complained. He had reminded her that, at any time, the Segarans could change their minds and come bursting into the room to torture them some more.
As he watched her sleep, Daniel observed that the blue blouse and pants they had provided for her to wear were almost too small and molded to her figure in a most flattering way. It was a good thing Sam was normally in uniform, or he did not think Jack would have been able to remain such a professional CO.
Neither of them had shoes yet, but they were warm now. His poor friend looked battered, her beautiful skin only getting darker where that animal had abused her. Her hair was the longest he had ever seen on her and gave her a more feminine, vulnerable look, one he was not used to. She looked deceptively fragile and harmless in her sleep. How could any man bring himself to hit her?
Bregan had assured Daniel that they would be treated as guests from now on, but was sorry that they could not leave their room, and he had informed them about the negotiations currently under way back on Earth.
Daniel wished he could be a fly on the wall, knowing the mood Jack and Teal’c were probably in.
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